Rong to play Trooper Fest Night 3! (tonight, but not at ALF House) plus Matinee show at Red Gate!

This cat is not Trooper. This is Chabby. This is the cat of Kristy-Lee Audette and Byron Slack, both of Rong (fronted by Kristy-Lee) and Dead Bob (fronted by John Wright of Nomeansno fame); the latter, herr Slack, is also in Invasives (interviewed by me here, but also see here, from the first time I saw Rong, also with Invasives on the bill). Alienated in Vancouver would like to congratulate Ms. Audette and Mr. Slack for their extreme, trend-bucking forbearance in not having posted a bazillion photos of Chabby on social media. People who have not seen Rong in their present incarnation, with Emilor of Night Court and Pet Blessings (now added support for Mudhoney's upcoming show) are directed here for a taste of what's happening... 

Tonight, of course, is night three of Trooper Fest, a fundraiser to buy catfood and pay vet bills and such for Noelle Chaos's diabetic cat Trooper, whom Noelle and I talked about for a recent Straight piece.  

There is, in fact, a matinee show before that, starting at 2pm today at Red Gate (for those of us not preoccupied with with folk fest, of course). I've only seen Kidz Help Fone of these bands, but I quite liked what I heard of Natlak, who sound pretty wild... don't know the other bands... won't be there... but you could be!  

People unsure of the venue could just go to Red Gate for the matinee and ask someone. It's a pretty cool space, actually. The Hairy Cherries are on the bill, too -- haven't seen them yet! Plus comedy by Not George, the bands Salvation and Clay (NOT Clay Holmes, note), and Copshuvit. 

All of which might be fun, but we are thus far only devoted to Rong; we threw a few questions at Ms. Audette and they stuck. 

Allan: Is this Rong the Emilor-Byron Rong, or...? (I really liked the previous trio and feel bad that I like Emilor and Byron better!). Why did the membership change?

Kristy-Lee: Yes, Emilor and Byron are here to stay thankfully. I still haven't updated all of the social media stuff or the Kinda Cool Records website bio, I'll admit I've been dragging my feet on that a bit. As for the reasons behind the roster change, Jen and Sophie have very full plates, they play in like 3 other bands, and they had to sort out where they wanted to focus their energy and make some difficult decisions. Emilor was actually our first bass player, and left back in 2020 for similar reasons, but times have changed and now she's back. Byron has had great successes in his band Invasives, where he sings and plays guitar, but he's actually a drummer first and absolutely crushes. The three of us are best friends and I'm unbelievably lucky that they wanted to come play with me.

Allan: What are your associations with Noelle? Did you ever play the Black Lab, or benefit from her support of local music?

Kristy-Lee: I never played Black Lab, but I went to a few shows there. I know Noelle from "Thor's Palace," an East Van house named after a cat, Thor. I'm not actually sure if she used to live there, but a bunch of our mutual friends lived there, and they used to throw awesome shows and parties. Nowadays Noelle and I see each other at shows, I go to her shows, she comes to my shows, I think she's awesome and I appreciate her support and enthusiasm for the music scene here in Vancouver.

Allan: Will you be doing anything special at the ______ (I gather there's been a relocation).

Kristy-Lee: DOING anything SPECIAL? Not really, but Byron made some new stickers that we're going to premiere and sell by donation for Trooper.

Allan: Do you think of Rong as your main band, or Dead Bob? Who has to fit into whose schedule?

Yes Rong in my main band. I've played in many bands over the years, but this is where I get to write the songs, design the merch and album art, direct the videos, I'm a creative person and this is my main outlet. In my other groups, including Dead Bob, I'm more of an ingredient in the recipe, but I'm not the chef, you know what I mean? And as far as scheduling goes, it's first come first serve, everybody puts their unavailable days in the Google calendar, and we schedule around stuff, or book things way in advance.

Allan: What other Rong shows are coming up before Dead Bob departs for Europe? (Have you done Europe before?).  

We have a fun rip out to Alberta at the end of July/beginning of August. And we have a show on August 29th, but it hasn't been announced yet, STAY TUNED!

I've only played in Europe once, at The Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, I'm excited to go play in a bunch of new places!

Allan: Are you actually a Weird Al Yankovic fan, or do you just sport his shirts because your hair is a bit Weird Al-ish? (What's your favourite Weird Al song? Mine is "Bob" by far).

Kristy-Lee: Am I actually a Weird Al fan... I've only seen him live like 5 times. And yes, we both happen to be blessed with absolutely incredible hair, but it is just a coincidence. My Dad was a big fan while I was growing up, so I learned about Nirvana, Joan Jett, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Coolio etc through his parodies and polkas. I think he's hilarious, and I love him. 

Favourite song is a really difficult question, I'm partial to his originals and pastiches. In no particular order: "Mission Statement," "Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota," "Everything You Know is Wrong," and "Nature Trail to Hell."

One Duck Among People: Folk Festival Day Two

Did anyone besides me notice this duck? 

I mean, I don't know, it could have been a dozen different ducks, but to my mind, they all became one, partially because I like the idea, partially because I have no eye for duck individuation, but also because there seemed to be, several times during the day, a bird matching this description, exhibiting identical behaviour: a single brown Jericho Beach duck who has figured out that it can mooch food from people if it socializes, who has wandered away from the pond and its fellows and now can be seen walking basically anywhere on the festival grounds with an eye towards a handout. 

I do not think of this as normal duck behaviour. Normal pigeon behaviour, sure, but ducks, like geese, tend to sort of keep to their own, close to the water, close to each other. ONE DUCK AMONG PEOPLE, far from water, is just slightly odd, wouldn't you say? Could this be the next step in duck evolution, like soon we will have ducks in every city doorway..?

That's probably just a fantasy. But I saw it by the food trucks, I saw it by the clothing vendors, I saw it basically everywhere I went: ONE DUCK. I was already thinking of it as "the" duck by the time I sat down on a bench behind the merch tent to take a break and this possibly-different-but-MAYBE-THE-SAME brown duck came over in case I wanted to throw it food. 

I had nothing to share, but it still let me take its picture. 

Mostly I photographed humans, like Meredith Moon: 

Or Sue Foley: 

Or Elisapie, seen here with Emily Wurramara:

But active as I was while I was present, I did not last very long yesterday. I don't think I have the knack. I think the people who make it are the ones who bring a book, who take naps, who are accustomed to spending time outside anyhow (I'm a bit of an indoor cat): the people who know to place no pressure on themselves, who just relax into it, who wheel in a wagon of creature comforts and supplies and so forth and basically just camp out. 

By contrast, people like me -- are there actually others? -- who run around taking notes, trying to see a bit of everything, who come with an agenda beyond their own pleasure, be it "acquire signed records" or "do interviews" or "document the experience" or a combination thereof -- will inevitably burn themselves out. I was already overheated from Friday and had some sort of gut unrest (maybe from my breakfast of potato chips and chocolate, as I urgently plowed through my Day One coverage; my "healthy" -- somewhat joyless -- Dragon Bowl lunch did not help). I got there gamely just after 10am, and was fried before things even started on the main stage...

But boy did I shoot a bunch of videos: Sue Foley, here and here; Elisapie at a workshop here; Meredith Moon, here; Krystle Dos Santos, here; and Rich Hope, here. I only did one interview, a quick three minutes with Elisapie that I'm going to place somewhere else, which touches not so much on Inuktitut, her newest album, but her previous, Ballad of the Runaway Girl. and also Native North America. (I will try to remember to link that feature here when it comes out but I'm thinking to give it to the Straight; friends of Sipreano will want to read it). I also saw a bit of Cris Derksen, and a tiny chunk of the Bab L'Bluz soundcheck, but by about 4pm, I knew I was cooked, exhausted, and I wasn't about to take another trip to the port-o-potty (I'd been walking around in fear of farting for a couple of hours, not because I wanted to be considerate but because I didn't trust it would emerge in gaseous form, if you see what I mean). I wanted nothing more than to get home and join my wife on the couch for Dept. Q on Netflix (after spending half an hour in a REAL WASHROOM), then have an early night... 

...So I could be ready for today -- because I still have three records I hope to get signed: Sam Parton, Meredith Moon, and Ruthie Foster. Not quite sure how I'm going to do that, since Sam is playing one stage (East, 10am) and Moon and Foster another (South gospel, with Rich Hope and Julian Taylor; the Sunday morning gospel, at the shadiest of locations, is invariably a festival high point). Besides that, I'll be seeing the Gord Grdina workshop (Oasis of Song, 12:30 East Stage) and Derek Gripper, and beyond that, playing things, uh, by ear... though I do think there's an imperative to see Les Mamans du Congo x Rrobin... bandcamp here... background on the troubles in the Congo here... 

The trick today, the thing that might help me make it a bit further into the fest, is that I have a punk show I want to be at tonight. Rong (see subsequent post) are headlining a secret-location-type gig for Trooper Fest -- a benefit for a local punk rock cat, with no connection to the band Trooper at all, which I wrote about here. It makes sense to at least see a bit of Ruthie Foster's set... I kind want to see Meredith Moon's tweener, too... I only caught a few songs of hers yesterday but I liked them a lot!

That Rong show, meantime, is taking place at the Grey Lab... it may be my last chance to see Rong before Dead Bob heads to Europe... it's the Byron/ Emilor incarnation of Rong... it's pretty damn hard to resist, and it might just help me hang in there until it's time for the main stage... 

The Marvelous Minotaurs of Folk Fest day one: TEKE::TEKE, Marin Patenaude, Gordon Grdina, and Elisapie

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, though I did capture their opening song, with a few glitches and jiggles.. 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."  I shot a clip of that, and a subsequent song, here. 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. 

The good news about Elisapie, she's doing other stuff this morning, 11:10 at the West Stage. Highly recommended.

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'.