Sound, Phrase & Fury 7.3

MAY/JUNE 2019

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MAY/JUNE 2019

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Janet Adamana

May They Strum and Feel Everything Note From The Editor

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No Fuzz Given Danger Fuzz talks playing loud and hard

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Rage If She Wants To

Profile on rapper/emcee Kimmortal

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Queer Music Spotlight: 12 Dan Unger of tunic Dan Unger talks punk music and navigating the non-binary

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ally Sigurdson PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Steff Shields STAFF WRITERS Graeme Houssin Candace Houle

Artists to Watch

Our Artist Picks for May/June

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Church of Angst

Screaming At Traffic talks their debut album, I Don't Like Sports

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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

MAY THEY STRUM AND FEEL EVERYTHING 'Every time we do it, I ask myself, “Why are we doing this? Is this a necessary thing?” But then I get so excited to put something that I feel really, really proud of into the world."'

- Verena von Pfetten, Gossamer Magazine

I recently read an eye-opening interview in Eye on Design Magazine, about what it takes to run an independent magazine in 2019. It gave an intimate look at, not just the logistics of running one, but also the emotional turmoil and what it is that pushes magazine makers to throw caution to the wind and bury doubts in the sand to continue to do what we love to do no matter what.

What is it that pushes us, despite all of that? It’s the idea that with every issue we get to create and share with the world something made from our sweat and spit, something we’ve all built together, brick by burning brick. It’s the idea that I know we share with so many of the artists that we’ve been fortunate to cover. They, too, create not just to let out thoughts and sounds but to share something all music lovers strive to share and that’s their experiences.

Send applause to your heart strings

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It’s the idea that maybe if you pour all of the things that you’re feeling – the awesome and the appalling – into these small works of art, it might reach someone and speak to someone just the way it had spoken to you.

It’s building those bridges across lands and seas; and even across language or cultural barriers to build those swarms of communities.

Thank you for being a part of this, whether it was just for today or from the very start. Thank you for letting us be even the tiniest part of this gigantic community of independent music fans and thank you for continuing to give us the reasons to keep living it, breathing it and sharing the stories of all the greatest musicians in it.

Janet Adamana Editor-In-Chief

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NO FUZZ GIVEN

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Q&A +

STORY & PHOTO BY CANDACE HOULE

With an extensive musical resume Winnipeg musicians Mac Vannan (drums/ vocals) and Tyler Hesford (bass/Vocals), are no strangers to the stage or the local scene. Despite their years of experience it wasn’t until they came together to create their newest punk project, Danger Fuzz, did they find the confidence to push themselves and each other out of their comfort zones. We sat down with the duo to chat about their musical influences, their live show and what it takes to capture their pure live sound.

CH: From listening to the three songs you have out, I get strong Fugazi, At the Drive-In vibes, is that intentional?

TH: I’ve never really listened to Fugazi at this point, but when Danger Fuzz started, after almost every show someone has said ‘man you guys give off some awesome Fugazi vibes,’ and we're like ‘cool, who is this band?’

CH: How would you describe Danger Fuzz’s sound?

TH: The sound is in the name: It’s dangerous yet fuzzy. High-intensity punk rock music.

MV: Lots of energy. I like the subject matter of the songs, it isn't necessarily super fun but when you're live, and you try to feel a fun atmosphere and hope every person there enjoys it.

TH: The main thing with Danger Fuzz is to make sure the audience is having just as much fun as we are. We enjoy hitting the stage more than anybody.

Hopefully, the audience reciprocates that because people vibe off that. If the band looks like they're having fun, then the people watching are going to

have more fun. If the band looks bored, no one is going to get into it. Live music can transfer energy right. It starts with the band. The band has to give the audience that energy and then the band feeds off that energy again.

CH: What goes into making the sound what it is?

MV: We’re keeping it pretty true to form. The demos we did we recorded live in the basement, and then we added vocals over top so everything you hear on that demo is how we played it live to each other. I feel like we're pretty verbatim from the recording to live [shows]. When we go to do an EP we kind of want to do it the same way. I played in a two-piece before, and we recorded the same way. I just felt that way you get a feel for the song when you're listening to it. A two-piece can lock in really well whereas in a jam with six band members you might need to do a track and then layer and layer just so everything's tight you know? But I've always been able to really lock in with just one other person.

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CH: Why the name Danger Fuzz, are you both dangerous fellas?

MV: I wouldn't consider myself dangerous at all. I'm a little fuzzy just with the hair. It’s a cool name.

TH: We were initially going to call ourselves Night Danger.

MV: A DJ with like, three followers took it, and we were like ‘oh we can't do that, we can't be Night Danger.’ I came up with Night Danger when I was on tour with P O U T. There are signs all through Ontario when you're driving on the highway that says ‘night danger’ and it has a moose on it. I came up with this mythical moose in my head. The moose would hunt down bands on tour. But I like danger, and then I’m like ‘we're fuzzy, so why not Danger Fuzz?’

CH: In terms of song length, which do you prefer?

TH: I like both a lot. Actually, the one song you're referring to “60 Seconds to Get High,” it was right before a radio interview where we're like ‘we need to write some songs,’ and Mac was like ‘let's just write a one minute song,’ and I'm like ‘I'll just do a riff. You drum and yell into the microphone.

MV: We worked that one out like two hours before the show. It's a drum roll, open hi, screaming then the same fuzzy riff over for a minute. I just tapped into something that pissed me off, and I'm just like ‘we'll call it 60 seconds to get high.’

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I wrote a song about getting mad at people who get high all the time. Back to the song lengths, I feel like the pacing is something important with an album. We can have all our songs a minute, but our set would be like 14 minutes long.

CH: When writing do you think in terms of the live show?

TH: I don't think any of our songs have been written like that. It's after the fact that we piece it together. For me, I've always had a setlist approach where a 1, being kind of lower energy and 5 being maximum energy.

You want to start with something like a 1 or 2 and ramp that up until you hit a 5 and then bring it back down, then do the same thing again. I don't know if it seems to make the night flow better, but people seem to enjoy it.

CH: How natural was it for you two to write together?

TH: It’s supernatural. One of the first times we jammed, we turned that into a song called “Creeps at Night.” I've never been much of a songwriter. I've always been a bassist and added my piece to other people's songs so it's been an interesting approach to try to come up with my own original riffs. Mac is super easy to do that with. Anything that I toss to the guy, he’s excited.

Q&A +

'The main thing with Danger Fuzz is to make sure the audience is having just as much fun as we are. We enjoy hitting the stage more than anybody' MV: Being a drummer and I can't write music, I can't play guitar. I can write lyrics to what Tyler comes up with, so with me, I'm pretty dependent on what Tyler can come up with and then seeing what beat I can put in it or if I can physically sing along while playing.

CH: So it’s 50/50 in terms of singing?

TH: Right now, Mac probably does more of the singing than I do. Actually, in every track that we've released, that's Mac singing. We have a couple where I sing it as well, but I would say Mac does more of the singing and actual lyrical writing whereas I do a lot of the song structure.

MV: Tyler's never sang before. I sang in my old band but I didn't think drummers were even allowed to sing and I didn't think I could sing, I yell and talk loudly I guess. That kind of just built my confidence up. I missed just screaming and playing the drums,

and when Danger Fuzz came along, I was like ‘I can do this again.’ I've been pretty eager to get out and have the mic.

TH: Starting off, I was super nervous about singing in front of people. I mean I did some backup vocals, but this is different. People have certain expectations now because we've been playing in a bunch of bands. There are some preconceived notions to it like, this has got to be good, and my singing isn't good yet. I'm getting there. I'm getting a lot more confident with it.

The nice thing is with all the practicing we've been doing it has been great but doing that in front of people, that's a whole different game. We've got a lot of shows coming up that I can kind of get over that. I feel like I'm doing a fine job of it for now, but I know there's a lot more that I can unleash.

Catch Danger Fuzz in Winnipeg at Forth, on May 18 with Dead Fibres and Fear the Mammoth, and at Bulldog Pizza on May 30 with Kid Lucifer and The Psychics. Stay up to date with Danger Fuzz through Facebook, and Instagram. Listen through Youtube.

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+ MUST HEAR

RAGE IF SHE WANTS TO Melding music, theatrics, tech and animation, interdisciplinary artist, Kimmortal sheds much-needed light on cultural representation, female equality, and empowerment.

Becoming a regular contributor to the Vancouver music scene is a goal for any artist - but this is no easy feat. It takes hustle and determination for a musician to make a name for themselves, and no one knows that better than singer, songwriter, rapper and emcee, Kimmortal. Since releasing her first album in 2014 and performing alongside Canadian heavy-hitters like Shad, this young artist, born Kim Villagante, shows no signs of slowing down.

In a highly populated city, the music industry can be loud and full of musicians demanding to be heard. For many, all of this chatter can make it challenging to create a distinct voice for themselves, but this is not the case for Villagante.

This interdisciplinary artist operates using music,

STORY BY STEFF SHIELDS

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theatre, animation, and design to create pieces that are direct views of her values and concerns, particularly focused on cultural representation, female equality, and empowerment.

Several years of writing and recording proceeded the 2014 release of Sincerity, the debut album from Kimmortal. Since then, Villagante has been producing steadily, expanding and experimenting with texture and style. The Kimmortal discography shows a constant evolutionary flow with the artist revisiting and remixing previously released tracks to present cemented ideas with new and captivating vehicles. All of this work, revision, and growth have culminated with the release of sophomore album, X Marks the Swirl.

PHOTO BY IRIS KHAYIN CHIA

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Instead of keeping tight to current musical trends of polished verses and buzz sounds, X Marks the Swirl creates a musical space that draws listeners in, allowing them to share space instead of being dominated by sound. This accessible but firm presentation plays into the repeated themes of sexual harassment, and political turmoil. Despite this being a solo album, Villagante collaborates with other local artists, collectively referred to as “femcees,” Missy D, JB the First Lady, as well as notable emcee Khingz and first nations rapper Ostwelve.

Sharp flow and meaningful lyrics are a recurring theme throughout X, but each song maintains its own identity and message. Tracks like “Sad Femme Club” can act as an anthem or education

piece while “Activation” reads like a call of duty to listeners, urging them to question systems while expressing empathy and practicing an understanding that seems to be lacking on a global scale.

Over a five year span, Villagante has achieved more than other artists have over their entire careers.

These achievements include two studio albums, several stand-alone tracks, and appearances at JunoFest 2018, SXSW (South by Southwest Festival) in Texas, the Vancouver Writers Festival and the Kultura Filipino Arts Festival in Toronto. It is clear that while other artists are simply talking, Kimmortal has something to say.

Grab copies of releases and listen to Kimmortal through Bandcamp. Stay up to date through Facebook and Instagram.

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+ QUEER MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

QUEER MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: DAN UNGER OF TUNIC Graeme Houssin sits down with one of Winnipeg’s premiere punk drummers to talk about emotional labour, Mario Kart and navigating the non-binary. This article is a partnership between SPF and Queer Music Spotlight, a blog by Houssin showcasing the best queer-made music weekly.

STORY BY GRAEME HOUSSIN PHOTO BY JEN DOERKSEN

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QUEER MUSIC SPOTLIGHT +

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In plus 30 degrees at last year’s Real Love Summer Festival, Dan Unger went shirtless with two words painted across their back and one on their chest: “they/them” and “enby.”

“Well, I can literally have ‘enby’ written on my chest, GH: Tell me about your music career.

‘They/them’ written on my back and people still DU: In high school, my friends and I started working together in projects and I joined Lev Snowe. We – refer to me as dude or man or guy.”

George [Penner], Lev and Tim [Roth] and I – wanted Since their debut in the music scene three years ago, to start a band for so long. At some point down the Unger’s been unabashedly and unapologetically line I realized I wanted to start getting more into hard vocal of their queerness, of the emotional labour and aggressive music because I’ve been a metalhead tied to constantly validating one’s presence in music since I was a little youngin’. It was actually in grade and the necessity of examining the way we gender 12 where I kind of started to branch out and listen to other music. I think my first not-metal record was our language.

Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) It was a perspective I’d scarcely heard in the local and I just felt really behind everybody. I would talk music scene, and as a non-binary person, it was a like, “have you heard about this band Arcade Fire? perspective I knew well. But I couldn’t imagine what They’re so good!” as if that was an underground it must be like to navigate punk spaces across North indie secret band, just ‘cause I listened to nothing America as a non-binary musician, wolfing down but black metal and death metal. I joined Pleasure Dens, a project that’s currently on hiatus, and I was incorrect pronouns and invalidation at every stop. kind of the only drummer in the music scene that We sat down in a sunny corner of Forth on a Sunday, played loud punk music apart from tunic, who and I asked one of our city’s most prolific punk I super looked up to, and when Sam [Neal] was drummers (and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever quitting the band, David [Schellenberg] and Rory been blessed to meet) to talk punk, touring and [Ellis] were both kind of like, “okay, who’s the other navigating the non-binary. drummer in Winnipeg who plays loud punk music?

Oh, let’s get Dan,” and here we are. I’ve been in tunic for about a year and a half or so now.

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QUEER MUSIC SPOTLIGHT +

GH: You’re a big softie, but you play hard rock music! How do you reconcile those two approaches?

DU: They’re very much about each other. I very much depend on my ability to take out all my frustration and dissatisfaction in my art – and just naturally beating the heck out of a drum, what’s more therapeutic than that? It’s almost relaxing.

But it’s really hard when that type of music just has such cisnormativity ingrained in the fan base. I’ve always wanted to play metal music and I’ve always wanted to be a part of the punk scene, but never really feeling accepted by the culture, never really wanting to feel a part of this.

GH: What’s it like touring with tunic, being nonbinary?

DU: I can really feel myself grow as a musician, and not just playing live but the way we go about ourselves on the road. I used to not be able to talk to people after shows, and being able to do that is a little comforting; but with being non-binary, it’s a big barrier because anybody who likes your set and wants to come up and talk to you like, 'hey man, that was super fucking sick dude,' and so a part of getting that gratification and validation naturally comes with this uncomfortable feeling. David and Rory being very good people, they often take care of that stuff for me. Whenever we’re talking and hanging out with friends, Rory and David will often take people and be like, 'hey, Dan’s non-binary, please refer to them as they/them and not use dude and man.' I’m very grateful for that and it makes being on the road way more comforting.

GH: Did you start identifying as non-binary before or after you got involved in music?

DU: I kind of came out just after high school, so about three years ago. A lot about finding my identity came with finding my identity as a musician, so they almost feel intertwined in a way. Being able to put myself out there as a queer person intertwines with putting myself out there as a musician and just constantly seeking permission and validation.

GH: What are some of the challenges navigating the punk scene as a non-binary person?

DU: A big part of it is being misgendered. Also, when I’m on stage, people hear something they like but they see it through a completely different lens and it doesn’t really reach me at all. It doesn’t feel like people see me as a queer artist, especially because I stopped performing gender, I suppose.

I dress to “pass,” I guess, and that can be naturally really hard because they just see this dude rocking out behind the kit, but that has never really been me. There’s plenty of queer artists out there, but I don’t really get an opportunity to play next to them and see more of me in the people that we play with because the punk scene can be fairly maledominated. That can be a little upsetting, a little frustrating because I want to be able to use what I’m doing to share platforms and space with other people, and when you spend a lot of time with dudes on the road, that sense of dysphoria really kicks in. You just kind of feel hidden.

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+ QUEER MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

'Being queer and knowing that I’m being honest with myself about who I am and carving my spot in the music scene is its own benefit, its own reward.'

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GH: Do you think there are any benefits from having a queer perspective navigating those spaces?

DU: When I started getting big opportunities in music, it felt like I was able to make a difference and be seen by other young queer people, and be an inspiration for cis people in the scene to re-analyze the way they think about gender. I do get into little ruts sometimes when I feel like I’m not really doing anything because I could be more vocal or experiment more with how I present on stage. But being queer and knowing that I’m being honest with myself about who I am and carving my spot in the music scene is its own benefit, its own reward; just to feel good about what you’re doing – and that comes with support from cis people – knowing people are changing their minds and starting to progress and think better. Not that me feeling better is dependent on what cis people think of me, but knowing that people are changing around me, that’s a good feeling.

GH: What’s the choice behind how to present in a certain way over another on stage?

DU: I guess when cis people think of non-binary people, it’s always very androgynous and very gender-bending – almost like I’m expected to be in drag at all times. Doing that is fun as hell and can be what gets you through a performance and gets you into that right mind and feeling good, but it can also not be. People’s definitions of non-binary can’t just be so ramped up in how people present and how people perform gender. There shouldn’t be an unfair expectation of those artists to present in a certain way if that’s not what makes them feel comfortable.

GH: Do you think it’s important for visibility sake that you’re out in punk scenes being vocally queer?

DU: I certainly feel that pressure to be constantly vocal. Every time I get misgendered at shows, it sticks with me. It’s something I’m always thinking about and something that I feel not a lot of people think about, so it’s important to be having that conversation, but sometimes I don’t want to. Sometimes I just want to focus on feeling good so I can play this show even though I’ve been misgendered five or ten times already. It’s important for me to put that pressure on myself, but it’s also important to be putting pressure on cis people to be following the conversation and extending the conversation outside of shows – interrupting misgendering when it happens; talking to your friends who always address people with gendered language. It’s important for cis people to do some of that work as well.

GH: What does respect look like in those interactions?

DU: I think when you can’t assume that about people, you should always use gender-neutral language. Being cautious about the use of pronouns and maybe privately asking them for their pronouns, to avoid forcing someone to publicly out themselves in front of somebody they don’t want to. Never assuming much and having gender-neutral language in your repertoire – like addressing people as folks or y’all or buddy.

Stay up to date with tunic through Facebook and Instagram. Listen to their music through Bandcamp. Check out other spotlights on the careers and works of legendary LGBTQ+ artists on queermusicspotlight.wordpress.com.

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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH COMPILED BY JANET ADAMANA

We’re welcoming the warmer weather with hot new artists and tracks added to our always-expanding playlists. We’ve searched far and wide to bring you some of our favourite artist picks for May/June!

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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH

+ POP-ROCK

CITY MOUTH EVERGREEN PARK, ILLINOIS

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Who knew you could make the confusion of adolescence, heartbreak and the constant questioning of one’s purpose sound so peppy and fun? City Mouth takes these darker elements of life and playfully smatters it against a backdrop of indie-rock and early 2000s power-pop to bring you a quirky and upbeat offering that breaks the gloom for even the saddest of listeners – think fun. Relient K and Motion City Soundtrack in a giant melting pot full of shattered teenage dreams. City Mouth kicks off summer hitting the road in June opening for emo/pop-punk’s You Vs Yesterday.

INDIE-POP

GOLDEN EARS VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Our ears were immediately hooked upon hearing electro-pop outfit, Golden Ears. If you’re looking to add some chill out tunes to your beach-ready playlists or to pair with rainy day blues, this Vancouver-based artist is your best bet. Weaving dreamy synths, pop beats and blaring climatic choruses, every Golden Ears song leaves you floating in an ethereal cloud of sound. Their debut EP, Wide Awake All Night, is an emotional but hopeful collection that gracefully strums at your heartstrings all the while begging you to dance.

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ARTISTS TO WATCH +

INDIE-ROCK/BLUES

COASTAL WIVES DENVER, COLORADO

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Denver four-piece Coastal Wives gives us sweet summer vibes with their addicting dose of indie-rock, blues, and 70s country. With grand sweeping guitar solos, catchy hooks, new age southern twang with a dash of the nostalgic country feels, Coastal Wives serve a musical repertoire fit for a good ‘ol time. It’s been a few years since their last release, but fans new and old can rejoice as the guys are currently working on an LP and have plans to drop three new singles this summer.

INDIE-ROCK/POP

ALISON ROSE OTTAWA, ONTARIO

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN Canadian musician, Alison Rose introduces listeners to an original mix of folk, indie-rock, and mainstream pop beats. Alison’s vocals are warm and undeniable hypnotic; they weave charmingly through the music and altogether creates a whimsical collection of tunes. It’s not an easy feat to cross pop and country without ostracizing fans of either genre, but Alison delicately pieces together signature elements of each and offers a blend that pleases both sides of the spectrum and then some.

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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH

+ INDIE-ROCK/EMO

GLACIER VEINS PORTLAND, OREGON

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN PHOTO: KRISTINA DAWN

Melding indie-rock, emo, and pop is four-piece, Glacier Veins. One of their most notable elements is vocalist, Malia Endres’ ability to utilize almost pixie-like ghostly vocals to capture youthful angst and spit it back out with a balance of punk aggression and a softer pop music grace. Equal parts poignant and catchy, the band has been garnering attention in the scene, and landing gigs like 8123 Fest with pop-rock heavy-hitters, The Maine and Mayday Parade. Glacier Veins kicked off the year in the studio and will be touring the US with Stickup Kid and Till I Fall this summer.

INDIE-ROCK

PAPER SHAKERS TORONTO, ONTARIO

FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LISTEN

PHOTO: EMMA-LEE ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Toronto’s Paper Shakers gives us all the energy and dance-inducing rock anthems we could ever ask for. The five-piece splice elements of indie and alt-rock, pop and folk to create a big and lively sound that can easily be savoured in any form; from an intimate house show to a giant festival stage. Their storytelling chops are heightened by their alluring duel, male-female vocals of Whitney and Michael Hall and keep us undoubtedly hooked. The band has been busy with shows after shows with their summer kicking off with more gigs including a performance at Canadian Music Week opening for Nick Waterhouse.

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SPF 7.3 ARTISTS PLAYLIST Snag a listen to the artists featured in Sound, Phrase & Fury 7.3 on Spotify.

SoundPhraseFury • SPF 7.3 Artists

SOUNDPHRASEFURY.COM

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CHURCH OF

ANGST Screaming At Traffic talk band beginnings, their upcoming debut album, I Don’t Like Sports, and the therapeutic properties of playing punk.

STORY BY JANET ADAMANA ARTWORK BY SPACEGOTH

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ORIGINS +

Dim lights highlight the haze. A cyclone of frenzied bodies is crashing and smashing in waves. The music is blaring, and every organ in your chest shakes.

The venue is full of give and take; a back and forth lyrical exchange of woe-ridden adults, shouting away their angst; all inhibitions are thrown away.

Heads are bowed and bouncing to every word; clenched fists are in the air like a congregation of despondent souls just waiting for this one night to let it all go: this is life at a Screaming At Traffic show.

Having signed to UK punk label, Little Rocket Records, and on the cusp of releasing their debut album, I Don’t Like Sports, out June 7, Screaming At Traffic (SAT), have undoubtedly come into the most exciting parts of their musical careers.

What originally sprouted from one drunken evening and a collective longing to play loud and fast, the storyline of the Winnipeg four-piece has crescendoed into one of the most promising fates the local punk scene has seen in recent years.

Long-time friends, Paul Colman (Bass), Jacques Richer (Guitar/Vocals), and Duncan Murta (Guitar/ Vocals) first began playing together as teens, forming

SAT with an indie, garage-rock sound akin to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin. As many young bands go, the group dissolved but the members stayed in touch, often playing together in other projects here and there.

Years later, the trio found themselves watching footage of their old band, and surging with a steady stream of nostalgia and liquor, the idea to reform came to light. “The hardest person to convince was actually getting Stefan [St. Godard] (drums) on board,” Murta explains finding their last member.

“I was just a little exasperated at a new band being started every couple months and then not going anywhere” St. Godard adds. “I really wanted to just commit to one project.” Determined to snag St. Godard’s trust and convince him this was the project, the group did what some of history’s most prominent punk groups did to get started – they got their prospective band member drunk.

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+ ORIGINS

'You can sit there and yell about all the things that are bugging you, which is why all of our songs are honest, angsty and confessional. '

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ORIGINS +

“Initially, when asked if I wanted to do Screaming At Traffic I said no. A couple of weeks later I said no again,” says St. Godard. “They were like 'can you just come jam with us, get drunk, and help out until we figure something out?’ and here we are.”

One of their most notable elements is their insanely spirited live show. As punk has always lent itself to best be savoured in a live setting, SAT tracks are no different, as the platform offers the members and their fans a welcoming space to cut loose while purging the problems that plague them.

Throughout the years all four members played in a spectrum of genres from Colman and St. Godard’s formal training and jazz roots, to Murta and Richer’s history with indie and alt-rock. Despite their broad musical interests, there was one style and one band that always remained tried and true for the group.

“When you're playing music on a stage in front of people, it's the one time you can do that, and it be totally acceptable,” says Murta. “You can sit there and yell about all the things that are bugging you, which is why all of our songs are honest, angsty and confessional because it's hard; you can't really do that in normal life.”

“[Jacques and I] were working together at a pawnshop and we were constantly listening to these Songza playlists. There was one called guitars & PBRs,” explains Murta. “There were a lot of bands on it that I'd never really listened to, like Titus Andronicus and Diarrhea Planet but there was one, and that was PUP.”

The interaction between the band and their audience is a massive fuel for every SAT show, feeding off the energy from each other, spewing it out onto the crowd, who eagerly throw it right back.

Together they create a sort of therapeutic ecosystem of emotion, excitement and just good old fashioned Long-time friends and fans of SAT know of the drunken fun. group’s lasting appreciation of the Toronto punk band, as they’ve often cited PUP as one of the biggest catalysts for their dedication to the genre Continuing to perfect their energetic traditional as well as their enthusiasm for experimenting with punk feels with the frank anger and anguish of the their sound. After discovering PUP, the guys in SAT disheartened millennial, their upcoming debut were inspired by the opportunities punk allowed for album, I Don’t Like Sports, stands as an extension ultimate musical exploration and expression. Armed of the band’s on-going innovation. Working with their newly rekindled love for the genre and the with Winnipeg punk/emo producer Jordan Voth confidence to meld melodies and other elements (WASTER, Elder Abuse), SAT pushed themselves to into the brisk and grungy vibes of punk, the fast- serve more of a mixed plate and hone their writing paced, in-your-face but stress and sadness-stricken process. signature of Screaming At Traffic was born.

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“One person usually me or Jacques will come with the majority of a song written or at least the bones of it, and every member tries to make it as interesting as possible while still making it sound cohesive,” says Murta. “It’s finding places to do something interesting with the rhythm, making sure no two verses sound exactly the same, switching up the melody, the lead or just full-on switching to a different key.”

Lyrically, the guys stick to the world they know, and the emotions their fans have grown to love them for.

“This album, I think, it’s pretty safe to say is pretty angsty,” explains Richer. “We've got a lot of references about drinking, and two of the songs are about the death of a friend of ours, so it explores some pretty dark places."

I Don’t Like Sports, also finds SAT working alongside other local artists to bring their album to life.

Guests include Jordan and Matthew Voth of poppunk outfit, Bleed American, Jenna Priestner of punk duo Mobina Galore and Alex Guidry of punk groups Elder Abuse and Nice Cops.

Screaming At Traffic’s debut album, I Don’t Like Sports, comes out June 7, via Little Rocket Records. Merch and album pre-orders are available now through Bandcamp. Stay up-to-date with everything SAT through Facebook and Instagram.

Catch them at their hometown release show in Winnipeg on June 22, at The Good Will Social Club with Sit Calm and Dinner Club.

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LISTEN/BUY

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DIGITAL LOOKBOOK

SPF ALICE RL

2018/2019

X

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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.

THUS, A PO SHIRT SAL 36

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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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