Well, it has taken me long enough, but I’ve finally started to get my Sappyfest photos and footage organized.  For maximum ease of posting I’m going to separate my coverage into a writeup per day of the New Brunswick music festival.  Of course, there’s no way I can possibly give a comprehensive synopsis of every band’s set—not to mention all the antics in and around them. Instead I’ll give a brief rundown of some of my favourite moments and then let the photos, stills and video clips speak for themselves.

We pulled in to Sackville, New Brunswick at around 4pm on Friday, August 1, just in time to figure out where we were setting up camp before the music started. Shotgun Jimmie got things off to a fun start, his amicable demeanor and banter making him the perfect choice to kick things off.  Of course, it’s likely no surprise that it was Wax Mannequin who was the first to really grab my attention.

Sure,  I’d seen Wax perform every night that week (as he was one of the acts touring with The Burning Hell, with whom I was tagging along), but, if you ask me, watching the Hamilton, Ontario troupadour perform never gets old.  In fact, having spent time with him over the week prior (about which I’ll write more later) had served to humanize Wax Mannequin’s trademark intensity, adding a sympathetic layer to his set. Not to mention that his new material is arguably some of the best I’ve heard—look out for a new Wax Mannequin album in the fall and prepare yourself for the excellence inherent in songs like “End of Me” and “Running.”

Afterwards Toronto’s $100 played to rampant enthusiasm from the other performers and the always enjoyable Jim Bryson entertained the crowd as much with his between song stories as with the tunes themselves. In fact, the only downside to an otherwise excellent evening of music was the sporadic rainfall, but even that couldn’t dampen the mood.

Closing out the main stage for the evening was Bruce Peninsula, a band I’d never had the pleasure of checking out, but one that came highly recommended from John Tielli (I couldn’t help but introduce myself to him, as Clark’s album The Woods is a favourite of mine).  Featuring an explosive choir of powerful female vocals singing rootsy traditional numbers with a raucous kick, they were definitely a sight to behold and a band I’ll gladly make an effort to see again—reminiscent of a more sizable Sunparlour Players.

Following the closure of the main tent the party moved inside to two separate venues. I opted to head to the Vogue Theatre for The Acorn and Julie Doiron, both of whom I’d seen previously, but neither being something I’d pass up given the opportunity. All told their sets were as enjoyable as to be expected and the theatre provided an amicable and warm atmosphere. The only drawback was that the venue itself was so damn comfortable and perfectly climate controlled that it was hard to stay awake! Seriously, half-sleeping heads bobbing lethargically in states of near slumber could be seen in all directions to no fault of the excellent performances going on.

Julie Doiron - I Woke Myself Up

Of course, the evening didn’t stop when the music ended, but I’ll save the debaucherous post-concert antics for a more detailed post a little later on. In the meantime here’s a video of Bruce Peninsula performing “Shanty Song”:

Stay tuned over the next few days for photos and footage from the rest of Sappyfest!