Category: Features

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Hillbilly Highway – Northcote comes a knockin’

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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’”

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Shooting Guns :: Motherfuckers Never Learn

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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”

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Hillbilly Highway – Blake Berglund, Real Deal

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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”

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The Wonder Years :: Setting their sights on the Greatest Generation

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By Janet Adamana

“I’m nailing shards of hope together to put something over my head” bellowed a short, bearded young man, whirling around the stage of an empty theatre in Cleveland. The vocalist was surrounded by his band mates and best friends, he had his hoodie up, spewing his heart out into a small silver mic. “You know here it’s always raining, and it happened again, it happened again…” I will always remember the day I first heard pop punk band, The Wonder Years, and the moment they changed everything. Continue reading “The Wonder Years :: Setting their sights on the Greatest Generation”

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Skate 4 Cancer 2013 :: Great music, great cause

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by Scott Wolfe

Skate 4 Cancer (S4C) is an incredible event that plays host to various activities that all ages can enjoy, while supporting a good cause. The Forks skatepark has played host to Skate For Cancer, an event organized to raise money and increase cancer awareness, now into its fifth year. The event is the brainchild of Toronto’s Rob Dyer. Upon meeting Rob, Jay Fulmore, a local Winnipegger, adapted the idea to include a massive daytime event.  Continue reading “Skate 4 Cancer 2013 :: Great music, great cause”

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Hillbilly Highway – Top 5 tunes about Hockey

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by Sheldon Birnie

It’s playoff time, folks! If you haven’t been utterly bummed out by the results thus far, keep your chin up; the Sharks are bound to go all the way. Right?

With the Jets dead in the water by the third period of their final game, three out of four Canadian teams out of the running in the first round, and summer bearing down on us like a freight train, it’s understandable that many are losing interest. But not the hockey diehards!

Last week, we spoke with Canadian songwriter Jay Aymar on his way down the Hillbilly Highway. Aymar has written one of the best hockey songs going, and it got me thinking that the time is right for a Top 5 Round-Up about the Best Game You Can Name. So here goes. Game on! Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Top 5 tunes about Hockey”