Ack, the food analogies are really, really getting tough after 10 of these write-ups! But folks, we’ll say this. If we’re treating bands like meals, then Tricky Woo and Biz Markie would be contenders for our last meal before we die! It is an absolute honour to have both of these acts playing the festival.
TRICKY WOO
Watch: Tricky Woo “Fly the Orient” (youtube clip)
For me, there are two stages in life: there is life before the Woo and life after the Woo. I have been living in a post-Tricky Woo world since the tender age of 16. It was then that I snuck into my first underage rock n’ roll show. I picked the right one. I saw four hyperactive men simultaneously floating above and attacking the stage that towered above me with drops-to-the-knees, flailing and head-banging hair, behind-the-head dual guitar solos, near-random handclaps and a wall of sound unlike anything I had heard up until that point…other than in my head.
I was hearing the music that I had always hoped existed, but never thought would; the music that I was sure I myself was destined to play. Riff rock that was strangled and protected by feedback and psychedelic incidentals. Hard rock that understood that nothing hits harder than a perfect hook. Rock n’ roll that emphasized the oft-forgotten ‘roll’ in the rock n’ roll equation. Punk rock that understood that the humour of a big rock show (see: Chuck Berry, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy) was inherent in the playing of it – knowingly and lovingly – not something that had to be manufactured with winks and nudges. Classic-sounding music that was neither simply retro nor revivalist, but a leave-it-on-the-table love letter to and reply from the entire history of recorded rock music…itself being written with each subsequent note. You see, rock n’ roll itself is the Woo’s muse, lover, mistress, brother, doctrine and religion. And Tricky Woo is rock n’ roll itself. A rock n’ roll Ouroboros, if you will.
Seeing the Woo was a blessing and a curse. It was life-affirming to see someone already doing it. It was also heartbreaking to know instantly that, as a young musician, nothing I would ever do could come close to touching the Woo. They had already done it, and done it better than life itself could have managed. It is in this way that I think that I, and a small group of young Canadians have had Tricky Woo shape not just their musical worlds, but their world views. We live with a loving knowingness that perfection in human life is both attainable (the Woo did it) and as a result inherently unattainable (because nothing will ever be as perfect as the Woo). We live in a post-Tricky Woo world.
BIZ MARKIE
Watch: Biz Markie “Just a Friend” (youtube clip)
The legendary Biz Markie has been an innovative hip hop artist for over 20 year with a fan base that stretches across the globe. Starting out as 14 year old beat box kid, Biz Markie elevated his game with humorous, witty rhymes that made him loved and admired by fans all over. Best known for his timeless classic “Just a Friend” he has managed to stay relevant and admired within the hip hop industry.
Biz Markie is still kicking it strong as a performer and DJ, making recent appearances across North America, Japan and Europe. Even with so many shows under his studded belt, we can’t be certain what to expect when he hits the main stage at Olympic Plaza on Friday June 27th at Sled Island!!
