So, Last night I had the chance to witness what I was hoping to be an epic performance from one of country music’s elite. From the thousands that have flocked to his shows in the US with sold out dates in stadiums holding 70,000+.
Getting To Know Cast in Cadence
Cast in Cadence is a solo project which morphed into a touring band. Originally just Ryan MacIntyre in Toronto the now four piece call Ottawa home. We had a chance to chat with the band before their Hope Volley Ball Show where they opened for Sam Roberts. HOPE is committed to raising money for local Ottawa charities and over the years has donated more than 3.5 million dollars to over 110 charities. HOPE, “Helping Other People Everywhere”. Thanks to Sean Sisk for shooting this one for me!
SC: How’d the Hope Volleyball show come together?
CIC: The Hope show is one we’ve wanted to play for years, as does any local Ottawa band. Sunshine, beer and jams with over 20,000 people….who wouldn’t want to play it!? However, the organizers have kept the opening slots available only for local bands who have taken a winning place in radio station, Live 885’s “Big Money Shot” (a battle of the bands). We were fortunate to take second place this year along side our friends Lemon Cash and the Lionyls.
SC: Can you tell me about the first show you played together?
CIC: So Cast In Cadence actually started as a solo project by myself (Ryan MacIntyre) in which I was writing and recording pretty well everything myself in the studio. Our latest album “Vocation” was my second release and I decided I no longer wanted to be a “one man wolf pack” nor did I want to be perceived as a solo project. So I searched Ottawa and surrounding cities for solid musicians who have similar tastes in music and want to do this seriously. I found the guys (Nick Marson – drums, Skyler Radmore – bass/vocals, Adam Traversy – lead guitar/vocals) just before sending the album off for post production and just in time to throw a show together have group pics taken for the album. Our first gig was at Zaphods (in june of 2014). I think we rehearsed maybe twice before that show but the boys killed it anyways and I remember having a smile the entire set. I hadn’t had that much on stage in a long while.
SC: Last show you attended as a fan?
CIC: Well technically the very last show I attended as a fan would have been at Hope watching Sam Roberts (whom we had the chance to sit down and have a beer with coolest dude in the biz!). Before that would have been a ton of my all time fav bands at Montebello’s “Rock Fest” last Month in June. I caught Sublime with Rome, Deftones, Offspring, Rancid, Mad Caddies, The Pixies and a ton of other bands I can’t remember for reasons we’ll leave unspoken. It was an amazing weekend and I highly recommend checking out this fest to any rock fan who hasn’t been yet. Take a nap before you go though, you’ll need it! 😉
SC: Where did you record Vocation?
CIC: All of Vocation was tracked at Drive Studios in Toronto with Flatliners’ producer/former manager, Steve Rizun except for “Coming Down” recorded here in Ottawa @ Pebble Studio (mainly because I wanted real people to track the violin/cello part vs. using synth) with engineer extraordinaire Mike Bond and “Slacker” which was recorded at The Armoury Studio in Vancouver in 2012 with engineer Paul Dutil as a sort of spontaneous/last minute recording session on my drive to Los Angeles.
SC: This started as a solo project, how did working with a band change the writing process?
CIC: Immensely! Normally I’m just chill’n out alone in a quiet room with an acoustic guitar and whatever I can scribble lyrics onto (if my lyric book isn’t on hand). Ill come up with a few ideas and the song is written. With these guys there are ideas musically I never would have conjured on my own. Of course there are times when collaborating where we’ll reach a disagreement on a certain part or idea but through this process we always come out with a final product better than any of us would have created otherwise. This has happened for songs like “Out The Door”, our latest single “On Your Way” and a brand new song not yet recorded “A Million Miles” which was pretty well written in an hour and started with Sky and Adam repeating a simple/cool little riff on their guitars.
SC: Did the 88.5 contest change the opportunities available to the band?
CIC: Absolutely. For one we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do this show with Sam Roberts, or even this interview for that matter. Its given us the clout required to say we’re not just a hobby garage band, we’re serious about this and we’re writing songs which we believe rock fans want to hear and are now slowly being able to thanks to Live and other stations now spinning us. Plus, it’s pretty rad to turn on your car and hear yourself on the radio.
SC: When are you coming back to play Toronto?
CIC: Well considering our guitarist just moved there (and is making the commute for rehearsals) sooner than later is my guess. 😉 We’re in talks with the guys at The Horseshoe and will hopefully be lining something up before the summer’s out. I’ve seen many shows there, love that bar!
SC: And I have to ask… what’s the origin of the band name.
CIC: Unfortunately there’s no awe-inspiring story behind the meaning of the name “Cast In Cadence”. Quite simply, I always loved the name Cadence and was originally going with that until I searched it on Youtube and Myspace and realised how many other artist were under this alias. So I wanted to find a name no one on the planet had ever used before. Something completely original. I then came up with “In Cadence” but still found other musicians using this. It was in Beijing China 2010, I was playing a festival with a band I was drumming for. I was showing them and fellow bands from the festival the mixes of the first CIC album “Serotonin” and telling them about my quest for originality name dilemma over a few drinks in a hotel room. Somewhere in the mix of Chinese beer and rusty trombone jokes (delivered by the good fellas in an amazing Swedish punk band, Los Polados, check them out!) I blurted out “Cast” In Cadence and we all loved it. I made a Facebook page the very next day, and we all know when you make anything Facebook official now a days it’s a done deal. So here we are, Cast In Cadence. 😉
Thanks to Ryan for talking with us and I’m hoping I get a chance to see them live myself, soon.
The Fifth | Birds of Bellwoods
The Fifth | Birds of Bellwoods | EP Release
From the first note, Birds of Bellwoods drew me in to their new EP, The Fifth. Starting out simply and building from there, the addition of strings to the sound is perfection.
Track one, Sky got the most play. The pace builds and by the time they get to the chorus, “the youth I used to know”, the intensity is off the scale. Layered with harmonies and intensity. The lyrics seem to tell a story of loss, denial and acceptance.
Come Home showcases the four part harmonies and the softer side of love. Mixing high and low with strings and bass, there’s a strength in the sound that makes me wish there was more, and that I was there when they wrote it.
The Heavy bass beat and fast lyrics in Roll Your Stone, has an old fashioned feel to it, and yet it has a modern lyrical flow, it’s brilliant.
By far the darkest track, in my opinion, is Grey Ghosts. “Set my bed on fire today. Whiskey makes the trouble fade.” against the sweet sounding harmonies, it gives me goosebumps for the full 5 minutes and 6 seconds.
The title track, The Fifth, comes last with it’s tempo changes, gives us a look at the heart from the inside out, admittedly not always a pretty place.
Over all, the songwriting is smart and sharp. The sound is not purely indie folk, the flow of the lyrics and beat, at times, is rap reminiscent. Honestly, I think everyone should listen to it. Each track is bringing its best to the table. I can’t pick a favourite.
These guys are going places. Birds of Bellwoods are Stephen Joffe (Lead Vocals/Mandolin), Chris Blades (Vocals/Banjo), Kintaro Akiyama (Vocals/Standup Bass), Adrian Morningstar (Vocals/Guitar).
Watch for them at Jasper Folk Music Festival, TURF, The Horseshoe Tavern and Indie Week in Toronto.
Album Available On – iTunes – Spotify – Rdio – Bandcamp – Soundcloud– And More
Deric Ruttan at Stirling Fair
Friday August 14th started a two day road trip for me. My first stop was to Stirling Ontario to see Deric Ruttan at the 157th Stirling Fair.
Riverfest Elora 2015
Riverfest: GROOVA – The Lay Awakes – The Wooden Sky – Tokyo Police Club – Sarah Harmer – Donovan Woods – Alan Doyle – The Planet Smashers – The New Pornographers – Shad – Metric
On Saturday August 15th I headed to Elora for Riverfest 2015. It was a hot, hot sunny day and the music was just as hot. Now in it’s seventh year, Riverfest is held along the banks of The Grand river in Elora. Year seven brings an additional day to the festival which offers a wide variety of music, art, food and culture for all.
My first thought was to get the lay of the land. I could see the Main Stage and quickly spotted the Kitras Art Glass Tent Stage so I set off to find the Dine Alone X Roots – Wax On Wheels Stage. I found it and some amazing sculptures along the way. I decided GROOVA would be my first stop.
GROOVA is made up of Dean Workman (bassist), Richard Hill (drummer), Emmett Watters (guitarist from The Boo Radley Project), Daley O’Keeffe as percussionist (drummer from The Boo Radley Project) and Nick Lennox on Sax. Super funky, they were a great way to start off my afternoon.
I caught the end of The Lay Awakes set at the Kitras Art Glass Tent Stage. They added a local note to the festival, Patrick Anderson grew up just down the road from Bissell Park. Patrick and Anna Paddock have been playing together recently and the pair call Brooklyn, NY home although they both originally hail from Canada. Their style is described as acoustic pop and I thought they were pretty awesome.
The Wooden Sky – Gavin Gardiner (vocals/guitar), Andrew Kekewich (drums), Simon Walker (multi-instrumentalist), Edwin Huizinga (violin) and Andrew Wyatt (bass and vocals). A thread of nostalgia and longing ran through their set. The sound was fresh and warm and we really liked them.
Tokyo Police Club hit the Main Stage at 4:45 and let me tell you again, it was hot! Sporting shorts lead singer David Monks didn’t let the heat keep his energy level down. Graham Wright (keyboards), Josh Hook (guitar) and Greg Alsop (drums), played through the heat like it was nothing. They played all of my favourites including Wait Up and Nature of the Experiment.
I stayed put at the main stage, partly because it was just too hot to go wandering around but also because I wanted a good spot to see Sarah Harmer. Sarah’s performance was filled with warmth and desire. The audience was all in. Sarah was engaging and authentic. My favourite moment came when she recounted the story of writing “Don’t Get Your Back Up” in her sister’s bedroom in the 80’s. I love that song!
Next up, I headed back to the Kitras Art Glass Tent Stage for Donovan Woods. Smart lyrics, great guitar and harmonica playing and a natural ease with the audience. Donovan is on my must see again list.
And back to the main stage for Alan Doyle. What can I say about this guy? I love him and the crowd loved him. He knows how to relate to us and we can’t help but respond. Great songs, great fun and a great sense of humour. Alan is a professional and it shows. We were treated to songs from the new So Let’s Go album and old favourites including some Great Big Sea hits.
Zipping back to the Kitras Art Glass Tent Stage just before Alan’s set finished, I wanted to make sure I was up front when The Planet Smashers set started. If we’re being 100% honest, and we are, these guys are the reason I knew about this show. I follow them and when I saw Elora pop up on their shows list, I knew I had to go! So, this was not my first The Planet Smashers show but it was the first time I was there to shoot. I’m not normally in the front row so it was a whole new experience for me.
I love this band. I love their music and their energy. The band hails from Montreal and they’ve made playing ska music their life. Fun, energetic and so talented. The Planet Smashers are a ska band from Montreal who are masters of audience participation, getting the crowd to sit, chant, and jump to their feet on command. Beach toys filled the air and I saw my only crowd surfer of the day bouncing through the air with an inflatable flamingo. At the stage managers’ end of set warning they said, “Four minutes? We can play two songs in four minutes!” and they did.
So fantastic to watch. So good!
I woke up with this in my head – “We are fabricated, we are regulated, we will fight to control the truth.” Nicely done The Planet Smashers, nicely done.
And under the tent #Kitrasartglass stage @Planet_Smashers #ska pic.twitter.com/6bKENxY1x4
— Sound Check Ent. (@SoundCheckBlg) August 16, 2015
I quickly headed back to the main stage for The New Pornographers at 9:15. Let me stop to give a kudos to the organizers of the festival. This day went off without a hitch, amazing organization, staff, security and volunteers. The audience was attentive and the front area was full.
I took our only real break of the day while Shad played the tent. I listened from behind the tent and grabbed a quick bite to eat. The music was great, the energy was fun and positive and I’m sorry I didn’t shot any pics.
I did take a few minutes to do a quick tour of the site in the dark and shoot some of the sculptures. A lovely touch Riverfest!
And then it was time for our Saturday headliner, Metric. I love Metric and this was my second time seeing them this year. Being front and centre while they work their magic is something to behold. They opened with Stadium Love and had the crowd jumping up and down along with them. We got songs from the new album and hits including Gold, Guns, Girls, Help I’m Alive, and Breathing Under Water.
Metric is on tour through November.
#help #rfe15 my regrets are few – @Metric pic.twitter.com/JGXCyxQbmW
— Sound Check Ent. (@SoundCheckBlg) August 16, 2015
Chatting with Johnny Reid
Johnny Reid has had a busy summer appearing at numerous summer festivals across the country including North Bay Summer in the Park and Ottawa Bluesfest. We recently had a chance to catch up with Johnny before his performance at Manitoulin Country Fest.
Updated: Chatting with Dallas Smith
We had a chance to sit down with our buddy Dallas Smith backstage at Boots & Hearts this past weekend. We talked festivals, Cheap Seats & so much more. Click play and watch what we had to chat about. Enjoy.
Follow us on Twitter to! @SoundCheckBlg or follow Corey at @CoreyKelly76
UPDATE…So you wanna hear that track that Dallas mentioned in our interview. Here it is folks. Pretty sweet tune.
Boots and Hearts 2016 Wish List
Well,
The gates have barely closed on the 2015 Boots and Hearts Music Festival and my thoughts are already turning to the big 5 Year Anniversary in 2016. With so many of Country’s biggest names already having graced the B&H Stages it’s a tough one. But here is my Top 20 list of acts for next year!
Boots & Hearts Day 4 Recap
Well, It was the last day of the bid weekend. Most say they save the best for last. It’s pretty tough to top Eric Church and Dallas Smith as headliners. But when you get Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line ya at least have a shot. And lets just say these guys came to party. I am a HUGE Thomas Rhett fan and have been for years (5 or 6 now at least) I can still remember seeing him take the stage in Chicago at Joe’s on Weed St. Performing after Brad Paisley’s big Wrigley Field gig as the after party to maybe 300 people and then witnessing the show yesterday.