MAY/JUNE 2017
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MAY/JUNE 2017
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Janet Adamana
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ally Sigurdson PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Steff Shields
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.
Oh, We Go For The Gold Note From The Editor
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Back for More Bleed American on their return to the scene
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Tucked & Treasured Ours Sights & Sound spotlight on Stylus Records
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We’re All Ears 12 Our artist picks for May and June
info@soundphrasefury.com @soundphrasefury facebook.com/soundphrasefury soundphrasefury.com
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+ EDITOR’S NOTE
OH, WE GO FOR FOR THE GOLD We can’t get enough of that sweet summer air. Here at Sound, Phrase & Fury, the warmer weather, longer days and later nights means loads of local shows and summer music festivals; and we couldn’t be more excited. We’re gearing up for an amazing season being out and about checking out as many live shows as we can, hitting up festival after festival and most importantly, meeting all our soon-to-be favourite artists! With such a vibrant local scene and outreach in cities all across the country, we’re getting ourselves ready for what will undoubtedly be our busiest (and most fun) summer yet. As always thank you to our readers for opening these pages and supporting the scene. Thank you to the artists who continue to share their talent and stories, and working with us to bring SPF readers the best of the best in independent music. Enjoy our May/June issue! We’ll see you on this summer on the show and festival circuit! We can’t wait!
From the top of the world, we go up.
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Janet Adamana Editor-In-Chief
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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+ Q&A
BLEED AMERICAN
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STORY BY JANET ADAMANA
Fans everywhere were filled with disappointment when Winnipeg’s Bleed American called a hiatus in December 2015. Despite the best efforts of many artists, sometimes life and other commitments stand in the way of rock & roll dreams. This was the case for the popular pop-punk quintet. After a year and a half and one tragic ordeal, that thing called life that once dissolved the group has now brought them back together. We spoke with vocalist/guitarist Jordan Voth about their new music, their plans for 2017 and the experience that brought the band together.
JA: You guys have been on hiatus for about a year or so? JV: Yeah about a year and half now. We kind of stopped after our Western Canadian Tour [that summer]. We played a show in December 2015 as our kind of last send off, so yeah it’s been a while.
it’s a little easier to do that. So we did that and things just kind of went the way they always have for us. It was really nice to just pick it up and keep going the way it was before.
JA: How has getting back together with the band JA: What made you guys decide to get back at it? helped you and your brother? JV: My brother and I had a death in the family. Our JV: It’s just something that’s nice. It’s a nice reprieve mother passed away and that’s actually what got us from the grind of going to work, going to school, and all in the same room. While we were just hanging out and that stuff. It’s nice to take a break from all that stuff and talking, Jarrod and Jorb kind of put forth the idea of do something else; especially for me because I record hanging out and jamming again. Now that I’m not so other bands primarily so it’s nice to do something busy with school and I have a bit more time for myself that’s just for my own enjoyment.
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Q&A +
JA: You guys just released a new song, “It’s Legal.” Any plans for other ones this year? JV: Yeah. When we went away in 2015 we had like six or seven songs that were going to be for the next album. Our goal was to have it out within a year’s time from the release of Figure it Out, so we actually have a fair bit of a material. We’re just kind of learning it, refining it, because we also have to relearn old material too. I have to listen to the old songs and try to remember what I was playing there. One of the bigger challenges is some of those songs are pretty hard to sing so it’s been a little bit of practice and singing on my own and trying to get my own skills up to par again.
JA: A lot of artists now don’t really do full album or EP releases anymore and just release singles. Is that more or less what you guys will be doing this time around? JV: I would like to do that but I think we’d have to talk and see what we’d like to do. I think the guys want to do an album. There is something nice about having a cohesive twelve or so songs that make up this piece of art but I also get why bands release singles instead. Even as a listener, sometimes there’s so much filler that goes on an album nowadays that I’d rather just have the singles. I’d rather bands just always have new stuff. Our band has always been like that. When we were an active band we never went more than six months without new content, whether it was a cover or an acoustic version or whatever, we always put out new material. I don’t think that will change. I think we will have new stuff out in six months but I just don’t know what it’ll be.
Check out Bleed American at Facebook.com/ BleedAmericanMusic. Keep your eyes out for new music and check out “It’s Legal” on Spotify.
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+ SIGHTS & SOUNDS
PHOTO BY STYLUS RECORDS
TUCKED & TRESAURED
STORY BY STEFF SHIELDS
Tucked away off the street lies a tiny gem of a jam space that caters to music lovers who value intense and intimate performances over polished and overproduced arena shows.
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A local favourite of East Vancouver, Stylus Records, offers a unique atmosphere for those seeking asylum from the mainstream venues and their day-to-day interactions with art.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS +
“It’s the wrong place”
Featured talent plays in corner of the largely opened room, set against a bare wall and blocking a hallway. Confusion struck while flashes of light cut through the This hallway in particular leads behind the large onslaught of west coast rain. triage desk of Tom, the seemingly unimpressed but helpful owner. This space is also home to a lavatory Peering through the windows of a darkened office blocked by playing musicians and forcing a marginally building, it is easy to miss one of East Vancouver’s best uncomfortable pass-through, should you need to use kept secrets. The front of house at 291 East 2nd Ave. the facilities during a set. consists of an expensive wine shop but just around the corner, music blares through a singular opened For Vancouver audiences, there is something door. Venues throughout Vancouver draw crowds uniquely honest about the flawed layout of Stylus with marquees and lit displays while some don’t need Records. Musical acts take up instruments without anything more than a pixelated sign that reads ‘Stylus sound checks or acoustic adjustments, playing, for Records’. lack of a better word, raw. The doors of Stylus Records opens up onto a world of kitsch and construction. Rows of knick-knacks, tools, half-finished chairs and pop culture references of the past lend the air of an older brother’s basement than a music venue. The most striking feature of Stylus Records is the triusage of the space itself. It is not just a carpentry studio, a record store or a music venue. In the harsh light of day, Stylus is a rather obscure retail destination but by night, walls lined with records lend an air of authenticity to the single-room showcase.
“It’s what the city needed. You don’t just show up here to hear music. You see it, buy it, share it, explore it. Music in this city is a lifestyle. We need places like this”, expressed one concertgoer. Venues like Stylus Records are rare these days. Audiences don’t show up to drink over-priced liquor while music plays in the background. Stylus is a place for the seekers of the obscure and the emerging. Quarters are cramped, posters are bad and the locals love it.
If you’re in Vancouver, British Columbia check out Stylus Records at Unit 99 - 291 East 2nd Ave.
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In the harsh light of day, Stylus is a rather obscure retail destination but by night, walls lined with records lend an air of authenticity to the singleroom showcase.
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+ WE’RE ALL EARS COMPILED BY JANET ADAMANA
With the warmer weather and sunnier skies, we’ve already got those summer hits on repeat. We’ve compiled some of our favourite artists who are going to be flowing through our headphones and car speakers this season.
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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH
TREH LAMONTE
POP/R&B MONTREAL, QC
Facebook.com/TrehLaMonte
@trehlamonte trehlamonte@gmail.com
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There is just something so alluring about everything that Treh LaMonte does. Although mainly delving in R&B, LaMonte blends his smooth, soulful vocals with elements from his old hip-hop/dance roots, with 90s pop beats. His multi-genre approach creates a repertoire of dynamic summer pop hits. LaMonte really boasts his singing and songwriting chops in his latest and notable hit, “I’m Finessin”, and paints a picture of his true potential to be one of Canada’s next great hitmakers.
ARTISTS TO WATCH +
Facebook.com/OliviaLunny Music Soundcloud.com/OliviaLunny @OliviaLunnyMusic
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Olivia Lunny has been on our radar for a number of years now, but its her recent steady rise and maturity in her career and music that has got us paying even closer attention. With her soft, jazzy vocals and careful melodies, the Winnipeg singer/songwriter is easily becoming a notable force in the folk-pop scene. Having spent much of her youth featured in various spotlights like the Winnipeg Folk Festival Young Performers Stage and collaborating with other local groups like Panicland and Paisley, Lunny proves the breadth of what we’ve seen in her career is only just the beginning.
OLIVIA LUNNY
SINGER/SONGWRITER WINNIPEG, MB
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+ ARTISTS TO WATCH
VIOLET DAYS
ALT-POP STOCKHOLM, SWE
Our playlists have never been the same since we were introduced to Violet Days.
VioletDays.com Facebook.com/VioletDays Official
@VioletDaysOfficial violetdaysband@gmail.com
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The alt-pop singer/songwriter is a definite rising star in the global electro-pop scene. One listen to her sultry voice crooning heartsick verses over the catchy, addicting beats of her latest EP, Suck at Love, is all it takes to be hooked and not just wanting, but needing more from the Swedish pop-star. Comparative to the likes of Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding, we anticipate her blossoming career to take her even farther than her predecessors.
ARTISTS TO WATCH +
Facebook.com/TheRoyal Foundry TheRoyalFoundry.com @TheRoyalFoundry mt@umgmt.com
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We can’t get enough of the glorious brilliance of indierock and electro-pop love child, The Royal Foundry. Self-proclaimed electro-folk-pop duo, the band beautifully blends so much more than that - everything from old-time country, hard rock and experimental to dreamy synth-pop, orchestral, dance, choral and soul. On paper it may sound like a mishmash of everything your ear likes to hear, but one listen and you’ll see, they create some of the catchiest jams around. There’s never a dull moment when listening to the The Royal Foundry.
THE ROYAL FOUNDRY
FOLK-ELECTRO-POP EDMONTON, AB
MAY/JUNE PHOTO 2017 •
BY JEFFREY MITCHELL
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