Redwood Fields

By: Taylor Mooney - The Argosy

Four piece Fredericton based folk rock group is coming to Pepper’s Pub to perform some songs from their latest EP and demos.

The Redwood Fields have performed with many famed Canadian acts, such as Hey Rosetta! and Coral Bear. Most recently performing in the Harvest Festival in Fredericton, this will be the second performance that Redwood Fields has done at Pepper’s Pub.

Redwood Fields combine an assortment of genres into their work. The basis of their lyrics dwells in the comfort of traditional folk story telling, infused with an assortment of rock, dream pop and shoe gaze elements. Cedric Noel and Heather Ogilve provide intense and powerful vocals, with Bruce Devall on Percussion and Brendan MaGee on synthesizer. As far as releases go, unfortunately they don’t have a lot of studio work completed, as they’re still trying to get their feet on the ground.

I recently had a chance to have a phone in interview on my radio show on Local FM with Brendan MaGee of Redwood Fields. Joined always by my cohost Patrick Harrington, Brendan gave some insight on what to expect. “We just recorded a two song demo, and we actually have begun work on our new album and will hopefully have that by January,” says MaGee. “As far as our small tour goes, we have a full set planned including some songs we hope to have on our hopeful upcoming album.”

“It is an awesome vibe at Pepper’s. This will be our second time playing there, the first being this summer,” says MaGee, “we love playing at Pepper’s because we find the whole audience more involved with the music.” The Redwood Fields will be joined by Charlottetown based new wave band, English Words.

If you would like to hear more of their stuff, check out their website at redwoodfields.bandcamp.com, or check out The Baron’s Youtube page at youtube.com/thebaronsj for one of their live performances.
- The Baron

New Brunswick bands got to show off their talent at Harvest for a chance to open for the Saturday night concert’s headliner, Wintersleep.

The Galaxie Rising Star Competition brought in bands from St. Andrews, Saint John, Moncton, and some local Fredericton bands.

This year’s finalists included Shaun LeBlanc, Oh No Theodore, Redwood Fields, The Kendra Gale Band, Penny Blacks, and The Motorleague.

First on stage was Shaun LeBlanc. This guy seemed the most out of place for Harvest. His pop melodies floated through the crowd and people started to flock towards the tent. As he kept playing, his sound became rockier and he was able to develop a good mix between the two genres.

Next was Oh No Theodore. I’ve always found them moving and the way they’re able to fit classical instruments like a cello and a violin into an alternative rock genre is impressive. They always genuinely look like there is no other place that they want to be. It’s always easier to like a band if they try to engage the audience by just looking happy.

Third on the bill was Redwood Fields. These guys are able to tell a story in a really folk/indie rock fashion.

It was also obvious that these guys have a strong fan base in Fredericton. The amount of cheers that came out of the crowd for them was massive, considering the size of the crowd. The lead singer’s voice was distinct, and created a great atmosphere for the listeners. Along with the prominent bass line, these guys put together a solid act.

The Kendra Gale Band took the stage soon after, with a sound like no other band there this year. I didn’t expect so much music to come out of the duet. Kendra Gale’s voice is comparable to Janis Joplin and made me feel like I was at a real rock n’ roll concert. The audience reacted as such; there were people dancing and rocking out throughout her set.

Gale has a lot of passion in her lyrics. Anyone who might have upset her over the years must be regretting it now.

Second to last on stage we got Penny Blacks. These guys were folky combined with a punk rock aspect, to push their music over the edge.

Penny Blacks were tight and knew their stuff. Their live performance was much different from their recorded songs – not as hard and as loud as expected, which helped them fit into the festival more.

However, at this point of the show, the audience had all but evaporated, but they missed out on some great talent. The remaining crowd was able to recognize this and gave a huge cheer for Penny Blacks after every song.

Finally, the show closed off with The Motorleague. These guys belong at Harvest about as much as a banana belongs in the South Pole; however, they were the most entertaining to watch. Not just because they called for the first stage dive at Harvest, with only about half a dozen people participating, or because they wouldn’t stop jumping around the stage; it was because their personality shined through the show. I knew by the end of it that these were good guys who were passionate about helping the world, and that’s something I like to see in musicians.

In the end, the bands from Moncton cleaned up the competition. The Motorleague got the $500 prize for best original song, while Shaun LeBlanc came out on top and won the grand prize of $2000, and the chance to open for Said The Whale and Wintersleep.

Congratulations to all the performers, I can’t wait to see you all play again. - The Brunswickan

You won’t have to go far to find some fresh New Brunswick talent this weekend!

Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival is collaborating with Galaxie satellite radio stations once again, to present the Galaxie Rising Star competition.

Previous winners of the Rising Star competition include Matt Anderson, Ross Neilsen, Keith Hallett and Andy Brown.

Erin Keating, administrative coordinator for marketing and music of Harvest, says the exposure that the finalists get from playing on a Harvest stage is a great opportunity for their careers.

“The audience that’s around, might not have seen a certain band before,” said Keating.

“The winner gets to open for Said The Whale and Wintersleep on September 15, which is even more exposure.”

The winner of the competition will also receive $2000 donated by Harvest and Galaxie, and will have their music played on one of Galaxie’s stations. There is also a $500 prize for best original song.

The finalists for this year’s competition are Oh No, Theodore! and Redwood Field from Fredericton, The Motorleague and Shaun LeBlanc from Moncton, The Penny Blacks from Saint John, and The Kendra Gale Band from St. Andrews.

Keating said supporting upcoming New Brunswick talent is important to Harvest.

“Galaxie is really an important part of that too. It gives bands the ability to play at Harvest, when normally they wouldn’t.”

Keating said in the 11 years that Harvest has been putting on this competition, they’ve opened up to lots of different genres.

“This year has a much more diverse line-up,” said Keating.

“We have a couple of punk bands, there’s a rock band, a couple of indie-rock bands. So it is a really great mix.”

Lukas Bailey, cello player for Oh No, Theodore!, said it’s a great feeling to be a part of the line-up for Harvest.

“Harvest is one of the biggest festivals of the East Coast,” said Bailey.

“It’s amazing just being a part of it, and seeing all the musicians who come to be a part of it.”

Oh No, Theodore! won the runner-up award for the Galaxie Rising Star Competition in 2010 and are ready for this year’s competition.

“Our set has evolved from what we sounded like two years ago,” said Bailey.

“We were laughing during a band practice we were having the other day, about how different things are in our sound.”

Cedric Noel is a singer/ songwriter for Redwood Fields. He said even though the band is still young, they wanted to play in Harvest and see how far they could get in the competition.

“We didn’t think we had much of a shot, to be honest,” Noel said.

“But it was something that catered to what we wanted to do, and the judges thought we had a talent worth harbouring.”

Both Bailey and Noel said that opening for Wintersleep is a great a prize.

“Opening up for Wintersleep is just such a huge thing,” said Noel.

“I don’t want to say that it trumps the $2000, but it’s pretty close for us.”

The winner will be chosen through a combination of audience voting, and a decision made by a panel of judges. There is online voting now available on the Harvest website and there will also be audience voting on site after the show.

The panel of judges consist of Tim Yerxa, executive director of the Playhouse; Adam Bowie, music reporter for the Daily Gleaner; Bob Mersereau from CBC’s East Coast Music Blog; Diane Cole, freelance music reporter; and Gary Pelletier, director of the Galaxie Rising Stars program.

The show starts at 3 p.m. on Sept. 14, in the Galaxie Barracks Tent, and is a free, all-ages event. - The Brunswickan

Redwood Fields aren’t letting people forget their name.

Their sound of folk and dream pop won them St. Thomas University’s Battle of the Bands last Friday and they are also up for a Galaxie Rising Star Award with a performance during the Harvest Jazz and Blues festival.

“I feel pretty good. We’ve only been together for like 10 months and we’ve gotten some really nice opportunities and got to do things I didn’t think we’d be able to do,” said Brendan Magee who plays keys for the band.

Redwood Fields consists of fourth year STU student Cedric Noel on lead vocals, Bruce Duval on drums and bassist Heather Ogilvie. Magee is also a fourth year student at STU.

Redwood Fields walked away from Welcome Week with $1,000 dollars and their name on the bill of a campus wide show in mid-October. Magee said they don’t know who they’ll be opening for yet but can’t wait until the surprise is unveiled.

Redwood Fields were up against five STU bands including metal bands Cry Oh Crisis and the Pharaohs.

“There was a super interesting blend. I didn’t realize there was such a metal community at STU. It was really cool. They were all tight knit. Some pop, a little punk. Really widespread,” said Magee.

As for the money, the reality of how much beer it would buy was not lost on Magee.

“I wanted to get a keg but I think we’re going to save it for recording. We’re going to keep quite a bit to travel or tour with that we really can’t afford to do.”

With the Rising Star competition growing near, the band was apprehensive about entering the Battle of the Bands. They’re schedules don’t always line up so rehearsal time is hard to come by, but they soon saw the silver lining of having a crowd to perform in front of.

“We figured it was the perfect opportunity to throw ourselves into the fire. We played four of the five songs we’ll be playing at harvest,” said Magee.

The Galaxie Rising Star Competition gives New Brunswick musicians the chance to perform in front of industry experts and gain exposure on both the local and national stage. The winner receives a prize package as well as the opportunity to open for Halifax based band Wintersleep and Vancouver’s Said The Whale.

Past Rising Star winners include Fredericton’s Andy Brown, Matt Andersen and Ross Neilsen who all have performances throughout the festival week.

Magee said weeding through the Redwood Fields repertoire wasn’t easy and led to a long email thread between the four piece band about which songs to showcase.

“There were some personal attacks,” said Magee laughing.

Magee is a Fredericton native and this will be his fifth year taking in a Harvest festival. Magee told me about the first few times he went to see the Galaxie Rising Star competitions when they were held at Dolan’s pub downtown.

“I remember thinking like that’s awesome. They’re putting up so much New Brunswick talent and there are so many great bands that get to play. I think it’s one of the best things, if not the best thing, for bands in New Brunswick.”

Magee has always kept up with local maritime bands growing up, ‘almost embarrassingly so,’ and didn’t think he’d be playing at the same level as the names he once followed.

“I think we’re going to be super modest. The chance to play with Wintersleep is the coolest thing so if we set our goals to win and don’t I might cry because Wintersleep is like in my top five bands,” said Magee.

Redwood Fields will take the stage this Friday Sept. 14 alongside Fredericton’s Oh No, Theodore! as well as four other New Brunswick based bands. Fifty per cent of the vote will come from industry experts taking in the performances and the other 50 per cent will be audience based.

“If we got the chance to play with the Joel Plasketts, the Wintersleeps or Hey Rosetta!s that would be super awesome but we’re just taking things as they come.” - The Aquinian

A musician with long blue hair jumps up and down while headbanging. The lead singer screams into the microphone.

This was the first year for Battle of the Bands at St. Thomas University’s Welcome Week. Although most Welcome Week activities are geared towards first-year students, a lot of older students came out to support their friends.

The audience responded enthusiastically when the first band played “What I Got,” by Sublime.

STU student, Santiago Chavez, thought the Battle of the Bands was a great idea.

“It gives artistic students a way to share their passions and abilities. The turnout speaks for itself. I guess it drew a big crowd. That’s the spirit of Welcome Week.”

Approximately 100 people came out to the show.

Meryn Steeves, Welcome Week chair, said the committee decided to have the Battle of the Bands in place of the usual concert. The concert rarely had a good turnout. She said the turnout for this event was about the same as previous years’ concerts.

“By this point in Welcome Week everyone is tired and classes have started… We are hoping by moving the concert to mid-October there will be a better turnout,” Steeves said.

However, it wasn’t hard to find bands to perform. Five different bands performed a short set of five songs each. The bands ranged from soft rock to screamo.

There was a mix of male and female musicians, intense drummers and some skilled bass players. The lead singers had strong and raspy voices. You could say there was something for everyone.

Zach Greer is the guitarist for Red Heron and a second-year student at STU. This was the first time he played with Red Heron at STU.
“Obviously there is a lot of talent here at STU and we should do a lot more stuff here like this. It would put musicians and artists on the radar for more opportunities,” Greer said.

Greer said the only issue was the set-up time between bands. Next year he suggested there should be the same gear for everybody, so it wouldn’t take as long for each band to get ready.

Redwood Fields won the Battle of the Bands. They received $1,000 and will be the opening act for a concert in October, put on by the Students’ Union.

Cedric Noel sings lead for Redwood Fields and is a fourth-year Journalism student.

“Right now we’re not sure, but most probably recording and/or touring,” Noel said, when asked what they planned to do with the money.

He said they were pleased to win, because all the bands had a good shot at taking home the prize.

Redwood Fields is also nominated for a Galaxie Rising Star Award. - The Aquinian

REVIEW: Redwood Fields (Singles)
By: Penelope Stevens

Rating 7.5/10

I’ve never written a review before, but I’ve listened to a lot of music, and lot of local music in particular. I don’t know what to include or exclude from this review, but I’m just going to tell you what I think about Redwood Fields’ new singles that were released on June 5th, 2012. Is that okay? Either way, here’s what I think and why:

I really like these songs. I like them because I don’t feel any shame in listening to them on repeat all day, and they haven’t gotten old yet. They feel familiar but fresh, comfortable but demanding.

“I Met You First” is a drone-ballad with a guitar tone that is easy to admire. The song creeps along with an endearing limp; a determination that builds into chaos that’s inviting rather than exhausting. Heather Ogilvie’s backing vocals are, of course, perfect. Her haunting voice was one of the most notable aspects of The Slate Pacific, and I’m glad to hear those subtle harmonies once again. The drumming is simple but appropriate. I would have enjoyed bigger build-ups and more dramatic let-downs from the rhythm section, although each part of the song was distinct. To finish, Cedric draws the listener in with his final lines that seem almost like an after-thought he just couldn’t shake. The clean guitar brings the song back to its apartment on Earth, after a short flight over the moon.

“Your Lines” has an attractive synth tone with a progression that’s very easy to latch on to. Brendan Magee’s synth has Canadian Indie Rock written all over it – I think Chad VanGaalen would smile at the sound. The back-and-forth gendered vocals remind me of a romance novel that was never written, but that I think I’d like to read. I might have a bias regarding male/female vocal interplay, but I think they are especially striking in this song. “Time is never on our side” was rightfully chosen as the lyrical pinnacle; those words stand alone as an understated chant for the masses. It might have been interesting to see some non-gimmicky gang vocals at certain points, especially as the song builds to its peak. I also would have enjoyed more intricacies within the lead vocal melodies. Simplicity is great, but happy accidents can add appeal when done in taste. Although I mentioned admiration for the guitar tone, I think for future releases that Redwood Fields would benefit from guitar experimentation in both tone and song structuring.

Both “I Met You First” and “Your Lines” are simple. There are few things in these songs that I don’t understand. The thing that I don’t understand is how songs this meek and unassuming can send such a strong and ingenious message.

In summary:

When I listen to these songs, I imagine a late night get-together in a dimly lit apartment in Fredericton; just a few friends spending an evening together, is all. I imagine everyone has had a couple of drinks and are feeling sentimental; I imagine a lot of plants in the corners of the living room, and a fuzzy cat napping on the slumping couch’s armrest. These friends have just finished an Elliott Smith record, and vinyl lays scattered on the floor.

A guitar is located, and Cedric is volunteered as apartment minstrel. As he begins alone, soon everyone finds an instrument to join in with. What results is a really good memory and songs that are both circumstantial and timeless. I don’t mean to say that these songs seem unorganized or unplanned. I just mean that the next time I am at a get-together of this nature, I know exactly what I will put on the stereo.

These songs come from the heart. Redwood Fields knows how to create a soundtrack for a perfect evening in, not a complicated masterpiece for robotic recital.

Check out the singles here: http://redwoodfields.bandcamp.com/ - FrederictonLocals

Fredericton's Redwood Fields shakes it up
by: Meghan O'Neill

Redwood Fields is saying “in with the new” by welcoming a female band member and working to refine their sound.

Heather Ogilvie, the group’s bass player, is the most recent addition to the band. She is only one show deep with Redwood Fields since joining last month, but she’s had experience in the Fredericton music scene.

Ogilvie has played with local bands Slate Pacific and Names and Faces. When the opportunity presented itself, she was very open to the idea of performing with Redwood Fields.

“I’m like the mother hen,” she said. “I’m the seasoned veteran in relation to these guys. It’s the first band for Brendan [Magee] and Bruce [Duval]. I’ve been there, and I kind of know what to expect and what to focus on, I guess, and give some advice when necessary.

“I think we have a good dynamic too, where it’s really comfortable.”

The band came together in October of last year, consisting of singer-songwriter Cedric Noël, Magee on the keys and Duval on drums. Since then, the original bassist moved away and a guitarist left the group.

“We got rid of a heavy electric lead guitar which made it more ambient. I don’t really know how to explain it, but less fluff,” said Magee.

Noël said there have been changes to the songs from last year, and their new songs have a different sound. He knows the direction he wants Redwood Fields’ music to go in, he said, and it requires patience.

“I find it really easy to write catchy songs,” he said. “It takes longer to write dense songs, but I’m always impatient because I always want to do another song,” said Noël.

Noël referenced Halifax-based group Paper Beat Scissors when describing how he wants the crowd to feel after a Redwood Fields show.

“You feel sort of out of it but not really out of it,” said Noël. “Like you’re kind of on a weird high.”

“Yeah, like a strange haze,” Magee added. “A warm haze.”

Ogilvie said she draws from slightly different influences, but when the band comes together to work on a song they have similar ideas of how it should sound.

“I’m not so much into the acoustic-driven folk sound. That hasn’t really been my influence ever, so I’m kind of coming from a darker indie rock perspective.”

Redwood Fields said they’re eager to start recording, but because of the members’ busy schedules, the album has to wait.

Noël and Magee are students at St. Thomas University, Duval works full-time, and Ogilvie owns Fredericton’s Reneu Boutique.

In the meantime, local filmmaker Ryan O’Toole shot a couple of videos for the band, and they plan on doing a Maritime tour at the end of April.

“I feel like I’m in the state of mind where this sound is what I think could work with this time period,” said Noël. “I feel in six months it could be something different, and I don’t want that. I want it to be really good. I want people to listen to it and be like, ‘Wow that blew my mind,’ and not like, ‘Yeah, that was good.’”

Catch Redwood Fields at the Capital Complex with Paper Beat Scissors on March 3. - The Aquinian