Weekenders 05/16 – 05/20
May Long Weekend is finally here! What are you checking out this Weekend? Continue Reading »
Hillbilly Highway – Top 5 tunes about Hockey
by Sheldon Birnie
It’s playoff time, folks! If you haven’t been utterly bummed out by the results thus far, keep your chin up; the Sharks are bound to go all the way. Right?
With the Jets dead in the water by the third period of their final game, three out of four Canadian teams out of the running in the first round, and summer bearing down on us like a freight train, it’s understandable that many are losing interest. But not the hockey diehards!
Last week, we spoke with Canadian songwriter Jay Aymar on his way down the Hillbilly Highway. Aymar has written one of the best hockey songs going, and it got me thinking that the time is right for a Top 5 Round-Up about the Best Game You Can Name. So here goes. Game on! Continue Reading »
BURIAL – Truant/Rough Sleeper
Burial is an artist whose sound is rooted in 1990s UK dance music: it is intimate, full of longing and regret yet also equally as celebratory and hopeful, often all on the same track. Continue Reading »
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE – Valleyheart
The latest from Canadian song-crafter extraordinaire Justin Rutledge is a subdued beauty of a record, perfect for bright mornings sipping coffee and getting your day together. Continue Reading »
Christ vs Krishna – Move and Scale
Poor choice of band name aside, Christ vs Krishna make all the right moves on their latest EP. Continue Reading »
Vikings :: Ready to Make Landfall
by Matthew Dyck
Stumbling on Vikings’ yet to be released recordings was kind of like spotting an offshore ship I wasn’t meant to see. Despite playing to large crowds at The Lytics’ CD release show, and opening for touring acts Twin Shadow and Poolside, Vikings have remained almost entirely off the Internet’s radar as the electro-pop trio gathers a following through word of mouth alone. So, naturally, I was curious why an act so catchy would purposefully keep such a low profile. After a daylong blizzard, vocalist Josh Youngson and brothers Dave and James McNabb braved the snow to have coffee with Stylus and reveal their secret strategy to take over your eardrums in 2013 – well, maybe not so secret anymore. Continue Reading »
Weekenders – 05/09 – 05/12
The weather’s nice, and there is a lot happening this weekend here in the ‘Peg. Jump on your bike & get out there! Continue Reading »
Hillbilly Highway – Jay Aymar rolls through town
by Sheldon Birnie
Toronto based troubadour Jay Aymar is hitting the road for his fourth cross-Canada tour, making an early stop in Winnipeg at the Folk Exchange on Friday. Aymar has been writing songs for over 20 years, going hard at it in the 90s before applying the breaks a bit until a song of his jump started his performing career a few years back. With a keen eye for the details of everyday life, and a storyteller’s approach to the narrative form, Jay Aymar is a great Canadian songwriter slugging it out on the Hillbilly Highway. He checked in with us just before hitting the road on Tuesday. Continue Reading »
Pissed Jeans – Honeys
Honeys is an album for those that prefer Bleach to Nevermind. Continue Reading »
JOSH RITTER – The Beast in its Tracks
When I heard that Josh Ritter’s latest album The Beast in its Tracks was written in the shadow of the Ohio folkster’s divorce, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Continue Reading »
WAYNE HANCOCK – Ride
The 11 tunes on Wayne Hancock’s Ride are pure driving country blues. Continue Reading »
An Interview with From Giants
by Victoria King
Good people eat good food. It’s a simple fact of life. Those who are miserable munch on things like “low-cal waffles” and “fructose-free popsicles.” After grabbing some dinner with three quarters of the local folk outfit From Giants, their plates said it all: One order of pad thai, one veggie burger, and a mango smoothie later, (which ended up coming out purple, so let’s hope it was just an accidental “Very Berry”) I had a good feeling about the music they were making. Continue Reading »
Hillbilly Highway – The Possum Has Left The Building
by Sheldon Birnie
Country music lost a legend last week. George “The Possum” Jones was quite simply country music’s greatest singer, one of its greatest songwriters, and a legendary personality who will never be seen again in Music City. As the old adage goes, “they broke the mold when they made George Jones.” Amen. Continue Reading »
ROB VAARMEYER – Poster Child
This solo release from Winnipeg’s Rob Vaarmeyer is a nice little display of the songwriting chops that RV commands. Continue Reading »
ATOMS FOR PEACE – Amok
When a group as diverse as Atoms for Peace releases their debut album, with it comes great expectations for something completely unexpected. Continue Reading »
