Welcome to the Beat Laboratory: touchitandyouwillsayow
[If you missed this caveat last time, the difference between this format and other music items we run is that you cannot solicit your way into the Beat Laboratory. I just pick things I think are great and tell you guys about them.
Also - some of the people I mention here are friends of mine, or at the very least acquaintances (my own band recently played a show alongside the guys of touchitandyouwillsayow). But I show no favouritism.]
The first I learned of touchitandyouwillsayow was when I met band guitarist and vocalist Kelso Sorenson. At the time, he was sporting a smashingly-giant Gogol Bordello-style moustache, smoking a pipe and discussing science fiction. The whole scene was sort of bizzare-o cool – which is pretty much how I would describe the band. I knew I had to sit down with these guys for an interview. (more…)
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em
We might as well rock out to some smoke-related tunes when we’re not outside in the haze.
Our smoky playlist includes:
This Fire – Franz Ferdinand
Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple (live)
Smoke baby – Hawksley Workman
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
Dust in the Wind – Kansas
Smokin’ – Boston
Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
Smoke gets in your eyes – The Platters
Marijuana – Reverend Horton Heat (Hey, there are a lot of “smoke” and 420 jokes flying.)
Cinder and Smoke – Iron & Wine (via hi54lofi)
B.C. is on Fire – The Pack A.D. (So obvious I didn’t think of it for hours.)
Burning down the house – Talking Heads (though I didn’t link to their version)
We didn’t start the fire – Billy Joel (Clearly we’re blaming B.C for this one.)
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em – Fun Lovin’ Criminals
The Motor City is Burnin’ – John Lee Hooker (I linked to MC5′s version.)
I Smell Smoke – Johnny Winter
I went all bluesy at the end there.
More today:
Disco Inferno – The Trammps (Burn, baby, burn)
That made me think of The Roof is on Fire by The Bloodhound Gang (NSFW)
Paris is Burning – Ladyhawke, Peaches remix (There’s also the St. Vincent song called Paris is Burning.)
Ashes to Ashes – David Bowie
Smoke Rings – Django Reinhardt
—–
Here’s one way to track the smoke: It’s a smoke radar.
And on the health side of things, you can always keep track of air quality through Alberta Health Services.
Welcome to the Beat Laboratory: N.N.
[If you missed this caveat last time, the difference between this format and other music items we run is that you cannot solicit your way into the Beat Laboratory. I just pick things I think are great and tell you guys about them. In fact, new rule: anyone who tries to solicit their way in gets barred for life! I'm stern. Stern but fair.
Also worth mentioning - some of the people I mention here are friends of mine, or at the very least acquaintances - the guys in N.N. are my upstairs neighbours at the space my own band rehearses in - but rest assured, I show no favoritism. If I wouldn't throw down 15 bucks for their CD - because I live in 1999, where people still buy CDs - I won't mention it here.]
What you need to know about N.N. before we get started – they play a brand of hard rock and punk that sounds like sort of a cross between Iggy and the Stooges and the Beastie Boys. They’ve had the same lineup for four years, even though during that time there’s been some shuffling (in the early days, Antonio Ponce – now the drummer – started as the lead vocalist). They’re about to release their first EP and are heading to Tokyo for Japan Music Week this fall. And they have very graciously hooked us up with a few songs for you guys to enjoy – but I am having a hell of a time getting them uploaded. I promise I’ll add them as soon as our Internet woes get sorted out.
Update: All fixed!
BUT! I DIGRESS! Another tale worth telling – I didn’t really know the N.N. guys very well before I dropped in to interview them this past Monday. While we were in their rehearsal space, a giant thunderstorm raged outside (you can see the lightning flashing in the window behind them during the video). Once we wrapped up, we discovered the lower level of the building (where my band rehearses) was flooding. And all five of them got soaking wet (alongside some of our other neighbours) helping move everybody’s gear to higher ground.
Studio City Be Floodin'!
So if you would like to HONOUR the HEROES of N.N. and Van Gohst, I suggest you do so by purchasing a ticket to their Friday show at the Starlite Room.
You can pick up a copy of N.N.’s new EP (FYI, every ticket and EP sold helps fund their trip to Japan!) through their MySpace, or message them on Facebook.
You stay jazzy, Edmonton
It’s that time of the year, Edmonton. Get your jazz hands ready.
Ready?
Show me…jazz hands!
I really, sincerely hope one of you is vigorously shaking your hands right now. That would totally make my day.
But it is in fact time for the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. See, I was going somewhere with all of this.
OK, so the festival officially begins tomorrow but they’ve got one of those pre-festival concerts, just like Folk Fest, with Chick Corea tonight. That’s this evening at The Winspear.
Other Jazz highlights include Nikki Yanofsky (she of the Olympic “I Believe” song), Jazz in the Park (which is free, and at Louise McKinney Park), and lots of performances at the Yardbird Suite and MacLab Theatre. Hey, you can even pick up a $99 pass to get in to any show at the Yardbird and MacLab (subject to some seat availability at the performance). And there are a lot of people playing between now and July 4. Even Kid Koala is playing.
Wait? Kid Koala?
And I thought Sally was teaching me everything I needed to know about jazz. Sally, you never told me Kid Koala could play turntables at a jazz festival!
So, anyway…the jazz fest is on. Enjoy.
Welcome to the Beat Laboratory: Old Ugly Recording Company
[Remember a few weeks ago, when I told you guys about local band plainclothes? Well, I have some more excellent Edmonton music to tell you about. Samsonow and I have decided that any time I want to try to convince you guys to love something as much as I do, we're going to call it "Welcome to the Beat Laboratory." Thanks for the idea, B-rad!)
If you missed this caveat last time, the difference between this format and other music items we run is that you cannot solicit your way into the Beat Laboratory. I just pick things I think are really cool and tell you about them. As if I know what's cool. IDIOT! So stupid! Who the hell do I think I am anyway?!]
Old Ugly Recording Co.'s The Joe (Photo by Rico Moran)
So, you guys know that we know The Joe. Because we talk about him all the time.
He is, as you have likely gathered by now, a very nice fellow who has helped us out repeatedly over the first half of 2010; first, by tearing up the Artery as the headliner at the League of Extraordinary Media’s #YEG Swap in March, and then later on, by penning several great items about Edmonton’s music scene for us to run on these here INTERNETS.
But! Did you guys know that The Joe (known in his day-to-day life as 23 year old Joe Gurba) is a bit of a mogul? He’s the man behind Edmonton’s Old Ugly Recording Company – home to many of the best musical acts in the city.
The mild-mannered Gurba explains that the concept for Old Ugly was based in part on Olympia, Washington record label K Records.
“They don’t play the game,” he explains. “They just put out really good music. And then people find it.”
“Old Ugly is just me giving form to something that was already there. Old Ugly was already all of our friends who hung out all the time, who weren’t signed.”
And boy oh boy, you guys. Does Old Ugly ever have some great artists. Give these a listen:
The Idols They Will Make: The Joe from Joe’s upcoming release Playfight)
O Death: Caity Fisher from Caity’s upcoming release Only the Wind)
On and on: Mitchmatic from Mitchmatic’s upcoming release Two Weeks Off)
The modest little label, now freshly minted as one year old, is home to 19 musical acts, comprised of about 13 people (Joe’s estimate). Pretty impressive, and something Joe attributes to his interest in community.
“I wanted to combine all these people. Most of the people on the label are people I’ve lived with at some point, too… people that get together and have campfires and house parties and are just really good friends.”
“I know my friends are better musicians than I am, and they deserve more attention,” Joe laughs. “I just know how to get attention!”
If you dig what you hear, then, I HIGHLY suggest you head to the Hydeaway this Saturday for an Old Ugly release party, celebrating new tapes from Mitchmatic and The Joe, and featuring Mikey Maybe and Thesis Sahib.
OR! Visit the Old Ugly store to get your mitts on more of their music.
Not so plain
Dear Friendmonton, you may have noticed that I do a lot of music stories.
That’s because – FACT - Edmonton has lots of music in it. (You just got LEARN’T!)
But with lots of music stories comes an unavoidable side effect: some of the stories we do about local artists become white noise. And that’s a drag, because it means that you’re going to miss out on some really neat stuff.
To combat this, Samsonow has asked me to write a music column. (Editor’s note: Awesome column name TBD.)
Essentially this just means that when I have a something really really good that I want to tell you about, I’m not even going to attempt to couch it as a “story.” I’m just going to argue you into submission about why an artist is awesome, who they are, and where you can see them.
Which brings us to plainclothes.
plainclothes is this fantastic band I saw at Wunderbar a few months ago. By the end of their set, my hair was basically standing on end. With their sophisticated sound, complex arrangements and jangly guitars, they’re the kind of indie rock band you’d expect to be from a bigger city, like Toronto or Montreal. But they’re not, folks! They’re ours!
plainclothes is comprised of four members, all in their late 20s and early30s; Bailey (bass), Bernie J (vocals & guitar), Levi (guitar & vocals), and Nate (drums).
I met 3 of the 4 band members (everyone except drummer Nate) for coffee at Naked on Jasper and found plainclothes to be a hilarious, deadpan bunch. Our “interview” turned into a lot of absurdist humour, pithy back-and-forth comments and vaguely self-deprecating jokes.
“The songs Bernard writes are really complicated and intricate and cool,” saysLevi.
He doesn’t miss a beat to joke about his own writing. “The songs I write have one note solos.”
I tell plainclothes that discovering them was extra surprising given that Edmonton has SO MANY METAL BANDS. I ask them whether Edmonton’s predominance of hardcore bands has affected plainclothes’ sound.
Bernie J laughs. “By necessity it creates this counter culture. If there’s a bunch of metalheads, for sure there’s going to be shoegazers.”
“The metalheads need someone to beat up,” adds Levi.
The band cites a long list of influences, including some unexpected ones like Brian Eno (Bailey) and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (Bernie J). Their five-year plan is essentially to “Huck [them]selves at everything,” including recording and starting to play more shows outside of the city.
Those aren’t cheap plans. It costs money to go into a studio.
It’s expensive to tour, even around Alberta. You have to travel, eat, find a place to stay; and it’s not like bands show up in Red Deer to find a pile of cash.
So I ask plainclothes about the financial details of their five-year plan and they say that they take that side of things in stride.
They all joke over one another.
“There’s a lot of money to be made in iPhone apps.”
“Or we can become a cult. We can definitely make money that way.”
So, throw them a few bucks. Your next chance to do so, and continue to produce quality Edmonton bands and artists, is when plainclothes plays this Saturday at Bohemia, 10575 – 114 St.
[Editor's update: We removed the song from this post at the request of Bernie J, who is no longer with the band.]
Bread Crumbs with dinner
Bronze Leaf releases Bread Crumbs
By Joe Gurba
With a resolved and trusting foot, Amy MacDonald steps into the world of Music. Not the realm of art, but the competitive world of Music with a capital M — the industrialized and honest pursuit of sustenance, an occupation akin to the travelling evangelist.
This is plaintively evident as I discuss her new album with her from somewhere between Edmonton and Moncton.
“I plan to throw this record at whichever walls I can, and see where it sticks.”
And indeed she has, venturing boldly across our massive nation, touring her debut full-length, Bread Crumbs.
Accompanying her are Bronze Leaf’s newest band members, Champion City Records senator Eric Cheng and Brazilian Money patriot Matthew Isrealson, whom she eagerly exalts in our discussions.
This is a new stratagem for Bronze Leaf, formerly a silhouetted woman, solitarily gracing so many stages throughout Edmonton, amassing — for three years now — an eager throng of fans anticipating this release.
Bread Crumbs is finally poised to present itself on May 27th at the Rutherford House. What is particularly fitting about this release event is that the disc will be ceremoniously presented over a warm meal. For a long awaited record that eulogizes the last few years of the artist’s life, the intimacy of a dinner with its recipients seems only appropriate.
“[Bread Crumbs] is in equal parts warnings, reminders, and love letters about what not to do. It’s a half-look back over the shoulder, a shaking head with a smile, a walking-away,” she says.
The resulting spirit of the event is sure to inject the value and personal significance of this release into the record itself.
Listening to Bread Crumbs, it unfolds much like a diary. The recording itself is clad in quietude. The majority of the album has the prevailing atmosphere of a blanket fort. Though it gets off to a mild start, songs like “Shell” invoke the ambiance of a Julie Doiron record while tracks like “Pennies” display MacDonald’s ability to write quietly catchy melodies in the vein of Gregory and The Hawk.
Eric Cheng’s recording input cannot go unmentioned here. A highlight example of his excellent production choices can be found on “Text Edit”, arguably the strongest song on the disc, where Cheng leaves MacDonald’s breaths in the chorus unabashedly un-muted. They serve to punctuate the chorus and reel the listener back in again and again. Techniques like these give the album its signature intimacy.
There is nevertheless room for growth on the next record. MacDonald’s songs are similar throughout and can begin to blend together. With that said, the album still remains beautiful, inviting, and available to invest yourself in.
If MacDonald’s drive and work ethic equate the passion and personal investment she’s poured into her art, it is no question that Music will receive her eagerly. Attend this dinner and release show and bear witness to this self-fulfilling prophecy.
Thursday, May 27, 2010 – Doors 7:30; Show 8:00 – All Ages / Licensed
Only 75 tickets available – $10 in advance from Rutherford House / $15 at the door – FREE FOOD with ticket – Call: 780 422 4697
With a resolved and trusting foot, Amy MacDonald steps into the world of Music. Not the realm of art,
but the competitive world of Music with a capital M — the industrialized and honest pursuit of
sustenance, an occupation akin to the travelling evangelist. This is plaintively evident as I discuss her
new album with her from somewhere between Edmonton and Moncton.
“I plan to throw this record at whichever walls I can, and see where it sticks.” And indeed she has,
venturing boldly across our massive nation, touring her debut full-length, Bread
Crumbs. Accompanying her are Bronze Leaf’s newest band members, Champion City Records senator
Eric Cheng and Brazilian Money patriot Matthew Isrealson, whom she eagerly exalts in our
discussions. This is a new stratagem for Bronze Leaf, formerly a silhouetted woman, solitarily gracing
so many stages throughout Edmonton, amassing — for three years now — an eager throng of fans
anticipating this release.
Bread Crumbs is finally poised to present itself on May 27th at the Rutherford House. What is
particularly fitting about this release event is that the disc will be ceremoniously presented over a
warm meal. For a long awaited record that eulogizes the last few years of the artist’s life, the intimacy
of a dinner with its recipients seems only appropriate. “[Bread Crumbs] is in equal parts warnings,
reminders, and love letters about what not to do. It’s a half-look back over the shoulder, a shaking
head with a smile, a walking-away.” The resulting spirit of the event is sure to inject the value and
personal significance of this release into the record itself.
Listening to Bread Crumbs, it unfolds much like a diary. The recording itself is clad in quietude. The
majority of the album has the prevailing atmosphere of a blanket fort. Though it gets off to a mild
start, songs like “Shell” invoke the ambiance of a Julie Doiron record while tracks like “Pennies”
display MacDonald’s ability to write quietly catchy melodies in the vein of Gregory and The Hawk.
Eric Cheng’s recording input cannot go unmentioned here. A highlight example of his excellent
production choices can be found on “Text Edit”, arguably the strongest song on the disc, where Cheng
leaves MacDonald’s breaths in the chorus unabashadly unmuted. They serve to punctuate the chorus
and reel the listener back in again and again. Techniques like these give the album its signature
intimacy.
There is nevertheless room for growth on the next record. MacDonald’s songs are similar throughout
and can begin to blend together. With that said, the album still remains beautiful, inviting, and
available to invest yourself in.
If MacDonald’s drive and work ethic equate the passion and personal investment she’s poured into her
art, it is no question that Music will receive her eagerly. Attend this dinner and release show and bear
witness to this self-fulfilling prophesy.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Doors 7:30; Show 8:00
All Ages / Licensed
FREE FOOD with ticket
Only 75 tickets available
$10 in advance from Rutherford House / $15 at the door
Walk in: 11153 Saskatchewan Drive
Call: 780 422 4697Bronze Leaf – Bread Crumbs
With a resolved and trusting foot, Amy MacDonald steps into the world of Music. Not the realm of art,
but the competitive world of Music with a capital M — the industrialized and honest pursuit of
sustenance, an occupation akin to the travelling evangelist. This is plaintively evident as I discuss her
new album with her from somewhere between Edmonton and Moncton.
“I plan to throw this record at whichever walls I can, and see where it sticks.” And indeed she has,
venturing boldly across our massive nation, touring her debut full-length, Bread
Crumbs. Accompanying her are Bronze Leaf’s newest band members, Champion City Records senator
Eric Cheng and Brazilian Money patriot Matthew Isrealson, whom she eagerly exalts in our
discussions. This is a new stratagem for Bronze Leaf, formerly a silhouetted woman, solitarily gracing
so many stages throughout Edmonton, amassing — for three years now — an eager throng of fans
anticipating this release.
Bread Crumbs is finally poised to present itself on May 27th at the Rutherford House. What is
particularly fitting about this release event is that the disc will be ceremoniously presented over a
warm meal. For a long awaited record that eulogizes the last few years of the artist’s life, the intimacy
of a dinner with its recipients seems only appropriate. “[Bread Crumbs] is in equal parts warnings,
reminders, and love letters about what not to do. It’s a half-look back over the shoulder, a shaking
head with a smile, a walking-away.” The resulting spirit of the event is sure to inject the value and
personal significance of this release into the record itself.
Listening to Bread Crumbs, it unfolds much like a diary. The recording itself is clad in quietude. The
majority of the album has the prevailing atmosphere of a blanket fort. Though it gets off to a mild
start, songs like “Shell” invoke the ambiance of a Julie Doiron record while tracks like “Pennies”
display MacDonald’s ability to write quietly catchy melodies in the vein of Gregory and The Hawk.
Eric Cheng’s recording input cannot go unmentioned here. A highlight example of his excellent
production choices can be found on “Text Edit”, arguably the strongest song on the disc, where Cheng
leaves MacDonald’s breaths in the chorus unabashadly unmuted. They serve to punctuate the chorus
and reel the listener back in again and again. Techniques like these give the album its signature
intimacy.
There is nevertheless room for growth on the next record. MacDonald’s songs are similar throughout
and can begin to blend together. With that said, the album still remains beautiful, inviting, and
available to invest yourself in.
If MacDonald’s drive and work ethic equate the passion and personal investment she’s poured into her
art, it is no question that Music will receive her eagerly. Attend this dinner and release show and bear
witness to this self-fulfilling prophesy.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Doors 7:30; Show 8:00
All Ages / Licensed
FREE FOOD with ticket
Only 75 tickets available
$10 in advance from Rutherford House / $15 at the door
Walk in: 11153 Saskatchewan Drive
Call: 780 422 4697
The end isn’t so scary
By Veronica Petrola
Imagine you’re just about to lose someone. Most people can identify with that unholy, empty-stomach feeling sadness and longing; that moment when we realize that the end of something is coming, and there’s nothing we can do to change the fact. Now, imagine someone comes along and says, “Calm down, this is only the end,” as if the end wasn’t the scariest and most dreaded situation of all.
For Edmonton singer-songwriter Tanner Gordon, there’s nothing to freak out about. His newest album, “Calm Down This is Only the End,” revolves around the concept of making peace with the endings he’s had to encounter in life. Its first song, “Calm down,” is a realization of the many things that are wrong in the world, and how it all will eventually come to an end.
“At the beginning, “Calm Down” became a song about a guy I saw when I was driving back from West Ed. [He was] holding a brown sign that said, “I’m sorry but can you spare a dime?” It was a kid, 19 or 20 years old, begging for money on the side of the road, and I saw this is what the world is coming to,” he explains. “Everything’s in shit, the economy, the weather, we’ve got oil in our oceans, it’s the end of the world. Yet I’m very calm about it.”
All the songs deal with the same kind of emotions: “Losing You,” is about an ending relationship, and “Lynn,” about the end of a creative period for Tanner. However, the release of this album marks a beginning. (more…)
Maybe it’s Mikey
(Editor’s note: Here’s a preview of Mikey Maybe’s latest release, written by Joe Gurba. But wait, you might ask, Joe Gurba is THE Joe, and he’s running the label Mikey’s on. Yeah, but when The Joe says he’ll write for you, you say “Yes, sir.” And then put in an editor’s note to satisfy everyone’s bias radar.)
By Joe Gurba
Michael Hamm is an exceptional individual. He is handsome, intelligent, charming, and soaks up skills with his mere presence, leaving him to exude an atmosphere of intimidating talent. His endeavors include, but are not limited to, Mikey Maybe, Racoon Suit, Rappers Are People, Rap Club, and The CBT.
As well as being a creative and professional writing student, Mikey Hamm has managed to give voice to his multi-dimensional inventiveness time and time again. But what is odd is that, despite the staggering output of these collected projects, the hundreds of shows over the last four years, and the hundreds of songs he has written, he has not yet released any official recordings. On Wednesday, April 28th, Mikey Maybe is finally presenting his loyal fans with something to take home.
In anticipation of a full length album appearing this summer, Mikey Maybe presents Chips and Pop, a tape cassette/digital download of 8-bit rap recordings.
I sat down with Mikey Maybe and managed to extract some juicy bits of truth concerning his new cassette, his rare recordings, and his nightmares, amongst other things.
Joe: Explain your obsession with 8-bit music
Mikey Maybe: I am fascinated by 8-bit music for the same reason that most of the scene is: nostalgia. I think most people have some sort of fascination with nostalgia. Maybe it’s because I had a good childhood that I am so nostalgic myself — and a big part of my childhood was video games. Those colours just stick in your mind. [He stares into the distance for a minute.] Those sounds just stick in your mind. [He regains his composure.] 8-bit music seems inspiring for some reason. Perhaps it’s playing on these points in your brain that were created in a time when you had the most imagination. It seems as though 8-bit is tapped right into the core of your imagination.
Probably more than 8-bits.
J: Alright, let’s do some music math. What do you think this new tape sounds like?
MM: The genre version of that equation would be Indie, you know, Indie, that’s the overarching [laughing] — you know, you just slap that on anything. So let’s say indie + 8-bit + hip hop/rap - not divided by, I know we’re doing a math thing here, just slash rap - + dub-step. There’s a lot of bass warble in there. That’s just the tip I’m on right now.
Going back to nostalgia, I somehow convinced Mikey to relate to me a childhood anecdote. He went on to describe a hunting trip when he was eight-years-old. After his uncle killed a beaver, Mikey asked for the teeth as a souvenir.
He was then subjected to the sight of a full grown man trying to hammer out a beaver’s teeth with a hatchet. But the teeth wouldn’t break free.
“Uncle Gary, please please, I don’t need them.”
He didn’t hear me. He just kept going.
“Uncle Gary. Uncle Gary!”
“Huh, what? What?”
“I don’t need the teeth.”
“Oh, good. I don’t think they’re coming out.”
[Awkward silence ensues.]
J: Who are your inspirations on this new record?
MM: Camp Lo, Ludacris, The Joe.
J: And what label is Chips and Pop coming out on?
MM: OLD UGLY, the blood when you brush. We are the litres and litres of blood that we have donated to the blood bank. OLD UGLY has donated more blood than any other Edmonton based charity [Old Ugly is not a charity]. 47 litres of blood and 37 litres of plasma last year alone. That’s like 23-and-a-half milk cartons full of blood. You go to pour milk? No. It’s blood. Just imagine all that plasma in ice cream buckets! Thick goopy plasma.
J: OK, that’s enough. Tell me about your nightmares.
MM: I am in bed and something is learing over me, something is above my head, and I am trying to yell, but the words won’t come out. I’m yelling ‘Jesus, help me!’ but the words won’t come out. One time, it was centipede. An obsidian black centipede with hundreds of squirming legs lurching over me. Demonic dreams.
[Awkward silence ensues.]
J: You think there’s any room for newcomers in the 16-bit genre?
MM: Yeah, my next album is a 16-bit minidisc!
J: Is that on-the-record?
MM: Yes, that’s sarcastically on the record.
When prodded, Mikey promised a full length album for 2010 and a long awaited Rappers Are People EP for the fall, legitimizing the group’s lengthy tenure and live performance infamy. (He went on to deflect blame for everything that has transpired to delay these recordings from appearing. He then wished his fans a good day.)
The Chips and Pop tape release is on Wednesday night at the Hydeaway, located at 10209 100 Avenue at 8pm, for $8, with fellow OLD UGLIANS The Joe, Mitchmatic, and Rappers Are People. The album will be available as a digital download as well from OLD UGLY Recording Co.
You can listen to Mikey Maybe’s Mazda, Mazda at mikeymaybe.bandcamp.com.
The Living Room Sessions
You know, for all the folks in good old Edmonton I know who bemoan the lack of good local music venues, I’m sure there aren’t many who’d be like, “You know what?! Why don’t you guys play in my living room?”
But most people aren’t Tad Hargrave. In an epic feat of putting his money where his mouth is, Tad is opening his home to local musicians (who will have the chance to perform acoustically) and, more importantly, to you jackals, who can buy a ticket into Tad’s Garneau-area home for a suggested donation of just $15.
“Part of it was wanting to create something really special,” Tad tells me in a phone call. “I felt like it was a very easy thing to do to support my friends.”
Tad’s a musician himself, though he’s quick to say that he won’t be performing a living room session anytime soon. He’s really just interested in getting some of the city’s best unknown talent an audience.
“For me, it’s just like, you get to see these hidden gems in Edmonton. You get to have this very personal, intimate concert.”
Tad says the idea for these sessions came from two notions:
“Notion #1: Some music is best enjoyed in intimate, acoustic settings.
Notion #2: Edmonton is full of musical gems that many people, sadly, never discover.
“So this is a venue to introduce people to amazing new music found in their own backyard.”
Speaking of backyard, Tad came up with the idea at a backyard party he attended that featured local artists.
“I’ve been getting all these calls from other musicians I don’t know saying ‘Hey, can I play one of your living room sessions?’”
“The whole process has been teaching me how little musicians get paid,” he says.
100% of the donated “ticket” prices go to the artist.
Tad’s mom liked the idea so much, she even chipped $20 a show for the performer.
It’s 30 people max, first come first serve. For more info visit the Facebook group. (Get on it, there’s a show TONIGHT!)
This is Edmonton's new concert hall.
—–
THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS #3
An Evening with Scott Cook
DESCRIPTION: it will be a 45 minute, candlelit evening of musical performance with a fireplace in a backdrop and 30 marvelous people sitting on couches, cushions, chairs and mattresses.
COST: suggested donation of $15 (100% of profits go to the artist)
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
If you listen well, lifelong traveler and musical hobo Scott Cook’s new album may remind you just how rare a commodity honesty is in today’s music scene. There’s an awful lot of talk about it, but very few songwriters really wear their hearts on their sleeve, and even fewer do it with such lyrical craftsmanship and raw feeling as you’ll hear on this record.
It has been two years and a lot of roads traveled since Scott Cook traded in his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan for a full-time living as a musician on the road in North America, and while he’s certainly experienced his share of hardships and struggle along the way, he isn’t thinking of quitting. His self-published 2007 debut, Long Way to Wander, made the national folk top ten on college and community radio, and kept him on the road for the better part of two years, living in his van, playing constantly, picking up stories and passing them on. His newest “love letter to the world” is a fitting follow-up, and his best work to date. Entitled This One’s on the House, it’s a collection of road stories, existential ramblings, and musings on love, loss, and the courage to love again.
A wearer of many hats, Cook also builds websites, writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and co-organizes Taiwan’s Peace Festival, a non-profit music and arts festival that raises money for peace work and charitable work on Taiwan and worldwide.
(album notes via cdbaby)
A new radio station!
Edmonton’s got a new radio station, its 1,298th on the FM dial.
Well, it only feels like that many. Though we have added a half-dozen stations in the last couple of years. (Sonic, Bounce, Hot 107, Magic, Now, and iNews880 flipped from Cool880. And there’s at least one more pending launch, that I can think of.)
And Now is going to play (from the sound of their introduction) pop and chart hits…like EZ Rock, the Bounce, Hot 107…and a few slightly older and rockier hits, like Joe or maybe a Sonic or Bear-lite. Because people love having options.
And Sally’s Juggalo News Network wasn’t approved?! What is up with that CRTC?
Anyway, turn off your iPod and check it out.
Now.
And yes, those “When?” and “Soon.” billboards were all about the new Rawlco radio station in Edmonton. They now say “Now.”
But just like the Aug 5 signs, some crafty Edmontonians figured it out. You guys are like Sherlock Holmes or something.
Sloooaaan…Sloooaan…
What could be more Canadian than seeing Sloan on the coldest weekend ever?
Nothing.
Lucky for me, the music was warm enough to beat back the winter chill.
…All Hail…Hale Hale!
Hale Hale (Cody McLauchlin, Evan Tardif, Scott Steele & Trevor Neary)
Okay, you guys, I know there’s a seventeen foot wall of snow outside right now, and all anybody’s thinking about is how the hell they’re going to get home from work without getting stuck in some nightmare bottleneck of traffic. But let’s set aside the Winter Wonderland for a minute. I would like to challenge the conventional “go home and hide under your bed in a bathing suit pretending it’s still summer” mentality, and suggest that you put on your dancing Sorels and hit the town tonight. Because it’s going to be a very, very good night over at New City.
Local band Hale Hale is launching their spanky new EP this evening, and they are definitely worth braving walls of snow to see. I first heard of them about a few months ago, when a couple of the members turned up at a friend’s house to play some music. I only met them once or twice, but even just messing around, they were so good, and such nice guys to boot, that I had no choice but to go home, dig a hole in my front yard, put my guitar in it, and light it on fire. Now let us never speak of this again.
Anyway, I talked to the Hale Hale crew about their new record via the ‘lectronic mail yesterday.
SALLY: How did you guys get together?
HALE HALE: We’re not really sure how everything fell together. Everything just kind of did. A mish mash of previous projects and jam friends who eventually started playing together and it stuck.
SALLY: Who would be your guys’ top 5 influences?
HALE HALE: All four members influences vary greatly. That’s one thing that keeps the music interesting. It was never “I love this band” , “I love that band too, let’s play together!”. Cody originally comes from indie roots, Trevor is a post-grunge 90′s kid, Scott grew up with NOFX, the misfits and a skateboard, and Evan, from classic rock, grindcore and black metal to dance music.
SALLY: How has your reception been in the Edmonton music community? What’s your experience been like playing here?
HALE HALE: We’ve been received well, we think. We’ve been told we have a fresh sound. As for playing in Edmonton, it is hard to get anywhere with the lack of venues, but we’re making do with what we got and staying positive for sure. Playing is playing, regardless of where it is, as long as we are getting our music out and growing together as a band.
SALLY: Can you give me a brief description of the EP? What do you hope people take away from it ?
HALE HALE: We just want people to put it on, have a good time, and shake their ass to it. F*ck we are deep.
And finally, if you dig Hale Hale but can’t make it out tonight, you can get a copy of the EP by emailing halehalemusic@gmail.com.
The Jerrold Dubyk Quartet, or, Sally discovers the Yardbird Suite
Do you guys remember Jerrold Dubyk, the local jazz saxophonist who so graciously gave us a quick Coles Notes(TM) on how to tell good jazz from bad jazz?
I checked out his band’s CD release this weekend. It was my first trip the Yardbird Suite, and oh. my. god. If you haven’t been there, you need to check it out. It’s amazing. I wanted to take pictures to share it with you, but it was too g.d. dark for me to get any that don’t make you feel like you have cataracts. Case in point:
Anyway, take my word for it, it’s great. And so was the Jerrold Dubyk Quartet!
Lookit us, #yeg, expanding our collective horizons. Although, in fairness, Jeff was already on the jazz train. He’s loved Duke Silver for as long as I can remember.
Jazz 101 with Jerrold Dubyk
Edmonton Jazz Saxophonist Jerrold Dubyk
When I get Edmonton jazz saxophonist Jerrold Dubyk on the phone, the first thing he tells me is I’ve caught him recovering from a weekend camping trip with buddies, fraught with, amongst other things “poker and meat”.
“I’m just done,” he laughs. “Done with meat until Christmas”
This surprises me. When I think of jazz musicians, I think of dudes with pompadours and cravats, smoking pipes, wearing velour jackets…y’know, “Yazz Flute” kind of guys. Not guys who camp in the Alberta wilderness and consume vast amounts of steak. But this is precisely why I’m so psyched to talk to Jerrold: I need somebody like this to dumb down jazz for me. (more…)
Chris Isaak and his Magical Mirror Shirt
Paul writes: “The brilliant figure at centre stage is Chris Isaak singing “Blue Hotel” during his encore. He was wearing a suit made of mirrors (awesome) and that’s why he basically looks like a washed out ball of light.”
Let's start calling Chris Isaak "Mirrorball." (Photo: Paul Poulsen)
Chris Isaak: Resplendent
My thought process when evaluating a concert consists of one question: Did the headliner bring it? After attending the Chris Isaak show at the Jubilee Auditorium last night, the answer to my question is a resounding “Oh, it was brought.” I was completely entertained on all levels. (more…)
The Secretaries
Hey, Edmonton, you like to rock out, right?
If that’s the case (and I think we both know it is) were you at The Secretaries show (and CD release) Saturday night, at the Pawnshop?
We sure were. The ladies brought the party (though, a horn section will always help) and lots of friends (including The Get Down).
If you’re not familiar with the non-office type of secretary, Vue can fill you in.
Enchanted, I’m sure
The headline is supposed to allude to the word “enchante” which will in turn allude to our latest festival. I’ll keep future headlines clear and direct. (Or at least funny and punny.)
It’s time once again for francophone music stars to shine. Edmonton Chante kicks off its 6th year Thursday.
There are plenty of Alberta artists in the mix. Check the schedule to find out when and where everyone is playing.
Checking out french and French-Canadian music is a central affair, as the venues are on Whyte Avenue, near Whyte and downtown.
I’m going to stop you before you tell me that you don’t speak French and this wouldn’t be your kind of thing. Music (like food and love) is a universal language, thus eliminating excuses not to embrace Edmonton, and Alberta’s french heritage.
Who wants to see Green Go at the Hydeaway?
I occasionally get e-mails from record labels/PR folks letting me know that one of their bands are in town and may be of interest you guys. Most recently, it’s Guelph, Ontario’s Green Go, who are playing here tomorrow, twice – first, during the day over at Grant Mac’s back to school festivities, and then again tomorrow night at the Hydeaway, alongside Warrior Music, The Rivals and Protocol.
Now believe me, I need to fill a page as much as the next guy – but when it comes to music, I try to be as discerning as possible. Hats off to all you musicians out there, but some of you are terrible. (I can say that because I am also a musician, and sometimes, I am terrible. But let’s not make this about me). And if I go sending you guys to terrible stuff all the time, you’ll never believe me when I say anything.
My point here is that you should believe me when I say that Green Go is great. They sound kind of like a cross between the Go Team! and Electric Six. They have a song called Danger Bay, you guys. They’ve also been remixing a bunch of songs by other Canadian artists, including my favorite favorite favorites the Rural Alberta Advantage.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – they are so pumped about their first tour out west that they’re giving us a pair of tickets for tomorrow night’s show at the Hydeaway AND and a song for you guys to download and check out.
So here’s an mp3 of Brains for Breakfast. Don’t say we never get you guys anything.
And if you would like to win the pair of tickets to tomorrow’s show, send an e-mail info@theedmontonian.com and tell us; Who the Mayor of Guelph is!
Podcast: The Omega Theory
The first thing that should be said about the Omega Theory is that they’re a pretty good time. And that’s just sitting around, taking up space at Route 99 – you can imagine what that becomes when they actually get up on a stage.
The Omega Theory is a four piece rock outfit from here in Edmonton, made up of Matt Misenas (guitar/vocals), Ryon Hommy (guitar/vocals), Jon Butler (bass) and Shaun Lorienz(drums), and if you haven’t heard of them, you may want to get on board now. Their funk influenced, intricately arranged songs are epic and intimate all at the same time – and their self-titled debut cd is not to be missed.
DOWNLOAD (14:00, 12.8 MB)
(Music credit:
“All These Words”/The Omega Theory
“Count Crapula”/The Omega Theory)
August 28: Lex Justice at the Urban Lounge
So our buddy Jason was over at Urban Lounge on Friday night checking out Lex Justice and Raspect and sent us these sweet photos from the show. Thanks Jason!
Um, remind me why we’re not all hanging out at Brixx…?
I know what you guys are thinking. “Sally, what’s the deal with you and the Starlite Room? Lately it’s all you ever talk about. Do you secretly love the Starlite Room?”
And I’m all evasive about it. I’m like “Nah, whatever. They’re just cool is all. I think they’ve got a lot going on.” And you guys are all “Whatever. The Starlite Room is totally your boyfriend.”
So fine, let’s just put that on the table. The Starlite Room’s totally my boyfriend. Happy? Good. Your happiness is my business.
Anyway, the latest news from the Starlite is actually technically from Brixx Bar and Grill (10030 – 102 Street).
On Tuesday nights, starting at 9 p.m.. they host an acoustic music showcase. Basically, you can just head downstairs, get yourself some tacos (that’s right, gang – pint & taco Tuesdays) and enjoy some acoustic jamz.
Also worth mentioning (because I had no idea until talking to talent buyer Art Szabo) is that Brixx, which was only rebranded a few months ago, has a pretty impressive menu. The restaurant itself actually opens at 4:30 p.m. for Happy Hour, Tuesday through Friday.
So the next time you crazy kids are looking for some place to have dinner and/or drinks and/or tacos after work, you know where to go.
Podcast: Ben Disaster
I recently met up with 23-year-old Edmonton punk Ben Disaster to talk about lots of things; his forthcoming solo record and his recent solo tour; his main project, local punks Let’s Dance!, their upcoming show as part of this weekend’s Unrest Fest at New City Suburbs, and Ben’s winking admission that if you wanted to get into the semantics of it, you could say that Chumbawamba actually opened for Let’s Dance! at last weekend’s Punx Picnic, and not the other way around.
Enjoy! And if you’re looking for something to do tonight, check out Ben and the rest of the Let’s Dance! crew at New City. They’re pretty badass.
