Hey HC Lovers! Time for a rad music review!
Last week, I had the privilege of working at QPOP, an annual music festival that happens at Queen’s with acts performing at venues such as The Grad Club, Clark Hall Pub, and the Underground. The two bands that I did see perform hit the sweet spot with their smooth harmonies and instrumental abilities. I only wish I could’ve seen more! Here are reviews of The Wilderness, and The Rural Alberta Advantage, who rocked the Underground’s stage on the second night of the festival.
QPOP Day 2: Saturday, October 3, 2015
Venue: The Underground
Act 1: The Wilderness (8:30pm)
Website: https://thewildernesskingston.bandcamp.com/releases
Genre: Folk-Indie Rock
Members: Jonas Lewis-Anthony, Sacha Leah, Tõnu Karl, and Henry Lawrence
Based in Kingston, Ontario, The Wilderness is comprised of four, and carries a unique sound. Having just finished a tour across Canada, they were back in their hometown, Kingston, and could perform for us. Score!
They had an eclectic set list that included records from their first album, Sunday Afternoon. This includes the songs No Surprise, The Silence, State of Mind, Motown, and Springsteen Songs.
Having formed fairly recently, The Wilderness dissolved all notions of inexperience and commanded the stage, extremely comfortable in their performing abilities. Impressive!
It was obvious that the crowd enjoyed the hearty vocals and immaculate guitar solos. It was an enjoyable show, full of character and was engaging the entire time.
Having not heard them before, I was glad I got the chance to and strongly recommend checking out their website to get a taste of them yourself.
Final Words: Heartfelt melodies, skilled instrumentation, and the fact that this band is based in Kingston puts them on my “Recommended Listening” list. I see great things happening for The Wilderness!
Act 2: The Rural Alberta Advantage (9:30pm)
Website: http://www.theraa.com
Genre: Indie Rock
Members: Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils Edenloff
Being known as “one of the most impressive live bands you’ll ever see”, The Rural Alberta Advantage sure lived up to that. Having formed the band 10 years ago, they were seasoned professionals in the aspect of stage presence and overall ability as a band.
We were honoured to have been their last performance of 2015, as they had been playing all around Canada for the past year. With a mix of different instruments, including various drums and percussion, their sound was unique, and it was obvious that they had influence from a variety of genres, including folk and rock.
The crowd was crazy for the RAA, many of them bobbing their heads and belting out the lyrics to the songs ecstatically. The set list was fun and took songs from their self-titled EP, as well as their latest album, Mended With Gold and others.
Having been nominated for two Juno Awards and the Polaris Music Prize, it was evident that they lived and breathed music, often losing themselves in the warp of the stage and reeling the crowd in. There was even an encore performance!
Final Words: Another highly recommended band. Be sure to check them out if you haven’t yet and enjoy their pristine harmonies and grand mix of sounds. The Rural Alberta Advantage, you’re doing it right!