Whistler Vancouver 2010 Olympics Day 3

So today is Valentines of the Olympics, and what a great valentines day it was.

The first show of the day was a live performance from Karkwa. I had never heard of this band before, but they started off their set with so much energy It was hard not to be hooked. Their keyboardist François Lafontaine had so much passion in his keyboard routine it was so amazing to be there and watch his performance. François was banging his head with so much energy it reminded me of a mix between Alicia Keys meets Slayer.

You could tell the members of Karkwa where really enjoying playing on the stage here in Whistler, their percussionist Julien Sagot had a big smile on his face the whole time while he was shaking the tambourine and beating on the drums.

Karkwa was originally formed in 1998 in Montreal. A year later they performed at Cégeps en spectacle – a contest in Montreal which raised a lot of attention to their band which is when Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (a France Quebec youth exchange organization) invited them to perform at the Printemps du Québec cultural expo in Paris.

The years following they performed in a few other contests in Montreal and started to receive more accreditation in their community while performing 75 shows across Quebec. With their debut of their first album Les tremblements s’immobilisent [The Tremors Come to a Halt] in 2005 they established their presence in the Quebec Rock scene.

In 2006 the Karkwa was honored with the Félix-Leclerc Award, and they jointly received the Félix for best singer or composer along with the exceptional Pierre Lapointe (who will be playing in Whistler tomorrow in the Medals Plaza). In 2008 Karkwa released their 3rd album Le volume du vent [Volume of the Wind].

The second set I was able to enjoy that day was Matisyahu and after their first song they received a new fan. I was very impressed with their unique style and the presence they brought to the stage. Watching their drummer open to the first song was just amazing. Joe Tomino, Matisyahu’s drummer brought so much strength and energy into his drumming that all I wanted to do was capture photo’s of his stunning performance.

When Matthew Paul Miller hit the stage he walked around with such jamming reggae style it really got you in the mood for what you where about to listen to. Matthew Paul Miller is often called by his Hebrew name Matisyahu, and has created a unique style combining traditional Jewish themes with his Reggae and Hiphop melody.

In 2004 Matisyahu signed with JDub Records which is a non-profit record label which promotes Jewish musicians. After signing with JDub Records he released his first album, Shake Off the Dust…Arise. In 2005/2006 Matisyahu toured Canada, United States and Europe while making several stop in Israel including a show as the supporting act for Sting in 2006.

In 2006 Matisyahu the live version of King Without a Crown jumped into Modern Rock top 10. The accompanying album “Youth” hit Billboard magazine’s #1 Digital album on March 16th. Matisyahu latter appears in the film Unsettled which won Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival. He also performed in the 2008 Documentary Call + Response. The documentary was a film designed to support human rights activism against human trafficking and the modern day slavery trade.

In 2009 he talked about his newly released album Light, and said “I think the vast majority of people that respect what I do are willing to move with me. I think it’s not so much about genres or styles of music as it is about expressing the emotion or the idea. … Whatever allows you to do that, whatever style, as long as it’s authentic.”

The third act of the day playing on the Village Square Stage was the Juno-award winning Bedouin Soundclash. This was the second time I’ve seen Bedouin Soundclash live and they always put on a great show. Jay Malinowski has the swagger of a Rock Icon when he’s strumming his guitar singing their hits like “When The Night Feels My Song”. Along with the energy that Jay brings to the stage Bedouin’s bass player brings an amazing Reggae feel to the stage with some soulful bass rhythms.

Bedouin Soundclash played a great set including a feature performance from K-Os playing Crucial one of K-Os’ songs on his Joyful Rebellion Album. I’m a big K-Os fan so it was nice to see a collaboration between the two bands.

Later on in the Evening there was the first Fire and Ice show of the Olympics which is also a fun event to watch. The Fire and Ice shows are an event that they regularly do every Sunday during the Winter season in Whistler, but during the Olympics there is one ever night from the 12-28th on February.

Tonight was a great show, there was a tent set up at the base of Whistler where we had 3 live DJ’s performing. The Dj’s where Mathew Jonson, The Mole and Deadbea. They performed a great show during the Fire and Ice, but it’s never complete without the snowboarders and skiiers jumping threw the flaming rings of fire.

As the show was rolling to an end the Canadians in the crowd showed a lot of pride on the day when we received our first Gold Medal on Canadian soil thanks to Freestyle skier Alex Bilodeau who put on an excellent performance in the mogul skiing on Cypress Mountain.

If you enjoyed this post you should read my prievious blog postings on the Whistler Vancouver 2010 Olympics Day 1 and Whistler Vancouver 2010 Olympics Day 2