By CH Smith
Being on tour for eight months will make a person do two things: miss home and think.As DJ Vadim nurses a Corona while getting comfortable on the couch, he states the obvious when asked how the tour is going, “I’ve been on tour since August,” he said. “I’m about ready to go home.” The Russian-born,… Continue reading Rolling like a Red Army train
By Kevin Olsen
Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard believed that facing a crisis was necessary, even desirable, if a person was to arrive at an understanding of what he or she wanted to achieve in life. For Calgary native Andrea Revel, this maxim is all too true. A decision to move to Montreal and abandon her teaching career, friends… Continue reading Breaking the chains of pop
By James Keller
Growing up amid century-old churches and culture stretching back even further, Fuzbox is nothing if not a product of its own environment. With layers of sound that rival the small army of art-rock musicians like Do Make Say Think and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the Montreal-based band is quickly migrating from the benches, aging trees… Continue reading Fuzbox
If you’ve heard the Weakerthans, you’ll acknowledge that they fill a unique niche. Yeah, that phrase gets written about every band, and I’m sorry I started this article that way. In fact, forget that I wrote that–let’s start over.If you haven’t heard the Weakerthans, you haven’t heard one of Canada’s best under-represented acts. From a… Continue reading Optimistic prairie punks
By CH Smith
Music reflects the depth and character of the people who write it, and every once in a while, a band hits it right on the head. The Dears just happen to be one of those bands.The Montreal band describes themselves as alternative pop, however, they do not sound mainstream. When asked if The Dears make… Continue reading The Dears
By James Keller
There is some music that you’re just not going to get. Not everyone likes the same music, and that’s fair. Sometimes, it’s a matter of taste; sometimes, a matter of intellect. “High brow” music isn’t accessible to the masses, and that’s fair, too. But once in a while, unfortunately, it’s a matter of quality. Sometimes,… Continue reading Not Miles Davis jazz
Busking for Smiles veterans Jamie Cullen and Cameron May have spent many an afternoon over a pint or two at the Den. The only difference this time out was that I brought my tape recorder. You see, this afternoon’s chat marked quite the occasion. Almost four years after May and friend Steven Bleile thought it… Continue reading Busking into the Rozsa Centre
By Russ Dyck
Brent Tyler is a big guy twice over in the local music scene. He is well known amongst the local pub regulars, and if the Friendly Giant ever had a kid, it would most likely be Brent Tyler. Being such a big guy helped him in the past, playing basketball for our own Dinos men’s… Continue reading Making it in the big leagues
Is the accordion the instrument of anarchy?Those who saw Geoff Berner’s show in support of Kris Demeanor last Friday might think so.Touring in the wake of his latest album We Shall Not Flag or Fail, We Shall Go On to the End, Berner performed two sets of politically charged, bawdy, surprisingly emotional songs that, according… Continue reading Geoff Berner’s accordion anarchy
Once in a while, people cross our paths that make us feel more passionate about life than we ever dreamed possible. People with a different perspective, a different energy, a different take on the world. People that jolt you out of the mundane, pessimistic, repetitive existence of midterms, term papers and night shifts. Local hip-hop… Continue reading Modern day monks