by Darcy Penner
A Wednesday night a few weeks ago I stepped off a #16 bus to make my way down to 555 Osborne for the Songwriter Explosion night. The story of the venue is known, but still unique: a sign-less bar in the basement of a Thai restaurant showcasing singer-songwriters and new artists, all the while hosting acts from punk bands to DJs. Continue reading “555 Osborne :: Basement venue providing music in South Osborne”
Everything is beautifully white or awfully brown, auto-body shops are padding their coffers, and Winnipeg’s annual-show-season has the addition of collage-à-trois’ Winter Show. Formed in the summer of 2011, the jazz-inspired trio has been steadily writing, rehearsing, and playing in and around Winnipeg—including the TD International Winnipeg Jazz Festival and the Fringe Theatre Festival Mainstage.
This year, collage-à-trois’ Winter Show is also doubling as the release of their debut, self-titled EP. Stylus sat down with the three women for a laughter-filled chat about their formation, their EP, bilingualism, and their upcoming show. Below is an edited transcript.
Catch collage-à-trois’ second annual Winter Show at the Gas Station Theatre on Friday, December 21st. Doors are at 7:30; show is at 8:00. Tickets are $15 ($10 if you are a student).
By Darcy Penner
On October 16 2012, Distances released their debut self-titled EP. The Winnipeg quartet tracked their melodic post-hardcore with Winnipeg’s Michael Petkau Falk at Volcano Recordings, and had them mastered by Stu McKillop at Rain City Recordings (Vancouver). Comprised of Florian Maier, Nic Herzog (Waster, Everyone Everywhere), DJ Sangalang (The All Night, Common Lives) and Chris Ferguson (The Afterbeat), the band has followed the release with a handful of packed shows in Winnipeg. Distances invited Stylus to their practice space, where they are hard at work on new tunes, for a beer and a chat about the release and the band. The following is an edited transcript.
by Darcy Penner
This Saturday, October 13th, 2012, Winnipeg post-rock five-piece Departures will be celebrating the release of their debut full length, Still and Moving Lines (released October 9th on Borana Records). Recorded by Howard Bilerman between Private Ear in Winnipeg and Hotel2Tango in Montréal and mastered by Bob Weston, the album is already turning heads. Graeme Wolfe, Nick Liang, and Rob Gardiner (the band is rounded out by Alannah Walker and Steve Kesselman) sat down with Stylus to answer a few questions ahead of the show. The following is an edited transcript.
Check out the full album stream here. The show is at Ace Art Inc.(290 McDermot Ave.), with Slow Dancers opening. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and available at Into the Music, Music Trader, and through the band members. Doors at 9:30 PM.
by Darcy Penner
This coming Monday, October 15, Toronto’s Royal Wood will be kicking off a cross-Canada tour in Winnipeg, at the West End Cultural Centre, to support his latest MapleMusic release, We Were Born to Glory. Stylus had the opportunity to meet up with Wood at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and had a brief conversation about the album, growing older, and Wood’s successful career. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
Tickets are $20 through Ticketmaster or the Winnipeg Folk Fest Music Store. Elisapie is opening. Doors at 7:15 pm, show at 8:00 pm.
By Darcy Penner
For over half a decade, Ingrid D. Johnson has been creating and publishing poetry, music, spoken word, and videos, all with the purpose of sharing a positive message of overcoming childhood sexual abuse and violence against women. Johnson founded her own publication social enterprise, In The Closet Productions, to further her work and “inspire those wounded by childhood sexual abuse and other forms of trauma… to do more than just survive their past — to overcome it!” Her career has included many successes, from wide exposure throughout provincial and national media, to partnering with many community organizations, to being included in The Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council and Mentoring Artist’s for Women’s Art’s publication, Women In the Arts: Artists Working for Social Change.
On Sunday, October 7th, Johnson will be celebrating the release of her debut full length, What About Love?, at The Park Theatre Cafe. Recorded at Studio 11 by Jason Gordon, Johnson is joined by her backup band, The Funky Fresh Crew, to create a heart-filled blend of gospel, blues, and pop. Johnson took the time this week to answer a few questions for Stylus.
Head down to the Park on Sunday night to see Johnson’s set: doors at 7:15, tickets $15 advance/$20 at the door (includes CD).
by Darcy Penner
On Saturday, August 25th, Warsaw will be making its debut appearance at the Lo Pub. Comprised of Curran Faris (Hide Your Daughters, Husk), Josh Bedry (Electro Quarterstaff, El Diablo), Ethan Osland (burnthe8track), and Darren Achorn (Projektor, Meat Rack), the four-piece takes melodic riffs on top of pop-influenced structures and kicks it all in the ass with their pasts in hardcore and metal. Stylus had the opportunity to sit down for a cup of coffee with Faris, Osland, and Faris’ impossibly cute daughter ahead of their show to chat about the bands inception, influences, and goals. The following is an edited transcript of the interview. Be sure to check out Warsaw at the Lo Pub, with Pop Crimes and Still Lights, on August 25th. Continue reading “Warsaw :: Patience can be Heavy”
One album in, and seemingly busy as a band could be, Montréal’s The Barr Brothers continue to ride an exceptional wave of success. On a blistering hot day at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Stylus sat down with Brad Barr after their workshop with The Head and The Heart, Blitzen Trapper, and Bahamas. The following is an edited transcript of the interview, covering everything from the band’s inception to playing on David Letterman. by darcy penner
By Darcy Penner
I was sitting in the Stylus office a few weeks back when Adrienne Yeung tossed Slates’ album Prairie Fires into the CD player. My excitement for the band quickly turned to annoyance when I found out how long I had not known about this fantastic quartet, and their post-punk, Americana influenced rock n’ roll. Leading up to their cross-Canada tour in support of Prairie Fires, Dallas Thompson took the time to send some emails my way and answer a few questions. They play Winnipeg on Saturday, July 7 at the Lo Pub.
Continue reading “Slates: Petro-state rock n’ roll hits the Lo”
Being in a band that has toured the US, played shows in such marquee locations as Paris, London and New York, and gets consistent radio play across this country would be a dream come true for many young musicians. But there is a big difference between a dreamer’s distant idealizations of success and the actual reality of it. Stylus recently spoke with Jake Palahnuk, the bass player for Toronto indie-dance rock group Young Empires, and got a first-hand account of the ups and downs of playing in a band that has achieved, in many senses, indie success. Evident in our conversation is the way Palahnuk tempers his own excitement for his music with the realities of band economics. Continue reading “The Realities of Young Empires”
