Category: Features

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Rural Alberta Advantage look to exploit opening for Dan Mangan


by Michael Elves

When Nils Edenloff and the rest of Rural Alberta Advantage take to the stage of the Burton Cummings Theatre on Thursday November 1, 2012 don’t expect a set list composed of the heavy-hitters from their first two records, Hometowns and Departing. Instead – as Edenloff revealed in an interview with Stylus – the members of RAA will take advantage of a prime spot opening for indie-darling Dan Mangan to try out some new material on an unsuspecting audience in advance of recording their third album. Continue reading “Rural Alberta Advantage look to exploit opening for Dan Mangan”

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Hillbilly Highway – Vagabond Jeffery Michael Straker hits Winnipeg

by Sheldon Birnie

Jefferery Michael Straker is a hard-working singer-songwriter, a classically trained pianist, and a downright friendly guy. His latest album, Vagabond, was released October XX. Produced by Danny Michel, Vagabond continues Straker’s cabaret influenced, piano based pop songwriting style, but adds the experience of Michel to the mix, bringing the tunes a decidedly folk tinge. On the road over 100 days of the year, Saskatchewan born and raised Straker divides his limited downtime between Toronto and Regina. Stylus caught up with him in the Queen City, shortly before his Winnipeg engagement at the West End Cultural Centre. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Vagabond Jeffery Michael Straker hits Winnipeg”

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Dean Murdoch & Nightseeker :: Giv’r till it hurts

by Sheldon Birnie

Dean Murdoch (aka Paul Spence) is one of the deadliest dudes to ever pick up a bass guitar, shotgun a Pilsner, and just fuckin’ giv’r shit. Made (in)famous by his role in Fubar and Fubar 2: Balls to the Wall, Deaner has since moved on from the Mac and kept his heavy metal band Nighseeker rocking from coast to coast. The Deaner and Nightseeker are hitting Winnipeg and Brandon on October 25 and 26. Gettin’ ready to giv’r, Stylus caught up with the Deaner, over the phone, as he was finishing a bag of chips earlier this week. Here’s how our conversation went down.
[Editor’s Note: The following post is probably NSFW, and certainly contains deadly references to partying hard and giv’n’r to the fuckin’ max. You have been warned.]
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Nova :: Midnight, Midnight and the beauty & frustration of Winnipeg

by Darcy Penner

Of the many ways one usually expects a band to form (from the ashes of previous bands, high school friends jamming with beer stolen from their parents, the side-project that was only supposed to be about fun, etc.), Nova’s inception has a unique flare to it: a release for workaholics bonded by their love of, and commitment to, Winnipeg. That, and two-thirds of the band didn’t really play their instruments. Continue reading “Nova :: Midnight, Midnight and the beauty & frustration of Winnipeg”

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Hillbilly Highway – Carly Dow rolling solo

by Sheldon Birnie

Winnipeg folk fanatics undoubtedly know Carly Dow from her prior performances around Winnipeg with a variety of acts over the years, most notably Bog River. But after a couple solid years with the boys in Bog River, releasing a full-length and touring out west and back, the band recently called it a day. Now Carly Dow is stepping out onto the stage on her own again, with a big gig at the Folk Exchange on October 20th. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Carly Dow rolling solo”

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Departures :: Q+A

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.

Continue reading “Departures :: Q+A”

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Royal Wood :: Q+A

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.

Continue reading “Royal Wood :: Q+A”

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Hillbilly Highway – Dylan rumbles through Boomerville

by Sheldon Birnie

I hit the Bob Dylan show at the MTS Centre last week when he cruised into town on the Hillbilly Highway, and I’m sure glad I did. It’s the third time I’ve seen ol’ Bob, and it was possibly the best performance I’ve seen him churn out in the nine years that span those three dates, and certainly more enjoyable than Dylan’s last Winnipeg date, back around 2009. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Dylan rumbles through Boomerville”