Interstellar Rodeo: Consistent in Musical Diversity
Interstellar Rodeo always presents a diverse lineup that pushes boundaries of musical genres – and the comfort levels of the audience. And, for the second year in a row, the festival was subject to the whimsy of the unstable Alberta weather. With the kind of “summer” we’ve been having, that part really came as no surprise.
One act who knows that better than anyone is local band Jesse Jams and the Flams, which was part of the iHuman Youth Society’s contribution of several main stage acts. Unfortunately, in 2018 the band was rained out and hardly got to perform. Lucky for them, they were invited back, and did a stellar set of quirky, original punk songs to start this year’s Rodeo on July 26.
Next up was The Weaves, from Toronto. This is a band that has been making a lot of waves, even having been nominated for the Polaris music prize. Energetic punk/alternative sounds were also accented with elements of soul, R&B, and funk, led by the amazing vocal talents of lead singer Jasmyn Burke. A unique version of Bob Dylan’s “Shelter from the Storm” that suddenly morphed into the Hanson Brother’s “MMMBop” was memorable for the fact that is actually worked.
Alternative singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten was clearly the highlight of the evening for most of those in the far from sold-out amphitheatre. She had the biggest crowd in front of the stage, and drew the loudest applause, even going several songs beyond her allotted time.
New this tear at the Rodeo was a spoken word stage, featuring poets such as new Edmonton Poet Laureate Nisha Patel, former Youth Poet Laureate Nasra Adem (who both performed on Saturday), and songwriter/rapper/poet Kinnie Starr who spoke, sang, and rapped her way through a short interlude set on the Friday main stage. Taking her mic and speaking her truth, she came down from the stage and connected with the audience.
Another new feature this year was the introduction of a highball bar, where one could get a vodka and soda or one of the custom concoctions created for the festival. This was in addition to the beer and wine bar – and yes, as always, master sommelier Gurvinder Bhatia paired major acts with wines.
Aloe Blacc, after his first couple of songs, exclaimed, “This isn’t a concert. It’s a party!” And it was, albeit subdued. Blacc’s soulful vocals were reminiscent of Stevie Wonder – and just as I thought of those words to write, he launched into a cover of “Superstitious,” in addiction to Blacc’s hits such as “I Need a Dollar” and “Love is The Answer.”
Mother Nature decided to rear her uglier side on Saturday, July 27. Major Love, a band featuring Edmonton’s Colleen Brown, got the day off
with energy and rhythm which got the audience moving and dancing in the early afternoon. However, just two songs into the set of Canadian/South African performer Zaki Ibrahim. The afternoon thunderstorm delayed sets by about an hour, while the Hawrelak Park Amphitheatre noticeably cleared out, with many patrons not to return. Those who braved the rest of the day got to experience another wide range of musical styles including K’Naan, Perfume Genius, Rheostatics (featuring past Rodeo emcee Ford Pier on keyboards), and Sheila E., who closed the day with a lot of energy and excitement.
The final day saw the lineup dominated mostly by American acts, such as Southern Avenue, appropriately from Memphis. The band’s roots/blues/gospel sound got things started off with smooth grooves. It also helped that the weather cooperated for most of the day, the warm sun penetrating the cool breeze, with just a few drops of precipitation here and there.
Saul Williams was a verbal assault of singing, rapping, and spoken word. His intense delivery and messages of social justice, without mincing words, had the audience captivated. In fact, Williams was the inspiration behind the spoken word stage this year.
Lucius, well-known to audience members who are Folk Fest regulars, dazzled with the lush vocal harmonies of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, who not only blend as one voice, but who could also pass for twins.
Multiple Grammy award recipients Asleep at the Wheel had people dancing in the aisles to good, old-fashioned honkey-tonk. The band is still led by Ray Benson, who still had a strong voice and a performance that did not hold back.
Whitehorse is a folk rock duo now based in Ontario, that has played the Rodeo numerous times. No one seemed to be tired of hearing husband-and-wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland’s songs as they crowded the stage to dance and groove to “Devil’s Got a Gun,” “My Babe,” and “Sweet Disaster.”
Interludes included singer/songwriter Richard Inman from Winnipeg, with insightful, lyric-based folk, as well as Edmonton’s Maddie Storvold, who just signed a record deal.
But the highlight of Sunday was final act Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, another Folk Fest veteran. In fact, the amphitheatre got even more crowded in the minutes leading up to their set, as many came just to experience the upbeat R&B, rock, jazz, country, and folk fusion that is this Denver band’s forte. Led by the charismatic Rateliff, many of the songs were from 2018’s , but also songs that have become classics like “I Need Never Get Old” and, of course, “S.O.B.” (yes, that means exactly what it looks like, in case you didn’t already know). The raindrops of the weekend were forgotten (or, at least forgiven) as Interstellar Rodeo 2019 faded into the night and became a memory of a great weekend of music, poetry, drink, and dance.
