Winterruption YEG - Wrap-Up
Edmonton’s newest music festival ushered in the heat to a city that, the week before, had seen temperatures in the -40’s. To say the festival goers were nervous a week before the festivities started is an understatement. Luckily, the clouds aligned and as the low pressure system moved off, temperatures above zero moved in, just in time for the start of Winterruption YEG. Both Jeff MacCallum and Sean Newton covered the festival for the Cups N Cakes Network (who was a media partner), and both have contributed to this article. Please enjoy our wrap up of Winterruption YEG 2020.
*Neither Jeff nor Sean were able to attend Thursday night shows but sources said it was a great night of music.
Friday
The FAPS
Jeff - I set out immediately after work to interview Partner at the Downtown Edmonton Community League (or DECL). As I rolled up, Partner was finishing rehearsing a cover of “Fly By Night” from Rush. A great tribute to the late Neil Peart was imminent for this evenings show. The interview was great as both Lucy and Josée are a hilariously fun pair. After the chatting, I napped before setting out and catching Jet Power at the Yellowhead Brewery. A relatively new band in the city, they played a great set of grungy punk tunes that will find their way onto an album this year. I left that show for DECL to see The FAPS absolutely slay their way through a frenzied set. Guitarist Skylar Cafferata was dressed in a unicorn onesie and Blair Colwell came out as Dracula, moving through the crowd ominously before sitting down at his kit and pummelling us with their oddball noise/punk/twang outbursts. And yes... that was me that Blair forced to play the high hat during their last song so that he could move through the audience. After The Faps, I burst into the Freemason’s Hall just I’m time to hear Jennifer Castle’s beautiful country stylings. Playing solo, she had no problem bringing the audience to complete silence except for an outburst of applause at the end of each song. She is truly one of Canada’s most impressive singer/songwriters. The end of her set brought out New York’s Bodega. A band I knew nothing about would absolutely blow my mind and have me spending the rest of my beer money for the whole weekend on their merch. I won’t dwell on them too much because they aren’t Canadian but I will tip my hat to Winterruption for introducing me to a new obsession.
Sean - I ran to the Freemason’s Hall after work and myself and Jennifer Castle tucked ourselves into the basement of the lodge for a hushed conversation about her latest record, Angel of Death. Myself and Jennifer parted ways, and I grabbed a quick supper at the Cask & Barrel (another Winterruption venue) before heading over to see Kathleen McGee and the hilarious Brian Posehn at the Starlite Room. Having comedy at a music festival can sometimes be a dicey affair, but the crowd at Winterruption showed up in big numbers and both McGee and Posehn delivered hilarious and well-received sets. I hightailed it outta there and over to Freemason’s Hall to catch part of Lindsay Walker's set, and Jennifer Castle's mesmerizing solo set (so mesmerizing, in fact, that an audience member fainted midway through her performance; apparently this is not the first time such a thing has happened. Let's say it was her virtuosic songwriting and not a proliferation of craft beers). I left after saying a quick hello to Jennifer, and caught the last bit of Partner's set at Yellowhead brewery before heading home for the night.
Bodega
Jennifer Castle
Saturday
Blessed
Jeff - Saturday at Starlilte Room was the Cups N Cakes showcase. A great night but to be totally honest, when we do a festival showcase, I don’t get much time to really enjoy the music. Festival showcases are really our only chance to get out to meet people face to face and explain what the Cups N Cakes Network has become. Most my night is spent explaining that we are not a podcast... although that’s confusing with “pod” at the end of our web address and all our socials. With what little attention I was able to give I can say that although they’re old, Electricity For Everybody! can slay. They are super-tight and I was shocked when I rounded the corner and found a bunch of Dads teaching the kids a thing or two. Next, Counterfeit Jeans didn’t disappoint by ripping some new tunes that sounded great. I was lucky enough to catch Spencer Heykants’ guitar strap break at the very start of a song and witness the anguish in his eyes as he continued to play while in a squat for nearly five minutes… legs of steel on that one. Next, Cups N Cakes writer Greg Torwalt’s band, Too Soon Monsoon, played an energetic pop set. Greg was dressed in some sort of clear garbage bag with a phrase I never could quite make out. They impressed the audience with their earworm melodies and fun stage antics. Next was Blessed who really is my favourite live band in Canada. Currently playing as a four-piece, they still managed to sound every bit as full as they had with that extra guitar. This band is so tight, I’m not sure it’s possible to rule out them being linked telepathically. They also gave us a new song that was less ethereal and more vicious, can’t wait to hear a recorded version of that. After Blessed, Calgary’s Sunglaciers played a set and wowed everyone in the bar. With a rhythm section that locks your attention, they laid down a masterful swatch of colourful flourishes over top. Cups N Cakes writer Drew Cox said they were hands down the best act of the showcase. Finally, No Age took the stage and powered through a set heavy in the first half with songs from 2018’s Snares Like a Haircut; because it was their first time in Edmonton, they gave the audience a smattering of classics in the back half. As cool as it was to see No Age, they had been out-done by earlier performances and the mood of the audience showed it.
Hannah Epperson
Sean - I slept in on Saturday, and ran to MacEwan University to meet Hannah Epperson for an interview before her show that evening. Her two albums are both conceptually similar in that they feature two versions of each composition, one that hews closer to her live show (which features looped violin and vocals), and one version that is more produced in an avant-pop tradition (think Bjork or Radiohead). After speaking with her, I was beyond excited to see her show, and dragged my pal Cam downtown to see her that evening. Edmonton songwriter Keltie started off the night, and drew the crowd in for the start of Hannah's set, which was, well… Absolutely stunning. Far and away the highlight of my weekend, the depth of Hannah's musicality and technique was not quite like anything I've ever seen before, and she instantly connected with the audience with a great sense of humour and a supercharged sense of empathy. Listen to these records, and if you have the chance, go see her play. We stumbled back out into the cold winter air, and into the Freemason’s Hall to get lost in Mathew Cardinal's swirling synth textures. Wares were on next, and rattled everybody's bones out of their synthesizer induced daydreams. Lead singer Cassia Hardy took the opportunity to announce (very spur of the moment, it seemed) some new music coming soon (*See the Cups N Cakes “Most Anticipated of 2020”) before playing their final tune and ceding the stage to Ezra Furman. At this point, the room was completely packed, and Cam and I retreated to the side to recover from our alcoholic haze. After Ezra's set, and a short but entertaining conversation with a bouncer about a supposed haunting on the upper floors of the hall, we took a cab back home and retired for the evening.
Sunglaciers
Too Soon Monsoon
Sunday
Raygun Cowboys
Jeff - An outdoor show... in winter! That’s just crazy enough that it could actually work! I showed up to the tent at Abbey Glen park in time to catch everyone’s favourite party band, Raygun Cowboys, rip through a set of their punk infused rockabilly. They warmed up the crowd enough that I saw many folks drinking cold beer... outside... in the winter! After their set, Nuela Charles belted out her soulful blend of R&B and Pop. After a quick nap I got down to DECL to see Cristian De La Luna play his Spanish-fueled pop. Acclaimed trombone player, Audrey Ochoa put his set over the top. He was followed by Calgary’s Crystal Eyes whose psychedelic bliss sounded better than ever. Easily the best set I’ve seen from this band and we are eagerly anticipating a new album. I left DECL for Rocky Mountain Ice House to see Feed Dogs play a great set of grunge inspired noise which was followed by Slut Prophet whom I was seeing for the first time. A hard band to describe, lyrically they align with feminist punk but sonically, they are simply… well… fucking wild! Horn blasts rise over a frenetic rhythm section that instantly reminded me of “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They”. The show ended with me kicking myself for missing this band so many times prior. I stuck around for a couple Bully songs; although not my thing, this Nashville band got the crowd singing along with Alicia Bognanno, as she belted out favourites for the packed house. The inaugural Winterruption YEG was a smashing success. It was amazing to see so many people get out to watch live music, the festival was well curated and each event was executed wonderfully. The only looming concern from my eyes is the weather. Although we got lucky this year, the thought of a walkable festival in the temperatures that Edmonton had experienced a week prior is terrifying. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for next year and hopefully, lady-luck will be smiling on Edmonton once again.
Sean - I spent my Sunday incapacitated by, I'd like to say, the stunning performances as opposed to simply an excess of craft beers, and didn’t make it out to any shows. Regardless, I felt the inaugural Winteruption festival was a phenomenal success. A series of great venues, great artists, and great crowds made it an experience you absolutely don't want to miss when it comes around next January.
Crystal Eyes
Slut Prophet