Hillbilly Highway – Lower Companions drop new disc

by Sheldon Birnie

Since the 2009 release of their debut LP, Jason Maas & The Lower Companions have been grinding it out in Winnipeg’s roots scene. Now, on the eve of the release of their latest record, the six song Lock & Step, at the Times Change(d) this Saturday, singer, songwriter, and band leader Jason Maas got on the phone here to Stylus to talk about the band, the record, and what comes next for the Lower Companions. Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Lower Companions drop new disc”

They Say / Enjoy Your Pumas / The Secrets / JICAH // @ Park Theatre 09-28-12

photos & words by Ginaya Jesmer

On September 28th the Park Theatre was taken over by four very talented bands for the release of THEY SAY’s debut CD Disguises. First on stage was Enjoy Your Pumas, followed by The Secrets, then JICAH, and lastly THEY SAY. All of the bands gave very energetic performances and the enthusiasm from the audience seemed to accumulate after every performance. There was a notable amount of energy during the JICAH performance which managed to get the majority of the crowd dancing and involved. Continue reading “They Say / Enjoy Your Pumas / The Secrets / JICAH // @ Park Theatre 09-28-12”

JohNNy SiZZle :: Still shaking the tree after 20 years


by Sheldon Birnie

“A funny thing has happened on the way to the stage,” says Winnipeg’s JohNNy SiZZle as we chat in the Stylus office (“It’s not as glamorous as I imagined it,” says SiZZle). “They could still see that I’m very influenced by underground hardcore punk, but I think that underground hardcore punk has seeped so much into the mainstream culture, that it’s not like ten or 20 years ago where I had to make a full explanation of myself, of what I’m doing with an acoustic guitar. They can clearly get it, that ‘Oh, acoustic guitar playing heavy hardcore punk. I get it.’”
Continue reading “JohNNy SiZZle :: Still shaking the tree after 20 years”

Label Profile: Eat Em Up Records


by Sheldon Birnie

“It’s been a bunk summer for venues and shows, this summer,” said Brandon Ackerman over a couple beers and smokes in Wolseley recently. “But this fall is looking promising.”
Ackerman makes up half of Eat Em Up Records, and we are discussing upcoming projects the label has coming down the pipe. “I’ve been a fan of Eat Em Up Records since it’s inception in the early 2000s,” Ackerman told Stylus.
Rounded out by Jan Quakenbush, founder of Eat Em Up Records, the two have some big plans for the little label. “We’re stepping it up, putting things out faster. Really pushing to put out vinyl,” Ackerman said. Continue reading “Label Profile: Eat Em Up Records”