Music Notes

With the third annual Nuance Art Rock Festival running this Saturday, Oct. 4 in East York, Music Notes conducted a Q&A with Wilton Said who is both the organizer and one of four bands that will be playing.

The festival is being held at the Legion Hall, Br-10, located at 1083 Pape Ave just south of O’Connor drive.

Doors open at 2:30 p.m, and the event runs Until 9:30 p.m. with a 90-minute dinner break.

Door Cover is $20. Children 12 and under free.

The website is www.myspace.com/nuancegta.

A long-time East York area resident who lives with his wife in the area of Coxwell and Danforth, Said is Scarborough-born and raised, attending Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute, later attending York University.

Just click on ‘more’ to read the complete Q&A …

Can you tell us a bit about the bands you’ve got coming, including yourself:

There are four bands all from Ontario.
First up is Lorne Hind 360 who is an instrumental guitar shredder with bass and drums backing band, sort of in the vein of Joe Satriani.

Second to go on is a band called COUNTERPOINT which are an instrumental trio consisting of keyboards, bass and drums. Their sound is probably more in line with Emerson Lake and Palmer (ELP).

Next up is myself, Wilton Said… and my band. I’ve been told that our music and style is reminiscent of Queen, Roxy Music and Genesis.

After the dinner break there’s The Rebel Wheel who are from Ottawa. Their style reminds me a little of King Crimson.

Exactly what is progressive rock?

That question is often debated on progressive rock websites. To many it’s a genre of music which has to be reminiscent of the sounds and styles of 1970’s bands such Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, ELP and Jethro Tull.

While I do agree that the above-mentioned artists are Progressive rock (or prog for short), they are not the be all and end all of the style. For me, prog doesn’t have to have a definite sound or style. It’s more to do with the details of the music. The fact that there are details is a start.

Examples found in prog are: experimentation of sounds, odd and changing time signatures, multiple or unusual song structures, integration of other genres of music, creative, changing moods and/or above average ability at playing one’s instrument.

Personally, I much prefer the term Art Rock as it encompasses the above mentioned bands plus many more.

How did you come to organize these concerts?

Europe and the States have quite a few of their own prog festivals, but we seem to be lacking them here in Canada. At the time of the first NUANCE, there were only two prog festivals in Canada, one in Montreal and one in Ottawa. So I figured it was time for one in the Toronto area. I knew there were prog fans here in Toronto as major name artists such as Rush, Dream Theater, Yes, A Perfect Circle, and The Musical Box (Genesis Tribute act) always do quite well here. It was just a case of trying to tap into this market of fans. Also, I thought it would be a great place for bands of the genre to build relationships with each other and support the genre as a whole.

How did you end up in East York for your third festival?

The previous two NUANCE festivals were held in downtown Toronto and were a success from a financial, an entertainment and a prog community standpoint. I decided to hold the third one here in East York because I wanted to show some support for the area which I live near, especially the eating establishments as I think East York can sometimes get overlooked. Also, East York is more relaxed then the downtown area and I wanted to be in an area with a different vibe.

Renting the Legion Hall for NUANCE is my way of showing some support for the people that have helped defend our country in the past, and for those that are currently serving time overseas in conditions which most of us wouldn’t want to live in.

How many people are you expecting?

NUANCE is still a small affair compared to many of the other festivals, but I think we’re looking at a turn out of about 60 to 70 people.

Highlight so far as a musician?

Previous to organizing concerts, and previous to singing in my own band, I played lead guitar in various bands. After a while I wanted to branch out musically and I decided to take some vocal lessons and brush up on my keyboard skills. One of my highlights as a musician was when I completed my second CD in 2001 titled ‘Broken’. It was this CD where I considered myself an actual singer as opposed to someone who could sing. The second highlight was my CD Release show in 2006 for my last CD titled ‘The View’. It seems that everything went right with that show. The venue was great, the band and I performed great, the audience was great, overall it was an amazing vibe.

Highlight so far as an organizer?

So far, pulling off the first NUANCE festival. So much work went into organizing it that it was a huge rush to see so many people and see the bands all immensely enjoying themselves.

Your own favourite progressive rock band?

I’ve got two. First is The Beatles, especially their later period from Sgt. Peppers onward. They are the greatest and my most favorite band of all time of any genre. They incorporated so many different styles and different textures into their music that it’s impossible to get bored with any one album.

Second is Kate Bush. This woman is extremely underrated, especially here in North America. Three of her albums from the 80’s titled ‘Never Forever’, ‘The Dreaming’ and ‘The Hounds of Love’ are her most experimental work.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’ve lived in various areas of Toronto all my life. Most of my childhood and teen years were spent in Scarborough in the Markham and Eglinton area. I went to high school at Laurier CI located in the Guild. In my very early 20’s my family and I moved to the Woodbine and Danforth area. Around this time I attended York University where I studied music for five years. After graduating, I moved out on my own and lived in the Danforth and Dawes road area and started work at a daycare where I’m still working today. When I met my wife, we moved to the Coxwell and Danforth area where we are currently living.