EDGEFEST ROCKS THE WEST
Well, it's hard to sum up the five Western dates of Edgefest in a few paragraphs, but here goes. Apologies for not posting D.A.M.N. yesterday, but there was a severe freak fog that settled in here around the Chart offices upon our arrival back from the tour...basically, we were suffering from withdrawal from not being on the road! So sit back with a hot chocolate (it's bloody cold around here now that summer's over) and re-live Edgefest '97 with me as I review the highlights of the Western leg:
1) It's about the music! Twelve great bands on two stages added up to a super value for your money. Someone asked me last night who the best band on the bill was, and you know what? I can't name one. The crowds went just as mental for Silverchair and Collective Soul as they did for I Mother Earth, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, The Age of Electric and Econoline Crush just as equally as they did for Finger Eleven and Dodgy. An excellent bill all around.
2) It's about the fans! As far as Chart is concerned, the kids in Saskatoon rocked our world for style and cool band recognition. T-shirts with Tristan Psionic and The Killjoys were as prevalent as shirts for the bands on the bill that day. And the kids in Winnipeg were awesome to Chart: the programme tour guides were given out faster there than any other city and the longest line-ups for autographs were in the 'Peg.
3) The bands all got along so well, it was wonderful to be a part of such a huge celebration of Canadian music. I Mother Earth brought up local musicians in Vancouver to play with them, and in Winnipeg, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace sang guest vocals with Edwin on the IME song "Another Sunday." (Read more on IME and Edwin's last gig further down in D.A.M.N. today.)
4) The FanFest autograph sessions in the Chart tent were a huge success. All the bands thoroughly enjoyed meeting their fans and it was unfortunate that lines had to be cut off in certain sessions but thousands of fans across the country were able to meet their favourite band members...except when Ross Childress of Collective Soul was Missing In Action for the autograph sessions in Edmonton after a wicked party the night before...And OLP drummer Jeremy Taggart joined the autograph signings with the band Finger Eleven since he just happened to be hanging around behind the second stage when they were leaving for the Chart tent. Jeremy ended up taking advantage of the water guns provided by we the Chart staff and proceeded to soak all of Finger Eleven's fans as they approached the table for autographs! (See ChartAttack cover page for photographic evidence tomorrow.)
5) Most bands were on tour buses but the few troopers like Chart who drove themselves from gig to gig were rewarded with incredible scenery through the Rockies between Vancouver and Calgary, and the sun rising in the east over the Prairies between Edmonton and Saskatoon. But for Glueleg, someone mis-informed the band that the driving time between Edmonton and Saskatoon overnight was between eight and ten hours, which created a funny scenario: in the wee hours of the morning, the band found itself fighting at the side of the road with the roadie who thought he still had hours to drive, while the band thought they should have already been in Saskatoon...as it happened, they had driven right through Saskatoon and had to turn around and head back!
6) Check out the October issue of Chart magazine for photos and a run-down on many more things that sucked and rocked during this first annual roving Edgefest tour. We'd better see you there next year!
HOWARD STERN TEARS UP THE CANADIAN AIRWAVES
Shock jock extraordinaire, Howard Stern broadcast his first international shows this week as Toronto radio station Q107 and Montréal station CHOM-FM picked up the syndicated New York-based show by the most popular talk radio jock in history. But he started his syndication in Canada off with more bang than he probably anticipated. In his normal obnoxious way, he managed to offend the entire French population in the province of Québec in his morning show banter, inciting a flood of press yesterday and the day before in retaliation. Canada is now part of the ongoing debate about whether Stern's show is acceptable or abominable. You can hear his show in Montréal or Toronto between six and ten a.m. on the morning drive slot.
EDWIN HASN'T JUMPED SHIP QUITE YET...
Contrary to rumours that the Edgefest Winnipeg date would be the last time lead singer Edwin would play with I Mother Earth before he leaves the band to stake out a solo career, the Toronto-based band is playing three upcoming shows. If you're in the vicinity, catch Edwin while you can fronting IME at these dates:
Friday, September 5 - Barrie, ON at Lakehead University
Saturday, September 6 - Montréal, QC at McGill University
Saturday, September 13 - Guelph, ON at Guelph Lake
The Geulph Lake date is now reportedly the last gig you will find Edwin singing with IME, and it's a one-day festival mimicking the all-Canadian billing of Edgefest with such artists as Big Sugar, Odds, Killjoys, Glueleg, treble charger, Rusty, King Cobb Steelie and Tribal Stomp.Tickets are available through TicketMaster already and one dollar from the sale of each ticket will go towards the Canadian Diabetes Association. I can't exactly let the rumours fly before there's any substance to them, but let's just say it's very interesting that Toronto band Tribal Stomp will be playing the last I Mother Earth/Edwin gig...
SARAH MCLACHLAN TO PLAY THREE NIGHTS IN TORONTO
Returning to the stage after six weeks' rest following the extremely successful Lilith Fair tour, Sarah McLachlan (Vancouver) will be performing for three nights at the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto on October 20 through 22. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 5 at 10:00 a.m. These dates will most likely be added to with more Canadian gigs to follow.
MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS LIVE ON MUCH
The 1997 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT (repeated at 11:00 p.m. EDT) on MuchMusic tonight with a preview show starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT featuring backstage interviews and rehearsal footage. The awards show boasts a live performance from The Rolling Stones beamed in from satellite at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, where fans have been lined up for hours as word leaked out slowly all day in the media here. Also performing live but from the Radio City Music Hall in New York where the rest of the show is happening, will be Beck, U2, Spice Girls, Jamiroquai, Puff Daddy, The Wallflowers, Jewel, Marilyn Manson and an all-star female hip-hop ensemble. Also on TV tonight, Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35 p.m. EDT features Matchbox 20 as his music guest.
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D.A.M.N. is compiled by Karen Pace.
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Karen Pace is a retired teacher (fer real!) who started working in this crazy music industry as an on-air personality at ICRT Radio in Taipei, Taiwan. From freelance writing to voice-overs, from Life on Queen West on CITY-TV to E Now! on BBS, she has maintained a foot firmly planted in the door that leads to all things music-related. As Chart's News Editor and ChartAttack's Coordinator, she runs at a break-neck clip, investigating all the news you should know. In between breaths, she finds time to be the world's best aunt to her niece and nephew.