by Kaelen Bell
Strange weather brings stranger vibrations as Send + Receive Festival descends on Winnipeg in its 20th incarnation, with a new host of artists, alchemists and alien dispatches. Continue reading “Send + Receive Embarks on Third Decade”
Video Premiere :: Silence Kit :: Kitty Kitty
Winnipeg’s Silence Kit has been turning heads and blasting ear drums since their explosive debut performance in 2016. They have since gained a reputation for being one of the cities most fun and heavy rock bands who always deliver a mind numbing live show. Continue reading “Video Premiere :: Silence Kit :: Kitty Kitty”
Forthwith Festival
by Chris Bryson
In the depths of Winnipeg’s winter cold, the Forthwith Festival returns for its second year of experimental arts. Stylus sat down for a Google Hangout chat with Wouter Jaspers and Colby Richardson, two of the Forthwith Festival organizers, to talk about what’s in store for the 2018 edition. Continue reading “Forthwith Festival”
conduct :: all the rest is irrelevant
by Sheldon Birnie
“Where the germ of the idea comes from, to me, isn’t very remarkable,” explains Nick Liang, of Conduct, one afternoon at Little Sister Coffee Maker. Liang, along with bandmates Rob Gardiner (drums) and Stephen Kesselman (guitar), are here to discuss their upcoming LP Fear & Desire, as well as their new split 7” with their pals and tour partners Tunic. “What I think is interesting is what we bring to the songs or ideas, which is completely collaborative.” Continue reading “conduct :: all the rest is irrelevant”
Tunic :: A fucking cruise missile to stardom
by Sheldon Birnie
Loud, abrasive outsider music has always had a home in Winnipeg. From the 80s punk rock explosion, to 90s noise rock, the out-there electronic experiments of Venetian Snares and beyond, a twisted frequency lies at the dark Heart of the Continent. One of the current crop of young, hungry bands picking at the carcasses of their fore bearers is Tunic. Continue reading “Tunic :: A fucking cruise missile to stardom”
October – October
METZ – METZ
The debut, self-titled release from Toronto’s Metz is a short, heavy affair that pleasantly reminds me that back in the late 80s and early 90s, Sub Pop used to pump out this sort of stuff on the reg. Continue reading “METZ – METZ”
Alpha Couple – WHNZ:27:NJNYC
After their departure from Winnipeg, Alpha Couple conceived this album on the road. Driving/touring/vacationing/living/playing somewhat directionless, Jax and Wohlgemuth eventually ended up in Toronto, where they have both called home together before—when they created their Alpha Couple concept. Coincidentally, I didn’t listen to this album until I was on a road trip myself, entering the California border around witching hour. Gone are Stalingrad’s pop sensibilities, and (through oddly emphatic associations) it seems like there is no destination to these songs either—samples and vocals drift or wave or fly by, anchored around some loop, acoustic guitar, or piano riff. And in the exchange, AC have honed in on the haunting beauty that has been the driving force behind them all along. Most powerful is the behemoth-length album opener “A Walk Through Central Park” at nearly 15 minutes. Consisting of reverbed vocals, only three acoustic chords (if that), and samples from the radio and answering machines, the song is a testament to their self-prescribed label “tweenoise.” Two songs of reconstructed Stalingrad tracks marks Wohlgemuth and Jax (who, for full disclosure, is a Stylus writer) heading headfirst into noise/ambient territory. All in all, this is an eerier, darker release than their full-length—and up for grabs through the Free Music Archive. Worth the download for anyone wanting to get out of their comfort zone and experience some freshly charted areas of music. (We Have No Zen, wehavenozen.blogspot.com) Taylor Burgess
White Dog – Noise Below the Wall
Photo by Cole Peters
By Taylor Burgess
For Cole Peters and Chris Jacques two years ago, it all began as an outlet to release their music but since Prairie Fire Tapes’ inception, Jacques has made seven albums under the name White Dog—some really cool and psychedelic, but most others approach horrifying parts of your brain. Since he’s going to be a performer at this year’s send + receive festival, both of his tape labels are releasing killer stuff, and his own music is taking wild turns, Jacques welcomed me up to his “East Berlin” office space which he shares with No List Records so we could discuss shit.
Mostly, I just wanted to know why his music is usually such a head-trip.
“It’s not meant to be creepy or dark or anything,” he said. It’s because of being a high school guidance councilor that he internalizes a lot of the darker side of the human nature. “I deal with people every day in their psychological needs and hear lots of crazy shit from kids and then their parents about what’s going on in their lives. My teaching has always dealt with people who are marginalized, or downtrodden, abused, and all that kinds of crazy shit. I’m a history student, so a lot of that stuff—things about rebellions and resistance come through as themes in my stuff a lot of time.”
Continue reading “White Dog – Noise Below the Wall”