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December / January 2020 / 21 Stylus Magazine
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DEC/JAN 2020/21 VOL 31
NO. 6
Production Team Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll editor@stylusmagazine.ca
On the Cover FEATHER TALIA is an Indigenous Drag Queen who is from Muskowekwan First Nations, but now resides in Winnipeg, MB. She is a makeup artist, who recently took up video making and photography. You can find her art / makeup on any social media @featherTalia.
Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . Jen Doerksen assistanteditor@stylusmagazine.ca Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Campbell design@stylusmagazine.ca Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feather Talia Advertising Contact . . . . . . . . Rob Schmidt manager@ckuw.ca Print by JRS Print Services . . . 204-232-3558
Contributors Nigel Webber
Matt Harrison
Keeley Braunstein-Black
Ryan Haughey
Olivier LaRoche Myles Tiessen Daniel Kussy Caroline Desilets Osani Balkaran Olivia Michalczuk
Chris Bryson Isiah Schellenberg Oliver Whitfield Smith Shannon Ford Ebony Chubb Blythe Thomas
Stylus is published bi–monthly by CKUW 95.9 FM, 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 Writing submissions: editor@stylusmagazine.ca Graphics submissions: design@stylusmagazine.ca
Table of Contents In Memory of Mike Lambert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CKUWho: Dance Hall Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Album Reviews: Rob Crooks, Vagina Witchcraft, Leith Ross, and more . . .
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Features The Jungle: Chatting with Woody from Plants and Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An Interview with Charlie Boom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cartel Madras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mxmtoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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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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December / January 2020 / 21 Stylus Magazine
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PHOTO: DOUG HUMISKI
In memory of Mike Lambert
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We at CKUW and Stylus are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mike Lambert. As a local independent music promoter, primarily in the 80s/90s as “Some Guy Presents”, Mike brought us a world of daring new sounds and energies imported directly by Mike for us to share and discover. This world was pre-cell phones. No Internet. This was a time of landlines and cash, putting up posters and making fanzines. Everything was earned by reputation and character. Countless local bands played their first, second, umpteenth and last gigs at one Mike’s shows. Even more friendships, new groups, hook ups, break ups and sometimes punch ups occurred. Magical things happened on stage and off at Some Guy events. PA’s were blown, bottles were broken and people left inspired with new ideas and hearing loss. Mike was always standing at the back of the room with that big smile, that sparkle. He always had that sense of generosity, of playfulness and joy of sharing. He was always kind and happy to see you even when the room and the till may have been more empty than full. Mike didn’t make much money at his shows, he did make a lot of community though. When you saw a poster for a Some
Guy show you knew it was worth seeing even if you hadn’t heard the bands. Mike always knew why something was worth promoting, he had a very present quiet and confident sense of what makes music special and the human power of a local scene he devoted so much of his time, talent and very big heart to. Just how special and loved Mike was by everyone is well honoured by a story recently recalled to me by a friend of mine who was standing with Mike and watching No Means No in 1987, (playing their first show in Wpg, opening for D.O.A.), I myself remember the room was quite frozen in stunned amazement of their set, at one moment Mike leans over and says “if you look closely, you can see them levitate”. That’s Mike. Mike’s passing is an immense loss to our community. Everyone at CKUW and Stylus sends their condolences to his family and friends along with our deepest gratitude for everything he so lovingly gave to us. Sparkle on Some Guy, Ted Turner
The Jungle:
Chatting With Woody from Plants and Animals
KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK While they mix things up in the studio usually during performances, Plants and Animals is: Warren Spicer - Singing, Guitar, Synth Nicolas Basque - Guitar, synth and electronics Matthew Woodley - Drummer and singing Woodley opens with, “Everyone calls me Woody”. Plants and Animals just released a new album called The Jungle. Hailing from Montreal, the band began playing together many years ago. The band name ‘Plants and Animals’ came from a chapter in a travel book, “dusty old travel book about Mexico or something, and we thought this would be a fun name for a band.” Their first release was in 2003. The new album The Jungle was released on October 23, 2020. It is their fifth full length album. They said, “we have been doing this for a long time and now take more time in-between albums. This time was worth taking the time to do it.” “The album title came from almost an accident — from an old song from a previous album that we were trying to get, but couldn’t really get to work. Nick had this idea it was worth salvaging, and it had a cool chorus, something about the structure just wasn’t working. Tried it again, broke it down into its components, added sounds like insects at night and we took the chords from the old song. It sounded like monkeys and jungly and that came into the lyrics. It became a metaphor for this complex mysterious weird overarching theme for
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PHOTO: CAROLINE DESILETS the time we live in. Drinking, talking about the U.S. supreme court judge on trial made it into the lyrics. Held a prism up to the window pane and we played with the colours that came out. This crazy time that we live in all of the changes that are happening and there is the jungle. Not about real monkeys,” says Woody “It can be interpreted a million different ways. All interconnected unless you get into the details, and it has this kind of chaos to it.” Woody describes their creative process as “all over the place. We work on instinct. As an experimental band, we use loose structures and build crescendos and have conversations with each other through our instruments. We weren’t a three chorus bridge kind of band. That does happen sometimes now; Sometimes it follows those forms.” This democratic process is one where “everyone pitches in. It is an open ended process. We are less territorial - we all shared lyric writing more than ever.” Woody compares the writing process to building a sandcastle with friends. Woody’s favourite song to play is “Sacrifice,” because, he says, “[we] let it grow wings and let it turn into a Bossa Nova jam which is fun to do”. However, Woody enjoys playing all of the songs on this album, “we have played a few shows in the past month for a pub in Montreal on a roof streamed online. Last September we toured the UK and Italy. We road tested a lot of these songs. I really like playing all of them; short and concise. Before
we had this sort of greatest hits thing going. Now we can play the whole album”. The album has a loose structure and a carefully thought out flow. “We’ve always made albums that have an arch, beginning, middle, and end; we created an order that flows. Listen to them in one shot. People don’t consume music like that anymore, with Spotify it’s all over the place. Once they are done, what’s the best order to have them? How does it flow, making an arch flow and continuity? Hard to keep people’s attention now isn’t it? We thought about whether to make an album because they are verging on obsolesce. It’s nice to have something that you don’t need a battery or internet connection for.” If you are familiar with Plants and Animals you may be in for a bit of a surprise. “We have always been resistant to call ourselves one thing, at our core we are drums, guitar and vocals. Elements of kind of disco vibes, production wise influence from hip hop in the way it’s produced, a lot more synths than we used to have... A really conscious effort to make something more now, musical colourful palette in the air, not fencing it in,” says Woody. While no one is sure what comes next during these times, Woody’s view on all of this is that it’s “a cool opportunity to figure out what’s now and we should take advantage of that.”
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Stun
OSANI BALKRAN
When Stun, an Indigenous hiphop artist, posed the statement and question to me, “Don’t let anyone tell you how old you are, it’s never too late to chase your dreams … if you feel like you have the passion, go and chase it, if you want to be happy, well it’s there, and you have to go grab it right?” I was curious to learn more about this interesting comment. As we sat and talked, I learned at the age of 16 Winston Chubb, stage name Stun, dove into the rap game headfirst when he first heard rap musicians. He surrounded himself with a circle of like-minded people where they would make beats, kick freestyles, and record. While he was making music with his colleagues Stun would also be honing his own craft. These two events would be the beginning for learning to work in an environment that supported who he wanted to be as a rap musician. From 16 years old, with every year passing, Winston grew more and more. Whether it was performing, mixing, production, lyrics, or business, he would learn these skills and used them to his advantage. At one point Stun had the beats but needed mixing and mastering to take his music to the next level. Rather than letting this discourage PHOTO: EBONY CHUBB him he found ways to elevate his knowledge of mixing, whether it was from YouTube or asking the elements of music and finally dropped his long questions from professional mix engineers. awaited first album The Influence. Taking inspiration from 80s pop, down south This album was designed around the life he rap, metal and 90s hip-hop, Stun’s production is was leading, one that was created through the very creative, relaxed and epic. Using Euro samples environment of a young musician experiencing and becoming proficient with the tools, Stun has everything for the first time. From bar packed venues carved out his own lane in the Canadian Hipto rocking the stage with idols from childhood, Stun Hop genre. When listening you can tell the lyrics rode the wave and decided shortly after that this are clever, truthful and inspirational. Stun is also wasn’t a lifestyle that would help him get to where humbly versed in his indigenous culture and because he wanted to be. After this he made the decision to of this in-depth knowledge Stun uses lyrics with take things more seriously and as he says, “it was deep questions and comments to explain how he time to smarten up.” He did this because he realized experiences the world around him as an Indigenous that he’s paving the way for future generations. person living in Manitoba. With each album you can hear how his music Stun is the true definition of a self-made artist, has changed and evolved as Stun has grown as an however Stun always remembers to pay homage artist and human being. He went from a rapper who in his lyrics, for example when he says ‘sleep is the didn’t think about the reason or effect his music cousin of death,’ he will let his audience know it is would have on others to a methodically planning a referral to Nas, a rapper from Bronx New York and executing all his releases. His second release in 1994. From 2007-2017 Stun tapped into all began with a professionally mixed project called
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‘Braided Up’. The change, and drive, is especially evident in the music video ‘Play it Right’ with Stun playing chess in a calculated calm and collected way. His third record is set to be released in the very near future. His record will not only be one that is inspirational through sound but also through the steps he took to find and craft his style in this hip hop genre. While creating music, Stun continues to balance his culture and family, as these are important elements that motivate him to create not only lyrically clever music but music that will create a space for Indigenous hip hop to inspire the next generations in a positive way. The thing to remember about Stun is he is not only talented, but he has his own inner knowledge and when those two meet it creates a phenomenon, one that might change the game for the best.
An Interview with
Charlie Boom
KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK Charlie Boom, a local musician from Winnipeg, has just released his first two singles, available on online music platforms (Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music). Boom describes his music as having “two kinda different vibes. Late at night, thinking about your significant other -heartbreak type feels and Trap feelin’ good, about to head out. If you’re stayin’ inside, turn it up and party with your brothers and sisters”. Studio Boom B Choosing as his artist name was a no brainer for Boom, “growing up it was kinda my nickname - Charlie linked to Charles - linked to football and the boom”. Boom is also a football player currently on scholarship. When asked about the name Boom said, “It sounds real nice too”. Recorded in Toronto with Ty Danelley from Risk Engineering. The first song “Where the Fucks My Money” came out over a month ago, whereas the second “I Need You in the Nighttime” dropped October 19, 2020. According to Boom, “the first song I didn’t wanna beat around the bush — I wanted to know where my money was.
PHOTO: SHANNON FORD That was a freestyle and I kinda liked it. That hustle mentality. Keep that money coming”. Whereas the second Boom expressed that he wanted to show a different side of himself, “It’s not always about being the big man. I really do care about other people. Using music as my outlet I was able to make a track out of it”. Boom describes his creative process, “I like to write at night. I will get into that space and sit down, listen to a couple beats, feel what sounds good. I have already written or thought of catchy hooks...” Boom writes them down or records them on an app as they come during the day, “and at night I just start freestyling. I love creating, and with these hooks and instrumentals, I love the writing process. Makes me happy.” As an artist Boom thinks of writing music as painting pictures, with those songs “I wanted to create a vision and paint you a picture. Now I am looking to keep doing that — keep painting pictures — an artist and a musician.” Boom’s musical focus was recent and the isolation of COVID is what led him to become Charlie Boom the musician. “I am 20 years old and right now with COVID and everything going on I had a lot of time to be with myself and think about what I want and to be happy. I started to record music more and more. Started to put together things. I realized that this is what I like to do. My friends thought this was dope. This is what I should be doing, this is what I need to be doing,” he said. Boom has a couple of projects coming up, including a song with another Winnipeg artist Max Winds. Boom has plans to release his first album Road to Riches soon and post COVID looks forward to getting onstage to “bring my energy to the stage — blow people’s minds — turning up on your guys.” Boom’s message for any aspiring artist out there is that you can do anything you put your mind to. “I know it sounds cheesy, but put the grind behind it and you can do it” “Shoutout to St. Norbert, that’s just how we do it in the south. Also want to give a shout out to all my family, and friends who helped get me here. I love y’all and keep showing luv!” Follow Charlie Boom @charlesgillem23
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December / January 2020 / 21 Stylus Magazine
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OLIVIA MICHALCZUK PHOTO: OLIVER WHITFIELD SMITH
C a r t e l M a d r a s
Unapologetic and unforgettable, sister trap duo Contra and Eboshi are Cartel Madras. Hailing from Calgary but currently residing across the country from one another, these two hit the ground hustling and have only recently stopped their endless string of shows since their first Big Winter Classic two years ago. “We have been playing shows every weekend since the beginning of 2018 up until the pandemic hit. We were in New York on our first American tour when everything came to a halt” said Contra. Contra in Calgary and Eboshi in Toronto intended to be in Germany at the time of the release of their new single “Working.” “We would have been calling you from Berlin, but here we are.” said Contra. Berlin festival, Pop Kultur, switched to an online format and gave Cartel Madras the opportunity to record a video for their new club-from-home series. They produced a house track called “Working,” with a seriously smooth synth, and an underlying muted bass that gives you dance floor vibes. The release of the video also served as the launch for their production company THOT NATION.
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“[Working] definitely feels like it is for a club, or a venue, or a gay bar, but now it’s a song for the house or the apartment or the shared space you have with whomever you live with.” Their story is unique yet indicative of their talent, brand, and determination to share their work. Pre-Cartel, they were creating music individually and hit shows as much as possible as consistent concert goers. Their inspiration to combine forces and create Cartel Madras was the irresistible urge to hit the stage, to put on a great performance, and to share their raw talent in a genre where they didn’t really see anyone like them. “We liked going to big energetic shows and being swept up in the moment, so we thought “What if there were two of us on stage giving people that energy?” said Contra “You were hearing two voices, you were always watching someone moving right? To have more than one rapper on stage is powerful.” Their delay to go from making music to recording and producing came with the realization that they were making better music than they were hearing, but just didn’t see themselves in the scene. “There’s a lot of dudes that have absolutely no talent whatsoever who are like ‘I’m gonna make it big, I’m gonna do the thing, I’m gassed and everyone needs to hear this’,” said Eboshi.
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“If you listen to enough shitty dude mixtapes it’s like “what is going on here?’” “Then you have that moment and you’re like ‘why aren’t we doing this?’” added Contra “And it’s just because you don’t see yourself at all in the industry. You don’t think of making a mixtape even though you rap and it’s lit because you don’t think of that because you don’t see that ” Cartel Madras’ live performance is hard hitting and full of raw energy and bad bitch attitude. The sisters claim that this ethos is not just fabricated for the stage but more so a reflection of who they are in real life and who they would be excited to see as an audience member. “Our onstage persona is very authentic to who we are and how we behave. It’s the truest and rawest form of ourselves,” said Eboshi. “We can demure when necessary like in the right company like with other people’s parents, like anyone. We aren’t in a complex web of personalities. We are Contra and Eboshi, we write the way we think and we rap as such.” Their lyrical flow is tight and complex. Swirled into a party beat, it’s hard to catch all the themes covered throughout the songs. Cartel Madras doesn’t hang on to or lag a reference, though their impressive callbacks hit hard and in the right place. Trying to catch up with their lyrics can be tricky and in some cases, with no end. Their references are a combination of many things including music, movies, books, art, and queer culture, though a lot of content is self-referential to very specific parts of each member’s life. “There’s definitely something for everybody,” said Eboshi. “Sometimes we read each others lyrics and think ‘what the fuck do you mean when you say this line or this lyric?’ But usually we get each other’s references,” said Contra. The denseness and quick moving style of their music means there needs to be a lot of content. While sometimes their lyrics hit hard, there are other times you just have to coast with the track and enjoy the composition, which is easy to do with such great mixes and beats. “There are a lot of references to pop culture and movies and music but in a write up someone googled a reference, but it had to do with a highschool memory” said Eboshi. Contra adds, “It’s also like being obsessively weird, neurotic internet kids.” “So many of our reference points come from the amount of time we spent online going down those rabbit holes and staying up late at night fighting with Reddit bros online. It’s interesting to bring that to trap, like littered through a banger.”
Aside from their own projects, Cartel Madras is working on their art collective and production company THOT NATION with several other artists across mediums, a natural progression for the group. “You can probably tell from how over the top some of our aesthetic and branding is. We do love the visual elements so it felt natural to become a creative production media entity,” said Contra. “We were just really good at it and we thought “Let’s stop just doing it for Cartel Madras, let’s take this further.’ We are lucky to be in a collective with so many talented artists that have an eye for branding, for visual creation, for editing, for all these things that end up making an incredible product.” On using words like “bitch” “The funny played out answer would be that we are reclaiming it but straight up if we don’t use this words that we use in our everyday vocabulary we would be writing completely disingenuous to how we speak and talk to each other and think about these things” -Eboshi “There is a language understanding that reclaiming these words is not an invitation and is not permission for anyone other than you to identify yourself in that way.” -Eboshi “The cultural context of who you are, when it comes to reclamation of words and feminism. We are south asian women calling ourselves bitch on a platform, it means something different coming from a south asian woman to be able to use those words however and whenever we want.” -Contra
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mxmtoon MATT HARRISON
Brooklyn based soft-pop artist mxmtoon projects her mind lyrically as though she were confiding in a journal. At just 20 years old she finds herself living the dream after the release of dusk, her new EP. These seven songs combine elements of acoustic and mellow-electronic sounds. On this EP are songs about strength in aloneness, being under quarantine, and the strength it takes to move on. This is a follow up to her previously released EP dawn and features Carly Rae Jepsen on the second track, ‘ok on your own’. The name mxmtoon was originally the title of an Instagram account the artist, Maia, used as an 11-year-old up and coming cartoonist. “[It’s] my initials, ‘MXMT’ with ‘oon’ added to the end in order for it to be a roundabout way of making a username to represent ‘Maia’s Cartoons’” she explained at the start of the interview. Writing from the age of 13 and publishing since 16, making music professionally has simply been “amazing.” The 7 songs on dusk carry a certain calm and restfulness that has long since been easy to come by. Matt Harrison: When did it first begin to feel like the dream of being a musician was coming true? mxmt: I think after I played my first headline show in January of 2019! It was the first time I was playing my own show, and the whole venue sold out and my family came. I think the collision of my work and personal lives made it feel super surreal but really helped me realize my dreams were coming true. MH: Who were among your first artistic inspirations and who do you look up to today, professionally or otherwise? mxmt: My first would probably be Bon Iver or Sleeping At Last, and nowadays the most consistent one is Rex Orange County! In terms of who I look up to personally, I wouldn’t be half the person I am without Lizzo. MH: How was working with Carly Rae Jepsen? mxmt: It was so cool! She’s such a legend, and also one of the sweetest souls I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to work with someone who cares so much about her craft and was willing to feature on my song. MH: How long did it take to be able to fully open up to writing what you really feel into music?
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mxmt: I didn’t share with my parents what I was doing until the fall of 2017 after my presence with the press could just no longer be hidden from them. Yet, I didn’t really tell anyone at my school, most of them just slowly figured out what I was up to. Even then it came to a bunch as a surprise when I told my peers I wasn’t going to college!
nervous about something. It’s just as an indicator that I care very deeply about the experience for myself and for others, and that’s a good thing.
MH: “Show & Tell” struck me more than any other on the EP; are there any songs off the record that mean more to you than the others? If so, would you care to elaborate what the song is written about?
mxmt: I have been a few times! I’ve only played in Toronto and Vancouver, and visited a couple times outside of that, but honestly, I would go anywhere. Everyone I’ve met from Canada is so genuine and kind, it’d be a pleasure to go back and sing for them.
mxmt: I love that one as well. I think that one means a lot because it was specifically written about quarantine. “first” is another that I think really stands out as one with extra meaning. That song is about falling out of love for the first time and I think that experience for anyone is a sad one.
MH: Given that the site is based out of Winnipeg, have you ever toured Canada? If so, did anything or any place stand out to you?
MH: These songs carry a theme. In a few words, how would you describe the story, and stories, told throughout the record? mxmt: I think dusk is really about finding comfort on your own when you realize that it won’t work out with another person. It’s a sad process to fall in love with someone and subsequently fall out of it eventually, and both dawn and dusk are about both feelings. MH: When was the last time you walked onstage and felt nervous? mxmt: Every time I’m nervous! I used to view it as a bad thing, but I think it’d be stressful if I realized if I wasn’t
PHOTO: BLYTHE THOMAS
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DEPARTMENT 13
AMPLIFIED RADIO
MODERN JAZZ TODAY
Jazz
DEEP THREES CELT IN A TWIST
Old Parlour Radio
THE SENTINEL'S MARVELOUS KALEIDOSCOPE
HURLEMENTS SUR LA TOUNDRA
Two Princes Princes
! E A R S H O T D A I LY
Your Show Here
S.A.N.E. * RADIO
Local Experimental Music
Country/ Roots/ Big, Dumb Rock ‘n’ Roll
TWANG TRUST
So Bad, It’s Good
AMATEUR HOUR
SPACE CADET
MUSIC, OUT OF THIS WORLD
Classical Kaleidoscope
ALTERNATIVE RADIO
The Motherland Influence
NIGHT DANGER RADIO
LISTENING PLEASURES
WALKUMAN STYLE
! E A R S H O T D A I LY
PLAYING THE BLUES
BLUESDAY
Lost Chunes
Youth in Care
SYSTEM KIDS
Winnipeg Arena is on Fire
Your Show Here
THE GREEN MAJORITY
COUNTRY
BOOTS & SADDLE
THE WONDERFUL & FRIGHTENING WORLD OF PATRICK MICHALISHYN
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PHASE ONE
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Listen to: Dance Hall Fever Saturdays 10PM - 12AM MYLES TIESSEN Like most DJs producing shows on CKUW, Keith Simpson lives and breathes the style of music he plays. In Simpson’s case, that’s Dancehall. “The music just got to me, man,” says Simpson, reminiscing about the first time the music ever became all consuming. Simpson has been producing Dance Hall Fever for around 25 years. It’s a show dedicated to Dancehall, Lovers-rock, and everything from King Tubby to Dennis Brown. “I’m constantly listening to [Dancehall] music,” says Simpson. “I’m not from Jamaica myself… My father is Jamaican. I was born in England,” says Simpson. With Reggae and Dancehall continually being played at home, Keith has always had a fixation with the genres and what they represent for his early childhood development. After discovering his own musical tastes in adolescence, Simpson ventured into Heavy-Metal and eventually became a Hip-Hop DJ. Simpson encourages musical diversity in what you listen to. “You gotta keep your [musical] ears open. That way, when you’re playing Dancehall, you play it in a different way. In a way that you wouldn’t usually play.” For Simpson, found within Dancehall among the compelling sonics, the diverse voices, and rich history are powerful messages- a message of hope and optimism that feel more needed now, deep into a pandemic, than ever. How would you describe your radio program? Well, it’s a Dancehall show but with different genres within Dancehall. For the first hour, I like to keep it old, like old school Dancehall, maybe a little old Reggae, then the second hour I do a little more new Dancehall-uptempo. What got you into Dancehall music? I don’t even know. The music just got to me, man. I’m not from Jamaican myself... My father is Jamaican. I was born in England. Listening in the home is where I got my ear for it. When I was growing up in the 70s, early 80s, there were a lot of house parties [in my house]. I’d be listening to my parents, sneaking down the stairs like you would see in movies. They all have their afros and bell-bottoms, and I’d just be watching.
Do you find it hard to seek out new music to play on the program? I’m constantly listening to music. Over the years, I got more into the production, so I do some production of Reggae music myself. A lot of other people will send me music just to put on the radio. I have no problem getting music. For a two hour show, that’s a lot of music to play. Yeah, but there is a lot of music out there—too much music, man. I don’t think I’ll play the same song for over a month.
know they can tune in to CKUW online and know that Winnipeg is representing. CKUW gives you a great platform to put out your ideas, and so on. CKUW has been very good over the years. I have no complaints, none. And I’ve been working with them for over 20 years. Is there anything else you would like to add? We are just out here in Winnipeg, trying to put out some good positive vibes and tune in! Hopefully, we keep getting better so people can keep tuning in. Dance Hall Fever airs every Saturday from 10:00pm- 12:00am
Do you surround yourself with people and friends that are also into Dancehall? Not only. A lot of them are, but I try to keep a circle of everybody. That way, your [musical] ears are open, so when you’re playing Dancehall, you play it in a different way. In a way that you wouldn’t usually play, because you’re used to listening to HipHop [and], I grew up on heavy metal. I was a Twisted Sister and Mötley Crüe fan, man. I know all genres of music. Dancehall is a fairly diverse genre, what is your favourite sub-genre of Dancehall? Lovers Rock is probably my favourite genre. Singers like Romain Virgo, Lela Ike, I like those singers. [Lover’s Rock] is the most positive message, I believe. What are your aspirations for the show? I would like to see it get a lot bigger. I would like people to hear about it around the world and
DANCE HALL FEVER HOST KEITH SIMPSON AT WORK
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Local Spotlight
ROB CROOKS INTRODUCING THE GHOST Veteran Winnipeg rapper and musician Rob Crooks has reached new heights with Introducing the Ghost. The new EP flows seamlessly and blends eerie vocal samples with Crooks alternating between singing and rapping. Introducing the Ghost works in the multitude of musical styles that Crooks has been producing over the previous decade, making the project a beautiful summation of Rob Crooks’ musical evolution. Throughout, the album weaves a sonic tapestry, leading the listener through emotional ups and downs before ending on a cautiously optimistic note with “Combat Liberalism.” The songs on Introducing the Ghost almost all deal with themes of alienation, uncertainty and depression. But it is Crooks’ knowledge of political philosophy and his ability to incorporate it unobtrusively into his lyrics and music that truly elevates the EP. The sample that ends “No Beauty” and starts “Strange Labour,” creates a crucial juxtaposition between John Locke and the power of the state as a protector of property, and Karl Marx’s implicit understanding that the power of the state is to repress the masses at the benefit of the oligarchy. However, the album doesn’t reach heady levels of theorization, rather it approaches politics on a personal level. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the album’s opus closing number, “Combat Liberalism.” The track emerges from the depths of the murky soundscape, the static and bass driven beat, with a serene vocal sample, catching the listener’s soul as Crooks croons the first verses before he delivers a calmly rapped verse that includes reference to a film by R.W. Fassbinder. The song is filled with quotable lines but one that particularly sticks out is, “your family, your community, try
being someone that they can rely on,” with the song illustrating that personal growth and connection with one’s community are political acts. Other lines such as, “I’m not perfect but I’m pretty sure nobody is,” relay an honest message we all need to hear, as a way to humble a braggadocio filled society and the boastful hip-hop community in particular. With Introducing the Ghost, Rob Crooks makes us remember that, “we’ve got to take a stand in life,” as the quiet anthem of “Combat Liberalism” methodically and melodically drills into the listeners head. Nigel Webber
that’s constantly aggressive and thick in tone that carries into “Alvvays,” released prior as a single. Fernandes’ vocal performance leaves everything on the floor in a painfully liberating fashion (“my bones are built on ruin”). The emotional labour of compounding such trauma into poetic lyricism sears the foundational traditions of stoner metal, clearing the pallet, and allowing bands like Vagina Witchcraft to carve out a new path for other marginalized artists. Sabbath would be proud. For fans of: Black Sabbath, Thou, Divide and Dissolve, Pentagram. Daniel Kussy
VAGINA WITCHCRAFT VAGINA WITCHCRAFT
LEITH ROSS MOTHERWELL
Above a barrage of sludgy stoner riffs, Kayla Fernandes’ banshee screams fill the room with smoke encapsulating a lifetime of anger, possessed and undermined by their demons. “I am the fucking Devil” cries Fernandes on the opening lines of “Mercury.” Vagina Witchcraft’s debut LP is a definitive labour of love. Fernandes’ anguish is an embodiment of their internal battle with their empathetic self (on “Starting Over,” “the mistakes, the tiny moments, I’m learning how to heal”) and the will to preserve their relationship with their blackness, as on display in the intro track; a speech given by Fernandes. “I am an entity, I am courage, I am love, I am unfinished, I am not your sassy black friend I am not exotic, I will not spit a rhyme for you, I will not twerk for your amusement.” The result of such struggles bathe Fernandes with endearment and empowerment, within themselves and abroad their community, with praise sent from as far as Cancer Bats Frontman Liam Cormier. Despite a short track list, the tracks are quite lengthy, as the instrumentation really sinks into a sludgy, yet firmly metal foundation with David Dobbs at the helm of producer. The slow burn track “No Sinners’’ is a solid banger
Hopeful or disheartening – which way does Leith Ross sway? Their debut EP Motherwell is simultaneously melancholy and faithful. Motherwell’s faith in the goodness of life is refreshing – Ross’ tender-hearted lyricism is organic and magnetic. This live-off-the-floor recorded EP dives earnestly into memories and deep, clever thoughts. The lead single and EP opener “Everyone I’ve Never Met” playfully exposes Ross’ shut-in-ism. A warm piano smoothly connects thoughtful changes led by wood-like toned guitar strumming. As Ross sings honey-thick harmonies over lyrics that long to know the strangers they fear, a pickin’ electric guitar quietly plays call and response. Ross’ voice is enough to impress; at times you can hear them smile through the lyrics on “Grown Up,” only to draw listeners further forward in their seat with soft vibrato. On this second track, Ross’ poetic perspective on age shifts through the stages of childhood into adulthood. If you listen closely, shimmering strings float alongside the artist’s vocal lines, reflecting and reinforcing introspective melodies. Short but sweet, “No More Words” looks around for more ways to express
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eternal love. Ross’ words and voice are beyond enough for listeners to feel the passion expressed. Tactful and patient, Ross takes their time to fully flesh out the colours of emotion laid out in front of them, composing and curating paintings and photographs that capture moments in their life. “Prayer” is a belief in the good in life and nature, freedom of spirit to fear and find comfort in the unknown depths of human faith – religious, spiritual, or otherwise. A guitar stomps from bass notes to treble as a cello drones beneath tickled lead guitar strings through to the end of the song as Ross chants “Amen, amen, amen.” Reciting painful memories, emotional and physical, Ross shares the darkest of feelings and what draws them back into life – all this over a jaunty chord progression on “For Now.” Stripped to the minimalistic bare instrumentation of vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar, and bass, raw emotion passes through like the colour spectrum through the atmosphere to hit listeners right in the eyeballs, maybe even the tear ducts. Another single from the EP, “Tommy” is an ode to a dearly loved family member. The music video is a character study in the form of a compilation of old family videos. Respect and admiration shine through Ross’ voice for their grandfather enough for any listener to share in those feelings of love for Tommy. Revelations of what it means to be family and individual are Ross’ focus on “Understood.” More memorable moments where lyrics and music cross over when Ross wishes they could “stop”. Lyrically rich, this song aches for understanding and compassion, The last song of the EP is “Coming Back.” With an air of finality, Ross is nostalgic for a lighter time where life was more precious. The track reprises over a recording of Ross’ grandfather one last time as the artist quietly howls like a ghost until the last lyric: “I used to wake to the morning and feel like the world was created for me.” Leith Ross’ storytelling is fearless yet gentle. Childhood, mental health, and love of life. Lacking nothing in poeticism, Ross performs these songs with an ache in their heart and a string attached to the listener’s hearts. Now I miss everyone I’ve never met too. Ryan Haughey
December / January 2020 / 21 Stylus Magazine
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Ulteriors like life, there is constant momentum, but Gulfer has been making space for reflection, elegantly mixing the knotty with the beautiful, taking strides in the best ways they can. Chris Bryson
GULFER GULFER Gulfer make an enthralling blend of math-entwined emo-punk. From the stance of 2018’s well-received Dog Bless, the Montréal band have hit a sweet spot between complexity and catharsis that they’ve continued with their new self-titled LP. The album opens with the brief blip-bloopy “Intro” that leads into the charged-up “Blurry,” whose interweaving hooks and melodies and skittering percussion meld gracefully together. “Nature Kids” starts off with chugging riffs until the band scrambles things up with intricate rhythms, groovy guitar and chiming notes. Curious and accepting lyrics are made emphatic on “Forget (Friendly),” while the winding notes and wordless singing in the latter part of “Mall Song” emanates a dreamy vibe. Despite calmly delivered vocals, rapid-fire drums and guitars give “Letters” a bold urgency. And “Symmetry” hosts one of the band’s most beautiful instrumental passages, where the guitars weave through each other as the drums skip, patter and dance in the background. Gulfer’s lyrical themes of uncertainty, learning about and figuring out people, relationships and life fit nicely into instrumentals that seem to tread common ground, blending math rock’s jittery flow with outpourings of melody, modal shifts and emo and punk’s impassioned heart to keep things moving. This all coincides with one of the things that makes Gulfer’s music most interesting – their inability to stay in place for too long. Where,
SMOKESCREENS A STRANGE DREAM Los Angeles-based band Smokescreens’ newest album A Strange Dream captures what a catchy jangle pop record can be. Similar to Smith Westerns, Real estate, and the Velvet Underground, the instrumentation on these songs has a very warm tone all together. All the parts blend and compliment one another from the clean jangle guitar leads to strummed acoustic guitars. With a similar sound to their last release Used to be Yesterday, this group of songs has a more refined and cleaner sound. The opening track, “Fork In the Road,” sets what you can hear from the album and shows how great the guitar work on these songs is. It starts with a high energy riff then the drums come right along with a washed-out layer of synth to follow right through. Smokescreens’ song “Nighttime Skies “is the fourth song which has a change of pace and is one of the slower and most simple songs. On the only acoustic track, there is a light tambourine sound that rings throughout and Beach Boys style harmonies in the chorus. The lyrics on A Strange Dream come off as lighthearted but still very thought out. On their song, “Streets of Despair” the listener experiences the perspective of a character looking at a situation they
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have never been in before or know. “In a rich new town, where you can be living the life of luxury, other people might not have luck, you’ll never know what it’s like to be stuck.” Then there’s “I Only Love You,’’ the most similar sounding to the Velvet Underground, with its spoken word vocals. “When the routine bites hard and the jokes have gone too far/ when the world brings you down/ I’ll be the one who’s coming round.” This song has a narrator showing their reassurance to someone who is going through a difficult time. Then going back to “Night Time Skies” where it’s talking about the change from day to night and finding more joy in the night. With a run time of only 23 minutes, these eight songs are really able to showcase a lot. Isiah Schellenberg
their strange blend of techno and industrial, all while pulling from the art of plunderphonics to incorporate sampled dialogue and vocal passages across the track-list. These nonmusical elements are essential to the atmosphere-building factor of the project, offering another dimension to the sound. The lengthy period of time during which this work was produced is shown off in its variety. The abrasive, noisy drums of “KaKui” stand out vividly after the more spaced out, smoother tracks “MVisage” and “Transition #2.” This suggests an evolution of the group’s ideas over the years, but they managed to capture the same dreamy, melancholic feel across all songs. As the Bandcamp page for the project rightfully states, their sound “fleeces textures from every fabric of time and space” and pulls you along for a wild ride. As is the trend with music of this sort, so ripe with different sounds and rhythms that it demands your attention at all times, it is difficult to pinpoint what exact feature is at the source of this absolute captivation. It’s safe to assume that the ensemble of these qualities produces the effect, as they seem to work in perfect harmony to communicate the kind of CHINA CLUB oxymoronic energetic dreaminess this MING + ZHIZHI project inspires. This unique quality gives you the impression that you are Ming + Zhizhi is the most recent within the music, inside its realm, venture from musical collective China rather than listening from the outside. Club, who started out as a duo from After the twenty or so minutes are Dallas, Texas before expanding. Their over, the voyage, wonder in its purest internationally-influenced sound is put form, has ended. Olivier LaRoche on display on this short but powerful gem that is the culmination of group efforts spanning from 2015 to 2019. With its punchy industrial sound, this entrancing record makes every second of its modest twenty-one minute lifespan count. While it may seem short, the album profits from this brevity, offering songs that serve as small glimpses into different imaginary worlds. The group incorporates hints of jazz, drum n’ bass and traditional percussion from across the globe into
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