blog post Heavy Heart Hillside: Sunday

Part of the mystique of The Hillside Festival is getting to it...the sounds that you hear as you walk across the land bridge onto the island. To the strains of Zaki Ibrahim wafting across the water from the Main Stage, Trevor and I made our way into the fray. As we got closer, we heard the unmistakable "Acadian Driftwood" by The Band coming from The Island Stage. The tent was overflowing - with people and happiness. Onstage, Ron Sexsmith, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Tannis Slimmon, Jude Vadala, and a rotating cast were paying tribute to The Band with every single voice in the crowd raised to sing along. It was so moving that all I could say to Colin Linden afterwards was something lame like, "I think they're one of the greatest bands in history."

"You and me, both", he said.

Another part of Hillside's mystique is that you have to learn to live with the choices you make. Who will you commit to seeing and what will you inevitably miss? Every corner of Guelph Lake Island is so filled with memorable moments that you needn't really worry about it. Looking at the schedule for Sunday, I knew that I would have to make some sacrifices.

Directly after The Band tribute, Angela Desveaux took the Island Stage for her Hillside debut. In a bit of inspired continuity, she started her set with "I Shall Be Released", and immediately the crowd was hers. Backed by a killer band that included Mike Feuerstack, she ran through a lot of her disc, Wandering Eyes, and treated us to some brand new stuff, too. Tape was rolling (well, computers were on) for her beautiful set and we'll be putting it out very soon. I ducked out for a few minutes to head over to the Lake Stage to catch a song by Two Hours Traffic (pictured above, by my limited photographic skills). They had the tent packed and dancing, at two in the afternoon! When I returned to Angela's set, I realized that the intensity in both tents was equal, just manifested differently.

Trevor Weeks, our official photographer, will be posting some pictures very soon. Until then, you can check out some pics I took on Radio3's Flickr site.

I spent the next couple of sets backstage at the Main Stage, catching up with folks. While Madviolet and then Elvis Perkins played, I listened to some amazing road stories which, of course, I can't repeat. I was regaled with tales of Burton Cummings, Arctic char, and Tony Bennett's Christmas cards. We discussed Don Kerr's resemblance to members of The Trews. And Michael Barclay, Helen Spitzer and I were hypnotized by a volunteer's alluring hula-hoop prowess. If I may be candid, sitting on a picnic bench, talking and laughing my ass off with old musical friends may have been the highlight of my weekend.

Almost too late, I remembered that Jah Youssouf, Vieux Farka Toure and Madagascar Slim were doing a "Gourds & Guitars" workshop over on The Island Stage. I caught the last half of this incendiary combination. Again, the audience was absolutely immersed in what was happening onstage - moving, swaying, stomping, singing...

Dya Singh, who mused aloud that "Hillside seems to have a fetish for jamming", captivated an enormous Main Stage crowd. Then I planted myself in the Island Stage tent, and wrapped up my Hillside experience with mind-blowing sets by Basia Bulat, and oddly well-rested even though they slept in a noisy volunteer campsite Ohbijou, and Mother Mother.

It's hard for me to even fathom the amount of incredible music that is bouncing around my memory from a weekend of being literally immersed in it. After Hillside, I am spent. My vacation starts.....now.

Stay tuned for news on when and how you'll be hearing what we recorded at Hillside!!!