By Josh LaVoie
From a land of seemingly endless winter and not a hill to be seen comes some of Canada’s best music. Winnipeg has given bands like Propagandhi and The Guess Who a chance to show the world what Manitoba is made of. Since the fall of 1999, the trio of Jo Snyder, Paul Furgale, and most… Continue reading Winnipeg isn’t all bad
Halfway through my conversation with Lorrie Matheson, a group of carolers come into the Kensington cafe where we are eating lunch. Their long flannel coats seem incongruous with Calgary’s surprisingly balmy late-November weather. Following their brief performance, the former lead singer of noted local bands National Dust and Fire Engine Red looks across the table… Continue reading Lorrie Knows
By Falice Chin
Many have heard that poetry is painting with the gift of speech. The special type of communication that is exclusive to poetry is that words can move in and out of the poet and reader’s inner emotions. Ursula Rucker is one of the biggest names in the music industry who records her poetry over multiple… Continue reading Ursula Rucker sings poetry
By Nicole Riva
The story of Cathartic began just over one year ago in Medicine Hat; they met in true rock and roll form, drunk. After starting out as a four piece, they decided to part ways with their fourth member, leaving Adam Koch on bass, Kevin Shawcross on vocals and guitar and Justin Boodhoo on drums. Their… Continue reading Cathartic want Nickelback’s fame
By James Keller
“You’re probably going to hack us. I know just by the angle you took with your questions, but that’s cool.”This came casually from Paul Gigliotti, half of Canadian pop duo Wave, after our 45-minute interview, and he didn’t seem at all disconcerted. He knew I was from a university newspaper–hardly the target audience for the… Continue reading Trying to look past the first Wave
By Adam Goetz
You don’t have to look far to find some local talent in Calgary; in fact, one of the founding members of Rum Runner had been sitting beside me in my film class the entire time. Now, to quickly bring you up to speed: Rum Runner recorded their first album independently in April and they are… Continue reading Rum Runner hates Avril Lavigne
By James Keller
It’s a difficult situation. You’re a fairly seasoned Canadian band–part blues, part rock and a little pop-rock to push it through–and you’ve been asked to open for AC/DC. What’s more, you were asked only because Slash, who was originally on the bill, pulled out at the last minute. Aside from the fact that you’re playing… Continue reading Turning the volume knob to 11
By James Keller
The concept of the unplugged concert, popularized by the MTV series of the same name, invokes many different musical images. From acoustic guitars and bongo drums to tambourines and untouched vocals, they all have one thing in common: it’s about music, bare bones and stripped-down, pure and simple.Enter Busking for Smiles. You may have seen… Continue reading Off the street and into the spotlight
Ladies and gentlemen, the stage has been set and the bands have been chosen. The war of the worlds has begun. For the past two weeks at Quincy’s and the Sambuca Lounge, a battle of the bands has been raging on, laying claim to some great local talent pitted against each other.“We did this so… Continue reading Local music showdown
By Falice Chin
Josh Martinez is one of the most charismatic abstract hip-hop acts, always leaving listeners stunned with his sublime cloud of words. His music, characterized by sharp intelligence, clever rhymes, and unpredictable improvisations, is slowly heading in the opposite direction of hip-hop norm. The Halifax native wants to represent Canadian hip-hop, hoping to spread his personal… Continue reading Session with Martinez