Sound, Phrase & Fury 5. 6 by Sound, Phrase & Fury

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Younger & Restless Note From The Editor

Retro Vibes EXNATIONS on their 80s/90s influences

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Janet Adamana

Cheers to Five Years Note From The Editor

Piecing Together Powerful Pop Peter Harder on making meaningful songs

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ally Sigurdson PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Steff Shields

We’re All Ears 14 Our artist picks for November and December Year In Review Winnipeg artists reflect on their year in music

SOUND, PHRASE & FURY is a Canadian music magazine out to promote musicians not usually covered in mainstream media. All music, photos and articles used are for the purpose of spreading the knowledge of these artists and their music. We always encourage readers to support every act by purchasing releases, merchandise and attending live shows.

info@soundphrasefury.com @soundphrasefury facebook.com/soundphrasefury soundphrasefury.com

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+ EDITOR’S NOTE

CHEERS TO FIVE YEARS

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I've watched the power of music take me to places I never thought were possible.

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As 2017 comes to a close, it’s common to It can throw you curve balls. Things don’t work reflect on how the year has gone. For myself, I out as planned, and sometimes, that’s even dedicated a lot of this year to reflecting on who better. I was five years ago. In the past few years, I’ve travelled to the Right before I graduated high school my corners of the earth. I’ve gotten the chance teachers asked the question, “where do you to interview some of my heroes. I’ve watched want to be in five years?” the power of music take me to places I never thought were possible. At 18, I told them I wanted to be done school. I wanted to have moved out of my parents' Janet gave me a chance to dream bigger, to place and live in a big city — typical answers of a write and create, to empower artists and teenager. I was naïve to the real world, thinking bands, and to watch their dreams bring people high school would be the hardest thing I ever together. dealt with. I thought I had everything figured out. For five years, I’ve been a part of Janet’s vision. It turned into mine. It became something I I met Janet Adamana five years ago, back when looked forward to. It’s been something I’ve I thought I knew everything. When she hired been proud of for years. SOUND, PHRASE & me, I didn’t realize the potential weight her FURY became a vision for me, too. vision would have on me. Back then, maybe she didn’t either. I used to joke that since I can’t create my own music, I write about it instead. I took the offer In five years, I realized life can be unexpected. and I haven’t looked back since.

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EDITOR’S NOTE +

I can’t thank her enough for believing in that For us behind the scenes, it’s been about the 18-year-old girl. long nights. It’s the shows we’ve gotten to experience, the places we’ve travelled to. It’s From the very beginning, SOUND, PHRASE & been about making sure that whoever reads FURY has been about music. For the writers, it’s our work, falls in love with a music just a little about so much more than that. bit more.

Here’s to five years of hard work, day dreaming and music. Here’s to the next five.

Ally Sigurdson Associate Editor

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YOUNGER & RESTLESS

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We are forever grateful for every reader who has flipped through our pages and every musician who gave us a chance to tell their stories.

Someone great once told me “it would be a waste not to try”. Who knew these eight simple words would cause a chain of wonderful events and alter the course of my entire life. Back before SOUND, PHRASE & FURY was even an idea, I was just like any other freshlygraduated college kid - completely lost with a handful of dreams and no idea how to even begin to make them a reality. At the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. I had no set plan. No overall vision. I was just a kid who wanted to do what she loved - write and listen to music. SPF was merely a way for me to stay creative while the rest of the world was going into a journalism lull. Who knew one creative outlet lit with the optimistic fuel of a bunch of young people’s dreams would start an endless blaze of hope, opportunity and

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aspirations come to life. When SPF started, I never dreamed of the astounding support that would come from people all over the world. I never dreamed we’d be working with some of the most talented writers, musicians, videographers, photographers and all around passionate, wonderful people. I never dreamed we’d still be building and growing after five insane years. Despite never thinking something like this could happen, it undoubtedly did and took on an amazing life of its own. This magazine wouldn’t be what it is without the hard work of the SPF team past and present. Our writers who put in countless hours and an insane amount of hard work filling our pages with inspiring stories; and our associate editor, Ally Sigurdson, who pours her own heart and soul into everything SPF. It was Ally and our team

EDITOR’S NOTE +

that ignited the extraordinary path SPF has We are forever grateful for every reader who has taken us on and I could not thank them enough. flipped through our pages and every musician who gave us a chance to tell their stories. We It’s their dreams and their motivations that are forever grateful for all of you for allowing continue to weave the ropes that help us climb us the opportunity to keep doing what we love every emotional wall after disappointing wall. to do. We are forever grateful for all those who It’s their drive and continuous support that believed that we’d one day make all our wildest feeds the fire and keeps the dream of SPF alive. dreams come true.

If you get a chance to win, take it.

Janet Adamana Editor-In-Chief

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+ Q&A

RETRO VIBES

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ET ADAMANA STORY BY JAN

ELE SAKEY

PHOTO BY AD

Q&A +

Indie-pop trio EXNATIONS may not have been a band for very long but thanks to their collective dedication, musical prowess, and damn-well good songs, they're already taking the scene by storm. We spoke with Taylor Hughes, Sal Mastrocola and Dan Ciarrocchi about their awesome 80s/90s influences and their debut single, "Never About The Money".

JA: How did EXNATIONS come to be? TH: I had been playing under the name EXNATIONS for a few years, trying to find the right sound and fit member-wise. I met Dan this summer, we really bonded over similar goals and influences. When it came time to find a vocalist Dan reached out to an old college friend, Sal. I trekked up to Brooklyn and met Sal and it clicked immediately. Within those first two weeks “Never About the Money” began to take shape! JA: The band is split between Baltimore and New York. What is the writing & recording process like? DC: I guess you could say it's kind of like any other band practice, except we just aren't in the same room. We have to be creative with our resources, so what we lack in convenience we make up for with careful planning and with our computers. It starts with one of us sending a file with an idea for a song. Usually it's pretty bare, and as a band, we will send it back and forth with a little more added to it. From there, we'll discuss how each part fits and make changes as necessary. We've also been tracking some guitar stuff with Chris Freeland, who's worked with some amazing bands like Future Islands and Wye Oak, and he's been a fantastic producer who has helped us get the sound we desire.

the aforementioned genres – artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Bombay Bicycle Club, Bruce Springsteen, New Order, ABBA, Bleachers, Modest Mouse, etc. I really love artists that do something that feels familiar and identifiable, but seen through their own lens. That's a bit of what we're going for with EXNATIONS. JA: Tell me about your new single, “Never About The Money”. What was the inspiration behind it? SM: This song was me trying to get inside the head of a villain – the type of person whose actions are predatory, conniving, egotistical, and divisive – but in their heart they believe they're the hero. Does this person understand their own motivations? Are they an asshole because they're after some financial goal? Power? Vanity? Or are they just an asshole? There seems to be an alarming number of these types of people rising to prominence in our world these days. Dancing helps deal with them.

JA: You guys have been pretty busy this past year. What do you have in the works for the rest of 2017? TH: We have another new single on its way! I can’t talk about it in great detail but it’s called “Can’t Get Hurt” and we’re really excited about it. We’ll also be playing a few more shows before the end of the year: Knitting Factory (Brooklyn) - Nov 8th w/ Anarbor and JA: You’ve created a really awesome mix of indie- The Ottobar (Baltimore) - Nov 30th w/ Us and Us Only. rock and 80s/90s electro-pop. Can you tell me We might sneak another one or two in there! about your musical influences? SM: Thank you! I'd consider these genres top of the list Stay up-to-date and like EXNATIONS at Facebook. of the best kinds of rock and pop, respectively. With com/ExnationsBand. Follow them on Instagram @ EXNATIONS, I'm drawing upon influences including EXNATIONS.

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+ Q&A

PIECING TOGETHER POWERFUL POP Self-taught local artist Peter Harder has always loved creating music, and recently just decided to begin sharing it with others. His album takes the listener through a journey, where he allows you to watch him grow and develop. We sat down with Peter to discuss hard work, mushrooms, Beyoncé and accepting who you truly are.

AS: Did you always know you wanted to share your music with other people? PH: The first [song] I ever made was called "Fugus" and I made it as a class project when I was a kid. We had to write about something we hated, and I hated mushrooms. I think I always had the idea that music was meant to be shared, even when I was small and writing songs without any meaning to them. It was a really bad song, but after that project I continued to make videos and parodies. It just grew from there. Even if I was keeping things to myself at one point, eventually I let someone see it.

AS: What’s your favourite song you’ve written? PH: It’s a tie. One is called “I Don’t Love You Anymore”. That one was a low point for me, and it’s about how I wasn’t accepting who I am and I didn’t like myself. The second is called “As the Universe, So the Soul”. That one is about when I really accepted who I was, and I was truly okay with it. It’s about not changing who you are, and the fact that you can’t change who you are as a person.

AS: What’s your goal with your music? PH: In a perfect world, my goal is to reach everyone with my music. I want everyone to be able to hear it The first time I let someone hear my real work was and feel something from it. I want to tour so badly. It’s about a year and a half ago. I shared [the song] with my a huge goal for me. I want people to watch my set and friend Julia and she lost her mind over it. I think that feel like they can do anything. I want people to leave was the first time it hit me that people actually enjoyed feeling empowered, just like other artists have done for what I was doing. me. Watching other performers made me want to push myself even harder.

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STORY & PHOTOS BY ALLY SIGURDSON

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I want people to watch my set and feel like they can do anything. I want people to leave feeling empowered, just like other artists have done for me.

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AS: You are a completely self-taught artist; tell me about that experience. Do you wish you had taken classes or do you prefer it this way? PH: I wish I had gone and done classes in the sense that I wish I could play more instruments. My sisters took piano and I would watch them and be very aware of the fact that I can’t do that. I’m able to figure things out and teach myself, which I’m proud of. I feel very connected to everything I do because I’m self-taught. I’m buried in it. It can be frustrating sometimes, but that’s okay. I’m very aware of the music I listen to, and I’m always trying to learn how to recreate what I am hearing around me.

Then she started over. I find that so inspiring. Rihanna feels the music she creates and does what she wants. I also really love Arianna Grande and Max Martin. [The music] is so well composed and intense. You can really get buried in their work, and I want that for me. Listening to artists like that and reading about their process makes me feel okay about how long some of my songs take at times. Some songs take me an hour and a half, some songs take me weeks. My friends tell me I over produce stuff, and that’s okay; because this music is mine and I want it to be perfect.

Beyoncé and her visual album - she told a story in this beautiful and artistic way. My album is a story, so AS: Who are your inspirations? I connected with that process. My ending song is the PH: Oh goodness. I have a few. Rihanna is amazing end of the story. It’s the record needle leaving the vinyl. because she does what she wants. She recorded a full It’s the last page of a book. I love endings to albums album, decided she didn’t want it and threw all of it out. like that. I love when people tell a story.

Check out Peter Harder's music at Soundcloud.com/PeterCantSpel.

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Share your passion for music by becoming a writer for Sound, Phrase & Fury! We’re recruiting magazine and website contributors. Editorial Tasks/Positions Available + EP/Album Reviews + Feature Articles + Interviews Artist/Industry Profiles + Columns* + Photography*

Benefits for writing for SPF + Gain experience for your resume, and add more articles/photos to your portfolio. + Work on your own time, in any location + Receive guidance and constructive feedback on writing + Contribute to the active promotion of independent artists all over the world

*These positions to be discussed.

Music Genres We Cover Pop rock Rock Indie-rock Indie-pop Jazz R&B Folk Pop-Punk Hip-hop Punk Pop Acoustic

Interested in going our team? E-mail info@soundphrasefury.com. Tell us about yourself, your love for music and what sort of things you’d like to be doing (reviews, interviews, features etc.)

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+ WE’RE ALL EARS COMPILED BY JANET ADAMANA

'Tis the season for giving, and the music industry has undoubtedly given us plenty of amazing songs to take us through to the end of this wonderful year. We’ve compiled a collection of artists who have given us the gift of incredibly addicting tunes.

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RUNAWAY SYMPHONY

+ ARTISTS TO WATCH

INDIE-POP MOSCOW, IDAHO

Indie-rock band Runaway Symphony could not have picked a more suiting name. With songs infused with anguish and emotion, bleeding over a bed of delicate and ghostly harmonies, the quartet have created a remarkable collection of alluring symphonies.

RunawaySymphony.com Facebook.com/Runaway Symphony

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Poetic and reflective, the band beautifully capture the complexities of the human condition, tugging at even the most buried and protected heartstrings. With memorable tracks like “The Fall of Man” we’re instantly hooked into their dark and moody musical world.

ARTISTS TO WATCH +

A melting pot of traditional americana, Tennesseetwang, modern rock and indie-pop, Seattle quartet Kuinka, pump the indie-folk scene full of their brand of catchy, dance-inducing songs.

KuinkaTheBand.com Facebook.com/KuinkaTheBand

Marrying together sweet, charming vocals upon a backdrop of ukuleles, banjos, synths, and even sax, their entire discography boasts unforgettable feel-good vibes. One listen to stand-out tracks like “Mistakenly Brave”, “Curious Hands” or “Running Up The Coast” and you’ll be rightfully addicted to their jovial works.

KUINKA

INDIE/FOLK SEATTLE, WA

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SINGER/SONGWRITER LOS ANGELES, CA

FRANK COPE At first listen, Frank Cope gives off classic rock vibes of The Cure, with a hint of Bruce Springsteen’s anthemic spirit, and a dash of John Mayer’s whimsy. But armed with his crafted musicality, the Californian singer/ songwriter injects his take on pop with some refreshing air.

FrankCopeMusic.com Facebook.com/FrankCopeMusic

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Both his more stripped down tunes and full-band renditions, offer a lively and light-hearted vibe, with more introspective and dark lyrical storylines. With only two EPs released, we’re already hooked and excitedly anticipating much more.

ARTISTS TO WATCH +

NORMUNDY.com Facebook.com/NORMUNDY Twitter.com/NORMUNDYBAND

Offering up a distinct sound that melds hip-hop, hardcore and electronic is Indianapolis quintet, NORMUNDY. Pulling inspirations from the likes of Linkin Park and Bring Me The Horizon, NORMUNDY also blends in honest and heartfelt lyrical content with energetic breakdowns, rounding out their unique take on modern-rock. They just released their third single, “Atlas” and we’re downright excited for more as we watch them and their careers grow.

NORMUNDY

HIP-HOP/ROCK INDIANAPOLIS, IN NOV/DEC 2017

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*These positions to be discussed.

Music Genres We Cover Pop rock Rock Indie-rock Indie-pop Jazz R&B Folk Pop-Punk Hip-hop Punk Pop Acoustic

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Interested in going our team? E-mail info@soundphrasefury.com. Tell us about yourself, your love for music and what sort of things you’d like to be doing (reviews, interviews, features etc.)

YEAR IN REVIEW COMPILED BY JANET ADAMANA

2017 was a huge year in music, especially in Manitoba. To celebrate all the amazing music released and the unforgettable shows, we had some of Winnipeg's prominent acts take us through their inspiring experiences from the past year.

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+ YEAR IN REVIEW

OLIVIA LUNNY 2017 has been an exciting year. A large portion of it has been spent focusing on live performances and writing new music. A few notable festivals included Winnipeg Folk Festival in the Stingray Young Performers program, Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Flatlanders Festival, and Manifest Street Festival. Other notable performances included opening for Leif Vollebekk, Those Guys Acapella Group, Boniface. I’ve also had the privilege of being a part of numerous fundraisers and charity events this past year. The Treble’s “24 shows in 24” hours held at the Goodwill Social Club , and “Band Together” in support of the Jocelyn House Hospice held at the West End Cultural Centre were two rewarding opportunities I’ve been a part of. This year I’ve placed a large emphasis on my goal of working to captivate local audiences. As 2018 approaches, one of my many goals is to seek opportunities to perform outside of the Manitoba market. A unique collaboration that helped me reach audiences outside of Winnipeg was working with British Columbia’s electronic duo WE ARE FURY in releasing the song “Waiting (Feat. Olivia Lunny)”. This song allowed me to explore other genres and was a fusion of my singer-songwriter roots, and their electronic dance Music. This song is on track to receive over 200,000 listens on various platforms. I am so proud of being a part of the Winnipeg music scene and community. There are so many talented Manitoban musicians and it motivates me to strive to become the best songwriter and artist I can be. I’m currently hard at work in the studio with the help of two talented industry professionals, Murray Pulver and Roman Clarke. I am working on my first EP which will be released early winter 2018. Momentum is one word to sum up 2017 and I anxiously await what 2018 will bring.

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YEAR IN REVIEW +

It's uncomfortable for me to talk about accomplishments, because there's always this nagging doubt and anxiety that it's as far as I'll go, I'm old news, or I haven't done enough and could have done so much more. As soon as something good happens I think of what I have yet to do. But I think it's okay to give myself a pat on the back once in awhile. After all music is my life passion and I have to acknowledge all the time and effort I put into it. The beginning of the year was spent finishing up my second full-length album. I played a few local shows, made it into the Top 10 in Manitoba in CBC’s Searchlight competition with the most votes in the province for my song “Vertigo”, and opened for renowned singersongwriter Daniel Champagne. In the summer, I released my second album “Where We're From” to a nearly sold-out Park Theatre, played Winnipeg Pride in between William Prince and Lanikai, and participated in the Stingray Young Performers Program at Winnipeg Folk Festival for the third time. The end of the year was spent writing and beginning to record my third album, which I hope to finally take on the road with me in 2018. In the middle of all this, I also graduated from University with a BA in Creative Writing and Education, which I think is worthy of note. I guess when it's all laid out in front of me, I've had a pretty good year, but I think next year will be better. Catch Nic Dyson as the Manitoba Music/WFF open mic host at the Handsome Daughter November 21, and performing with Taylor Janzen on December 2 at Le Garage Cafe.

Facebook.com/NicDysonMusic

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BLEED AMERICAN

We spent most of this year writing and recording a Recording can be very tedious and boring and we brand new album called It Probably Isn’t that will be worked on this album a bit here and there while all out in January. of us were up to different things. We started writing in March and we just wrapped It Probably Isn’t comes out January 5, 2017 on iTunes, up tracking on November 1st. We’re all very bored Spotify and Bandcamp and other major streaming of sitting around recording and we're ready to play services. some gigs.

Facebook.com/BleedAmericanMusic

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YEAR IN REVIEW +

We’ve always made the most of every opportunity thrown our way. We couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for those opportunities and the people and support we have around us. Whether it’s opening up for a hero band of ours - Pennywise in 2014 - playing shows in Newfoundland in 2015, or sweating our balls off in Asia in 2016 during six of the craziest gigs we’ve ever done, we’ve always felt the love. It makes all the shows in and outside of Winnipeg so great. 2017 was a little different for us. We released our second full-length record, Burnt in April (State Of Mind Records - US // Little Rocket Records - UK). It's 10 songs we all love and wrote over a rare few months off in December and January. We couldn’t be more proud of those songs and were very happy to finally share them. We recorded it with Jordan Voth, who, at the time, was playing rhythm guitar in the band. We threw a party in Winnipeg at the Goodwill Social Club. They removed our name from the marquee because someone was offended by our name. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. It’s just a joke about our parents. We flew out

Facebook.com/ElderAbuse204

to Montreal to play Pouzza Fest, the greatest punk rock festival in Canada. We ate and drank our faces off and saw so many great bands that weekend. It was our third time playing, and we've been lucky enough to see some of the all-time greats and other favorites of ours because of it. We did a short tour of western Canada with Daggermouth. Typical to western Canadian punk rock style, all those shows were bonkers. We spent the rest of 2017 at home writing new songs, preparing for what’s to come for us in 2018, and trying to live our regular adult lives between short bursts of punk rock shows. In 2018 we’ll have a handful of Winnipeg shows. We always make our way out to Eastern and Western Canada once a year which I’m sure we’ll continue to do. We will also be starting to write and record our next record. Our next show is January 6, 2018 at The Cavern with Bleed American and Alone I Walk and we couldn’t be more stoked.

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