Festival: P.S. Kensington (May)

P.S. Kensington (May) (feat. RatTail and Tripping Hazard @ Wavelength Stage; Speaking Tongues, Planet Creature and The Diableros @ Pitter Patter Stage; Mr. Something Something)

Kensington Market. Sunday, May 30, 2010.

A boiling hot day on the season's inaugural Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market. With liquid sun pouring down, the streets were still pretty full as I made my way down to hang around and check out some music. It's actually impossible to avoid on Pedestrian Sundays — up and down the length of Augusta and Kensington, there are groups and soloists set up every few feet creating a symphony as varied at the market itself, with everything from folkie miserabilism to hippie-barefoot-dancing didgeridoo funk. And although this gives the chance for some random discoveries, I was actually folding that around a more structured plan, with a couple beloved indie institutions each running stages at opposite ends of Augusta Ave.

Up at the top of the street just off College, Wavelength was set up at the Faceless Knifefighter stage, in the shadow of the convenience store and right up beside the fancy new bike rack/sculpture. Or, almost set up, as there was a last-minute scramble for equipment underway as I strolled by, members of the afternoon's bands trying to catch some respite from the heat on the shadowed steps near Neutral's doors. But given that this was more of an all day drop-in thing, not being rigourously on top of any sort of schedule wasn't too much of an impediment.

Anyways, once things were set up, the day was initiated by local trio RatTail, who had impressed me back in January. The set featured the main ingredients I remembered from then — a solid and melodic rhythm section creating the foundation for Jasmyn Burke's efforts, both vocally and on guitar. It seems like RatTail's repertoire is growing quickly, with several songs in the setlist that they didn't play when at that last show, including "In Bloom" (not a cover, though Burke did dedicate it to Kurt Cobain). Lots of catchy stuff like "Gasmask", with Burke playing more of a static rhythm part and Ryan Mounsey's bass carrying things along. And also some variety, such as "Go Green", which went for a slower burn. The seven-song set ended with "George Mounsey", the catchy title track to the band's newly-released 7" E.P.

Besides the small-ish clump of friends splayed out on the steps across the street, there was the usual sort of random band-on-street crowd, with passers-by occasionally nodding a bit as they moved past, as well as some kung-fu mutterers taking things in.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Next up were Tripping Hazard, a name that I'd seen listed for shows here and there but had never caught up with. Poking around, they prefer to swathe themselves in mystery on their myspace page, so I can't fill in much information about them, but they look to have been around for a little while. The band's predominant sound was mellow but not necessarily soft — back when the classic rock stations used to play forty-five minute uninterrupted sets, you'd hear something mildly jazzy like this stuck in about two-thirds of the way through, before things would crank up to higher velocities.¹

But with co-ed vox, and the keyb central to their sound, this was cut with a college-rock sort of sound, which added a winning element to songs like "Thumbsucker". There was a relaxed sense of languor to their songs, although they also kept 'em short — with this sort of sound, you could imagine the band slipping into side-long simmering jams, but they kept things two-minutes-and-out concise. Well-suited to a day like this, where you can appreciate the groove, but it's too hot out to move around too much.

At set's end, as Doc Pickles oratorical outro entertained some musings on the new bike rack, I went for a wander. The Wavelength stage was ongoing throughout the afternoon, but as it turned out, I spent most of the rest of the day down at the other end of Augusta Street, where a small stage had been set up in front the The Boat's doors, with some bands playing in conjunction with the Pitter Patter Festival.

Setting up as I ambled by were local duo The Speaking Tongues, rocking out with a pretty straight-ahead blues-rock sound. There were a few hints of garage-y scuzz nibbling at the edges, mostly in the rough-hewn stripped-down rawness evoked by the the two-man set-up. With some respectable originals and a few covers — including an apt go at Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" — the band did a nice job of keeping the beat moving for the length of their set, but didn't do a lot to distinguish themselves. Okay enough, I guess, but not especially grabbing. This was undemanding stuff, more suited for casual listening than close examination.²

Filling in the between-set time, I moved up the street a little bit where local Afro-Beat force Mr. Something Something³ were hosting their pedal-powered dance party, with volunteers' bikes hooked up to the generator that was powering the sound system. As I found a vantage point, the band were launching into "Di Bombs", a critique of globalism in the form of a funky ten-minute jam. Clearly taking musical and social cues from Fela, there was a big crowd on hand dancing away to this. Good fun. "What are You Waiting For?", the following song and closer for this set, was more ballad and less funky. Still nice, but less grabbing. A big crowd gathered around to enjoy this.

Back in front of The Boat, Planet Creature were leading off with a quiet song. It'd been awhile since I'd last seen 'em⁴ and now sporting a re-tooled lineup, it sounded like the band had honed in on their sound a little more. Perhaps from rubbing shoulders with their fellow Optical Sounds bands the group has learned how to lean into a groove a bit — evidenced here by a smokin' instrumental especially, but on evidence throughout the set. Brooke Gagne (guit) and Kristina Koski (keyb) seem to be focusing on sleeker lines — it's as if the songs are being pushed forward by a higher-efficiency engine. Excitingly, one that the band called out as a new one was as good as anything I've heard from them.

Out on the street, the sound wasn't totally ideal, with the vocals rather buried throughout. I remain eager to get a chance to hear this lineup again in higher fidelity.

With the sun a bit lower in the sky, there were more shady spots on the pavement as The Diableros closed out the stage for the day. Going all the way to the far end of their discography, they started with "Working Out Words", the opener from their '05 debut You Can't Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts, chasing that with "Any Other Time" from its follow-up Aren't Ready for the Country. It seems as if every time I see this line-up of the band they've re-inserted one or two more songs from the back catalogue.

Meanwhile, the newer stuff was represented as well. The superb "Heavy Hands" from last year's Old Story, Fresh Road EP was a standout. Plus, there was a glimpse into some brand new material — includuing one called "Thunder Tracker". The band was in fine fettle throughout, with Keith Hamilton's fuzzy bass playing off Jordan Walsh's keys. The vocals were buried a fair bit for this set, too, and it sounded like a Brazilian drum corps had settled in down the street. Their percussive bursts kept wafting over between songs, which added a strange undercurrent to the quieter closing strains of closer "Old Story, Fresh Road".

Listen to a track from this set here.

Ran into K. in the crowd during the set, and at its conclusion we decided to retire from the street to a nearby patio to close out the evening with some beers — proper hydration being all-important on days like this.⁵

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¹ Riffing on that jazzy undertow in the music, while keeping things going in one of the the little between-song gaps, the band threw down with an impromptu bit of the Super Mario music.

² Which isn't to question the band's work ethic or their admirable efforts to spread their music — not only were they offering free live CD's to the audience at this show, but they also recorded a Third Floor session, which you can grab for free here.

³ The longstanding crew has four albums to their credit, stretching back to 2004.

⁴ Coincidentally, that show was just a few feet over — and one floor up, at another gig at The Boat with The Diableros.

⁵ The next Pedestrian Sunday is on August 29th. Go!