Jonathan Becker & the North Fields + LeBarons @ Pressed, June 6
This past Saturday saw a few folk-country acts from both ends of the 401 stop into the dimly-lit Pressed Cafe, bringing with them an onslaught of brawny tunes for our ears. The big pairing this time around was the gritty local folk rockers Jonathan Becker & the North Fields, as well as an impressive Toronto outfit called LeBarons. Ottawa’s Orienteers were also on the bill opening the night, however I unfortunately had to miss them because of plans running late. They have a great repertoire of songs spanning over the years that you can check out here.
Jonathan Becker & the North Fields had joined LeBarons in Toronto the night before, which turned out to be a show swap that couldn’t have been more fitting. LeBarons is the brainchild of lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Chris MacDonald, a six-piece ensemble that pulls no punches and strikes directly in the chest. MacDonald’s songs invoke stunning imagery, telling stories that might as well be told around a backcountry campfire in Northern Ontario. Once LeBarons began their set, there was no guessing who they were. The band’s bio describes them perfectly – “We like it straightforward… And maybe that’s the linger of an old punk’s calling, only quieter, like an echo.”
A particular highlight of their set was the dual vocal dynamic between MacDonald and his wife, Megan Tilston. With Tilston taking centre stage during the performance, she commanded intricate harmonies and ensured she kept the crowd’s bewilderment tightly in her grip. LeBarons’ intimate, raw music contained the folk-rock elements to which fans of Elliott Brood or Strumbellas adhere, while maintaining a constant identity in their music that is discretely their own. Hopefully LeBarons keep Ottawa in their mind when on the road next time, they are a band that has a lot in store for them in the future.
Finishing off the night was Jonathan Becker & the North Fields, taking the stage as the sun descended beneath the horizon outside. Becker is someone who has dabbled in a few different projects over the last 10 years, unconcerned about the confines of genres or types of sound. He is punk rock at his core, a part of him that dictates his visceral songwriting style with the North Fields. Although he is in the punk band Dead Weights, the North Fields channels an alt-folk sound that bleeds emotion through stories and difficult subject matter.
What really stands out with this project is that Becker keeps it simple – there’s no pretension or flare in the music. The North Fields are very much a “what you see is what you get” band, a group of peers making music that matters and that resonates with audiences. Insofar as stripped-down, unhindered music goes, no one in Ottawa does it quite like Becker. The band played some new songs off their upcoming release (the date of which is still a mystery), including “Tiger Lillies” and “New Blood”, as well as some earlier material such as “Regret Through Telephones” and “Southern Child”. And as a note to end on, we have to remember that the North Fields proclaim themselves to be “your second favourite Cory Levesque band that isn’t just Cory Levesque.”