The enthusiastic early arrivals quickly learned that the in-and-out privileges were not just nice but a much-needed necessity because the dining options left much to be desired. Day one of the festival saw multiple stages marred with technical issues. Allan Rayman‘s set perhaps took most of these issues with constant mic feedback and the tech crew fiddling around with on-stage amplifiers throughout his set. 

Despite the tech issues and the sparse crowd, Rayman’s performance persevered all that was stacked up against his early set. Decked out in a white t-shirt branded after his latest record release, The All Allan Hour, he worked through a series of songs from his latest record and a handful of early fan favourites like “Madhouse,” “Tennessee,” and “13“. Rayman’s performances are very animated and tend to draw you into the narrative, so to no surprise by the second half of his set the grassy patches were packed with the nodding crowds who followed the sound from across the park and past the still inactive brand booths.

Sudan Archives was next on this mid-sized stage and by now the sound issues have been mostly resolved. Accompanied by her violin and dressed in a striking, skin-tight, one-piece bodysuit Brittney Denise Parks gave a captivating midday set. Sudan Archives, who effortlessly blends experimental R&B with traditional African music, energetically performed some of her most popular music from the Athena and Natural Brown Prom Queen albums. 

As the afternoon wore on, T-Pain, who had just arrived at the festival 20 minutes before his set due to travel issues, brought his blend of autotune, R&B, and hip-hop to one of the two main stages. The singer and rapper began his set performing a string of his features before shifting into songs from his discography, such as “Buy You A Drank, “I’m In Love With A Stripper” and “I’m Sprung“. Known for his dancing abilities and playful stage presence, the talented artist gave one of the more memorable performances this Friday.

The constant flow of electronic music at Wonderfront can always be found at the BMP Sessions Electric Lounge. Tucked away behind various activations the stage was fully walled off from the rest of the festival. Attendees lounged on couches, bean bags, and rugs spread around the area all directed up at the tropically themed stage with the DJ set deep into the weeds. Mer Bear and Loesch were the dance highlights sampling the old house classics and remixing the radio favourites (like “Sweet Disposition”).

As the sun began its descent the festival grounds buzzed with anticipation for Brooklyn native Joey Bada$$. From the beginning of his hour-long set to the end, fans rapped along, word-for-word, to the likes of “Temptation” and “Paper Trail”. Despite his mic and sound being too low, Joey Bada$$ effortlessly reminded everyone why he is a critically acclaimed lyricist. 

Taking to the stage immediately following Joey Bada$$ was JID, who proceeded to give a lyrical masterclass with his intricate wordplay and blend of the hip-hop sound of “old” and “new”. JID’s lyrical finesse was so poignant and expressive that I unconsciously found myself frowned up – in a good way – and yelling, “That man is spittin’!” during his performances of “Crack Sandwich,” “Dance Now,” and “Workin’ Out”. 

Producer, songwriter, and DJ extraordinaire Kaytranada was set to close out the festival Friday. Elevated above the stage with a multitude of bright lights spotlighting the artist this performance looked promising to the eye. Sadly, the tech issues continued through his set, and with the record-breaking attendance of mixed-age fans chatting up a storm it was impossible to hear Kaytranada unless you were standing in the moshpit by the stage. His set sounded low and isolated, like a mutated YouTube performance in the other room.  Typically, Kaytranada’s music makes one want to dance and sing along but today through no fault of his own Kaytranada’s set was hard to enjoy.

But with the new day came a new set of performances and a new set of fans. Legendary reggae band Steel Pulse has the ability to connect with audiences across generations through their music and these fans came out on Saturday ready to play. The hot afternoon sun made an appearance creating an ideal atmosphere for a reggae performance. Steel Pulse took to the stage ten minutes later than scheduled due to a few more technical issues but once the music started flowing it didn’t stop. Performing some of their most timeless songs like,  “Your House,” “Steppin’ Out,” and “Rally Round,” Steel Pulse reminded attendees how influential music is in bringing people together, uplifting positivity, and speaking out against injustice. Steel Pulse was a deeply appreciated segway into The Roots. 

To no surprise, The Roots delivered perhaps the best performance of the entire weekend – with Steel Pulse coming in a close second, of course. The band is notorious for not shortchanging fans during live shows as they perform the entirety of any given song, not a shortened version like many artists do. Their hour-long set included the likes of “The Next Movement,” “The Seed,” and “You’ve Got Me” – all performed in their entirety and some even extended versions. The latter of which the lead singing vocals were sung by guitarist Captain Kirk who interweaved covers of Sade, Donna Summer, Led Zeppelin, and Ini Kamoze into the song along with his guitar solo extending the song to nearly ten minutes. 

The Roots are storytellers by nature. Each instrument, including Black Thoughts’ lyrical prowess, tells its own story that, in turn, contributes holistically to the broader story. Each instrumentalist was given an opportunity to shine in the spotlight through various solos and each story (song)  transitioned to the next effortlessly and smoothly, with no breaks. Performing for 60 minutes under the warm California sun, The Roots set celebrated the music that laid their foundation: jazz, hip hop, R&B, soul, blues, and funk. 

BMP Sessions Electric Lounge continued the good vibes rolling throughout the weekend with rhythmic sets by Lincoln Jesser and the non-stop dance tracks by Future is Golor Takeover featuring DJ Xica Soul and Luen.

While on one side of the park, folks were singing along to Beck for many the weekend came to a blissful end with a chill set by Norway’s Orions Belte who lulled us into the evening with their instrumental performance.

Looking back at Wonderfront Music Festival the lineup was certainly the biggest highlight, but the way the festival grounds became too tight for the people present on day one immediately took away from the experience. Paired with the technical issues that came and went with different acts, some sets felt completely lost in the noise.

And then, of course, there was the food that was somehow under and over cooked all at the same time; no shade to the vendors as they did not seem set up for success. However, the astronomical price markup of these quick meals did not stand a chance to what was available in the nearby restaurants.

Wonderfront came with high promises and expectations but somehow failed to live up to most of them. So, here is to hoping that next year the focus will be as strong on ensuring quality sound and guest experience as it was on taking the attendees for their hard-earned money.

The post The highs and lows of Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival appeared first on Quip Magazine.

For years now, Rayman has been an enigma in the music world. Credited as originally hailing from Lost Springs, Wyoming – a town with a population of just six people, according to a 2020 census – Rayman’s lyrics often touch on the American experience. Take, for example, the track, “Alabama’s Song”, off his 2016 album, Hotel Allan, and “Lost Springs” or “Bye Bye Blondie” off his latest album – Roadhouse 02. Even the album’s cover – a shadowy portrait of Rayman staring into the camera from a wooded area– suggests some sort of wintery scene, perhaps in the forests of the northern U.S. or Canada. One can’t help but wonder how the pandemic influenced his most recent music – and whether, perhaps, he was held up in the woods somewhere while making it.

Rayman is known for often dodging interviews, (although, over the past couple of years, it seems he may be warming to them). What we do know is that he is a master at crafting moody, energizing synths, paired with haunting vocals. And, as it turns out, his shows are not far from this vibe either.

Rayman and his band arrived on stage, backlit by chromatic tones that cast heavy shadows across their figures and faces. Throughout the set, Rayman himself felt elusive; hard to pin down as he seemed to shapeshift while moving across the stage. The band kicked things off straight away with tracks off the latest album, including “Lately” and “Good Enough,” during which Rayman crooned “I feel everything way too much” – much to the crowd’s delight. In fact, for one moment, it felt as if that one line was being sung by a choir across the entire room (cue the feels).

At one point, later in the night, Rayman amplified these communal voices even further by swinging his microphone over the crowd. Perhaps it was his casual demeanor, or choice to minimize his on-stage banter, but Rayman’s presence offered up a performance that was as captivating as it was approachable and at ease.

Midway through the show, Rayman and his band played throwbacks from older albums, including “Tennessee” and “Madhouse”, which turned out to be two highlights of the show. While intermittently thanking the crowd, Rayman confessed that he didn’t want to play a Dave Matthews-Esque four-hour concert – a humble nod to his own impressive musical Rolodex.

All-in-Allan? A fittingly low-key concert from a self-aware artist that would, seemingly, prefer you focus on the music instead of the man.

The post Allan Rayman returns home with a shadowy performance at The Danforth Music Hall appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Allan Rayman is on tour and we caught his performance at the Bowery Ballroom (NYC). On this night we heard tracks from Roadhouse 02 and older favourites like “Tennessee,” “Gun,” “Word of Mouth,” and many others.

It was a treat for everyone, as expected. See the remaining tour dates here but in the meanwhile here are some photos of Allan in the shadows, naturally.

The post Photo album: Allan Rayman live at the Bowery Ballroom appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Now that we’ve got a bit of important history out of the way, let’s talk about the live show.

Last Friday Toronto’s Mod Club open its doors for Jessie Reyez’s last show on the Kiddo tour. The show was sold out, packed wall-to-wall with excited fans patiently waiting for Reyez to take the stage. As soon as she did it was clear the audience knew exactly what they were there for, nearly everyone knew every word and on more than one occasion Reyez let the audience sing the song. The room was vibrating with all sorts of positive emotions and radiating support. Reyez thanked her parents, her friends, The Remix Project, and a thousand times the adoring audience: “My gums are gonna hurt from smiling at the end of this show – thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Each track came with a personal story, something about her life and childhood, something about the music industry, and a lot about her emotional state, love, and relationships. “Can I talk to you for a moment? I want to talk to every single one of you, be quiet… seriously shut the fuck up!” she smiled, and as the room went quiet she proceeded to give an inspirational speech about being strong, fighting for what you want, and never letting anyone hold you down.

As the show went on Reyez played through Kiddo, her favorite covers, a few unreleased tracks, and more than one surprise that got the audience to freak. Right after talking about The Remix Project, in which she participated last October, Reyez brought out on stage King Louie with whom she collaborated on a track, “Living in the Sky” at that time. Reyez ran off stage giving the spotlight to King Louie for “Live & Die In Chicago.”

The next surprise on stage was Toronto’s own Allan Rayman, another up-and-coming musician who has been taking the city by storm. Rayman and Reyez have also collaborated on a track recently, “Repeat,” an equally bare, emotional track mostly performed by Allan Rayman. Once again Reyez left the stage leaving Rayman in the dim spotlight to be himself.

Opting in to do another cover Reyez began singing Alessia Cara‘s “Here,” something tells us another experience she can personally relate to, but let’s be real, we’ve all been to this party. A few lines in another voice joins in and no one other than Alessia Cara herself steps out on the stage to sing through the track with Reyez.

“I’ve been dreaming about being a singer since I was [a little girl], you being here, buying my shit makes me so happy!” Reyez wrapped up the show with “Figures” and a highly energetic encore with “Blue Ribbon.” After raiding the merch table the energized crowd flooded out on the street, and each one was handed a red balloon.

The post Real talk with Jessie Reyez – live at the Mod Club appeared first on Quip Magazine.