EDITORIAL
2 Obiter Dicta
Finding My
My attempt to wade through, and make sense of, Toronto’s
first camping festival’s lineup
O
n 10 februa ry 2015, the GTA’s worst
kept secret was finally released into the
public domain. The town of Barrie, or
as hipsters call it, Oro-Medonte, will be
hosting the area’s first camping music festival. Sam
Smith, Kendrick Lamar, and Alt-J were billed as the
headliners that will drive crowds to WayHome over
the weekend of 24 July. Hozier, St. Vincent, Run the
Jewels, and Alvvays join a host of other indie, hiphop, EDM, and alternative artists for what is sure to
be one of the area’s biggest events of the summer.
Now that I’ve had a couple weeks to digest the
lineup, and reassess my bank account, it seems
worthwhile to at least consider a trip to WayHome.
With over forty bands confirmed, and another forty
reportedly yet to be announced, I would think there
will be more than enough going on to at least keep me
busy for a weekend. The lineup at first glance looked
like a mix of the over-poppy and the under-alternative but the more I go over it, the more I’m finding I
like. I suppose it’s best to start at the top, and work
my way down.
When I first heard Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me”
it was on a radio show that was contrasting a clip
of the song with Tom Petty’s “Don’t Back Down.”
Apparently, Tom Petty was listening to the same show
(or at least…he heard Smith’s song), because he contacted Smith and is now collecting royalty checks
off the hit. Fortunately for Sam, sharing the glory on
who actually wrote the song hasn’t stopped the hit’s
meteoric rise to fame. Shot to the top primarily by the
screams of teenage girls, Smith certainly does have
the talent and fan base to justify his spot at the top of
WayHome. With a solid hit in “Latch” and some passable hits with “Restart” and “I’m not the Only One,”
there may be enough here to keep me entertained, but
I can’t see myself navigating those crowds. I guess I’d
have to watch this one from the back.
I’ve been aware of Kendrick Lamar’s music for
some time, but haven’t listened to him in any serious
capacity since an initial listen-through of Good Kid,
Maad City when it was released. In that time, Lamar
has come into his own as a rapper and hip-hop cultural force, bringing his reputation to a new level on
the back of the recent release “The Blacker the Berry.”
To be honest, I wasn’t blown away by Lamar’s flagship album. It was definitely innovative, but hip-hop
has slowed down so much that I sometimes find it
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ê Photo credit: wayhome.com
hard to stay tuned in. There’s still certainly enough to
look forward to in a Kendrick Lamar concert, and I’ve
known “A.D.H.D.” since it came out a few years ago,
so seeing that song performed live would be pretty
cool. It seems like the potential for this show is pretty
decent overall.
The last headliners are certainly the ones that
intrigue m e the most. Though Alt-J is about twice as
poppy and only half as alternative as I’m sure they’d
like us to believe, they’re still one of the most interesting bands on today’s pop charts. After a successful
debut with An Awesome Wave, the band cemented
their reputation with 2014’s This is All Yours. The
album, which features hits “Hunger of the Pine,”
“Every Other Freckle,” and catchy single “Left Hand
Free,” is a refreshing blend of alternative and electronic music. Though by no means an upbeat style
of music, Alt-J have crafted their niche within the
industry without the need for loud, pulsing beats
backing every track. A talented band with a unique
musical style, I can certainly see the value in checking their sound out for myself.
Going down the list, WayHome seems at its strongest in its second tier of acts. Modest Mouse are
established veterans, and Hozier, though only really
known for their hit “Take Me to Church,” are a refined
enough act to keep crowds entertained. Bassnectar
is a passable choice for the lead EDM act, though
editorial board
editor-in-chief | Karolina Wisniewski
managing editor | Sam Michaels
layout editor | Heather Pringle
editorial staff
business managers | Alvin Qian,
Adam Cepler
communications manager | Carla Marti
copy editor | Subban Jama
news editor | Mike Capitano
opinions editor | Carla Marti
arts & culture editor | Marie Park
sports editor | Evan Ivkovic
website editor | Asad Akhtar
having a DJ who made his name in dubstep leading
the charge seems slightly out of touch to me. Working
through the rest of the second tier, the Decemberists,
Passion Pit, St. Vincent, Girl Talk, Vance Joy, Future
Islands, and the Sheepdogs are all definitely interesting and talented enough to be worth a watch. Packed
with bands with solid reputations and fan bases, the
meat of WayHome’s lineup is very impressive. Though
it doesn’t boast any acts I’m particularly passionate
about, a trip to WayHome could be the best way to
find a new favourite.
Working through the rest of the lineup, the occasional name stands out. Walk the Moon, Cold War
Kids, and the Royal Alberta Advantage have been
recommended to me several times. Odesza and
Kaytranada are sure to put on huge shows, and
Canadian favourites Hey Rosetta!, Sloan, and new
industry darlings Alvvays are sure to put on great sets
for what will be a majority CanCon crowd. I have to
say I’m disappointed that I’m not seeing more local
acts playing the festival, but there are quite a few
names I don’t recognize, so perhaps there’s some
I have yet to discover. Also, with more names to be
announced, I think it’s fair to hold out hope that
Canadian musicians will end up being the driving
staff writers
Kate Henley, Gleb Matushansky, Erin Garbett,
Hannah de Jong, Kenneth Cheak Kwan
Lam, Kendall Grant, Rob Hamilton, Esther
Mendelsohn, Parmbir Singh Gill, Michael
Silver, Nabila Khan, Sabreena Delhon,
Benjamin Hognestad, Justin Philpott
contributors
Jason Edwards, Simmy Sahdra
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submitted to: [email protected]
» see editorial, page 16
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