Feb / March 2016 by Stylus Magazine

Stylus

Feb/Mar Issue1 2016 Volume27

Production Team

On the Cover

Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Mazurak

JANEL CHAU lives in Winnipeg and draws and paints for passion. She likes goulish art, cartoons, ice cream and serial killers. She also contributed to this years awesome CKUW Fundrive! Pledge and sport all the goodies.

Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria King

Holla at j.chau@live.com

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll

Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Janel Chau Advertising Contact . . . . . . . . . Rob Schmidt manager@ckuw.ca Print by JRS Print Services . . . 204-232-3558

Contributors Alex Roberecki Selci Andre Cornejo Chris Bryson Martyna Turczynowicz Rachel Narvey Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell William Charlette Chris Bryson Olivia Michalczuk Joel Klaverkamp Laura Friesen

Stylus is published biâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;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 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 Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CKUWho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Prairie Punk Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Iconoclast Lamb of God // The Tubuloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Local Spotlight Selci // Roger Roger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Under the Needle Sweety Pie Records: Edmonton Volume One . . . . . . . . . . 15 Ulteriors Grimes // Wolf Alice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Features Amelia Curran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Nap Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Roger Roger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mulligrub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Frazey Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The KNNDY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah, Blah and Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah This winter has seen some incredible live music here in Winnipeg. So many cool bands to see, so little frostbite. *** CKUW kicks off Fundrive and we release this beautiful new edition of Stylus at the Handsome Daughter with M & M Meats, Telechasms and Ivory Waves (first show!) on Friday, February 5. Over at the Good Will is Dangercat, Living with Lions, Youth Decay, and Union Stockyards. Romi Mayes releases her album Devil On Both Shoulders on vinyl at the Park Theatre. *** Dilla Day is at the Good Will on Saturday, February 6 with all J Dilla tributes. Performances by 3Peat, Fenom, Chris Bennett, Keisha Booker, Bazooka Joe and more. *** Elliot Brood is at the WECC on Tuesday, February 9 *** Slow Shine Records presents the debut album from Animal Teeth, Happy To See You at the Handsome Daughter on February 10 with sets from Brady Allard Band and Palm Trees *** Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans are at the Burton Cummings Theatre on that same night. Toronto electro pop band For Esme is at the Handsome Daughter with Slow Spirit on February 11 *** Dear God, Disturbed

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Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah and Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah are at the MTS Centre on Friday, February 12. Allez allez! Festival du Voyageur runs February 12-21. More acts than we have fingers to count. Check ‘em out at festivalvoyageur. mb.ca *** Coeur de pirate is at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain on February 13. For something much harder, Trivium are at the Pyramid Cabaret, and Propagandhi w/ Rebel Yell and Mulligrub are at the Garrick Centre. Lastly, the Handsome Daughter remembers Lemmy with a Motorhead tribute night with Overkill and Motorhand. *** Find love at the Handsome Daughter on Sunday February 14 with Basic Nature, Mammoth Graveyard, NOTME, and Bloom. *** Wednesday February 17 is Yukon Blonde and The Wooden Sky at the Pyramid Cabaret. Classified and Sonreal are a hop, skip, and jump away at the Garrick Centre *** Always bringing the good vibes, Real Love Thursday at The Handsome Daughter on February 18 is with The Steves (Regina) and Holy Void *** Friday February 19 is Bearfight, Elder Abuse, Badpants, and Chernobyl Wolves at The Handsome Daughter. *** On February 19, Frazey Ford returns to Winnipeg af-

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah, Blah and Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah The Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah & Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Bleh Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blahs Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah ter her dazzling performance at Folk Fest and plays the WECC, see our feature on her on page 13. That same night, mosh, or be moshed - there’s a Korn Tribute Show at the Pyramid with Surprise Party doing their epic, Limp Bizkit tribute. *** Feb 20 Rae Spoon is in town w/ LAL & Joanne Pollock at the Good Will *** We Are The City at the Park Theatre on Sunday February 21 *** Happening Thursday, February 25 at the Neighbourhood Cafe and Bookstore is Loretta, TWIN, and Alannah Zeebeck. *** Matt Andersen & the Bona Fide return to Winnipeg to play the Burton Cummings Theatre on Friday, February 26. *** Saturday February 27, the Small Glories launch their debut full length album Wondrous Traveler at the West End Cultural Centre. Just north down Portage at the Garrick Hotel, the Bumpin’ Uglies present some acoustic punk rock tunes *** Get bearded out with The Sheepdogs at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Monday February 29. *** Reggae icons The Wailers are at the Club Regent Casino on Tuesday, March 1. Over at the Times Change(d), Mitchell Schimnowski releases his EP The Spark with Kris

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah, Blah and Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah *** Blah Blah The B-Blahs Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Ulrich. *** March 3 Adam Hanney & Co. Album Release party at the Good Will *** Amelia Curran is at the Good Will Social Club on Sunday, March 6. Read our interview with her on page 5! *** Tough guys, Black Tusk (GA), Holy Grail (CA), and locals Occvlt Hand play at the Windsor Hotel on Wednesday March 9 *** March 10 get inspired at The Federal Lights album release show at the Good Will *** March 13 is the Greenhouse cassette release via Bonzer Records with Doreen Girard and Scott Fitzpatrick at the Handsome Daughter *** See the light on March 18 at the Shine On Festival Fundraiser at the Good Will *** Be seen on March 19 at Smithfits at the Good Will *** Winnipeg rock stalwarts, The Perpetrators play the Park Theatre on Thursday March 24. That same night, Eagle Lake Owls, Well Sister, and Nick Faye are folking it up at the Handsome Daughter *** All your teenage dreams come true! Sunday March 27 at the MTS Centre is Metric and Death Cab for Cutie *** Monday March 28 at the Windsor Hotel is Electric Six and Sam Cash & The Romantic Dogs

Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

04 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

THE

FEAST

AND

FAMINE

AMELIA CURRAN BY VICTORIA KING

in Saint John’s Newfoundland, and Fmeromfromher thehomeCKUW production both in down-

on the album. She wrote it on the back porch of her friend Helen’s house. She brought it to her band and producer that day, hammered it out with them, and it just made the cut on the album. Referring to “I Am The Night,” Curran laughs, “It was a funny song, because it was written in the morning but it talked about the night.” A self-described night owl, Curran calls her writing process to be a balance of feast and famine. “I’ll have an intense stretch of all-day everyday writing, working

town Winnipeg, Amelia Curran and I make small talk: How’s the weather there? Did you see the news about Bowie? Yes, it got to -30 here this weekend. Don’t these sorts of things always happen around this time of year? Curran has been writing and making music for a significant portion of her life. A singer-songwriter rooted in the Saint John’s music scene, she released her fifth record They Promised You Mercy off of Six Shooter Records in November of 2014. Curran’s work has been upheld by many music critics and fans, in particular for her poetic lyrics. Often ripe with insightful thoughts, imagery, allusions, and wordplay, this record was nominated for the 2015 Juno Award for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. They Promised You Mercy, however, differs from the rest of her discography in it’s approach to song composition. Curran says she made the decision to focus exclusively on writing the lyrics, and left arrangements to her producer and bandmates, writing none of the breaks or solos like she would normally do. She says it was the first time she decided to focus exclusively on the writing, and she describes the process as having been very collaborative. Her producer on this record was Michael Phillip Wojewoda. “He had the vision,” she says. “He wanted me to singularly do my own job and not get mixed up in the production of it.” She also explains They Promised You Mercy took a long time. Much of her songwriting now takes place in her kitchen, where she’ll record and save files on the computer. In the past, she’d need to play the songs over and over again to remember them. Now, she needs to relearn the bits she’s PHOTO BY HEATHER POLLOCK recorded onto her laptop. The first song written for the album was “Comon four to five songs at a time until one is done . . . ing for You.” “Not intentionally,” Curran explains, then there’s a lazy stretch,” she explains. “I’m a pretty “but it was the first one that I thought ‘for sure this solitary person anyway. For my writing, privacy is has to get on a record.’” The song was written in really important.” She laughs, “I can hide away in my December of 2013, and the rest of the record was house for weeks on end and just pick away at things, recorded the following May through June of 2014. happily.” She says “I Am The Night” was the last song to get She also says that most of her writing, includwww.stylusmagazine.ca

ing the new material she says currently working on, takes place at home. “Some people can be really creative while they’re touring, but I find it to be kind of an interruption,” but explains she does love touring and playing shows. “It’s just not really a creative time for me, so I really relish the time off.” She says she’s working on new material. “We were out of the studio by June,” she explains. “There was such creative energy and environment in the studio.” She says that energy propelled her into a writing frenzy from June through November of that year. This writing cycle was again facilitated by her kitchen computer, and she’s now fishing through all that material, “just trying to find the gems, and finish them off,” she says. “It can be exciting because I’ll forget melodies and verses. It can also be completely demoralising. Like, ‘what the hell was I thinking?’ With technology, you can record everything. You never know [what you’ll want] and you don’t want to lose it. It’s like a map of a train of thought over the course of several months.” When pressed about exactly how many files she’s currently working with, she confirms that there are more than a hundred song pieces. Yet in terms of what themes and concepts this new material talks about, she’s unable to say. “Sometimes I don’t know until years after the song is out,” she explains. “I write from an analytical philosophical perspective. It’s exploration.” Our conversation is coming to a close - Curran says she’s heading to a Bowie tribute show in just a few hours. With this new material, Curran says that nothing is set but she’s hoping to record in the spring. Reflecting, she says, “There’s this wonderful magical thing about writing, because, where the hell does it come from? You’re creating something from nothing. I love writers.” Throughout February, Curran is spending time in Nashville, TN. She tours Canada in March. See Amelia at the Good Will Social Club in Winnipeg on March 6 .

Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

NAP EYES

BY Alex Roberecki

Nap Eyes (from Nova Scotia) are about to release a very thought-provoking album. It is composed of cool melodic blues-folk with lyrics that make you think: think about yourself, how others see you, your life choices, and all of the meanings behind your decisions. It’s a cool mellow way to reassess and self-reflect. To set the mood, the band recorded all seven tracks live on a porch beside the beautiful coast of Pictou, NS. On a recent Sunday afternoon I got a chance to talk with Nap Eyes’ songwriter, lead singer ,and rhythm guitarist, Nigel Chapman. We discussed songwriting methods, recording with 4-tracks, lyrical concepts, influences, and ideas. Stylus: You write your own music. Many artists write many different ways. What’s the best way you come up with songs? Nigel Chapman: With Nap Eyes I’ll be writing something at home. I’ll start with strumming some chords and then I’ll try to sing along to that. Usually I get words and a melody at the same time. Writing words down in a book. Then I’ll take that basic song, with chords, words, and a melody and bring it to the guys ( Josh Salter on bass, Seamus Dalton on drums, and Brad Loughead on lead guitar). Then we’ll just jam. I play my part and they make up their own parts. Everyone’s pretty independently creative within the band. In this case we learned a lot of the songs at our recording session. There were maybe four or five of them we learned as we recorded. Stylus: This new album was recorded live on a porch using a TEAC 4-track with no overdubbing. What made you guys choose that live sound over a controlled studio environment? NC: I like recording live for a couple reasons. I like the way it sounds when everyone plays together at the same time. And when it comes to dynamics, it gets a real natural vibe. But I also find it’s really good for being able to accept the sound, instead of going back and constantly changing it. In the studio

LYRICS THAT MAKE YOU THINK

everyone has a perfectionist impulse. You’ll always want to correct something. I find with recording live, if you have an overall good vibe or feeling in the take you just accept the take with the mistakes. I like that for being able to let go of things . . . It helps a lot. Stylus: Were there any challenges to this process? NC: The technical stuff, with using the 4-track. We only had four tracks of course, but including the singing, there were five instruments. So, my rhythm guitar and Josh’s bass were recorded on the same track. There were sometimes when we got a song in two or three takes. Other times we’d have to stop and start over 20 or 30 times. It can be frustrating, but overall I like to do it that way. Stylus: Does it affect how the songs were played and delivered? NC: Yeah, the mood of the place where you are has a lot of opportunity to really come through in a united way. Being on Pictou, on the shore, it’s really relaxing. Just to take a few days to take it easy. Most of our recordings were done in the day, finishing in early evening. Where on Whine of the Mystic, we recorded that album in a studio in Montreal late at night. We played louder on that album. Stylus: Tell me about one of the songs on the album, “Lion in Chains.” NC: “Lion in Chains” was a metaphor that can have various meanings, but the idea is that you have things that you want to go your way (ideas, plans, relationships, success in the world), but the universe is not really concerned with that. It is an overwhelming force that in the end decides everything. It was nice writing the verses to that song, just thinking about that from different perspectives, imagining other people’s views. Stylus: Were there any consistent underlying themes throughout the whole album? NC: There are definitely recurring themes. The idea is that I question myself a lot. Sometimes more than

I should. Hesitating too much. Sometimes less than I should. Acting too conceited, like I know what’s up, or something. Kind of like a self-analysis or a shyness. This is another theme that comes up in my life. I feel my most comfortable when I’m on my own. Solitude I really love sometimes. When I have solitary time, it gives me time to reflect on the meaning of my relationships, and trying to develop some kind of sense of personal ethic. In a way everyone knows their own self and has their own value in their own way. And no one else can give them the answer. A lot of the times that can feel lonely and very negative. The way to pull that around is to recognise the tension and recognise the negativity and try to see the upside. Find a positive way to keep moving forward and do the functional things you need to do in life. Stylus: You’ve mentioned in the past that you’re very ‘heavy’ with your influences, like The Clash, Lou Reed, Neil Young, etc. But as you progress, do you find you are getting away from their sounds and creating more of your own unique sound? Or do you take them and mix their styles together to create something new? NC: Yeah, I still feel my influences really strongly. What might happen in my life is that I will listen to a band a lot and then forget about it for a while. The Clash would be a great example as I listened to them so much in high school and then I would have a time where I wouldn’t listen to them at all for several years. Later I would eventually pick up London Calling or Clash on Broadway and then remember ‘Holy Cow! They’re so good.’ I would have a combination of personal nostalgia a nd a new perspective from where I am in my future life, where you can see the influence in a whole different way. I definitely carry my influences around with me all the time, just to keep inspired . . . Over time you find your own voice a little more. It synthesises your different influences as well with something original in you. You shouldn’t worry if you are starting out and people say you sound like this band, or are trying to imitate these guys. It’s just a natural stage to finding your own sound. To hear their sound for yourself pick up Nap Eyes second album, Thought Rock Fish Scale, on February 6. If that’s not enough, catch Nap Eyes live on April 1 at the Good Will Social Club, 625 Portage Ave.

06 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

ROGER ROGER ROGER ROGER BY SELCI

Roger Roger just released their debut album, Fairweather, on January 17 at the West End Cultural Centre. Before the release I had the pleasure of talking to the twin duo and have them answer some of my burning questions about how they write, growing up in a musical family, and what it’s like making music with your twin. These folks are doubly musical and creative, but they’re also kind, charming individuals who had some great things to say. Stylus: What were some of your musical influences on Fairweather? Roger Roger: We’re definitely both drawn to Canadian singer-songwriters who rock, like Kathleen Edwards, Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Harmer and Joel Plaskett. When it came time to make our album, we spent a lot of time pouring over recordings by these artists. In fact, we approached John Whynot (who mixed Failer by Kathleen Edwards) to mix Fairweather, and we’re so glad that we did. We absolutely love how it sounds. Stylus: Are you touring your album over the next year? RR: We certainly are! We’re heading west first, mainly through Saskatchewan and Alberta. Then Madeleine is going on tour with our friend and fellow singer-songwriter Carly Dow to B.C. and Alberta while Lucas builds guitars. Roger Roger will be in Ontario for the better part of August playing at folk festivals, and then in the fall we’ll be embarking on a ‘Home Routes’ house concert tour. There will likely be an eastern tour somewhere in there as well. Stylus: How does the writing process work with you folks? RR: We write separately, so it depends who you ask. Lucas almost always writes the chord structures and

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melodies first and the lyrics last, often in a deep dark secluded corner of the house. Madeleine has never written a song the same way twice. Sometimes it starts on one instrument and moves to another, or starts as a poem, a melody, or a riff. She’s written songs on the bus, the train, while riding a bike, and in her dreams. We really like each other’s songs, so once they’re written we usually just teach them to one another, keeping in mind that ‘nothing is precious.’ We’re both very willing to make changes to the songs, and we trust each other’s opinions. Stylus: Hearing your amazing harmonies makes me feel like your twin connection is very complimentary in a musical context. What is the dynamic like being in a duo with your twin? RR: It’s awesome! Neither of us are blind to the fact that it’s pretty special that we have such a close connection, and how lucky we are to have such a fun and comfortable time making music together. Plus, there is nothing we can say to each other that hasn’t already been said, so we can call each other out for being ridiculous and it doesn’t change a thing. Lucas built both of the acoustic guitars that we play, and Madeleine drew and designed all of the artwork for Fairweather. It feels like we’ve got a good thing going. Stylus: What have been some highlights leading up to the big release? RR: Playing twice at the Winnipeg Folk Festival as part of the Young Performers Program, with mentors Birds Of Chicago and Johnny Irion has been amazing. We’ve both been going there since we were born, and have looked up to a lot of the artists that we have seen over the years. Recording an album with each other is also a pretty huge deal. If you had asked us five years ago, I don’t think that we could have foreseen making an

album together. Our lives have become a lot more entwined since starting this project. Stylus: I understand you have been around a lot of music throughout your upbringing. How did that manifest into the creation of Fairweather? RR: Well, it made it really easy. The album was recorded and co-produced by Lloyd Peterson at Paintbox Recording, who happens to be our dad. We’ve spent our whole lives discussing albums, the sound of recordings, and songwriting as dinner table conversation together, so when we sat down to make Fairweather we had a collective understanding of how to talk about our ideas. There was a lot of laughter and experimentation in the studio, and I can’t think of a better way to create music. Stylus: Lucas, I am aware that you are a maker of guitars. Will we be hearing any of your beauties on the album? Lucas Roger: It is true! I’ve been fixing, modifying, and building guitars for a few years now. The main acoustic guitar that I play on is the first guitar that I made, which was built at Jeremy Hamm’s shop in La Riviere, MB. I recorded all of my acoustic guitar parts on Fairweather with that instrument. On the song “Dead Horse Creek” I played a Telecaster style guitar that I built, which suited the song perfectly. The most recent guitar that I finished belongs to Madeleine, and it was strung up just inside the new year. Madeleine will be playing it at our album launch and following tour, which is very exciting! Find Roger Roger online at rogerrogermusic.com. Catch them play as a part of Festival du Voyageur on February 13.

Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

CKUWho

Listen to Space Cadet

Wednesdays 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM or ckuw.ca

08 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

Melancholy and Melody meet in the Heart of West Broadway BY ANDRE CORNEJO

It’s Sunday afternoon, and the weather is certainly less than favourable. The Winnipeg winter we all love to hate has shown up over the weekend, and I’m glad that I only have to walk one block with my tape deck to get to Mulligrub’s jam space. I make my way up to the front door and I’m let inside by guitarist and vocalist, Kelly Campbell. The first thing one notices when entering the home is the impressive collection of written and printed material. Information ranging from and beyond indigenous struggles, animal liberation, gender, and health, to socialism, foreign policy, and radical fiction. The band practices in the basement of this Spence Street residence that houses the Junto Library, an anarchist oriented literature sharing centre that has seen multiple incarnations over the last two decades. A fresh pot of coffee is brewing in the kitchen, where I’m introduced to bassist Mirella Villa, and drummer Riley Hill. Greetings are exchanged and the four of us head downstairs, mugs in hand, to get down to business. We sit down in the sectioned off jam room in the basement. A thoroughly used cloth hangs from Riley’s toms. “I need a fresh towel,” he states. Kelly eyeballs the spent fabric, and responds, “maybe that’s what I’ll get you for Christmas. A new drum towel.” I ask the group about the origins of Mulligrub. Riley Hill: Kelly and I had mutual friends, but she lived in Halifax. Or, no, did you live in Halifax then? Kelly Campbell: Yeah, and then I moved here. We were already friends and we started practicing together. RH: You said you wanted someone to play your songs with you, so I played drums. KC: We were doing that for about six months before we ever played a show. We had another person that was playing bass with us before. He’s not in the band anymore. Mirella started playing bass with us, and has been in the band longer than he was. RH: Yeah, we kind of became more of a band when Mirella joined. Together, this lineup has now been playing for about two years. As far as the songwriting process goes, it’s becoming more of a collaborative effort than it once was, and members draw from different influences. KC: I feel like before I used to just write a song, and be like, ‘Hey guys, I wrote this song,’ and everybody would learn the song. Now we kind of figure it all out together and it’s way more fun. RH: Someone will play something, and everybody will add to it, and we’ll sing about whatever we’re thinking about, or something like that. KC: We have some long conversations about what we might want the content to

be about. I’ll usually have a pretty specific idea of what I think a song is going to be about. There’s a recent one that we wrote and I was like, ‘This song is about staying at home and knowing the world is burning around you, and not wanting to go outside.’ And then Riley was like, ‘I’m going to just sing about birds flying in the sky.’ We had such a long conversation about whether or not birds flying through the sky related at all to what I thought the theme of the song was. (To Riley) I don’t know if you changed it, or just sing it more quietly now. The album that we’re releasing is mostly old songs that I wrote a while ago. They’re super personal. RH: They’re pretty different than our new stuff. KC: Yeah, our new stuff is more poppy and abstract I guess. Also, I just wanna say that it’s pretty obvious, but we really like Waxahatchee, and anything by the Crutchfield sisters. Mirella Villa: Yeah I guess as far as our current sound goes, those are a couple of our major influences. RH: Well, not mine, but it doesn’t matter. KC: Riley is only inspired by Prince. What is your inspiration when you write a song? RH: I don’t know. I listen to music that’s pretty all over the place. Mostly reggae, pop, and soul. The music I make usually has nothing to do with the music I listen to. MV: I feel like you listen to enough mu-

sic that if I play something you can vibe on it pretty easily. You just get it. The group touches on some plans for the not too distant future. They also reflect on a few highlights from their collective past, which include a prairie tour with Basic Nature, and a road trip to Milwaukee to play a festival that Kelly’s friends organize. KC: We played with Dilly Dally not to long ago. That was really awesome. On March 27 we’re playing with Dead Soft. That’s going to be sweet. We’re pretty excited for our album release, which is going to be in April. Hopefully the 22. It’s the full moon. We’re going to be playing with Cannon Bros, and Animal Teeth. Hopefully after that we’ll go on tour. MV: I’m dying to go on tour again. I’ve got a thirst for it. KC: It was a nice couple of shows with Basic Nature (during the November Saskatoon and Regina trip), and we didn’t lose money. MV: When we went to the States we took advantage of all of the fast food that’s really bad for us. RH: We probably would do better in the States. There’s more of a scene for the kind of music we play. KC: I guess also there’s like, 10 times more people. RH: I feel like one of the funny things about touring Canada is that everybody kind of knows the same people. KC: It’s like a small town, along a really long shoestring. That is the Trans-Canada. My favourite part of going on tour is the really big things. I love them! MV: The giant landmarks! KC: Wawa Goose, that one’s great, always stop there! Once we found a pair of giant dice. There was a woman dice that was wearing high heels, a skirt, and had big eyelashes. And a man dice that had bowling shoes and a bow tie. It was great! I’ve finished up my coffee, and before I leave to let the band practice they share a couple of closing sentiments with me. MV: I’ve always wanted to be in a band. It’s been my dream since I was really young, and now I get to do it and I love it. I love the people I make music with, and I’m really excited that we’re putting out this album. I feel like there’s a lot of potential, and I feel like we’re doing something unique. I just want the chance to expose people to it, and for them to love it as much as I love playing it. KC: I’m always amazed when people say they like us, or when we get asked to do something cool. I’m always going ‘Holy shit! That’s so nice!’ I feel like I’m having more fun now than I used to. Which is kind of weird to say because our songs are not about fun at all! You’ll have a chance to see them before their album release show in April, as it’s recently been announced that they’ll be playing with Propagandhi and Rebel Yell on February 13 at the Garrick Centre.

ILLUSTRATION BY NICK VAN DOESELAAR

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Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

BOATS

One Last Hurrah Before Setting Sail by Chris Bryson

On March 4, Winnipeg experimental pop-rock outfit Boats will be playing their last show at the Good Will. “Probably the last show,” says Mat Klachefsky, Boats’ frontman and songwriter. Boats released their first album in 2007, another in 2010, a cassette in 2012, and a third full-length in 2013. Since then, Klachefsky has taken on a new job and the pace of the band has slowed down. Klachefsky feels it’s the right time to call it quits, and has plenty of good memories to keep with him. “We had a good run,” says Klachefsky. “For seven, eight years, the band was kind of the focal point of everything I did. And it was kind of me trying to unrealistically chase a dream job. Then about a year ago a different dream job kind of leapt into my lap. So I took that. And I think it was a good time to kind of call it because we did a lot of really great things. We met a lot of great people. We went to places that I’d never think I’d ever get to go. It was great while it lasted but I feel good about quitting it.”

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Klachefsky appreciates the experiences he’s had, and after years in the music scene he’s found that the best kind of music is music that comes naturally. “I know people can end up in bands for years and years and it’s the only thing they know how to do. So at a certain point writing songs does not come naturally and being a musician does not come naturally,” says Klachefsky. “I’m just glad we never got to that point where I had to write songs because I felt I had to. I wrote songs because I enjoyed it and because they occurred naturally.” Boats is indie pop with some branching experimental leanings. It’s music that makes you think, and music that makes you feel. Their sound is uplifting and airy, mixing propulsion and bounce with a weird and distinct pomp. Klachefsky’s vocals lie somewhere in the realm between that of Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service), a truly entrancing mix. On Boats’ last album they got to tour England. When talking a bit about tour memories, Klachefsky says over the phone with a distinctive calmness, “there’s been so much. I hear a lot about other bands having big problems on tour and not getting along and just having a miserable time, not enjoying it, being away from home for too long, and being homesick. We never had any of that. We got along great. We would always be having a good time if we were playing to five people or 300 people. So it was always fun. It was expensive but it was fun. I’m just glad we got the chance to do it. It was a cool way to spend your late 20s. I recommend it. But maybe not your late 30s,” he laughs. Talking with Klachefsky, he seems content with his decision for a last show, or what he calls, “probably the last show.” He says there’s new material, but there’s no certainty whether he’ll ever return to recording or playing music. “We’re calling it ‘Probably the Last Show’ because I reserve the right to have reunion shows and if anything else goes to shit then I reserve the right to get back into it, but I cannot see that happening,” says Klachefsky. “It’s definitely going to be the last

show for a very long time.” A last show gives even better reason to check Boats out if you’ve never seen them before. Their raucous sound is enough to get bodies moving on the floor. When asked what he’ll be doing next, Klachefsky says (in honest jest) he’s, “going to exist as a human being.” And really, isn’t that all anyone could ask for? He explains he feels unsure about how his life will be once Boats is not around. “It’s a weird thing to think about,” says Klachefsky. “Even though we haven’t really done anything in a year. It kind of helps define everything I did and now it just doesn’t anymore.” Despite the changes, there seems to be levity to Klachefsky’s tone and expression, like the kind of feeling you get when you know you’ve done something you love and all the work was worth it. “We’re going to ride off into the sunset, proud of the work we’ve done,” says Klachefsky. Be sure to check out Boats’ final show at the Good Will on March 4 with Human Music and Beefdonut.

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Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

The KNNDY F

kind of voice that makes itself known. A voice that has a clear path and its own trajectory no matter how much doubt I felt in the process.” Ford mentions that she has many fond memories of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, having played there more than once. She’ll never forget one particularly muddy day back in 2010 when she brought her son inside for a nap and ended up spending a few hours hanging out with Emmylou Harris. “Because I’m a mom and my income depends on this, when I make an album I have to like, knock it out of the park,” Ford laughs. She admits to perfectionist tendencies, but she also allows herself to goof around at times. “I have this policy where I let myself write cheesy songs too, just because if you believe it has to be great, you’ll never write anything.” To really get close to her work, Ford knows that she has to forget some of her expectations. “After a while,” she says, “you realize there’s your ego, and there’s your idea of how awesome you think these things are going to be. And of course, underneath all that crap, there’s something that’s actually real.”

mixed media piece done in acrylic and aerosol, graces one of the walls inside of the Knndy. Akoza was happy to collaborate with a venue looking to express the city’s multifaceted artistic community “The more venues that can express the city’s cultural aspects, the better.” Just don’t expect for the art to stay the same, Joseph promises. The work on the walls will eventually be in rotation, giving emerging artists a space to show their work. Finally, how has the response been to a new joint in the old Lo? Joseph explains, “the first thing anyone says is, ‘it’s been so long, I’m so happy. There’s so much nostalgia going on in this room. I’ve asked people how they feel and it’s just as comfortable as it was. It’s still different and clearly things have changed, but it still has that comfortable, I can come here to study vibe, or I can watch a band or dance really hard at the front. There’s been a lot of positive feedback.”

razey Ford joins me on the phone a week into the new year. When I ask how 2016 is going, she confesses that for the past few days she’s been in bed with a cold. “I’m just coming out of it,” she says. “I feel a bit like a newborn.” Hearing her voice, you’d never know she’d been sick. Ford speaks with a warmth that instantly suggests her signature musical blend of folk and soul. You only have to play the first minute of a Frazey Ford song before someone in the room turns to you, a little bit in awe, and asks “who is this?” Ford has released two albums since she began her career as a solo artist: Obadiah (2010) and more recently, Indian Ocean (2014). To Ford, the newer of the two feels a lot closer emotionally. The songs on Indian Ocean took her two years to write, a process she describes as intensive and tricky. It’s a testament to her proficiency that the album sounds so natural, with lyrics that flow one after another with a breezy certainty. “I probably have hundreds of unfinished songs,” Ford admits. “It seems like the ones that want to be born will pester me. Sometimes I’ll start writing a song and I’ll get nowhere with it, but then six months or a year later I’ll realize that I had to go through something in order to figure out where the song was going. I had to grow, I had to evolve.” Growth is a strong theme in Ford’s music, whether it’s reconnecting with the natural world, or casting off a past love who’s been nothing but trouble. Ford recorded Indian Ocean with the Hodges brothers, a group of musicians whose sound Ford idolized from an early age. For the songwriter, the opportunity was immensely exciting, but also the source of a lot of anxiety. “I was really stepping into an unknown situation for myself,” Ford says. “I’ve been able to retroactively be like ‘Holy crap that was an amazing experience,’ but at the time I was so scared that I found it difficult to relax into what was going on. It was terrifying, but in the end there’s an artistic

by Martyna Turczynowicz

Frazey Ford plays at the West End Cultural Centre on February 19 with Phil Cook.

proach before anything else” Calvin Joseph says about he Knndy, a new haunt in the old home of the Lo Pub. Jamil Chaudry, Anthony Sannie and Calvin Joseph are the team behind the recently opened Knndy Pub, a venue which aims to be a home for artists of all kinds. Calvin Joseph, the venue’s art director, describes the Knndy as fluid. “It’s a fluid bar, we really want to involve everyone in it. As we book more events we want to accommodate the community and the culture. That was the main plan for creating the space, was making it more community and culture oriented.” Sannie, who books and manages the venue, wants to carry on the former Lo Pub’s open attitude. “I started coming to the Lo Pub when I was 18 or 19 years old. They created a culture for emerging bands and artists who wanted to get their foot in the door and didn’t want to play a 200 or 300 person venue and feel kind of lost because not enough people are there.” Sannie says the Knndy will give young bands a chance to play a show that feels like they’re playing to a crowd. “This space gives younger bands that chance to have a show that feels like they’re playing to a crowd. We really wanted to have a pub. Jamil was really keen on having TV’s up for NBA basketball games,” Sannie says. The Knndy’s opening weekend in December was a success; it was filled with varied musical acts, including Cannon Bros. and Mise en Scene among others playing on Friday and Saturday and finishing off with “Art in the Cold Cold Night” on Sunday evening. Keeping true to its artist-first mindset, the walls of the Knndy are filled with work from a host of local artists; among them, Josh Dookhie, Meganelizabeth Diamond, and Cash Akoza. Cash Akoza was approached by the owner, who thought Akoza’s bright and graphic work would be a good fit for the venue. His mural, a

“We want to take an artist-first ap-

by Rachel Narvey

Frazey Ford

PRAIRIE PUNK PERSPECTIVE BY Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell

We’ve got a lot to deal with here in

the heart of Manitoba. Winnipeg is a bitter place. It’s agonizingly cold, swarming with mosquitoes, and on many occasions it has been referred to as the murder capital of Canada. But if you’ve spent most of your life in Winnipeg then at least you get the bragging rights of calling yourself a survivor of the elements. I could go on about the mosquitoes and the fact that it’s been colder than Mars, but I’ve never been to Mars so I don’t know how bone chilling that truly is. Let’s talk about what we do to distract ourselves. Here in this harsh town we go heavy with the arts, and we do it well. Our independent music scene is certainly worth talking about and even more so worth experiencing. Everyone’s probably got something to say about it but I’m going to narrow it down and talk about the part of it I mostly experience: the punk. We’re diehards and we’ll brave the snowstorm to push each other around in a sweaty pit of some dingy bar because it’s a solid, enjoyable dis-

traction. But even though the punk scene isn’t massive or trendy, it’s quite diverse. Winnipeg has a selection of punk tiers to choose from. You can be authentic and go to the small bar where the beer is cheap and the crowd is all elbows. If that’s not your thing you can go to the slightly larger bars where the music is maybe tamer, or maybe just different, but there are certainly less flailing elbows. When the well known touring punks come through the city the turnout is always impressive. So whether you like it heavy, light, loud, soft, or melodic, there’s probably a show this month that you’d enjoy. Small bands in Winnipeg have of course played to near empty rooms on occasion, but with our supportive music community I doubt many bands have never had the opportunity to play to a packed room. Regardless of the band’s popularity, you can always chat with them after their set. There is no division between people. Local shows will almost always deliver affordable cover, high energy performances, crowd interactions, and of

course, great times. The bands react to the folks frequenting their shows. And if you’re one of those frequent folks then you’ve likely established yourself in a community of punks which might start to feel like your noisey family. There are certainly many stereotypes that follow punks around and I advise you, if you’re not accustomed to this part of the music world to simply ignore them. Punks aren’t all a bunch of assholes, it’s simply not fair to assume so. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of argument here but contrary to the assumed information I’ve never felt as equal among my musical peers as I do in mosh pits. It’s the combination of sport and art. Dancing hard and getting rowdy to the music together. It’s therapeutic and, yes, sometimes it hurts, but it’s voluntary. It’s less dangerous than hockey so stop criticizing it already. In the pit, we’re all the same. You can’t have a mosh pit with just one person, it’s a group effort. Many popular venues have closed over the years that we’ll miss deeply such as the Albert, and sometime

eventually the Zoo. But punk simply cannot be homeless. Bars such as the Windsor, the Garrick Hotel, and more started filling the void. These venues realize that the punk shows will go on no matter what and it’s a missed opportunity not to invite us in (so long as they move the breakables higher up on the walls). I can’t speak too much about other cities and their punk scenes but I think it would be hard to compete with our committed town. We have a very interesting punk history that you can read about in books (See Sheldon Birnie’s recently published “Missing Like Teeth”), or you can contribute to the current history being built because it doesn’t appear to be slowing down much. There’s typically a couple punk shows to choose from every weekend so there should always be something that’ll suit your needs. King’s Hotel is going to be hosting Punk Night Fridays every Friday starting February 5 which you can always count on. Be a Winnipegger and check it out.

vant if you’re into that authentic punk sound that cures all of your problems. The Tubuloids EP This Wave Sucks came out in 2014 and may not be the latest of tunes from the group but it’s still worth chatting about. They’re on the vinyl train with this 7”, and it simply adds to the aesthetic - CDs are lame these days, do it the expensive way. I don’t usually like to discuss an album by getting all specific with the tracks and blah blah blah, but since there’s only four on this 7” I can cover them all. The EP opens up with the catchy title track “This Wave Sucks” which is so good, it makes you a bit bummed to know there’s only three more tracks until it’s all over. You’re going to have to get over it, nothing

can be done. Next up are the ever inspiring lyrics to “Just Jump (Or Get Off the Bridge).” Punks are blunt, deal with it. These are life lessons folks. Now comes time to flip the record. The Tubuloids will reward you for your efforts with the instrumental “Reefer Madness” and it’s natural surf punk vibe. It’s punk though, so before you know it the song is over and we’re onto the final track “Tosh & Neil’s Excellent Adventure.” Naturally it’s cool to play off the cult classics with a bit of yelling and distortion. Who’s complaining? This is a simple album. If you like punk, you’re golden. (Crapitol Records, tubuloids.com) Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell

Iconoclast

LAMB OF GOD VII: Sturm Und Drang VII: Sturm Und Drang found its way on to many year end lists as Album of the Year, and has received tons of positive acclaim and good reviews. I could not agree more with these positive reviews; my rating on this album

14 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

is 4.5 out of 5. The album is solid throughout, all the songs fit together well and lyrically, it is amazing. This album has a lot of heavy riffage and it is clear how hard they worked on this record, putting so much effort in to making a good album. Vocalist and lyricist, Randy Blythe created a masterpiece of an album with this. The tracks I recommend diving into first are “Embers,” “Overlord,” and “Engage the Fear Machine.” (Epic Records, lamb-of-god.com) William Charlette THE TUBULOIDS This Wave Sucks I guess we’re a bit behind on this one but nonetheless, the album is still rele-

Local Spotlight

SELCI Earth Person Selci is absolutely mesmerizing throughout the entire album. Earth Person pushes the boundaries of conventional tunes while experimenting with a variety of instruments, electronic beats, looping, and indescribably beautiful vocals. Earth Person opens with a cover of the top 40 hit “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. Selci’s version of this song gives the lyrics an entirely different energy, playing on the dark side of the song while producing a circus of sound lead by breathtaking vocals (literally, you will stop breathing). The album puts you in a trance that is quite sur-

real. The lyrics tell fascinating, poetic stories, personifying nature while telling earth stories in a haunting voice from the mouth of Mother Nature. It really has something for everyone because the talent is so evident and diverse that the album is musically appealing from a variety of standpoints. “Ambiguous Mixers” breaks down into a trippy hip hop vibe that backs a mid-song rap that just flows like water from your ears and down your spine. It is followed by the song “Heart,” which seems to flow in and out of cohesiveness, but is corrected by breaks of instrumental silence, introduction of new beats, or a flawless vocal run. There are surprises on this album that will alter your perception of what people can accomplish with music. It sounds like a successfully trippy experiment lead by a musically inclined mad scientist, especially in the track “Continuum.” As we all know from being host-ears to unsuccessful DJs, overlapping sounds and music can be a challenging task, that of which has been harnessed, explored and mastered by Selci. Earth

Person is an album you can get lost in in the most wonderful ways. Trying to successfully find the words to describe it is an extremely challenging task because it is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It’s really cool. Like, really cool. (Self-released, selci.bandcamp.com) Olivia Michalczuk

ROGER ROGER Fairweather Roger Roger’s new album Fairweather is a folk-roots album with an injection of country and soul. Each tune has a slightly different flavour and it’s definitely got more of a country vibe than I was expecting. The outcome is

an upbeat, easy listening folk/country roots album with pleasant ballads dispersed throughout. The title track “Fairweather” is a slow folk tune that’s very well written and fits well in contrast with the other tunes. My favourite track is “O Rainy Day” - at first it caught me off guard with the ethereal vocals and rainfall, but the soothing quality still fits really well amongst the other tunes. The contrasting styles are evenly distributed yet the album still holds onto its continuity. The melding styles woven throughout the album carry a really nice variation between the twins’ voices and writing styles. Madeleine tells expressive stories of living and growing up in the track “13 Crows.” Her voice and lyrics are positively charming the whole way through. Lucas’s powerful voice has a country twang, teamed up with gritty guitar makes for some hard hitting tunes. As expected, the Roger Roger duo creates harmonies that are spot on. The recording quality is fantastic, very clear and polished. (Self-released, rogerrogermusic.com) Selci

Under the Needle

VARIOUS ARTISTS Sweety Pie Records: E dmonton Volume One I probably haven’t been to Edmonton in over 15 years. Back then I didn’t get the feeling there was much going on there culturally. If I went there today, I’d look up which Sweety Pie Records

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bands have shows and that’s where I’d go. This compilation is pretty diverse musically but there seems to be one common element that glues it all together. I can’t seem to find the right word for it, but it sounds very much like Winnipeg to me. It starts off with “Daydream” by Marlaena Moore which has a super sweet heart-melting folky sound. The melody flows strong and smooth over a 6/8 rhythm. Next up is “Cashier” by Gender Poutine (nice band name, amirite). The song rocks . . . like the Edmonton version of Winnipeg’s own Surprise Party. Borscht has track three with “You Can Leave if you Want,” which also reminds me of Winnipeg band Basic Nature. It’s shoegazey, mellow, and

relaxing. Consilience’s song “Soft and Slow” isn’t actually soft or slow. It’s very “party” in that it has a lot of parts, with various time signatures and tempos. I guess I’d call it prog-pop, and it’s quite well produced. Power Buddies “Ponchy Peter” is a great synthy pop punk track. Short and sweet, screaming yet highly danceable. Then comes “The Rules Have Changed Again” by Versions which is all angular alt-rock in the Conduct style. This track is almost jangly emo. The compilation finishes with Boosh’s track “27,” which is glitched out video game inspired electronic music. I usually can’t listen to more than a minute of that chiptune stuff but I am truly amazed by Boosh. It’s so well put together that

it’s shocking. I had to find out more and did some searching around and found “BOOSH! live at Wunderbar” on YouTube which totally blew me away. Go check that out now. Imagine Caribou and Lightning Bolt mixed together is all I can say. So anyways, the right word for the thing that glues this compilation together still hasn’t come to me yet but it’s something along the lines of pure, raw, real, and true. And now I actually want to go to Edmonton. (Sweety Pie Records, sweetypierecords.bandcamp.com) Joel Klaverkamp Recommended if you like Made in Canada, Mondays from 4 - 5 p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM

Feb/Mar 2016 Stylus Magazine

Ulteriors ment and perfect music for those who like their light and sweet tempered with dark and a little creepy. (4AD, grimesmusic.com) Laura Friesen Recommended if you like Now Sounds, Fridays from 3:30-5 p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM.’

GRIMES Art Angels With the release of her fourth fulllength, Art Angels, everyone’s favourite urban faerie has catapulted herself into the public pop stratosphere. And when I say catapulted herself, it’s in the truest sense of the phrase – the Vancouver native has built her career on her own terms, uncompromisingly hacking out a sonic and cultural space that celebrates the weird, the feminine, the surreal, the twisted. No longer a niche or under-the-radar phenomenon, electro-priestess Grimes now reigns with a sound that’s equally all her own distinct creation and that appeals to the pop-consuming masses. Okay, maybe the masses aren’t all listening to her, but I dare anyone to give “California” or “Flesh without Blood” a go without being charmed by her sparkling production and melodic sensibility. Those who like their Grimes on the more abrasive, experimental side have “Kill V. Maim,” a brash and kinda bratty electro tune with beats like a sugar-fuelled video game, or “Scream,” a showcase for Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes, whose voice flows, catches, halts, breathes, and yes, screams. It’s unintelligible to me, language-wise, but the harshness of the song is tempered by a conversational quality that feels immediate and intimate. Sadly, bonus track “REALiTi” isn’t included on the vinyl or cassette versions of the album. A standout of the digital/CD editions, the song is an older demo that was originally slated to be included on a previous album that was eventually scrapped. It has a captivating trance that’s immediately addicting, with the bonus of being comparatively chill and soothing among the other tracks. If listening to Art Angels doesn’t want to make you dump a bucket of glitter over yourself and eat cotton candy for every meal until you become sick with sweetness, then Grimes might not be for you. For the rest of us though, the album is a soaring accomplish-

16 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

WOLF ALICE My Love is Cool On their debut LP, My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice have created a sound that’s raucous and playful, scrappy and sexy, cool and dreamy, and they do it with the flash and flair of a band that knows the benefit of going for a big, bold sound. The songs on this album feel fit for a big stage, arena-sized anthems for foot stomping and lighter-waving, with enough energetic elegance to keep most altrock fans hypnotized. But it isn’t all starburst hooks and skyscraper riffs.

There’s a haunted hopefulness in the sky lighting up as if you’re caught in a tone of My Love Is Cool, and dark and daydream. Wolf Alice knows how to cryptic lyrics laid throughout that add structure songs for full impact, and a looming layer of mystery, like the the songs they’ve made on My Love first track off the album, “Turn To Is Cool reach soaring heights. (Dirty Dust.” The song’s whimsical aura is Hit Records, wolfalice.co.uk) Chris elevated by lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s Bryson high-flying voice, who sings, “Keep your beady eyes on me/To make sure Recommended if you like R U Awake? I don’t turn to dust/If fear is in the Thursdays from 6 - 8 a.m. on CKUW mind, then my mind lives in fear/ 95.9 FM As deep and as vast as the dirty British sea.” But the tempo doesn’t last long. The second song on the album, “Bros,” erupts with a spattering tromp, dreamy guitar pedals and Rowsell’s heady vocals. “Your Loves Whore” opens with galloping drums and trickle motion guitar and bass, before bursting WOLF ALICE BY EMILY CHENG into gold and gleaming open space with the feeling of the

95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS (Nov 24, 2015 – Jan 16, 2016) !=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 Kacy & Clayton

RECORDING

Album Strange Country Vieux Farka Toure & Julia Easterlin Touristes Rastamils It’s a Dream Deerhunter Fading Frontier The Unbelievable Bargains Exuberance Abounds Human Music Sup Go Betty Go Reboot Scott Nolan Silverhill Chic Gamine Light A Match Autumn Still When It Was Cannon Bros Dream City Empresarios The Vibes Basic Nature Circles And Lines Patrick Alexandre Leclerc Strange New World Vince Andrushko Vince Andrushko Ty Segall Ty Rex Corb Lund Things That Can’t Be Undone Willie Thrasher Spirit Child Ought Sun Coming Down William Prince Earthly Days The Noble Thiefs It’s Tough To Be The Bad Guy Ryan Adams 1989 JP Hoe Hideaway Cancer Bats Searching For Zero Metric Pagans In Vegas New Order Music Complete Sweet Alibi Walking In The Dark Alanah Zeebeck Ghost Letters Destroyer Poison Season Futurekids This Is Everything

LABEL

Label Big White Cloud Six Degrees Self-Released 4AD Transistor 66 Sundowning Sound Self-Released Transistor 66 Self-Released Self-Released Disintegration Self-Released Dub Ditch Picnic Self-Released Self-Released Goner New West Future Days Recordings Constellation Self-Released Pipe & Hat Pan-Americana/Blue Note

Maple Music Metal Blade Mmi/Universal Mute Self-Released Self-Released Merge Self-Released

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