Hello friends, foes, and love interests,
It hasn’t been long since we spoke, eh? This post will be a nice double whammy for those who are subscribed at the premium level, as they got to read a post of mine a few days ago that included a podcast episode with Max from The New Hires and a recent trip of mine to Toronto. Make sure to update your subscription to gain access to this premium content:
In this post, I share everything about my trip to St. Catharines to see the Vertigo festival hosted by Medium Baby and my interview with Customer Service, a Halifax-based band who have toured about half of Canada before even having music out.
Newest Student at Brock University: Me
My original plan for my St. Catharines trip was to head down early in the morning, walk around some of the beautiful natural areas in the city, head to a recommended record shop, and grab a bite to eat before the festival. In my mind, this trip was going to be an all-day affair.
Unfortunately, I was my own worst enemy and instead, I treated myself to a day spent nursing a hangover. By the time I was ready to depart, long walks were out of the question. Luckily, I was able to hit up the aforementioned record shop and walk over to Rise Above, a vegan restaurant for a hearty dinner. I had their crunch wrap for dinner but also expertly ordered a serving of their mac and cheese to go, hoping that it would stay moderately warm until after Vertigo.
The venue for the festival was Isaac’s the student-union-run bar and eatery on Brock University’s campus. It was easy enough to find with ample parking, but when I walked in I was shocked.
As a vein of reference, my university has the grad student union bar - a tiny, renovated house in the middle of campus – and a closed undergrad student union bar – a basement. Brock’s student union bar was two stories, with a bar each. There was a full stage with sound and lighting rigs, two performance spaces, an eatery that had been temporarily converted into a cloakroom, and enough space for the bands, the crowd, vendors, and room to spare. The venue also made available a range of mixed-use seating, which I always appreciate seeing – especially since the event was set to be 5+ hours.
As grand as Isaac’s is, it does make me wonder what other venues exist in St. Catharines. Isaac’s must be the equivalent of Ottawa’s Club SAW, which makes sense as they are both affiliated with post-secondary institutions. If that comparison makes sense, I would love to see the Live! On Elgin and Avant Guard equivalents in the city to get a different taste of their music scene.
The festival was organized by Medium Baby, a promotion company run out of Niagara that cares deeply for its local scene and is well-loved by fans and artists alike. The company took great care of the artists and photographers, giving both groups their own spaces for all their gear and some backstage refreshments. Unfortunately, these did come in the form of plastic water bottles, which isn’t the most environmentally sustainable choice. Medium Baby also ensured an excellent gender breakdown in both acts on stage and photographers in the pit.
Kirk, the man behind the brand, is a charismatic community leader. Seemingly speaking to everyone he passed in the venue; he took time to say hi to me and talk about my blog. If he is a representative of the music scene as a whole, then St. Catharines is a very lucky place to be a musician.
Vertigo split its artists into two stages: VIP and GA. Upstairs the VIPs were treated to activities, a private bar, extra washrooms, seating, and activities. It was fun seeing people collage the night away in the cozy seating options next to the more acoustic, softer performances. The stage itself was lit up with soft clouds and twinkling lights.
The acts in the VIP section included the musical stylings of Zach Buru, Sunshine Express, Jon Lepp, Graveley James, and Sleepy Jean. I didn’t take many notes during these sets, instead I relaxed and enjoyed the short break from running around and through the action downstairs.
However, Sleepy Jean caught my ear. Maybe this stemmed from the shopkeeper at the vintage store mentioning her, but Sleepy Jean had such a clear voice that I couldn’t help but listen. When she belts, it almost transports you back in time, as if you are listening to a voice crackle out of an old record player. She is evidently quite talented, and her voice reminds me a bit of Leeny Jones, another folk singer out of Ottawa.
Back down on the main stage were the heavier bands of the night. Opening with Over It, a St. Catharines hardcore band, was an excellent choice. Within seconds of them gracing the stage, you could see people gearing up to rage before the first note was played. While there was a moment where I believe the music veered into gratuitous noise, as opposed to music, I thought this group was pretty cool. Their vocalist had the stage presence of a rapper, but almost every sound from his throat was an incredibly low growl.
“I like to yap,” the vocalist said at one point, before sharing that the band is working on a new EP. He followed this announcement by introducing a brand new song;
“[Over it] is known for not having an ego, so I’m gonna need the sound guy over there for my phone . . . I don’t know the lyrics.”
Up next was Days On Parade, also from St. Catharines. All four members came on stage with a bang and excellent outfits.
"We aren't quite as angry as some of the other bands here, but we encourage movement all the same!"
Immediately, they entered the running for my favourite band of the year. I typically avoid psychedelic rock, it’s just not for me and I can’t get into it. However, this band blends punk, alternative, and psychedelic rock into such a gritty full-body performance that I couldn’t resist falling in love.
Making full use of the risers on either side of the stage, this band showed their flair for the dramatic continuously through the night. After the show, they could be found rocking out in the sweaty mosh pit or crowd surfing. Days on Parade were certainly there to have fun.
The band’s singer, Riss, has such high-quality live vocals and a powerful tone. I was so taken aback by her constant breath control through all her choreography and movement.
Days On Parade has great recordings, but out of all the bands here I urge you to see these folks live the most. It was a wild set, these folks are true rockstars.
So, when I first heard this next band play my favourite song of theirs, I thought they were doing a cover because I forgot it was their song. The song in question? Arguing With Strangers by MVLL Crimes.
“We like Brock University; we don’t like cops!”
MVLL Crimes’ non-stop energy and cynical performance was something to behold. Using the repetitive nature of punk almost like a pantoum (that is, changing the context to change the meaning), MVLL Crimes keeps the listener entertained and listening. Their music is masterfully crafted with periods of space as well as those of abrasive volume.
I’m obsessed with them, what can I say?
So, for the next band, I did this cute little thing where I didn't check what time they would play and stood in front of the stage clueless for fifteen minutes while everyone else was wandering outside or upstairs. This definitely didn't make me anxious or anything!!!
Anyways, before their set, I had gone up to PKEW PKEW PKEW’s merch booth to obtain some stickers. Unfortunately, this was early in the night, so the square machine hadn’t been set up yet, leaving me unable to pay. The seller passed me the stickers and told me to come back in a bit to use the machine, I was surprised, but hey – I was gonna be there all night. Later, when I did come back, he seemed surprised to see me return and passed me a free air freshener for, “being an honest person.” Now my car smells nice 😊
Sonically, Pkew Pkew Pkew reminds me of The Menzingers with a distinctive Canadiana vibe. I made this sudden realization during their song, Glory Days, but the band quickly jumped into a song about the logistics of ordering pizza, so they lost the comparison a bit.
Their keyboardist and guitarist, Kate, spent the entire set grinning ear to ear. They were a fun set to watch.
The final band of the night was Single Mothers who everyone was excited for, especially Issa from Sun Junkies who I ran into halfway through the night. Apparently, he has seen them six times this year.
While he could never replace Jared Lantz, the Jack Black of Ottawa, Andrew from Single Mothers was giving Jared a run for his money. Swinging around on stage and constantly acting as if he was batting on a baseball pitch, he commanded the crowd – and what a crazy crowd it was.
I had a lot of fun during the set, Single Mothers made us laugh and sweat, and I think I took over 300 pictures of them alone. I just got so trigger-happy; I couldn’t help it.
I originally stumbled upon Single Mothers when they released their newest project, Roy. Then everyone told me I was a fool for liking their new stuff. What nonsense, it’s good. People just hate change. The reality is, musicians aren’t angry forever, and sometimes they will write music that is less angry. If Single Mothers stayed angry forever, they probably wouldn’t be able to make any music at all.
When the band performs, they do it with fun, not with rage – even when they are playing their older, more vicious songs.
All the bands that played Vertigo were professional and tight. No breaks between songs, music and stage presence constantly flowing. It was phenomenal to see from a local music festival.
East Coast Emo Boys
Back in, 2023, I attended a show Avant Guard in Ottawa with a band on the bill I had never heard of. They had no music out and played after an opener that I thought was a solid reason to just leave the bar straight away. However, I still call my night seeing Customer Service one of the best sets I have ever seen. So, logically, when I found out they would be releasing their first recorded music, an EP entitled Live More Forever, I messaged them right away.
Customer Service is made up of four now roommates living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Using their sheer will and range of connections in the Canadian music scene, they were able to tour Ontario, Quebec, and all of the Maritimes without having any released music, up until now.
When I first started writing about the EP, before I interviewed the band, I had slowly started to piece together the year-long story of who I determined to be the main love interest of the project. However, the band revealed that there is no centralized theme. Many artists will say that they want their music to be interpreted uniquely by each listener, but Customer Service takes this a step further. Each one of their band members has a completely different understanding and relationship to the songs because of the patchwork way they were built. Each song was written off of a collection of lyrics, riffs, and solos that came from multiple band members to tell each of their unique stories with the same lyrics. So, the EP is about the woman who got away thought I was picturing, but it also isn't about that at all.
I was initially taken aback by hearing that the songs weren't planned out to tell some massive story. I just felt so strongly about this one, and the story that I thought was being sung was so powerful, that I couldn't believe it wasn't real.
My first listen through the EP was on my walk to class, which thankfully led me through a maze of tunnels on the university campus, meaning I didn't have to go be in the cold. I wasn't exactly sold on the song I Don’t Want To Beer Here Anymore at first. I liked the lyrics but wasn't sure the music was for me. Then, while I was walking through the overhead tunnel that connects two engineering buildings without students having to cross the central campus road, the harmonies kicked in. They were so unexpected and well done that it almost felt as if my headphones were making the harmonies echo between my ears as I was walking through the grey empty tunnel. It was so perfect.
The song Dennis however, felt like a personal attack. A ballad about being busy and dragged through life, it was all too relatable.
When speaking to the band about what it's like performing in Halifax, they said, “The Halifax emo scene is kinda popping off right now.” Six-band house shows are not uncommon, and people drive from across the province to attend and sleepover.
“There’s no easing back, to be honest,” the band said when I asked about the intensity of their touring. They didn't put out the EP so that they could stop performing as much, they put out the EP because they wanted to perform more. In the time before recording Live More Forever, the band honed their 30-minute set to perfection, which helped the success of their touring. Now they have released music and a tight set, so there's nothing holding this band back.
After picking their brains for about 30 minutes, I had one final question;
Which one of you is the poser with the fake nose ring?
Tag your bandmates
You may have noticed a lack of first names in this blog post. This is not because I am lazy or don’t care: it is because I spent over an hour looking for people’s names through their band accounts to no avail. So, this is a PSA (or beg) to all bands.
Please include your bandmate’s names on social media, or at least tag them in your posts. Otherwise, me and other writers won’t be able to use their names and give them the recognition they deserve.
I will use this space to go on another rant: don’t use smoke machines! They’re not cool, they smell bad, and they make people cough. They are gross and they always work too well or too poorly and leave the artist standing in a full cloud or with wispy trails along the floor. Cut it out!
Anyway, make sure to check out the playlist of this month’s songs and ensure you’re subscribed for my upcoming interview with photographer Serena Yang and show review of Joe P at the Phoenix Concert Theater!
Talk soon,
E
Be careful about the spelling! It is St Catharines with an a in the middle and not an e.... some of the locals are sensitive about that -- I made the mistake years ago of applying for a job in St Catharines and misspelling the city's name.... bad first impression. (Common mistake, however, but one I am attuned to now.)