Squamish Festival

Squamish Valley Music Festival Band of the Day: Ruckus Deluxe

by Miranda Nelson on July 23rd, 2013 at 10:00 AM
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      Like Christmas when it gets to be the end of November, and Easter when the trees start to sprout leaves after a long winter, it’s starting to feel like it’s almost here. Just so there’s no confusion, we’re not talking the night when the fat bearded guy stuffs himself down the chimney or when a white rabbit breaks into the house to strew chocolate offspring and rainbow coloured eggs everywhere.

      No, we’re talking about the Squamish Valley Music Festival, taking place August 8-10 at the Logger Sports Grounds and Hendrickson Fields. In anticipation of the big day, we’re spending the next few weeks rounding up local artists who’ll be playing this year’s event, and getting them to answer some important questions.

      Like who they’ll be cueing up on the iPod for the Sea to Sky drive to the site, what they’ll be making sure to pack to make it through their set, the all-time dream festival lineup, and who they plan to stalk backstage. And that’s just the start of our probing. Read on, but not before you pick up your Squamish Valley Music Festival ticket. The last thing you want to miss is today’s featured local artist....

      Chad Oliver is one half of the Whistler-based Ruckus Deluxe. Oliver solidified his place in local history as the winner of Whistler's Official Anthem contest in 2011, with his country tune, "Top of the World". With Ian Cameron on fiddle, electric guitar, and mandolin, Ruckus Deluxe performs floor-stomping country originals with rock and pop elements. Oh, and the odd Led Zeppelin cover.

      Sea to Sky Playlist:

      First off, we'll be coming down from Whistler, as that's where we are based (after years on the road I decided this was where I was to be settled). I usually have the iPod on shuffle, but I'll narrow it to top 10 (as you can see I lean towards country).

      Eric Church "Creepin", "Jack Daniels", "Homeboy"
      He's awesome.

      Brad Paisley "Catch all the Fish"
      I love listening to guys who can play better than I can dream.

      Foo Fighters "Summers End", "Let it Die"
      I just really like these songs.

      Miranda Lambert "Nobody's Fool", "The House That Built Me"
      Curse those seasoned Nashville writers for being more clever than I'll ever be.

      Led Zeppelin "Kashmir"
      No reason needed.

      Paul McCartney "Maybe I'm Amazed"
      This just came on. What a great song.

      Outdoor essentials:

      Water, beer, water, beer—repeat throughout the day.

      We'd Love to Hang With:

      Josh Homme—he's my size.

      First Festival Experience:

      I'm dating myself, but when I was in high school, I saw the second Lollapalooza [in 1992]—pretty awesome, considering none of those bands had really broken at the time (Pearl Jam, Ministry, Cypress Hill, STP, Rage Against the Machine, et cetera). There was not an Internet presence like today, so a lot of the hype was word of mouth at the show. It was at Molson Park in Barrie, I remember Pearl Jam just ripping it up at the top of the show, Eddie Vedder climbing the stage scaffolding and diving into the crowd, getting pulled out with his clothes ripped off, taking a Polaroid picture of the crowd, and giving the crowd the thumbs up before walking off stage. I thought, "Now that's something I might like to do."

      As Stellar As This Year’s Squamish Bill is, What’s Your Fantasy Fest Line-up?

      • Led Zeppelin: in their prime. I would have loved to see that.
      • Van Halen: once again in their prime—before Roth turned into a Vegas act. I can only imagine what those guys might have been like live.
      • The Beatles: hey, you did say fantasy line-up.
      • Foo Fighters: now that's a rock band.
      • U2: one of the best consistent live shows, good enough to sway any hater. I've seen them do it.

      Now to fill out the roster:

      • AC/DC
      • The Weepies
      • Ryan Adams
      • Eric Church
      • Merle Haggard
      • Protein
      • Miranda Lambert
      • Kacey Musgraves

      What's Your Official Rider Request?

      I've been on enough gigs to know that you'll never finish your dream rider, try as you might. I've had nice riders I couldn't make a dent in.

      Trivia time: What’s Squamish’s official slogan?

      "Live at Squamish, where is the venue?"

      The Festival takes place at Hendrickson Fields & Logger Sports Ground. Quick—what’s your favourite logger sport?

      Log rolling looks like it might be fun on a hot day, after too many beers.

      Ruckus Deluxe plays the beer garden between main-stage sets at the Squamish Valley Music Festival.

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