The Vault bids summer farewell, but not without some hiccups

A backyard party into an annual indie music festival

Image supplied by: Supplied by Jeremy Marasigan via The Vault
Students enjoying Sunday's Welcome Back!-yard Festival

This Sunday, live bands and audiences came together to enjoy a laid-back listening experience at the fourth annual Welcome Back!-yard Festival presented by The Vault that didn’t entirely go according to plan. 

This year’s lineup originally included seven artists: Graham and Aidan Carr, Glands, the Debbie Harry’s, BABYLAWN, Blve Hills, Rebelle and the Hideaways. While the outdoor venue was cool and collected, a slew of occurrences behind the scenes made the seemingly relaxed afternoon turn awry. 

A last minute cancellation by The Hideaways caused the show to start late, while tech issues, noise complaints and a visit by the police, brought a cloud of disappointment. 

The Vault is a Kingston-based music blog that’s committed to sharing new music, primarily focused on promoting both local and Canadian artists. In addition to their coverage, The Vault hosts music sessions and live events, including their notorious backyard festival to showcase the niche talent on their radar.

To Chris Lazure, executive member of The Vault, events like the festival play a significant role in the local music scene. “They give the chance for smaller artists to get greater exposure and develop their network of followers,” Lazure told the Journal via Facebook messenger. 

“At the Vault we take pride in knowing that [what] we do makes a genuinely positive impact on all artists that perform with us. For instance, Montreal based ‘THe LYONZ’, who have played a number of shows with us, recently played at the Montreal Jazz Fest. It’s moments like these that make us feel proud of the work we do.”

Over the past couple of years, the festival has been hosted in a fellow student’s backyard,  featuring up-and-coming artists from Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston. While the location of the event is more informal than most concerts, the intimacy of the environment allows for a truly great musical experience. 

Riding on the coattails of Frosh Week, the event promised a laid-back afternoon with groups of students scattered on the lawn on blankets, dressed in cut-off shorts, floral prints and flowy ensembles, ready to show off their best festival wear. 

The event was welcoming and the mood was positive as students waited eagerly to enjoy the music. Before the performances even began, students were laughing, dancing and singing, all excited to experience The Vault. The stage was set up on the host’s porch and various tapestries were hung around the yard to help give off the authentic indie festival vibe.  

“The Vault would have been intimidatingly cool if it weren’t so simultaneously inviting,” Rachel Havens, ArtSci ’17, said about the atmosphere of the festival. 

“The music was diverse, with some acts being a little more politically correct than others … but the event was a perfectly low key way to spend the last afternoon of Frosh Week,” Havens said. 

According to Lazure, The Vault has tried to acquire noise permits before, however, the City of Kingston is reluctant to issue these certifications to students, especially those throwing a backyard party. 

“We always try and talk to the neighbors around the house where the shows are held just to give them a heads up, but sometimes we miss a house or two,” Lazure said. 

“The Kingston Police were nice enough to leave us with a warning, so long as we cleaned everything up.” 

                                                   Supplied by Jeremy Marasigan via The Vault

Despite these hiccups, the organizers pushed the show to go on, and the bands that followed played successful sets. 

Artists Graham and Aidan Carr performed a dreamy acoustic set that left the audience mesmerized in their sound for the rest of the event. Using only an acoustic guitar and vocal talent, their performance exceeded expectations and proved that sometimes less really is more. 

Their music was soulful, and serene, and was a perfect conclusion to the relaxed festival vibe.

“Although we had some problems and had to cut the concert short, everyone was super pleasant and the bands that couldn’t play were very understanding of our situation,” Lazure said. 

“I personally felt terrible that a couple bands didn’t get to play, as I have been following their musical progression for a couple of years, but sometimes these things happen and we try to learn from them as much as possible.”

While the day was cut short, the Welcome Back!-yard Festival is becoming a must-attend music festival for Queen’s and Kingston audiences alike. 

 

Tags

bands, Festival, Music, Queen's, Student life, The Vault

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