Photo by Jen Squires
By Will McGuirk
This is some deep dark blues emanating from Roxanne Potvin, snipping the edges of Black Grass, wandering into Timber Timbre terroir. She is touring the country opening for Colin James. She is in support of her most recent, a five song EP, ‘All It Was’. Its available on Comino Music. There are videos by Petr Maur for each track. take the time. She and he will be in Peterborough at the Showplace Theatre Apr 9. Take the time.
By Will McGuirk
Let’s keep the International Women’s Day celebrations going longer, lets make another week of it, and dig into this heartache of a track from Halifax based singer/songwriter Leanne Hoffman as well as “In Women Colour” the latest fromBrampton rapper Haviah Mighty, who will be playing the Diezel Room Apr 5 2019 as part of Oshawa Music Week organised by students of the Music Business Management program at Durham College.
In a press release Hoffman says “Blind and Broken” was written during the Jian Ghomeshi trial. It “speaks to the frustration that comes with being a woman in a society where the justice system is consistently letting you down and placing men on a pedestal,” “It’s about being angry and also feeling helpless and hopeless.”
The track is from Hoffman’s debut ‘What Remains’, produced by Erin Costelo and released May 10 2019 on Costelo’s label Venue.
1st single from Leanne Hoffman’s debut album “What Remains” Featuring Leanne Hoffman - vocals/piano Clive MacNutt - guitar Tim Brennan - bass Dave Marsh - drums Erin Costelo- keyboards and Backup vocals Margot Durling - background vocals Additional Musicians: Anne Simons - violin Erin Costelo - organ, rhodes, background vocals Elise Besler-Harnish - background vocals Margot Durling - background vocals Andrew MacKelvie - saxophones Andrew Jackson - trombone Leith Fleming-Smith - keyboards Recorded and engineered by Thomas Stajcer at New Scotland Yard in Dartmouth, NS. Mastered by J. LaPointe at Archive Mastering in Mineville, NS.
Photo by Yung Yemi
Haviah Mighty’s track too is about the violence of men but its not sand with any feelings of helplessness or hopelessness. The track references a childhood incident where she was beat up by a male for playing basketball with the boys.
“They used to say I’m too loud but that’s cool now, love my skin, always been proud, guess that’s in now. They used to say I’m too black with that crude rap and I courier the boom bap over new trap.”
Cat Clyde, photo by Strummer Jasson D
By Will McGuirk
Almost there folks, almost there, pause for a break, you’ve earned it, it's been a long cold lonely winter, but the break is upon us. We have a cool line-up to warm you up a touch, plenty of folkie campfire ballads and dock diving dance-alongs. First up some Vancity alt-pop from Tourist Company, followed by Gillian Nicola, Tyler Ramsey, Cat Clyde, Switchfoot, Eat Your Heart Out, Yes We Mystic,
SHOWS
Kerri Ough - Thursday, Mar 21, The Burdock, Toronto (solo album release)
Tourist Company, Friday, Mar 22, The Horseshoe, Toronto
Cat Clyde, Tuesday, Mar 26, The Drake, Toronto
Gillian Nicola - Wednesday, Mar 27, The Painted Lady, Toronto
By Will McGuirk
Annie Sumi has released a video for the track, “Time Is A Dream” from her 2017 album ‘Into The Unknown’. Filmmaker Ben Bruhmuller is the creator and its a fabulous piece of work. I got to know Annie at River & Sky and at the time she was North Bay based, however she is originally from Whitby. There is a engaging naturalness to Sumi, as an artist and a person, but she is no woodsy singer/songwriter. Her work explores the multiplicity and mysticism of the natural world not just the flora and fauna but the solar and the soil and it is this which is reflected so elegantly in Bruhmuller’s video.
TOUR DATES
3/15/19 -- Toronto, ON @ Hugh's Room (James Taylor Tribute)
03/16/19 -- Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ The Healing Loft*
03/17/19 -- Thunder Bay, ON @ The Algoma House*
03/18/19 -- Portage la Prairie, MB @ Cafe on Prince*
03/19/19 -- Regina, SK @ Creative City Centre*
03/20/19 -- Calgary, AB @ KOI*
03/22/19 -- Edmonton, AB @ St. Basil's Cultural Centre**
03/23/19 -- Medicine Hat, AB @ Cafe Verve*
03/24/19 -- Liberty, SK @ Liberty Memorial Hall*
03/25/19 -- Wasagaming, MB @ Lakehouse*
03/26/19 -- Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
03/27/19 -- Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
03/28/19 -- Gimli, MB @ Ship and Plough*
03/29/19 -- Kenora, ON @ Bob's Burgers*
03/30/19 -- Sioux Lookout, ON @ Legion***
03/31/19 -- Red Rock, ON @ Red Rock Inn*
04/02/19 -- Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Public Library*
04/02/19 -- Sudbury, ON @ La Fromagerie*
04/05/19 -- Haileybury, ON @ House Concert*
04/06/19 -- Elora, ON @ Cafe Creperie*
04/26/19 -- Guelph, ON @ Guelph Civic Museum
04/27/19 -- Toronto, ON @ Acoustic Harvest****
05/11/19 -- Whitby, ON @ St. Mark's United Church*****
* with Piper Hayes
** opening for Irish Mythen
*** with YXL
**** opening for Dala
***** with The Lifers
By Will McGuirk
The album from the Strumbellas is called ‘Rattlesnake” and today the band of rockin’ folkies release “Running Scared (Desert Song)”, the second single. Its a guaranteed summer jam in the best traditions of the cottage country the group has taken global. The band are travelling the globe for the release and making a mid-summers date night with pals Dizzy, Dan Mangan and Donovan Woods, in Hamilton, at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Saturday July 6. Tickets available here. The album drops March 29th.
By Will McGuirk
As part of slowcity.ca’s mandate to connect all you makers with each other we are adding in the new podcast from our longtime pals at Citrus Media. Chris Trubela has been making things and making things happen as well as making things better in Durham Region for decades. All of that will be the subject of these podcasts and well worth your while tuning in. Its a good while too, as the debut episode with our pals (yes we have many pals) at Brew Wizards Gaming Cafe in Oshawa is three hours long, thats almost a boat cruise!! Settle in so.
Upcoming chats include Deadly Grounds and Rotten Rags.
The Stables
Say Ritual
By Will McGuirk
The culture of a place is the voice of the place and at one time the voice of Oshawa would have been 94.9FM DJ Matt Diamond who championed so many local musicians in his years on air at the station.
He has since moved to the home of the Petes but he feels the heart ache of Oshawa and has organized what he calls a night off for the city as it worries over the closing of GM at the end of the year.
To that end he has called upon one other distinct voice of Oshawa, The Stables, to reunite for an evening at the Oshawa Music Hall Saturday Apr. 20 2019. Peterboro’ pal Melissa Payne will also perform as well as Diamond’s new project Say Ritual
This thing hits home,” says Diamond (real name Holtby) “my father-in-law still works with the company. I think of my happiest days in the city; I started music and radio there, and have really wonderful relationships because of the music scene there. I felt like it would be an honour to play that room, and have The Stables do it again and The Music Hall made it happen.”
“The city needs a night off. . . to get together like it was 10 years ago. Melissa Payne is a dear friend to all of us, and her new record is bonkers. It's a perfect addition to the night and I'm so happy she agreed to play.”
Diamond has been active in Peterborough playing Buddy Holly in an on stage production as well as hosting open mics. He has continued to build community one song at a time. It was through these endeavours he met his current bandmates, Robert Hedge, Michael Gray, and Evan Sheffield. This new act he has is called Say Ritual and sees Diamond in tough rock mode. Liam Archer handles the beats but former Champion Heartache’r Craig T Toutant subs in as necessary and it will be certainly necessary to have T in the Hall the eve of Easter Sunday.
Diamond says while he started in music as a the voice man, he has grown as a musician and was ready to just rock out.
“There was something that had to come out,” he says. “When we first started, I only sang. I stood up there with a mic and a bottle of whatever, but I knew I wanted to write pop songs. I wanted to write music that could be played loudly, and with a margin of ‘here goes.’ Bar rock. It's just where I'm at. I have my family, and I have music. It's time to have some fun.”
So let your voices be heard Oshawa and go out and have some fun. The future can wait, at least for one night.
Melissa Payne
While Massey Hall may be shuttered for renovations the Old Lady of Shuter Street is still a presence on the scene. For some years indie artists have been given the stage for a series of short films, “Live at Massey Hall”, which have already featured Timber Timbre, The Constantines, Jennifer Castle and The Weather Station among others.
Toronto singer/songwriter and Juno nominee Rhye had been invited to perform last March and that performance has been released. His album “Blood” available on Last Gang has been nominated for Alternative Album of the Year and Album Artwork of the Year.
Junos are been handed out March 17 in London ON but the film is available now.
Photo by Dustin Rabin
By Will McGuirk
We just sent out word on Mariposa’s 2019 line up ( read it here) and we get the word Hamilton’s powerhouse of blues Terra Lightfoot has been added. The fest runs July 5- 7 and its a wide ranging line-up, and look for I’m guessing a workshop with Carole Pope and Terra Lightfoot and Jennifer Castle, I’m saying that now in the hope someone makes it happen.
By Will McGuirk
Paper Bag recording arts the Rural Alberta Advantage will be dropping by the Oshawa Music Hall Thursday Apr 4. The RAA will be in as part of Oshawa Music Week, the annual exposé for students taking the Music Business Management program at Durham College.
Now if I had known the RAA was coming in I would have had a word with singer Nils Edenloff when we were both ordering at the Rivoli bar during Cuff The Duke’s reunion evening. We could have chatted about his gigs in the city, more than once I’m sure but I’m not so sure. But no so nowt there.
Suffice to say my other memory of the RAA in Oshawa is the time they played the Velvet Elvis, playing outside the bar on King St. There’s photos, it happened. All just as they became the darlings of the American music monthlies and the trio ( Amy Cole, Paul Banwatt) grew onto bigger stages on bigger streets.
Slowcity.ca pal Mappe Of is opening so happy to see that chap and his band back in town. He has such a particularity to his style its rare for him to play a club. Kudos to the MBM kids for setting this up. We need more like this or at least I do.
By Will McGuirk
Its like its Groundhog Day, you know where the beast sees his shadow and the sun is to shine in six weeks but you think it would be gradually warmer but not that Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day the movie and you wake up and EVERYDAY IS THE SAME; more snow, more cold, more snow, stop with the cold!!! The beast has a cold, cold heart or maybe its not Groundhog Day its Russian Doll, either way these tunes will warm you up and keep you sane. Lets kick it with our pal, the clean as crystal voice of Jadea Kelly, two-fer-one special from Darth Jadea. The rest of the line-up is Micah Erenberg, Geneviève Racette, Lydia Persaud, Living Hour, Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams, Bad Animal and Ben Rogers. Stay warm, stay positive, the sun will shine eventually.
Shows:
Ben Rogers Mar 23, New Vision United Church, Hamilton, ON; Mar 25 Showplace Performance Theatre, Peterborough, ON
Jadea Kelly May 9 Burdock, Toronto, ON. (Early Show: 6pm & Late Show: 9pm)
By Will McGuirk
Peterborough brings in March with a roaring rock n’ pop ‘n festival featuring Irish alt-country act Mundy and it all sounds off Tuesday March 5 with Mother Mother and Said The Whale at The Venue.
Mundy is dropping in on Sunday, March 10 for a matinee at the Publican House Brewery. The Irish singer/songwriter has quite the pedigree, performing at the Albert Hall as well as at the White House for President Obama. His version of “Galway Girl” is one Steve Earle credits as being among the finest. Mundy has collaborated with some of Ireland’s best including Shane McGowan and Gemma Hayes. The Peterborough is one of a few dates in Canada before he hits up China and the UAE.
The festival celebrates local music just as much as the international and nationally known acts. Dylan Ireland, Melissa Payne, James McKenty, Television Rd, Ben Rough and the North Winds are among those scheduled over the course of the week. The Fest takes place at a variety of locations in the city with all ages, free and ticketed events.
By Will McGuirk
Maybe the chickens , maybe the cows but Sackvillian duo bring it all home with a two-stepping new single thats all hee-haw and ha-ha. Two BFFs Josée Caron and Lucy Niles jumped onto the national stage with a ready ‘n raring live act, all riffs and chops and an album, “In Search of Lost Time”, which got the Polaris Music Prize nod. They’re back with a new record, “Saturday the 14th”, and a single which trades the licks for the sticks.