Stay within earshot of ‘Out Of Earshot’
Proud parents/organizers Jess Barry, Nicole Boggan, Pepa Chan, Nicole Squires, Riley Pike, Sarah Harris, Robin Follett, Becky Gibson, and Maria Peddle are happy to announce the arrival of their beautiful baby festival, Out of Earshot, born Aug. 23, 2018.
Swiftly delivered into the St. John’s arts and music community after a year of labour, Out of Earshot, and its parents, are doing just fine after the festival launch on Aug. 23.
Showcasing local and Canadian talent, Out of Earshot (OOE) kicked off with an early show at Eastern Edge Gallery, drawing a large crowd for the 8 p.m. start time.
After a welcoming introduction by organizer Nicole Squires, local threepiece Hopscotch hit the stage, opening the festival with a short but powerful set of alternative improvisational jazz — a highly impressive second show for the young band.
Toronto-based musician Claire Whitehead continued to impress, creating rich, textured music with violin loops and electric guitar. After a handful of solo songs channeling the golden days of female-fronted ’90s alt-rock, we came crashing back into the late 2000s with a cover of St. Vincent’s “The Strangers.”
Whitehead was then joined by her “makeshift Newfoundland band” for a trio of songs, finishing off with my personal favourite song of the set, “There It Is,” off Whitehead’s yet to be released EP, “Could Be in The Coffee.”
Local talent rounded out the bill, with Baby Bunny inspiring the crowd to ditch the seating area in favour of the dance floor. The audience bounced along with their power-pop/punk rock songs about relatable topics like dating, partying in St. John’s, and a love for Pepsi.
The applause faded as the audience and artists began their pilgrimage to The Ship for the festival’s second show.
On a stage adorned with streamers and stuffed animals, local bands Lo Siento and Property opened the show.
The large crowd showed deep appreciation for the hometown heroes, singing along with the familiar tunes and packing the dance floor.
Halifax four-piece Rabies hit the stage around 12:30 a.m., the female-directed band showing off impressive vocal skills and harmonies throughout their altpop set. Though the bass levels were a little too low during the performance, a post-show listening party of recordings from Rabies’ latest release shows off the obvious musicianship and talent of the Nova Scotia band.
Night one of OOE wrapped up with a killer set from Montreal four-piece LAPS.
Bogged in soft prog, with a penchant for post-punk, idiosyncratic vocals, wildly unanticipated time changes, LAPS were astounding. I haven’t been so blown away by an act since Yamantaka // Sonic Titan melted my brain during Lawnya Vawnya 8.
My friend and record store colleague exchanged looks of disbelief as LAPS’ two guitarists slaughtered challenging, technical riffs, their proficient drummer and bassist completing the complex sound.
If the feeling I felt after seeing LAPS is any indication of what Out of Earshot has in store for the rest of the weekend, I’m confident this baby festival will put in roots and continue to blossom. Congratulations to the proud parents of OOE.