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Five years ago, the members of the Saint Alvia Cartel had finished up recording their debut album. As a band with a long history in other bands from Burlington that had gone on to tour the world, they were well aware that they needed to hit the road to make anything of the new project. But with little funds, they decided on some hometown shows to raise some cash and then some alcohol–fuelled discussions lead to a joke that elevated the shows to a tour of Burlington. The weekend dubbed Burly Calling has now become a holiday tradition for hundreds of fans and grown into a full–blown festival with over 40 acts.
“We just started joking, let’s do a tour of Burlington from Aldershot to the east end with t–shirts and laminates and tour dates,” recalls Saint Alvia vocalist and BCV promoter Ben Rispin. “It was a stupid joke that ended where we are now. We like to have a variety of music – hip–hop, folk, bluegrass, punk, even comedians. I listen to a variety of music and everybody in Saint Alvia and my partner in putting on this festival, Brad Hails, we all have the same sentiment.
“I know all of these bands personally – some for a few months some for close to 20 years – and I have my reasons for putting each one on this event,” adds Rispin. “I wanted to have a real family vibe and everybody’s friends. Your company says a lot about you, who you surround yourself with. So I like to think if you come to Burly Calling we like to think we’re inviting really good company into town. If you come out you’re going to have a really good time with good company and good music.”
A half dozen venues across Burlington host a couple of gigs from Saint Alvia as well as Burlington friends’ bands like Hails’ Killin’ Time Band, the Creepshow, the Reason, Walk Off The Earth, the Artist Life, Bombing Neverland and Hamiltonians like the Dinner Belles, Blind Mule, the Barettas, Lee Reed and some associated bands like the Flatliners and the Snips. It’s a huge cross section of some incredible music only overshadowed by an influential band making a reunion for one show only at this year’s Burly Calling V.
Burlington has had a few stand out bands that have made national and international waves but back in the early ‘90s Finger Eleven and Grade raised the stakes by getting signed to American labels. But when guitarist/vocalist Greg Taylor decided to explore other music with his side project, Jersey, it became his main focus and would add another major band to the legacy of influential Burlingtonians.
Taylor’s induction into music came when he was introduced to hardcore via some older friends he made in high school. Taylor and his friends would travel to an Upper Sherman house on Hamilton Mountain and immerse themselves in the underground hardcore scene. Burlington’s Grade was birthed from that Hamilton stage with the mindset that their music was important and could be successful on an underground level.
Grade would become an international entity and would tour in the underground network they’d set up. But well into their success, Taylor explored another side of music that was more melodic and with perhaps a less serious perspective. Jersey was born, ripped from the same cloth of bands like Rancid, and would follow in Grade’s touring mindset – but that took its toll on Taylor and it forced him to make a decision.
“There were a few circumstances about that,” recalls Taylor about his departure from Grade. “Both bands were touring heavily at the time and my mother was ill and I kind of didn’t want to be away so much so I had to pick the one that I liked the best and I was having more fun in Jersey. Grade was much more of a chore with the personalities involved.”
Over four albums, a couple of EPs and nearly a decade, Taylor and Jersey succeeded in making music their lives again – so much so, that even the major labels in Canada took note. But that success also proved to be fatal.
“It more or less spelled the end for us,” notes Taylor on the signing to Virgin Music. “I can’t believe how much touring we did. We had a pretty good legion of fans across Canada and the US but we kind of just tired ourselves out but we kept on trudging on. I don’t think we ever thought it was in the cards to be on a major label. The label couldn’t believe what we had achieved on our own and they hadn’t known about us. When we signed with them though, they just didn’t know what to do with us – how to market us or even what shows we should be on. It went the wrong way and eventually just soured us on ourselves.”
Sean McNab (guitar, vocals) would go on to form the Creepshow and Jordan Hastings (drums) would go on to join Alexisonfire. Johnny Lubera (bass) and Taylor would initially set their sights on a more normal life off the road but luckily for us Taylor would continue making music and form Saint Alvia with Rispin and Rob Pasalic.
While Rispin and Taylor are in the midst of finishing their third Saint Alvia disc, this holiday season the band again plays a few times for Burly Calling and both do double duty playing with their other bands – Rispin with the Video Dead and Taylor with the final incarnation of Jersey for a one night only reunion.
“Burly Calling really is Ben’s thing now and he’s been cool enough to keep the band a part of it,” quips Taylor. “It’s cool and it does have that holiday association to it as well. Wherever people are from, they are kind of home for the holidays by this time and it’s always a reunion of sorts.
“When we got together and reminisced about the old days in, it was really good,” smiles Taylor on the Jersey reunion. “So when Ben asked and asked about Jersey, we decided to do it up again. We’ll do it east end Burlington – that’s where we grew up, that’s where our crew is – we’ll do it in a small venue and it’ll be awesome. It seems people are pretty excited about it so I think it’s going to be a good night.”
“We’ve been throwing this party and the party’s just been getting bigger and I’m just going to keep doing this,” says Rispin. “If I can offer a stage or a platform for new and old friends alike every year then I’m happy to do that.”
Burly Calling V happens this Friday December 16 and Saturday December 17 at various venues in Burlington. Wristbands are available for $40 at ticketscene.ca. V
BURLY CALLING V
featuring: Jersey, Saint Alvia, The Creepshow, The Reason, Walk Off the Earth, Bat Sabbath and more..
Friday, December 16 &
Saturday, December 17.
@ various venues in Burlington.
burlycalling.com
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