09-18-2008, 02:21 PM
Band lives dream at Big Music Fest
THE INTELLIGENCER
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The band plays rock with a touch of folk and country and is now returning to Belleville for four monthly gigs at The Penguin restaurant, 399 Front St. The first gig is Saturday.
Lead singer Nick Spence recalls just how thrilling the Big Music Fest gig was.
By Nick Spence
Being asked by Gord Downie to open for the Tragically Hip is a little like falling out of an airplane. The first 10 seconds are a forgotten blur of overwhelming adrenaline and the next hour is spent convincing yourself it was real.
Here's a clip of our conversation as I remember it, with director commentary:
"Hey Nick, I listened to the Fight That Broke Your Heart last night. Listen, man, this is a really good disc."
Holy crap. Gord Downie listened to our album. Why are my knees weak, and why do I feel like I'm in Grade 7 asking a girl to the school dance?
"Do you write the lyrics? Cause I really dig your lyrics man."
Thanks Gord. You're not half bad yourself. Nautical Disaster has its moments.
"So what's next for the band?"
Well, although I'm ironically unaware of this at the moment, our big dream of playing the North by Northeast festival is about to be blown out of the water.
At this point, Gord is fully aware that our little metaphorical plane is at cruising altitude and the bay doors have been opened. His poker face is betrayed only by the mischievous glint in his eyes, like he knows he's about to rock my world. I'm now convinced that if Gord Downie were born Native, he'd be called a trickster.
"You want to play a show with us?"
Free fall. We pulled in to the Big Music Festival in Belleville around noon to catch Sam Roberts sound-checking.
Sam f---ing Roberts! We asked where we could store our personal things during the day and were told, with a grin, that there would be plenty of room in our trailer home. We ate a fully catered lunch, with fresh pasta to order, before our own sound-check, where the songs we'd poured so much sweat and tears into were suddenly broadcast through a sound-system designed to overpower 16,000 screaming fans in an outdoor park. Talk about a rush!
Suddenly, there were crowds in the park and it was time to play our set. We paced backstage and had our traditional band huddle. We saw the stage manager eyeing us and joked that it must be funny to see our naïve childish excitement over the gig.
"It's refreshing," he said.
Then we were onstage. Just like that. And it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Despite the fans, the fresh air, the names above us on the bill, and the fact that this was ten times the stage we had ever played before, we were as comfortable as if we were playing to a hundred friends at the Rivoli.
There were huge added benefits beyond the exposure and experienced we gained playing the Big Music Fest. Above all, these other musicians were heroes of ours and we were able to catch their sets from side-stage! The Hip were on fire that night, and watching Gord do his thing from 10 feet away was nothing short of an education in fronting a band and connecting with a crowd.
The one impression that stuck with all of us was the level of respect displayed by everyone involved in the festival.
I looked around to see musicians playing with their kids in the sunny fields of our backstage park.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find a member of the Hip's management telling me she loved our show and all extra tickets we scored for family and friends were now on the house. Then Michael, the event promoter, arrived by bicycle asking if we needed any more beer in the trailer. The Big Music Fest was truly a class act from start to finish. Sam Roberts, who was on his 81st show with the Tragically Hip, said to us shortly before leaving, "Unless you're with the Hip, you'll never be treated this well again." I believe it.
I must say, The Downies are the nicest family in rock 'n roll. Who else would give a relatively unknown musician the break of his life? Who else would bring flowers from their family farm before the biggest performance of our lives? Who other than Gord Downie would give me a hug after our set and say, "We should do this again sometime"?
Name the date, Gord. We'll be there.
* * *
The Penguin's doors open at 9 p. m. Saturday for Five-Star Trailer Park's show. Opening act at 9:30 p. m., headliner at 10:30 p. m. Tickets are $10.
The band will also play the third Saturday of each month through December.
The band's website is <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fivestartrailerpark.com">www.fivestartrailerpark.com</a><!-- w -->
THE INTELLIGENCER
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1205471">http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisp ... ?e=1205471</a><!-- m -->
The band plays rock with a touch of folk and country and is now returning to Belleville for four monthly gigs at The Penguin restaurant, 399 Front St. The first gig is Saturday.
Lead singer Nick Spence recalls just how thrilling the Big Music Fest gig was.
By Nick Spence
Being asked by Gord Downie to open for the Tragically Hip is a little like falling out of an airplane. The first 10 seconds are a forgotten blur of overwhelming adrenaline and the next hour is spent convincing yourself it was real.
Here's a clip of our conversation as I remember it, with director commentary:
"Hey Nick, I listened to the Fight That Broke Your Heart last night. Listen, man, this is a really good disc."
Holy crap. Gord Downie listened to our album. Why are my knees weak, and why do I feel like I'm in Grade 7 asking a girl to the school dance?
"Do you write the lyrics? Cause I really dig your lyrics man."
Thanks Gord. You're not half bad yourself. Nautical Disaster has its moments.
"So what's next for the band?"
Well, although I'm ironically unaware of this at the moment, our big dream of playing the North by Northeast festival is about to be blown out of the water.
At this point, Gord is fully aware that our little metaphorical plane is at cruising altitude and the bay doors have been opened. His poker face is betrayed only by the mischievous glint in his eyes, like he knows he's about to rock my world. I'm now convinced that if Gord Downie were born Native, he'd be called a trickster.
"You want to play a show with us?"
Free fall. We pulled in to the Big Music Festival in Belleville around noon to catch Sam Roberts sound-checking.
Sam f---ing Roberts! We asked where we could store our personal things during the day and were told, with a grin, that there would be plenty of room in our trailer home. We ate a fully catered lunch, with fresh pasta to order, before our own sound-check, where the songs we'd poured so much sweat and tears into were suddenly broadcast through a sound-system designed to overpower 16,000 screaming fans in an outdoor park. Talk about a rush!
Suddenly, there were crowds in the park and it was time to play our set. We paced backstage and had our traditional band huddle. We saw the stage manager eyeing us and joked that it must be funny to see our naïve childish excitement over the gig.
"It's refreshing," he said.
Then we were onstage. Just like that. And it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Despite the fans, the fresh air, the names above us on the bill, and the fact that this was ten times the stage we had ever played before, we were as comfortable as if we were playing to a hundred friends at the Rivoli.
There were huge added benefits beyond the exposure and experienced we gained playing the Big Music Fest. Above all, these other musicians were heroes of ours and we were able to catch their sets from side-stage! The Hip were on fire that night, and watching Gord do his thing from 10 feet away was nothing short of an education in fronting a band and connecting with a crowd.
The one impression that stuck with all of us was the level of respect displayed by everyone involved in the festival.
I looked around to see musicians playing with their kids in the sunny fields of our backstage park.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find a member of the Hip's management telling me she loved our show and all extra tickets we scored for family and friends were now on the house. Then Michael, the event promoter, arrived by bicycle asking if we needed any more beer in the trailer. The Big Music Fest was truly a class act from start to finish. Sam Roberts, who was on his 81st show with the Tragically Hip, said to us shortly before leaving, "Unless you're with the Hip, you'll never be treated this well again." I believe it.
I must say, The Downies are the nicest family in rock 'n roll. Who else would give a relatively unknown musician the break of his life? Who else would bring flowers from their family farm before the biggest performance of our lives? Who other than Gord Downie would give me a hug after our set and say, "We should do this again sometime"?
Name the date, Gord. We'll be there.
* * *
The Penguin's doors open at 9 p. m. Saturday for Five-Star Trailer Park's show. Opening act at 9:30 p. m., headliner at 10:30 p. m. Tickets are $10.
The band will also play the third Saturday of each month through December.
The band's website is <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fivestartrailerpark.com">www.fivestartrailerpark.com</a><!-- w -->
