Stand up Sons of Liberty

Review by: Trevor Turner

Before Osheaga I made a point of listening to some of the under card acts that I had never heard of in hopes of being blown away by something new. So I loaded up the Ipod and got on the bike and as I peddled around town there was one voice that kept coming up in the shuffle... that voice was Frank Turner.

Forgetting, for a second, my natural affinity to the surname, I needed to know for sure if it was merely an anomaly or a true hidden gem. So I shut off the shuffle and waded through his back catalog only to find myself floored by not only his vocal style but his song writing, his story telling, his politics, his band, and his uncanny ability to totally captivate an audience.

Splitting from his post-hardcore band "Million Dead" in 2005 this 29 year old troubadour opted to go solo. After three studio albums and an equal number of EPs, Frank soon found his unique blend of folk/punk was winning over people everywhere, his name mentioned in the same breath as the great Billy Bragg, and as Frank's star grew he began selling out big venues across Europe and he started becoming a mainstay at festivals all over the world.

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Osheaga 2010 - 'People Waving Hands'

Words: Sean Taylor

Poor Photos: Sean Taylor

Osheaga was a name used for the area that is now Montreal by some of the first European settlers in the region. The name is said to originate from Mohawk oral history as the white man was waving with his hands, either offering to shake hands or asking about rapids on the river. The story goes that as Champlain motioned to them from afar the astonished Mohawks looked at each other and said "O she ha ga" which meant people of shaking hands.....  

OK so starting a review with a definition is not going to win over new readers- but from the various mis pronunciations of the word over the weekend- and no one seemingly able to answer the “What does Osheaga mean?” question, I found it worthy of an introduction. And now having defined the word, knowing it’s not just another nonsensical moniker created by staff to ensure a copyrightable name- I think it fits perfectly. Not only for the historical and geographical factors- but surely that the notion that Osheaga means people shaking hands. Whether it was in greeting or in exaltation, there were certainly hands being waved for two straight days at beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau this past August weekend.

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