February / March 2017

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Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

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FEB/MAR 28 NO. 1 2017 VOL

Production Team Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . Harrison Samphir Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Campbell Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Leroux Advertising Contact . . . . . . . . . Rob Schmidt

manager@ckuw.ca

On the Cover The multifaceted and celebratory artistic life of SCOTT LEROUX consisted of painting, photography, video, music, and more. Join us in celebrating the life and works of Scott Leroux at…

Scott Leroux: A Retrospective Birthday Bash Friday, February 17th, 2017, 7-10pm, aceartinc. (290 McDermot Ave.) A selection of Scott's paintings, videos and photographic works will be on display at Ace Art for one night only. There will be food, drink and merriment in honour of this dearly beloved Winnipeg artist.

Print by JRS Print Services . . . 204-232-3558

Contributors Samuel Swanson Margaret Banka Matt Peters Jesse Bercier Kelly Campbell Chris P. Bakon Caelum Rossell Sam Swanson Matt Harrison Max Hamilton Chris Bryson Harrison Samphir Sharon Clarkson Jennifer Doerksen Nora Cristall Maddy Cristall Talula Schlegel Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell

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.

Table of Contents Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Live in Winnipeg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Prairie Punk Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CKUWho FunDrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Under the Needle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

03 12 13 19 19 20

Features QPOC Winnipeg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Big Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Deviating from Dvořák . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jen About Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kakagi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hannah Epperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3peat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spacebutt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lil Boi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

P o u t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Best/worst of 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We'll Only Make It if We All Make It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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BLAHBLAHBLAH What a wonderful city we live in - music and art are full of life and are continuing to grow. *** Come show your support on February 9 at the Handsome Daughter for CKUW’s Fundrive kickoff party with Spacebutt, Haitia, and Viewing Party***February 10 at the Handsome Daughter unleash the acoustic punk fury you have inside at Greg Rekus’ album release, or over at Shannon’s, June Killing Stones and Silence Kit rock the house***February 11 at the Cav-

ern, say goodbye to Trampoline at their tour kickoff party with Matt Moskal and Umami on the bill***Valentines day special at the Handsome Daughter on February 14 with iansucks, Lev Snowe, and Basic Nature***CKUW Fundrive wrap up party on February 17 at the Good Will with Mulligrub, Heinrichs Maneuver, and Matt Foster (Crooked Brothers)***February 18 at the West End Cultural Centre is the release of All Over the Map from Steve Kirby’s Oceanic Jazz Orchestra*** JD Edwards is at the Hand-

some Daughter on March 3***Local indie rockers Animal Teeth, Lev Snowe, Kipp Kocay, and Paul Currie are taking over the Handsome Daughter on March 4***Don’t miss the Withdrawal tour kickoff on March 9 at the Handsome Daughter***Local power duo, Duotang are at the Handsome Daughter on March 10 with Silence Kit opening***Toronto post-punks, Century Palm are playing at the Handsome Daughter courtesy of Real Love Winnipeg on March 11***Polaris Prize winner Tanya Tagaq is at the West End Cultural

RICHARD INMAN AT FALCON LAKE SKI HILL FOR SNOWDANCE FESTIVAL OF WINTER AND MUSIC, FRI, DEC 17

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Cent r e o n March 18***Catch some waves with Vancouver rockers The Courtneys at the Good Will on March 19***Let all of your worry wash away on March 30 at the Handsome Daughter with Homeward Bound, Mmars, and Spacebutt***Stay cool.

PHOTO BY JEN DOERKSEN

Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

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QPOC Winnipeg

BY KELLY CAMPBELL

PICTURED ABOVE: QPOC DTM ORGANIZERS CHRISTINA HAJJAR AND UZOMA CHIOMA WITH JUNE 2016 MC CJ MATOMBE AND FEATURED PERFORMER VIVEK SHRAYA

QPOC Winnipeg has been organizing dance par-

ties, open mics, concerts, pick-up basketball games, artist talks, fundraisers, movie screenings and potlucks for QPOC (Queer People of Colour) and allies since 2014. The group, founded by Uzoma Chioma, emerged from an interest in creating safer spaces for those who occupy the intersection of racialized and queer experience; those who face both heteronormativity in communities of colour and racism in LGBT/ queer communities.

Christina Hajjar has been co-organizing QPOC’s biannual open mic event, Drop the Mic (DTM), since its first edition in 2015. We sat down to talk about her organizing work, the next DTM upcoming on February 11, and the difference between poetry and music.

Stylus: What is Drop the Mic? Christina Hajjar: Drop the Mic is an opportunity for QPOC to perform, listen, and build solidarity.

Uzoma and I are co-organizing the next one on February 11. We have a lineup of performers confirmed in advance, and there is a signup sheet available for individuals interested in performing during the open mic portion. Performers are

all QPOC, but allies are welcome to attend. It happens twice a year, during Genderfest in early February and Pride in early June. DTM exists to center the importance of art in social justice, and to create space for people of colour during whitedominated queer festivals. It is important for us to politicize Pride in particular, as Pride is often a site of pinkwashing and corporate gay white capitalism, while Genderfest is a grassroots initiative, which makes it more fun and cooler from the get-go.

QPOC as an organization does host other events I am not involved in putting together – the monthly ladies night dance party, occasional concerts, and get-togethers and potlucks, among other things.

They also participate in high school outreach, are launching a scholarship and chest binder fund in the near future, and sponsor QT and non-binary POC who are interested in taking Mama Cutsworth’s DJ class. Uzoma is often called upon to speak at rallies and protests, like the Dyke March, and in panels, like the safer spaces panel that is happening as part of Big Fun. Though QPOC is run by a core group of folks in the community, they want to encourage other QPOC

to organize their own events and to reach out to QPOC to collaborate/partner. I am definitely not involved with everything, and there is always room for new people to start new projects.

Stylus: Why is it important that DTM is a recurring event?

CH: We hope that the continuity of the event is encouraging people to participate in upcoming events, to sign up to perform, even inspiring QTPOC to write because they have a welcoming environment in which to perform. This is the fifth event; I know for me, the first time I ever shared any creative writing was at the second Drop the Mic. We want to encourage people to share stories and to process out loud – you don’t need to be a poet or an experienced performer.

We hope to organize a writing workshop in the future to encourage people to develop their creative writing; poetry is already considered the language of the oppressed because it is viewed as an accessible form of expression, but people might not make the time for it without resources, community and encouragement.

Stylus: You mention poetry and writing and

PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: PERFORMERS ADRIENNE YEUNG, THARUNA ABBU, HAZIM ISMAIL, AND VIVEK SHRAYA AT PRIDE DTM JUNE 2016 04 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

encouraging people to start doing that. But, musical performances are also a part of the events – why is the focus on poetry for you?

CH: I don’t play music so I would not be the one leading a music workshop. If a QPOC musician is reading this and is interesting in facilitating a workshop, get in touch! Our philosophy is that QPOCs can lead other QPOCs in skill development, depending on areas of interest. My interest is poetry so I would like to see more people doing creative writing because I feel that anyone can do creative writing.

People may disagree, but I feel like you don’t have to be trained at poetry, you can just learn to articulate the everyday and build narratives based on your experiences that others can easily connect to. So while poetry might need the same amount of commitment and perhaps natural skill as

playing music, I feel like entering into that mode of expression [poetry] is easier.

Stylus: I agree with you in some ways – playing music does require a lot more resources, time, and money than writing poetry. However, I think that everyone can play music too, if given the opportunity. Maybe I have that perspective because I’m a self taught musician and I’ve been playing in bands since I was 17 - but lots of people don’t have the time or resources to participate in that.

CH: Yeah – and I don’t mean to devalue poetry by saying anyone can do it. There are just more barriers starting out when playing music than there are when writing poetry.

Stylus: A steeper learning curve.

CH: Yeah. That being said, there is always a guitar available at the open mic, and anyone who would like to perform music is more than welcome to use

it!

Stylus: Great! So - when is the next DTM again?

CH: Saturday February 11, 6:30 pm at the Good Will. It will be followed by a dance party also organized by QPOC – the events are back to back and are both part of Genderfest.

Stylus: I’ll see you there!

lining acts. His decisions determine the rest of the bill, as the headliners act as a mould, giving shape to the rest of the fest. This year, those most anticipated shows were, quite happily, filled with local talent-which includes the devastatingly dynamic 3Peat, the lovely Living Hour and the incorrigible wash of Ivory Waves--in contrast to last year when Calvin Love and other biggish, semi-foreign names invaded our city.

The festival has matured in a way, as its aims seemed to have turned inward. No longer a lure for out-of-town performers, Big Fun is celebrating that which makes it just that; the wonderful people of Winnipeg. It’s an evolution noted by Schellenberg, who feels that, in spite of the past efforts made to broaden the scope of the festival, it only feels complete now that it’s settled into its place in the community.

It’s the feeling of this writer that it achieves something greater this way, and I’d like to think that it’s that something which Stefan stole from Montreal.

Not a reason to come, but a reason to stay. It offers us what we already are, and gives us a chance to say yes. Acceptance is worth celebrating.

These values are at the core of Big Fun because they are at the core of the community that it’s built around. Take notice of the first-page ad for the Safer Spaces panel at Fools and Horses ( January 26) in the Big Fun guidebook/pamphlet, and hopefully

you’ll see that this festival has been designed in every way for the benefit of its people. It’s evident even in the structure of the festival; showtimes are staggered to allow a chance for someone to see everything that they want to see.

Fitting, then, that things should be kicked off by two groups which grew out of a bond, of one sort or another, as much as out of shared talent. The Jom Salon, a DJ collaboration between members of the Jom Jom Club and the Vinyl Salon, spun before and after Ivory Waves’ set. In the green room before the show began, I learned that Ivory Waves bloomed out of a road trip that its members took across the border to see a Homeshake concert, long before there was any whisper of playing together.

During the conversation I had with Ivory Waves in the Good Will’s green room, I asked the group at large how the feeling of playing a Big Fun show compares with that of the average performance.

They mentioned a sense of it being a special occasion, the honour of having been “picked” rather than “booked”, and the chance to reach an audience that they might not be able to on any typical evening. But mostly, we just laughed.

You can follow QPOC Winnipeg on Facebook and Instagram @qpocwinnipeg.

BY MAX HAMILTON

A

festival doesn’t need a reason. It occurs, like laughter, because it is in the nature of people to gather and to laugh. It’s a practice of celebration, and people will celebrate as long as they live. But people need a reason. Just as laughter follows a joke, and footsteps follow a path, people will follow (or chase) a reason. In this city, for a few cold nights in the dark month of January, the festival is the reason.

At the time it was established, the Big Fun festival was designed in part to be a reason for acts from out of town to visit Winnipeg. The festival’s founders had gotten tired of seeing so many of North America’s choicest groups skipping over their city while travelling across the continent.

In talking about the formation of the festival, David Schellenberg evoked a sense of mythic origin in the way he plainly described the founding member, Stefan Braun, returning from Montreal some six or seven years ago, where he’d been volunteering at the POP Montreal music fest. The conclusion I’ve drawn is that Stefan found the Spirit of the festival stomping around Mount Royal, and stole it away, carrying it on his breath all the way home. Schellenberg neither confirmed nor denied this, but it was made very clear to me that the start of Big Fun was tied up with the something that Stefan found in Montreal.

As one of the art directors for the festival, Schellenberg takes particular charge of booking the head-

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BY SAM SWANSON

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is backing

away from Bach and Beethoven with the Winnipeg New Music Festival (WNMF), a series of eight concerts between January 28 and February 4.

Instead of the classics commonly associated with the WSO, the WNMF contains contemporary compositions produced this quarter-century.

With Canada’s upcoming one-and-one-half century anniversary as a source of inspiration, the 2017 WNMF is taking the opportunity to explore the contemporary cultural composition of Canada through selected submissions from contemporary Canadian composers.

“It’s the one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of Canada, so there’s a new angle,” explains WSO music director and WNMF artistic director, Alexander Mickelthwate.

Mickelthwate conducted several of the festival’s concerts.

“Lots of things are easier to conduct pieces without the tradition, without the history, that are new.

“You have to figure, you have to understand the language, so it’s good to have the composer around.

But then there’s no weight, no interpretive weight on it.

“Interpretively, you follow the score, and you’re free in a way. With Mozart, gosh, you really have to think, how am I interpreting Mozart, compared to hundreds of famous conductors?”

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PHOTO BY ERIC HARVEY BROWN Mickelthwate’s zen approach to conducting new compositions will commence the festival’s opening night, featuring the world premiere of “Syn-Phonia: Migration Patterns.”

“The first evening includes a world premiere from Christos Hatzis, which is the cornerstone of this whole Canada 150 idea, which is based on works bringing together cultures, but not in a standard way,” says Mickelthwate.

“It’s basically about the story of immigration, of moving, of people, which is so important. It’s huge in Europe, of course, this topic. And he’s putting it into a piece of music, in a symphony, in a way, a symphonic form. A big piece of music. It’s very creative and powerful, I think.”

Migration Patterns also features the North American premiere of “L’infiniti de l’instant” from Tajikistani-Canadian composer Farangis NurullaKhoja, and concertos for tabla and mandolin by Dinuk Wijeratne and Avner Dorman.

The selected works of Meredith Monk were featured on back-to-back nights, January 29 and 30.

The January 31 concert, New Music Tomorrow – Canada, featured three world premieres: Michael Duharme’s “X-1 for Symphony Orchestra”, Harry Stafylakis’ “Never the Same River” and Metis composer Eliot Britton’s “Heirloom Bison Culture”.

This year’s festival featured an event titled Ghosts of the Hudson’s Bay Building. Performers produced sound from various areas scattered throughout an

abandoned basement of the locally iconic downtown retail building.

Tucking musicians into nooks, crannies and obtuse-angled corners of a department store basement is a novel, creative and somewhat extemporaneous adventure, Mickelthwate concedes.

The ‘Ghosts’ event featured the world premiere of Chinese-Canadian Alexina Louie’s “Piano Quintet”, as well as two score premieres accompanied by film: Jessica Moss’ “Glaciers I & II” and Matthew Patton’s “The Limits of Almost”.

The festival’s final day was a long-haul for passholders.

The penultimate event of the festival, The New World, was host to the world premiere of IcelandicCanadian Fjóla Evans’ “Find Light in the Beautiful Sea”, as well as the North American premieres of Cassandra Miller’s “Duet for Cello and Orchestra” and Fazil Say’s “Mesopotamia Symphony Op. 38”.

The festival closed with a self-proclaimed experiment in the sounds of winter, the 12-Hour Drone.

The 12-Hour Drone in Winnipeg is the first satellite event of the 24-Hour Drone experiment by Melissa Auf der Maur.

The Canadian and former member of the Smashing Pumpkins came to musical recognition in the 1990s as the bassist for Hole during the Live Through This album tour, and as a writer and recording artist on the band’s follow-up, Celebrity Skin.

The Drone project originated at Basilica Hudson, a retired New York foundry of the Second Industrial Revolution, reimagined into an art space by Auf der Maur and her husband.

The first of its kind, the 24-Hour Drone provided enough sound to last an entire earthly axis rotation.

Winnipeg's 12-Hour Drone closed out the festi-

PICTURED LEFT: THE DRONE PROJECT ORIGINATED AT BASILICA HUDSON, A RESTORED LATE-1800S NEW YORK FOUNDRY val from midnight of February 3rd until noon on February 4th.

“It’s quite daunting and strange,” Auf der Maur admits, but claims the Drone project is “changing the way people experience sound together.”

“It’s a very different way to share a ritual of sound.

It’s very immersive, and transcends time and space.

“Music and sound has been at the center of my life forever, and I haven’t anywhere else heard of an event that is an endurance of sound.”

“Different artists come and go, but they overlap,” Auf der Maur explains. “This is the most long-form and focused way to experience sound that I know of.”

Departure from academic forms, exemplified by the 12-Hour Drone, is a broad theme of the festival.

The classical works that are considered academic might be “composed in a developmental style with motifs and counterpoints,” according to Mickelthwate.

Non-academic forms are those which don’t come from the tradition of Bach, Beethoven, and so forth.

Mickelthwate offers the genre of minimalism, which “comes as a counter-direction to that European or Germanic rigorous way of thinking . . .”

Non-academic forms abandon some of the structures that can impede creativity.

The WNMF offers no lack of creativity, if you ask Mickelthwate.

“It’s one of the most creative things in the world, and I’m so fortunate to do this here.”

JEN ABOUT TOWN Photographer Jen Doerksen shares shots + stories from her favorite recent local shows

BYE BYE BLUE OPENED UP FOR A FULL HOUSE ON NEW YEARS EVE AT THE HANDSOME DAUGHTER. THE PLACE WAS PACKED! THE SIX OR SEVEN PIECE BAND PLAYED A DYNAMIC SET, FEATURING SOME FUNKY RHYTHMS AND MOODY SLOW TUNES.

RASTAMILS (BELOW LEFT AND RIGHT) PERFORMED ALONGSIDE THE KOALATEAS AT THE CAVERN ON JANUARY 6, PLAYING A SMOOTHLY BUILT, WELL FLOWING SET, AND EXPLORING SOME VERY AUTHENTIC REGGAE SOUNDS.

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Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

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BY MATT HARRISON

“Caw-Caw-Gee?”

imitated frontman Jacob Brodovsky, as he gave me an idea of how some people pronounce the name of his band, Kakagi.

The correct way, he assures me, is “Ke-Ka-Gi.” The group is made up of four lifelong friends, two of which, drummer Max Brodovsky and the aforementioned singer/guitarist, Jacob, are siblings.

Jesse Popeski and Jonathan Corobow make up the other half of this four piece folk-rock group from Winnipeg.

For the sake of answering the one question most fans of the band have been asked at least once, Pronounced Ke-Ka-Gi is the name of the group’s first EP, released in November 2016.

The band admits to having gotten the idea from Lynyrd Skynyrd who, in 1973, released an album called Pronounced Leh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd in order to get ahead of any prospective mispronunciations.

This commonality is the last point at which Kakagi draws similarity, or inspiration from the Florida rock mob of yesteryear.

The seeds of Kakagi are sewn deep within the rich culture of Canadian music. With inspiration coming from Chicago’s Wilco, Toronto’s The Band and Winnipeg’s own Neil Young, Del Barber and The Weakerthans.

When asked for less formal inspirations, each member of the group turned to their father. Jacob even went so far as to say “[Mine and Max’s] dad was a real music nut.”

Being exposed to scores of varying music at a young age will unquestionably allow an individual the opportunity to aim their life’s trajectory in that very direction. However, none of the members of

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ILLUSTRATION BYJACOB BRODOVSKY Kakagi I spoke to can attribute their desire to create music to any one person they knew growing up.

They can all agree they began playing instruments at fairly young ages, but there wasn’t a lot of music at home, save for what came through the stereo.

Still, Jacob says he’s wanted to play in a band since he was two years-old, “in diapers, with a little toy guitar” Despite their roots being deeply furrowed in Winnipeg, the namesake of the band comes from elsewhere.

“We used to go to summer camp” Jacob told me prior to a show held three days before Christmas at the Handsome Daughter. “We’d do canoe trips through the back lakes of North-Western Ontario.

Kakagi was one of the lakes and I have a big map of that area on my wall.”

When Jacob received a call saying his band was welcome to play their first show the group still didn’t have a name. “I was just staring at the map when I got the call so I went with Kakagi.”

The choice to assemble Kakagi was born almost as quickly as the very name of the band. After spending time playing with a group in Toronto, Jacob came home to Winnipeg with a plan already in mind.

“Basically the idea was to come home and make a band as soon as possible.”

Having Max come home from Guelph around the same time and already having been in a band called Radiation with his brother and Popeski, the pieces of the new project fell together. “It all came together pretty quick,” Jacob explains. “We started playing together last fall and our first show was in

January [2016].”

When asked who does the songwriting for the group all eyes turned to Jacob. When decoding his process, Brodovsky told me he likes to sit down for a couple hours at a time and just “put words on paper.”

“Sometimes it’s not very good,” he went on to say, “but I find that’s the most effective exercise. I find, also, listening to music that I like helps.”

With 10-12 originals written and two or three waiting to be released, the band is hopeful they’ll be able to release an EP by next fall. In the meantime, Kakagi is happy with where they’re at and where they’re headed. They agree that they become better with every show and find themselves becoming more comfortable on stage as they become attuned to playing with one another.

What Kakagi brings to the Winnipeg scene is an informal folk-rock flavour that’s explicitly Canadian in audible fluidity and melodic harmony.

Kakagi symphonically weaves personal poetic lyricism into a wreath of familiar vibes that can be understood from multiple perspectives.

This writer has no personal connection to Spadina Avenue, like the one in the song “Spadina Streetcar,” but I have my own Spadina; as does everyone.

Greater than the literal message of the song is the familiarity of home and the people in it. This is the depth and profundity of Canadian music. This is Kakagi.

Listen to Kakagi's debut EP at kakagi.bandcamp. com/releases.

HANNAH EPPERSON

BY CHRIS BRYSON

Through the use of

IMAGE BY THEO COLENBRANDER

her loop pedal and violin, Hannah Epperson has created a sound that’s classical yet modern, lustrous yet mournful, and altogether haunting in its charm. Her newest album, Upsweep, is a sweeping rush of emotion and sound, an aural escape into the deepening reaches of Epperson’s enchanting mind, a genre-defying mix of pearly-eyed, post-apocalyptic pop.

The Salt Lake City native, who moved to Vancouver when she was 14 with her folks (she now resides in New York) has been playing the violin since she was six years-old. The path to where she is now has been filled with a vast array of inspiration but hasn’t been without its difficulties. But Hannah and her music, and the characters that inhabit the spaces she’s created for them, have all be growing along the way.

Epperson learned how to play with a loop pedal while buskinh. At the time, she was living in Germany.

“It was pretty cheap living in Berlin so I could get away with busking three or four times a month to pay for rent,” explains Epperson, speaking over the phone with Stylus.

“So I did that a lot. I would plug my violin into a loop pedal and then play it through a batterypowered amp under bridges in Berlin.”

After returning from Berlin to Vancouver and finishing a university degree, Epperson says she began playing a lot of tiny café gigs, experimenting with songwriting and “not taking it too seriously, but not being able to not do it” either.

“Organically, over time, I had a small repertoire of songs,” she says.

“And I graduated from university and like a lot of people who graduated with degrees in the humanities I didn’t really have a direct plan of action so music kind of filled that space. It really came out of a deep love.”

A deep love and appreciation of music and the communities it produces is something readily apparent in Epperson and something that has helped her become who she’s been along the way.

“I’ve been really fortunate to be surrounded by really wonderful musicians in my life that have brought alive that world for me,” Epperson recalls.

“I don’t think I necessarily would have arrived there on my own. But the people who played and created music around me were usually innovative, exciting people. So that became a really lively realm to participate in.”

Epperson says the community dimension of anything is vitally important. “People think that the big mission in life is to discover themselves,” she says, “but I think the way that you do that effectively is through participating in bigger projects with other people.”

Over the course of her career, Epperson learned how to use her own voice as an instrument, and although she’s “still uncomfortable with it,” she says she’s now comfortable with that discomfort. It took time for Epperson to get comfortable with her own voice. “I think I just feel aware of my edges, like the edges of what I’m comfortable doing and now that those are really defined, I can push into them...I think knowing or feeling really aware of what all of the edges of your abilities are and having an intimate knowledge of what that contour is, it enables you to exist inside of it fully.”

Finding meaning in life and in her music is something Epperson has at times had to fight for.

Nevertheless, she’s arrived at a place where she hasfound solace in the knowledge that despite what life might sometimes try to say, there is always some meaning to find.

“There are a lot of moments in life where I feel halted by the potential for everything to just be meaningless. And knowing what that feels like or feeling aware of the possibility for things to feel meaningless makes me feel very fierce about fighting to make meaning, because we have the capacity to.

It’s a really crazy thing to be alive. It’s really wild.

And I take it seriously.“ She goes on, “I lost a person that was my closest person in the world. He was my brother. And he was a really creative force. And I felt the loss of that life really profoundly. And it makes me feel this huge responsibility to live a big, full, meaning-filled life.”

Epperson finds much of that meaning in the connections she makes with fans and the connection her music creates with others.

“I feel like if I started making music that didn’t

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translate something or that didn’t hold space for people to have a meaningful personal experience, I wouldn’t do it,” she explains, earnestly.

“It’s a big thing to have people meet halfway to receive music or anything in this life, to receive any kind of energy or effort; it’s always a meeting in between. I feel always full of awe and so much gratitude that I have a tool that I have been gifted to be able to communicate something that people respond to, because I benefit a lot from feeling that connection too.”

On Upsweep, her latest album, Epperson has been working on the second volume of her “Iris and Amelia project.” Iris and Amelia are characters in a screenplay she’s been writing. It was stolen from Epperson’s touring vehicle while she was in Portugal.

Iris and Amelia are also the terms in which Epperson describes the dichotomy of the songs on Upsweep, and are also the “divergent voicings” through which she expresses herself throughout the record (more on this can be found on Epperson’s Upsweep Bandcamp page). She now sees the experience of losing her screenplay in a more positive light.

“It’s fine because all of the characters exist very intimately in my mind. I know them really well now...I think I was going through a bit of a hard time in my life when that story almost appeared as a way for me to structure the way that I was feeling about a lot of things, including the loss of my brother. So those characters, the space of that narrative and the characters in it, I think exists now for me almost as this alternate reality where I can go and consider things that I am having a hard time maybe addressing in a head-on way. The nature of the characters has shifted over time, just as real people do, and my relationships with the characters has changed. But at some point I will pin them down to the page again, and I really want to be able to explore and share that world.”

Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

09

NONSTOPHIPHO

BY HARRISON SAMPHIR

3Peat is the most exciting hip-hop crew to come out

of Winnipeg in some time. Following in a long line of local groups including Different Shades of Black (Shadez), Frek Sho, Farm Fresh and The Lytics, the trio consisting of Steve, Egg and Dill The Giant are determined to make their mark on a city where emceeing is a proud, if overlooked, tradition. They dropped their self-titled debut EP on September 16, 2016. At seven tracks, it’s packed with lyrical gems, addictive hooks and strong guest appearances backed by tight production completed mostly in-house. With a likeness to the pass-the-mic chemistry and interplay of legends like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, 3Peat shines with laid-back charisma and an unpretentious demeanour reinforced by the honest expressions in their songs. I was joined by the group’s three members and their manager, Anthony Carvalho, in the Stylus office to discuss their work, inspirations, and big plans for the future.

Stylus Magazine: I’ll start with a straightforward question: How did you guys come together and start making music?

Steve: I feel like the story changes every time (Laughs). I had a little studio station with a few homies in the West End. It was in this old storage building. When you walked in it looked like Storage Wars. And upstairs they used to push papers for whatever the building used to be. It was this old office space that we just converted into one of our studios. We had a walk-in booth. It was tiny. Maybe a quarter of the size of this room [200 square feet].

And just through making music, you know, through time, we started hanging out more, meeting in social circles, meeting at the Pyramid and freestyling with one another. They [Dill and Egg] came to the studio and we started banging out tracks just because.

Soon we became 3Peat.

Stylus: When did you get into rap music?

Steve: I think I started paying attention to rap when I was 14 years-old. That’s when you start realizing what influences you and what you like, when you start building your character.

Dill: I’d say around 12, 13, or 14 [years-old].

Stylus: Did you grow up with any local hip-hop music?

Steve: Oh absolutely. Obviously Peanuts & Corn, Foultone was really coming up when we were in our teenage years. Cutdown, Grand Analog, Shades

10 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

[Different Shades of Black]. We’ve been lucky to do shows and cut tracks with some of them. It’s really cool, the whole full circle of things, the OGs are kind of showing us it’s cool to do it, telling us what we’re doing is dope. So it feels good. It feels like nothing but positive.

Egg: I always say, that’s one thing about Winnipeg.

You get an incredible amount of support for what you do. It’s very real. People genuinely support you or want to get to know you, and get behind what you’re doing becuase they think it’s dope. I think the Prairies and central Canada is very unique. The influences aren’t as heavy when you go to places like Toronto or Montreal, you know. I feel we’re still very underground, but growing. People can put themselves in their own boxes.

Stylus: The EP has an East Coast sound filled with boom-bap breaks, tight hooks and looping instrumental segments. Do you like being compared to classic hip-hop?

Steve: We’re going to make whatever we’re going to make. Whatever happens, happens. If it so happens that that’s the sound that comes out, that’s what we were feeling and that’s what it’s going to be. It’s not contrived, it’s not forced.

Egg: We revolve around the word ‘organic.’

Everything we do is just organic. Anything that comes out of any type of session that we have, we’re all vibing together on every track. People can put us in any category they want. That’s cool. But I believe we have our own sound.

Stylus: You went the G-funk route with melodic synths and heavier bass on “Bout It”, while other tracks have a more sample driven sound.

Who handles production on the EP? Steve: Most of the stuff we’ve done in-house.

Dylan’s [Dill the Giant] been touching beats and on the EP I did half the tracks. The album is broken into half-3Peat, half-solo endeavours. The tracks we did solo were tracks we’d been working on on our own, and we wanted to showcase that. 3Peat isn’t just a group, it’s three individuals who come together to make 3Peat.

Egg: Voltron.

Steve: Yeah, it’s like Voltron. Arm Leg Leg Arm Head. (Laughs) Egg: And the reason Dill and I started to get into producing is because of Steve. When we started really conceptualizing the EP, Steve was laying

down all the beats. Now we can gather together. The next 3Peat record will be produced by 3Peat.

Stylus: You worked with Kalliane Brémault on the record. She’s currently teaching dance at Studio 393, a non-profit youth-led arts studio located in downtown Winnipeg. Tell me about that.

Egg: I’ve know her since time. I used to b-boy, and she’s been in the dance scene for years, and she’s been doing everything. All types of styles. So we came up together. I didn’t know she sang, but I heard her once and I was like Wow, you’ve got such a soulful voice. “Jive” was one of those joints where I thought, I need Kalliane on this one. It was just a call away.

And there you go.

Steve: Before music, we’re all friends. And we’re all one call away. Our extended family like Kalliane, we’ve all known each for such a long time. And that’s something we keep as a group. We keep it in our house and our family.

Stylus: Egg - your EP, Alverstone, dropped November 27. What was your goal with the project? How is different (or not) than what you’ve done with 3Peat? What stories are you trying to tell on this disc?

Egg: This is a complete side project, but I wanted these guys [Dill and Steve] to be the only features on it. I wanted to explain the story of where I’m from, growing up in the West End. With Alverstone, I wanted to share what’s been going on in my life over the last few years, personal or otherwise, moments from my past, and bring it out sonically. I’ve wanted to drop an album since high school, but it was setback after setback. I never had a solid crew to do it with. I’m blessed to have the team I have.

Dill: I heard what these guys did together, the “When the Dough is Right” joint [on Alverstone]. I wasn’t at the studio when they recorded it, and I got straight up salty! (Laughs) I was so pissed that you guys did this greatness without me, so I wrote this dope verse and said Yo, I want to be a part of this.

Later I got on the track “Still Movin’.”

Steve: The dynamic between all three of us, individually and together, is different, and they all bear a difference in what you’re hearing, the vibe and aesthetics of the tracks.

Anthony: I think an important thing to note, too, is that 3Peat started on stage before it was ever on record. So we’re at home on stage more so than

OP:

3 P E AT

anywhere else. This 3Peat EP that’s out now, has existed to us for two years on stage. We’ve been playing other stuff on top of that, that’s not even recorded, for the last while now.

Stylus: Are you working on a full-length LP? Steve: Oh, obviously. (Laughs) It comes naturally.

We got lots in the chamber.

Anthony: I think we’ve done this twice now, though.

I think we’ve given you exactly the right amount, two times. With the first EP and then Egg’s EP, you get to the end and you say What?! I want more. I think that’s the win more so than No, y’all should not have done this double album!

Egg: That’s the fun part about making records. You get to cypher out what you don’t like, but that stuff could become something else later. If you have some loose tracks that didn’t make the cut, it’s can still be dope. That’s what happening with Alverstone, and much of the 3Peat EP. Obviously we were very meticulous in figuring it out, but with my solo album, it was really tough. Listening to five playlists I’d made and deciding what fits.

Stylus: Which Winnipeg artists would you like to worth with on future projects?

Egg: Go down the list. (Laughs) Steve: Aside from trying to keep it mostly in

house—through our homies and people we’ve been working with like CrabSkull [producer]—there are lots of people we want to collaborate with.

Egg: Keisha Booker, is someone I’d love to work with. Joanna Majoko, who now lives in Toronto, is an amazing vocalist. Even it’s just us featuring on one of her tracks, a little back and forth, that would be nice.

Steve: Begonia is dope. We had been talking about swapping beats and doing some music together.

That would be really cool.

Stylus: Without thinking about it for more than a few seconds, what’s your favourite hip-hop album of all time?

Steve: Illmatic [Nas].

Dill: Ready to Die [Notorious B.I.G.].

Egg: Reasonable Doubt [ Jay-Z].

Anthony: Capital Punishment [Big Pun].

Stylus: How about your favourite hip-hop record of 2016?

Steve: I’m going to have to say The Sun’s Tirade by Isaiah Rashad.

Egg: I was gonna say that! I guess I’ll go with Bas, Too High to Riot. People sleeping on Bas, man, that shit is ill!

Dill: Blank Face LP by Schoolboy Q was the one

for me.

Steve: BadBadNotGood’s IV was also good, if you count that as hip-hop.

Stylus: You’re playing Canadian Music Week 2017 in Toronto. Tell me more about that opportunity.

Anthony: We applied last year but we didn’t have music out. So I think it helped that our name was in circulation. We’ve been in the mouths and ears of a lot of people lately, and I think that’s something that’s helped us a lot. We applied after we had the album out. That was obviously strategic. We’re #7 on the college charts right now. Those kinds of things, having the check marks where they need to be, really help. It’s really good news.

This article has been edited for clarity and length.

You can listen to 3Peat's EP on Soundcloud at soundcloud.com/threepeatmusic.

RIGHT: PHOTO BY TOM ELVERS TOP: PHOTOS BY ADAM DAWDA

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LIVE IN WINNIPEG

PHOTOS FROM RECENT LOCAL SHOWS

ABOVE RIGHT: SCRIBE PERFORMING NOV 3, 2016, AT FOOLS AND HORSES FOR STREAM WPG ABOVE LEFT: CISHA PERFORMING NOV 5, 2016, AT F+H FOR STREAM WPG

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ABOVE, RIGHT TO LEFT: SIERRA NOBLE AND ILA BARKER PERFORM DEC 11 AT A STANDING ROCK BENEFIT CONCERT

ABOVE, RIGHT TO LEFT: TWIO PERFORMS SOLO; J23, THE O.B., AND TWIO PERFORM TOGETHER, WITH BOOGEY THE BEAT ON TURNTABLES; PHRESH PRINCE PERFORMS; ALL DEC 7 AT MANITOBA MUSIC'S NEW MUSIC NIGHT 12 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

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PHOTOS BY KENNETH CASTILLO

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SPACEBUTT

ILLUSTRATION BY BAILEE WOODS

BY SHARON CLARKSON

There are lots of bands with interesting names

out there. Spacebutt is one of them. So when you get a chance to ask about it, you do. It all started with a Facebook chat that began among members of a bowling team. It then transitioned into a “bad band project”, and at a house party in the summer of 2013, four university friends found themselves the last remaining guests. They picked up a toy guitar, a stylophone, a box with some sticks. This jam became a rough draft of what is now Spacebutt.

Spacebutt had their first gig in July 2016 and

have had shows consistently ever since. Drummer Kaitlyn has played in punk band Grave Party, and guitarist Bailey Woods has been in a few different projects including Sharks on Bikes and Electric Pouches, along with solo work. For vocalist Liam and Bassist Connor, this is a first musical endeavour.

The most intriguing thing about the group’s sound is they combine a lot of different influences that are easy to pick out, yet they all blend together seamlessly in the most unexpected ways. With this self-proclaimed “clusterfuck” sound, Spacebutt is

a blend of funk, shoegaze, surf and grunge, which ultimately sounds effortless and familiar but totally unique. There is certainly a great deal of heart in the music.

As a whole, they're hoping that once you experience Spacebutt, you'll leave a little freaked out, but with a new idea of what fun is. They are currently working on a full length album with producer Nick Mann to be released on Last Ditch Records, and planning a fall tour of western Canada.

LIL BOI Coming from the depths of Wolseley, Lil Boi is an aspiring rapper who’s close to blowing up on the Soundcloud scene. Drawing influences from classics such as Zeppelin to the extreme XXX Tentacion, Lil Boi has also hinted at future collaborations with Winnipeg producers Ipod Young and Orangemane on his debut mixtape. It’s due to drop in mid-2017. Stylus had the chance to catch up with Lil Boi to talk about his experience making music and living in Winnipeg.

Stylus: Who is Lil Boi? Lil Boi: An aspiring alternative-based artist out of Winnipeg.

Stylus: What is something not many people know about you?

14 Stylus Magazine Dec Feb/Mar / Jan2017 2016 / 17

LB: Half the time I’m pissed off, I have no reason to be.

Stylus: When will your project drop?

LB: Early 2017. March or April.

Stylus: What and who are your musical influences?

LB: I listen to all types of music but when I was growing up I was big on Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Then I moved away from that towards Death Grips and Soundcloud-based artists such as XXX TENTACION” Stylus: Current favorite song?

LB: “Uh Oh” by Lil Tracy Stylus: How would you describe your music?

LB: It’s anxious and full of emotion Stylus: Does Winnipeg influence the music you

BY CAELUM ROSSELL

make?

LB: No, but if I didn’t live here then I wouldn’t be in the situation that I’m in today. The people shaped me, the weirdos of the city.

Stylus: Is Yung Choklit still a thing?

LB: Yes. Stylus: What inspires you to create?

LB: Life experiences, mental issues that I’ve faced, public shock and music. I’ve been making music since I was a little boy and collecting records but why listen to music when you can create. I grew up with guitar but I fell in love with hip hop.

p o u t

BY JENNIFER DOERKSEN

The spaces are for aesthetic. And because another

band called Pout already exists. That one plays big band music. This one plays something like “soft trap.”

“I don’t know what we’ve become.” Brandan Goralchuk said. p o u t is a three-piece Winnipeg band. Brandan Goralchuk and Brandon Dover got together to collaborate on rap beats. Dover invited his coworker to come sing on a few tracks, and suddenly they became a band.

“It was kind of awkward and funny because the way they messaged me, I thought it was just for a project, so I was like ‘oh yeah, a couple songs I can do vocals, that’s cool,’” Arianna Rozkowiec said. “Then they were like, ‘so you want to be part of the band?’”

Arianna sings. Brandon Dover plays the guitar, and Brandan Goralchuk does the beats and production.

The group has nine tracks released to date, and have seven more lined up for release in 2017.

They’ve played three shows since starting just over a year ago.

Dover said that they have a different writing process than other bands. They don’t get together and jam through a song to write it.

“It’s almost more calculated,” Dover said. “We just hit record.”

“From the beginning, songs start off as recordings.

Over time we re-record, and re-record until it’s a finished song,” Goralchuk said.

They still meet up and “jam”, but it’s more of a collaborative writing process where Brandan and Brandon start with a beat or part of a track, and

PHOTO BY JENNIFER DOERKSEN they write together. Then, once the base of the track is finished, Arianna records the vocal parts.

Each member of p o u t comes from a bit of a different background, musically.

“We each have our own different favourite artists,” said Dover. They think it contributes to the indefinite genre of the music they create.

Dover’s into prog metal, jazz, and neo soul, among other things. He’s been listening to Hiatus Coyote recently. Goralchuk was really into hardcore before.

He was in Disillusioned. And Arianna digs triphop, chill, hip hop and classical music. She’s really been into Portishead recently.

Arianna learned to sing in her school choir. p o u t is her first band since then. She’s the young one of the group. The average age for these guys is 22, but Ari is 20 and she’s in university. The Brandon/ans are both 23 and work labour.

Music is a constant hobby for them.

“It’s just what we do.”

They have a constantly growing backlog of music recorded. Because their songs start with recordings, even unfinished licks stay saved on Brandan’s computer. They can leave a lick for a while and come back later to make a song out of it.

“When we start recording something, we’ll know right away if it will go any further.” Brandan says.

“Either we’ll get into that flow state and things will progress, or if they don’t the project file just sits on my computer. We probably have like 40 projects in roman numerals of songs. But we’ve only released nine, and we have seven on the way.”

This looks like a lot of potential in terms of releasing music and creating new work out of old

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ideas. But they’re also aware of the risks of over editing.

“You can keep working on it and working on it, but you can make it worse that way.”

Releasing music today calls for visual arts, too.

Arianna helps create the art for their releases. The most recent release, Serenity, features art on fire.

“I took a picture with my film camera, then I gave her the print of it and she’d paint on it. Then we took acetone and lit it on fire and Brandan risked his life trying to take a picture of it on fire.” Brandon said.

The music is branded itself because it really has it’s own sound. The art takes that one step further.

They’ve played a couple shows since they started, but playing live isn’t a regular thing for them.

Arianna says it’s a bit nerve-wracking. But they’d like to take it live more often.

They’d like to play more shows outside the city, too. They’re considering touring next summer.

“I have a bunch of friends out on the west coast.

We have the means, we just have to do it,” Brandan said.

Brandon and Brandan say that rap is what got them into making music together. They started by trading songs back and forth over Facebook.

Brandan makes beats for rappers on the side, so it became only natural to start a band using his existing talents.

Watch out for their upcoming release in 2017.

Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

15

Best Of 2016 BEST ALBUMS Anderson .Paak- Malibu Bambino - Azel Beyonce - Lemonade Frank Ocean - Blonde Kendrik Lamar - Untitled Unmastered Lettuce - Mt. Crushmore Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker Margo Price - Midwest Farmer’s Daughter Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton case/lang/veirs - case/lang/veirs -Nora Cristall The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time Angel Olsen - My Woman Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!

Nine Inch Nails - Not the Actual Events Iansucks - Don’t Give Into The Bad Feelings A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it from Here...Thank You for Your Service David Bowie - Blackstar Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker The Avalanches - Wildflower Xiu Xiu - Plays the Music of Twin Peaks -Max Hamilton Andy Shauf - The Party Vagabon - Infinite Worlds Iansucks - Don’t Give Into The Bad Feelings Frankie Cosmos - Next Thing Sales - Sales LP Animal Teeth - Happy to See You Living Hour - Living Hour Florist - The Bird Outside Sings a Song Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool Royal Canoe - Something Got Lost Between Here And the Orbi -Talula Schlegel

Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial Frank Ocean - Blonde Wilco - Schmilco Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker Solange - A Seat At the Table Micah Erenberg - Poor Mic’s Toe Anderson .Paak - Malibu Iggy Pop & Josh Homme - Post Pop Depression -Maddy Cristall Andy Shauf - The Party Whitney - Light Upon the Lake Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial Cass McCombs - Mangy Love Wilco - Schmilco Allah-Las - Calico Review Royal Canoe - Something Got Lost Between Here And the Orbit The Avalanches - Wildflower case/lang/veirs - case/lang/veirs Moonface & Sinai - My Best Human Face -Margaret Banka

BEST LOCAL ALBUMS Animal Teeth - Happy to See You Iansucks - Don’t Give Into The Bad Feelings 3Peat - 3Peat EP Lev Snowe - Drifting Off -Max Hamilton

16 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

Iansucks - Don’t Give Into The Bad Feelings Animal Teeth - Happy to See You Living Hour - Living Hour Royal Canoe - Something Got Lost Between Here And the Orbit Micah Erenberg - Poor Mic’s Toe -Talula Schlegel

BEST LIVE SHOWS Luscius @ Winnipeg Folk Festival Lord Huron @ Winnipeg Folk Festival case/lang/veirs @ Interstellar Rodeo Wilco @ Interstellar Rodeo Kamasi Washington @ TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival -Nora Cristall Kamasi Washington @ Bumbershoot (Seattle, WA) Lucius @ Winnipeg Folk Festival Dinosaur Jr. @ Commodore (Toronto, ON) Of Montreal @ Levitation (Vancouver, BC) Andy Shauf @ Fox Cabaret (Vancouver, BC) -Maddy Cristall Andy Shauf @ Winnipeg Folk Festival Weaves @ Rainbow Trout Music Festival case/lang/veirs @ Interstellar Rodeo Begonia @ Harvest Moon/Rainbow Trout Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Local Church/House (“Chouse”) -Talula Schlegel Kamasi Washington @ TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival Sapphire Empire @ Goodwill Odd Outfit @ Handsome Daughter Dri Hieve @ H.M.S. Arlington Ivory Waves @ Handsome Daughter -Max Hamilton

TOP WISHES FOR 2017 1. Cash Money Records reissues all the classic tapes 2. BG getting released from jail 3. Playboi Carti album 4. Changed Man EP finally dropping 5. Daft Punk actually performing -Caelum Rossell 1. More concerts.

2. Losing fewer musicians and pop culture icons like Leonard Cohen, Prince and David Bowie.

-Nora Cristall 1. Sobriety 2. Posthumous Prince presses 3. Sure-footedness 4. More rapid transit routes 5. Fewer memes 6. Proof that the Earth is flat 7. A way home 8. Religious awakening 9. Fewer leeches in lakes 10. Anti-cellphone trend -Max Hamilton

BEST MOMENT

Kate Middleton’s classy appearance, in chic ensemble, at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday.

-Max Hamilton Interstellar Rodeo. Fantastic venue with first class performances!

-Nora Cristall Gucci Mane following me on Twitter and then unfollowed me when he got released from jail..

-Caelum Rossell

WORST OF 2016 5. 5 Seconds of Summer (reigning champions) Cute enough to be mistaken for One Direction. Just pop-punk enough to dip into the angsty razorblade teen market. 5SOS is as obvious a marketing ploy as any in music today. Every song is a textbook example of how to completely abandon art for commercial success. One thing 2015 and 2016 had in common for 5SOS: both years, NME ‘honored’ the boys with their infamous annual Worst Band Award.

4. Gucci Mane’s clone (conspiracy theory) ‘Guwop’ cleaned up in prison, getting out of drugs and into shape. The video for his single, appropriately titled “1st Day Out Tha Feds”, presented a newly fit and somehow handsome Gucci Mane wearing nothing but black shorts, white shoes and jewelry including a house arrest ankle bracelet. Did we say “Good job, Guwop?” Of course not! He must be a clone, devised by the music industry. Or the Illuminati. Or something.

3. Celebrity Deaths (RIP) 2016 took with it some of the most iconic names in music. Among them George Michael, Merle Haggard and the artist formerly […] Prince. Perhaps most interesting of the year’s deceased were David Bowie and Leonard Cohen who curated morbidly self-aware soundtracks to their own passing. Their final albums, Blackstar and You Want It Darker, both contain self-titled tracks that ostensibly usher the respective stars into the next.

2. Mariah Carey (the end is NYE) It’s easy to be swayed by a late-entry candidate for a year-end list when she dares submit mere moments before deadline. Did Dick Clark Productions sabotage the “Honey” popstar? Did she skip rehearsal? Whatever the reason, the result was viral.

The profundity of this ‘performance’ wasn’t so much the technical failure, but the way Mariah morosely summed up, capped off and completed what was already a very awkward 2016.

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RIP PRINCE ILLUSTRATION BY JESSE BERCIER

1. Lil Yachty (entire career) A single calendar year comprises Lil Yachty’s entire young career thus far. He made waves as the feature on “Broccoli”, a 2-time platinum hit with all the complexity of a nursery rhyme. Yachty followed up with his own single, “1 Night”, which was a smash hit despite having the same lyrical melody as “Now I know my ABCs”. Yes, the kindergarten song for learning the alphabet.

- Samuel Swanson

Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

17

WE’LL ONLY MAKE IT IF

WE ALL MAKE IT

BY MATT PETERS

On June 23 of this past year, the night of the Brexit referendum, I retreated to the back patio of the venue in San Francisco where my band had just finished playing and I nervously pulled out my phone to check the results. At the time, we were on a West Coast tour with Montreal’s Plants and Animals and through the open windows behind the stage I could hear them begin to strum the first few chords of their set. Their music is soaring and hopeful, exactly what you would want rising up through a peaceful California evening while having your faith in humanity restore.

“LEAVE”.

Wait… What??

“BRITAIN VOTES TO LEAVE!” in big bold lettering. “NO REMAINS!” The headlines blurred into each other as I skimmed from article to article.

Leave? How? The ‘Leave’ movement was like what would happen if a Grade 7 Social Studies class were put in charge of a political campaign. Surely the birthplace of Shakespeare and gravity would be able to see past “Britain minus EU equals Now you’re rich and beautiful and don’t have to share.”

I sat out back on some reclaimed anvil (or whatever passes for a chair these days) for some time, trying to make sense of this apparent sea change. I probably posted some daft rationalizations on social media to make myself feel better about the whole thing, but the question of “how did we get here?” kept nagging at me. This was just a blip, a momentary lapse of reason, I told myself. At least Trump still has no chance, right? Right?! Sure, bud.

Jesus Christ. How did we get here?

Remember 2012? Not the shitty movie - the year.

No? It seems too long ago to recall? Oh, come on now. Okay, I’ll do my best to remind you.

It was a simpler time back then. Music with guitar was still half-relevant. Our iPhone 4’s would crash when loading the Facebook app, so we occasionally had to look up and have conversations with each other. Weird, huh? The Arab Spring had yet to completely fracture into military coups and civil wars, and most of us didn’t know what a Red Wedding was yet. Still not ringing any bells? Okay, well, we dabbled back then in a now long-forgotten mental state called “optimism.” Yeah you’re right, it is sort of 18 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

IMAGE BY KYLE MCKINLEY

a funny sounding word. If you can’t remember what it was to be optimistic, just imagine feeling exactly the opposite of how you do at this precise moment.

That feels pretty good doesn’t it? Well, that’s what it was like back in 2012. Is it starting to come back to you? Gangnam Style… the Cubs still sucked… yeah, you’ve got it.

If you spin it the right way, 2012 really was a sort of fairy tale. Obama was re-elected in a landslide, two states had voted to legalize pot, and three states were rescinding their ban on same-sex marriage.

For a short period there was a real sense that our generation’s defining story would no longer be the Reign of Bush 2.0. Positive social forces were commandeering the grand narrative and progressivism was crawling out of the dorm-room bong-water and into the light of day. Oh 2012, what a beautiful halcyon dream you were.

Or not.

From the reality-check-zone-of-no-return, a.k.a.

2017, this dream looks so painfully naïve. The previous eight years lulled many of us on the left into a false sense of security. While we were busy patting ourselves on the back, the very same populist spirit that had carried Obama into power was being hijacked by loud, divisive voices. They offered oversimplified explanations to complex issues, which validated an alarmingly substantial xenophobic and insecure demographic. The truths we thought were self-evident were not to 46.1% of the population, and their rejection of this progressive vision for the easy fix of Trump’s America said so much about how little we really knew each other.

Those of us privileged enough to have been able to ignore this spectre of ourselves were thrown into a state of shock when Brexit passed and when Trump was elected. But for African-Americans, LGBTQ people, and other marginalized communities, there was less surprise, because the fight had never ceased.

It was an ongoing struggle through the Obama years, and it was well documented in the resonant, provocative work created in this period by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Anohni, Solange, and Frank Ocean.

As a straight white male artist I have to try to understand my role in all of this too. Where was

I? I guess I was probably moving inward with the rest and ignoring the outside world in favour of introspection (as if there weren’t enough albums ‘Recorded in the Cabin’). But moving forward I need to respect the realities that surround me. I need to be a better ally. I need to be a stronger community member.

The coming years will no doubt be extremely difficult for many, but most of all for those who find themselves in the crosshairs of Trump’s reinvigorated far-right. If a lesson can be learned from all of this, it’s that we can’t let our guard down, even if it appears that “things aren’t so bad.” We need to support our gay friends, our African-American friends, our Muslim friends, our female friends, and even our right-wing friends. Because during Trump’s administration there will be attempts to further normalize behaviour like mocking the disabled, creating ethnic/religious registries, interning immigrants and refugees, grabbing someone’s p****, shitting on the truth, re-widening income gaps, building walls, and altering history to a point where if we’re not careful we’ll glance up from our iPhone 11s in 2020 and barely recognize the world we live in.

As that June night in San Francisco was winding down I finally wandered back into the venue to catch the rest of Plants and Animals set. They were nearing the climax of the song, Flowers, that features the refrain, “We’ll all be together / Or we’ll never be together again.” When the final chorus hit, the rest of the band dropped out until only Warren, the singer, was strumming his guitar and singing. Perhaps it was the poignancy of the words themselves or the nakedness of the moment, but without prompting, the audience joined in. What a profound thing it is, to see a room full of strangers freely singing in unison. Who knows what the next four years will hold, but it is paramount that we watch out for each other. We’ll only make it if we all make it.

Matt Peters is a musician and writer and the frontman of critically-acclaimed local band Royal Canoe.

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FUNDRIVE ART BY SARAH THIESSEN

PRAIRIE PUNK PERSPECTIVE

BY KAITLYN EMSLIE FARRELL

We’re a bit into a new year and if the months of January and December actually seem to launch some sort of beginning or end, then I guess we can pretend that time measures how much everything is going to change right this instant, or rather, last month. So here’s your cliché year in review, made slightly less cliché with a bit of what would be good in the future.

There are a lot of things that happened last year in our local music scene, some even continuing from previous years, that I wouldn’t like to see in this fresh one. The first, and likely the most obvious, is the closure of more local venues. I would like to see less venues close and more venues open. We have to look at this realistically however. The only way that venues can stay open is through profitability. So if the venue is doing their part by providing a cool place for live music, and the bands are putting on good shows, then you’ve gotta do your part too. This should be easy for you as you get to tackle a couple birds with one stone. Go out to these venues, drink their beer, support live music, and call it a job well done. But it’s also important to not burn venues.

There’s already a stigma that comes with punk, and although it’s fizzling in recent times, a lot of venues associate punks with damage, so respect your venues as well as the people within them!

2016 saw a lot of album releases from local and non-local acts. Everybody got that right so let’s keep

that work flow up. It’s no secret that Winnipeg contains a lot of musical talent, so in trying times it’s good to see the consistency in releases. We’ve got a lot to complain about in Winnipeg, so put it to a tune and bust it out on stage. Or write happy songs, or songs about dogs farting, see if I care. Just write some damn songs.

Although a lot of bands are no longer existing as many break ups happened this past year, just as they always do, a lot of great bands also emerged.

New weird experiments unveiled themselves to the world, and we accepted them with open arms. A lot of the bands that ended contained members that formed some of these new bands, so if you lost one you love, take a look at those people’s new projects because you might just like ‘em too.

Something definitely worth reflecting on is the abundance of fundraiser shows. 2016 saw benefit shows for mental health, hunger, cancer, and more.

Bands were willing to donate their time and performance for good causes all around and that doesn’t go unnoticed. Bands shouldn’t have to play for free often, but when they’re willing to for the greater good we call it commendable. There’s no shortage of world issues, so I’m sure this trend will continue.

In terms of music itself, the constant flow of subgenres continued and I have no reason to believe that it’ll end. So make sure you educate yourself so you know whether you’re going to dig that new

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post-punk/shoegaze/math/pineapple core band that just came out. You never know. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by this influx of terminology, but we can look at in the sense that music doesn’t come in five specific groups of cookie cutter sounds. The terms burst at the seams, because the music is hard to define. Who doesn’t love a good complication?

Last but not least, the community is strong and that’ll be how it continues to act. There were many opportunities in 2016 for the community to prove it’s desire to help each other as well as the touring bands that passed through, and prove itself it sure did. There’s always going to be obstacles, and it’s nice to know that the people around you won’t leave you hanging.

Stay active my friends. Punk will survive another year, and it’s up to you to determine how strong it will be. You’ve been doing a good job so keep it going, cause all that matters is that there’s music.

Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

19

Under the Needle

DIAMOND MIND

Heavy Metal Sunshine Diamond Mind’s release Heavy Metal Sunshine is evidence that Alberta can produce more than just oil, whiskey, and Angus beef (did you know that if you mix them all together you get Chad Kroeger?). Listening to the Edmonton-based group’s pop album is like walking through a funhouse at the carnival – not the type where Chad is hiding around the corner waiting to jump at you, but more like the one where you walk through a whirling tunnel, cross an oscillating floor, and then pass a row of your distorted reflections. Fun, not scary!

While most tracks are upbeat and catchy, this debut full-length album will delight pop enthusiasts of all tastes by representing an eclectic range of tunes. This is apparent even between the first two tracks: where the opener “Diamond Mind,” is loud and uplifting, “Horseless Coach” is toned down and far more synthy. The journey feels like it’s headed toward some pretty jaunty Sloan-esque alternative stuff with “The Janks”, only to take a more melancholy turn with the keyboard-heavy “Front Page of the End Times.”

Far from feeling unglued by its diversity, the album as a whole is united by Liam Trimble’s light and sunny voice that adds an element of levity to each song. It is perhaps best appreciated in the more pensive and dreamy pop tunes, such as “Blind Hills Chapel” and “Webster’s;” the contrast between melody and vocals here is most enchanting and this is definitely where the thrill of the album peaks.

The lyrics are intimate yet simple, balancing those high energy tracks early on.

As its title suggests, Heavy Metal Sunshine boasts an array of pop jams that are all distinctive from one another but surprisingly work well together in an album and keep you guessing.

Think Chad Kroeger clad in pink tutu (just kidding, think of something better, please).

Margaret Banka

20 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017

CONDUCT AS THE B-52s AT BEST OF BANDS AS BANDS, DEC 21

PHOTO BY JEN DOERKSEN

95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS ( November 23, 2016 - January 30, 2017) !=LOCAL CONTENT * =CANADIAN CONTENT re=RE-ENTRY TO CHART #

ARTIST

1 * The Evaporators 2 ! Royal Canoe 3 ! Duotang 4 ! John K. Samson 5 ! The Catamounts 6 ! Moon Tan 7 ! Zrada 8 ! Johnny Sizzle 9 Anoushka Shankar 10 ! Paris To Kyiv 11 Luisa Maita 12 Drive By Truckers 13 * Tanya Tagaq 14 * The Pack A.D. 15 * Aurochs 16 * Tim Hecker 17 ! JD And The Sunshine Band 18 * Loscil 19 * A Tribe Called Red 20 ! Micah Erenberg 21 * Manitoba Hal Brolund 22 Wolf People 23 ! Various Artists 24 Mike Smith 25 * Forbidden Dimension 26 ! Monuments Galore 27 ! Lanikai 28 FEA 29 * We Are Wolves 30 * Brazilian Money

RECORDING

LABEL

Ogopogo Punk Mint Something Got Lost Between Here And The Orbit Nevado New Occupation Stomp Winter Wheat AntiSt Nuomatac Transistor 66 The Faceless Knight Self Released Legend Self-Rleased Recovery Awkward Reasons Inc. Land Of Gold Deutsche Gramophon Fragmenti Remixes Balanced Fiodamemoria Cumbancha American Band ATO Retribution Six Shooter Positive Thinking Cadence Another Helpful Medicine All Set! Love Streams Paper Bag Soaking Up The Rays Transistor 66 Monument Builders Kranky We Are The Halluci Nation Radicalized Poor Mic's Toe Self-Released Live In Ghent Self-Released Ruins Jagjaguwar Beach Station Blues V Real Love Winnipeg Famous Wildlife Movies All Set! Every Twisted Tree Watches As You Pass Sounds Escaping Colour Depth And Field Self-Released Lanikai Hidden Pony FEA Blackheart Wrong Fantome Fly Free Rock Angel Self-Released

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Feb/Mar 2017 Stylus Magazine

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The TAPROOM is OPEN.

22 Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2017