Author: Sheldon

Posted on

Hillbilly Highway – Northcote comes a knockin’

northcote

by Sheldon Birnie

Northcote is the musical project of Victoria-by-way-of-Regina’s Matt Goud. With the recent release of his self-titled, sophomore album, Northcote expands on his trademark sound with a more confident, more fully realized LP. Backed by the largest band he’s ever taken on the road with him, Northcote is blazing a trail down the Hillbilly Highway, from one end of Canada to the other.  With stops in Winnipeg and Calgary for Sled Island upcoming, Matt took a few minutes out of a traffic jam in Quebec to talk to Stylus about the new record, the Highway, and attending boarding school in Dauphin, MB. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Northcote comes a knockin’”

Posted on

Shooting Guns :: Motherfuckers Never Learn

IMG_0944-1

by Sheldon Birnie

The barren landscape before you is obscured in a thick, pungent haze as the red orb of the sun begins to climb the horizon. The earth beneath your feet is charred and oozing, like the flesh on a burn victim’s face. The air is still, but your head buzzes with the terrible knowledge that something cataclysmic has just transpired. Only you can’t remember what it was. The only sound that can be heard is the ringing drone where your eardrums used to be. Are your ears bleeding? Yes. Yes they are. Continue reading “Shooting Guns :: Motherfuckers Never Learn”

Posted on

Hillbilly Highway – Blake Berglund, Real Deal

1_Full__700_GalleryBatch_BlakeBerglund-9677-Edit

by Sheldon Birnie

Blake Berglund is a Saskatchewan songwriter with a keen eye for detail and the work ethic of his cowboy forefathers. With a full summer of bookings looming ahead, Stylus caught up with hard hustling troubadour on a break from seeding at his family farm in Kennedy, SK, to talk about touring, songwriting, his background in hard rock and country, and contemporary roots music. Our conversation stretched on for longer than anticipated, but here’s the bulk of what Blake had to tell me. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Blake Berglund, Real Deal”