Autumn is a cozy time. The blistering heat of summer is receding but the freezing cold of winter has not yet dug in. A month of school has allowed us to settle into our environment and our routines. It’s a time for a little tradition, a little Thanksgiving and a lot of community.
While many of us will settle into familiar spaces, Eternal Collective wants you to settle into a larger and perhaps slightly unfamiliar community of music and art lovers with their October music festival, Eternal Autumn.
Eternal Collective is a collaboration between Emily O’Rourke and Vince Soliveri. It came out of their desire to build community and create more space for intimate live shows in Hamilton. The first of these events is Eternal Autumn.
The festival launched last Friday at The Little Grasshopper Cafe with disk jockeys Kristen Archer, Smooth Transitions and Seema. Each Saturday in October will feature live performances, pop-up shops and interactive elements. Every week will showcase artists of different genres.
“I feel like all of these scenes operate in parallel but they don't really intersect and…if they did intersect people would realize ‘oh I didn't know I liked dream pop’…I feel like this allows people to explore that without having to really do much work,” explained Soliveri.
Autumn is a lazy time. It’s tantalizing to be able to attend a show with one artist that you may know and discover a couple more on the same night. O’Rourke and Soliveri have created shows where none of the bands playing sound quite the same, allowing music lovers to fall in love with something new.
[spacer height="20px"]Another important part of the shows is that they will all take place in alternative venues. Not only will it allow audiences to learn about spaces in the city that they were not aware of, but it will add to the comfortable vibe of Eternal Autumn.
“I think house shows are a lot more comfortable for a lot more people. So making sure that people are comfortable and safe in a more intimate space, I guess, that way community can be built,” said O’Rourke.
Safety is O’Rourke and Soliveri’s key priority at the festival. Soliveri is part of a group called Safer Gigs Hamilton. They do harm reduction outreach at shows and will be set up throughout Eternal Autumn.
However, it takes more than two to make a safe show. They are putting on bands referred by people who are safety advocates. They have established a zero tolerance policy for any bigoted behaviour. The festival as a safer space to enjoy live music and creates a secure and welcoming environment for diverse audiences.
[spacer height="20px"]Attending the show is also a great way to give back to the community. A portion of the proceeds will go toward local non-profits, SACHA Hamilton, NGen Youth Centre, the AIDS Network, Internal House and Neighbour to Neighbour Centre. These organizations mean a lot to both O’Rourke and Soliveri.
“[T]hey're putting in a lot of work in the city and I think a lot of it [is] unrecognized sometimes. So I think that it comes down to the fact that we're putting on this thing…it might as well go towards something good,” explained O’Rourke.
[spacer height="20px"]O’Rourke is excited to meet the people that come out to the shows. Soliveri hopes that the shows appeal not only to the musical and artistic sides of the audiences but also to their socially conscious sides. In this way, the festival will create spaces as warm as autumn.
The festival begins on October 6 with performances by Jaunt, Ginla and The Crowleys. Contact Eternal Collective for the location and keep up with their Facebook page for announcements of the upcoming shows.
[spacer height="20px"]Eternal Collective Facebook
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Andrew Jackson Jihad
Crowd rating: 4/5
Andrew Jackson Jihad is a folk-punk group with impassioned, quick-paced, funny, sad and sometimes horrific lyrics. What really left an impression were the scattered hardcore fans who sang along with all the words, clapped along, and raised their fists in the air. Towards the end of the set, I turned to see a teenaged-boy standing beside me with tears rolling down his face. That was how much he was moved by the band, and how passionate many others also felt.
Pokey LaFarge
Crowd Rating: 5/5
There is something so charming about Pokey LaFarge and his band hailing from St. Louis, Missouri. They look and feel like they come from a different era compete with guitars, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, cello, harmonica and washboard. Foot-tapping and infectious American music rooted in swing, jazz, blues had the whole audience dancing along. He got the crowd to sing along to the chorus of “Close the Door” and the “Good Lord Giveth and Uncle Sam Taketh Away”. It was certainly one of the most memorable performances of the weekend.
July Talk
Crowd Rating: 5/5
July Talk completely blew me away with their charismatic performance and playful boy/girl flirtatious violence between front-members Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. At one point, after shoving their hands in each other’s faces and jostling against each other, Leah threw her high-heel at Peter. Peter has the gravelly voice of Tom Waits and Leah sounds like a purer version of Emily Haines. Together, backed with the bass and drums, July Talk created a rambunctious performance that got the crowd moving with them.
Jenny Lewis
Crowd Rating: 2/5
Being a long-time fan of Jenny Lewis and her former band Rilo Kiley, I was really excited to see her live. However, although they sonically sounded fine and played both old and new songs (from Rilo Kiley days and Jenny Lewis’ upcoming album) the performance felt a bit lacklustre. Jenny seemed to be missing that sassiness and engaging stage-presence that shone through in past performances. The crowd was an even bigger disappointment though. Even though the set time was a bit earlier in the day (4:30 p.m.) the crowd was really subdued, hardly bobbing along or singing as I expected them to.
Gogol Bordello
Crowd Rating: 5/5
This high-energy “gypsy-punk” band did not disappoint. Frontman Eugene Hütz was running around the stage in his butterfly pants swinging a bottle of red wine around and spilling its contents all over the crowd. The band has an eclectic style, mixing many styles of world music and featuring instruments like the violin, accordion, and marching bass drum. The crowd went nuts during the set — dancing, throwing their fists in the air, and shouting—especially during the performance of “Start Wearing Purple”. This group is a must-see if you ever get the chance.
Jeff Tweedy
Crowd Rating: 4/5
Jeff Tweedy, perhaps better known from the band Wilco, certainly had a lot of fans. His music and attitude are very mellow and he wryly acknowledged that by explaining, “We like to do a group shrug before we go on to get the energy-levels just right.” He joked a lot with the crowd and explained that he set out to make a solo record 18 years ago but had to grow a drummer first (his son Spencer joined him onstage to play the drums). Although some of the songs he played were new, he told the audience that “if you feel like singing, go ahead and make up words” and I’m sure the crowd happily obliged.
