Oowatanite when SummerSet brought Classic Rock to the Fort

The inaugural weekend of Summeret plans to bring us 3 days of music from 3 different genres … they did that on purpose! Day 2 gave us a night of Canadian Classic rock and another artist in the line up because of the weekend.

 

Vancouver local JP Maurice kicked off day 2 with not quite rock and not quite pop but The Launch alumni put together a fun set that sometimes featured 3 guitars and sometimes a trumpet … a lot of dancing on stage … and even a quick Happy Birthday song … but even when he slowed down the music a bit the crowd was still engaged and drawn by his charismatic stage presence.

 

The Matinee is comprised as a group of high school friends from “down the road” in Coquitlam.  Formed a decade ago this group might seem to be a strange addition to a line up with classic rock given they just released a cover of the Modest Mouse Grammy winning Float On and incorporated the banjo and mandolin.  Add to that their self-professed thing with wearing too much denim would have them esthetically blend in more with the country crowd. Somehow their stage presence, interaction with the crowd and a unique sound of rock infused alt country has them tear down genre labels and they fit right in with the crowd waiting for Kim Mitchell and April Wine.

 

 

Kim Mitchell is still a crowd favorite, is still pulling off those high kicks and is still getting the crowd involved in his set… and doesn’t mind telling the VVIPs to get up and make some noise instead of having their @$$ in a chair all night after having played over in their direction on and off to try to get them going.

 

He jokes the 30 something years he’s been with performing with his bass player, Peter Fredette, is longer than 1 of Kim’s marriages and 2 of Peter’s and throws out tidbits about their career in between songs … like having a producer fall asleep on them during a recording session … Shania Twain whispering in Peter’s ear and no one knowing what she said but him …

 

 

April Wine is celebrating 50 years as a band this year … that’s longer than a good majority of the crowd has been alive.  Lead singer and founder Myles Goodwyn has been there through it all since day 1, which was apparently a Tuesday and not so great weather wise in Nova Scotia when it all started. However it all began, the crowd was more than appreciative that it was still going!

 

There were some guitar solos, extended bass solo which left just the drummer on stage … but then for the drum solo not only did the rest of the band step off stage but for a good portion of the music, the drum sticks were set aside as well and playing was done with the hands … yes, even the cymbals!

 

The last day at SummerSet brings country music to the stage … keep an eye out on what this rag tag start up group of organizers have in store for 2020 by heading to www.SummerSetFestival.ca and getting in on their newsletter!