Feed the Need livestream concert Dec 20 features Meghan Patrick, Jack De Keyzer, Robyn Ottolini, Cale Crowe plus more

By Will McGuirk

The need is great, maybe greater in 2020 than in previous years, and ironically it is to musicians we turn to help share the message and to salve the spirit; musicians who, like all those in the arts whose livelihood via live concerts has been put on pause since early 2020, and are probably among those who have turned to food banks to get by, but still we turn to them, and still they respond, and still they step up.

The annual Feed the Need benefit concert will not be onstage, people will not gather but the outreach will continue. The organisers have pivoted online and on Sunday Dec 20, from 1-5 pm. artists from across the continent but who call Durham Region home, will beam into screens to help raise funds to feed the hungry among us.

International Country music star Megan Patrick, from Bowmanville but who now resides in Nashville, will perform - there has been a plus to artists being home, it means they are available for a livestream from their own locale. This show will mark Meghan’s first hometown show so to speak in quite some time.

Also onscreen will be Juno winners Jack De Keyzer and Nicole Sinclair, country music singers Leah Daniels, Kris Barclay, and Robyn Ottolini, Indigenous folksinger Cale Crowe, traditional ceilidh band Ugly Horse, folksinger Annie Sumi, Sue Passmore of the Good Lovelies, Juno nominee Kalista Wilson, and many many more.

As the world slows to fight the global pandemic there is time to consider what the other side of this will look like, to contemplate what we have learnt, what we have lost, what we will set loose behind us and what we will bring forward with us.

Tune into the Feed The Need Concert Facebook page for the livestream here.

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Kerrang! Top 50, Drive-by Truckers, Suzi Quatro, David Bowie, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Fontaines DC,

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Code Orange, Biffy Clyro, Deftones, Ghostemane, and Enter Shikari top Kerrang Top 50 of 2020. via Kerrang!

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We used to call it Cowpunk back in the day; Drive-By Truckers drop ‘The New OK’ Friday Dec 18, cover Ramones. via Glide Magazine

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Suzie Quattro to play Royal Albert Hall in 2022. via Louder Than Bombs.

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To celebrate Bowie’s birthday on January 8, two unreleased covers of tracks by Lennon and Dylan will be made available on 7”. via The Line of Best Fit

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Oneohtrix Point Never releases “No Nightmares”, new album Magic. via Gorilla Vs Bear

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Fontaines DC win Hot Press Album of the Year for 2020. via Hot Press magazine

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

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“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

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"“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

jgtilson · Emergency To Emergency

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““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

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Hidden Pony · 18 (Thieves Like Us Remix) - Moscow Apartment

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KodiakArcade · Silicon Hill - Single

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JesseRoper · Right Now

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Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Cyndi Lauper, LTW Best tracks, Bob Marley, Discogs, Vinyl Factory, and We The Commas

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Cyndi Lauper’s online fundraiser for homeless LGBTQ youth, True Colours United. via Stereogum

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LTW Best tracks with Bob Vylan, The Battery Farm, Micko & the Mellotronics, The Lovely Eggs, Sault. via Line of Best Fit

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The legendary, Bob Marley’s ‘Songs Of Freedom: The Island Years’ will be issued as a 6 LP box set, two red, two gold, two green. in January 2021. . via UDiscoverMusic

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Discogs’ Best Albums of 2020 includes Tame Impala, Lady GaGa, Khruangbin, AC/DC and Run the Jewels. via Brooklyn Vegan

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The Vinyl Factory hosts the best finds, here’s their Best Albums of 2020, includes Sault, Yves Tumor, KMRU, Eartheater, and Duma. via Vinyl Factory

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We The Comma redesign soul music. via Glide Magazine

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Chris Cornell, Green Friday, Uproxx Best of R&B, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’, Line of Best Fit Best, and Shawn Mendes

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Chris Cornell posthumous album of covers available, digital now, vinyl coming March 2021 - via Revolver 

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Vinyl sales between Black Friday, Nov 27 and Thursday, Dec 3 were the highest of any week in thirty years; sales were up 56% over same period last year. via Analog Planet

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Chole x Halle, The Weeknd, Kehlani, Jhene Aiko, Dvsn, top best of 2020 R&B list. via UPROXX

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‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’ soundtrack to be released on vinyl, box set. via Consequence of Sound

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Rina Swayama, Samia, Charlie XCX, Phoebe Bridgers, Moses Sumney, cuts above the rest of 2020 albums. via Line of Best Fit

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Interview with Pickering, ON, star Shawn Mendes. via The Guardian

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Brittany Howard, Harold Budd, Stereogum's 2020 best albums, Bring Me the Horizon, and CoS best metal/hardrock 2020

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Michael Kiwanuka remixes track from Brittany Howard’s ‘Jaime’ which is nominated for five Grammys. via UDiscoverMusic

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Ambient icon and composer Harold Budd dead at age 84. via Brooklyn Vegan

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Fiona Apple, Waxahatchee, Run The Jewels, Haim, Taylor Swift top Best of 2020. via Stereogum

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Interview with Jordan Fish, Bring Me the Horizon. via Revolver Mag.

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Lamb of God, Napalm Death, Deftones, Pallbearer, Ac/DC top list of Best Metal + Hard Rock Albums 2020. via Consequence of Sound

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Loverboy, Black Pumas, Fontaines DC, Kid Cudi, Bryan Ferry, and Pitchfork's top 100 songs for 2020

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Loverboy’s debut gets a 40th anniversary release - via FYIMusic

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Black Pumas Tiny Desk (Home) Concert is available on NPR. - via Glide Magazine 

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Dubliners Fontaines DC cover The Pogues. via The Line of Best Fit

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Kid Cudi releases ‘Man on the Moon III : The Chosen’ Friday Dec 11 202. Features Phoebe Bridges, Trippie Redd, Pop Smoke. via UDiscoverMusic

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New live album from Bryan Ferry - 'Royal Albert Hall’ due for release in April 2021. Proceeds from the record will be shared equally between Ferry’s band and crew who have been affected by Covid-19. - via SuperDeluxeEdition

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Don’t say Whuut, say WAP; here is the Most Trusted Voice in Music’s The 100 Best Songs of 2020 - via Pitchfork

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Strum and Thrum, Miles Davis, Postal Service, Black Metal, Lost Thrash metal, 2020 best HipHop, The Hu, and Asian Dub Foundation

By Will McGuirk

Its new to us stuff I want to remember because you will and you will ask and I want to answer in the affirmative, its research for behind the counter culture, its notes to self and easier to place on a digital shelf.

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Deep dive into the deeper waters of American jangly college rock - Aquarium Drunkard

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The best selling jazz album, Miles Davis, “Kind of Blue” is available once again in the Original Mastering Recording series. via Mobile Fidelity

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New live album from the Postal Service, “Everything Will Change” has been released. In 2014 the band released the documentary of the same title; who knew how prescient they were then and now - via Sub Pop

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In the Handy To Know column, Kerrang! has a helpful guide to Black Metal. Included are Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Mayhem Emperor and more via Kerrang!

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Ten 80s Thrash acts you need to know, with some hair spinning nods to Cancon Slaughter and Annihilator. via Revolver

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Run The Jewels, Roddy Ricch, Mac Miller, Lil Uzi Vert and Spillage Village top the best of 2020 HipHop via Uproxx

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Mongolian metal act The Hu cover Metallica in Mongolian on traditional Mongolian instruments! via Consequence of Sound

Asian Dub Foundation return with new single “Coming Over Here” from their, album, ‘Access Denied’ which returned earlier this year. via Louder Than Bombs

Slowcity.ca Notes to Self - Black Sabbath, Iggy avec Elvis Costello, PJ Harvey, Song Exploder, and the JUNOs

By Will McGuirk

Black Sabbath’s ‘Vol 4’ is being treated to a five LP super deluxe reissue set to be available next year. There will be unreleased studio outtakes, additional studio recordings, and live recordings drawing from set lists from the album tour. via Super Deluxe Editions .

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Elvis Costello’s new album ‘Hey Clockface’ dropped sometime back, now Iggy Pop covers the track, “No Flag” but in French! via Brooklyn Vegan

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PJ Harvey will reissue ‘Is This Desire?’ from 1998 in 2021 along with a separate demo compilation. via Pitchfork.

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Ever watch Song Exploder on Netflix, its a show about the stories behind a song, a song such as R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” and “LA” by Ty Dolla $ign, it grew from a podcast. There’s a season two coming. via Kerrang!

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Next year the JUNOs, the 50th anniversary of the Canadian music award show, will take place in Toronto, May 16 2021. The 2019 edition scheduled for Saskatoon was cancelled last minute. via FYI Music

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Arctic Monkeys, Motorbike James, Hot Chip, Bernice, Anomalie & Chromeo, Color Fields, Andy Mineo, Focus Your Audio,

By Will McGuirk

Brothers and sisters, others and blisters do you recall the whole of it, the gatherings, the wondrous, the moments of us, the one of us all, it exists even outside of the concert hall, stay there, be as of that one, support the tumbling body surfer, let no one fail, let no one fall.

“On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to War Child UK in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK” ~ Arctic Monkeys.

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"My exploration brings me to a body of water and a boat.
It’s cold to be on the water, moisture hangs in the air as the aged motor groans to life. The human experience continues - inputs & reactions. Basic computing. The temperature drops, the birds fly south. My interpretation of reality flickers and fades from one frame to the next. I throttle up the tired vessel and cruise, I can’t help but smile as my memories fall back to a place where I was seasoned at the helm of a pleasure craft. But those memories, impossible to place, are part of an intangible existence that I somehow find familiar. As though deep within my spirit I’ve been here. But no, I am lost and have been for as long as I can remember. Truly alone with my thoughts. I focus back on the frigid air and icy water. The pink & grey of my surroundings. So perfectly curated they surely come from the hand of a great engineer. Perhaps just as the experience is seemingly all a series of inputs and reactions, this existence has been designed and engineered. A simulation." ~ Motorbike James

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Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Sarah Harmer, Motorbike James, Metz, The Flamingos Pink, Wolf Saga, Granny Smith, and State to State,

By Will McGuirk

If the dusk could sing it would sing like Sarah Harmer. If I have regrets well they don’t amount to a hill of beans, but I was, I say reluctantly staring into the expanse of this waning year, looking forward to seeing Sarah on a string of festival dates I had projected for the summer months, I was guessing Mariposa for her, and Hillside, and Wolfe Island for sure, and some TO dates, I was looking forward to following the unwinding of her new album, ‘Are You Gone’ from one caravan to another, and hearing her sing into the dusk and hearing the dusk sing back. But I line up the blessings. So does Sarah in this welcome video for the track, “Little Frogs”, It is a reminder the remainder is up to you, so keep on keeping on and see the grace in the world you are staying put in. And lets hope we stay put long enough to hear the dusk sing live again.

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“It’s not a literal interpretation of the song by any means, but a document of random firing synapses of the mind during isolation.” ~ Hayden Menzies, drummer for Metz, and director of the above video. Scott Cudmore, a pretty rad director in his own right, is the force behind the band’s recent livestream from the Opera House in TO, and you can get on that below. The Metz record, ‘Atlas Vending’, when I first heard the lead single I played it seven times in a row, the track was seven minutes long, but it was immediate and returnable and the whole record may just be the actual soundtrack for a global reaction to Covid-19, which is one long relentless throat open neck stretched veins popping roar of angst stricken rage!

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“If you really pay attention, the story writes itself. A real trip down memory lane. Remember live shows? The feeling of closeness to strangers while getting pummeled by a tower of sound? This is the past. What’s next? Let’s close out this year strong and look straight ahead, steady as she goes. Keep surfin’ the waves and feeling the heat. Let’s ride this through. Best we ever had – the focus is on the good times.” ~ The Flamingos Pink

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WOLF SAGA · Fall Out

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Slowcity.ca with Elizabeth Leslie, Once A Tree, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Mattie Leon, Peter Katz, Grace Gillespie, Ghost Love, Busty and the Bass, Gillian Stone, and Black Collar Union

By Will McGuirk

“Now is the time to look up from your phone and look around you. What can you do to effect change? I'd like for listeners to come away with a feeling of power, that we, as a collective society, are powerful, but only when we are not divided.” ~ Elizabeth Leslie

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“To our knowledge there hasn’t been an Indian and ‘Indian’ (Indigenous) mash-up in Hip-Hop. It seems like an obvious choice that Indigenous people and Indian people would collaborate, as their histories are intertwined in one colonial historical moment where, thinking he’d reached India, Columbus dubbed the people he sought to conquer and eradicate, ‘Indian’.” ~ SNRK

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"Part of what I wanted to do with this new music is to not have it be just about my story. It’s in there – it’s all in there – but I think that my older approach to writing was about holding on rather than letting go; This music feels like letting go to me. And I hope that when people hear it, they can hear their own story in it and that maybe it can help them feel like letting go too." ~ Peter Katz

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Grace Gillespie · For Nick Drake

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Feist, Hayden, Dan Mangan, many more in online Dream Serenade Saturday Nov 28

By Will McGuirk

Add the pandemic to all the normally great work the Beverley Street School in Toronto does, and the annual Dream Serenade concert will be even more of a welcome celebration of the parents, caregivers and teachers of the school for children with developmental and/or physical disabilities. The Serenade, organised by Hayden Desser and Christie Greyerbiehl, who’s daughter attends Beverley Street, is usually a who’s who of TO’s music community on stage at Massey Hall.

This year, this weekend, Saturday, Nov 28, will be no different. Well, different in so far as the Dream Serenade will be online rather than the hallowed hall. There will be performances by Feist, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Mangan, Kevin Drew & Brendan Canning, William Prince, Lou Canon, Hayden Desser, and Kevin Hearn & Hugh Marsh, along with special guests.

The Serenade began in 2014 and has expanded to support similar schools and daycares across the GTA. For 2020, the Covid Family Relief Bursary was created, and it now provides support to 144 families in 55 education centres.

Tickets for a live broadcast of the interactive are on sale for $15 here. Show starts at 8 p.m.