Slowcity Open Mic: Gord Downie and Bob Rock, Skydiggers, Shirley Collins, Jerry Leger, Great Lake Swimmers, Cowboy Junkies, Andrina Turenne, and Dennis Ellsworth

By Will McGuirk

“Sometimes a collection of songs just comes out feeling one way and they all work together,” - Dennis Ellsworth

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Shirley Collins, Tanya Tucker, OMBIIGIZI, Sunnsetter, Louise Burns, Orchard Sky, Devontée, and Cola

By Will McGuirk

"I love it when friendship is palpable in a recording, when a piece of music laughs with you in a fast-food burger booth and takes you out to catch up on a walk by the river," - Peter Dreimanis (July Talk).

I think it’s my first attempt at a proper love song, in my own faux-misanthropic way…" - Louis Burns

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: William Prince, Arctic Monkeys, Bruce Cockburn, Orchestra GOLD, miles from nowhere, Mimi O'Bonsawin, and Ryan Wayne

By Will McGuirk

"’Easier and Harder' is about giving love a chance to mature. The lessons we learn when we get past the honeymoon stage. The benefits of not giving up and getting to love someone entirely; not only for their strengths but their shortcomings as well. There’s a comedy to it that I feel gives a peek into what long-term love is like. Live and learn. Give and take.” - William Prince

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Ryan Wayne · Forty Paces To The Bottom - Ryan Wayne

Slowcity.ca Open Mic: the Sadies, Villages, Dizzy, Begonia, Andy Shauf, Murray A. Lightburn, Braids, and The Arcs

By Will McGuirk

“Evolution in and of itself is a patient act. Our pursuit of the individual self, which comprises all realms of human emotion, is sweetened with the intention and act of patience from ourselves, from those that we love and those who love us.” - Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Braids

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Status/Non-Status, Jill Barber, Debby Friday, Ernie Vincent, Hammock, Celeigh Cardinal, plus James Yorkston, Nina Persson and The Second Hand Orchestra

By Will McGuirk

“While each song is deeply personal, at the time it felt as though they pushed the album further into the rural-folk spectrum than we envisioned for ourselves, but together now make for a sentimental journey that sounds just right on the cold winds of winter,” - Adam Sturgeon, Status/Non-Status

"It’s a gentle reminder that its okay to not feel okay… and that sometimes just getting through the day is enough" - Jill Barber

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Georgia Harmer, Cots, Sarah Burton, Jess Kallen, Marthe Halvorsen, Down With Space, and Hot Chip

By Will McGuirk

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SARAH BURTON MUSIC · I Hate Goodbyes

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Wayfinding, Begonia, Storry, Jason Collett, White Lung, Emily Mac, American Lips, and Linebeck

By Will McGuirk

“I’d rather be someone’s shot of whiskey than everyone’s cup of tea,” - Emily Mac

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Hayden, The Bros. Landreth, Gabrielle Shonk, Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors, blesse, Local Natives, Hot Chip, and PUP

By Will McGuirk

"I was inspired to write this song after covering a Leonard Cohen song called ‘Avalanche’ for the promotion of the film Death Of A Ladies Man. I switched the finger-picking guitar to a rolling piano part and liked the feel so much, I just kept playing until this chord progression appeared. The words came later after an autumn visit to Newfoundland. To me, the East Coast imagery matched the circular playing perfectly.” - Hayden

“‘Just Before The Morning’ came from a burst of creativity after we finally reconnected in the studio. The song explores the cyclical nature of life and the many ways in which we begin again.” - Local Natives

“PUP live is PUP at our best and also at our worst. Raw, scrappy, and holding on for dear life.” - Stefan Babcock

Hayden's annual Dream Serenade benefit concert takes place on November 12 at Massey Hall. Tickets here.

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Birds of Bellwoods, Villages, Mimi Webb, Valentyna, Mariel Buckley, Kris Ulrich, and Neil Young

By Will McGuirk

“That moment when you see the mistakes you keep making, but can’t seem to change the pattern like the lyrics say, ‘with all the lights above me, I only see that shadow cast below.’ “ - Birds of Bellwoods

“We all have those moments where you just want to drop everything and leave it all behind. “Love Will Live On” is a daydream on just how good it could be if you actually did it.” - Villages

“It’s a broad stroke of what intolerance and shame can create in a bible-belt, prairie town. Lots of imagery from my childhood, church and the bottom of a glass.” - Mariel Buckley

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Adrian Sutherland, The Trade-Offs, Evan Redsky, Terez, Julia Wolf, Jesse Roper, Handsome Jack, and Arctic Monkeys

By Will McGuirk

“"I teach at an elementary school in Beachburg, Ontario. My grades 6/7 and 7/8 classes are looking for ways to continue with ideas from the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We heard the song Walk With Me by Adrian Sutherland and decided to reach out," wrote Steve Pritchard.”

“Throughout the 20th century many Inuit families recall the Royal Canadian Mounted Police deliberately killing sled dogs to force Inuit into government run settlements, ‘Put ‘Em Down’ is about this sad story and about the effort to put us as a people down and erase our culture. A truth many do not know a lot about because it has been kept so quiet” - Josh Qaumariaq, the Trade-Offs

“It's a reflection of not just myself, but of an entire community of young people who lack access to mental health resources, cultural resources, and positive role models - where young First Nations folks just want to escape their realities in exchange for Oblivion.” - Evan Redsky

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