Odds are a Canadian alternative rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia . They were nominated for six Juno Awards in the 1990s. As of 2014, they are on their fifth record label.
61-578: Edgefest was an annual outdoor rock festival in Canada . It was founded by staff members of Toronto radio station CFNY-FM . From 1987 to 2015, the festival was held every year in the summer (except for 2007). The festival was most frequently held on Canada Day at Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario or a venue in Toronto. The festival featured predominantly Canadian rock bands. During its 29-year operation,
122-646: A break. They travelled to Los Angeles doing showcases and eventually signed to Zoo Entertainment . In 1991 they released their debut self-produced album Neopolitan , which spawned the radio hits "Love Is the Subject" and "King of the Heap" (both sung by Northey). The third single, the sexually explicit "Wendy Under the Stars" (sung by Drake), charted only on the RPM Canadian Content chart, but attracted
183-582: A diverse lineup to showcase a broad array of popular music trends. Initially, some of the earliest rock festivals were built on the foundation of pre-existing jazz and blues festivals, but quickly evolved to reflect the rapidly changing musical tastes of the time. For example, the United Kingdom's National Jazz Festival was launched in Richmond from 26 to 27 August 1961. The first three of these annual outdoor festivals featured only jazz music, but by
244-465: A greatest hits/singles compilation in 2000, entitled Singles: Individually Wrapped . A second compilation, The Essentials , was released in 2005. Later in 1999 Elliott, Steward and Northey teamed up with organist Simon Kendall (of Doug & the Slugs ) to release an instrumental soul CD under the moniker Sharkskin. Drake followed up his previous work mixing The Tragically Hip's 1996 album Trouble at
305-571: A show. Edgefest '03 was delayed until the crisis passed and took place on September 6. The show was billed as "The Last Bash in Barrie" because of plans to relocate the festival to Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre the following year. The lineup for the festival included The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, Sloan, Stereophonics , Thornley and Fefe Dobson . Edgefest 2004 at Molson Amphitheatre featured Finger Eleven and Good Charlotte ; Billy Talent moved up from their previous Edgefest performance in 2002 to
366-409: A single day or evening, often indoors, and featuring only a handful of acts. Today, rock festivals are usually open-air concerts spread out over two or more days and many of the annual events are sponsored by the same organization. Production and financing Several of the early rock festival organizers of the 1960s such as Chet Helms , Tom Rounds , Alex Cooley and Michael Lang helped create
427-551: A solely jazz festival that was inaugurated in 1965 in the Belgian city of Bilzen. The 1966 festival still featured mostly jazz acts. However, by the time of the third festival from 25 to 27 August 1967, rock and pop acts had edged out most of the jazz bands and become the main attraction. In the United States, rock festivals seemed to spring up with a more self-defined musical identity. Preceded by several precursor events in
488-479: A specific genre and may in turn become known and large enough to be seen as festivals themselves, such as was The Glade at the famous Glastonbury Festival in England. Advances in sound reinforcement systems beginning in the 1960s enabled larger and larger rock festival audiences to hear the performers' music with much better clarity and volume. The best example was the pioneering work of Bill Hanley , known as
549-424: Is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular events, while others recur annually in the same location. Occasionally, a festival will focus on a particular genre (e.g., folk , heavy metal , world music ), but many attempt to bring together
610-505: The Friends soundtrack, peaked at No. 2 in their native Canada. In the U.S., it was a No. 6 hit at AAA radio, but was not a mainstream chart hit. It later was also used as the title theme for the short-lived CBS comedy Love Monkey . The follow-up single "Make You Mad" featured a video which was co-directed by and starred Bruce McCulloch of The Kids in the Hall. "Nothing Beautiful"
671-518: The Hells Angels and Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club . Gravy in particular called his security group the "Please Force," a reference to their non-intrusive tactics at keeping order, e.g., "Please don't do that, please do this instead". When asked by the press — who were the first to inform him that he and the rest of his commune were handling security — what kind of tools he intended to use to maintain order at Woodstock in 1969, his response
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#1732787481122732-512: The website used to sell it ), comprising several songs from Cheerleader and covers of tunes from Pointed Sticks and Art Bergmann was prepared for early 2009 release. Early in the year, the band also appeared as themselves (in retro-'50s garb) during a dream sequence in the final season of the Corner Gas television series. The band continues to perform regularly, mostly at festivals and events across Canada including such performances as on
793-519: The "father of festival sound", who provided the sound systems for numerous rock festivals including Woodstock. Other examples included the Wall of Sound invented in the 1970s to allow the Grateful Dead to play to larger audiences. Camping and crowd control Many festivals offer camping, either because lodging in the area is insufficient to support the crowd, or to allow easy multi-day access to
854-549: The 1960s]. It seems fitting… that one of the most enduring labels for the entire generation of that era was derived from a rock festival: the ' Woodstock Generation'." Reflecting their musical diversity and the then-common term ' pop music ', for the first few years, particularly in the US, many rock festivals were called 'pop festivals'. This also served to distinguish them among the ticket-buying public from other, pre-existing types of music festivals such as jazz and folk festivals. By
915-884: The 2009 and 2010 Canadian Pacific Holiday train . During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Odds were the "house band" at Canada Hockey House. The band was named the Vancouver Canucks 'house band' of the 2010 and 2011 NHL playoffs. The Odds performed the theme music to the CBC/IFC television series The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town . Odds made several shorter-length record releases in later years. On February 21, 2013, Odds released an EP called "The Most Beautiful Place on Earth." The five-song EPs "Game Face On" and "Party Party Party" followed in 2014. On December 3, 2021, Odds were mentioned in
976-575: The Edmonton show. 18,000 attended the Winnipeg show. The 1998 Edgefest tour was similar, with eight shows in eight cities. The lineups varied between the cities, but each show featured American bands Foo Fighters , Green Day , and Creed and Canadian bands Econoline Crush , The Killjoys , Matthew Good Band , Sloan, The Tea Party and The Watchmen. The Barrie show again sold out with 35,000 attendees. The Calgary show had an increase in attendance from
1037-577: The Giant , and Mushy Callahan . Edgefest 2013 was headlined by The Lumineers . In 2014 and 2015, Edgefest was put on as a three-date concert series at Echo Beach in Toronto. There has not been an Edgefest concert in any of the following years, and the festival is presumed to be defunct. Alan Cross has stated that no suitable venue, the weak Canadian dollar, and too much competition from other festivals driving up band prices as reasons why Edgefest has been discontinued. Rock festival A rock festival
1098-414: The Hall , themselves often noted for drag performances, as stereotypically macho jocks in the audience until Foley inexplicably turns into a woman. Three more singles were released from the album: "It Falls Apart", "Jack Hammer" and "Yes (Means it's Hard to Say No)". "Jack Hammer" features a guitar battle between Robert Quine (Lou Reed, Richard Hell, Matthew Sweet, etc.) and Zevon. In 1995, Brennan left
1159-643: The Henhouse by furthering his career as a recording engineer and producer based in Vancouver. Northey released a solo album, Giddy Up , in 2002, and worked as a songwriter and producer for other acts (including Rosanne Cash ) throughout the decade. In 2004, he collaborated with Gin Blossoms guitarist Jesse Valenzuela on the Northey Valenzuela album. The pair also recorded the theme song to
1220-473: The Night Tripper, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Steppenwolf A recent innovation is the traveling rock festival where many musical acts perform at multiple locations during a tour. Successful festivals are often held in subsequent years. The following is an incomplete list. The following is a list of festivals that predominantly feature rock genres that take place on a regular basis. Most are held at
1281-723: The San Francisco area, the first two rock festivals in the US were staged in northern California on consecutive weekends in the summer of 1967: the KFRC Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival on Mount Tamalpais (10–11 June) and the Monterey International Pop Festival (16–17 June). The concept caught fire and spread quickly as rock festivals took on a unique identity and attracted significant media attention around
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#17327874811221342-650: The Wet Sprocket , and The Lemonheads . This show was among the last events held at the Forum, which was torn down shortly after and replaced with the Molson Amphitheatre . Once the new Molson Amphitheatre was built, Molson offered it to Edgefest for three dates in 1995. The first was on the May long weekend , May 21, 1995. About 9,000 people came to see Blur and Elastica , during the height of Britpop . It
1403-652: The Year and The Miniatures. After there being no Edgefest in 2007, Edgefest returned on July 12, 2008. For the first time since the festival's beginning, the festival was not held at Molson Park nor the Ontario Place Forum/Molson Amphitheatre grounds. Instead, the festival was held at Downsview Park . The 2008 edition featured headlining band Linkin Park and also included Stone Temple Pilots , Sam Roberts and The Bravery . Edgefest 2009
1464-547: The attention of American music critic Greil Marcus in his book Dead Elvis . After the release of Neopolitan , the band were picked up by Warren Zevon , becoming his touring band for his album Mr. Bad Example . In 1993, Zevon returned the favour by guesting on the band's Bedbugs album. Its lead single was " Heterosexual Man ". The video for that song featured the band members performing in drag , with Dave Foley , Kevin McDonald and Mark McKinney from The Kids in
1525-416: The band, moving to Toronto during the recording of their third album, and subsequently joined Big Sugar . He was replaced by Pat Steward, who was a friend of Doug and former drummer for Bryan Adams . Good Weird Feeling , their most commercially successful album, included drum tracks from both Brennan and Steward. The album featured the top 10 hit singles "Truth Untold" and "Eat My Brain". "Satisfied" hit
1586-477: The blueprint for large-scale rock festivals in the United States, as well promoters such as Wally Hope in the United Kingdom. In various countries, the organizers of rock festivals have faced legal action from authorities, in part because such festivals have attracted large counterculture elements. In 1972, Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Manatí, Puerto Rico attracted an estimated 30–35,000 people, and an arrest warrant
1647-399: The end of 1972, the term 'pop festival' had virtually disappeared as festival promoters adopted more creative, unique and location-specific names to identify and advertise their events. While it was still in vogue, however, over-zealous promoters eager to capitalize on the festival concept made the most of it, with some using the term "Pop Festival" or "Rock Festival" to advertise events held on
1708-468: The end of 1990, CFNY underwent a change in management, which brought with it a change in format. While the festival did go on that year, and once again sold out Molson Park, many people came in order to protest the new programming policies (in fact, someone even hired a plane to tow a protest banner over the park). However, the show went on glitch-free, and featured 54–40, The Tragically Hip, The Pursuit of Happiness, The Grapes of Wrath and The Skydiggers. By
1769-480: The festival featured more than 300 performers. As of 2015, it was the longest running rock festival in Canada. The festival was created in 1987 by CFNY-FM staffers Scot Turner, Kneale Mann, Alan Cross , Earl Veale, and Phil Evans to celebrate the station’s tenth anniversary and the 120th Canada Day. A lineup, including Blue Rodeo , The Pursuit of Happiness , Teenage Head , and the first foreign act, The Saints ,
1830-546: The festival was officially called "Edgefest", a name that stuck with the festival for every year after. It was also the first year to have more than one day of concerts, taking place on July 1 and 2. Day 1 of the festival included The Odds , The Watchmen and Rheostatics . Day 2 featured Radiohead 's first performance in Canada. The 1994 edition of Edgefest also took place at the Ontario Place Forum and featured three international groups; The Proclaimers , Toad
1891-407: The festival's features. Festival planning and logistics are frequently a focus of the media, some festivals such as the heavily commercialized Woodstock 1999 were crowd control disasters, with insufficient water and other resources provided to audiences. Many early rock festivals successfully relied on volunteers for crowd control , for example individuals like Wavy Gravy and biker groups such as
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1952-631: The fifth show, in 1991, the station owners had again been replaced, and the format of both show and station had stabilized. That year's lineup featured the Violent Femmes , who were the first foreign act to perform at the festival in two years. That year's lineup also featured Blue Rodeo and the Crash Test Dummies . For the 1992 edition, Molson had planned "The Great Canadian Party", a series of Molson-sponsored concerts, simultaneously running across Canada on Canada Day 1992. However,
2013-425: The first Barrie show had an attendance of 35,000, the rest of the shows on the tour had varied attendances between 13,000 and 20,000, with 134,058 attending that year's Edgefest tour in total. In 2000, Edgefest went back to having just one show on Canada Day at Molson Park. The show was headlined by Creed and also featured Filter , Goldfinger , Headstones and Limblifter performing on the main stage. Bands playing
2074-403: The fourth "Jazz & Blues Festival" in 1964, a shift had begun that incorporated some blues and pop artists into the lineup. In 1965, for the first time the event included more blues, pop and rock acts than jazz, and by 1966, when the event moved to the town of Windsor, the rock and pop acts clearly dominated the jazz artists. A similar, though more rapid, evolution occurred with Jazz Bilzen ,
2135-439: The main stage. Other bands featured included Alexisonfire , Jet , The Salads and Something Corporate . Edgefest 2005 was headlined by Billy Talent, and also included Coheed and Cambria , Jakalope and Rise Against . That year for the first time there was a side stage designated for a record label, Underground Operations , on which Bombs Over Providence , Closet Monster and Hostage Life , among others, played. As 2006
2196-569: The microphone, during that song. Other bands featured included Keane , Mobile , Neverending White Lights and Hot Hot Heat . On July 16, Edgefest II took place. It had three stages – the main stage, the Edge Next Big Thing side stage, and the Bedlam Society/Dine Alone Stage, another record label-based stage. Bands performing at Edgefest II included Yellowcard , The All-American Rejects , Story of
2257-404: The money often gathered through fundraising and angel investors . Stages and sound systems While rock concerts typically feature a small lineup of rock bands playing a single stage, rock festivals often grow large enough to require several stages or venues with live bands playing concurrently. As rock music has increasingly been fused with other genres, sometimes stages will be devoted to
2318-462: The previous year with 27,000 attendees. However, both Ottawa and Edmonton had a decline in attendees from the previous year. The 1999 tour was headlined by Hole and Moist . Other performers on the tour included Big Wreck , Gob , Len , Rascalz , Serial Joe , Silverchair and Wide Mouth Mason . Because the July 1 show in Barrie sold out in less than a week, a second show was added in Barrie. While
2379-410: The relatively unknown location in Barrie (approximately 90 km [55 mi]), but after purchasing tickets through Pizza Pizza locations for just $ 1.02 per ticket, over 27,000 people attended the inaugural festival on July 1, 1987. Although the 1987 festival was supposed to be a one-off event, its success and positive feedback encouraged the organizers to do it again the next year. The 1988 edition
2440-493: The same location on an annual basis. Some, like Farm Aid are held at different venues with each incarnation. Odds (band) The band was formed in 1987 in Vancouver , British Columbia , consisting of vocalist-guitarists Craig Northey and Steven Drake (both of whom had led different bands appearing on a Vancouver music compilation album, Spotlight '86 ), bassist Doug Elliott and drummer Paul Brennan . Pat Steward
2501-566: The short-lived CBS music industry comedy Love Monkey , starring Tom Cavanagh , Jason Priestley and Teddy Geiger . In 2007, Craig Northey, Doug Elliott, Pat Steward and new guitarist Murray Atkinson performed old and new songs on the Barenaked Ladies ' "Ships and Dip" event aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea. They released a new album, Cheerleader , on May 20, 2008, with Northey now performing all lead vocals. It
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2562-416: The side stage that year included 3 Doors Down and Nickelback . 35,000 people attended the year's show. In 2001, Edgefest held the traditional Canada Day show at Molson Park, which was headlined by Tool . Due to a late start, the band played a very short set, angering fans. Edgefest 2001 also featured the first appearance of Billy Talent at the festival. August of that year featured an Edgefest tour which
2623-599: The sitcom Corner Gas , "Not a Lot Going On". Northey, Steward and Elliott all recorded and toured with Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip as the band Stripper's Union , and continued to perform as the Craig Northey Power Trio, in addition to forming the core of the backup band for Canadian blues-rock guitarist Colin James . In early 2006 Odds' song "Someone Who's Cool" was used as the theme song to
2684-512: The stage 20 minutes into their set after being pelted with bottles), Thirty Seconds to Mars , Default , Simple Plan and Theory of a Deadman . There were also several Edgefest II dates across the country, including shows in Grand Bend and Halifax . In 2003, there was an outbreak of SARS in Toronto. Bands were nervous to come play there, and insurance companies refused to underwrite tours, fearing lawsuits in case people became infected at
2745-542: The top 20. "Mercy to Go" and "Smokescreen" also charted. "Eat My Brain" later found a place on the Craig Northey-produced soundtrack to The Kids in the Hall movie Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy . Northey composed the score for the movie along with Steward and Elliott. In 1996, the album Nest was released. The albums's lead single, "Someone Who's Cool", originally intended for a sequel to
2806-596: The tour, with Collective Soul , I Mother Earth , Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, Finger Eleven , Glueleg and The Age of Electric performing at each show (though The Age of Electric missed the Ottawa show due to their gear arriving too late to the venue). 35,000 people attended the Barrie show. 13,000 attended the Montreal show. 20,000 attended the Ottawa show. 23,000 attended the Calgary show. An estimated 27,000 attended
2867-534: The two companies came to an agreement to share the show, with half the bands booked by the Edge (including 54–40, The Tragically Hip, and Leslie Spit Treeo ) and the other half booked by Molson (including Sass Jordan , Amanda Marshall and Spinal Tap ). In 1993, Molson needed the whole park for their own purposes, so the festival relocated to the Ontario Place Forum in Toronto. 1993 was the first year
2928-406: The world. By 1969, promoters were staging dozens of them. According to Bill Mankin, in their dawning age rock festivals were important socio-cultural milestones: "… it would not be an exaggeration to say that, over a few short years, rock festivals played a unique, significant – and underappreciated – role in fueling the countercultural shift that swept not only America but many other countries [during
2989-420: The year occurred on August 5 and had a smaller crowd. Most of the performers were Canadian, but a pre-fame Sugar Ray was also featured. This concert was billed as Sloan 's farewell performance. (The band re-formed not long after.) The festival's tenth incarnation took place back at Molson Park on June 30, 1996. It was the first year in the festival's history that there wasn't a show held on Canada Day. The show
3050-465: Was "Cream pies and seltzer bottles ." Other rock festivals hire private security or local police departments for crowd control, with varying degrees of success. Saturday, 21 June - Eric Anderson, Al Kooper, The Band, Bonzo Dog Band, Johnny Winter, Velvet Underground and Sly & the Family Stone. Sunday, 22 June - Ronnie Hawkins, Chuck Berry, Kensington Market, Tiny Tim, Nucleus, Dr. John &
3111-430: Was also an early major appearance for Our Lady Peace , who recently had success in Canada with their hit singles " Starseed " and " Naveed ". Ned's Atomic Dustbin also performed for the last time before breaking up. 20,000 people came for the annual Canada Day edition, which featured an all-Canadian lineup including The Odds, Treble Charger , The Watchmen, hHead , Junkhouse and Crash Vegas . The third Edgefest date of
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#17327874811223172-422: Was headlined by Blink 182 and also featured New Found Glory and Sum 41 . Locations of the tour included Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal. For the next sold out Edgefest in 2002, emergency crews were busy all day treating sunstroke , heat exhaustion , and dehydration . Musically, Nickelback moved up from the side stage to headliners; other bands included Cake (who left
3233-662: Was headlined by The Tea Party and sold out with 35,000 people attending the festival. In 1997, it was announced that Edgefest 1997 would be held across Canada on an eight-city tour. In May 1997, a ninth Edgefest date in London, Ontario was added to the tour. Beginning on June 26, the festival toured through London, Barrie, Montréal, Quebec ; Ottawa, Ontario ; Vancouver, British Columbia ; Calgary, Alberta ; Edmonton, Alberta ; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ; and concluded in Winnipeg, Manitoba on September 1, 1997. 25 bands performed during
3294-647: Was held on June 20 at Downsview Park. The festival organizers were working with a reduced budget, and the ticket prices were lowered. Billy Talent were the headliners. Other main stage acts included AFI , Alexisonfire, k-os , The Stills , Arkells , and Metric . In 2010, 102.1 The Edge opted to forgo a day-long festival for several concerts throughout the summer months called "The Edge Summer Concert Series". Edgefest 2011 at Downsview Park featured Rise Against , A Perfect Circle and The Weakerthans . EdgeFest 2012 at Downsview Park featured Billy Talent, Death from above 1979 , Silversun Pickups , The Sheepdogs , Young
3355-469: Was issued for promoter Alex Cooley, who avoided arrest by leaving the island before the festival was over. British Free Festival organizers Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle were imprisoned for attempting to promote a 1975 Windsor Festival. The British police would later outright attack free festival attendees at the 1985 Battle of the Beanfield . Festivals may require millions of USD to be organized, with
3416-665: Was originally asked to be the band's drummer, but he declined. The band members claim the name came when Brennan asked Drake, in a town somewhere on the BC coast, "What are the odds of us ever escaping bullshit gigs like this?" In the late 1980s, the band played up to four nights a week as a 1960s and 1970s cover band called Dawn Patrol at the Roxy nightclub in Vancouver, while playing as Odds on weekends and funding their own demo recordings at Crosstown Studios in North Vancouver, hoping for
3477-524: Was sold out, and brought over 32,000 people to Molson Park. Attendees paid $ 3 each for admission. The lineup featured mostly Canadian bands, including the first of many appearances by 54-40 , and three foreign acts. In 1989, in spite of competing summer weekend activities and Highway 400 leading up to Molson Park being jammed both from both Cottage country and Toronto, the festival was once again sold out. That year's lineup included Sass Jordan , Sarah McLachlan and The Tragically Hip . Between 1989 and
3538-492: Was soon arranged, but finding an appropriate location proved to be difficult. A farmer's field in Oakville, Ontario was considered, but would have involved complications with staging, electricity, bathrooms and parking. Other suggestions included Mosport International Raceway and Cayuga Speedway , but as they were unavailable, Molson Park in Barrie was chosen. Organizers worried that fans would not want to drive from Toronto to
3599-586: Was the third single. Odds toured extensively during the 1990s, including as an opening act for The Tragically Hip and Barenaked Ladies . The band performed until 1999, headlining that year's Arts County Fair year-end concert at the University of British Columbia , but released no further new studio albums. In March 1999, Northey announced that he was leaving the band, although he continued to work with Elliott and Steward frequently in subsequent years. The band members pursued other projects after 1999, releasing
3660-454: Was the twentieth year of Edgefest, two shows were scheduled. The first, billed as Edgefest I , took place on July 1. Headliners Our Lady Peace brought fans on stage, encouraged them to use their cameras (use of which was always prohibited) and even allowed them to record an unreleased song, Kiss on the Mouth . Singer Raine Maida asked for a fan's audio recorder and sang into it, as well as into
3721-483: Was the very first release by Kim Cooke 's new label Pheromone Recordings. The first single, "My Happy Place," (used over the closing credits throughout the run of Corner Gas ) was released in mid-March. As the band's right to "Odds" had lapsed, the album was released under the name The New Odds . After resecuring the right to its original name, the band obtained U.S. distribution through independent record label Second Motion Records . A new EP, Noise Trade (named for
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