It happens every year: The big white tents go up, Queen Street is closed off to traffic and the sounds of jazz and blues can be heard under the September harvest moon (no pun intended).
Except this year, Harvest Jazz and Blues festival mixed it up more than it ever has in the past, introducing new genres from hip-hop to punk-rock and pop. There was still the traditional Harvest fare of smooth jazz and blues rock, but something new was in the air.
Amy Theriault, marketing and fund development manager for the festival, said they expanded their programming this year to reach a wider demographic by including a “kind of edgier, pop, current-pop feel.”
Of these new artists who made their Harvest debut this year, the most anticipated were Toronto band Metric and one of Canada’s best known rap/hip-hop acts, Classified.
“The fact that those were the two shows that first sold out for us, I think really speaks to, that there’s a demand for that, so we’re excited to see that work out for us,” Theriault said.
As the crowd gathered around the stage in the TD Mojo tent on Thursday night, you could tell it was a diverse group of people who were flocking to the show – from adults looking to hear something new, to teens excited to hear the kind of music they listen to on a regular basis.
Halifax singer Ria Mae warmed up the stage, getting the party started with her electronic punk-pop edge. Her songs had a little bit of funk and just enough soul for her to more than hold her own at Harvest Jazz and Blues.
Mae’s warm stage presence exuded a casual comfort, as she took a selfie with the crowd while sound problems were being fixed in the middle of the set.
David Myles then took the stage, providing the complementary antithesis to Classified’s hip-hop beats.
A Harvest regular and hometown crowd-pleaser, Fredericton’s favourite skinny, suited musician chatted about how glad he was to be back, and ended his set with a new song – a power ballad outside of his usual style that nearly blew the roof off.
Classified then took the stage by storm, bursting from the wings with high-energy dancing and rapping as the audience went nuts waving their hands and cheering.
“Bet you didn’t think you’d see some hip-hop shit like this tonight!” he said during his introduction.
Classified’s engagement with the crowd was strong, as he talked about it being his first time in Fredericton, bringing his show back to the Maritimes and how he smokes weed every day (although he cautioned the younger audience members saying “Don’t fuck with the hard drugs kids.”)
He also brought a new musician from his hometown on stage, a young man named Elijah with a beautiful pop voice that blended seemlessly with Classified’s rap and hip-hop beats.
Friday night things heated up in the Mooselight Blues tent, as Montreal band Stars opened for the highly anticipated Metric.
The crowd was again diverse, from businessmen to students to grandmas, proving Theriault’s theory that Harvest’s returning patrons like the idea of experiencing something new outside their comfort zone.
Stars performed with high energy, dramatic dance gestures and an excellent use of lighting.
Singer Torquil Campbell did do something odd throughout the concert, frequently kneeling down and peering out into the audience over his thick-framed hipster glasses.
The pop-tech sound was dominated by a throbbing base that resonated in my chest and throat. It was so loud and powerful it almost hurt, but no one else in the audience seemed to mind.
Metric followed with a performance worthy of any rock-star, from lead singer Emily Haines’s rocker-chick aesthetic to the heavy strobe lighting and the head-banging punk-rock sound.
Haines’ multiple costume changes throughout the show gave the audience something new to look at, the highlight being when she came out with a neon-green butterfly cape that billowed behind her.
The night wrapped up with arguably the most unique afterburner show Harvest Jazz and Blues has ever seen, further testament to their hopes to diversify the genres the festival includes.
MarchFourth! is more than just a band. It’s a troupe of musicians, acrobats, singers and dancers who provide a diverse and all-encompassing sound.
The troupe, who come out in costumes that combine the aesthetic of a circus, a marching band, and vaudeville show, deliver a sound that is the fusion of big brass band, funk, rock, Latin-beats and jazz that you just can’t help dancing to.
Like Cirque du Soleil gone wild, MarchFourth! provides a veritable kitchen sink of entertainment, with everything from acrobats balancing on top of three stacked chairs, to soul-stirring saxophone solos.
Even though it was their first time playing in New Brunswick, the band easily engaged with the audience, leading a dance with moves like “screw in the lightbulb” and “spank your neighbour.” Let’s just say I too was spanked.
The $10 afterburner show definitely drew in a younger crowd, as university students took advantage of the cheap tickets.
MarchFourth! was hands down one of the most fun shows I’ve ever experienced at Harvest. The vibe was happy, care-free and fun, where everybody could be themselves and let their freak-flag fly.
