Shark Attack, aka Arcade Fire, at Sappyfest 2011. Photo by Patrick Callbeck

When an unknown band called Shark Attack appeared as a headliner on the lineup for the 2011 edition of Sappyfest, Julie Doiron thought it was strange even for the little rock festival she helped found in Sackville, New Brunswick, in 2006.

“I was looking at the program Thursday night—festival starts on Friday—and I was like Shark Attack, I’ve never heard of Shark Attack, who’s Shark Attack?” Doiron remembers. “How come I’ve never heard of these guys?”

It wasn’t until her fellow festival organizers snickered and assured her the band had won Grammys and Junos that its true identity became clear, confirming the rumour of the day. Arcade Fire, under the name Shark Attack, would play to an audience of fewer than 2,000 enthusiastic music lovers that Friday night.

Small or large, the festivals that crowd the calendar in this country’s warmer months serve an important function. “Shark Attack” excepted, emerging bands need willing audiences to build a fan base, and festivals are where music fans congregate.

“A lot of music fans are pretty casual, passive music fans,” argues Sean Michaels, Montreal-based writer for the influential music blog Said The Gramophone. “So big festivals are a way to see lots of artists for a single price—the old familiar acts, the cool new ones.”

For the emerging artist, the opportunity to gain exposure but also to meet other musicians and industry types is priceless. “It’s definitely good if you’re just starting out because there’s always going to be people around watching, even if you’re not on the most popular stage,” says Doiron, who many know from her career as a singer/songwriter and as a member of the seminal Moncton indie rock band Eric’s Trip.

It was a lucky break for Sappyfest that Arcade Fire was in the region to open for U2 the next night. Add in the accolades Sappyfest received for its programming of soul singer Charles Bradley the same year (“probably the best festival experience I’ve ever witnessed,” Michaels says) and you’ve got a fine example of what can be realized when everything goes right at a Canadian festival.

“My favourite festivals are the ones dedicated to building magical moments,” Michaels says. “Unusual shows in unusual places, beautiful juxtapositions, the gift of excellent (and adventurous) curation.”

In Canada there is no shortage of these smaller, well-curated festivals ideal for music discovery, from Sappyfest to Wolfe Island in Lake Ontario, ALL CAPS! on Toronto Islands to Dawson City in the Yukon, which Doiron and Michaels both mention as favourites.

On the other end of the scale are the festivals that draw tens of thousands of fans in a weekend, such as folk festivals in Edmonton and Winnipeg, Ottawa Bluesfest, North By Northeast in Toronto or Osheaga in Montreal.

The common denominator seems to be the same for festivals of all sizes: The pull of a big-name act might draw attendees, but the fun really begins with the happy accident of stumbling across a new favourite artist.

“Almost all of us have wandered into a field or under a tent and asked: ‘Who the hell is this?’ It’s a singular thrill,” says Michaels. “I remember the first time I saw Colin Stetson, at Pop Montreal in 2008. At the suggestion of a friend I bicycled breathless up St-Laurent, to the Ukrainian Federation; hustled into this beautiful, grand and ramshackle building, sat in the pews with no more than 20 people; and then got destroyed and remade by the spirit of one man and a saxophone.”

Mason Wright is a Toronto-based writer, editor and web producer who
loves everything about music

Born Ruffians.

This week Tuesday Tracks is excited to bring you four, not just three, of Canada’s preeminent music makers on three excellent tracks. That’s right, we’ve compressed the artists for maximum efficiency. We’re got two brand new videos and a really great collaboration to share.

First up, the Born Ruffians are at it again. This time with a brand new video for their song “Nova Leigh.” The video begins with quick cuts and silhouettes, giving the viewer only a glimpse of what’s going on. Then, the song really kicks in and we’re following a hooded man as he makes his way through the streets of an unnamed Canadian town (though it’s actually Peterborough, Ontario), he’s either running to, or away from something. Either way it seems important. See for yourself:

Next up we have an unlikely collaboration between two pretty substantial musicians. Shad is riding high off his Polaris nominated album TSOL and clearly has no intent on slowing down anytime soon while Dallas Green (Alexisonfire, City and Colour) is said to be in the studio right now, working on the next City and Colour record. In the meantime, they’ve leaked “Live Forever.” Both artists sound great here, here’s hoping for some future collaborations.

Finally, not only have Arcade Fire managed to release one the certifiably best records of the year. But they seem to have fashioned themeselves at the vanguard of multimedia as well. Their first video for their latest record The Suburbs, was an incredible interactive dose of nostaglia, making the viewer’s hometown the star of the show. Now, they’ve teamed up with Spike Jones in creating a short film for the album’s title track. Be warned though, it’s a bit of a downer:

In this week’s edition of Tuesday Tracks we take a look at a couple of side projects—two starkly different sounds, both with an inherent Canadiana about them. Both bands evoke the great expanse of the country in different ways, the first conveying that certain sense of isolation it instills, while the second feels like a tribute to the community built out of it, a singalong stuffed with words you can’t hear.

Oh and then there’s the Arcade Fire, because, well, they made one heck of a music video.

First up is Grey Kingdom, the side project of Attack in Black guitar player Spencer Burton. It’s an apt alias, well suited to the wistful, contemplative track-list on his self-titled EP, which is out today. They’re lonely, sad songs that can be hard to listen to if you aren’t ready for them, but if you are, a song like “Paintbrush Soul” feels like it could save your life:

Next is Baby Eagle, another side project, this time from Steven Lambke of the Constantines. Although, with recent news that the Constantines have essentially broken up, Baby Eagle might become his fulltime gig. The new album Dog Weather is certainly reminiscent of Lambke’s days as frontman, but twangier. Listen to “Haybale Song” here:

And finally, yesterday the Internet was all a buzz about Arcade Fire‘s new video for “We Used to Wait.” What’s so special about it? It’s a unique little experiment that blends really well with the themes in the band’s latest album The Suburbs. Basically it takes some new features allowed by HTML 5, and combines it with data from Google Maps to create a personalized video that plays on the viewer’s nostalgia quite effectively. Unfortunately, a video like this can’t be embedded, and it only works in the Chrome and Safari browsers. Check it out at The Wilderness Downtown.

A little while ago K-OS and Sebastien Grainger took a camera crew down to the Gulf Coast to shoot a documentary showcasing the devastation caused by the BP oil spill. The two were moved enough to write the song “BlackWater” about the experience. It will also be on K-OS’s mixtape, out Aug. 6.

It’s been three years since Chromeo impressed the musical masses with their sophomore release Fancy Footwork. The slick production and tongue-in-cheek delivery hit all the right notes, now they’re back with “Don’t turn the lights on” off their upcoming album Business Casual.

It’s finally arrived, Arcade Fire‘s fiercely anticipated followup to Neon Bible came out in stores yesterday. The band first gave fans a taste a couple of months ago with a pair of mp3s, then they played a host of secret shows, but as of yesterday the secret it out. Here’s “We used to wait” off The Suburbs.

Cover of the Arcade Fire's new single "The Suburbs"

Last week, Arcade Fire finally let slip the release date of their hotly anticipated third album The Suburbs. Along with announcing the August 3rd release, they also awarded their fans with a sneak peek of what the album has to offer. Two Songs, “Month of May” and “The Suburbs”, are available right now. Neither are really destined to be classics in the Arcade Fire canon—they both lack the urgency that songs like “Rebellion (Lies)” and “Keep the Car Running” so successfully evoked. These songs sound much more straightforward, smaller, than we’re used to from the band, with less orchestration. I’m all for trying new things, but if it ain’t broke….

They’re not bad songs at all—just slightly underwhelming after a three year wait.

Here’s “The Suburbs”:

And “Month of May”

The Sadies have always seemed like the quintessential Canadian band to me. Accomplished, respected, talented, but extremely overlooked. They’re combination of roots, country, rock with a little bit a pop hooks thrown in, seems distinctly Canadian. Their latest record, Darker Circles, furthers their mythology and takes them another step towards greatness. Even the video for “Postcards” evokes a kind of surreal Canadiana with its lo-fi production value and goofy special effects.

Since Justin Rutledge left academia for the open stage, his literate and graceful songwriting has continuously garnered critical acclaim. His newest, The Early Widows, surely maintains that tradition. Its restrained confidence delivers another beautiful chapter in his catalogue. The first song, “Be a Man” was co-written with Michael Ondaatje: