Edgefest 2012 Highlights - Side stage

 This year's line up at Edgefest, a music festival hosted by 102.1 The Edge, was relatively strong. In terms of my personal music tastes, the side stage had a great line-up because I knew lots of the bands and enjoyed their music. The first band I saw at Edgefest was The Balconies, a three-piece from Ottawa. I have seen them before during Canadian Music Week this year at Sonic Boom. The Balconies are one of my all time favourite bands with their catchy rock music. Their show was great; it was full of energy and their setlist was jampacked with songs as well. It consisted of a mix of released and unreleased material. Their performance was one of my favourites of the day and I can't wait until the next chance I get to see this talented trio. The Balconies are definitely an act you need to see live, and their EP Kill Count is a must have!

 The Coppertone, another local act, were the one band on the side stage which I had not seen before. The band is essentially Amanda Zelina, the lead singer/guitarist's project. They have produced some great blues rock out and put on an excellent live performance. Zelina's talented voice and guitar fuzz are enough to carry the music alone, along with the great live additions of her other band members for the performance. The Coppertone are a band that I would love the chance to see again, and I recommend to check them out if you enjoy the likes of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown and The Black Keys.

The next act that I saw were The Darcys, a talented local band who have a good sound. I was fortunate to have seen them before as well at Sonic Boom for Record Store Day. The band's live performances are always great with the lead singer, Jason Couse, playing both keyboards and guitar in the same song. They have a large following in Toronto, with many people turning up for their set at the side stage even though they were playing at the same as The Dirty Heads. My favourite song of their set was their cover of Steely Dan's Peg, which was the second of four songs that they were able to perform in the short amount of time. The Darcys are a great band to see live, with their talented live performances. Catch them again in Toronto at the CNE this summer when they open for The Arkells. That is sure to be a great show!

Indian Handcrafts are a hard rock band from nearby Barrie, Ontario which is actually where Edgefest used to be held many years ago. Like many other acts I saw at Edgefest this year, I had also seen this band once before, during CMW at Sonic Boom. Indian Handcrafts have a very simple stage show, with the duo almost playing their instruments side by side. They blasted through quite a few songs in their short set, including their most popular songs Red Action and Starcraft, which both had the audience head banging and moshing to the music. I enjoyed seeing Indian Handcrafts again even though they are not the usual sort of music I listen to, and most definitely recommend them for anyone who enjoys a heavier sound.

The final act I saw on the side stage at Edgefest was The Apache Relay, all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. The six piece were added to the festival's lineup long after I had purchased tickets since they are currently touring as the opening act with Young The Giant across North America. The band has also toured with the likes of Mumford & Sons in the past. The band's sound is very similar to both of their well-known tour mates and other popular indie bands. I saw The Apache Relay do a short set before at Sonic Boom during CMW, which first introduced me to the band. One of my favourite parts of their show on the side stage, was at the very beginning when they shouting back and forth with Young The Giant, who were on the main stage at the same time. The Apache Relay had a great setlist of songs off of their album and EP, as well as a couple unreleased tracks. They were one of the acts that would have been even better to see do a longer set than the allotted twenty minutes. I can't wait until the next time I am able to see this talented band, and hope that it is a set longer than half an hour. I highly recommend their album, American Nomad  which I was finally able to get at Edgefest. Though for those in Canada you'll have be satisfied with their EP which shares the same name as the album and gives a taste of their record.