Hillside Festival 2012

For three days in July, the Hillside Festival made its home in the picturesque Guelph Lake Island conservation. There could not have been a better weekend for the sold-out crowd of music lovers attending the 29th edition of the festival! Everything was well-organized, and there was plenty of water to counter the extreme heat and lack of Wi-Fi. With no rain or bad vibes to dampen the mood, Hillside almost felt like nirvana.

I was always able to find a band to hear or something interesting to do, from crafts for the kids to spoken word for the intellectuals in the crowd, a stroll down any of the many paths lead to surprises at every turn. During one of these strolls I heard some good tunes courtesy of Joe Pugg from Chicago, and the Selina Martin Triplets. The songstress Selina reminded me of Nico from the Velvet Underground, but dressed in a roller derby outfit.

The Deep Dark Woods put a close on the opening night. The five-piece band from Saskatoon showed why they are one of the hottest roots band in the country. With their honest lyrics and melodic jams, they had the audience swaying up a storm.

The once mild-mannered Hillside crowd was whipped into frenzy on a scorching hot Saturday afternoon when the Bright Light Social Hour, hailing from Austin, Texas, took the stage. The band, who looked like they stepped out of a Rob Zombie movie, played a blistering set of southern rock and roll to a crazed audience who danced on the tables and chairs.

Playing faster than a speeding Indian passenger train, the band Tālavya gave the audience a lesson in drumming as they wowed the crowd with their rhythmic precision and infectious smiles. The five-member percussion group from India ended their North American tour at Hillside, and they certainly left their mark at the festival.

Tālavya joined Mickey Hart and Sidi Touré for "The Colossal Jam III" on Saturday afternoon. It is hard to know what to expect when a group of musicians who never played together before go out and strut their stuff. When Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mickey Hart is involved, expect maybe a mystery sealed in a box opening slowly to expose a moment in time.

One trade-off of having so many great bands in one location is the necessity of short sets, but such is the case with music festivals. The Mickey Hart Band, thankfully, had an extra fifteen minutes to end off the night on Saturday! However, it still felt like once they got going the show was over.

They opened the show with the Buddy Holly classic "Not Fade Away," which is always a crowd favorite; a musical hug of sorts between the band and the audience. "Bertha," another classic Grateful Dead song, started well but lost its way a bit around the middle. The band pretty much got it back together towards the end.

Everyone got their groove on during "The Other One," a time-honoured song that has become a staple for their summer tour. With some of the best musicians anywhere, I kind of felt that the song choice was a little bit safe. The band did alter the song somewhat, changing the original lyrics from "But the heat came round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day" to "busted me for smiling on a sunny day." At first glance it may seem small, but after some thought I figured there must be a deep-dark reason for the change. The character in the original song might be considered a wiseass, but getting ticketed for smiling on a sunny day is just plain wrong.

Among the classic Grateful Dead songs were cuts from Mickey Harts’ new cryptic concept album Mysterium Tremendum. "Let There Be Light" was one example that seemed to garner the band's interest in musical exploration. Vocalist Crystal Monee Hall and guitarist Gawain Matthews raised the level of the concert by pushing the other members of the band forward. The closing number was "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," another great song that everyone likes, but not really why you go to see Mickey Hart. The concert was like watching the recent tight rope crossing of Niagara Falls: exciting, and everybody had a good time, but in the end you knew nobody was going to ascend to the heavens.

One of the many surprises of the weekend was Chic Gamine, whose soulful harmonies and Motown-inspired set made a sultry evening even hotter. The Bombay Bicycle Club was a treat for the younger folks, as they displayed their indie-folk-rock wares before heading off to Chicago for Lollapalooza 2012.

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Joel Plaskett rose from his sickbed play the main stage on Sunday night. As posted on his website, "I'm resting up and intend to be in Guelph rocking the joint with the Emergency on Sunday night." And rock the joint he did, until his voice was hoarse and the festival was past its final curfew. For those who are unfamiliar with the Joel Plaskett Emergency, think Brian Adams after twelve cups of coffee singing songs about Hüsker Dü and the mean streets of Halifax.

There were lots of other bands at Hillside. The Slakadeliqs got their funk on, and New Country Rehab performed several times and put down some great jams alone and with other bands like the Magnificent 7s from Winnepeg. On and on it went, three days of music that in the end left everybody excited for Hillside 2013. And so closes the curtain on the 29th edition of the Hillside Festival.

-Clifton Hanger hosts Brave New Jams on Saturdays from 10pm-Midnight