On Wednesday, June 26th, Wake Owl made a tour stop in Calgary. While the recent flooding was no doubt at the forefront of everyone’s mind, local band Boreal Sons opened and set the tone for the night – helping people leave the grief of the last few days behind for awhile. They mused about how exciting rafting down the Bow would have been in the future had the Calgary Zoo hippos succeeded in escaping into the river. They played some slower songs, and then moved on to some more upbeat, art-rock songs from their upcoming debut album. This band not only makes great music but they also let the crowd know that they make their own t-shirt and print merchandise.
Wake Owl thanked everyone for coming out despite the last-minute venue change, and stated that they were not expecting so many people to show up and stand up front. The show was originally scheduled for The Palomino, but was moved to Local 522 due to power outage. This turned out to be a great venue for Wake Owl. The cabin-like surroundings created by wood panels, deer painted on the walls, low amber lighting and a wall-mounted moose head, fit perfectly with the Americana style of the songs from their “Wild Country” EP.
Wake Owl were virtually unknown when they were last in Calgary a year ago for Sled Island, but tickets were sold out a week in advance of this show. Since releasing their EP, the songs have found favour on radio stations such as CBC Radio 2, and the track “Gold” was featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Wake Owl has caught the attention of some major festival organizers who have invited them to play, and they have gained many fans in a short period of time.
It is easy to be drawn to lead singer Colyn Cameron’s voice and Aiden Brant-Briscall, who just happened to be celebrating his birthday that night, adds a woeful violin sound to the Wild Country songs. The band is rounded out with Josh Daignault on bass and Andy Shauf on drums. Andy Shauf is also a wonderfully talented singer-songwriter in his own right, and should be considered a “can’t miss” priority the next time he comes to Calgary.
The set was off to a great start with the band performing the EP’s title track and many fans defying the “no-recording” policy request. A highlight of the night was being able to clearly hear the lyrics from the songs from the EP, sung by Colyn. They reveal some short but masterfully told stories. When the band moved on to some of the newer songs, the reverb echo on the vocals got to be a bit much. Sadly, it is possible that they were trying to drown out the sounds of all the talking that was progressing as the night went on.
Some of the chatting could have been due to fans unfamiliarity with the different musical vibe of the newer Wake Owl song, but it was most likely because of the timing of it being a first, post-flood social gathering. It seemed that the night became an alcohol-fueled emotional release of sorts for many in attendance. Unbelievably, it got to the point that for a few moments after the band’s last song, there was question that there might not be an encore as many were so caught up in conversation and did not respond in the usual appreciative way.
The band members returned to the stage shirtless (perhaps a tribute to Aiden’s birthday in their half-birthday suits?) and Colyn quipped, “Why do you ask for an encore and just talk?” The simple answer was that it wasn’t the talking people up front that asked for the encore. It was the shocked people at the back of the bar who lead the charge to bring the band back on stage for one quick song, “The Life I Lead”. It was a strange ending to an unusual evening to be sure, but even stranger, were the blacked-out and seemingly menacing buildings in the downtown that greeted concert-goers on the way out. It was a harsh jolt back to the reality that Calgary was still in a state of local emergency due to flooding. The next time Wake Owl returns to Calgary, things will certainly be different.
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