Live at Squamish. Day two, part one. -- 09/05/10

After a first day that would be hard to top, I was looking forward to see where the second day would take me. And not to mention the night, where Leigh, acting Vancouver is Awesome Indie Music editor for this month, got us invited over to The Peak's Tamara Stanners' house, where there was a bonfire (something our campsite was sorely lacking), where we shared s'mores with members of We Are The City, Said The Whale, The Dudes, The Zolas, Adaline, other Peak people and more. I can't even begin to describe how much fun was had there. But enough shameless name-dropping.
While the first day had some stage-hopping, the second would be spent plunked down at the main stage for the day -- there were a couple I was interested in on the second stage, but they conflicted with acts I wanted to see more. Delayed slightly by a trip to Grilled Fromage, a Squamish restaurant that makes only grilled cheese sandwiches (seriously, it is way, way better than you'd think) we arrived at the overcast site just in time to catch...

You Say Party. It isn't their first live show since the passing of their drummer Devon Clifford, but I think many will mark this as their triumphant return. Honestly, I've never been that big of a fan of the band, but that's more just because they're just not for me; I don't dislike them and they certainly do what they do very well. There was a decent sized crowd amasses for being so early in the day -- crowd that lead singer Becky Ninkovic was noticeably moved by, thanking them for their support with a slight quiver in her voice. Aside from the old material, they played a trio of new songs, which showed that they won't be slowing down anytime soon.

Next up was South African band Civil Twilight. I've heard the band likened to folks like Radiohead and Muse, and I can see both similarities, but at the same time they have enough of their own sound to not seem derivative. It was also pretty incredible how intense a sound they made with just three members.
There are a few things in music that I have a soft spot for, and playing guitar with a bow is one of them (I blame Jónsi), so when they came out and used that in the first song, then at least once more, they definitely had my attention.
They also did a couple of covers, including "Teardrop" by Massive Attack and, what I thought may have won Cover of the Weekend, "The Immigrant Song". They put their own spin on it, without butchering it, and the lead singer was actually able to match Robert Plant's wail. A few of their songs were a little... similar, but I think I may have to check out more from them.

After them was yet another Vancouver band, Mother Mother. They are one of those bands that I always forget how much I like them until they pop up again, so it's always nice to be reminded of how great they are. Aside from the songs off O My Heart, including "Hayloft" which I still think is one of the catchiest songs, they also played a few new songs, "Simply Simple", "My Baby Doesn't Dance", and "The Stand", the latter of which was my favourite of the three. Rumour has it they're sitting on a new record, which will be out early next year, so there is that to look forward to! With their gorgeous harmonies and tight musicianship, I have no doubt that their power-pop goodness won over anyone in the crowd that may not have already known them.

Yet again, since there was so much to see and do, I have decided to split the weekend into four parts. Coming up: Day two, part two: Tokyo Police Club, Bad Religion and The Decemberists. And I have posted the weekends pics on my flickr, check them out!