Album ‘I Know a Garden’ out in 2026
Read MorePhoto by Vijay Sarathy
Shakura S'Aida
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Shakura S'Aida, Abigail Lapell, Rural Alberta Advantage, Edwin Raphael, Zoe Ackah, Eva Cassidy, and Debby Friday,
By Will McGuirk
“It’s about balancing the good with the bad. It’s encountering a landscape that is completely surreal to you but also the closest thing to home. This project involves the arch of self-realization & leans on the generosity of the unexpected. It is a space for thoughts, discovery and new connections.” - Edwin Raphael
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Matt Holtby, Chastity, Mimi Webb, Pierre Kwenders, Margo Price, The Weather, Edwin Raphael, and Noisy
By Will McGuirk
“represents the relationship one has with time, the constant balancing as a slow dance that one tries to weave," - Edwin Raphael
Logan Staats, Photo by Trung Hoang
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Logan Staats, Reuben and The Dark, Matthew Barber, Ghostkeeper, Edwin Raphael, Avalon Tassonyi, Theo Tams, and the North Coast Band
By Will McGuirk
“It’s not about a girl; the culture is the love that I’m asking for. The love for myself. That was stolen from me - by the government, the crown, the church. When I sing ‘GIVE ME BACK MY LOVE’, I'm speaking about my culture, my pride, and my love for myself.” - Logan Staats
“Emotion is universal and we hope to add this vibration when we sing.” - Billy Wadsworth, Kainai-Bloodtribe Bullhorn Singers
“An homage to my Grandpa Rolly, A grandfather with a fierce love and dedication to his family. This is a ‘sing a long’ for all who miss him as much as I do.” - Shane Ghostkeeper
“Without absence there can be no presence. The simple sad rhythm emphasizes that the steps backwards in life may be sad, but it is part of the dance, and it is always beautiful.” - Edwin Raphael
“Clowning is a very liberating experience… to be a child, to fail, to tap into human experiences without the need to say a word.” - Avalon Tassonyi
Soccer Mommy, photo by Sophie Hur.jpg
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Soccer Mommy, Sorry, Cat Power, Wet Leg, Flasher, Pierre Kwenders, Edwin Raphael, Current Swell, and Rudy De Anda
“When we’re out of love we can feel detached and think ‘oh we’ll never be in love again… cry, cry’ but also try and laugh a bit… It’s easy to laugh or think you’ll never be THAT person then the next moment you can feel like the loneliest person in the world.” - Asha Lorenz, Sorry
“It’s the conflicting pursuit of stimulation vs stability.” - Edwin Raphael
Sorry @ Phoenix Theatre, Toronto, May 14 2022
Flasher @ the Baby G, Toronto June 28 2022 June 28
Pierre Kwenders @ Music Gallery, Toronto May 4 2022
Edwin Raphael @ the Drake, Toronto, May 13 2022
Current Swell @ the Opera House, Toronto May 14 2022
Jadea Kelly
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Jadea Kelly, Ruby Singh, Simon and the Island, Jordan Klassen, Edwin Raphael, Mauvey, and Neil Young
By Will McGuirk
“Maybe this is the heart of wisdom; knowing when to indulge and knowing when to abstain." - Jordan Klassen
“However you realize maybe love isn’t about being realistic and the past isn't foreshadowing the present either. You got to dive in or you’re lying to yourself.” - Edwin Raphael
“Love, at the end of the day, is real and unpredictable.” - Mauvey
Chad VanGaalen, photo by Sebastian Buzzalino
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Chad VanGaalen, Edwin Raphael, Justin Rutledge, Raine Hamilton, Serafin LaRiviere, Paragon Cause, and The Prairie States
By Will McGuirk
Renaissance man? Multi-media man? Applicable to Chad VanGaalen; singer/songwriter, animator, record label launcher, performer, multi-dimensional artist, and yet down to earth as a culvert. A genuine artist no matter how you look at it but look at it, deeply.
“I think there’s a lovely and beautiful weightlessness to that last second you feel before hitting the water in a dive, I think this song encapsulates that split second.” - Edwin Raphael
“It’s about the beauty of being alive and the courage that can take,” - Raine Hamilton
PIQSIQ
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Edwin Raphael, PIQSIQ, Haviah Mighty, The Gertrudes, Leah Barley, Craig Strickland, Moscow Apartment, Kodiak Arcade, Jesse Roper, Overcoats, Bodysnatcher,
By Will McGuirk
Its an uncomfortable place we find ourselves in, under, holding our breath, we are our own bubble, above, hope is just the slightest change in hue on the surface, hazy, mirage, a promise weak as water, but we must turn to this maybe as we know the darkest darkness lies still below. We must rush towards the surface for air, for rebirth, for a new becoming.
“Producing this song was a bit of a challenge to hone in on really feeling underwater, I also essentially looped the main guitar to portray the vicious cycle of anxiety with constant additions to reflect and parallel the textures of the sea and the abstract nature of feeling underwater.” - Edwin Rapheal
“Essentially, this song is about the low expectations that people have of those that don’t follow or fit the status quo, and how I’ll push to overcome those doubts and surpass those expectations. The 'occasion' is my downfall, and in this song, I fight its existence,” - Haviah Mighty
"“Emergency To Emergency" is an attempt to express and reflect on some of the anxiety and profound sense of isolation so many people are experiencing at this time…” – Greg Tilson, co-composer for The Gertrudes
““Enemy” was written a few months ago at a time when it seemed like the world had never been more divided. It’s about falling apart from someone you love, hoping that through your differences you can still find compassion and common ground. “ - Craig Strickland