Guide to Osheaga 2010: Day 1

Wake Up!

Let’s start off with Day 1. We suggest you wake up bright and early, have a hearty breakfast all the while listening to some of your favourite music to get you pumped up for an entire day full of song. Next, get your ass on the subway and make your way down to Parc Jean-Drapeau for 12:30 PM, a full half an hour before the first band is scheduled to hit the stage. This way you can queue up in whatever line may be waiting for you, get your schedule, familiarize yourself with the festival’s layout and visit some of the many booths and shops that are sure to be scattered around the Osheaga grounds.

As For The Music…

It’s time to get down to business. The day ahead of you will involve many difficult decisions and sacrifices. You may not always be able to get your way and you may find yourself out of breathe from running from one stage to the next. At the very least you may find yourself having a panic attack that you are missing the best set of the festival over on another stage. But we are here to help. Let’s take a look at some of those difficult decisions you are sure to face on day 1.

Conflict #1

Daniel Isaiah Schachter (1:00 – 1:30) — Skip The Use (1:00 – 1:40) — Shane Murphy (1:00 – 1:30)

Our first conflict should be an easy enough one to resolve. You will most likely be full of excitement upon arriving at the festival so why don’t we go with something that will match and probably even exceed that excitement. That would be Skip The Use of course. This French five piece make some really exciting and catchy electro pop and will serve as the perfect way to get the blood flowing for the long day of music ahead of you.  We have been hearing good things about Daniel Isaiah Schachter and Shane Murphy too so even if you’re not in the mood for Skip The Use, you really can’t go wrong here.

The Walkmen (1:30 – 2:00)

From 1:30 to 2:00 PM there is nothing you are going to want to be doing other than watching The Walkmen on the left main stage. The guys have been working hard on their latest LP, Lisbon which will hit stores on September 14th on Fat Possum Records, so expect to hear a good amount of songs from that. You can get a first taste of the new album by clicking here for a free download of the Lisbon‘s first single, “Stranded”. One thing is for sure, the guys will be fresh. Their stop at our own Osheaga Festival is the very first date in a seemingly endless stream of Festival and concert dates that will bring the band all the way into November.

Conflict #2

Cage The Elephant (2:00 – 2:40) — Owen Pallett (2:10 – 2:55)

This brings us our first truly tough decision of day 1. On the one hand we’ve got the rousing rock group Cage The Elephant. They blew the pants off our own Kailey Diogo when they were here back in March and their live show is something that needs to be seen to truly appreciate. Put it this way, they have a lot more in their arsenal than their hit “Aint No Rest For The Wicked”. But on the other hand we’ve got quirky violin virtuoso Owen Pallett who always manages to dazzle his audiences while cracking them up at the same time. What kind of crazy covers will he have for us this time around? You have to see for yourself. Our choice in this conflict is a reluctant Owen Pallett.

Conflict #3

Sarah Harmer (2:40 – 3:20) — Final Flash (3:00 – 3:30) — Roska (3:00 – 5:00)

From 2:40 to 3:30 you’re choices are listed above. While we were impressed with Final Flash’s performance at this year’s M For Montreal Festival, for this time slot we urge you to make the trek all the way across the Osheaga grounds to the Piknik Electronique Zone where UK DJ/Producer Roska will be busting out the beats from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. The day wouldn’t be complete without some good old fashioned house/techno and this mid-afternoon time slot is the perfect time for it.

Conflict #4

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (3:20 – 4:00) — Dan Black (3:25 – 4:10)

While a conflict involving Dan Black will always be a difficult one, he really doesn’t stand a chance when squaring up against the one the only Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Before we had a chance to see these guys live back in November we couldn’t get enough of their debut album, Up From Below. After seeing them live you realize that this is one band that you have to see live to be able to fully appreciate. The amount of jubilant love for music and performing that explodes out of these guys when they play is almost overwhelming. Just try not to smile during their set, we dare you.

Conflict #5

Jimmy Cliff (4:00 – 4:50)  Little Scream (4:00 – 4:30)

If you have never seen one woman band Little Scream perform now is as good a chance as any to see what everyone’s been talking about. The sad part about this conflict is that she is up against the legendary reggae star Jimmy Cliff who is responsible for some of the most memorable and enduring reggae pop songs of our generation. We’ve all seen The Harder They Come, the iconic film in which Cliff starred and wrote four original songs for and now is your chance to see the legend performing in the flesh. Our choice: another reluctant Jimmy Cliff.

Conflict #6

K’Naan (4:50 – 5:30) — Japandroids (4:50 – 5:25) — Bahamas (5:00 – 5:30)

This one could be called the conflict that wasn’t. Why? because it’s not really a conflict. In all likelihood, the people that will be swarming the right main stage to see K’Naan play the World Cup Mega hit “Wavin’ Flag” will not be the same people that will want to see garage rock duo Japandroids tear up the Scene Verte. And those people will most likely not be the same people that want to swoon to Toronto, Ontario singer/songwriter Bahamas’ laid back folk tunes. So Osheaga goers, the choice is yours. You will most likely find us either head banging to Japandroids or taking it easy with Bahamas.

Stars (5:30 – 6:20)

5:30 at Osheaga Day 1 belongs to Stars and only Stars this year and rightfully so. Fresh off the release of their brand new album, The Five Ghosts (Soft Revolution Records) we can expect to hear a lot of new stuff from the Canadian collective. It’s pretty nice to see that the Osheaga planners have given Stars a time slot almost completely to themselves, so that everyone in attendance can get to see the melodramatic pop ensemble live and not have to worry about missing anything else. After the love affair that surely will develop when Stars take the stage comes…you guessed it, conflict number 7.

Conflict #7

Jamie Lidell (5:55 – 6:45) — Avi Buffalo (6:00 – 6:30)

Our next conflict is a bit of a tough one as well. On the one hand we’ve got Jamie Lidell who has just put the finishing touches on his latest album, Compass, and will most likely get a lot of people grooving to his soulful tunes. But we are giving this conflict to Avi Buffalo who have had a great ride since the release of their debut self titled album back in April. These kids from California play music that is light and airy; perfect for summer and even more perfect for summer festivals. Avi Buffalo may be one of the biggest surprises of this year’s fest so you may not want to miss them.

Keane (6:20 – 7:15)

While Avi Buffalo and Jamie Lidell are finishing things up on their stages, the mighty Keane will be setting up on the right main stage. The 6:20 – 7:15 time slot pretty much belongs solely to Keane so better get there early and get comfy. Hey even if you aren’t the biggest Keane fan you can just pretend you’re in the middle of one of the million shows that have had Keane songs played on them. Or not…Anyways, let’s move on to our next conflict.

Conflict #8

Pavement (7:15 – 8:15) — Beach House (7:15 – 8:05)

This is officially the dilemma of the day. This is the kind of thing that will make you raise your fists in the air and scream “Why Osheaga Gods Why!?” But keep in mind this kind of decision is what makes festival going so much fun. I mean, let’s face it, there are harder decisions we will all have to face in life. So for this one we leave it to you. Pavement or Beach House…which will it be? The choice is yours.

Conflict #9

The National (8:15 – 9:15) — Robyn (8:35 – 9:20)

Conflict #9 is a little bit of a doozy as well. On the one hand we’ve got Swedish singer/songwriter Robyn who has managed to outlast most of her fellow 90s counterparts and stay relevant in the ever competitive music market that exists today. In fact, Robyn is perhaps at the apex of her career right now, so seeing her perform at this year’s festival wouldn’t be the worst thing. But on the other hand we’ve got The National, who have just exploded onto the scene lately, playing for a whole hour on the right main stage. I think for this one, the only way Robyn wins is if you’ve seen the National live before and want to change things up a bit. Otherwise, conflict #9 goes hands down to the National.

Arcade Fire (9:30 – 11:00)

No conflicts here. Put it this way…if you are planning on being able to see a Win Butler that looks even marginally larger than an ant you are going to want to get to the left main stage early. After Robyn and The National finish up, the Unsettlers will do their best to rope in some listeners at the Scene des Arbes stage, but let’s face it, everyone and their grandmother are going to be squeezing their way towards that left main stage once the clock hits 9:30. With the band’s new album, The Suburbs, only days from being released, expect to hear lots of new treats from that. Basically, what better way to close out day 1 at Osheaga than with Montreal’s own Arcade Fire playing for an hour and a half? I challenge you to think of better.

After The Fest…

Chromeo + Neon Indian @ Metropolis

If you’ve still got any energy left or you’ve for whatever reason had to miss out on the day’s festivities you should make your way down to Metropolis for 11:00 PM because Montreal’s own Chromeo will be keeping the party going with the help of dreamy electro-pop band Neon Indian. Tickets for the show are $25.00 and can be purchased online by clicking here.

Time To Call It A Night

I know it’s sad to say but Osheaga Day 1 is now over. We urge you to go home and make yourself a hearty dinner or a protein shake or something because we’re doing it all over again tomorrow. And with day 2′s jam packed lineup you are going to need all the rest you can get.

Stay tuned for our guide to day 2 of Osheaga 2010…

Tags: 2010, Arcade Fire, Avi Buffalo, Bahamas, Beach House, Cage The Elephant, Dan Black, Daniel Isaiah Schachter, Day 1, Edward Sharpe, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Final Flash, Guide, Jamie Lidell, Japandroids, Jimmy Cliff, July 31, K'naan, Keane, Little Scream, Montreal, Osheaga, Owen Pallett, Parc Jean Drapeau, Pavement, Robyn, Roska, Sarah Harmer, Schedule, Shane Murphy, Skip The Use, Stars, The National, The Walkmen