Hey, Lets Talk! Rvnners release 'Through the Wall'

By Will McGuirk

I am going to let Rvnners do the talking on this one, its their story to tell.

“Through The Wall” was written after years of getting sober, medication, and work. I had this image of a ghost pacing back and forth behind a wall that no one could see, trying to get out.

Recovery is 90% personal – no one can get inside your head and fully understand.

“Through The Wall” is being released at a time where I feel almost normal. After nearly 15 years of addiction, hitting rock bottom, to entering recovery, it finally feels over.

I want to dedicate this song to anyone struggling in life – whether it be with chronic pain, BPD, depression, self harm, anxiety, surviving abuse, trying to make a life out of less than nothing.

The problems that take decades. Everybody has their own wall.

Thank you for listening. I hope that “Through The Wall” can serve as a reminder that you’re never alone.

Andrew Cameron – ¼ of RVNNERS

Mad Ones, Beams, Catl and more, team up to aid Yemeni refugee crisis

By Will McGuirk

Some slowcity.ca pals are doing good work this weekend at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto Saturday, Feb 2.

The Concert for Yemen hosted by Mad Ones, will feature individual sets and collaborations from Beams, Catl, Jerry Leger, Hot Kid and Regina Gently. They are joining forces to send aid to Yemen via the International Rescue Committee. Since 2012 there has been a civil war in the Republic of Yemen, located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world according to the United Nations.

Lyse Doucet of the BBC has been covering the area and her reporting on the situation is my suggested go-to for anyone wanting in-depth reporting on the war and the people involved and affected.

Mastering master Noah Mintz, ex of hHead, is also on the bill but no word if his fellow hHeadster, Brendan Canning now of BSS, will join in for a rare reunion.

Tickets are $10, doors open at 8:30 p.m. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. are sponsoring.

The moment I met Andrew Bird I swear

By Will McGuirk

Ah yes Andrew Bird , there is a lot of seventiesy softy rock here, coyly cocky hat, Billy Joel, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Clair, Brandy, the mournful smile, the hint of sadness in the corner of her eye, and so yes “Sisyphus”, pushing the rock everyday only to wake up at the bottom again, a groundhog day of futility but as my mate Camus says we must imagine him happy so put your arms around the Bird and imagine there is a happiness in this here song from his album, ‘My Finest Work Yet’ too . Who knows if the title is apt but who are we to disagree with a writer so intent in his craft. And listen to Bloodless too - slotted in below, also from the same record.

Dizzy and Meghan Patrick breakthrough; 2019 Juno nominations announced

By Will McGuirk

So yay to the dreamers. This year’s Junos included nominations for some kats from the DRock’s music scene who have doubled-down and gone for it, got their grind on, did the work, got stuck in and stayed through to their vision and their promise.

Meghan Patrick was nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Country Album of the Year. Congrats Meghan.

Dizzy got the nod for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year. Yay Dizzy.

Congrats too to Thom D’Arcy for Producer of the Year. D’Arcy is an incredible songwriter and part of the Bowmanville late 90’s scene which gave rise to Diableros, Another Blue Door and Pseudonym/ Carnations ( wish I still had that Pseudonym cassette!!) He was nominated for The Sheepdogs’ album Changing Colours and “Love The Way You Are” by Yukon Blonde. Also check back into his band, Small Sins, and be educated.

Blues guitarist Jack De Keyzer received a nomination for Blues Album of the Year.

So yes to the keepers keeping on the keeping on, pushing through the barriers and digging in to deliver on their dreams. The awards are nice to get, nice to be nominated but the real rewards lie in believing in your self and making your own future.

The Junos take place in 2019 in London, ON March 11 - 17. The big show (on the 17) will be aired on CBC.

Lets make a night to remember - Bryan Adams at the TTC Jan 29

By Will McGuirk

Can’t get more Canadian than a hockey rink in a snowy small town - amp it up to a snowy city and an arena and drop Canuck rocker Bryan Adam into the place and, well, grab the red white and leaf ‘cause folks are going to party like its the summer of 1969. Adams plays the Tribute Communities Centre Jan 29 on the Shine A Light Tour. He has been busy too, apart from the album of the same name being released (features a cover of “Whiskey In The Jar” too) Adams wrote the music for Pretty Woman - The Musical which opened on Broadway last year.

HEALTH releases heavy new single "FEEL NOTHING'

By Peter Fitzpatrick
Guest Contributor

California trio HEALTH released FEEL NOTHING today, a new single from the noise rock band’s upcoming LP, VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR.

FEEL NOTHING is being released in partnership with Adult Swim Singles, a program where Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim showcases singles for free listening weekly for 52 weeks.

VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR, their follow-up to Death Magic from 2015, will release Feb. 8. The band has already released two other singles from the new album, Slaves of Fear and Strange Days (1999).

FEEL NOTHING is strong, heavy and intense. It has elements of indie rock, EDM, and hard rock, with a punchy vibe throughout.

HEALTH will be touring North America to support the album, with a stop in Toronto on April 23 at Velvet Underground.

Slowcity.ca Open Mic Night - baby its still cold outside edition; Wild Rivers, L.A.Foster, Radiant Baby, Bailen and David Gray

By Will McGuirk

Tonight’s open mic - it’s yet another snowy edition so lets see if we can warm up with these tracks from Wild Rivers, L.A. Foster, Radiant Baby, Bailen and David Gray.

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Radiant Baby Feb 23 - The Baby G, Toronto
Wild Rivers Feb 27 - Opera House, Toronto; Feb 28 - Mill’s Hardware, Hamilton
David Gray Jun 7 - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

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Never live in fear again - Nakhane and ANOHNI team up for 'New Brighton'

Fans of Bowie, New Order, Peter Gabriel and such one hit wonders as When In Rome, will dig into this track by South African musician Nakhane. His newest track “New Brighton” featuring ANOHNI, can be found on the deluxe edition of his 2018 album You Will Not Die. In addition to ‘New Brighton’ feat. ANOHNI, You Will Not Die: Deluxe Edition features two other new tracks, ‘Medicine’ and ‘Hey Lover’, as well as covers of David Bowie’s ‘Sweet Thing’ and New Order’s ‘Age of Consent’, two of Nakhane’s favourite songs.

This track, however, with its ‘Never live in fear again’ refrain gets under the skin, and from the inside raises the spirit at a time when the struggle is real and we need to hear other voices and build alliances. Dig in, dig it.

Get a grip on new Billard Blossom vinyl; 'Change Your Grip' releases March 2 at Trent Valley Lanes

By Will McGuirk

Slowcity.ca pals, Billiard Blossom, thee supergroup of thee super players, have been woodshedding their sophomore full length record amid many changes in their personal lives. Brad MacArthur - Vocals/Guitar, Oliver Ward - Lead Guitars, Dave Slute - Pedalsteel, Jim Gorry - Bass Guitar and Clayton Churcher - Drums will release “Change Your Grip” Saturday, Mar 2, 2019 at Trent Valley Lanes in Campbellford, ON.

In a Facebook post the band says “We tracked these 9 songs that make up this album with our friend James McKenty at the Peace House in Orono, Ontario. After that, some time passed, and everyone in the band found themselves in different places in life and sometimes vastly different places geographically (Dave really likes to vacation). Amidst the personal growth and change within the group, one thing hadn't changed, and that was our love for playing music together. Getting the chance to finish this recording and releasing it in a physical form was a top priority for all of us.”

The album will be available in digital formats as well as a limited edition vinyl record and major streaming platforms. Tickets for the launch party are $20 and will include bowling shoes rental, and of course unlimited bowling lane usage.

Now I don’t know what Billard Blossom has planned but perhaps a recent video by their fellow Kawartha rockers, The Strumbellas, may give some indication.

Slowcity.ca Open Mic Night - baby its cold outside edition

By Will McGuirk

Always like an open mic, good place to gather, chill, meet, collaborate, hear new tunes, reconnect with the old, so we have a new feature on slowcity.ca - our open mic; tonight we welcome Aerialists, Tariq, Merival, Bob Sumner, Abigail Lapell to the mic, all airing new tracks.

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Bob Sumner Feb 1, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto
Aerialists Feb 6, The Burdock, Toronto
Tariq
Merival Feb 7, The Burdock, Toronto
Abigail Lapell Feb 27 , The Burdock, Toronto

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Guitarist Donna Grantis' releases single 'Diamonds & Dynamite", debut solo album due Mar 22

The other night I was listening to some jazz by a new kat introduced to me and I said that sounds like jazz, capital J jazz, cemetery institutional sealed done jazz. Jazz is not gone its still going as Jazz goes. New jazz oughta sound like jazz from the 50s sure but spilling through the 60s, 70s, 80s 90s, 00s gathering up channels and nuance, tech and grooves and all those experiences one would imagine an 80 year old would have. So folks, presenting Donna Grantis, about as now jazz as you can get now. The Prince collaborator, member of 3RDEYEGIRL and New Power Generation, has a solo album titled Diamonds & Dynamite coming March 22 on Entertainment One. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready appears as a guest on a couple of tracks, which were already released as the A and B of a seven inch vinyl. Find it dig it listen.

Do the right thing - Spike Lee directs video for The Killer's 'Land of the Free'

Sometimes you have to remember where you came from and why and sometimes its from there and sometimes its from them and they came from there.

Lindi Ortega to release all-instrumental album; 'Liberty: Piano Songbook'

Pickering-raised, Nashville-based alt-country singer/songwriter, Lindi Ortega, will release, on Jan 25 2019, an instrumental version of ‘Liberty’, her widely acclaimed album inspired by the soundtracks of the spaghetti Western genre, which was released March 2018.

The first single from ‘Liberty: Piano Songbook’, “In The Clear” is now available. The track is cinematic and evocative, one can imagine Garth Hudson in the corner of a dusty saloon, slats of light on the keys. Ortega teamed up with Liberty producer Skylar Wilson and multi-instrumentalist Robbie Crowell for Piano Songbook. Its Crowell on piano on “In The Clear.”

Beginning February 5, Ortega will be touring dates in Canada with Terra Lightfoot and Begonia and on into the USA with special guests TBA.

Feb. 5 / Centre in the Square / Kitchener, ON
Feb. 6 / Algonquin Commons Theatre / Ottawa, ON
Feb. 7 / New Vision United Church / Hamilton, ON
Feb. 8 / London Music Hall / London, ON
Feb. 9 / Phoenix Concert Theatre / Toronto, ON
Feb. 16 / Hopkins Center for the Arts / Hopkins, MN
Mar. 15 / Neptune Theatre / Seattle, WA
Mar. 16 / Alberta Rose Theatre / Portland, OR
Mar. 17 / John G. She’d Institute for the Arts / Eugene, OR
Mar. 18 / Sofia Center for the Arts / Sacramento, CA
Mar. 19 / Freight & Salvage Coffee House / Berkeley, CA
Mar. 20 / HopMonk Tavern / Novato, CA
Apr. 26 - Sun., Apr. 29 / MerleFest 2019 / Wilkesboro, NC