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MAR/APR 2019
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Janet Adamana
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ally Sigurdson PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Steff Shields STAFF WRITERS Graeme Houssin Candace Houle
What Little Light That's Left, We Need To Keep It Sacred Note From The Editor
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Architects of Achievement Widmore talks new music and their Western Canada tour
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Artists to Watch Our Artist Picks for March/April
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New Music Spotlight: 16 homewrecker housepanther and wrecker on their brand new split, homewrecker
SPF X ALICE RL Lookbook Learn all about the SPF X Project
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
WHAT LITTLE LIGHT THAT'S LEFT, WE NEED TO KEEP IT SACRED 'We hope you find within our pages the artists and music that brings you all the hope you need to get through whatever it is that needs getting through.' Allow me to be real with you for a moment: this winter was insanely rough on me. Maybe it was the bitterly long stretches of unreasonable cold, the lack of proper sun exposure or my (winterinduced) increased emo music intake, but since the absolute high of the SPF 2019 launch, admittedly being Editor-In-Chief has not been as peachy-keen as I would have loved it to be.
I sincerely want to thank you for every single time you’ve flipped through this magazine and every artist that let us into their world, allowed us to share their art and share their stories. The team and I are forever grateful that we get to play even the tiniest of parts in the giant turning wheel of the independent music world, and no amount of thanks could ever be enough.
That being said, as low as it was and could have been, what pulled me through was remembering all your continued love and ongoing support for what we do here at SOUND, PHRASE & FURY. We have so many new ideas we want to bring to life and so many projects we can’t wait to show you, and despite the polarizing emotions that come with new creative endeavours, remembering who and what we do it for always seems to tip my emotional scales to happier favours.
As always, we hope you find within our pages the artists and music that brings you all the hope you need to get through whatever it is that needs getting through, as it has done for us countless times before. Thank you again for always listening, reading and supporting. See you on the other side of this.
We could let the light illuminate these hopeless places
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Janet Adamana Editor-In-Chief
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+ Q&A
ARCHITECTS OF ACHIEVEMENT Having their debut year seeing them secure a spot on the very last Vans Warped Tour and touring the West Coast with scene heavy hitters, Calling All Captains, emo/screamo band Widmore, say their early success is all in the details. The six-piece meticulously plans every aspect of the band, from songwriting and releasing right down to the unique atmosphere they create in their live shows - an overall strategy that has bode very well for the Calgary band. On the cusp of releasing new music and embarking on their first headlining tour across Western Canada, we caught up with Ruel James (Vocals), Jeremy Richardson (Vocals) and James Liam Ward (Bass) to talk about touring hardships, and how delving into other artforms has ultimately helped them grow as a band.
STORY BY JANET ADAMANA PHOTO BY BRANDYNN LEIGH
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Q&A +
JA: You grew up in the scene in Calgary. What was it like starting a hardcore band out there? RJ: The local scene in Calgary is different than it was a few years ago. There isn't really a metal core or metal scene out here anymore. It's mostly just hardcore or indie-rock. We didn't fall into any scene on the local level, so it was kind of weird starting out at first. We hopped on bills that we didn't necessarily fit on until we started doing our own shows and building the scene back up.
JA: You have screamer/singer duel vocals. How is the whole writing process for you? JR: It came from Ruel and me both being frontmen of bands before. I always listened to metal and screamo music second and rap has always been my first love. Ruel also really loves rap, so when we started we realized when we write, we're influenced by [rap] more. We've written together for a while now, so the writing process between us is very easy. RJ: We bounce off each other really well and pull from the same influences. We also tell each other if JA: You released your first single, 'This Hell' around something doesn't work. I think that's the flaw with this time last year. What are some changes you a lot of bands that do the dual vocalists thing, is that went through that made it into the new music? they're not necessarily on the same page lyrically. RJ: Oh my God, so, so much! Doing Warped Tour and getting to see how all those bands operate, getting With the new stuff, we pretty much wrote the entire to see what kids are responding to. Coming back thing next to each other. There were a lot of times and writing after playing together all summer, we where I would be stuck on a section, and I would really know where we sit with our sound now. The take part of Jeremy's next phrase, and he would end new stuff goes to both ends of the spectrum. It's a phrases for me and finish each other's thoughts, little poppier at times but also a lot heavier. which I think helps the flow of the music.
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+ Q&A
JA: Can you talk about your first year as a band? JR: We extensively plan because we found that if we plan, we get stuff done. We'll write it on a whiteboard and then it's staring us in the face. We probably rewrote our whiteboard five times this year; completing a lot of stuff and putting out a lot of content. RJ: Going through the summer and getting to play as much as we did together, it solidifies you as a band a lot faster than most bands get to; to be in such a tight space and having to deal with the hardships that we went through on [warped tour] together. One of the first things we heard when we got added to Warped was 'this tour will either make you the greatest band that's ever been around or will break you up.' It was a joke at the time, but then, as you go through it, you realize why so many bands don't make it through. It was a nice way to start and test how we are together. JA: Bands have so many options for releasing music, from just doing singles to only albums. You are doing both. How did you decide that was going to be your game plan? JR: We like to follow the marketing of artists that aren't in our typical scene. Rappers are consistently
dropping music, and their popularity grows exponentially with every release because they're consistently putting out music. We like to look to other art forms to market ourselves in that sense. JW: It was nice having these singles. They were written as a collective, so they all work when they're listened to together, but it's nice to be able to release them in increments and give people a taste of our sound. We are a new band, and I think dropping an album could have gotten lost. JA: I've heard you say your live show is where your music really comes alive, so what can people expect when they catch you on this Spring tour? JR: We like to look at our live shows like a show where, when people watch it it's an experience. We do think about it critically, like we have our own light setups. While doing that we've made interludes that may not ever make an album or an EP, so you might go to a live show and hear something you'll never hear on a track. RJ: We try to make our live show its own piece. Instead of just performing songs that everyone knows we try to make it something that you want to see because it'll never happen that way again. For the upcoming tour, we made a lot of changes.
'We like to look at our live shows like a show where, when people watch it it's an experience.'
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Q&A +
'Going through the summer and getting to play as much as we did together, it solidifies you as a band a lot faster than most bands get to.' We've added a lot of new songs and added a lot of production that we didn't have before. We're all really excited to show people our work. JA: You talk a lot about the process, is that something you always looked at or was it more you learned from your previous bands that may not have done that, like 'we're going to do it this way because we've learned from our mistakes'? JR: Partly that and partly because we always try and look at it as art. A lot of us, aside from music, are artists and do other forms of art. When we look at our music, everything we release, everything we do, if we look at it as art, look at it critically and try and iron out the details then when we release something we're always happy with it. There's not a lot of stuff that's been completely rushed and released the next morning. Looking at the details and looking at it as art all the time, is now how we're engraved.
RJ: Not a lot of bands put a lot of thought into those smaller nuances because it seems really tedious and it is tedious, but it's the very subtle things that I think people attach to and a lot of people notice and comment on to us. We try to keep everything super cohesive. It's easier to digest as a whole because it's so consistent across all mediums. JA: It’s just a consistent mood with you guys, is that going to change once the new music is out? RJ: Yeah. Everything that we were doing before just one notch up, maybe ten (laughs). The marketing that we have planned is probably the most extensive thing that any band has ever done for an EP. It's really extra, but we hope it works out.
Catch Widmore (with Hawking and Tama Hills) and on their Western Canada Tour kicking off in Burnaby, BC on April 7th. Listen to their music through Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Stay up to date with the band through Facebook and Instagram.
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ARTISTS TO WATCH +
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ARTISTS TO WATCH COMPILED BY JANET ADAMANA
We're always excited to add new music to our ever-expanding playlists. Here at SPF, the ringing in of Spring means some sweet new additions to welcome the warmer weather and the sunnier skies! To kick-off the season, we've compiled our top artist picks for March/April.
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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH
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HAPPY HEARTBREAK SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Offering a balanced dose of melancholy spun into peppy indie-pop songs is Happy Heartbreak. The aptlynamed quintet weaves a stockpile of emotions into the strands of their otherwise sunny and uplifting instrumentation. Masters of storytelling and framing the mood, their latest EP, Flight Risk, beautifully captures both the rejection and happiness that come with being young, in love and trying to find your place in the world. Happy Heartbreak provides a feel-good soundtrack for those days when the world feels like it’s burning and you need to hear that it’s still all going to be ‘a-okay.’
INDIE-ROCK/POP
BETTER LOVE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN PHOTO: KAITLYN JOHNSTON
There is something about Better Love that just instantly captivates you. Maybe it’s the solid poetic storytelling, the insanely catchy hooks or that every song just calls your body straight to the dancefloor. The Chicago outfit cleverly blends indie-pop and alt-rock with lyrics that are, both reflective yet hopeful and whimsy to create heartwarming anthemic tunes; the perfect companion for long days on the road or calm summer nights on the beach.
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ARTISTS TO WATCH +
EMO/INDIE-ROCK
WORLDS GREATEST DAD ATLANTA, GEORGIA
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Self-proclaimed ‘big emotional babies,’ worlds greatest dad, brings a tidal wave of the feels and delivers an alluring blend of emo, indie-rock, and folk-punk. Layering what feels like intimate diary entries atop blaring melodies and grandiose sweeping choruses, listening to WGD is delving into a heart-to-heart with a kickass and catchy musical backdrop. They kick off Spring with an 8-day US tour with Future Teens and head throughout the United States and parts of Canada opening for Free Throw and Tiny Moving Parts.
INDIE-POP
THE BAE BEACH CLUB ST. CATHERINES, ONTARIO
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN
PHOTO: BRANDON BROCCOLO
If there’s any band that can summon the sweet summer heat, it’s The Bae Beach Club. Giving us (muchneeded) laid-back beach vibes, the St. Catherines' indie-pop trio have created a charming throwback to 60s and 70s pop. Kiki Klassen’s soft, pixie-like vocals coo over a blend of funk, disco, and old-timey pop to perfectly paint the picture of that care-free cabana life. Sit back, crank up The Bae Beach Club and feel yourself melt away into that (imaginary) sunshine!
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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH
+ INDIE-ROCK/EMO
ANDY'S ROOM FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN A perfect pairing for those long rainy days of Spring is Andy’s Room. Intertwining moody emo melodies and the energy of early 2000s alt-rock the band creates a dark and broody musical repertoire that drags up all types of emotions all the while cheering you up with its upbeat rock backdrop. They’ll be spending March and April on the road supporting pop-punk’s Forever Came Calling on their North American Acoustic Tour. Get the wine and get ready to wallow!
ALT-ROCK/EMO
BOGUES MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN PHOTO: SAM BARKWELL
Pain-tinged and full of heart, Bogues is an emotionally intense offering of alt-rock and emo. Exploring themes of heartbreak, self-doubt, and crippling discomfort that comes with the never-ending growing pains of your twenties, Bogues creates a poignant and memorable collection. Armed with a setlist guaranteed to bring tears to even the toughest of hearts, Bogues will be touring across the United States and Ontario in Spring opening for indie-rock band Delta Sleep.
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SPF 7.2 ARTISTS PLAYLIST Snag a listen to the artists featured in Sound, Phrase & Fury 7.2 on Spotify. SoundPhraseFury • SPF 7.2 Artists
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+ RECAP
NEW MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: HOMEWRECKER Painting a painful portrait of infidelity and the dark truths we often try our best not to think about, is the brand new split release, homewrecker. The five-song EP is the latest collaborative project by Canadian musicians housepanther and wrecker and melds indie-pop, folk, and rock to bring you a memorable and moving batch of songs. What started as a light-hearted joke between friends, soon became a deeply personal and internal look at the complexities and the torture we put ourselves through when looking for that age-old thing they call love. We sat down with Bailee Woods (housepanther) and Jory Strachan (wrecker) to chat about what sparked the project, working together and what it takes to write such intricate and intimate songs.
STORY BY JANET ADAMANA PHOTO BY MARINA JANSEN
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RECAP +
JA: Can you go into how this project started? BW: We’ve known each other for a while playing in other bands. We did the housepanther release show with R U S T O W L’s EP. Just from knowing each other; we’re both fans of each other’s music; we thought it’d be fun to do another collaborative thing. With our two names, [Jory’s] solo project, wrecker and housepanther, it became homewrecker. JS: It was kind of a joke, ‘we should do a split and call it homewrecker!’ and then we actually did it. JA: So you came up with this specific concept of homewrecking and infidelity. However, the EP ended up having less of an angry-ex vibe and more of an introspective look at relationships. BW: We wanted to go for a really sad vibe. The first song that I wrote for it turned out to be pretty poppy, but I think we definitely tried to write to the theme of homewrecker and on both sides of that; being in relationships where the person is not invested in you or vice versa. JA: Can you go through the songs you each wrote? JS: 'Whitney' is a story about a person that I had met, somebody who I was very close with. Before she and I were together for a bit, she was in a sort of
failing relationship, and we were just friends. When I first started writing the song, I was inspired to write a song about a friend. It started out as a song about a friend before it turned into the song that it was. It’s of not wanting to get in the way of that relationship but sort of inadvertently getting in the way of that relationship anyway. 'Learning The Rules' too is an exploration of previous relationships for both of us. 'Passenger Party' is more complex I guess. To me, it’s a little different. Honestly, the song is really about depression, and when you’re going through life very passively and you’re kind of just a passenger in your own life. In the context of the theme of homewrecker, I took the word apart and wrote about how your home doesn’t feel like home anymore. BW: I would say '17% Wine' is about coming out of an on-again, off-again relationship that’s gone on for years and getting back into the dating scene and having doubts about your self-confidence and what you deserve or what you don’t deserve and just trying to map that out. I related it to home wrecking as ‘I’m just going to mess up in serious relationships,’ so it’s a lot of self-sabotage in a way that if something’s going too well I kind of freak out a little bit… JS:...like wrecking the good thing.
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'Sometimes you have to look at the uglier parts of situations and take that risk of putting it out there. ' BW: Yeah exactly! 'NYE' is a song about still having feelings for somebody but trying to push through because it’s not a healthy thing. It’s trying to put yourself back out there, but you’re still not ready to go through that. You kind of feel like you’re betraying this new person that is giving you their time, but you’re still a little bit messed up over something else.
BW: It happens all the time, and it’s okay to talk about it. No one’s good or bad. I think just trying to explore a topic like homewrecker, you want to have a negative association with it but we’re all just people trying to map out our shit. For me, it was just having to admit a lot of my faults in past relationships too, which is a hard thing to do, because you want to be like, ‘ahh, it was all this person that whole time! It JA: These songs are deeply personal, and you’re was their fault!’ But it’s diving into that and looking talking about what you’re like when you’re in a at the full picture. relationship, so are these topics something that you both were itching to get out or was it more like JA: Aside from the heavier topics, it seems like you as soon as you had this theme, all of a sudden it both had a lot of fun with it. began pouring out? BW: Yeah, the recording process was so easy and it JS: I think it was more like that yeah; giving ourselves just all came together really quickly. the landscape and the reason to write about it. JS: It was such a great experience, and it was so easy BW: Totally. I think they would have been harder going. Everyone was on the same page. God bless songs for me to tap into if I didn’t have [that theme]. Liam Duncan for co-producing it with us. It was just It’s stuff you don’t want to think about so with having a great, really collaborative experience. We went in a theme you try to think of things in your life that there with some ideas, but we were like an open could relate to that. Sometimes you have to look book. at the uglier parts of situations and take that risk of BW: I think it worked so well because we’re all pretty putting it out there. easy-going people in terms of our music, sonically. JS: And I think a lot of people go through experiences We’re not die-hard on anything, we’re more like, ‘oh similar to that, more than people would like to try this.’ admit.
homewrecker is available through Bandcamp, Transistor 66 and Toska Tapes. Stay up to date with housepanther through Facebook and Instagram. Stay up to date with wrecker through Facebook and Instagram.
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LISTEN/BUY
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DIGITAL LOOKBOOK
SPF ALICE RL
2018/2019
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SPF X BRINGS SOUND, PHR MAGAZINE TOGETHER WITH ILLUSTRATORS.
THE AIM IS TO BRING READERS LIMITED EDITION MERCHANDISE THAT CELEBRATES OUR MANTRA, “GET LOST IN SOUND” THROUGH T EYES AND STYLES OF NEW ARTISTS
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RASE & FURY H LOCAL
THE S.
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For the project’s inaugural year, SPF X has partnered with Alice RL, a non-binary, Ojibwe artist whose work draws inspiration from their experiences and cultural teachings and melds it with a signature palette of bright, playful hues. Their artwork creates stunning juxtapositions of human brutality and emotion with hope and whimsy. Alice’s projects include game and comic book art, digital and traditional illustration, and graphic design aimed at presenting beautiful and emotional stories that are LGBT2SQ+ inclusive.
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SPF X continues our aim to create platforms for artists - from the musicians we cover to the writers we work with.
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ORTION OF EVERY SPF X ALICE RL LE GOES TO THE ILLUSTRATOR.
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Our hope is to give SPF supporters a glorious piece of wearable art while connecting local artists with new audiences.
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Photography by Kerri Martens
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SOUNDPHRASEFURY.COM/ALICERL
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