WHAT!?! The random question machine is back? Oh yes friend, HPX is over, but the random question machine is here to stay. It`s just too fun a feature to put away, and I could say the same thing about this episode with frenetic Torontonians Oh No Forest Fires.As you might be aware, we did an assload of these 5FS posts in an attempt to preview as many of the bands & shows for last month's HPX,...
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I was chatting with Noyes poster boy (and all around good guy) Chad Peck the other day and mentioned that the bulked up Noyes roster is quickly making the Truro-based label one of the most consistent the hill deals with. Tons of PR firms and smaller labels flood you with emails, promising the next big thing only to disappoint, but when it comes to Noyes and the PR people they work with, they le...
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Imagine a scenario where three of the best songwriters in the indie Canadian scene decide to make a record together. Not like a Monsters of Folk, but more haunting and pain filled like a Ghosts of Folk. Dan from Attack in Black showed up in New Brunswick, and presented Julie Doiron and Fred Squire (Calm Down It's Monday, Shotgun & Jaybird) an idea.The premise is so simple, but so amazing. Lets ...
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A few days ago, Victoria’s Immaculate Machine rolled into town. Normally, the Mint records pop rockers are more than enough reason to get any music fan out on a Wednesday night, but this time they brought some friends along for the ride. Sadly, I had (a) never heard of The Zolas and (b) never bothered to figure out their deal even after someone asked me about them. (A) + (B) = me (C)-ted on my.
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The release of the fantastic new record from Acres and Acres - All Nations (review) - has gone and come, sadly with little fanfare. Even with a coast to coast train tour, Kris Pope and David Scholten still fly under the radar in the city they call home. It's a shame, because the simple premise and recording style of All Nations resulted in a record that knocks you on your ass, but never hits yo...
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I'm not sure I could have found a better fall EP or a better candidate for the old Sunday Morning Coffee section than the debut from Bird & Bear. This Newfoundland folk duo is built on the crystal clear, traditional folk vocals and guitar work of Jillian Freeman and the drum/banjo/drum machine support of Jon Janes (aka - The Mountain and The Trees).Bird & Bear are about to release their debut E...
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Originally, I was planning to bring back the Friday Showstravagnza today, our weekly rundown of the best weekend shows happening in Halifax, which has been M.I.A. for a while. The was my plan, but instead I spent last night carving this Lionel Ritchie pumpkin:I think you'll agree that my time was spent wisely. However, there's one show I want to mention: the immortal DJ Jazzy Jeff is coming t...
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The amount of funding being awarded to the independent and small label bands in Canada is pretty impressive. You constantly hear about people like The Swiss (@polarismusicprize) or something like the Verge awards raising cash to help support the arts and in a time where the government is doing the exact opposite, it’s the very tiny silver lining in a very large dark cloud that constantly pours .
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This morning I was running on vapors. It’s hard enough to plug away on a keyboard when the music you want to gush about is creative and inspiring, but when the release pile hits the typical year end slump, sifting through the discs is almost like a punishment.Thankfully, I remembered I still hadn't mentioned Glasgow outfit Zoey Van Goey or their debut full length, The Cage Was Unlocked All Alo.
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Has any music loving Haligonian actually recovered from another amazing HPX? '09 brought in an embarrassment of National and International talent but the rocking just doesn't stop here in Canada's ocean playground. In the next 10 days, we have some absolutely stellar acts playing shows and the hill wouldn't be doing it's duty if we didn't talk about the bands still willing to make the extra 12-...
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Like any comparable music blog read by tens of people per day, we get a lot of email these days. The simple fact is we're only two fairly disorganized guys, we can't get to it all. And, speaking for myself now, sometimes I read something that looks interesting, but I don't have time to get into the details of it, and I make a (mental) note to go back and check it out later. You can imagine h...
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If I simply mentioned a creative pop artist from BC that loved the triumphant sounds of rhodes piano, drums, vibes, glockenspiel, hand claps, guitar, bongos and bass, would you be interested? I think we both know the answer to that and I guess that's why I’m always a little surprised that more people don’t sing the praises of Cary Pratt – aka Prairie Cat. His Fuzzy Logic/Catbird (the hand pa
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After a crushing weekend of amazing Canadian talent – I mean, Dan Mangan, Bruce Peninsula, Timber Timbre, Zeus, YSPWSD, Little Girls, TGTGG, York Redoubt, Cadence Weapon, Think About Life, Yukon Blond, ONFF are just some of the bands WE saw – my brain is happily existing as musical oatmeal right now. I’d say that has to be a sign that HPX09 was off the chain/hook/charts.Not surprisingly, my
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Hey all. Just a quick update to help clear up some confusion. Apparently there was some confusion about the time slot for Toronto's Jane's Party. They were left off the print version of the program, so not a lot of people know the band is playing tonight. I'm new to the band, but they are getting some great press from big hitters like the Toronto Star and the Anti-Hit list, with subtle nods to...
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