Elisapie at the 2025 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, by Allan MacInnis, not to be reused without permission
Walking in to the Festival grounds yesterday, I was greeted by dinosaurs. Later, I would learn a new term for them, on a T-shirt I did not buy: "cobra chickens."
Familiar as I am getting with things, there was lots different for me about this year's festival. For one thing, being media has a perk I never knew: I was allowed to walk in half an hour early and stake out space with my new shark-themed beach blankets, close to the main stage, but not too close. This was my first year with staked-out territory: "You've moved to boomer town," a friend remarked on Facebook (I am presuming she would prefer to be nameless).
Aside: why would anyone want sharks on their beach blanket? It's like having a picnic basket decorated with bears. But the sharks were the draw, yesterday morning at Walmart. There is probably a word for that -- "liking something because it makes no sense"--if not in English, probably in, say, Japanese?
I got a fellow early arrival to document my location, vis-a-vis the main stage, which, you will note, I chose for ideal sonic, not visual, considerations (hence my lack of any shareworthy Haram photos).
Sunscreen, check. Hat, check. Sunburn nonetheless. Still feeling a bit cooked this morning.
Seated on my sharkblankets and a $5 Walmart pillow, I got to watch and document the assembly of the tarp city -- the "tarpestry," ha ha. Some people had actual tent pegs. Some tarps spread out the maximum 10"x10" dimensions. I simply am not boomer enough to have presumed to take up that much real estate (geddit?): My beach towels were a mere five feet by three, which, laid side to side, were more than enough for my wife and I, when she arrived with our new camp chairs. And my wife and I are not small, though as you see, she has lost a ton of weight.
It felt a bit weird dropping my stuff in the field and doing a wander, but that seems to be the way (later, when I started buying merch, I stashed my bag in the complimentary bag-check area).
There is both good news and bad news about TEKE::TEKE, the Japanese-to-Montreal band who started things off on the West Stage, besides how great they are, but let me start with that latter point: they're REALLY great. They're wholly unique, sonically -- not in that they sound unprecedented, but that they swirl together so many different precedents in a way that's never quite been done before. There is definitely a strong Japanese element, which I am unprepared to write about, save to say that it draws more on traditional musics than contemporary J-Pop. I've seen them described as "psychedelic surf," which I'm not sure I'd fly very far with -- the band is only "psychedelic" insofar as they would sound great if you're trippin' (don't ask me how I know this): at no point did I think of psych-rock-as-genre, when they were playing. As for surf... well, I gotta think about that, but it did not come to mind -- I was puzzled to see that word applied when reading about them later. But fans of progressive rock would like them, and I found myself wondering if they had any of Kazutoki Umezu's KIKI Band stuff in their record collections -- though Umezu-san and KIKI collaborator Kido Natsuki (of the even less describable Bondage Fruit) are much more prog than TEKE::TEKE... I'm not even sure prog fits as a descriptor, here, but I just mean by it that I heard more kinship with 80s King Crimson than the Ventures, say.
[Actually, having written this, I've just listened to one of their records and I hear no 80s King Crimson at all. Their music may get harder to describe the more you think about it!].
It all got me thinking: sometimes when you hear something the first time, especially when it's really unique, it's hard to get your mind around it; I had actually checked out their music online before the festival, and really wasn't sure it was for me. I had the sense that there was definitely something there, waiting, in the heart of the labyrinth -- some sort of marvelous minotaur -- but there was nothing to grab onto to lead me safely in and out. I thought about it a bit, then thought about it too much, then backed off for awhile, because I couldn't quite process what I was hearing.
Seeing them live, it turns out, was exactly what I needed to draw me in.
Anyhow, the good news is: they come here often, usually to the Powell Street festival; Sei, who seems to be the bandleader, pictured on the left above, said that they had been here five times before. So you'll probably get a chance to see them again sometime.
The bad news is, if you missed them, they seem not to be doing anything else this weekend. I did shoot a clip: "Doppleganger" and "Onigami" (demon paper? Demon spirit? Not quite sure). You'll see something interesting in that clip, if you watch both songs: Maya Kuroki, the vocalist, sings the first song more or less in ordinary-lead-singer mode, dancing a bit, but, like, not in any exceptionally compelling or unusual way. Then the second song, she flips the switch on her charisma and starts to transform into an all-caps PERFORMER, her body becoming her primary means of communication. Every gesture, every expression, every move is under control, thought-about, and deliberately delivered; you can practically feel the tension in her muscles, as she moves, sympathetically transferred into yours. She was like that most of the set, in fact -- including stuff even more compelling and dramatic than what I shot. What can it feel like, to move like that?
Too few people caught TEKE::TEKE this year, but there were people dancing, thank God (there really is a weird preference for seated spectatorship at the folk fest, even among younger people, which Elisapie would later take some issue with). I joined them for awhile -- though I also had a crisis on my hands, quite literally, because I'd had something called a Slavic Cone -- a kind of complicated ice cream cone that was a) kinda hard to eat, especially with my fucked-up tongue, and b) messy as all hell. So part of TEKE::TEKE's set was spent just negotiating my messy treat and then washing it off my face and hands. It tasted good, but it was somewhat traumatic and very distracting.
I still managed to dance for a song, to shoot a couple of others, and say hi to Dan Harbord, who looked like he might have a clip of his own to share. Like I say, even though you see SOME of Maya's astonishing control and physical expressivity in that clip, there were other songs where there was even MORE of it; maybe Dan got some of that?
I will see this band whenever they come back to town. Oh, and dig that dress! Jeezus!
Afterwards, a volunteer and I lurked backstage (thanks for lending me the Sharpie, Meg!). The band signed their records in kanji, for the most part -- except the newish drummer Kevin -- but their setlist was written in romanized characters (probably with Kevin in mind, so thanks, man!). Note: the band had done soundtrack stuff for an Assassin's Creed game, and performed one of the songs it, but when Sei introduced the song, I misunderstood him and thought, "They wrote a song about Nietzsche? Cool!" I'll let you guess what the title actually was:
Hey Sei, if you're reading this -- the Amythyst Kiah shirt I was wearing, that you liked, gets talked about here. Hit me up if you're coming back to town -- I don't take comments on this blog, because there's a problem with blocking this one particular person I don't want to hear from -- but you can find me on Facebook or something.
If you missed TEKE::TEKE, I hope they'll still have merch for you to pick up. They had these two albums at the tent, their first, Shirushi, and their new one, Hagata. I'm betting Maya was involved in the cover art, but I haven't investigated.
Anyhow, that was a great first band for 2025. I missed what came next, though, as I had running around to do: porta-potty, merch-tent, say hi to Fiona Black (my interview with her is here, if you haven't read it: it was a real challenge for me, a step outside my wheelhouse to write something so like an actual news story. Not sure I'm all-that interested in writing news stories, to be honest -- so much of what drives me, like, say, my love of the music, got cut -- but we'll see what comes of it... it's definitely next-level reportage, for me at least, and she seemed happy enough with it: it was "positive" for them, she said. Some good stories did not make the cut tho').
Somewhere in there I missed a message from Gordon Grdina, but we were able to connect later. I wrote something about him, too. He gifted me a Peregrine Falls LP. Y'know what I'm saying about how unfamiliar musics sometimes take some grappling with? There's a lot of that at the festival -- stuff that exists beyond my realm, that is maybe a little intimidating at first. I've got to have a thread to follow into the music, an entrance point, a guide. Having lived for three years in Japan helped with TEKE::TEKE, and having been a John Zorn freak for a few years helps with Gordon Grdina (though I get the impression Grdina is a much nicer guy than Zorn -- hell, nevermind the record, he also gave me a hug. I'd bet you Zorn's no hugger!).
But speaking of needing a thread to follow, I would have bought this shirt if it had fit. Beeman tells me the title is "The String," punning on Munch. I offered to buy it for her, but she deemed it too busy. It may still be there! Only in Large.
Anyhoo, with apologies to Bamba Wassoulou Groove, I had had enough of grappling with challenging new experiences and made my next band Marin Patenaude. I thought Paul Rigby indeed was playing with her, but now I think that was Scott Smith! I only stuck around for a couple of songs, but I had a good excuse for leaving the area: I rushed over to the merch tent to see if they had a copy of the album, Sex & Dying, so I could hijack the band as they left the stage to get it signed (there were no scheduled signings). Alas, they didn't even have it in CD format! No merch at all.
Shot a clip of one song, though. She's great! (And turning around, there was Dan Harbord again...).
Even though I saw 75% of their set, however -- more than I saw of Marin's --I do not feel like I did Gordon Grdina's Haram justice at all. There's a lot going on with this band -- including a lot of stuff I don't yet have the "string" for, in terms of their Middle-Eastern influences. But those main-stage shows are a challenge for me, still, to be honest: there is so much stimulation happening -- distractions from the audience, the weather, the dragonflies and birds zooming overhead, the sweat dripping into your left eye, carrying with it a stinging trace of sunscreen... I suspect my best-listening to this band is yet to come, and will happen with headphones or at home -- which I bought both their CDs to facilitate. But I also got a ticket to Grdina's upcoming Infidels show, and Emad's show too. They're an astonishingly good band, but I was kind of overwhelmed, pulled in different directions... The most delightful moment for me came mid-way through their set, when there was this lava-hot electric guitar solo, a full on ROCK guitar solo, emanating from the stage. And I spent a few minutes of the song scanning back and forth, looking at each of the ten players, going, "Who the hell is playing the guitar?"
I mean, forgive me: Grdina had kicked things off playing oud (I'd never actually seen one before, just front-on images, and was shocked how "deep" it was, when seen from the side -- it looks like it would be physically uncomfortable to play, the resonating chamber like a giant gourd on your lap, so you have to play it with your hands way the hell out from your body. I must ask him about this sometime). And so I simply forgot that he plays BOTH oud and guitar. It was him!!!
Anyhoo, I am very excited to hear that Peregrine Falls album, his "punk" project (not really but it is rock for sure). They play about once a year, he tells me. It's bound to give me more string!
But speaking of distractions, then my wife Erika arrived, bearing our newly bought camp chairs, and I had to go chaperone her into our area, so the last bit of Haram's set was a bit of a write-off, I'm afraid, background music for interacting with her and assembling chairs. I have no gift for assembling this kinda shit, had never put one together before, and she'd forgotten the instructions. Remember what Harlan Ellison said about working for Disney being "like fucking a mindless octopus?" But I made it. You can see how good a sport I was about beating her in the chair assembly race:
They were probably a bit high, but definitely comfortable. Boomertown here I come.
If I feel like I failed to do Haram justice, I completely ducked out on Margaret Glaspy. What I could hear was great, and had a rougher edge than the studio recordings I've heard, which really suited her. But at this point I had not eaten and I left my wife to appreciate her without me (she did!). The lineup for donairs was very long, and I missed her set entirely, with Erika texting me while I was still eating, "Did you fall into the outhouse or something?"
To some extent, this is the way things go at the Folk Fest. There's so much beauty, so much to see and do that you end up inevitably a bit distracted. I barely ever see an entire set by any artist, and never if they're on the main stage. But when the distractions are this beautiful, this positive, how can you begrudge them?
Eventually I got back to our seats in time for Elisapie, bringing Erika a tiny snack (she's on a very restricted diet but she wanted a bit of hummus). I had seen the Elisapie soundcheck while watching the "tarpestry" get assembled, and have to say I was not prepared for how marvelous the music would be, how compelling she would be. I feel like I *have* to interview her, because I have questions (and an album she might maybe sign?).
Like, I knew she would be covering versions of "Going to California" and "Heart of Glass" and such in Inuktitut (she got a cheer when she quipped about stealing these songs from white people). What I wasn't expecting was covers of Willie Mitchell and Willie Thrasher (did she do some Sugluk, as well?). I also didn't realize that she had an uncle in Sugluk! I don't think she's on the Sugluk tracks on the Native North America anthology -- she was born in 1977, and they were recorded in 1975, but she did perform with them as a child... I had had no idea.
There's a bandcamp recording of her doing Thrasher's "Wolves Don't Live by the Rules." Maybe I'll post a clip of that sometime later... it got me happily thinking of how, some six years after interviewing and meeting Willie, I saw him perform on the island, and he recognized me, pointing at me from the stage in surprise at seeing a familiar face... I mean, he probably didn't know WHERE it was familiar from, but I'm adding "recognized from the stage by Willie Thrasher" to my CV.
This is all I have the stamina for, writing-wise, because I need to get a couple hours sleep before heading back out to Day Two. There's lots of tickets. Steve Dawson's Neil Young thing is today.
Just sayin'.
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