Mongol - 'River Child' (New Single)

A few days ago, Canadian folk-metal band Mongol brightened up the winter with their latest single titled 'River Child'. It's taken from their upcoming EP, "Warrior Spirit", which will see an April release. I always look forward to new material from this band as they always offer an energetic and intriguing brand of folk-metal. 

Vampire Set To Release Their Latest Offering

Vampire will be releasing their latest offering, titled 'With Primeval Force', on April 21st. When I want stripped down, raw, uncompromising death metal, I look to Vampire. Having thoroughly enjoyed their self-titled debut, I'm looking forward to the upcoming second album from these Swedes.

For a taste of what's in store, take a few minutes to listen to "Ghoul Wind", which will appear on 'With Primeval Force'.

The Uncompromising Festival Perspective: Part Two

While still on the topic of festivals, Metalocalypstick Fest needs to be discussed. The inaugural festival took place in August of 2016 in Valemount, British Columbia. The concept of a festival featuring bands with female members is a double edged sword. On one hand, it’s an interesting idea. On the other hand, is it really a good concept to found a festival on? Many metal fans don’t care whether a band has female members. They only care about the quality of the music. Some might even consider the prerequisite of having a female band member to play the festival as a gimmick. Also, the simple fact that there are less women playing in metal bands than men, immediately limits the bands that can be considered.

Gorgeous surroundings at Metalocalypstick Fest

            Metalocalypstick Fest should have worked better than it did. The infrastructure of the festival grounds was in place. Located at the rodeo grounds, there was a already a bar area and pre-built stage located inside of a permanent tent. Albeit, the stage is relatively tiny and tent isn’t exactly waterproof. With camping adjacent in a nice campground (including showers), it should have been a no-brainer. But it was a disorganized disaster to get settled in for the weekend. No one seemed to have a clue where to go, and campground employees seemed almost unaware that a festival was supposed to be taking place. It took until the morning after arrival for any semblance of organization to occur, and it was in direct conflict to what little information was provided on the website. I’m not going to bother with further details, but as one of the very few attendees not playing in a band, I was less than impressed with the way the situation was handled.

            This festival also suffered from some major attendance problems. Maybe it was a lack of promotion, maybe it was the concept, maybe it was the location. I’m willing to drive several hours for a gorgeous camping spot (which was provided by Canoe River Campground), but it’s probably not a viable idea for a festival. The closest major cities are hours away and that kind of commute could be a deterrent to many for various reasons. Even for a first year festival, the attendance at Metalocalypstick was dismal.

The inside of the festival tent: completely soaked

            Foresight would have predicted that Valemount would get rain at some point over the weekend. This is pretty standard for a mountain valley location. There was no sheltered area for the bands to display and sell merch. I don’t believe the bands were informed that they would have to provide their own shelter for their allocated merch area, and really, who the hell wants to display their merch totally unprotected in a downpour? The bar could have used a better selection of alcohol. Offering one kind of flat beer from a keg seems like a bad proposition. It wouldn’t have hurt to have a few varieties on hand in canned form. Especially considering one can often procure bulk discounts from liquor stores for events and then return unopened cases and flats. Cider was also on offer, but would have been better received in canned form. These few simple ideas would have made it easier for the bartenders and would have provided more satisfaction to the customers that were there. Again, it turned into a game of running back and forth to the camping areas in order to drink decent alcohol previously purchased at a better price.

            Very few people seemed to know when the bands were actually set to take the stage. The first bands to play were met with an almost completely empty house. Providing festival-goers with some kind of lineup information would have been useful. Even if this was as simple as band names and set times printed on blank paper, or photocopied. Handwritten and photocopied would have been better than nothing. The food trucks seemed to be closed most of the weekend, which was probably a function of such low attendance. This, coupled with them being overpriced, contributed to even less people watching bands as they were forced back to the camping areas to fend for themselves. (Hopefully attendees weren’t counting on having food available to them on site and planned ahead enough to either bring their own, or make a trip to Valemount to get some groceries).

            The thing about festivals is that they’re about the experience as a whole. While the music itself is a large part of the experience, it certainly isn’t the entirety of it. There are a many other factors to consider, as I’m sure that many of those involved in organizing a festival know all too well. For the attendee, even the cost of tickets themselves can be a deterrent. I don’t have an excess of disposable income nor the ability to take multiple weekends off of work, so I appreciate the colloquial ‘bang for my buck’ when choosing whether to attend a festival. While the lineup contributes greatly to the initial decision, I’m beginning to consider more and more factors each year. In terms of western Canadian festivals, higher attendance is definitely a positive thing. Having the opportunity to meet more like-minded individuals is part of the experience and better results are achieved from higher attendance. Not to mention that higher attendance allows the organizers to recover a larger portion of the costs of putting on the festival in the first place.  

Predictably, the storm clouds roll in. 

            Although it can’t be controlled, weather plays a large factor in my enjoyment of a festival. While I have all of the clothing and gear to stay dry, a sheltered area from both the sun and the rain is preferable. And honestly, it seems like a good portion of people show up with a single pair of shoes, a hoodie and a few cases of beer in preparation for the weekend. Sleeping in a soaked tent with wet clothes cannot make for a fun time, unless you plan on staying in an alcohol haze for the entirety of the festival.

A few less-than-great experiences, and I’m starting to reconsider whether it’s worth planning to attend outdoor festivals. The great experiences I’ve had make me want to go back, but weighed against some of the less fun ones, I’m beginning to have doubts about whether I will continue to check out festivals in the future. I love camping. I enjoy live music. I’m becoming less decisive on whether the two mix. I realize that a lot of people love the festival experience, no matter the weather conditions, no matter what the lineup, no matter what the attendance, no matter what the organization is like. I sincerely hope that these people continue to support western Canadian festivals so that the existing ones only continue to grow and better themselves year after year.

            

The Uncompromising Festival Perspective: Part One

Truth be told, I haven’t attended nearly the number of festivals that many others in my circle of acquaintances have, but I’ve been to a few. As of late, I have found myself contemplating the festival experience more and more. Perhaps my perceptions were distorted by attending Ruisrock (in Turku, Finland) as my first festival. Rockperry (in Vaasa, Finland) was the second festival I attended and subsequently attended the following year. These festivals remain my only European metal fest experiences, but they had a few things in common. First off, they were well organized. Likely having to do with having several previous, successful editions. The prevalence of metal in Finland likely led to having backing from several sponsors, which equals funding.

            Secondly, the festival grounds were well laid out and user friendly. Getting in the gates proved to be no hassle, even with some language barriers. Free drinking water was readily available. There were clear demarcations between all ages areas and the beer gardens. Even with massive lineups, the beer gardens functioned efficiently and offered a decent selection. Washrooms were available both inside and outside of the beer gardens, although they were porta-potties that got continuously more disgusting as the weekend wore on. Both of these festivals had multiple stages and many of the beer garden areas offered views of the stages.

            Thirdly, there were multiple food options available at reasonable prices and fully operational at all times when the gates were open. Fourth, the camping areas were well organized.

            I haven’t attended many of the ‘local’ festivals (western Canada), but tend to harbor mixed feelings about them. I’m only going to reference outdoor festivals, as they’re a completely different experience from the indoor variety. Maybe my expectations were set a bit high, or maybe festivals should be approached with fewer expectations, but for me this is impossible.

            One of the factors coming into play with the western Canadian festivals I’ve attended is being, at the very least, acquainted with various organizers, volunteers and musicians. I want these festivals to succeed. I can only imagine the effort that goes into planning these events and getting a festival off the ground. These fellow metal heads put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort, often financing these ventures out of their own pockets. Not to mention typically working full time jobs outside of the music industry. On some level, I think many of us who have attended these local festivals recognize and appreciate this. In no way do I want to sound unappreciative of these efforts.

            However, there are a few things about the festivals I’ve attended that I’ve found lacking and there are a few things I’ve found outstanding. And these have contributed to my opinions surrounding these festivals.

            Farmageddon, located outside of Ryley, Alberta, is a festival that I would love to see succeed. I’m not sure what the official statement will be regarding Farmageddon, but it seems to be in trouble. It didn’t take place in 2016, replaced by an indoor festival and tentatively planned to be a biannual occurrence. There was a Go-Fund-Me campaign for the festival, and some press releases suggesting the next one was going to be a big one. Lately, the rumors seem to be that the festival has folded. I’m cautiously optimistic, and frankly, the feeling sucks. I enjoyed looking forward to this festival. The stage was pretty damn impressive for being set up in the middle of a field. The techs working the festival are more than capable. The vendor and merch areas have been pretty great, offering a decent variety and some shelter from the elements for those selling their wares. Plus, the lineups in the two years I attended this festival were solid.

            I enjoyed the relaxed camping atmosphere the first year I attended. Many of us were able to set up tents in close proximity to the stage, complete with views and a very short walk. The second year I attended, the camping area had changed entirely, now being behind the stage and further past a grass parking lot of cars. At least the bathroom access issues were sorted out by day two. I understand why the camping arrangements were changed, but it dampened my experience in comparison to the previous year.

            Of course weather plays a huge factor in open air festivals. The one thing that I found lacking was shelter from the elements. It would have enhanced my experience if there had been a three sided tent facing the stage available for those miserable, rainy days. Another area that was somewhat disappointing was the beer gardens. If I were planning an “ideal” setup, I would have allowed for a fenced area, set back from the stage but still close, and still allowing for a good view. Add some tables, benches, and a better set-up for the volunteer bartenders, and alcohol sales might have been higher which could have prevented as many people from hanging out in the camping areas to drink. Allowing smoking in an area near the stage would have been appreciated by many. (Although I don’t know the details, I believe the liquor and gaming commission’s rules had a lot to do with this, and they are the organization that issues liquor licenses for events).

            From my perspective, Farmageddon has a lot going for it. The infrastructure created on location is impressive. (Shower facilities would have been nice, but improbable and impractical given the location itself). The festival grounds are near Edmonton, which is fairly accessible. The vision is definitely there. The talented, capable, individuals making up the Farmageddon team are there. The festival has pulled in some great local talent, and some great international acts. What it seems to be lacking is enough attendance to make it financially viable.