Author: Sheldon

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Introducing :: Joe Nolan

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photo: Heather Pollock

by Daniel Emberg

Joe Nolan seemed to almost pop out of nowhere a few years ago in Edmonton, but it took little time for the music world to embrace the young talent. In addition to being a disarming, if slightly enigmatic, songwriter, Nolan’s got a distinctive voice that is equally at home teasing a pretty melody for all it’s worth as it is flirting with a lupine growl. His most recent album, Tornado, came out on Six Shooter Records earlier this year and has garnered much love across the land. It also scored Nolan two nominations at this weekend’s Western Canadian Music Awards: Roots Solo Recording of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year for “Tightrope Dancer,” the opening track on the album. That also means he’ll be playing as part of the BreakOut West festival in town this weekend, so Stylus sniffed him out by phone for a little chat. Here’s our first conversation with Joe Nolan. Continue reading “Introducing :: Joe Nolan”

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Introducing :: Scenic Route to Alaska

Scenic Route To AlaskaDecember 22 2013-239-Edit-2
photo: Michael Kuby

by Daniel Emberg

The fellas of Scenic Route to Alaska (Shea Connor – drums/backing vocals, Trevor Mann-lead vocals/guitar, and Murray Wood – bass) have deep chemistry that keeps their lifelong friendship from being sapped by life as a touring creative collective. After playing together in various forms since early adolescence, they formed Scenic Route in late 2010 and have quickly made enough of a name that they were recently voted the second best band in their hometown of Edmonton by readers of the local arts weekly. The guys are currently supporting their second full-length effort Warrington, which is up for Pop Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. They are coming to Winnipeg for BreakOut West this weekend, and Stylus caught up with Shea Connor by phone as the band was making a stop in Red Deer. Once Shea’s jaw got off the ground (Brent Sutter had just walked by) the conversation started moving and now we’ve got this introduction to Scenic Route in Alaska. Continue reading “Introducing :: Scenic Route to Alaska”

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send + receive v.16

fullman

by Daniel Emberg

Every year the send + receive (s+r) festival is curated around a particular theme. For this, its sixteenth edition, that theme is “physical sound,” and the four-day schedule of performances and installations reflect a broad and unpredictable range of treatments through which participating artists are interpreting that theme.

Festival director crys cole recently told Stylus that after sorting through the various submissions for this year’s festival, “things took a turn more toward the [human] body.” The pieces to be performed are, “not so much about how sound can create physical reactions in an object, but more the ways in which sound is created by the body or the way the body responds to sound.” The emphasis on bodies does not necessarily colour everything you will hear at s+r, but there will be no mistaking the theme at any of the venues—several of which will be hosting festival performances for the first time. Continue reading “send + receive v.16”

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Polaris Music Prize 2014: What Animism’s victory means for Canada

TanyaTagaq

by Matt Williams

At the Polaris Music Prize Gala on Monday night in downtown Toronto, Richard Trapunski, Editor-in-Chief at Chart Attack, presented Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s album, UZU, by posing an important question. It’s one so simple and obvious that the fact it seems to never get asked is almost downright confusing. Continue reading “Polaris Music Prize 2014: What Animism’s victory means for Canada”