Ska Fest Day 2

Hanging out with Columbia’s Providenica

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Time seems to have sped up for me in the past few days and skanky dance moves have taken control of my body. After the dazzling display of fireworks downtown on Canada Day, I headed to Sugar to catch the Ska Fest after show. Dia-Nos opened the show followed by fiddling sensation Kytami. Kytami’s Celtic tones mashed with grimy dub beats, harmonica, and guitar. It was truly a new experience to see and hear. Not everyday you see a lovely lady rocking out with a black fiddle.

Walshy Fire of Major Lazer took the stage a laid down all the electronic hits. Walshy Fire asked members of the crowd to come on stage and I jumped at the opportunity. I managed to grab a photo with Walshy Fire and thanked him for playing such a great set for Ska Fest.

July 2nd

I arrived at Ship’s Point just before 4:30 to catch Vancouver’s own, The Brass Action. They had quite the comedic performance parodying UB40’s “Red Red Wine,” changing it to, “Box Box Wine.”

I asked trumpet player, Richard Mitchell, if their silly antics on stage were a true representation of themselves. Mitchell says, “Were pretty goofy we don’t really have any ego. We don’t take ourselves seriously- we take ourselves less seriously and it’s more fun that way.”

Next Downtown Mischief took the stage as an 11 piece ensemble. They spread a conscious message while laying down the freshest beats, biggest smiles and best dance moves. I retired from the dance floor and while backstage, met the guys from Providencia, a Caribbean-rock band from Columbia. Their English was on par with my Spanish so we conversed through the universal language of music.

After I met with Zvuloon Dub System, an Ethiopian dub band from Israel. They mix reggae roots with traditional Ethiopian music and were the first performers to include the crowd in their set. Zvuloon Dub System had everyone singing along as the sun set behind the stage.

I talked briefly with the lead singer, Gil Yalo, about the Ethiopian dub genre. Yalo says, “When you bring Ethiopian music to people who have never heard it before- in one way it’s very strange and in another it’s very interesting. The reggae is the reggae and the hip-hop is the hip-hop, but people like something fresh and new. We bring in something new because we bring in the Ethiopian style with the Reggae roots rhythm.”

Today ska and reggae legends will take the stage at Ship’s Point including: Lynval Golding of the Specials, The Expanders, The Aggrolites and local band Sweet Leaf. The after show starts at 10 PM at Upstairs Cabaret: featuring Giraffe Aftermath, Burnt and Grossbuster. It’s going to be another glorious day at Ska Fest. After a great night’s rest I’m ready to bust out my best dance moves and dive into Ska Fest Day 3 head first.

 

Ska Fest Day One

This morning I awoke from a nightmare- I dreamed that I missed Ska Fest! Thankfully, that was not the case so I shook it off and put my best foot forward. I decided to walk downtown with the beautiful sunshine as my guide.

I arrived at Ship’s Point to see Ska Fest’s venue adorned with tents, tables, and people garbed in red and white. I was greeted by smiling faces – Ska Fest has begun! I hopped over to the merch tent to grab my media pass and found some shade with my program schedule in hand. Kicking off the day was The New Groovement, who had just returned from Tall Tree music festival. The New Groovement is an 11 piece soul band with a four piece horn section. Danimal, MC of The New Groovement, claimed to have the best mic check ever- counting up to 40, saying the ABC’s and only using words with the word “check” in them. Check republic, Czechoslovak, check-mark, the list goes on….. As for their set, they pulled surprised onlookers to the dance floor and had everyone dancing. The horn players also had synchronized dance moves which made their show even more aesthetically pleasing. The sound was smooth and soulful and started Ska Fest with a bang.

Up next was Whitey, a reggae band from Vancouver. Interestingly enough, I had met a few of the members previously at RudeFest who played with another band: Ninja Spy. We had a sneaky beer in the parking lot where I managed to interview Cole Grizzy, who plays trumpet and lays down vocals when necessary. Curious about how they heard about Ska Fest, Grizzy said Whitey has wanted to play it for years.

“We’ve been bugging Dane (Ska Fest curator) for a few years to play Ska Fest and he finally did. Actually, I think it was because last time we saw him, I bought him breakfast and that clinched it. He felt guilty,” says Grizzy.

I had not previously heard of Whitey, thus my intrigue to see their live set. They sounded like a mix of reggae and psychedelic rock.

Grizzy says, “We’re pretty open to any style of music. We will play anything we think sounds good and that people will enjoy dancing to. We consider ourselves a dance band. If it feels good do it!”

As I left the trumpet player of Whitey, I ran into Dani Jackson, one of the lead vocalists of The Leg Up Program. I asked her a few questions before her set began. Keeping it Ska Fest related, I asked Jackson about her favourite Ska Fest memory.

“Last year when Toots was playing, I managed to get up front stage and I really banked on the fact that I would be the only black girl there. And I was. Over the duration of his set, once he laid eyes on me, I was centre of attention,” says Jackson.

After sweating more than humanly possible, interviewing artists, and working out minor social media blimps I managed to sneak away from Ship’s Point. I guess this is what living the life of luxury is really like. I wish I had originally said that, but it was Cole Grizzy’s wise words, not mine. Brave New Waves is currently playing and Dope Soda is the final act of Ska Fest Day One. Walshy Fire from Major Lazer plays Sugar tonight.

I leave you with a photo of The New Groovement. Until tomorrow, keep it real!