On Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting Saskatoon’s Jeanette Stewart for lunch at The Edge cafe to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the music industry. She was in town to play a solo show at Café Deux Soleils.
When she’s not playing music with Slow Down Molasses, her band The Brodeo, or simply hitting the road by herself, Jeanette freelances for the StarPhoenix. She also hosts a show on Saskatoon’s campus radio. Over the summer, she actually interviewed me about my Radio 3 documentary on Women In Music. Jeanette asked me one of the toughest questions ever: she challenged me to name as many female musicians as I could in a minute. It wasn’t easy. So I decided to ask her the same question to see how well she’d do.
Listen to the interview below.
And here’s one of her songs (my favourite). It’s called “Light.”
Today I had the pleasure of co-hosting “Duncan’s Donuts” on CiTR 101.9 FM with Duncan McHugh. Here’s the mp3 of the show if you missed the fun. Oh, and in case you don’t know who the CanCon queen is, it’s me. I earned the title last time I co-hosted with Duncan because I brought so much Canadian music to play! No harm in that, right?
Brian Borcherdt, better known as one-fourth of the Toronto dance/noise band Holy Fuck, has released his latest solo record Torches (& the Ward Colorado demos), which is available to download absolutely free. Free! Want it? Get it HERE.
Torches is a follow-up to his debut solo album, 2008’s Coyotes. It was recorded in Toronto, coastal Yarmouth of Nova Scotia, and in the mountains near Ward, Colorado. The collection includes home demos and unfinished album attempts from 2004-2006.
Here’s what his website has to say about the record:
“During a time when Holy Fuck was gaining amazing amounts of international exposure, it seems natural that Brian would seek solace in his more introspective and composed work. Due to a busy tour schedule these works remained simple and unadorned personal archives. As time went on, Brian admits that these songs were often forgotten, re-remembered, re-examined, and over-scrutinized. But what results is a compelling and personal portrait of a complete dedication to music, story, and expression.
“The first day of 2009 nearly marked the end for Torches. Following a Chicago New Years performance, a taxi cab rushed off with just about every piece of Brian’s recent recorded life locked in the trunk. His lesson learned: You can only hold onto something for so long. Time, and the occasional misstep, have a way of making things disappear. Upon the return of his belongings a tormented two weeks later, Brian decided to follow that sage happening, and finally release this collection of songs. To keep with their intended spirit he decided to release them for free online. Hand Drawn Dracula is pleased to bring you ‘Torches (& the Ward Colorado demos)’, an intimate collection of songs, almost never released, by one of Canada’s most devoted cultural navigators. They are finally out of his hands so that they may find their way into yours.”
The album showcases subtle, Delphic acoustic melodies wrought with a sense of the forlorn and the unknown. Borcherdt is a songwriting God; in an instant you’ll find his soft, simple and sympathetic songs encouraging your heart to set out on a wild, emotional trek.
Jon & Roy, the acoustic folk rock trio based out of Victoria, B.C., have gone from being a west coast secret to an internationally recognized band.
Consisting of Jon Middleton (vocals, guitar), Roy Vizer (drums, percussion) and Ryan Tonelli (bass), the trio have released two albums together to date. Their latest, Another Noon, found Jon and Roy on an Exclaim! sponsored tour across Canada, a nine month ad campaign with Volkswagon, an invite for Jon to sing the national anthem for an NHL game and an overseas tour with Buck 65.
If that’s not enough resume fodder, they’ve also got a few future accomplishments to add to the list. Jon and Roy are currently touring across Canada with The Cat Empire. Come December 13, they’ll be organizing their second instalment of the Jon and Roy Holiday Special show in Victoria, which will feature acts such as Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan and Hannah Georgas.
Roy was nice enough to take a break from all the fun he’s been having to answer a few questions via e-mail. Here’s what he had to say:
1. Since the release of your sophomore album Another Noon, you’ve accomplished a heck of a lot. How is this newfound recognition treating you?
Roy Vizer: Well, I think that we are just happy to continue doing what we love. Getting the recognition is great and deep down I think some sort of recognition keeps you going and moving forward, but at the end of the day, Jon and I just want to keep growing as musicians and continue producing music that interests and excites us, and hopefully some listeners, too.
2. What is it about your music that resonates with such a varied audience? One day you could be playing to a bunch of indie kids, and the next you’ve got an ad campaign with Volkswagon!
Well, Jon and I are pretty non-pretentious, down-to-earth people so maybe that makes it easier to relate to our music than a big rock star persona with a wig, costume and two pounds of makeup. We’re not trying to reinvent anything and we don’t try to create music that’s meant to be commercial. I think that comes through a lot in our music and definitely in Jon’s lyrics. I also think that playing in a variety of genres makes us a bit more accessible to people, but you never really know what it is that people respond to. Pinning it down kind of kills the mystery and makes it too scientific … we make music that we like playing, not for a target audience.
3. Coming from Victoria (which, from my experience, is a very tight-knit city), how did the local arts and music community influence where you’ve ended up today?
I think at the early stages we got hooked in to a group of musicians that supported and encouraged us to keep playing. Both Jon and I have also performed and recorded with a bunch of musicians in the area and I think when creative people flock together it creates an environment where people are more inspired and challenged to create. Victoria definitely has that sort of inclusive, supportive community.
4. Listening to Another Noon, I feel like Victoria and the west coast in general place prominently in your songs. Is this a correct observation, or am I way out in left field? And if Victoria DOES contribute to the majority of your musical fodder, what is it about this city that inspires you so?
A lot of Another Noon was actually born in Vancouver while Jon and I were living in a big dilapidated mansion near the water in Kits. We played a lot of music at the time and we traveled around BC too, but I think Victoria does have a special place for both Jon and I. To me Victoria just strikes a perfect balance between being a real city with a pulse, while at the same time having that direct sightline to the landscape that makes it so surreal and beautiful. I also really like moist air.
5. Now that you’ve been travelling and touring intensively, how has your perspective of Victoria changed? Has it changed at all? Do you long for home, or do you find yourself looking elsewhere for inspiration?
I can definitely say that every time Jon and I get back to Victoria we appreciate it. It really is a hidden gem in Canada, but that being said, I think the band definitely feeds off the energy that we get from exploring this country. Places like Wakefield, Quebec, Kensington market in Toronto and those smoky-sweet, late-night shawarma shops in Ottawa really inspire us too …
6. You’re about to tour with The Cat Empire. How do you feel about that?
We are uber excited to be playing with a great high energy act that we have all been fans of for some time. We are also super excited to be playing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, places we’ve never played as a band.
7. The Cat Empire employ some pretty dense instrumental layers. Do you think touring with them will convince you to add other instruments to your minimalist songs?
I don’t think that playing with them will have that affect but we are definitely branching out with more instruments and bigger arrangements on this upcoming album on our own.
8. The didgeridoo: a future instrument of Jon and Roy, perhaps?
I won’t rule “the didg” out for the future. We are big fans of Xavier Rudd and the way he plays.
9. You’ve just announced your 2nd Holiday Special, a Victoria show that will feature yourselves and Current Swell, Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan, Sgt. Strumalong and Hannah Georgas, to name a few. Why do you feel events like this are important to the music scene?
To be honest, we just really like these artists and wanted to share the stage with them. So we came up with the idea for the show. Last year was a huge step for us and we’re really fortunate to be in the position to gather the talent and put on a show that the musicians and the audience will really enjoy. Also, I think that events like these really do help to open people up to new artists that they may not have come across on their own.
Jon & Roy’s upcoming tour dates:
November 15 at Sugar Nightclub—Victoria, B.C.*
November 17 at The Commodore Ballroom—Vancouver, B.C.*
November 18 at the Garibaldi Lift Company—Whistler, B.C.*
November 20 at the Starlite Room—Edmonton, Alberta*
November 21 at MacEwan Hall—Calgary, Alberta*
November 23 at Louis’ Pub—Saskatoon, Saskatchewan*
November 24 at the Garrick Centre—Winnipeg, Manitoba*
November 25 at The Outpost—Thunder Bay, Ontario*
November 26 at O’Hanlans—Regina, Saskatchewan
November 28 at the The Royal—Nelson, B.C.**
December 12 at Errington Hall—Parksville, B.C.***
December 13 at Alix Goolden Hall, Holiday Special Show—Victoria, B.C.
(*with The Cat Empire, **with Sunparlour Players, ***with Wil)
Listen to “Another Noon” and “Little Bit Of Love” from the album Another Noon below.
Edmonton’s The Wheat Pool have released the video for their lead-off track “This Is It” from their new record Hauntario. The video’s pretty slick—the band reverses the footage so it looks super cool when all these fluffy feathers magically filter back into the pillowcases. I wish I could magically reverse the mess I create in my house!
Amelia Curran, posing with her coffee. She pointed out how the lamp in the background looks like a "ghost cup of coffee."
Today was your typical wet Vancouver day.
The sky was dreary.
The damp seeped into every article of clothing you wore.
But despite the rain, Halifax-based (formerly St. John’s, Newfoundland) singer-songwriter Amelia Curran agreed to meet me for a warm, cuddly cup of java downtown at Finch’s Tea & Coffee House and talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the music industry.
Wanna hear what she had to say? Listen to the interview below.
Get your dancing pants on! Vancouver’s electro-disco duo Fan Death have released the video for “Reunited,” from their forthcoming EP A Coin For The Well c/o The Pharmacy Recording Co.
It was conceived and directed by Dandilion Wind Opaine, one half of the female duo. The other half is Marta Jaciubek-McKeever, who you can also find in e.s.l. and the now-defunct Girl Nobody.
Holden Daniels and Eugenio Pacileo of My Sister Ocean
If you’ve ever lived in Edmonton, then you know the city only ever experiences two seasons: summer and winter. One day it’s sunny and 30C, and the next there’s a blizzard outside your window.
Now, you can either complain about the harsh prairie winters or welcome them with open arms. Holden Daniels and Eugenio Pacileo, also known as Edmonton’s bass/drum rock duo My Sister Ocean, prefer the latter.
They’re set to release an original holiday (yup, it’s almost that time of the year again) single aptly titled “The First Snow” on iTunes November 10. Technically, the first snow in Edmonton happened, like, two months ago, so really, My Sister Ocean aren’t really jumping the gun on the Christmas season.
“It was partially inspired by the first snow this September,” Daniels says about the song via Facebook message. “My four-year-old’s reaction to it was one of wonderment and excitement. She remembered how last year we made snowmen on the day of the first snowfall and wanted to immediately go out and play.
“I already had an idea that I wanted to write a snow themed song, but seeing her reaction reminded me of being a kid and being so thrilled about the newness of my environment. I wrote the words pretty quickly and recorded the song a few days later. I kept the tempo relatively slow because I thought it suited the visual of large, slowly falling snowflakes.”
From my perspective, “The First Snow” is a mellow, hypnotic electro-rock track that sounds like Frosty The Snowman’s been given a Fender and some magic green grass. Pretty awesome, I know. The beginning almost sounds like John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over),” but then it expands into a sleek song that makes you want to whip out some shades and strut in front of the Christmas tree whilst still in your pajamas.
Although “The First Snow” is definitely a holiday tune, Daniels says it’s one you can listen to well into the new year—and if you live in Edmonton, you can probably listen to it right up until summer comes in May.
“We’re thinking it’s right in there as a Christmas/Holiday song. I kept Christmas out of the lyrics though because I wanted it to be like ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ or any other Holiday song that isn’t Christmas specific.”
Listen to “The First Snow” below, then buy it on iTunes November 10:
Here’s the video for “Robots” by Dan Managan, directed by Mike Lewis.
I love everything about it. The outfits are outrageous, the “robot fight” is hilarious and underneath all the funny business, there’s a simple, telling truth about humanity.
“Robots” is off of Vancouver musician Dan Mangan’s album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, which was released August 11 this year. Below is another favourite song of mine (off the same album), called “The Indie Queens Are Waiting.”
On Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting Saskatoon’s Jeanette Stewart for lunch at The Edge cafe to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the music industry. She was in town to play a solo show at Café Deux Soleils.
