Canadian rockers come together for Rootstock

--taken from: Niagara This Week

Canadian rockers come together for Rootstock
Rootstock, the annual singer-songwriter event held as part of Jackson-Triggs’ summer concert series returns to the vineyard amphitheatre this Saturday night. Featured guests this year include, clockwise from top left, Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Murphy of Sloan, Steven Page, and Craig Northey of Odds.

by Scott Rosts

While they may not have crossed paths on the stage before, four Canadian rockers who came up through the ranks around the same time, making their way from indie rock stages to headlining gigs, will be coming together on stage this Saturday to perform each other’s songs and share stories from the road.

Jackson-Triggs’ summer concert series’ popular Rootstock event is back for its 2016 installment, bringing together four singer-songwriters from a transformative era in Canadian rock, the ‘90s.  Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Murphy of Sloan, Craig Northey of Odds and Steven Page, formerly part of the Barenaked Ladies, will come together under the stars on Saturday night for a special performance where they’ll collaborate and interact in an intimate setting, allowing the audience to lose themselves in the music and storytelling.

Speaking to The Crier in advance of Saturday’s show, Murphy said he’s long been a fan of the musicians he’s about to share a stage with and he’s looking forward to playing the hit songs they’ve written. In fact, that may have been the reason behind him signing on for this in the first place.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said, adding he’s not too sure what to expect about the night. He’s been preparing for the evening by rehearsing the other musician’s songs, and the group has been communicating through email and phone in advance of the show but he said when the group comes together on Saturday night, it’s going to be pretty fresh.

“It’s going to be an interesting evening,” he said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my homework. I’m excited to play their songs - I just mean, it’s going to be interesting getting together and seeing how those guys work on stage. They’re all musical heavyweights so I’m sure it’ll be a great time.”

While the whole concept of participating in a singer-songwriter showcase doesn’t usually appeal to him — Murphy admitted he feels more comfortable playing as part of a band — the idea of being able to perform alongside Northey, Berg, and Page is the draw for him.

“When Moe (Berg) gets up there to  play ‘I’m an Adult Now’, I don’t want to just sit and watch him play it as an acoustic song, I want to play it with him as a whole band,” he said. “I  think the audience will enjoy that more as well.”

While Murphy may be new to the songwriter’s circle format, Page is a veteran. He’s performed at a number of Rootstock events over the years, sometimes acting as host and other times appearing as one of the featured musicians. For him, Rootstock has always been a great time.

“It’s fun to get up on stage with these musicians, ones I came up in the industry with, and be able to share our music and our stories from life on the road,” he said. Page noted the musicians have crossed paths many times over the years and will have lots of great stories to share with the audience through the series’ trademark onstage banter.

The intimate environment of the amphitheatre, he said, makes it a great venue for this type of event. He said it allows fans to see the musicians in a different context than they may be accustomed to seeing them.

Saturday’s show will mark Page’s­ second appearance on the amphitheatre stage this summer, he appeared earlier in the season doing a solo appearance.

As for the foursome, Saturday will mark their first appearance together but it won’t be their last. The group will be embarking on a limited engagement tour with select dates. Murphy said for those who enjoy off-the-cuff performances filled with spontaneity, this will be the performance to attend.

“As we do it more, we’ll get into a routine. This will definitely be the most spontaneous,” he said.

--taken from: Niagara This Week