Winnipeg music & culture since 1989
The title of the second EP from Fredericton’s The Belle Comedians, as well as each of its five tracks, can be read as a feminine name. Could this be a nod to Slint’s Tweez from a band that doesn’t have pals named Ron or Warren? Continue reading “The Belle Comedians – Charlotte”
by Matt Williams
Last night, Power 97 hooked up Winnipeg’s hungry rock ‘n’ roll fans with three bands and a St. Patrick’s Day party. It was about exactly what you’d imagine if you picked up on the key words there – dudes in “Keep Calm and Chive On” and Dropkick Murphy’s shirts, young longhairs and aging rock star wannabes, women with short, edgy haircuts in faux leather, Bud cans and Jager on special. Most of the crowd looked underage, like it was their first time seeing live music in a bar, and that sentiment was reinforced tenfold when a fat drunk in shamrock sunglasses knocked my beer out of my hand and fell flat on his ass. Neither him nor his Neanderthal buddy in Mardi Gras beads offered to replace it. Kids should learn the rules. Continue reading “Teenage Kicks :: All Through The Night”
words & image by Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell
With the upcoming release of their new EP Troubled Heart, local five piece indie rockers Naysa is working hard and having a good time doing so. Dave Todd, Hayley Smith, Sean Leslie, Grant Danyluk and Graham Duval are making their mark on Winnipeg’s goofy, underground music scene that never disappoints. Last month, the band took time out of jamming to talk to Stylus about their band, the way spring smells, meteor showers, and fresh baked pies. Continue reading “Naysa :: Troubled Hearts and Fresh Baked Pies”
by Daniel Emberg
“Breaking Bad is basically a country song.” You’ve probably never heard it put that way before, but it actually seems pretty intuitive when you think about it, no? Those are the words of John Showman, frontman of the Toronto band New Country Rehab, in explaining to Stylus how he views music. It is not just a catchy quote. Showman’s point is that while art is always modern in its own time, the things people most care about are the questions that have proven vexing enough to keep getting asked by every successive generation of humans. Continue reading “New Country Rehab :: Music Changes, Themes Don’t”
by Daniel Emberg
Our intrepid contributor Daniel Emberg has made his way down to Austin, TX for the “corporate orgy called SXSW”. Here is his second report home from the front, featuring plenty of insight into how the homegrown talent is faring … Continue reading “SXSW: Manitoba Musicians Flood Austin”
by James Korba
So yeah, Head Hits Concrete are playing the Frames Arts Gallery this Saturday March 15th with Cetascean and guests. You should go because it’s gonna be punishing as all hell. Stylus had a chance to talik to vocalist Mike Alexander about their impending doom, I mean “tour.” Yeah, tour! Continue reading “Head Hits Concrete :: Kicking Ear Drums in the Ass to Death”
Words & images by Daniel Emberg
Our intrepid contributor Daniel Emberg has made his way down to Austin, TX for the “corporate orgy called SXSW”. This is his first missive home… Continue reading “Scattered Thoughts from My First Two Days in the Corporate Orgy Called SXSW”
by Sheldon Birnie
On a biting cold late December evening, Del Barber shuffles into the Yellow Dog Tavern. He’s here, in the historic grain Exchange District of Winnipeg, to talk to Stylus about his new album, Prairieography, an album rooted in the spaces — physical, intellectual, emotional — between urban and rural living. Continue reading “Del Barber :: Mapping Prairieography”
by Sheldon Birnie
With the Winnipeg Folk Festival line-up announcement scheduled for this weekend, thousands of summer craving Manitobans are itching for those five days in July. While last year’s 40th Anniversary celebraish was a snooze-fest as far as most of the line-up went, it’s always possible the head honchos were playing it safe in stacking the line-up with some old (stale? mouldy?) faves. Now that the big anniversary has passed, many feel it’s high time the Folk Fest brass does something bold in terms of lineup in exchange for charging an arm & a leg for admission. Considering a weekend camping pass now runs nearly as much as a weekend pass for a Big Time Festival like Coachella or Bonnaroo, I’ve spoken with plenty of folks who’ve given up on the whole thing, choosing instead to save a load of cash and satisfy the craving for summer camping and good tunes at one of the many backwoods parties that have sprung up across Manitoba of late. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Top 5 Acts I’d Love to See Up At Birds Hill This Year”
by Gonzalo Riedel
There’s always that point when you’re listening to Electric Six that you wonder how much of the music is sincere and how much is tongue-in-cheek. Take my favourite song, for example: “She’s White,” off the band’s 2003 debut Fire. On the surface it’s one of those rockers that makes you crank the volume and play air guitar, but the lyrics are silly enough to make you feel weird about singing along. “She’s white, she is so white, I was born to excite her, she could never be whiter.” You know there’s a joke somewhere, but you aren’t sure what exactly the joke is. Continue reading “Electric Six :: Money and Dipshits”