Sonic Youth at Inaugural Osheaga Music FestEternal teenagers Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley -- along with former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold -- helped kick off the first ever Osheaga Music & Arts Festival at Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal, Canada.
The two-day festival, named for an Indian word meaning "people of the shaking hands" (which European settlers mistook to mean waves in the water), features 50 bands on 5 stages. Parc Jean Drapeau, home to such attractions as amusement park La Ronde and World's Fair monuments like the Biosphere, makes for an interesting and picturesque venue for this event. The side stages are tucked in along a wooded path giving this festival a unique atmosphere. Yet the event is close to the city with easy access by car or Metro (especially handy for those hitting the after parties downtown).
The festivities kicked off at 1PM (unless you count the pre-show parties that began Friday night). I got a late start and arrived around 3PM, catching the end of World Party's set. The only act I had planned to see but missed was The Magic Numbers -- a twee little band from England comprised of two pair of brothers and sisters.
After exploring the grounds and checking out a bit of Major Maker and Think About Life on the side stages, I returned to the pair of main stages and caught part of Montreal's own Vulgaires Machins, followed by The Stills. I soon discovered that the mixture of homegrown Canadian talent with other international indie acts, both up-and-coming and legendary, are what set Osheaga apart from the increasingly crowded field of music festivals. I can also report that the food is above average and the facilities were well and kept and easily accessible.
Next up, a reunited Dinosaur Jr. -- the original lineup of J. Mascis on guitar, Lou Barlow on bass and Emmett "Murph" Murphy on drums. Their first three records were recently reissued, and during their blistering set, they ripped through songs from these mid-80s to early-90s recordings, including a well-known cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven." It was a trip to hear Lou Barlow's gutteral grunts after first getting know to him through the pre-Emo sensitive guy indie rock he honed with Sebadoh. J. Mascis looked like a silver-haired "Cousin It" as he made his guitar scree and squeal through his signature guitar solos.
Returning to the woodland side stages, I found California retro-rockers The Colour doing their best Doors impression to good effect, and Duchess Says sounding like Montreal's version of Deerhoof. Duchess Says lead singer Annie-Claude got up close and personal with yours truly when she leapt off the stage and finished their closing number in the midst of the crowd, stage left, then walked off, leaving onlookers bewildered and buzzing. I saw the beginning of The Shys' set -- The Colour's rock revivalist friends -- on the way to check out Metric on the main stage. Metric did Canada proud, playing their spunky new wave sound to one of the larger audiences of the day.
Sonic Youth's reflection of and influence on modern music was evident throughout the festival. From the noise-rock inspired feedback-drenched guitars present in almost every set, to artists admired by Sonic Youth, the whole day felt like a tribute to the ageless rock deities. Even rapper K-OS gave them a shout out. James Chance & The Contortionists, who Thurston named-checked while SY was on stage, showcased their angular avant-jazz sounds (a genre Thurston and Lee have both dabbled in on various side projects). At the same time, Wintersleep held it down for Canada with a dose of more straight- ahead indie rock.
As night fell there proved to be no rain despite the clouds that loomed large all day. Amon Tobin, perched between the two main stages, wowed the crowd with a crushing breakbeat DJ set, mixing drum-and-bass, hip hop and thrash metal. I took the opportunity to claim a spot for Sonic Youth's approaching climax to the day's festivities while Clap Your Hands Say Yeah played on the other main stage.
When Sonic Youth's time finally did come, they delivered the goods opening with "Teenage Riot." This is a classic song you'd normally except them to close with, so they set the bar pretty high right from the start. Thurston, Kim and Lee danced and swayed with their instruments, playing with the feedback. Lee and Thurston, guitars held overhead, marched to center stage where they literally duelled with their six-strings. Most of the rest of the set was taken from the band's latest masterpiece, Rather Ripped, released earlier this year. Another tune from 1987's Daydream Nation, "Eric's Trip," had the crowd cheering for more. After a few more numbers from the new record, the quintessential Sonic Youth foursome came back on stage to do two songs from their recently reissued 1982 self-titled debut, "The World Looks Red" and "Shaking Hell." An unexpected treat and an appropriate end to a day that was built on a musical foundation that Sonic Youth helped lay down.
