The latest from rough around the edges rocker Eamon McGrath takes the form of an EP, Continue reading “Eamon McGrath – Exile, Part 1”
Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others
I made an oops when I said I’d review this album. Continue reading “Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others”
ReVamp – Wild Card
Les Jupes – Negative Space
Coming from Winnipeg, these guys seem to have a very specific type of music they enjoy jamming to. Continue reading “Les Jupes – Negative Space”
Fast Romantics – Afterlife Blues
Matthew Angus, who writes all the songs for Fast Romantics, says the songs on their second album are largely about breakups and generally written in such simple language there is no mystery about the fact. Continue reading “Fast Romantics – Afterlife Blues”
Pop Nuit!
by Broose Tulloch
Last year the WSO’s New Music Festival added a late night component, Pop Nuit. The two-night affair featured a performance of Beck’s Sound Reader, an album released only as sheet music, from Winnipeg’s own Royal Canoe. More than a coincidence, as Royal Canoe’s Matt Schellenberg is the curator of Pop Nuit, and WSO Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate is a fan of the band. Stylus spoke with Matt Schellenberg about this year’s music, artists, and festival. Continue reading “Pop Nuit!”
Manitoba Music presents January Music Meeting
by Gil Carroll
The New Year is full of promise for Winnipeg musicians. Festival season is brewing, new releases are emerging, and Manitoba Music is here to help along the way. The January music meeting hosted by Manitoba Music takes place January 24-26 and will feature some huge players in the Canadian music community including label representatives, management professionals, and industry professionals of all kinds. Stylus caught up with Manitoba Music’s Training Coordinator, Roland Deschambault, along with program Manager, Sean McManus about the upcoming excitement at Manitoba Music. Continue reading “Manitoba Music presents January Music Meeting”
Surprise Party :: Rock and Roll all night and Party everyday
by Gilad Carroll
Surprise Party is without a doubt one of Winnipeg’s busiest (and tightest) bands. Between full time jobs, school, music video filming and editing, recording, weekly shows, and ironic T-shirt shopping Stylus managed to sit down with them and talk about all that goes into Surprise Party. Luckily, Mischa Decter (guitar and lead vocals) figured he, Danny Hacking (Bass and vocals) and Kyle Loewen (Drums) could fit Stylus in one night after work, and before a fiercely competitive race to see who could eat an entire box of ice cream using only chopsticks the fastest (Mischa won). I quickly realized that Surprise Party is much more than just a loud and fun Winnipeg band: it is a state of mind, a way of life if you will… Continue reading “Surprise Party :: Rock and Roll all night and Party everyday”
Hillbilly Highway – Fred Eaglesmith, charting his own course & taking no prisoners
by Sheldon Birnie
Prolific. Tireless. Uncompromising. Cantankerous. These and many more words could, and have, been used to describe Fred Eaglesmith, one of Canada’s finest songwriters and bluntly honest performing musicians alive today. For over thirty years now, Eaglesmith has been charting his own course in the Music Business. Fiercely independent and uncompromising in his artistic and commercial vision, Eaglesmith’s name is revered by songwriters and folk music fans, and simultaneously “cussed” by many in the Business. From his genre defining albums Things is Changing, Drive-In Movies, and Lipstick, Lies, & Gasoline to experiments in style like Dusty, Tinderbox, and Cha Cha Cha, Eaglesmith’s writing is always finely honed, throwing a light on the heartaches that fester behind small town diner counters, in dark corners of collapsing barns, and on the backroads, freeways, and Interstates of North America.
It’s no secret that Eaglesmith is held in high regard here on Hillbilly Highway, not just by myself, but among many of the artists I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with on my own travels. From Todd Snider to Andrew Neville, Hayes Carll to the Reverend Rambler, Eaglesmith’s reputation as an artist is held in the highest esteem. And now, as he prepares yet another tour, in a cycle of seemingly endless touring, to promote his latest album, Tambourine, Fred took some time out to speak with us here at Stylus about charting his own course in the Business. He takes no prisoners. While we in Winnipeg might have to wait a while yet before his next appearance, he provides us here, and on Tambourine especially, with plenty to chew on and ponder until then.
CKUWho :: New volunteer driven shows on the airwaves
by Sheldon Birnie
Part of the excitement at a volunteer driven organization like CKUW is that things are always changing. Volunteers come and go, the ones who stay learning new skills and developing new interests. New volunteers always bring with them fresh enthusiasm, and new ideas. While many CKUW volunteers have been with the station for years — some of them at the helm of shows that have been around since the station went FM in 1999 — there are always new volunteers eager to get their feet wet.
Continue reading “CKUWho :: New volunteer driven shows on the airwaves”