Category: Features

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Hillbilly Highway – Catching up with Jacob & Lily

by Sheldon Birnie

Manitoba natives and current Albertans Jacob & Lily are making a few stops here in the Keystone Province this week. Since forming in 2006, this dynamic duo have made over 500 stops along the Hillbilly Highway in support of their award winning disc The Cathedral (2007). Karla Adolphe (aka Lily) took a couple minutes off on the road from Ontario headed West to chat about their latest goings on. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Catching up with Jacob & Lily”

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Breaking fingers, destroying guitars and taking names :: Boats, on upcoming album


Words & photo by Leif Larsen

Fans of Winnipeg indie band Boats will be pleased to know that the band has been holed away producing their third studio album, To a Fairway Full of Miners. While three records in five years may seem impressive to some, frontman, Mat Klachefsky, doesn’t think they’ve done enough. Continue reading “Breaking fingers, destroying guitars and taking names :: Boats, on upcoming album”

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Rob Crooks :: Breaking boundaries with Hearts


By Kent Davies

Rob Crooks has been a music making machine since the fourth grade. He’s been rapping, battling, making beats and sampling before he even hit high school. He’s been an integral part of Winnipeg’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, having a hand in everything from collaborating with Pip Skid on his Skid Row album, to ripping up the stage with rap-act The Fucking Retards, to writing the bulk of Magnum K.I.’s acclaimed debut album. Whether he’s rapping in viral videos about Jets games or posting the next fresh piece of local music as a contributor on the witchpolice blog, there’s a chance you’ve been exposed to the infectious creative prowess of Rob Crooks. However, unlike his previous projects, his solo debut EP Hearts doesn’t fit in the realm of conventional hip hop. Armed with drum machines, samplers, keys and a commanding growl, he’s managed to redefine himself with a solo sound that can’t be pinned down. Combining groove-laden soundscapes and ferocious lo-fi post punk, Crooks has managed to create an EP that appeals to an audience beyond the hip-hop community. Recently Stylus interviewed Crooks before his EP launch at the Lo Pub on March 15. Continue reading “Rob Crooks :: Breaking boundaries with Hearts”