Field Festival

Field was... well, it was last weekend already.

Because of the monsoon-like conditions I left my camera locked in the trunk of a car for the entire weekend. So, no pictures from this event, but a few thoughts.

Interesting:

1) Lily's On Mars.

This band came out of nowhere. This group makes the strangest music, but that's what makes them incredibly interesting. Five word description? Punk Rock Albertan Gypsy Music. Girl-wonder Duck sang in Cree, Spanish and French, and singer Dusty Ross counterbalanced with his strange 1950s movie-star style. Combined with hula hoop performance, it's clear they do whatever they want to. It's on the verge of working seamlessly.

2) Emaline Delapaix and the Delistocracy.

Who is she? What does she do? I have no idea, but she did sing some ABBA. Didn't really get the crowd going, but she has a very pretty voice.

3) Birds are Dinosaurs.

Not content to be crazy with just a horn section alone, this Regina octet has an oboe. Trippy, transcendental or whatever they were going for. Late at night in a grove of trees, it worked.

Tried and True:

Also saw some good local acts who are always fun to watch and/or heckle. Paul Kuzbik is now a trio, and a good-sounding one. Featuring former Despitado members, Regina lads Geronimo are doing some good things. Saw the Deep Dark Woods play a ramblin', old-time rockin' set, and Volcanoless in Canada destroyed a box of macaroni.

Oh, and The Weakerthans were there. They played some new songs, which were nice, and some old songs, which were nice to sing along to. John K. Samson is cute.

Field Festival has some promise. In bridging the distance between the province's two largest cities, it definitely has the potential to be a truly Saskatchewan festival. If they continue to think about showcasing local acts, along with bringing in a few solid headliners, there is room for this event to grow in the next few years. Kudos to the organizers for making an attempt, and to the community of Craik for getting into it as well, letting a couple hundred people trample all over their nice little regional park.