{"id":5573,"date":"2012-10-18T11:07:19","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T17:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stylusmagazine.ca\/?p=5573"},"modified":"2012-10-18T11:07:19","modified_gmt":"2012-10-18T17:07:19","slug":"nova-midnight-midnight-and-the-beauty-frustration-of-winnipeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/2012\/10\/18\/nova-midnight-midnight-and-the-beauty-frustration-of-winnipeg\/","title":{"rendered":"Nova :: Midnight, Midnight and the beauty & frustration of Winnipeg"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Darcy Penner<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019t really play their instruments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all think about in the future leaving this town on bad days,\u201d explains vocalist and guitarist Greg Macpherson, \u201cbut most of the time\u2026 we\u2019re committed to trying with all of our hearts to make Winnipeg a better place. \u00a0And so that\u2019s how we sort of found commonality.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2008, Jackie Hogue wasn\u2019t in a band, and was not a drummer. \u00a0However, when Macpherson\u2019s solo tour schedule slowed down, he called her up to play some music based on a belief in Hogue\u2019s instinct for the instrument. After playing some tunes Macpherson had written but didn\u2019t have the proper outlet to perform, they decided keyboards would fill the songs out best. \u201cJackie knew I played the piano and they asked me to join,\u201d explains keyboardist Molly McCracken. \u201cAs Jackie and I were somewhat new to our instruments we grew slowly, learning together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macpherson chuckles when he thinks back to asking McCracken to join Nova. \u201cShe laughed, \u2018Well yeah I guess so. I don\u2019t have a keyboard,\u2019\u201d he recalls. \u201cBut I had one, and so she came and she started playing.\u201d Obviously things went well, as the three piece releases its debut full-length, Midnight Midnight<\/em>, on October 9th.<\/p>\n

The initial intention for the project was simple enough. \u201cThere were no thoughts of playing shows or recording. It was more just, \u2018Let\u2019s get together, we\u2019ll work on some songs, and learn to play,\u2019\u201d says Macpherson. But the insatiable drive and energy of Nova\u2019s members led the band to far greater lengths.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all really like playing music together, and it was a natural progression,\u201d explains McCracken. Commenting on both his band mates’ and his own energy level, Macpherson says, \u201cMolly is very similar [to me] \u2013 lots of energy, ready to go. Jackie\u2019s incredibly smart and organized, so things get done and they are just really focused and organized. They show up to practice with beer and cookies!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding time to finish a full length is a difficult thing to do, especially when your band is comprised of exceptionally busy individuals, all of whom hold what students refer to as \u201cimportant, real jobs,\u201d and are involved in various other community initiatives.<\/p>\n

Hogue is the executive director of the West Central Women\u2019s Resource Centre. Macpherson is the executive director of the West Broadway Development Corporation. McCracken is the former executive director of the West Broadway Development Corporation, and is currently an analyst for Manitoba Health. Within the bunch you will also find a record label, articles for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, nominations for food security initiatives, and membership within the Harvest Moon Festival organizing committee (for starters \u2013 we\u2019ve only got so much print space).<\/p>\n

Midnight Midnight <\/em>was recorded over two years at various locations, including Mid-Ocean School of Media Arts and Prairie Recording, where Macpherson\u2019s label-mate Cam Loeppky mixed the album (Disintegration Records<\/a>). \u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s really exceptional,\u201d boasts Macpherson. \u201cHe\u2019s at a place in his life where I\u2019ve recorded and done stuff with a dozen different engineers now and he\u2019s the best by a long shot. He\u2019s really world class.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album will be released by Disintegration Records on October 9th, with a release show at Ace Art Inc. on October 19th. Venue choice was important and specific, explains Macpherson; \u201cI think that rock n\u2019 roll is better suited to\u2026 dirty, run down places where the ceiling might fall down. I really appreciate music that doesn\u2019t have all the angles covered\u2026 I like rock n\u2019 roll when you don\u2019t know the possibilities \u2013 [it] could go right off the rail at any time. Venues lend a lot to that experience. We wanted to try a place a little smaller\u2014we have control over it and it\u2019s an art space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nova says that the themes of the record reflect the group\u2019s commitment to Winnipeg, and explore the balance of both beautiful and deeply difficult experiences that consume their lives and work. \u201cLife is hard for lots of people in our city and living here you can\u2019t help but see the struggles people face everyday to get by,\u201d says McCracken. \u201cWe all want good things for our friends, family and community but it can be so hard to realize these. The music is a place to put these feelings and that energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macpherson sees this as a bonding point for the group; \u201cThe thing that sort of got us all together is a sense of justice. Kind of working on our community. We\u2019re really invested here in Winnipeg, and have been for a long time. We\u2019re committed with all our hearts to make Winnipeg a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWinnipeg has this crazy juxtaposition of frustration and ugliness,\u201d continues Macpherson, \u201cbut it is a beautiful ugliness. It\u2019s a very special place, because of these, you know, failures. The foundation it\u2019s built on is so shitty in some ways, like genocide, and colonization, racism, classism, conflict. That\u2019s our foundation. And so I think that speaks a lot through the music everyone makes in this city, somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

We at Stylus have had the album for a few weeks now, and can attest to its quality. Its anthemic choruses are interlaced with catchy keyboard hooks, all resting on top of driving, straight-ahead drums and the haunting guitar work Macpherson delivers so well.<\/p>\n

When asked what drives them to commit what precious free time they have to the project, the band members almost describe it as a need. \u201cPlaying together makes us sane and sometimes a little insane! It helps us channel our energy into something that\u2019s ours, is healing and we have a great time in the process,\u201d explains McCracken.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being busy, and I have no problem making time for anything,\u201d says Macpherson, as the question reminds him to flip over his phone to check the time. \u201cI\u2019ll squeeze in a half hour right now, even though I have a board meeting in an hour. Actually, I do gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be sure to check out Nova\u2019s CD Release show on October 19th at Ace Art, 290 McDermot. Doors are at 9 PM and music at 10 PM for $10. Keep your eyes peeled for copies of <\/em>Midnight Midnight in local music stores.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s inception has a unique flare to it: a release for workaholics bonded by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[267,403,454,681,806,1104],"class_list":["post-5573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","tag-disintegration","tag-greg-macpherson","tag-indie-rock","tag-nova","tag-rock","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}