S
Stylus
Dec/Jan
Issue6 2014-15Volume25
Production Team
On the Cover
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheldon Birnie
NICKI BUCKLE is a local artist working as a graphic designer by day, and enjoys sketching and freelancing in her spare time. She is a graduate from the graphic design program at Red River College, and an accomplished musician always looking for a good jam.
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Mazurak
Contact her to see/hear her work at nicki.buckle@gmail.com
Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll Advertising Managers . . . . Birnie and Maz editor@stylusmagazine.ca, andrew@mazmedia.ca Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicki Buckle Printed by JRS Print Services: 204-232-3558
Contributors Daniel Emberg Mister Jan Christopher Hunter Anastasia Chipelski Greg Gallinger Lisa Ewasko Kasia Nawrocka Kaitlyn Emslie-Farrell Sam Thompson Harrison Samphir Devin King Danielle Marion Jillian Groening Matt Wiepjes Victoria King Tiff Bartel Jenny Henkelman
Stylus is published bi-monthly by the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, with a circulation of 2,500. Stylus serves as the program guide to 95.9FM CKUW and will reflect the many musical communities it supports within Winnipeg and beyond. Stylus strives to provide coverage of music that is not normally written about in the mainstream media. Stylus acts as a vehicle for the work of new writers, photographers and artists, including members of the University of Winnipeg, of CKUW and of the Winnipeg community at large. Stylus reserves the right to refuse to print material, specifically, that of a racist, homophobic or sexist nature. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. All opinions expressed in Stylus are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors. Contributions in the form of articles, reviews, letters, photos and graphics are welcome and should be sent with contact information to:
Stylus Magazine Bulman Student Centre, University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 Phone: 204-786-9785, Fax: 204-783-7080 editor@stylusmagazine.ca www.stylusmagazine.ca Contributions will be accepted in the body of an email. No attachments please. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of Stylus is strongly discouraged without the express written consent of the editors.
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TableofContents The Pompous Old Fart Primus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Live Bait Greg MacPherson // The Kills // Pixies // Chromeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CKUWho Smorgasoundbord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Local Spotlight Christine Fellows // Blisters // Odanah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Iconoclast The Rebel Spell // Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Root Cellar The Rural Alberta Advantage // Luke Winslow-King . . . . . . . . . 18 All That Jazz The Rebel Spell // Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Under the Needle Caribou // Rich Aucoin // Clockwork Orchestra . . . . . 18 Fear of Music “She can’t possibly mean OUR music scene.” . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Features Mobina Galore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Chica Boom Boom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Alvvays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Slow Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Alfa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Black Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL PHOTO BY SHELDON BIRNIE
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Winter has arrived. Don’t hibernate the cold weather away: get ye to a music venue & enjoy some live tuneage! *** Every Wednesday, don’t miss Andrew Neville & the Poor Choices down at the Cavern *** Sundays, check out local legend Big Dave McLean’s blues jam at the Times Change(d) or No Cover Sundays, featuring a rotating cast of the city’s finest, down at the Handsome Daughter *** December 5, Mariachi Ghost and the Catamounts take to the Times Change(d) stage December 6th Boats, Surprise Party, Tunic at The Good Will *** Dec 8 Marwills, The New Wild, and Little Black Lungs play the Garrick Hotel *** Union Events kicks off their Jingle Bell Rock Tour on December 9 with Phantogram, Mounties and Dear Rouge at the Garrick *** December 10th is Alvvays at the Park Theatre [see pg. 9] with Sun Club *** December 11 at The Neighbourhood Cafe Claire Morrison and trio Son Del Norte *** December 12 the Crooked Brothers celebrate the release of Thank You, I’m Sorry at the WECC, while Kezmet and Cheering for the Bad Guy play the Windsor Hotel *** December 13 Steve Basham EP release at The Handsome Daughter, and Jess Rae Ayre (of Sweet Alibi) at the Folk Exchange *** Dec 12 & 13, the JD Edwards Band is on stage at the Times Change(d) *** Dec 19, the WECC holds a Stan Rogers holiday tribute with Nathan Rogers, or check out a dirty rock n roll show at the Windsor with Lonewolfe, the Trashers, Drunken Mastodon and more, or even still a Country Christmas at the St James Tap & Table with a bunch of local yahoos, all while Imaginary Cities, Federal Lights and Mise en Scene return to the Pyramid to add another packed show to a busy ass night *** The 19ths & 20th, Romi Mayes holds down the Times Change(d) stage with the Reverend Rambler, then the Sweet Alibi *** Real Love Winter Fest December 19-21 featuring the Beautiful Sweater Party and Winnipeg Psych Fest *** Boxing Day, Schmoxing Day! Don’t miss the reunion of Duotang (!!!) at the Good Will, with opening set from Chica Boom Boom [see pg. 8] *** The Empty Standards make their triumphant return to the Times on December 27, while Mobina Galore release their new record at the Park Theatre [see pg 7], with opening sets from Union Stockyards and Clipwing. Or, our pals the Unbelievable Bargains, M&M Meats, and Ghost Hole will be getting weird at the Windsor *** December 28 The End of Music at The Park Theatre featuring Viewing Par-
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ty, Not Me, The Hat, and Micah Visser *** NYE baby! There are probably countless things you could be doing, but here are some better ideas: The Perpetrators will be rocking the Times stage. Down in South Osborne, The Bros Landreth are going all Wings on you at the Park Theatre, with an encore performance on Jan 1 *** On January 4 Black Label Society returns to Winnipeg with Hatebreed and Butcher Babies at the Burt *** Come January 16 the Pyramid hosts the legendary Blackalicious *** January 17 celebrate the darkness with Dark Tranquility and Insomnium at the WECC *** On January 20 Silverstein, Hands Like Houses, Major League, Beartooth and My Iron Lung will
Blah, Blah
bring the masses to the Garrick *** The Jingle Bell Rock tour continues with Death From Above 1979, Metz, and PS I Love You who will surely disseminate the Garrick for you. Hope you bought tickets! *** And, of course, the end of January brings us BIG FUN!!! With heavy hitters Operators, locals The Will to Power, Hana Lu Lu, Human Music, and many many more performing sets around town January 28 through February 1, let me tell you, it’s gonna be wicked awesome. Check out bigfunfestival.com for more *** Stylus will be back (we hope? maybe?) on February 5 with a new issue right in time for CKUW FUNdrive. Winter’s just swell, ain’t it?
95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS (Sept 24, 2014 – Nov 24, 2014) !=LOCAL CONTENT * =CANADIAN CONTENT re=RE-ENTRY TO CHART
ARTIST
# 1 * 2 ! 3 * 4 ! 5 * 6 * 7 * 8 * 9 ! 10 ! 11 * 12 13 14 * 15 * 16 * 17 ! 18 * 19 ! 20 21 22 23 24 25 ! 26 * 27 ! 28 29 ! 30 *
Artist The New Pornographers Naysa Caribou Greek Riots Kiran Halleluiah Amelia Curran Alvvays Mecca Normal Burden The Crooked Brothers Pacifika Flying Lotus Ty Segall Sloan Stars Leonard Cohen The Unbelievable Bargains Elephant Stone Ozconscious Shakey Graves King Tuff Laura Sullivan Foxygen Dead Milkmen Jonathan Byrd Art Bergman Moody Amiri Shovels & Rope Steve Bell Absolutely Free
RECORDING
Album Brill Bruisers Losing Weight Our Love Cavalier Sanata: Stillness They Promised You Mercy Alvvays Empathy For The Evil Burden Thank You, I’m Sorry Amor Planeta You’re Dead! Manipulator Commonwealth No One Is Lost Popular Problems Boiled Egg The Three Poisons Summer From The Basement And The War Came Black Moon Spell Love’s River And Star Power Pretty Music For Pretty People You Can’t Outrun The Radio Songs For The Underclass Safar Swimmin’ Time Pilgrimage Absolutely Free
LABEL
Label Last Gang Real Love Winnipeg Merge Self-Released Self-Released Six Shooter Polyvinyl M’lady’s Self-Released Transistor 66 Six Degrees Warp Drag City Yep Roc Jagjaguwar Columbia Self-Released Hidden Pony Self-Released Six Shooter Sub Pop Sentient Spirit Jagjaguwar Self-Released Waterbug Weewerk Self-Released Dualtone Signpost Lefse
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t h e o f f ic ia l b e e r o f b ig f u n
@bigfunfestival
bigfunfestival.com
2 0 1 5
JAN FEB 28 — 01 facebook.com/bigfunfestival
MOBINA GALORE Rocking heavy and heartfelt BY DANIEL EMBERG
This is the first Stylus feature on Mobina Galore, so we will start with the most important question: what should you expect when checking them out? “We describe ourselves as an alternative punk duo, kind of in the vein of Brody Dalle, The Distillers, Japandroids, that sort of thing,” offers guitarist/ vocalist Jenna Priestner over a frosty pint glass. Her bandmate Marcia Hanson (drums/vocals) quickly interjects, “Yeah, all of that but we’re more melodic.” Nodding in agreement, Priestner adds, “At live shows, we always try to be high energy and as entertaining as possible. It’s kind of a visual show. We want people to be engaged with what we’re doing, to see that it’s really heartfelt.” Priestner and Hanson met through mutual friends in Fernie, BC, a few years back. As explained by Hanson, “Jenna had a jam room at her house, so we’d go get drunk at the bar then head back and jam… All of a sudden we were playing shows around Fernie.” They soon moved to Vancouver, the “natural progression” for a band that decides to get out of town in those parts. Having grown up in Winnipeg, Hanson eventually got the itch to return home. Priestner decided to come along, and a funny thing happened when Mobina Galore landed here. “It’s like other people started taking us more seriously,” muses Hanson. “I think we fit in a lot better with the Winnipeg scene.” Encouraged, the duo pumped out a five-song EP called Skeletons in 2012. The disc quickly got lots of love from community radio and CBC, leading to a headlining tour of Western Canada and showcase slot at NXNE. Some people take positive feedback as a finish
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line, and settle for the first plateau. Mobina Galore took the sudden accolades as a challenge to refine their sound. Per Priestner, “We started thinking that, with more people coming to our shows, we should try to write better songs, try to be a band we would really want to hear.” After reflecting on what they “want to hear,” the band made a conscious decision to bring their punky tendencies more to the forefront for a follow-up release. Late last year, recording commenced at Private Ear with John Paul Peters, whom the band describes as, “just the most amazing guy.” While Skeletons came from overnight sessions with recording students (budget concerns and all that), Priestner says this time, “We wanted to go all-in and work with a proper producer.” The resulting full-length album, Cities Away, will be available to the public on December 9, with a release show booked at the Park Theatre for December 27. The advance release of “Bad Love Song” came with the band’s first music video, and Mobina Galore has again found support from community and public radio outlets in generating anticipation for Cities Away. Just in time for the full album release, they are starting to push a track called “You’re Not 23 Anymore.” Both tracks are laden with crunch and swagger, reflecting a band riding a wave of confidence in their latest work. Both members point to working with Peters as a key factor in improving their songwriting, as there had never previously been an outsider playing a part in the creative process. “It could be something as simple as suggesting we arrange a song to bring in the chorus a little sooner,” says Hanson. “We’d been playing some of these songs together so long, it was
hard to think about them objectively.” Neither member of Mobina Galore has ever been in another band, and they earnestly describe their apprehension around the prospect of a career in music. One major priority is figuring out how to make it financially sustainable enough to get away from the ol’ day jobs. “We will ‘sell out’ so happily,” attests Hanson. “Fuck, I will write jingles for Swiffer commercials if it means I can stop serving and just play music!” Priestner has a caveat: “I don’t drink milk, so I won’t do a milk commercial. Almond milk only.” At the same time, she agrees that being able to support themselves through music is the “ultimate dream” for Mobina Galore, and—after gentle prodding from her bandmate—concedes that she would do it for milk. The exchange shows the two are not only on the same page in terms of business, but close enough friends to rib one another while discussing that business. To that end, the band has assertively spread its name around throughout 2014. Several tours, radio tracking, and working with a publicist have been major factors in a strategic approach to increasing their public profile. Dishing out business cards at a conference with pre-loaded USB sticks attached was apparently quite effective. Of course, they are feeling a bit of the pathetic, predictable pushback that is part of the deal for women playing rock music. Priestner offers a bit of advice for dealing with it on tour: “Make sure you’re the person to speak first, tell the sound guy how it’s going to be and it’s usually fine. If you don’t say anything, they wonder if you know what you’re doing. Go in there with confidence and they’re not usually dicks about it.” However, the hurdles loom a bit larger when trying to get major radio play.“Being a female-fronted band, you get the shit end of the stick,” confirms Priestner. “We hear back from programmers saying they like our song but we’d be ‘competing’ against The Pack A.D., Die Mannequin, The Balconies… If they play those bands, why are we the competition?” “Exactly,” adds Hanson. “Is every dude rock band out there competing with each other? So how does anybody get played? It doesn’t make any sense. They might as well say, ‘There’s only room for one band with women on this station, we’ve filled our quota,’ or at least that’s the impression we get.” That sense of awareness is in step with the increasingly plucky path being walked by Mobina Galore. Given how much effort has gone into priming the pump for Cities Away, its release should see the band working hard throughout 2015 to keep their snowball rolling. If you want to give it a little push, consider the below. Mobina Galore play the Park Theatre on December 27, and hope you’ll be sick enough of your family to come spend a Saturday night with them. Clipwing and Union Stockyards are also on the bill. Show at 9pm, tickets are $10 at Music Trader, the Park, or through the band. If you have a contact in the world of dairy advertising, make sure to hit ‘em up!
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BY SHELDON BIRNIE
Take a fuckton of pure raw rocking talent, age with thousands of cold road kilometers, season heavily with equal parts Fu Manchu, Scorpions, Alice Cooper and Dolly Parton, free pour in some whiskey and blood, two girls, one drum kit, and shake it up, hard. Voila: Chica Boom Boom. While still a relatively new project, Chica Boom Boom, the doomy dark fuzz duo of Joanne Rodriguez and Alana Mercer, are already a force to be reckoned with. Considering the bands these two gals have had a hand in over the years—the Vagiants, the Quiffs, the Gorgon, American Flamewhip, the Angry Dragons, the Gunness, and many more—how could it not be? “I loved the Quiffs,” says J-Rod. “And I loved the Vagiants,” responds Alana. Chica Boom Boom met up with Stylus at the ANAF Club 60 for a few rounds of Irish whisky and cold Half Pints one snowy November evening. “It was really just like, we were playing the Albert a lot together.” “I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, it’s awesome being a girl’,” J-Rod says. “But when you see another female band or musicians, I’m always like ‘Awesome, another girl on the scene.’ There’s no room for like cattiness or competition, like Jem & the Holograms and the Misfits, right?” “It’s been done!” says Alana. “You gotta help each other out,” J-Rod opines, before wondering, “Who was that Misfit that was always on the Holograms side?” “Stormer,” answers Alana without pause. “She was just a little bad at heart. She couldn’t help the way she was drawn.” “Stormer was always like, evil, but still a good guy, you know? You gotta be a good guy.” Which is to say that Alana and J-Rod go back a long, long way. After meeting in the ladies room at the Royal Albert way back when, the two have formed a long lasting musical friendship and bond after their various
08 Stylus Magazine Dec/Jan 2014-15
ILLUSTRATION BY MISTER JAN
bands shared hundreds of bills and travelled thousands of kilometers together on the cold roads that connect disparate Canadian music scenes. “When that weird, tunnel vision tour talk gets started,” Alana says. “You can tell we’ve toured enough together.” “If you click, you click,” J-Rod says. “And we definitely click. We lived together for a while, we date brothers [ Joe & Karl Warkentin, FYI], we shared a deodorant for a year. But, I mean, it was a large, men’s deodorant, not a tiny girl deodorant.” These two powerhouses first joined forces when Alana stepped into fill the Angry Dragons drum stool when Bill Northcott had a baby. But when the Dragons went on hiatus (“people get married, people open shops, people get management jobs…”), J-Rod and Alana knew they wanted to continue making music together.
“Less people = easier scheduling,” explains JRod. They did the math. “We both figured out pretty quickly that we both wanted to play something a little heavy,” Alana explains. “Something where we know our hair is gonna be falling out from whatever we put it up in by the end of the set.” Based on their mutual love for heavy, fuzzy rock (Melvins, Fu Manchu, et al.), and a penchant for “covers of covers of covers,” Chica Boom Boom was born. Alana either plays guitar and a kick drum while J-Rod tackles bass and a pedal-bound tambourine or high-hat, or Alana’s on the full-kit while J-Rod rocks bass for heavier, stoner inspired jams. Both women share vocal duties. “We’re kind of meeting in the middle with our voices,” Alana says. “She can actually sing and I can’t. I sound like cookie monster. But we find a way to harmonize that doesn’t sound crazy. Or too crazy, anyway.” “There’s something to be said about achieving a heavy sound between two people,” muses J-Rod, citing the influence of heavy duos Japandroids, Death From Above 1979, and the Pack AD. And so, nearly two years in, the band have four songs in the can, with dates in the studio set for late December to hammer out some more. How those songs will appear has yet to be determined, but they’ll be out in some form in the New Year (“maybe a 7”, maybe a full length?”) courtesy of Transistor 66. Chica Boom Boom are also rather ebullient over their upcoming opening slot for another influential Winnipeg duo, playing a rare reunion show on Boxing Day: Duotang. “Duotang were cutting edge in their heyday,” says J-Rod. “I saw them on the Wedge all the time. But to hear they were playing a reunion show in their hometown at the Good Will? That’s awesome. And two girls opening up for two guys? That’s perfect!” Don’t miss Chica Boom Boom and Duotang on Boxing Day at the Good Will Social Club. And keep your eyes peeled for their debut vinyl release early in 2015.
PASSIONATE, REALISTIC, PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY ANASTASIA CHIPELSKI
Holed up in a hotel in Philadelphia, billed by the front desk reception as “America’s most historic square mile,” Alvvays lead singer Molly Rankin spoke to Stylus about touring, the long road behind their album, and what it’s like to do what you love as part of the “adult baby” generation. While for many readers, the Toronto-based quintet may seem new to the scene, Alvvays has the long game in mind with their debut album. “The most important thing for us was having songs that had some staying power,” Rankin told Stylus. “That was always the main focus for me, and then just finding guitar tones and synth tones that didn’t feel too futuristic, something that could stand the test of time—more than ten years or something—and not too shiny and also not too muddy.” The balance comes through on fuller tracks like “Adult Diversion” and “Archie, Marry Me” (a track whose lyrics are often misinterpreted as Rankin’s desperation for marriage which, she points out, is actually quite the opposite). The album winds down with slightly more pared-down arrangements on “Dives” and “Red Planet.” If you hear echoes of Chad VanGaalen, it’s because he contributed synth beats to some of the ballads that were recorded at his studio. Rankin credits the rest of the synth—“like a nice little blanket that hovers over everything”—to Alec, a self-professed synth nerd. And as for the halo-soaked and distinctive vocals? “I have a bit of a razor voice, so we put a lot of delay or reverb on stuff,” explains Rankin. These details may seem an obvious fit in the final mix, but Alvvays took everything under careful consideration while sitting on this album. While at the time, Rankin admits she wasn’t especially patient, “I think I’m very happy that we didn’t release anything early on.” In retrospect, it makes a bit more sense, she says, “The growth that has occurred has been crucial. Going over everything with a fine toothed comb before we thrust it out into the internet has been really important to us.” Once the album was finally out, Alvvays were ready to tour, while still holding on to their day jobs and not holding out for any kind of immediate success. Aside from Phil, who’s self employed, “the rest of us have been working on our employer relationships for a long time, so now we can go
back whenever we want, which is amazing,” shared Rankin. Their approach to music is passionate but realistic - they weren’t expecting any kind of radio play, and were pleasantly surprised. “It’s quite a bleak situation with music but if we didn’t see any kind of future, or opportunity to travel the world, we would probably be less enthusiastic about getting into the van for months at a time.” After living out of their backpacks overseas, the band recently returned to North America and Rankin reluctantly professed her love for their van, which she likens to an 85-year-old that will soon be in a happier place: “We all sort of hate the van, but now we love the van.” Not that she’s complaining, though. It’s just a change of pace, and no matter where they go, Rankin tries to find something good in every stop. “We’re really lucky that we’re able to go and go on these trips to begin with, so, try to find something that we can take from it in every city we go to.” Aside from a short break over Christmas, the band will be touring almost non-stop through the spring when they may retire, briefly, back to day jobs and the basement to craft the next batch of songs. And for Rankin, that’s a perfectly fine place to be. “I think we do come from an adult baby generation where we can have master’s degrees and work at a diner,” she explains. And the work that needs to happen behind the scene for an indie band can’t be underestimated, squeezing in shifts wherever possible for a bit of extra petty cash. Their investment pays off in other ways, and Rankin’s not particularly interested in having her life measure up any old templates. “If I was a teacher right now, I wouldn’t be in Barcelona, and I wouldn’t have the freedom to go and travel [...] There’s not a whole of point in dwelling on where we are in our lives because those traditional perspectives on where you should be when you’re 30 are completely out the window at this point. Maybe by 40 we’ll have things figured out, but I don’t want to have any regrets about not pursuing something.” Avoid your own future regrets and catch Alvvays at the Park Theatre with Sun Club on Wednesday, December 10th.
ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW MAZURAK
ZION I
PYRAMID CABARET
PHOTO BY ANDREW MAZURAK
GREG MACPHERSON THE GOOD WILL
PHOTO BY GREG GALLINGER
CHROMEO
GARRICK CENTRE
PHOTO BY KASIA NAWROCKA
live bait
THE FARRELL BROS. PYRAMID CABARET
PHOTO BY KAITLYN EMSLIE FARRELL
DJ SHADOW AND CUT CHEMIST GARRICK CENTRE
PHOTOS BY ANDREW MAZURAK
PIXIES W/ PAZ LENCHANTIN BURTON CUMMINGS THEATRE
PHOTO BY ANDREW MAZURAK
THE KILLS
COMMODORE BALLROOM
PHOTO BY LISA EWASKO
Smorgasoundbord
Wednesdays 10:00pm-10:30pm on CKUW 95.9 FM or ckuw.ca
Every Wednesday evening, Smorgasoundbord host Daniel Emberg takes CKUW listeners deep into often uncharted musical territory. Emberg’s mission is to explore the tools (sometimes better known as “instruments”) that people use to make music, focusing each week on something particular and peculiar, be it conch shells, snapping fingers, or the latest in software and technology. A regular contributor to Stylus as well [see his feature on Mobina Galore at page 7 of this issue], Daniel is a volunteer with a deep commitment to campus and community media (he also won a 2014 CKUW volunteer award!). We asked him some questions about his show. Take a looksee here for yourselves... Stylus: How did you get involved with CKUW? Did you have any previous radio experience before? Daniel Emberg: I’ve done previous radio stuff with CJSR (Edmonton) and CKCU (Ottawa), so came here with some experience. Upon moving to Winnipeg, I wanted to get back into community radio so poked my head through the door at CKUW... when I could eventually find it. Sadly, radio stations tend to get lower priority than broom closets when universities dole out spaces on campus. Stylus: How long has your show been running, and how did you come up with the idea/format? DE: The first edition of Smorgasoundbord was in August 2013. Having done nothing but music shows in the past, I wanted to try something more suited to how much I love hearing myself talk. A spoken word show about oddball instruments and sound toys fits my interests, and doing research for the show is a blast. Stylus: What has been your favourite / most bizarre show to date, and why? DE: I’ve done shows about tennis grunting, frozen instruments, nose PROOF
FA
flutes, power tools, lots of weird stuff... But my favourite is probably an episode about eefing from last November. People cracked up over that one, and it’s such a niche interest that word quickly reached a stranger out in Calgary who generously sent me a few zines they made about eefing. Stylus: What have been some of your other memorable CKUW moments for you?
Tune into Smorgasoundbord every Wednesday between 10:00pm and 10:30pm at CKUW 95.9 FM or ckuw.ca
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4438
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2012 U OF WINNIPEG STYLUS
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CLIENT PROOF DATE
DE: Tough to say, lots of excellent people and shows at the station. Top of the list is probably seeing how quickly the community rallied when a bland, robotic, remotely owned and programmed station slapped its logo all over our staircase. Thankfully, the collective response to that headache quickly made it disappear. Seeing the station eliminate advertising after the 2014 Fundrive was also significant. Local artist Kelly Ruth makes music on a weaving loom, and I was lucky to host the first radio appearance for that project. I’ve lucked into a lot of great guests, including Burden, Aston Coles, field////, MW, and numerous others. Winning a “people’s choice” award in the CKUW vote this year was shocking but obviously cool. Seeing the latest Burden tape make the CKUW chart was sweet too, nobody saw that coming! Stylus: What do you have lined up for some future episodes (if you can share that with us)? DE: Hopefully more quality guests, as it’s much better to hear someone else talk about their own work than to hear me try to sound like a smart guy. Finding more unexpected uses of conventional instruments is always a priority. I’m planning a few features on how various animals use sound, or what we tell ourselves about how they use sound. There’s an evergrowing list of show ideas, but I shouldn’t say too much as it can take awhile to parlay a fun idea into a spoken word presentation.
Andrew Dunn, Winnipeg 18 April 2012
PHOTOGRAPHER FILE NAME
KBialous-110323-35.tif LOCATION British Columbia 2012 U OF WINNIPEG HANDBOOK Kamil Bialous 4438_E_2012_Stylus_Winnipeg
LANGUAGE SIZE COLOURS DESIGNER
English 3.875in x 5in CMYK Norman.Coloma@mec.ca
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP 149 WEST 4TH AVENUE, VANCOUVER, BC V5Y 4A6 604.707.3300
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Dec/Jan 2014-15 Stylus Magazine
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BY CHRISTOPHER HUNTER
low Spirit conjures the sublime: the harmonic Smarkings of jazz, impelled by visceral and frolicking
rhythms, morph with punk rock’s defiant fury and a species of poetry that’s, at once, impassioned and spectral. As this sound took shape, the band faced a range of obstacles. They formed at Brandon University’s School of Music, where Eric Roberts, now Slow Spirit’s guitarist, studied saxophone. At BU, Roberts and a handful of junior-virtuosos dubbed themselves Slow Spirit, and composed an original jazz repertoire. During this period, they played music six to ten hours a day. “It was a profound part of my life that I wish I could live in forever,” said Roberts. “When we weren’t playing music, we were talking about it and thinking about it.” Unfortunately, the ensemble dissipated when Julian Beutel, trumpeter, departed for grad school. One year later, Roberts resurrected the project after meeting Natalie Bohrn, bass player, songwriter and now fellow band member. “It was the integration of Natalie’s songwriting and vocals that gave our ideas focus and purpose,” said Roberts. “It was as if we had been longing to build our songs around a vocalist the whole time.” The entire band, including drummer Justin Alcock, lived in a loft above a doctor’s office, along with a host of bohemians. Everyday, after 6:00pm, the office closed and the concord (and discord) of rehearsal filled the home. Concerts and recording sessions were common here, and touring musicians stayed often. “It was the centre of the Brandon music scene for close to a decade,” said Eric Roberts. “We once
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PHOTO BY ERIC ROBERTS
counted 18 comfortable places to sleep and 29 lamps.” Tragically, the 29 lamps met their end. Heavy rain damaged the loft and expelled its residents. However, the deluge propelled a welcome excuse to move east and join Winnipeg’s music community, long admired by Slow Spirit. “In Winnipeg you have to stand for something,” said Bohrn. “You have to make decisions.” Together, Slow Spirit set up roots in the city, and began playing shows. Outside their main effort, both Bohrn and Roberts back up local talents, including The Crooked Brothers, Fish & Bird and Somebody Language. They also partake in other art forms. Roberts enjoys photography, and worked in a camera shop before moving. He believes, as cultures intermingle, art grows in unexpected ways. With this in mind, he embraces multiple sounds and artforms, in hopes that they will nourish his creative impulses. “Terms like musician, photographer or writer carry a lot of weight, preconceptions and, ultimately, responsibility,” he said. “They are untrue ideals that can’t be lived up to.” Likewise, Bohrn is a writer. In grade 11, the Brandon Sun hired her as a reporter, and she still maintains a love for language and books. Resembling prose, her lyrics evolve as sequential paragraphs, a style comparable to the writing of Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service), whom she cites as an influence. To illustrate Bohrn’s sorcery, consider Slow Spirit’s song “Extension.” Here, she recites a clause or phrase, followed by sparse drumming, then com-
pletes or augments the statement with new information. The instrumental space between paragraph segments incites tension and anticipation, as we wait to hear her stories and themes unfold and resolve. The words themselves often point to baseline emotions and instinctual drives. They are evocative rather than definite. That’s not to say there aren’t stories here, as Bohrn’s prose follows a clear narrative. They simply ignore the arbitrary divisions between form and content. They invite listeners to insert themselves in the music, to follow the sequence, to rise and fall with the performance. “Lyrics are just poetry. That’s how I think of them,” said Bohrn. This sound’s final element comes from a punkrock mentality, an angst driving the post-rock and jazz motifs forward. You hear it as glassy acoustic guitar tones overdrive into a dissonance usually found in hardcore music. “Jazz is a way for us to understand and engage with all music,” said Roberts. “But there’s something about hardcore and punk that resonate with people in Manitoba. You go to those shows, and you can’t help but feel something.” Indeed, there’s plenty to feel here. Traditionally, experimental music sought to avoid interpretation by eschewing conventions, but as a result opened itself to a greater range of interpretations, and a greater range of emotional reactions. They understand this notion, and exploit it. Trust Slow Spirit. Let them ferry you over ethereal landscapes, where the abyss and the divine are the same thing, where the self, in all its contradictory fragments, leaks over space-time in sonic waves.
ALFA’s Harmattan Political rap for the modern man condition
BY HARRISON SAMPHIR
PHOTO BY GREG GALLINGER
“This is a note to my future self Please don’t take my work in vain The sacrifices made are provin’ that you’re worth your name” Growing up in Zaria, Nigeria, Ismaila Alfa remembers the continental trade winds that blew through his city marking the beginning of the winter season. Known as the Harmattan, the reddish haze lifts up dust and sand from the Sahara desert and blows it through the air in a subtropical huff. For days it can limit visibility, ground flights and block the sun’s glow. The Harmattan is at once foreboding and prophetic; it has the power to destroy crops and veer humidity, but it also presages the coming of an auspicious new season. It is fitting, then, that this meteorological phenomenon was chosen as the title of his group’s - Alfa - debut record. “The wind signifies the change between the rainy and dry seasons in West Africa”, says Ismaila, speaking with Stylus on the eve of the album’s re-
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lease party at the West End Cultural Centre. “We chose this name for the album because it represents the past two, three years for me in my life, between things that have been changing with family, work and getting this album together, so we figured it was a good name.” Billed as political rap, Harmattan was designed from the outset to be a live band hip-hop record that, with first-class production and personnel, could maintain high fidelity without relying on samples. To achieve this, Alfa teamed with some of Winnipeg’s preeminent artists. Michael Petkau Falk (Les Jupes) produced the entire disc - and co-wrote many of the songs - in the studios of his label Head in the Sand; virtuoso jazz drummer Curtis Nowosad arranged percussion; the Dirty Cat Fish Brass Band added horns; Julian Bradford (Moses Mayes) laid down bass; Andrina Turenne (Chic Gamine) and Joanna Majoko (Soul Station) contributed scintillating backing vocals; and Matt Peters (Royal Canoe) filled in as a “groove producer” on several tracks.
“I had always dreamt of making a hip-hopbased album with live musicians,” Ismaila tells Stylus. “I knew that, if I was going to do it, I needed people who were technically proficient and at the top of their game, but they also had to have an understanding of where I was coming from a rap perspective. “Everyone understood we wanted to build the album with live instruments but we still wanted to keep a sort of sampled feel to it. So because [the other artists] are both technically proficient and understand hip hop it was really easy.” Continuing in the lyrical tradition established by groups like Public Enemy and X-Clan during the “conscious hip hop” movement of the 1980s, Harmattan is a record not just about personal transformation, but the modern condition. It confronts topics as diverse as intercontinental war, the grinding cycle of life in the capitalist world, social justice and, of course, phoney rappers. By pulling no punches, these are songs and stories with much to tell and not a bit to hide. Call it dystopian rap for courageous and hopeful minds. “There’s definitely a political tone to the album,” Ismaila confirms, “and it’s more from the everyday person’s perspective. I took the opportunity on a few of the songs to get my opinion out there… When it comes to dealing with racism in general, or the life of an immigrant moving to the Western world. I wanted to be a voice for the underdog.” On “Tired,” the fiercest political statement on the album, a militant Ismaila raps “In a world based on constant change that stays the same/Where the rich keep the weaponry fixed to play the game/Quick to get their enemies nixed so they can gain/Shackled to the poverty line, I break the chain and run.” Inspired by an experience as a student, the song is a manifesto of sorts. “[It’s] one of the oldest tracks on the album I wrote when I was in school,” he says. “I was told to watch the news all day and write a few copy pieces for a mock program. But I found that after I spent the day listening to and watching the news, I was so depressed and upset about things that were happening, so I vented and wrote it all out in a rap song. “I didn’t really feel like naming the song ‘Pissed Off ’ so I called it ‘Tired.’ That’s how I felt at the end of the day. Drained from hearing all the terror happening around the world.” There’s an undeniable connection between Harmattan and some of Ismaila’s earlier work with acclaimed local crew Frek Sho (Gruf tha Druid, Gumball, Micill Shazzam, Sunil Ishq and Gallivanting Spoof ). The gutsy, uncompromising rhyme delivery remains firmly intact, but it’s decidedly more polished and self-aware. This musical progress, coupled with intelligent themes of personal growth and global change, shines through with the expert musicianship everywhere on the record. With Harmattan, too, comes a welcome sign political hip-hop hasn’t disappeared since the days of the Poor Righteous Teachers and Boogie Down Productions. Facing every era and generation, after all, are profound struggles of conscience and identity that are difficult to articulate. When an impassioned voice finds a way, we should all stand up and listen. Listen to Harmattan in full on Soundcloud and visit Alfa’s Facebook page for more information.
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A CHANGE IN ATMOSPHERE BY GIL CARROLL
Black Cloud is a five piece explosively beautiful instrumental band from Winnipeg that defy what it means to be a young rock band. Stylus was excited to have them perform at the 25th anniversary show in October, and was not disappointed by the three guitar onslaught. Our assistant editor had the chance to sit down in a Wolseley home with Adrian Schroeder, Brett Ticzon, and Darin Rudd who all play guitar. Stylus: How did Black Cloud form? Darin Rudd: Last year I had just moved to Winnipeg from Selkirk and was playing guitar in The Siffers. I got a text from Adrian that said “Do you like post-rock? I responded “Well yes, a lot.” Adrian Schroeder: At the same time, me and Brett were looking to start a new band because Paincave, was in the process of going on hiatus when Nich [Paincave’s principal songwriter and now Black Cloud bass player] moved to Montreal. Then Nich moved back right away, but whatever. Stylus: What were the early stages of the band like? AS: Our first practices we were figuring out direction. It could have gone a lot more metal or progressive, or mathy. Brett Ticzon: Our first show was with Naysa and Kieran West at the Rose N Bee. It went pretty well. DR: It was our first and last show ever that we used bows on our guitars. AS: We stopped because it’s pretentious, unless you know exactly what you are doing. Which we don’t. Stylus: Your songs are generally well over seven minutes, what is your songwriting process like? AS: Well we primarily use E and A. DR: We just figure out some parts and bring them to the others in Adrian’s basement. BT: Songs are written by jamming a part over and over until we find
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something we like. We all figure out parts ourselves and bring them forward and then we jam it for around half an hour until we have parts we like. Stylus: How is Black Cloud different from other bands you have played in? AS: It’s a lot easier to write songs and everyone is pretty confident in their instrument. It’s different than Paincave because the songs don’t have structure, these songs just go on until we make eye contact or go by musical cues. It works well. It’s a lot easier to write songs because you don’t need to worry about writing bridges, verses, and choruses. There is less thinking and more feel, you are free to
improvise and do your own thing. DR: It’s not just one person writing the music we all have our fingers in it. It is a lot more communal and everyone has a say in the songs. BT: I can think less while playing and just feel it. Stylus: What are your plans for recording? AS: We will record drums and guitar and synth together because we can’t do it in separate sections or the traditional studio recording because everything is so much based on what other people are doing. We will probably add some background stuff and experiment while recording. We’d like to have the songs blend together and write some interludes. BT: Definitely willing to do some experimenting with layering. Stylus: Who are your greatest musical influences? BT: This Will Destroy You. And I just realized that a lot of my leads sound like the leads in A Great Big Pile of Leaves. AS: Brett sounds like Buckethead, bluesy and gritty (laughs). I like postrock and shoegaze and jazz fusion mixed with the punk rock volume and intensity with some musicianship thrown in. It’s more about the attitude than the actual music for me. My guitar style is like playing drums on the guitar. DR: There is one interview I read when I was 15 with Dean Ween from Ween. Dean said “Don’t think about the guitar like a guitar, think about it the same way a trumpet player or sax player would do it, or play like a rapper would rhyme.” I try to just make it sound like not a guitar most of the time. You don’t have to play all the way through or solo all the time you can just find where it fits in best. We are not a shred band, we don’t need to do that. Were not Iron Maiden, we don’t want to have so much going on. BT: Not yet. Keep your ears peeled for Black Cloud recordings coming out in early 2015.
Local Spotlight within. (Arbeiter Ring Publishing/ You’ve Changed Records, arpbooks. org) Sheldon Birnie
CHRISTINE FELLOWS Burning Daylight Christine Fellows’ latest album, Burning Daylight, comes wrapped up within a collection of poetry of the same title. Musically, the 14 songs are along the same vein of baroque-pop Fellows has been mining for years. Lyrically, they find themselves complementing the larger collection of poems. Reflecting and refracting Fellows’ experience north of 60, echoing Jack London, Hannibal Hamlin Garland and other southern writers and explorers who have mined the north before, Burning Daylight is an ambitious project, no doubt. Beautifully, curiously illustrated throughout by Alicia Smith, the volume is ripe for repeated readings, whether in silent meditation or accompanied by the album. Burning Daylight, while challenging, remains accessible to both casual listener/ reader, and rewarding for those who wish to spend more time, further exploring the territory mapped out
BLISTERS Are You Awake Are You Awake is the first full length album from now infamously semion-hiatus and influential Winnipeg shoegazers Blisters. The album was recorded three years ago for a Montreal label that went belly up, so it was just released independently this year. Produced and mixed by Riley Hill in Winnipeg, the album’s sound is dark and gloomy but is full of moments that are beautiful and uplifting, brought to you by goosebump inducing guitar layering of Daniel Monkman and Skitty Popes and vocal harmonies buried beneath halls of reverb. The collection of eight songs maintain clear influences from bands like My Bloody Valentine and Galaxie 500 (especially on “Attic”) giving the band a hazy and deep emotional sound. Lizzy Burt sings with Monkman on
most of the songs, and her voice is the perfect complement. She brings the songs to a higher level of emotion and provides a human element to the woozy layers upon layers of guitar and effects. Monkman’s song writing takes the album to bright heights; his lyrics (when audible) are nostalgic and regretful. On the albums opener, they sing, “Come along to the playground, They don’t play like they use to.” The flow of the album is perfect as the songs blend interestingly and sweetly into one another. The attention to detail throughout is impressive and gives the album consistent playability. Only 40 of these albums exist on the planet and with album artwork reminiscent of the X-Files, Are You Awake feels as if it is from a different plain of existence. (Independent, blisters-areyouawake.bandcamp.com) Gil Carroll
ODANAH Blood and Sour Mash Of all the words one might use to describe Odanah’s Blood and Sour Mash,
“condensed” shouldn’t be one of them. Despite clocking in at just over 20 minutes, the five-song EP is a diverse collection of folk and rock tunes leaning ever so slightly toward the American roots musical tradition. Propelled by the melodic lead guitars and contrasting vocals of Mike Fox and Brady Allard, leadoff track “Waiting Around” sees the group at its most atmospheric. What begins as patient fingerpicking gradually swells beyond the folk aesthetic, suddenly bursting to life with electric riffs and the agile drumming of Cody Iwasiuk. Elsewhere, “Little Box in the Sky” evokes prairie sentimentality with folksy bluegrass strumming as Fox croons “Some just pass the time, others pass the wine.” On “Colleen,” Allard weaves a beautiful love story about an erstwhile muse: “Twenty years well it’s just me now/These godless skies that sparkle in your eyes/They keep me now/They keep me now.” The track ends on a furious one minute guitar breakdown to solidify an exciting climax. There’s a discreetness, too, about Odanah’s songwriting that is unpretentious and reflective. This is a group with the musical chops to translate complex emotions into stirring words and sounds. Keep an ear on this one. (Independent, odanah.bandcamp.com) Harrison Samphir
Iconoclast
THE REBEL SPELL Last Run This latest slab of pissed off political street punk from the Rebel Spell, Canada’s finest purveyors of the genre, is sure to get you fired up and ready to start a riot. Or better yet, a protest blockade on a remote resource road. Recorded in the band’s hometown of Vancouver by
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the venerable Jesse Gander, Last Run follows much the same formula as their previous three releases, but that isn’t to say the band is resting on their laurels. If anything, like fine bootleg liquor, the Rebel Spell have distilled their essence to greater potency here. Listeners are presented with a twelve pack of hard driving tunes, each of which packs a solid wallop. Lyrics take aim at industrial degradation of our environment, imperialism and colonialism, resistance and rage. “We’re behind you, we’re you’re front line,” rings the chorus of “Grass Rat.” “We’ll be here, on and on. If you forget we’ll remind you. Always, always, all along.” If you’re feeling the cold boot of the world crushing down on you, or you’re looking for something to stream into your earholes while you crash on the barricades, Last Run
might be just the fuel you need to keep fighting the good fight. Turn it up loud. (Independent, therebelspell. com) Sheldon Birnie STANDARDS Kid Talk about false starts. The debut EP by St. Catharine’s trio Standards rushes out of the gate with a bland, needlessly profane punk number that does little to tip off listeners to the solid sound within. While “Kid” (the track) is Clash-aping Strummerby-numbers, Kid (the EP) has a lot more depth. Songs like the standout “Haze” mine the mid-90s with a fuzzy, lethargically-paced (in a good way!) vibe that brings to mind the criminally underrated sound of Canadian rockers Rusty. The twangy guitars on “Rodeo” and ever-so-slight
country touches throughout do little to discourage that comparison. It’s heavy on the late-grunge era nostalgia, which makes it even more surprising that Standards were teenagers when they recorded this. Given their age, the sound – especially on the excellent “Haze” – is far more mature than one would expect, but Standards need to solve their identity crisis before fully realizing their potential. Their Soundcloud page describes their songs as “punk rock,” and while that’s certainly a facet of their sound – notably on the title track – it’s the least interesting aspect of what they’re doing. When they slow things down and get more experimental, their real strength shines through. (Independent, soundcloud.com/ standardsniagara) Sam Thompson
Dec/Jan 2014-15 Stylus Magazine
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Root Cellar
THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE Mended With Gold This is a Rural Alberta Advantage album. As such, you can expect all the things they have come to be known for: hard guitar strums, cacophonous drums, ethereal backing vocals, lamenting lyrics. This has been their signature sound since their first release Departings, and not much has changed. The production has since become fuller, but the same elements
are in place and haven’t evolved. Depending on your feelings, this may or may not be a bad thing. In many ways Mended With Gold is an unexciting release; we’ve heard all this from this band before. It’s a pretty solid rehash of the things we’ve heard from them before. Bookended by the tracks “Our Love…” and “…On the Run,” The RAA follow the same sort of style of songwriting– evidenced on a cursory glance with the song titles “On the Rocks,” “Terrified,” “Runners in the Night,” “To Be Scared,” “All We’ve Ever Known.” Love is hard and anxiety-inducing, as ever. Having said that, if you like what you’ve heard of the band, you’re in for a treat here. A song like “Terrified,” follows the above template perfectly and is one of the band’s finest.“Vulcan, AB” takes a slight detour from the formula and is a welcome change of pace. With such a signature style, it’s
hard for a band such as this to do something that is new and engaging, without losing old listeners. This isn’t the album that changes that. But that’s not an entirely bad thing either. If this is the album that keeps us waiting for a change of pace, there could be a lot of worse things to be hearing. (Paper Bag Records,paperbagrecords.com) Devin King LUKE WINSLOW-KING Everlasting Arms The latest from Luke Winslow-King, the smooth voiced operator who seamlessly blends Dixieland, Delta blues, and southern gospel traditions in a potent, modern mix is a beauty. Everlasting Arms features a little of everything Winslow-King has become known for in his recent years of hard travelling. “Swing That Thing” evokes a jazz-era juke joint in a way that the would-be swing-revivalists of
the late 90s only came cartoonishly close to doing, while “Last Night I Dreamed My Birthday” could be a lost Basement Tape (and sounds much more authentic than much of the New Basement Tape band’s experiment with “lost” Dylan lyrics). “I’m Your Levee Man” and “Cadillac Slim” are some fine examples of New Orleans brass and piano, while “Domino Sugar” is as fine a Memphis blues track as a skinny white boy could hope to produce in 2014. Far too often, artists who attempt to mine the blues, ragtime, and other classic American styles present on Everlasting Arms come across as a revival act, or worse. But Winslow-King manages to present the material here with both ingenuity and reverence. (Bloodshot, bloodshotrecords.com) Sheldon Birnie
All That Jazz ELIZABETH SHEPHERD The Signal Elizabeth Shepherd has long been known for playful exploration that pushes the boundaries of jazz music, and The Signal is another shining example of this creative mindset. While there are no clear love ballads or songs that demand to be danced to on the album, Shepherd creates an infectious rhythmic groove which she combines with lyrics that address a
wide range of social issues. She credits her new experiences as a mother for this earnest, sincere lyrical direction, saying that motherhood has changed her “perspective on life, the world and (her) role in it.” As such, she addresses the exploitation of women in Africa (“Lions Den”), environmental devastation (“BT Cotton”) and racial profiling (“Another Day”) just as comfortably as she explores motherhood and the role of women
in the world today. The Signal demonstrates once again how talented Shepherd is as a songwriter, musician and composer. She masterfully mixes her own breathy, beautiful voice, the words of historical figures and remarkably complex instrumentation across an album that demands to be listened to from start to finish. (Linus Entertainment, elizabethshepherd. com) Danielle Marion
to Believe” and “Four More Years.” Maybe more importantly, Ephemeral more than halves the number of tracks than the previous album, giving the whole album strength by virtue of its leanness. In spite of all the positive, Ephemeral falls into something of a loud chorus trap. It’s pretty easy to see how these songs could whip a crowd into a frenzy, but song after song of this eventually lessens the strength of emotion. Though a great album, one recorded over three years should have more to get excited over than just how excited it is. (Bonsound,bonsound.
com) Devin King
Under the Needle
RICH AUCOIN Ephemeral Second albums are sometimes important because they show ways
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in which an artist is trying to evolve or improve. Ephemeral, the second album from Rich Aucoin, is more of a polished, synth-based sound. Synths are not new for Aucoin, but they take prominence here. There’s a focus to this album that has Aucoin emphasizing the bombast that he had used on We’re All Dying to Live. The songs are catchy and powerful, exuding populist euphoria; it’s like listening to a collective burst of excitement. This is often underscored by a multitude of vocalists singshouting choruses, as on “Want
CLOCKWORK ORCHESTRA A Fish for a Heart Clockwork Orchestra isn’t an orchestra at all – it’s a solitary lunatic from Dublin emptying his brain into a synth-heavy, post-punky whirlwind of sound. “Bedroom producer” Paul Mangan doesn’t shy away from the bizarre on A Fish for a Heart, and the end result is something wonderful. It’s hard to describe Clockwork Orchestra’s sound, but Mangan’s bone-dry vocals and the music’s relentless drive
brings to mind Welsh rockers Future of the Left – if they had discovered the synthesizer used to record the soundtrack for Nintendo’s Castlevania. The ever-present synth has an unusual interplay with the guitar, as both are constantly playing leads, almost competing with each other as pulsing bass and martial drum machines dutifully drive the rhythm. The lyrical content is self-described as “thoroughly bonkers,” and that’s pretty accurate, but there’s a darkness throughout the album that gives it more gravity than something just weird for weirdness’ sake. There are a few missteps (including a bizarro waltz), but A Fish for a Heart is infectious, especially the unstoppable lead single “The Generator Girls.” While it’s maybe a little too “out” to achieve any major success, it comes very close to that fine line between insanity and genius. (Soft Bodies Records, clockworkorchestra.com) Sam Thompson
THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA Between Colours Between Colours is The Wilderness of Manitoba’s fourth album, and as the name suggests, it clearly marks a transition in their musical styles. The group has clearly evolved since its first release in 2010, as an ever changing line up of musicians have taken the bands sound from folk music laden with strings and group harmonies towards tighter, synth-based arrangements. Between Colours represents a step in this journey, and it is at its best when it finds a balance between these worlds. The vocals are at their most powerful when Will Whitman and Amanda Balsys are harmonizing, and their hooks are as strong as ever. Perhaps my only criticism of the album is that at times it feels like they’ve played it safe – even my favourite tracks (such as “Leave Someone” or “Through Blue Light”) tend to fade into the background of this album as a whole. Despite this, it is exciting to see the band follow their passions and the mix of indie rock and beautiful ballads will certainly be appealing to a perhaps new and broader audience. (Pheromone Recordings, thewildernessofmanitoba.com) Danielle Marion
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HIGH ENDS Super Class You might be quite surprised to find out that Jeffery Innes is the man behind both Yukon Blonde and High Ends, two completely different sounds coming from the same brain. High Ends’ first album distances itself completely from the work of Yukon Blonde in a pretty satisfying way. “River Cruise” is one example where Jeffery Innes tries to take a step in the complete opposite direction. It’s a simple instrumental track, which basically adds as an introduction to the next track, “Ocean Song”, a creative and fun song that could best be described as bordering on “folk” and “synth-pop.” The melody on this song, as well as others such as “Working Man’s Blues” and “The Weight” would surely get the crowd moving in a live setting. “I’m Gonna Keep On Dancing” is almost a straightforward synthpop song, but Innes’ vocal delivery, as well as that of the background vocals, turn it into something more engaging than that. It seems that the majority of the songs on this album feature Innes trying to take the retro sound of classic synth-pop and adding his own modern flair to it. He successfully achieves this by using his voice and creative lyrics, and alternating their importance with the futuristic sounds of a synthesiser. If part of Jeffery Innes’ intention of this project was to show he’s capable of something completely different than indie rock by way of a psychedelic sound, then he has succeeded. (Dine Alone, dinealonerecords.com) Matt Wiepjes
over-reliance on sound manipulation. In some cases, it just sounds forced – effects for effects’ sake – and actually detracts from Arner and Delisle’s clear talents. It’s almost like the musical equivalent of a perfectly fine photograph overloaded with unnecessary Instagram filters. On the whole, though, the effects give New Dimensional’s songs a very welcome psychedelic edge, and the songs tend to run on the brief side (all ten songs go by in an incredible 13 minutes) so even the duds are easily palatable. (Mint Records, facebook.com/energyslime) Sam Thompson
CARIBOU Our Love Beloved electro-indie master Caribou returns to adoring hipsters everywhere with his sixth studio album,
Our Love. The album has a much different vibe than his previous 2010 release Odessa, which was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and won that year’s Juno for best electronic album of the year. Our Love incorporates Caribou’s signature eclectic percussive beats with internet-trendy house vibes and soulful love tunes. Playing with deep pulsating tones and an introverted personal focus, many have pointed out that this is his most personal album to date. The first track “Can’t Do Without You” is a perfect song to get the album going - a distant muddied voice sings while the rhythm of the track gets moving slowly and finally plateaus into a gorgeous and heated pop tune. O.L. is full of hits and I’m hard-pressed to pick favorites, but the title track, “Julia Brightly” and “Mars” stand out for me. The album explores themes within the ‘love-spectrum’ – euphoria and jubilance, then deep contemplation, followed by overwhelming anxiety, finally coming to a newfound equilibrium of the aforementioned. This is an exciting progression in the discography of an artist that has consistently produced music that is celebrated and enjoyed by audiences far and wide. As a fan, I’m thrilled. (Merge Records, mergerecords.com) Victoria King
Energy Slime New Dimensional More than just a great band name – and it really is a phenomenal one – Vancouver duo Energy Slime have some serious songwriting chops. On New Dimensional, Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle have crafted ten sleepy, dreamy pop songs, absolutely drenched in reverb, delay, fuzz, phasers and other elements of digital psychedelia. At its best, on tracks like “Star on the Ground” and especially the dubby “Cool Ship II,” the heavy use of effects improves already-solid tunes into spaced-out moonshots. There is, however, a downside to the
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fearofmusic ILLUSTRATION BY TIFF BARTEL
“She can’t possibly mean OUR music scene.” By Jenny Henkelman started writing this piece on October 23, when Ithings seemed so much simpler. Back then, I
thought CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi was just a garden-variety creep, not a serial abuser. As Melissa Martin so brilliantly elucidated in her Nothing in Winnipeg post on the subject, those of us in music/ CBC circles Knew About Jian, even if we didn’t know about the alleged punching, choking and rape. If Jian seems like an outlier, a rare case of narcissism and misogyny enabled over decades with devastating results, I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. Rare is the man with the kind of fame and power Jian had, but abusers like Jian exist everywhere. And they definitely exist in our music scene. Let’s step back for a moment from that particular pit of despair and talk a bit about gender dynamics in music—the performance of music, the fandom of music, the writing and broadcasting that is done about music. It’s unquestionably male dominated. This isn’t up for debate just because there are incredible women in the Winnipeg scene; in terms of numbers, any random show bill will be way more than 50% dudes. The number of bookers who are women can be counted on one hand. A great new venue just opened on Portage Avenue. It has nine owners and all of them are men. When I used to interview women musicians I always knew better than to ask them about gender stuff. And it’s not like I blamed them. Who wants to sit down for an interview and allow the journalist’s opening salvo be, “So, you’re a girl. What’s that like?” Maybe it’s time to start asking that question, though—provided we really listen to the answers. What is it like being a woman or non-male musician? My friends say that it’s like going into a music store and literally not being served. Or when you are served, being treated like a fiveyear-old, unless you’re accompanied by a man, in which case the store employee will speak to him and not you. It’s like trying to load your gear into a venue and having a venue employee refuse to believe you’re IN the band and not the girlfriend of someone in the band. It’s like being assaulted at a festival or show and meeting indifference and rolled eyes when you tell people about it. No woman/trans person is obligated to disclose any abuse or mistreatment they have been subject to, ever. That’s a big part of why I’m
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writing this—to pass on the stories that have been told to me, removing the victims from the high risk of undeserved reprisal. Talking about this shit is the only way that we can start to get it through dudes’ heads that the music scene is sexist. And for some people, dangerous. What’s that? Do I hear you asking, “She can’t possibly mean OUR music scene.” I absolutely do mean our scene. The Winnipeg scene that’s made up of musicians, bookers, venue owners/managers, festival runners and audience members. There are so many good people in this scene. There are definitely good men in this scene. But there are also men who have assaulted and abused women. And there are women who can’t go to a show without wondering if they’ll see their rapist there. In the audience. Or on stage. I want to make it clear to men that just because you’re not sexually assaulting women doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, or that you can’t do harm to marginalized people in other ways. One of Facebook’s pyrrhic gifts is that it provides a medium for people to show everyone who they really are. Way back in October, pre-Ghomeshi, one prominent Winnipeg musician showed his stripes, flipping the fuck out when women had the audacity to register
their displeasure with a sexist joke on the sandwich board sign outside a local bar and music venue. This musician (let’s call him “Argus”) had no official affiliation with this bar. He just felt that any public criticism was damaging to the bar and therefore unacceptable. What he did find acceptable, though, was calling the complainants “cunts” and then getting doubly mad when people called him on using gendered slurs. “Quit naming the bar!” Argus said. As though protecting the reputation of a venue is worth more than the valid concerns of its customers. As though women don’t have the right to call out bullshit when they see it. A sexist joke isn’t the biggest deal. It’s what we call a “microaggression,” an insult or injury that by definition is small but, when part of a constant stream of microaggressions on an ongoing basis, constitutes the essence of oppression. Look, I’m not trying to write a total downer of an article, here. I have some good news! We’re working on solutions. In the last year or so, some folks in the music and art scene have been working specifically to correct some of the imbalances that make Winnipeg’s music scene dominated by white cisgender males. In the summer of 2013, Negative Space (R.I.P.) hosted Winnipeg’s first Not Enough Fest, a “fest to support the creation of more bands involving women, queer, non-binary and trans people.” (If you guessed that white dudes on Facebook had some problems with this, gold star for you!) In September, some Not Enough Fest alumni started up Cootie Club, a showcase series to promote women and non-binary trans people in music and create a safer environment for survivors of sexual and other kinds of violence. Plans include actions like removing audience members engaged in predatory/gross behaviour from events, for one example. I hope men will think about what they are or aren’t doing to make the scene a safer place. I do think that the Ghomeshi revelations have shown a whole lot of people that they really, really should #BelieveSurvivors. False accusations are incredibly rare, and assault is depressingly common. Do that math. (We certainly have.) As for us—we’re taking matters into our own hands. Mostly, by talking to each other and our allies. The information that’s been spread in hushed tones in punk club bathrooms out of necessity and fear for safety (“Do you know about…?”) is now making its way to the ears of the people who run music festivals and book venues. Creeps, abusers and sexist jerks of the Winnipeg scene: you’ve been warned. Your time’s up.
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