Slowcity.ca Open Mic with nêhiyawa, Lucas Fogale, The High Loves, Golden Cinema, Pride & Glory, Grace Potter, Ariel Posen, Mondo Cozmo, Once A Tree, Bailen,

Will McGuirk October 26, 2019

By Will McGuirk

The wave is the wind’s masterpiece. The artist is as a wave swelling on the tide, the artist can break and wash and dissolve, leave a wake, be seen, be heard, move the environment, be moved by the environment. The artist is aware of the tide, sees context, place, history, the continuum, and rises.

“I felt like there is an incredible love story to be examined between Michaelangelo and Tommaso, As well to point out to some of the realities of having the master’s work commissioned required the spoils of colonial exploits. For me the idea of having another indigenous artist (Maria Buffalo) visualize concepts knowing some of the back story of the lyrics in the music, but relating that to images of Maskwacis First Nation, the body, hands, and indigenous people; I could imagine an incredible juxtaposition. The story of the song deepens with additional perspectives working their own ideas into this piece.”
- nêhiyawa

"that the fate of the water resolves in the sand, that maybe all we’re doing's for nothing.”
- Lucas Fogale

“The song's about how I feel trapped sometimes because of the overwhelming media that's all around us these days. It's discouraging because it often makes you forget what’s important to yourself. If you don't slow down and take the time to question your beliefs and the beliefs of those around you you're gonna get drained by the Vampire's Jaws.”
- The High Loves

“I was watching an old film noir when I stumbled upon the main bassline that would form our new single,”
- Golden Cinema

"So often we can find ourselves feeling trapped in the mundane cycles of life. This song is a reminder to take a step back and shake things up,” - Once A Tree.

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Reuben and the Dark, Andy Shauf, Hunting, Scenic Route to Alaska, Sorry, Geoff Berner, Kane Incognito, ZINNIA, Astrocolor, Alex Cuba,

Will McGuirk October 23, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Art is the new news. If you wish to know whats happening in the world go to a gallery. If you want to survive the tsunami of information grab onto whatever floats.

“The great writer Thomas King, who is self-identifies as being of Cherokee, German and Greek descent, gave a series of lectures that became a book called The Truth About Stories. One of the lectures is called ‘You’re Not the Indian I Had In Mind’. It’s about the way white people often reject ways of being Indigenous that don’t meet their stereotypical expectations.

“I always loved that line, ‘Not the Indian I had in mind’. It really nailed something perfectly. I have experienced a similar phenomenon as a Jew. In my travels, people wanted to know if I was really Jewish, because they had notions in their minds of what was really authentically Jewish, and what was not. And anyone who was not, was maybe trying to trick them or something. They would decide if I was a real Jew.”

- Geoff Berner

"Life will always throw unforeseen circumstances at us that we cannot control. But what we can control is how we perceive them. Love or Hate. What do you choose?"

- Eric (Kane Incognito)

“I spent most of my twenties processing my dad’s death – thinking, writing and singing about it. In some ways, I feel like I processed it so fully that I grew a thick callus around the part of the loss that was very raw and fragile. At times I’ve resented the tough skin which was necessary to get through that hard time.”

- ZINNIA

To Oshawa with Love 2.0: Cuff The Duke at the Oshawa Music Hall Dec 7

Will McGuirk October 22, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Happy Holidays Oshawa and welcome home CTD!!!. Cuff The Duke are going to wrap up this year with a pretty great bow. The alt-country outfit have announced a hometown show at the Oshawa Music Hall Saturday, Dec 7 2019. They will be joined by Say Ritual and Patrick Dorie. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Living Room Art Studio. The show has been cooked up by Matt Holtby of Say Ritual. It is the bookend to his April date with The Stables, aka To Oshawa with Love. Its his way, his band’s way, a way for all of these musicians to say we know, we see, we understand.

I think those of us in the Oshawa music scene are feeling in a bit of a slump. While there has been national media focus on some of the great things happening for our artists globally, locally, in the shadow of GM shutting down, there remains a sense of something being broken, something not being right, something missing.

So this is a welcome announcement from a band who has provided so many great memories and such great music over the years. We need this. We need more of this actually. We need more of our stories to be told, more of our past to be seen and heard, and we need more of all the great bands who are from Oshawa and Durham, who have moved on and out and up, to come home, every now and then, just to say hi, just to check in, and to inspire any young folks growing up in this town hoping to make a career out of music. Having the ex-pats return shows the young folks it can be done.

So yes Oshawa, heads down, face the changing winds, let’s get the getting to be done done and in December lets celebrate us and them and all of it all together.

More info here ->

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Jacques Greene, Luke Lalonde, Sandy Alex G, Lynne Hanson, Erin Costelo, LIA, Ada Lea, Little Scream, Badge Époque Ensemble, Lower Dens and Enterprise Earth

Will McGuirk October 16, 2019

By Will McGuirk

I was watching an ad for No Frills, a video by Scott Cudmore and I started thinking about art, because that ad is art and how art is reinterpretation of life, art is a question of what is and who we are and who we are as art and there is a further story about how who we think we are can be reinterpreted as pixels for one or paint daubs for another. Who will you trust to reinterpret you? Who will you trust to re-constitute you? Would you even let go of your ego? But while I ponder here are tonight’s guests.

“This song is about the perils of falling for a poet, and just how rare it is to find true love.” - Lynee Hanson

“Directed by Amelia Curran and shot during the recording of my latest album, Sweet Marie, the video for "Hands on Fire" is a celebration of collaboration and the song itself embodies the struggles and joys of creating something.” - Erin Costelo

“This song is a celebration of me finding my way to womanhood and because of that, opening my arms to love.” - LIA

"During that period of 180 days, I often wondered what it would be like if I ever reached the other side; a seemingly unattainable goal. This song is an homage to that dream-like period." - Ada Lea

Badge Époque Ensemble, photo by Colin Medley

  
    <a href="http://telephoneexplosion.bandcamp.com/album/nature-man-and-woman">Nature, Man and Woman by Badge Époque Ensemble</a>
  

Kingston band Kasador at Oshawa Music Hall Oct 17 plus in-store at Kops Records

Will McGuirk October 14, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Late 80s early 90s era Kingston, what’s not to love; the Hip, Headstones, Harmer, Weeping Tile and the Inbreds inspiring to so many including Kasador, the four piece modern rockers playing the Oshawa Music Hall Oct 17 as well as an in-store at Kops Records earlier in the day.

One can hear their love of the Limestone City’s music alumni right off the bat on ‘Brood & Bloom’, the lead-off and titular track from the band’s latest release. The song swerves into blowing high dough vibeology and comes from the pen of singer/guitarist Cam Wyatt. Will Hunter is the other singer/guitarist. Boris Baker is on bass. Stephen Adubofuor is on the kit. All contribute to the song writing process.

Although ‘Brood & Bloom’ was produced by Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker (Boris is his son) Kasador is no Tragically tribute nor throwback. The album ranges from BSS-like pop anthems to Arkells-like modern soul on “Waiting” to synth-funk of “Givin It Up”.

The centrepiece of the album is “Again For Me” written by Hunter about the death of his father and it is this common experience of love and loss, grief and growth which informs the title of the album, the songwriting on the album and the direction of their life onwards. These are young men, perhaps too young to have such shared experience but the world is as it is. But what they have collectively learned and expressed in this record so early in their career is the importance of taking time to understand the process, to grieve, to honour the loss, to think deeply, and yes to brood.

And out of that slowness comes creation, comes promise, comes grace, gratitude and a companionship of empathy and yes a blossoming.

And these blooming kids in Kasador have taken all of that and poured all of that into this, this album which seeks simply to make sense of the senseless and to do it all by way of a thoughtful and well written song.

Slowcity Open Mic: Leaders debate edition with WHOOP-Szo and Jeremy Dutcher

Will McGuirk October 11, 2019

By Will McGuirk

We are here now but now we must remain here but grow louder. The growth is vocal. Amplify the voices who have survived the silencing.

“My cousin Gerry was shot by a cop. Murdered. In his own home. While the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear, there has only ever been one side to the story, that of the RCMP. No external investigations took place and our family is left without answers.” - Adam Sturgeon.

“This song calls back and reaches forward across time. Concerning indigenous continuation and what it can mean. For all those who have gone before and all those who are yet to come. ‘ciw nihkanipasihtit naka weckuwapasihtit.” - Jeremy Dutcher

Dutcher’s Table of Indigenous Excellence, photo by Peter Hadfield

1) Lido Pimienta: 2017 Winner of the Polaris Music Prize, of Afro-Colombian and Wayuu descent.

2) Alanis Obomsawin: legendary 86 year old filmmaker who has made over 50 documentaries with the National Film Board of Canada that explore the lives and concerns of the First Nations Peoples of Canada. She has also been singing professionally since the 60s and has recorded many records. She is a member of the Abenaki Nation.

3) Leanne Betasamosake Simpson: Leanne is from Alderville First Nation, and is an award winning songwriter, poet, and activist, who has collaborated with A Tribe Called Red, Cris Derksen, and Sean Conway.

4) Tim ‘2oolman’ Hill: & Bear Witness: JUNO and MMVA award winning Indigenous DJ duo - A Tribe Called Red.

5) Asinnajaq Weetaluktuk: Asinnajaq is a multimedia visual artist, filmmaker, and curator whose short-form documentary “3000” was made in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada. She is from Inukjuak, Nunavik.

6) Arielle Twist: Arielle Twist is a Nehiyaw, Two-Spirit, trans woman, and works as a poet and sex educator, and released her first book of poetry, “Disintegrate/Disassociate” in 2019.

7) Chief Lady Bird: Chief Lady Bird is a First Nations (Potawatomi and Chippewa) artist from Rama First Nation. Her Anishinaabe name is Ogimaakwebnes, which means Chief Lady Bird. Through her art practice, she strives to look to the past to navigate her Anishinaabe identity whilst living in an urban space as well as advocate for Indigenous representation as an integral aspect of Canada’s national identity.

8) Emma Hassencahl-Perley: Emma is Wolastoqiyik, and shares the same first nation as Jeremy Dutcher (Tobique First Nation), Emma’s artwork explores themes of legislative identity, the truth about our shared history between Indigenous nations and the Settler state and society of Canada and her own identity as a Wolastoqiyik woman.

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Ellevator, Sam Weber, Dylan Perkons, Father and Walrus

Will McGuirk October 10, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Every morning one must rise and with the weight of the blanket, as heavy as the ocean upon your shoulders, emerge from the trusted night into the blinding blur of the day.

“. . . in an era of young women’s voices being tightly managed by company men Kate remained an iconoclast. She was unafraid to tackle topics like murder, religion, incest and homosexuality in her work” - Ellevator

“It’s about watching someone try and change who they are to make you happy.” - Sam Weber

PUP announce show for Oshawa Music Hall

Will McGuirk October 8, 2019

It must just be the dogged determination of PUP that has seen the TO punks rise above the pack and grew audiences internationally. They have even won over the critics and received a Polaris Music Prize shortlist nomination. They make a welcome return to Oshawa for a show at the Music Hall. The date is Feb 22 2020 however tickets go on sale Oct 10 2019. Details here. Get on it.

Slowcity Open Mic with Debra-Jean Creelman, Young Clancy, Laura Reznek, Logan Ledger, Robert Counts and Micah Erenberg

Will McGuirk October 8, 2019

By Will McGuirk

One can smell the Fall. It is coming. The air is crisp, fragile, breakable, it creaks upon passing. The ground hardens; it is not so tolerant of our trespassing. She pushes back.

“Many of the songs are dubious (though endearing) reaches for love and hope over emptiness. Though the subject matter of these songs can be a bit bleak, they come from a place of love.” - Young Clancy

“. . . starting off in a sort of reflective, passive state, moving into a romanticising of the situation, then to anger and accusation towards the other person, followed by anger and accusation towards myself, and finally a truce of some sort.” - Laura Reznek

“I’ve always believed that in order to create something new with purpose, one must be steeped in the past and work from within the tradition, It has more gravity that way.” - Logan Ledger

“My life became far less mapped out than it had ever been, but suddenly the path seemed a lot clearer,” - Robert Counts

Slowcity.ca Open Mic With Grizzly Coast, Reuben and the Dark, Anna Rose, Devarrow, Pride and Glory plus Steve Mason

Will McGuirk October 7, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Gear up for the Harvest, collect, gather, celebrate, embrace and then brace yourself for what is coming.

“to fall in love and blow away come what may my mind is made” - Reuben and the Dark

“While this is a very personal depiction of something I was moving through, it serves as a broad reminder that what’s on the surface doesn’t illustrate the whole picture of anybody. With the high-energy melody and bouncing riffs, I wanted to evoke the feeling of chaos when your anxious thoughts start to control you while you’re trying your best to keep up.” - Grizzly Coast

"Throughout a time of deep turmoil and sadness, I found myself in Nashville a lot, writing not just for myself but for other artists and for film and television. That city slowly began to really feel like home. Working there, making art there… really helped me heal a lot of the wounds that I had collected along the way in my life,” - Anna Rose

New 'Beck & Call' live video: Tanya Tagaq with July Talk and Jasmyn Burke of Weaves

Will McGuirk October 4, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Check out the magnificence that is Tanya Tagaq here in this thrash/throat collab with July Talk and Jasmyn Burke of Weaves. The guest appearance took place during the Indie 88 Birthday party at the Danforth Music Hall in September.
Tanya Tagaq, Polaris Music Prize winning artist and Giller longlisted author, will be coming to Oshawa Oct 30 2019. Songs and Stories of Revolution will take place at the Regent Theatre as part of the Annual Faculty of Social Science and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series. Not to be missed. Details here.

Get Woke Oshawa; Wintersleep at the Oshawa Music Hall Oct 3; interview with Paul Murphy

Will McGuirk October 3, 2019

“The act of making music and performing that music live is the common purpose.”

By Will McGuirk

Wintersleep gathers its all hands on deck anthemic indie rock Thursday Oct 3 2019, at the Oshawa Music Hall. The wonderful sounds of Walrus and Dakota Mill will precede. Wintersleep formed in Nova Scotia almost twenty years ago. They are touring their latest release ‘In The Land Of’. They still sound new, they still sound vibrant and vital, they sing about politics and reconciliation and love and living and they are still so very now and so very needed. Slowcity.ca reached out and Paul Murphy reached back.

SC: I was at Secret Path show at Roy Thompson Hall, I left feeling as one of the few who had the honour of that experience I had to be an ambassador for Gord's message and so at every opportunity I would raise the issues of reconciliation; how do you reconcile in your own lives the questions you raise in your songs and in what ways do you suggest acting on those issues?

PM: “I think creating music and performing it live in and of itself is sort of the best way we’re reconciling our personal lives with our music or the messaging in it. We try to be good to our loved ones and each other.”

SC: Why are social issues so important for you as a band, for much of popular music, as we know they are not, in short where does the caring about the bigger issues come from?

PM: “I don’t think there’s been a scarier era of time to be alive in my lifetime than right now. I have a young son and I’m imagining what kind of future is I store for him. I just have always cared about people around me and the world. Our first record came out after 9/11. I think it’s hard post 9/11 to not have a bit of world weariness.. it’s always sort of been there. But yeah as you grow older you sort of feel more responsibility for what you’re going to leave behind.”

SC: After almost two decades how do you handle the growth within the band both personally and in song craft: Is sustainability important and how do you manage that?

PM: “I think we’ve been lucky enough to be able to sort of take breaks here and there personally when we’ve needed it and not lose support or footing in a really substantial way. I think with songwriting we all like a pretty wide variety of music and always have. I think whatever we’re each into at any given time there’s also just a very distinct thread... our records always ends up sounding like us however different it starts out or feels from previous efforts. A huge part of our songwriting is welcoming variety and change and not treading previously treaded territory so the more growth the better in terms of personal tastes.”

SC: Your songs at their core are simple, anthemic and simple, I can hear them as soccer stadium chants, but the subjects of the songs can be complex, how purposeful is this marriage of heavy messaging in a lighter manner?

PM: “Sometimes more purposeful than others. A song like Beneficiary for example we really thought doing something disco themed musically really drove the messaging home in a strong way. It’s this song about privilege and entitlement and indifference and what better genre to transport that sentiment? I think in general it’s not so much on our minds. I write lyrics about things that interest me, phrasing and words and ideas... and musically we all come up with stuff that we connect with... it’s probably more often than not just putting a song through the ringer and feeling out what musically rings the truest for a certain lyric or feeling we want to convey through a given song. We just released a song called Free Fall which is a pretty dark, mysterious/mystical lyric and that connects quite head on with the music we wrote for it.. sometimes that’s the most effective thing. it depends on the song.”

SC: There is a spirituality in the songs and I suspect in the band, how did you all meet and find common purpose in the band

PM: “We all listen to music that is meaningful that speaks to the soul and heart and comes from an intimate place.. we’ve all dedicated our lives to making music. I don’t think there are a lot of people who really commit to something like this wholeheartedly for such a long time.. You sort of gravitate towards people that have that same sort of desire, drive, attitude and ability. The act of making music and performing that music live is the common purpose.”

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with nêhiyawak, Holy Fuck, Jacques Greene, Loving, Sweet Alibi, The Crowleys, Craig Stickland, Tamino and Robert Glasper

Will McGuirk October 2, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Been watching ‘Abstract’ on the Netflix - art is the answer, we are getting closer to the medium marrying the message, art is where the message and the medium become one. On Abstract S2 Ep 2 the message is we could perhaps build not as assembly, not as a factory with parts on an assembly line; we could build like nature, instead of assembling we could grow. Plant the seed, add time. We can grow not assemble.

“Why is nêhiyawak more than a band? Because our families, our nêhiyaw communities, and our ways of knowing and being inform our work. For me, our album nipiy represents an ongoing process of connecting, learning and growing with each other.” - Marek Tyler

“the robots are smarter than ever, and the algorithm knows more and more what we like as individuals, but we have to remind ourselves that there is music in the margins that can go missing and that that music is more important than ever.” - Holy Fuck