MUSICMusic Reviews

CMW 2013 Recap

Written by Mike Gallagher

I’ve been attending Canadian Music Fest, formerly Canadian Music Week for many years now. The festival has always been an opportunity to see emerging talent playing in some intimate venues. However, I’ve hardly spent the time checking out actual Canadian talent.

Another reminder of my advancing age is my need to “schedule” out my festival plans. In years past, after quickly scarfing down some dinner, I’d fled to any club that would let me in and hope for the best. Gigs were more a crapshoot back then – some were memorable and some completely forgettable. The roll of the dice was part of the thrill, along with hanging out with fellow music friends.

Gambling isn’t part of my psyche these days, hence the need to prepare a schedule. The drawback to scheduling is the setting one up for disappointment. Entry with a wristband is not guaranteed so an open mind and schedule is key to maximizing the CMF experience.

Unfortunately I’m no longer of those people and along with an early start to my job, staying at a club until 2 am has to be a guaranteed homerun for me. Also, standing outside in all kinds of weather doesn’t make for happy old bones either.

Aside from a couple of personal disappointments, like the cancelled Efterklang gig, my inability to stay awake long enough to catch A Place to Bury Strangers’ surprise gig at the Garrison & not catching Chvrches (who seemed to get all the best buzz of the fest) CMF did well.

A couple of notable gigs finally featured some Canadian content and are worth mentioning.

Thursday night at the Danforth Music Hall was Stars; touring behind their excellent The North, along with western upstarts Said the Whale. The crowd chanted “Said the Whale” when the house lights went down, almost to the point where I doubted I was at the right gig. Last year’s Little Mountain really announced their arrival to the country and the reaction in Toronto was testament.

The band motored through the bulk of Little Mountain and some older tracks to a rapturous reception from the crowd, but the sound was tinny and not ideal.

Stars took to the stage to a muted response when compared to the openers. However, by the end of “Theory of Relativity” the crowd roared itself awake. However the sound was really unkind to the band. Two songs were marred by a loud hiss while the sound for all songs again was tinny and bounced off the cavernous walls.

This was my fifth time to the Music Hall since they took the seats and carpeting out, and the sound needs some serious addressing. Before the change the venue could be counted on for clean, crisp sound. But since the change, the sound has ranged from muddled to excruciating. Stars deserved better for such a great album which they offered generous portions from. On this particular night it would have sounded better at home.

I returned to the Danforth Music hall for Austra on Saturday night. Previewing a handful of songs from their forthcoming album, Austra played for roughly an hour. Again, the only real issue was the sound which was muddled. Katie Stelmanis may sound like an ice queen on record but her voice really takes off in the live setting. Again though, the sound bounced all over the place.

I know CMF is not geared toward me. More geared toward younger, less picky me and we’re both cool with this. Overall, it’s well organized and aside from the inevitable “my wristband won’t get me into this over-stuffed gig” gripes, I’ve no issue with the festival itself.

But if I was to make a request, could weeknight gigs be a tad earlier for those less “resilient”, who need to juggle a serious love of music with the need to be up at 5am?

Please and thank you.

About author

Chief Editor & Founder of Live in Limbo. Host & Producer of the Capsule Podcast. Sean is an award-winning photographer and Nikon Professional Services member. His work has appeared on the CBC, Pitchfork, and MUCH. He is an Academy Delegate at the JUNOs (CARAS) and has been involved in the Toronto music scene since 2005. He is also an endurance and CrossFit athlete. You should follow him on Twitter @SeanChin.