Sled Island - Jose Gonzalez, Of Montreal, Wire, Mogwai, The Dodos, and Rock Plaza Central

After Friday's late start, I though we may as well cruise down to Mewata field as early as possible to scope out how many people would actually pull their bodies out of bed for Saturday's 12:00 pm start. That and Swedish singer Jose Gonzalez was playing, and I still had a major need to woo the girlfriend vicariously through music (Chixdiggit just didn't cut it, apparently...)

When we got to the field at about quarter to noon, we were surprised to find a large line, some more determined security, and a new 'strict, no re-entry policy.' Something about too many empty bottles and roaches left on the steps of the Telus World of Science to greet Saturday morning families, I'm guessing... Regardless, things went smoothly, and the policy was eventually shifted to a more reasonable 'no re-entry after 3:00pm.'

It was obvious Saturday's main stage schedule was packed solid (things started three hours earlier than Friday), when I realized that Gonzalez was only slotted to play for thirty minutes. He's gotten some love from Ami before, and the two albums he's released so far still get the occasional spin when I'm feeling extra mellow, or something...

I remember when I saw him at Richards a few years ago, following the release of his debut Veneer, I thought he came across as incredibly timid, seeming almost frightened of the audience. I blamed it on lack of touring experience at the time, but after seeing him again at Sled Island (after what must seem like endless sets of the same material), he was still just as quiet, humble, and low-key. Some increased confidence was obvious as he sang tunes that the constantly growing audience knew every word to, but it's nice to see Gonzalez's restraint intact: he could easily play off his commercial success and sell himself as the next Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, or John Mayer. The man's stage presence, however, makes it clear that the music still comes first.

He sometimes plays with a small backup band, but Saturday's performance was a Jose and guitar affair only. Gonzalez made most of his initial success by recording covers (check out this stellar video for the original 'Heartbeats', by the Knife) and it's no surprise that his biggest allure is a singular vocal style; uniquely calm but jarring. Giving the end of many lines a distinct rising intonation (it's hard to describe -- he almost 'clips' his voice short), there's always a sense of anxiety underlying songs that could otherwise be described as lullabies. Complete with his hypnotic hand percussion, the half hour set was the perfect amount of time for Gonzalez to enthrall without fully drifting the audience off into la-la land.

After only forty minutes or so, we were already feeling the impending heatstroke -- no wonder those who made it to the 1:00 am sets were barely standing (alright, I didn't see the Fucked Up show... but those guys are nocturnal), so we decided to take off for a bit and save some energy for Mogwai. I hate to admit that I hadn't yet heard of the experimental Calgarian hypesters Women, who played right after Gonzalez, and missing them may be one of my only festival regrets...

So after securing a second media pass to ensure re-entry, we left the field, promptly dumped our garbage on the Science Center's steps then chugged a 6-pack and played 'hit the exiting families while their eyes adjust to the sun' for a couple hours. Only kidding .

Whatever we were doing (all I remember is the music, man!), by the time we'd made it back to Mewata we had just missed Jonathan Richman's set (damn!), but had plenty of time to get in perfect standing position for the current Elephant 6 breadwinners Of Montreal. Last time I saw them play lead singer Kevin Barnes wore both a dress and stilts, and that was in a small club. At least today's show was all-ages... though I did overhear a story about a five-year old erupting into tears midway through the band's second song.

Maybe it's because I've never been able to fully embrace their newer stuff (I appreciate the talent, but usually by halfway through an album my toe is tapping, while my temple's usually starting to ache). I dunno, the music always partly feels like it should be playing in the background of some kind of nightmare-indie-carnival... like it belongs on the soundtrack of an acid-and-coke fueled Goosebumps episode.

Perhaps that's the best way to describe the band's Sled Island performance as well; if I gave my old UBC dorm buddies a bunch of acid, some drag, some makeup, a few masks, some black spandex and lots of confetti, then told them to stage a Goosebumps episode while playing an Of Montreal concert, I'd probably get something similar. Minus the the immense musical ability of course. I'm being too hard; Of Montreal are still great and I own, like, four of their albums... they just keep getting a little weirder. While the crowd and most critics seem to love the theatrics, for me it all kind of distracts from the wonderful songwriting, at times reducing the show to something close to a cheap Flaming Lips concert.

(Theres some more pictures of the insanity over at brooklynvegan)

We skipped The Fellas (aka The Dudes) to re-hydrate.... But what's there to say about Wire besides 'who knew they were so damn good after so many years?' It's kind of sad that mega-bands who burn out mega-fast, then re-unite for a middle-aged mega-tour get so much more attention. With only ten albums over 30 years, and their 11th out this summer, maybe the key to the band's success (and health) has been their steady pace.

While the vocals may be a tad weak after three decades of punk-rocking, I was surprised that the stuff which most impressed me (and I didn't seem to be alone) was the newest material. I guess I'll have to check out Object 47 when it gets released later this month. They're a band I never thought I'd end up seeing; a rare privilege made all the more obvious when their only other gigs this year are in London, Venice, Torino, and Zagreb, Croatia.

I don't really feel the need to heap more love onto the net-hype saturated Dodos, and if I did I'd kind of be lying. Despite all the reviews, their album Visiter has failed to make an impression (never rising above 'good background music'), and the Sled Island side stage performance merely re-affirmed my ambivalence. They just don't seem to have the songwriting chops to match the pleasant melodies, unable to ever really connect with the 'acoustic animal collective' vibe they seem to be going for. And as far as that whole wispy space-folk sound goes... they've got nothing on High Places. And what was with the dude in the back hitting the metal trash can? Not necessary...

I heard rumblings in the crowd all day that Mogwai may not have been the best final festival headliner. I guess dark instrumental music from Scotland may not be #1 on every Albertan's ticket. Once they took the stage, however, the sun had finally subdued and it seemed that most of the crowd had stuck it out and were ready for some shoegaze-stoner-metal-pop post-rock. Mogwai are pretty special, they're a band I've seen a handful of times, and I'm sure I'll be taking every future chance as well...

I think I wanted to run up on stage and hug Stuart Braithwait (or at least steal his Batman shirt), until he started in on the spine-shaking guitar work. Maybe it was only because I was right up front, but they sounded as loud and as powerful as ever. With a focus on the last two studio albums, Mr. Beast and Happy Songs For Happy People, they also played a bit of new material, which all sounded great. In the end I think Mogwai proved to be the perfect ending to a damn near perfect festival. If there's one word to characterize the typical Mogwai sound, it's epic, and how else could you appropriately end four days of music thats scope can only be described as such itself? Everyone I saw leaving had a smile on their face. Drunkards.

Ok, maybe they hated Mogwai and were just pumped for whatever show they were running off to next, because things were far from over. From the aforementioned Fucked Up show to another performance by the Dodos to Vancouer band Bend Sinister or a BSS/Spiral Stairs collaboration, there was a hell of a lot to choose from to cap off the festival.

My choice had been made long ago, however, as Sled Island would prove my first opportunity to see the immensely underrated Canadian folk-rock band Rock Plaza Central. I've been a huge fan since their Pitchfork-hyped concept album Are We Not Horses?, which told the story of a pack of mechanical horses choosing to wage war with an army of angels. The critical focus on the material's idiosyncratic subject matter probably did a disservice to the record in the long run, and most indie fans I know seemed all to eager to ignore the release or abandon it early for the next eight-point-o.

it's a shame, because behind the robotic stallions -- which are all just a big metaphor (duh), and one that shows up on the band's previous (and equally strong) release The World Was Hell to Us -- lies some of the most instantly engaging folk rock I've ever heard. And did I mention frontman Chris Eaton may be one of the best songwriters currently working in Canada?

I wasn't sure where the 'Marquee Room' was, but after following our Sled Island maps we found ourselves outside of Calgary's #1 independent theater, the Uptown. The funky upstairs bar/lounge, which had a wonderful vibe (and was completely new to me), would be the ideal space to devote one last burst of energy to Rock Plaza Central. Like I said, the band is under appreciated, and with so much competition in Calgary I'm not really surprised that only a handful of fans made it out to the amazing 1:00am show.

As soon as Eaton came on stage sporting both a banjo and Crocs (and what -- no cardboard robot horses??), I was taken back to the last banjo-wielding band I'd seen, Elliot Brood, and felt reaffirmed that I'd end my evening with an act that was completely pretense-free.

With a five-piece band that at different times included a violin, mandolin, trombone, and trumpet on top of the bass/drums/guitar (or banjo), their sound runs the gamut from contemporary indie-rock to old school folk. They started the evening with the instantly recognizable album opener "I am an Excellent Steel Horse" and proceeded to play through most of the latest record on top of a couple, older songs (from -- I repeat -- a stellar record that languishes in obscurity). My highlight of the night was probably "My Children, Be Joyful", but it's tough to choose when so many of their tracks already feel like folk rock classics.

I wasn't surprised to learn that Eaton grew up in the Maritimes, as the records have that I-don't-know-how-to-define-it 'Maritimey' sound underlying the rock (and lots of east coast imagery). He's naturally garnered all kinds of comparisons (i.e John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats), but his epicly emotive, heart-wrenching to menacing vocals, and surrealistic songwriting style really place the man in a field of his own. They've been justly touring the new material to death since that bit of mainstream hype, and Eaton said the shows have been back and forth in attendance - either pretty empty or packed with fans who know every word. New material is on the way, however, and they played one great new song with the chanted line "don't you believe the words of handsome men." It was decidedly epic, and decidedly Rock Plaza Central.

The next record is probably my most anticipated slated release... and I urge you to re-visit the RPC. The drunken dude at the Marquee Room, who had clearly never heard the band before, probably said it best at 2:30 that night, hand on the back of his chair; just barely balancing: "I think that was the best thing I've ever seen." The sun may have been messing with all of our heads, but Chris Eaton is also one of the most talented Canadians making music today.

That was the end of Sled Island! Sorry for the late recap on the final day here, but my blog-attention has been focused on more local happenings... hope some of you have enjoyed it regardless. Thanks again to the Sled Island team for putting on a killer show -- I can't wait until next year.

Check out some free live tracks from Rock Plaza Central over at Daytrotter.

Oh, and Mogwai play the Commodore on September 6. You won't want to miss that one.

And The Dodos may be extinct before they have a chance to return to Vancity... (sorry, couldn't resist).