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DEC/JAN 27 NO. 6 2016 VOL
Production Team Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . Harrison Samphir
On the Cover ALDO RIOS is an insect ecologist and science illustrator from Mexico City. See more of Aldo’s work at aldorios.com, or follow him on Instagram and Facebook @aldorios.
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Campbell Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autumn Crossman Advertising Contact . . . . . . . . . Rob Schmidt manager@ckuw.ca Print by JRS Print Services . . . 204-232-3558
Contributors Zoe McCrea Jesse Bercier Kaitlyn Emslie Farrel Chris P. Bakon
Daniel Emberg Bailee Woods Steve Louie Jen Doerksen Laura Freisen
Sophie Hershfield Alina Moore Matt Harrison Maddy Cristall
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 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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Table of Contents Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Live Bait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Prairie Punk Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 CKUWho Mas Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Reviews Iansucks, The Catamounts, Weyes Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Features HSY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Birthday Wishes: Volume 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Duotang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Jaywood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Somebody Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Lev Snowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Skye Callow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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BLAHBLAHBLAH
Live music is alive, alive, alive. ***December 7 at The Good Will is Manitoba Music New Music Night and over at the Garrick Center, July Talk will fill the room with rock and roll flare***Half Moon Run with Montreal indie dudes Plants & Animals are at The Burton Cummings Theatre on December 9 and down at the Handsome Daughter is a wonderful local show with the Dirty Catfish Brass Band and Odanah or head over to the Good Will for Lanikai’s album release with Mise En Scene and Slow Leaves***December 10 at the Good Will is the Art City X Graffiti Gallery Talent show***Sing your heart out on December 15 at
The Good Will with Live Band Karaoke*** Dust off your Dr. Martens for Smithfits on December 16 at The Good Will***Some uplifting and danceable music on December 17 at the Good Will with Nite, Kenaston, and Lev Snowe or over at the Handsome Daughter, catch an empowering set from Red Moon Road***William Prince leads the Sunday Brunch Collective on December 18 at The Kitchen Sync***Best of Bands as Bands at The Good Will on December 21***Real Love Winnipeg holiday special at the Handsome Daughter on December 22 with Lucas Roger, Kieran West and His Buffalo Band, and Kakagi or over at The Good Will you can check out the Big Fun line up
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launch party***All of your absolute favourite hits will be performed on December 26 and 27 at the Good Will with Guilty Pleasures***December 30 at The Good Will, feel the power of local crooning legends, Crooked Brothers***Get fly as hell into the new year on December 31 with Super Duty Tough Work, 3peat, and DJs Hunnicutt and Co-op at the Good Will***January 7 at the Handsome Daughter is the Withdrawal Album Release***Palm Trees release their debut album States on January 12 at the Good Will with Animal Teeth and Mahogany Frog***January 13 at the Handsome Daughter, Birthday Tapes Presents Viewing Party EP Release***January 21 just got sweeter at the Handsome Daughter with The
Peaches***Big Fun Festival runs from January 26-29 at multiple venues around town featuring headliners like Julie Doiron, Living Hour, Mahogany Frog, and Basic Nature***Sam Roberts Band plays The Burton Cummings Theatre on January 31***Winnipeg is a special place.
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HSY BY KAITLYN EMSLIE FARREL It’s the last run of frequent tour dates before the shows start to dwindle and the roads ice over, but we’ve got some great bands coming through on the final stretch. Toronto’s HSY is one of those groups. I was able to catch up with Jude between practices and leading up to their first tour gig in Guelph. Here’s the gist of our all over the place conversation. HSY isn’t a straightforward cookie cutter genre band. Sure, they’re punk, but that barely scratches the surface. They’re also noisy and they’re also sludge. The entire aesthetic is relatable to the darker side of your artistic existence and this is apparent in the vibrations that radiate through your head when you listen to the songs. With the new addition of a synth player, we can only expect the music to intensify. Their name had to change at some point too, originally going as the full spelt out Hussy. “There’s this shitty garage band from somewhere in Wisconsin or Michigan or something and they’re called Hussy and we had mutual friends through Facebook. This guy would always razz us and I was like yeah, you know what? I don’t really care that much about it and this guy seems to care a lot so I’ll let him have it,” says Jude. “It’s basically to shut him up,” he laughs. Jude’s thoughts on Winnipeg are minimal but he’s got the imagery down pat. “I don’t know it super well. It seems like a pretty rough town in a way. I don’t mean that to be an insult or anything. I don’t know. I know there’s a lot of violence there,” says Jude. “I guess it’s got the reputation of being a pretty gritty place, I don’t mind that, I think that’s good.”
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PHOTO BY DAVID WALDMAN This all just adds to the aesthetic right Jude? He didn’t really have a favourite Canadian city to play in, but he’s a fan of Calgary because of the great bands that reside there. One of those bands is Dri Hiev who shared some of their tour dates, including the one in Winnipeg. “We met them last year, like early October last year, because they played a show with us. It was just really random. It was like the first show of this tour we were going on, and I was just like I fucking love this band. This band is amazing. No other band we played with on that tour stood up to Dri Hiev, in my opinion,” says Jude. “I just kind of made it a point to always be like this band’s awesome, and if I talk to those guys I’d be like you guys are amazing, I want to tour with you and I don’t care what it takes let’s do it.” The next time they hit up Calgary a friendship was formed and here we are. “I feel happy and thankful to even play a couple shows with them cause they’re just an incredible band and amazing people too.” After going strong for half a decade, the band could really use some rest. They’ve seen plenty of shows, tours and releases, and now they need to mentally recoup. After a less than pleasant split from their label Buzz Records, HSY is in a good place to relax for a bit. “The band’s been a band for five years or something like that and I kind of need a break. And after all the stuff that happened with Buzz it was just a very emotional thing,” says Jude. I have no doubt they’ll be snatched up again soon though. They’ve already got the new tunes in the works. “We recorded a record over the summer, kind of dropped
a demo single early in the summer as well,” says Jude. “We’re going on this tour and then we have some shows left and then I think we’re all just going to take a long break early next year and then come back at it.” Even stumbling onto the band’s Bandcamp page will give you a sense of their sound before you hit play. The images used for the album artwork are dark and eerie but with a beautifully, gloomy aesthetic, and minimal colour. “I guess most of the imagery comes from my sick twisted little mind,” says Jude. “That stuff has always just been there. I don’t really like things with a ton of colour. I feel like it gets the point across more to just be very stark, to the point kind of way.” The photographs are taken by Cayden Mowbray, an Australian friend of Jude’s who he met through an old job. The tour will be a success because Jude has no expectations. “I learnt a long time ago not to have any expectations in this stuff and then it all works out alright. Maybe that’s a cheesy way to just get through it but I don’t know.” There’s only one way to know what a HSY show is like, go to one.
By Zoe McCrea Ever since Birthday Tapes’ first release of notme’s Sinking, plans for Birthday Wishes: Vol. 1 have been slowly, in the making. Putting together a (mostly) local, Canadian compilation of admired musicians, has been a project idea since before Birthday Tapes formally existed. Birthday Tapes, like many other record labels out there, came from the enthusiasm to bring attention to unnoticed musicians. Most of the artists featured on the tape don’t have physical work, yet. A compilation album is the perfect way to release everyone, all at once. A few of the artists featured on the compilation are local groups including Viewing Party, Mmars, Sam Singer as well as some solo acts like Orlando Gloom and Floor Cry. Viewing Party’s single “Dollhouse” was the first release off of both Birthday Wishes, as well as their debut EP On. coming this January. The fuzzy track “Cool” off of Mmars upcoming album is Birthdays Wishes’ next single. Two of the twelve tracks come from artists outside of Winnipeg, and one of them is London, Ontario’s Fish Food. This solo project of Joseph K. Sims creates introverted slacker pop, that shouldn’t go ignored. The compilation presents a mix of different genres, yet still has a common thread that plays through the album. There isn’t one unifying sound, but the feeling is what brings it all together. This collection of musicians and their variety of styles, represent what to expect in the future from Birthday Tapes. Come celebrate Birthday Wishes release on December 28th, by picking up a tape, while five (surprise!) acts from album perform at the Park Theatre.
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Dec / Jan 2016 / 17 Stylus Magazine
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DUOTANG
New Occupation PHOTO BY JASON HALSTEAD
BY DANIEL EMBERG Throughout several years on either side of 2000, Duotang were one of the most popular bands in Winnipeg. An upstart duo on Mint Records, they made a habit of pleasing live audiences as well as campus and community radio listeners across Canada. If you remember the band from those days, it may be surprising to read that, by early December, Duotang will have played almost every major city from Victoria to Montréal in barely six weeks. After all, the band parted ways in 2002 and nary a peep was heard until a few festival shows happened in 2015. The band sounds as surprised as anyone about the fact they just dropped a new album, New Occupation, but it stands as a strong and fitting addition to their well-regarded discography. The songs feel like a natural extension of what Duotang was doing in their heyday, and radio programmers have rapidly embraced it as though no time had passed at all. “Even though some people still remember our name, we’re starting from scratch,” says Rod Slaughter (bass/vocals) of the current run. “We had no intention of doing anything again,” but a conversation with Randy Iwata from Mint was a turning point: “[Iwata] said, ‘You never seem to age as far as sound is concerned. It wouldn’t sound dated,’ and he was kinda hinting we might want to try a reunion show.” After playing a Mint party in 2014, Duotang could feel a few more shows in their bones. They knew the music community remembered the band fondly, because they had been hearing about it ever since they stopped playing. In fact, it was such a conversation that led to New Occupation being released on Stomp Records. Sean Allum (drums) explains, “What happened was that I had seen Matt [Collyer, label head for Stomp] at the Pyramid, and we were joking about it that night but I have to give him kudos: he said if Duotang ever got back together, he’d love to put something out, and now it’s happened.” Duotang released its prior album, The Bright Side, in 2001, and stopped playing shows months later.
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Try to remember what your world was like 15 years ago. Whatever stage of life you may be in, that is a long time. Duotang has certainly changed since then. “It’s very different than it was,” Slaughter says. “We used to be on the road for a third of the year or more, and we certainly can’t do that now.” Allum quickly agrees. “We’ve had to work it back into our lives, for sure. We have our separate lives now, and not many people want to invest a lot of money into a band that’s only going to be on tour five weeks of the year.” Allum notes that a smaller band can more feasibly hit the road for short runs out of town, adding that the recent hiring of their first manager has been extremely helpful for a band that took a 12-year hiatus while the entire music industry was being reimagined. “We feel like Rip Van Winkle, waking up under a tree,” laughs Slaughter. “I said to someone [on tour] that between 1975 and 1990 music changed, but the industry didn’t change at all. From 2001 to 2016? It’s like night and day.” Still thinking of what life was like 15 years ago? Digital cameras were a luxury item, not a standard accessory to a high-powered pocket computer. No social media to keep track of all the shows you wanted to check out. Nowadays, musicians see phones poking from the crowd at every show, and have promoters reminding them to boost the Facebook events to help maximize the number of those phones in the room when the music starts. Perhaps the non-musical elements of the music world have evolved beyond recognition, but some things never change. When a band rolls through a town away from home, their job is to deliver a show strong enough that the audience will remember the night, and remember to bring their friends out the next time that band comes around. In this sense, Duotang has not missed a step. Musing on the band’s recent jaunt to Victoria and back, Allum says, “One of the nicest compliments we got was from our opening band, the Uptights.
One of them said, ‘Wow, you guys really win over the locals.’ That’s a hard thing to do, so I was really proud...knowing we can still win over those that didn’t care and thought they just showed up for a few drinks.” The power of Duotang’s live show was on full display for the New Occupation release show at the Good Will Social Club in early November. The band is obviously confident in the strength of the current material, as the set was heavily tilted that way. A few songs in, they belted out their current single “Karma Needs to Come Around,” and suddenly the void at the front of the dance floor surged with writhing bodies who stuck around dancing the rest of the night. The band fed off this energy, Slaughter expressing earnest gratitude between numerous songs and working up a sweat that darkened his shirt from collar to waist. Other crowd pleasers included “Bastard Five,” “New Occupation,” and “Nostalgia’s A Vice,” all of which can be heard on the new album. Speaking of the new album, the band sounds wholly pleased with New Occupation. Every time it comes up, Allum says it’s the best record Duotang has ever made. Slaughter agrees, but insists on a bit of explanation. “It’s a pretty minimal record, both in how the songs were crafted and how it was recorded,” he remarks. That allows for portability with the songs: while there are horns and synths on a number of tracks, they are present as ornaments rather than focal points. This allowed the band to record the songs in a way that can be readily approximated at the live shows, thus sounding very much like the Duotang their fans know and love. Slaughter is content with that assessment. “You don’t want to sound like you’re stuck in the past but to me it’s more important to sound like us than to try to be relevant,” he says. “Some people will say it doesn’t sound current, but I don’t give a shit about that anyway!”
BY BAILEE WOODS ILLUSTRATION BY BAILEE WOODS
J A Y W O O D
JayWood started as Jeremy Smith writing songs and then recording those songs at home. This year, he’s putting his ideas and songs into live action and has got a band together! With busy schedules, we weren’t able to meet up, but I was able to email Jeremy and talk to him about music and the other weird stuff we normally talk about, like tacos, beer and deserted islands. Stylus: How did JayWood start? Jeremy Smith: Like most things, JayWood started from some bullshit. It was the product of a bunch of different things going on at once. I was going through a break up at the time, major family problems, and mental illness was kicking my ass. I figured this whole thing can take me in a bad direction in life, or I can try and do something positive out of all the crap going on. I chose the ringer. Stylus: Was it a tough decision to come up with the name, JayWood? JS: The name JayWood was always on my mind, it’s really just a play on my last name, “Haywood,” nothing special. However, when I was first trying to decide on a name, I was trying to be super hipster about the whole thing, kind of like, “Toro y moi”… Like, combine different languages and stuff like that. I look back on it now and realize how bad that might’ve turned out. Stylus: What do you typically write about and why? JS: I tend to write about all the stuff I don’t really talk about, like my depression or how I view life… and just watching society from an outside view almost (I know that sounds pretentious), but I find it kind of helps with the whole writing process. For me, it’s almost like an audio diary. It gives me a chance to get a lot off my chest, even though it sometimes comes off as whiny. Stylus: If you could bring two things on a deserted island what would you bring and why? JS:. Well, I guess the first thing would be a box of flares, and a crate of Arizona ice tea – the green tea kind, no point dying dehydrated if you can help it. Stylus: What three things (physical objects or feelings) do you want people to think of/associate with your music? JS: It would be nice if people can find something to relate to in the music, so maybe a feeling of connection or just any feeling in general. I’d probably associate the music with nostalgia or a toilet bowl. Lol, fuck, I don’t know, this question’s got me flabbergasted! Stylus: What is your writing process like? JS: The writing process is either the best thing ever or me losing my shit and having a tantrum. There really is no in between. When I was first writing music, I’d do everything through a loop pedal and have all the parts stack on top of each other and that would be the song, but then I got some better equipment and shit changed. Rather than planning a whole song out, then recording it, I went straight to recording each part as I came up with it. This would either make for some smart decisions or lazy ass song writing. Sometimes, a whole song would come out of a really cool guitar or synth effect and I’d just build off that. At first, I’d try super hard to not make any hooks or catchy parts, but then the music just sucked complete ass, so I eventually gave in to my indie pop roots and just starting making straight up pop music; the EDM approach, repeti-
tive catchy and easy to jam to…I sold my soul. Stylus: If you could only listen to three albums for the rest of your life, what would they be and why? JS: I guess I’d have to choose Demon Days by Gorillaz – they’re my favourite band, so it’s only fair. After that, maybe 2 by Mac Demarco. I can listen to that album on repeat and not lose my mind. Lastly, VEGA INTL. Night School by Neon Indian. That album fucked my whole life up, it was so damn good, but I’m gonna throw Lonerism by Tame Impala and Midnight Snack by Homeshake out there as well. Some tasty tunes right there. Stylus: How do you get out of the infamous songwriters writers block? JS: I take long breaks between songs, honestly sometimes I’ll grind on a song for days or even weeks and then after that, my mind goes blank and I can’t write to save my life. I try to do little side projects to occupy my time, but I also write little shitty songs too just to keep the ball rolling. Sometimes, just making a super poopy track and then working
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on it, I get more creative cause I just think “I’m not going to use this anyway,” so I play around and then before I know it, I’m working on like three different songs that all came out of a crappy idea. Stylus: What are your plans for music and writing in 2016, and what can we expect?! JS: Well, Bailee, considering that 2016 is pretty much over, haha. I hope to play some shows soon! I finally have a band now with some seriously talented musicians. I’m pretty lucky. We played our first show on November. 24th at The Handsome Daughter, but as far as the rest of the year we really want to be playing shows at least two to three times a month if we can. However for 2017, I think we’re going to release a new album, play more shows, and if all goes well (fingers crossed) maybe even go on a small tour or a big tour – just play as much as possible as far as possible. Check out JayWood’s bandcamp page at jaywood1. bandcamp.com.
Dec 2016 // 17 Dec // Jan Jan 2016 17 Stylus Stylus Magazine Magazine
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SC MIRA AT THE GOOD WILL OCTOBER 22. PHOTO BY JEN DOERKSEN.
LIVE SHOTS FROM SHOWS AROUND TOWN
MURAL AT KNOX UNITED CHURCH AT SEND + RECIEVE))) V18 OCT 14. PHOTO BY STEVE LOUIE.
ALVIN LUCIER - HEAVIER THAN AIR (1999) SCORE PERFORMED BY LOCAL ARTISTS AT RACHEL BROWNE THEATRE OCT 15. PHOTO BY STEVE LOUIE.
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OLIVIA BLOCK (US) PERFORMS AT SEND + RECEIVE V18, OCTOBER 15. PHOTO BY ROBERT SZKOLNICKI.
CRISS-CROSS BY ALVIN LUCIER, PERFORMED AT SEND + RECEIVE V18 BY CURRAN FARIS & MARIE-FRANCE HOLLIER, OCTOBER 13 2016. PHOTO BY ROBERT SZKOLNICKI.
JEN REIMER & MAX STEIN (MONTREAL) PERFORM LIVE AT UNION STATION FOR SEND + RECEIVE V18, OCTOBER 15 2016. PHOTO BY ROBERT SZKOLNICKI. www.stylusmagazine.ca
Dec / Jan 2016 / 17 Stylus Magazine
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S O M E B O DY L A N G U A G E An interview with Ben Figler
BY LAURA FREISEN Stylus: Tell me about the early days of Somebody Language. How did you form and how long have you been playing under this name? Ben Figler: The early days... Well, originally I played in Little House from Winnipeg for about five years and I started playing solo as myself, under the moniker Somebody Language probably in 2011, I think. I needed another creative outlet for songs that just did not work as LH tunes, and everyone had side projects ... so boom bam bing, acoustic, lounge, share, support, love, music. Stylus: When did you move from Winnipeg Beach to Calgary? Has there been a shift in your songwriting, or in audience response to your work, coming from a different home base? BF: I have written four new songs since arriving in Calgary in September 2016. I have not played here at all because I don’t have a band yet. Being here is like being at square one but with a better vision than last time. I lived in Winnipeg since I was 18 with many months between spent in Winnipeg Beach where I grew up. I know there is something different about my songs but I don’t know what...I wrote a happy love song, which is very uncharacteristic in the past 3 years. I also find that self-reflection is always my biggest theme, for all my art and my life [combined]. Stylus: I understand you have a band but originally started as a solo project. Tell me about the evolution of Somebody Language and how you’ve arrived at your current formation. BF: I currently do not have a band in Calgary. The project did start as a solo endeavor but never intentionally, that was sort of just me trying to find
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PHOTO BY CHRIS P. BAKON a band because I have always had a vision of how I want my art to be displayed/heard/enjoyed/hated/ forgotten and performed. I met Mike Fox (Odanah, Brady Allard Band) and had the opportunity to open for Odanah which was a great show and, well, I love that band and I was lucky enough that Brady and Mike both enjoyed my music enough to start learning songs. I met Nolan Hildebrand (The Apple Bastards) through a friend and we got along very quickly and had a set done as a duo for a few shows. The band has had quite a few musicians play from different groups in Winnipeg. From Mise En Scene to Slow Spirit and Living Hour. The evolution of my art has only been possible by the amazing opportunities and support that the Winnipeg music scene has offered, truly grateful to have been a big part for those six years or so. My current formation is myself and a shitty bullet Stratocaster alone in our office in suburbia. I love it. Stylus: Your music comprises a variety of different styles and sounds. What influences have shaped your music? What music are you a fan of? BF: This is a classic. I don’t listen to very much music besides Wilco, early Modest Mouse, ‘80s hardcore and anything before the ‘60s with the doo wop. My parents are karaoke all-stars and sang all the time while I was a child and that is really what made me love it so much. My mom would sing “Walkin’ After Midnight” by Patsy Cline and I have held that song very close to my heart my whole life. I like jumping [around across] genres because I find that no one genre is going to express the vulnerability I am trying to show and create with my art. Stylus: Your songs also touch on a lot of feelings around lived experience and human rela-
tionships. What emotions or responses are you trying to convey with your songs? BF: That is just the thing, all I want to do is convey. It means everything to me to show my vulnerability during performances and truly try to express any real emotion. Few people know that I am actually a super cynical critic, haha, but being so drives me to be as genuine as I can when I perform and really just try to be myself. Stylus: Who do you hope hears your songs? Who are they meant to reach? BF: If anyone wants to experience my art in any way then that is who I want to reach. The people with their arms wrapped around their bodies because they can’t stay still in bed. Stylus: How have audiences responded to your music? BF: At shows, it seems like people are into it but I am trying not to focus too hard on their judgment while I play because I am already trying to be as vulnerable as possible. Sometimes, I hear about how I reached someone, or how two people met while watching me pour my heart out. Those are the most amazing times, and I just cry because I feel like I opened a door or something. Stylus: What’s next for you and Somebody Language? More recording and gigging? BF: Up next I want to build a new band here and start playing, plans to tour in May 2017 and play all summer in Manitoba. I just started recording on my own so that is the best thing ever currently. Somebody Language will be performing with Hut Hut and Bye Bye Blue at The Handsome Daughter, December 31st for Real Love NYE 2017.
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LET IT SNOWE PHOTO BY ADAM KELLY
BY MATT HARRISON Winnipeg’s newest electro indie-rock band, Lev Snowe, is set to hit centre stage this coming December. Lev Snowe is a mellow toned rock group made up of best friends, Daniel, George, Lev and Tim, who share the spotlight in equal doses. Never in your life will you meet a group of such well mannered, polite young gentleman. Their kindness, however, is not to be taken for weakness as they crank up the volume and leave you wanting more. On their debut EP, Drifting Off, there’s a subtlety of rhythm that’s felt before it can be fully understood. Front man Lev Snowe writes all the instrumental verses as well as the lyrics but he’ll be the first to admit how important his bandmates are to bringing the sounds of his creation to life. “Technically,” Lev explained, “I recorded all the parts on the EP. It’s with these guys that my songs are really given energy”. This humble tone is shared by the band entirely. All any of them had to say about one another is how vitally important the next member is. Whether it’s complementing Daniel’s ear for structure, George’s genius in planning the band’s shows, the new level they’ve achieved musically thanks to Tim’s synthesizer skills or the depth and complexity of Lev’s lyrics, this band revolves around friendship, comradery, and “rockin’ the heck out.” The comradery of musicianship doesn’t stop there for Lev Snowe. They played a show the night I spoke to them before which another local band, Champagne Years, was on stage. The crowd seemed
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timid to allow themselves to be fully absorbed by the music except for four young men standing front row, centre stage. It was, of course, the members of Lev Snowe, dancing and bobbing their heads to the beat of every note. When I asked if they had any connection to Champagne Years they said they didn’t but wanted to show their support to another local band. “It’s tough to play in front of people,” Lev explained to me, “we always want to be there to support anyone.” Singer/guitarist Lev explained to me the beginning of what he refers to as a “music project” came on a day he spent in Gimli. He wrote an instrumental guitar piece and decided he was going to, for the first time, add lyrics to what was already written. “I went off to a field and wrote lyrics to the song. That was the first moment I felt this could be something more than it is.” A few months later Lev recorded a few of his creations and made his EP. It was bassist George who finally decided they should assemble a band to play these songs live. Thus Lev Snowe was created. The aforementioned EP, Drifting Off, was released in January of this year and in the time since, the band has seen a stark upswing in their ability as musicians. On top of that, this has been an opportunity for these self described “shy boys” to shine in a way they may have not been able to otherwise. “Every show we improve. I never expected us to
develop as fast as we did” explained bass guitarist, George before saying with a laugh “the onstage banter is better than it’s ever been!” Mid-performance jokes about flame bedazzled PT Cruisers aside, the band unanimously agrees that they’re better now than they’ve ever been.“My favourite part about being in a band is seeing how much we’ve grown” keyboardist/master of the synthesizer Tim stated with the full agreement of his bandmates. What the future holds for Lev Snowe is more of the same; continue creating with improvement and perfection held as the ultimate goal. More than that, Lev Snowe strives to create the opportunity for their fans to have as much fun watching the show as they have performing. “The crowd isn’t always feeling the excitement so we like to welcome the crowd to the groovy environment” Lev explained. “They don’t have to dance but I’m just going to dance and make it open enough so they might feel comfortable. They’re silliness off stage is matched by the depth and intensity of their songs. “I believe the music itself should be serious but I’m not a serious person myself ” Lev stated. All in all, Lev Snowe is a new band with a familiar comfort to their tone. They produce music that makes you feel good and that they can turn up past 11 when the stage lights come on.
BY BAILEE WOODS “I would say, like, dark, vibey, storytelling,” Skye Callow sips her beer as she describes her music to me. Right next to her beer is a coffee. The best university student/musician combo of drinks, ever. Skye Callow is from Gimli, Manitoba, but now lives here in Winnipeg. Despite, moving to a less beachy location, *cough *, Winnipeg, you can still feel the breezy Gimli beach in her music – hauntingbreezy-cool-vibe-age from a rad gal. Skye records at home through an interface. And as we all know, university can take up most of our time, but Skye is still trying to make the time to write one way or another. “One thing – I don’t have a microphone stand, so I’ve been suspending my microphone from my ceiling with a scarf, “ Skye says. Her music encompasses finding the deeper mean-
ings in everyday things and writing about the stuff you can’t find a way to say in a face-to-face conversation, you know? Like those situations where you wish you could just explain how you feel to someone but you can’t find a way to do it. Callow’s sound sums up exactly what it’s like to be a twenty-something in Peg City – trying to figure out what the heck we’re supposed to be doing with our time, our lives, our schooling, and who we’re supposed to be. “I don’t think a song is ever finished,” Skye says. “I still play songs that I wrote like, three years ago, four years ago…they become current.” Her influences range anywhere from Cat Power to Chad Vangaalen. She appreciates artists who are just everyday people, doing what they love to do. Skye’s plans are to continue to write and record, and
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ILLUSTRATION BY BAILEE WOODS she would like to play more shows in the future. Skye Callow is a name that just sounds cool in itself and guess what? If you search that cool ass name up, you can find her sweet sounds on YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp. And you seriously should.
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ckuwho?
Listen to: Mas Flow with Marcela Navas-Munoz Fridays from 6:00 - 7:00 PM Winnipeg’s favourite Latin/urban pop music program will celebrate its one year live on air anniversary on December 15. Mas Flow is the brainchild of Marcela Navas-Munoz who created the show as a result of the lack of Latin music being played on mainstream radio. Marcela promotes Latin music events around town so she heared a lot of complaints from people who were feeling the lack of Latin music on the radio waves. Marcela thought to herself, “who would pick this up?” and CKUW immediately came to mind. Mas Flow airs every Friday from six to seven PM which is prime time radio, but it wasn’t always like that. “I started with Sunday mornings...so when I had the chance to jump to Friday night, I took it right away.” Marcela certainly seems to be happy with the switch. “I have an hour but wish I had more time, the vibe is way different and the interaction with the listeners is a lot stronger. People are ready
to go! This is a show for a pregame on a friday, not for right after church.” Mas flow is current and up to date, but doesn’t forget about the classics. “There is always an old school section in every show. Music that my parents listen to.” Marcela explains. The music played on Mas Flow comes mainly from Marcela’s personal collection, a catalogue of diverse artists which stemmed from her parents collection. “I like to research up and comers and pull music and influences from them.” Marcela connects with artists extensively through social media. “I videotape the screen playing the song and send it to the artists through facebook or instagram. Now artists will reach out to me and send me their new tracks before they are even officially released. I have built up relationships with a lot of cool artists that way.” Marcela is sure to acknowledge the importance of community radio. She explains, “People are bored of
hearing the same songs over and over again. Commercial radio stations play the same shit with no wiggle room. They cannot deviate. There is so much freedom in community radio and hosts are doing a lot more research because they really care. The hustle and grind is way harder and way more authentic.” Marcela appreciates having a strong level of listener interaction during the show. “People will text in requests and ask for shoutouts.” It is that close connection that is very consistent with the Latin community in Winnipeg. “People just want to have a good time. People enjoy the company of others and the music is a perfect icebreaker. People just want to dance, there are no cliques and the dancing is a judgement free, comfort zone.” Make sure to tune in to Mas Flow next Friday.
PRAIRIE PUNK PERSPECTIVE
BY KAITLYN EMSLIE FARREL
The genre of punk itself has been around awhile, but not an immeasurable amount of time. It’s pretty cool that we can still talk to people who watched it emerge out of the political chaos in European countries, and how it adapted to fit the complaints of citizens from all over the world. We can trace the steps back for our particular city here, and really take a look at how Winnipeg jumped on the anarchic bandwagon, and how those tunes reflected what our locals had to say. It’s also fun to take a look at the bands that are comprised of folks who just wanted to get rowdy to the beat of their own drums. It is true that a lot of punk music stands for something. It’s a tool in the idea of revolution, it’s an expression against what’s wrong morally, a critique on politics, and a unifying way to raise our voices together and actually be heard. But that doesn’t mean that there’s a qualifying guideline to follow when forming a punk band. If you’re not angry, or rather don’t feel like writing about it, fret not. The best thing about this community, at least from my perspective, is that it is all inclusive. The ambience of a punk show is that of a bunch of people coming together to enjoy their style of music and simply, just have fun. And that’s why we’re so damn good at building camaraderie. Winnipeg’s punk scene was definitely relevant in
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the 80s and 90s but it survived the decades. The sub genre era is upon us and punk is often split into several tiers, but there are times when those tiers blend together and everybody sees each other in the same places. The sub genres sometimes make it difficult to define what is and what isn’t punk, but if you find yourself struggling with these labels perhaps ask yourself, “does it matter?” We’ve got punk bands coming out emo, metal, indie, hardcore, thrash, etc. And these are the broader genres. With the variety in sounds you’re bound to dislike a lot of it, and that’s fine. But a lot of those folks who used to say “I don’t like punk” may have changed their minds, or at least decided not to be so closed minded, with this influx in variety. In the end we’re likely to see a bigger crowd. As much as I personally love the old crusty styles, a lot of people may not, and so these lighter versions can sometimes draw a crowd that might not have been as easy to pull before. Because hey, punk ain’t dead. Once these people have been enlightened, they may be a bit more keen on checking something a tad rougher out. A segue so to speak. Now if we bring it back to the political component of the punk music and lifestyle, because whether it’s trying to overthrow Trump or get some donations together for Winnipeg Harvest, there’s always
some punks trying to work toward a bit of change. Times change and people adapt, this isn’t something anybody can avoid. We’re making the best of it by putting these resources and crowd growth to use for the good of the community. The pits are still full of blood and sweat, the music is still loud, and the people range from decent to questionable. We can’t change the facts. But there’s a lot more open mindedness that has come into play over the years and I think we can give a lot of that credit to the die hard, we won’t quit, attitude that is so dear to our scene. Sure, we’re in some frosted over, desolate, prairie landscape, but our history is strong just like anywhere else, and it will continue to grow. I can’t see the end of punk, I don’t know about you. If you told me you could we’d have to disagree. There’s never going to be nothing to yell about, especially right now. And music is a good format to do it, because without a bit of entertainment or wholesome values, it’s just complaining. I realize that I didn’t back anything with actual history, but y’know, read Sheldon Bernie’s book for that. It’s got first hand accounts of a good chunk of Winnipeg’s time. But make sure you pay just as much attention to the present as you do the past, because although the history that we’ve made is important, so is the history that we’re making.
Local Spotlight IANSUCKS Don’t Give In to the Bad Feelings With the recent release of their first physical album Don’t Give in to the Bad Feelings it is apparent that Iansucks, does not suck. Like in their song “Too Hard”, this album really has been a long time coming. Radiating tones of raw, relatable, melancholic honesty that can appeal to the moody millennial of our generation, or really anyone who has feelings. Not only are their lyrics relatable, especially to the born and raised Winnipegger, they also resonate various sounds and styles. Ranging from indie-alternative, to dream-pop, to even an almost psychedelic-circus type vibe. This album will lull you into a trance like state that you will want to keep reliving by replaying it over and over again, as I have since I was introduced. The use of the organ-like synth, along with the
additional instruments such as trumpet and saxophone give full atmospheric tones that echo and reverberate throughout, giving it hints of both new and old. These instruments parallel the sad, sad, so very sad sounding voices and rhythms of Emma Mayer, Kelly Beaton, David Schellenberg and Ian Ellis. The four of them, along with a few others featured on this album, collectively and individually give a diverse range of harmonies and expression to their music. Straight from the heart and out through their mouths, they portray soulful relevance. This album emits emotion, tapping into feelings. Mostly sad ones, but there’s comfort in the solace of relatable noise. If you have feelings, check out their new album, and maybe even their old one too on Soundcloud or Bandcamp. Also, I have to bring attention the beautiful album art done by Emma Mayer, which perfectly encapsulates
the tone of the album. Alina Moore (Slow Shine Records, iansucks.bandcamp.com) THE CATAMOUNTS St Nuomatac The Catamounts are a Winnipeg Surf band that push boundaries, experiment generously and go beyond the realms of musical margins. Surf music in itself is underrated and underexplored and with that, there is a fairly significant generalization that all of it sounds the same. That generalization could be made toward any genre, it’s just that we don’t hear surf music very much and it’s bizarre and distinctive qualities are deeply resonating. The Catamounts are not only one of the few strong and although quite audibly abstract, technically refined surf bands in Canada, let alone Winnipeg at that. Although the band intends to revise surf rock influence they have essentially renewed the sound altogether. Surf music was most prevalent in the mid 60’s in the crux of sunny California. The Catamounts reclaims this sound brilliantly, which is made even
more impressive in 2016, residing from the wrath of glacial Manitoba. This delightful juxtaposition likely warms both the hearts and hips of Winnipeggers in their multitude of excellent venues splattered throughout that wayward city. The Catamounts sophomore album, St Nuomatac is an action packed, surf circus that takes you to diversely brave melodic avenues. It sounds as though it was recorded in the middle of the ocean, not the exchange district in Winnipeg. The exclusively instrumental record is almost always both classic and contemporary surf music but manages to involve shoegaze, baroque and jazz elements. This eclectic adventure is wild and exciting but void of being chaotic and messy. It is clear each member in the band knows exactly what they’re doing and that they utterly respect doing it. These said members consist of Graham Epp, Andy Rudolph, Grant Trippel and Michael Henderson-Castle. St Nuomatac is fresh of the press and followed by a Canadian tour in celebration of this luminously developed masterwork. There are many layers; eras and genres involved in this record but it never stops being surf and certainly never stops being wonderful. Maddy Cristall (Transistor 66 Records, thecatamounts. bandcamp.com)
ILLUSTRATION BY JESSE BERCIER www.stylusmagazine.ca
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Under the Needle
WEYES BLOOD Front Row Seat to Earth With futuristic folky vibes the New York artist Weyes Blood delivers a vocal masterpiece in her new album Front Row Seat to Earth. In her fourth full length album Natalie Mering gives a lyrically intimate and musically enchanting experience. The dreamy female vocals drive the nine tracks of this album, and combined with harmonic instrumentals create a mesmerizing musical journey for the listener. The harmonies, especially in the opening of the track “Can’t Go Home” are entrancing. The music is an homage to dreamy American folk from the 60s and 70s with a twist of modern anxieties and futuristic instrumentation. With just a touch of celtic and medieval folk thrown in, the music gives off feelings of timelessness. The lyrics are a tragic and poetic representation of the complexity of love and human relationships. They touch on many of the unique worries of modern life. In the song “Generation Why,” the angsty lyrics mention our dangerous relationships with cellphones, and even gives philosophical weight to the phrase “YOLO.” Herring’s lyrics chronicle the introspection and loneliness of falling in and out of love. The often long and operatic songs like “Do You Need My Love” and “Be Free” go on a harmonic and synthy journey of epic proportions. Each song becomes an intimate listening experience with lush orchestration and folky resonations. The combination of mystical vocals, alluring instrumentation and magnificent production on this album make it definitely worth a listen. Sophie Hershfield (Mexican Summer, weyesblood.bandcamp.com)
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THE AVULSIONS (SASKATOON) AT THE HANDSOME DAUGHTER SEPT 4
PHOTO BY STEVE LOUIE
95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS ( September 19 - November 22, 2016) !=LOCAL CONTENT * =CANADIAN CONTENT re=RE-ENTRY TO CHART #
ARTIST
1 ! Tanya Tagaq 2 ! JD And The Sunshine Band 3 ! A La Mode 4 ! Duotang 5 ! The Catamounts 6 ! Big Dave McLean 7 ! Royal Canoe 8 * The Pack A.D. 9 * Turkwaz 10 ! John K. Samson 11 Drive-By Truckers 12 ! Kevin Roy 13 ! Holy Void 14 ! Paris To Kyiv 15 * Andino Suns 16 * Forbidden Dimension 17 Imarhan 18 * Brendan Canning 19 ! The Famous Sandhogs 20 Moulettes 21 * We Are Wolves 22 * Preoccupations 23 * Tuns 24 ! Surprise Party 25 ! Will Bonness 26 ! Zrada 27 * Valiska 28 * Tracy K 29 ! Basic Nature 30 * Marc Crissinger
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Retribution Six Shooter Soaking Up The Rays Transistor 66 Perfection Salad Self-Released New Occupation Stomp St Nuomatac Transistor 66 Better The Devil You Know Black Hen Something Got Lost Between Here... Nevado Positive Thinking Cadence Nazar Self-Released Winter Wheat AntiAmerican Band ATO Heartworn Highways Self-Released For Everything Else Self-Released Fragmenti Remixes Balanced Madera Self-Released Every Twisted Tree Watches As You Pass Sounds Escaping Imarhan City Slang Home Wrecking Years Draper Street Theia’s Mammon: Skoni’s Ikon Self-Released Preternatural Pipe & Hat Wrong Fantome Preoccupations Flemish Eye Tuns Royal Mountain Sh-Shake Your Booty Transistor 66 Halcyon Self-Released Legend Self-Released Healer Bow Bottom What’s The Rush? Self-Released Changes And Static Dub Ditch Picnic Night Light Self-Released
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