Top Five "Must Attend" Events this May in Peg City

Welcome to a regular feature on Painting over Silence that previews the month ahead on the Winnipeg concert front: each month we'll be spotlighting five local shows/festivals deemed as "must-attend." This month's "must-attenders" were selected by contributor Stefani-Raine Allan, and, without further adieu, here are the five she selected, in chronological order:

Purity Ring (above)

Wednesday, May 1st

West End Cultural Centre

8 PM

I have this neurotic fear that if I miss a potentially great show, the opportunity may never present itself again in quite the same way. Last year I wasn’t able to see Purity Ring, and I’m so excited (and relieved) the band is headed back to the West End for another go in the ‘Peg. This electro-pop twosome, comprised of Megan James and Corin Roddick, is touring in support of their debut release Shrines. Kicking off the night is Blue Hawaii – more electronic deliciousness from Montréal, not an Elvis cover band – playing tunes from their ethereal album Untogether.

$17 at Music Trader, Into the Music, and online at northerntickets.com 

Masaki Batoh

Thursday, May 9th

West End Cultural Centre

8 PM

Masaki Batoh’s got his music down to a science – literally. Also known as the driving force behind Ghost, a Japanese psych rock group circa the ‘90s, Batoh creates music from human brain wave patterns through a machine he created specifically for this project. The process is a tad complex, and frankly, the mix of mechanics and musicianship has my left and right brains confused! This might go down as one of the most oddly transcendent, Suzuki-esque shows Winnipeg’s seen. If anything, you’ll have a guaranteed conversation starter for patio season. If that ever comes…

$15 @ WECC and Ticketmaster

Fleetwood Mac

Sunday, May 12th

MTS Centre

8 PM

Growing up, Fleetwood Mac albums were among the many classic rock records my parents kept on the shelf in the living room. I used to listen to Songbird repetitively, and fawn over Stevie Nicks’ billowing sleeves and long, blonde locks while I sang along. But even if you don’t have childhood memories of this Grammy-award-winning, rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductee band, you might be surprised at how many of their songs you actually know. This world tour, the first since 2009, will pull all the hits from their 17 studio albums, and it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Don’t miss out!

$49.50 - $179.50, Ticketmaster

Mayworks Festival

Throughout May

Various locales

Mayworks is a labour festival utilising various art forms to focus our attention on working class issues. Inspired by 1919 General Strike, the festival showcases our diverse, prairie talent pool in multiple expressions ranging from poetry to amateur theatre. During the month of May, there are a few concerts that sound interesting – and educational! These include:
- Mayday Cabaret: United in Song ft. RasTamils. Mondragon,  7:30 PM. May 1st
- Festival of Mandolins ft. The Mandolin Orchestra. Ukrainian Labour Temple, 7:30 PM. May 11th
- The Songs & Music of Pete Seeger ft. Red Moon Road. WAG, 8:00 PM. May 24th
You can check out the event calendar here for more information about costs and other events.

P.S. Tune in to CKUW every Monday at 5:30PM for special Mayworks radio programming!

A Night of Original Music

Thursday, May 23rd

Folk Exchange

7:30 PM

Well, I was going to suggest going to see MGMT at the Burt, but that show sold out eons ago (I’m a little upset about it, hence the melodramatic italics). I can’t really find anything that feels comparable, so here is my suggestion: Make your own music! The Manitoba Independent Songwriters Circle presents a monthly event called – you guessed it – A Night of Original Music. This is an opportunity to perform your original works at an open mic and have others provide constructive criticism for your lyrics. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? Except Andrew VanWyngarden. He was born a genius.

See website for more details; first two events are free, after that it’s a mere two bucks at the door.

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Now it's your turn, Dear Readers. What shows/events are you looking forward to this month?

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In my younger and more vulnerable years...records that had a lasting impact on Raleigh

Welcome to a regular feature on Painting over Silence in which musicians share records that had an indelible impact on themselves and discuss what it is about these albums that were - or continue to be - so important toward their own musical development.

In this edition of In My Younger...we're joined by three members (sorta) of Calgary-based indie-folk-pop act Raleigh.

Seamlessly weaving in elements of pop, roots, and folk in its sound, the buzzed-about trio present these dynamic, quirky stylings to folks at the West End Cultural Centre on Friday, May 3rd. Also on the bill is Kieran West & His Buffalo Band and Poorboy. Show kicks off at 8 p.m.

Reminder: we're giving away tickets to the show, but the contest ends tomorrow.

All three members - Clea Anaïs, Brock Geiger, and Matt Doherty (via Clea and Brock) - selected one record vital to their musical development. Here’s what they had to say about each:

Clea's pick:

If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian (1996)

I was eight years old when I got into Belle and Sebastian. It was my older sister's record, but I had it on a constant loop in my room. It was a tough time in my life and this was the record that gave me solace through listening to music that was simultaneously melancholy, beautiful, and hopeful as well. I wrote my own first lyrics while listening to If You're Feeling Sinsiter, and discovered the subtleties and dynamics of indie orchestral pop.

Brock's pick:

Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads (1984)

When I first started playing guitar with my friends in junior high, we were set on being the next best classic rock heroes. We were maniacs about Pink Floyd and did a full set of The Who covers at our first show ever. My mom started dating someone new at this time and knowing I was a music fan he gave me three "recommended listens:" Wilco's A Ghost is Born, Frank Zappa's Sheik Yerbouti, and Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads. I was floored by all three, but the Talking Heads stayed in my sony discman for almost a year solid. I finally got to see David Byrne last year performing the 'Love This Giant' tour with St. Vincent. SO much swagger and personality. Amazing.

Matt's pick:

Greatest Hits Collection - R. Kelly

Matt didn't get back to us with a choice, so we decided for him. We don't think this pick is too far off though. Last tour he was glued to R.Kelly's autobiography and he started emulating the guy. He keeps wanting to sleep in hotel room closets and stuff.

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Afternoon Headlines: Greg MacPherson @ The Albert; Oldfolks Home @ The Park

According to the Albert's Facebook page, Winnipeg's own Greg MacPherson makes his triumphant return to the local stage on Friday, May 24th at the newly-reopened venue.

Speaking of which, Toronto-based indie-rockers Hooded Fang play the joint on Wednesday, June 12th.

Their competition that night? The Cave Singers at the Pyramid.

Winnipeg's own Oldfolks Home is at the Park Theatre on Friday, June 28th. Check for the new record, Black & Blue, on May 7th (via Head in the Sand).

A Wilhelm Scream is at the West End Cultural Centre on Tuesday, July 2nd w/ The Flatliners.

And finally, on Tuesday, May 14th at the Park Theatre, Manitoba Music presents a live event to celebrate Flood At The Trading Post:A New Compilation of Young, Up-and-coming Manitoban Musicians. Featured on the bill are contributors to the compilation: Left of Centre, Viridians, and Almost Birds. Tix are $3 (yup, $3) at the door.

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Morning Headlines: Sir Paul @ Investors Group Field; Fred Eaglesmith @ The Park

Sir Paul McCartney returns to Winnipeg for the first time in ~20 years for an outdoor soiree on Monday, August 12th at Investors Group Field. Tickets range from $35 - $250. Check for me in the nose bleeds.

Fred Eaglesmith is at the Park Theatre on Friday, August 9th.

As part of this year's Jazz Fest, BADBADNOTGOOD is at the Pyramid on Wednesday, June 19th.

Hollerado rocks the same joint on Friday, June 21st.

DJ Questlove performs a 60-minute DJ set there the night after. 

And finally, take a trip back to 1994 and see The Counting Crows and The Wallflowers at the Centennial Concert Hall on Wednesday, July 10th. Yikes! That conflicts with Folk Fest. Double Yikes! Tickets start at $66.

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Contest: Enter to win tickets to Raleigh @ The WECC

Courtesy of the good folks over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Raleigh show going down on Friday, May 3rd. Joining them on the bill is Keiran West & His Buffalo Band as well as Poorboy.

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by Tuesday, April 30th at noon CST with the subject line "Raleigh Ticket Giveaway" and your name in the email's body. Winning name will be drawn randomly sometime that afternoon and contacted shortly thereafter, with the first name and last initial published on my Twitter account.

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Afternoon Headlines: The Besnard Lakes to play the Park Theatre

Personal fave The Besnard Lakes return to Peg City for a date at the Park Theatre on Tuesday, June 18th (although the event is presented by the WECC). Joining them will be July Talk and Grounders. Ticket $20.

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Concert Review: The Men w/ The Hoots @ The WECC

The Men w/ The Hoots

Sunday, April 14th

The West End Cultural Centre

Winnipeg, MB

The Men don’t fuck around.  Their no-nonsense style offered at the West End Cultural Centre on Sunday night showed that there is more depth to their simple name than expected.  Garage, rock, indie, alt-country songs have all been put to disc by The Men in their short-yet-prolific, four-records-in-five-years history, and their raucous garage rock show drew from this array of styles.

On Sunday evening, the Men mainly pulled from their two most recent albums -- Open Your Heart (2012) and New Moon (2013) -- but also previewed new material, which recent interviews suggest is ready for imminent release via Sacred Bones.  If listening to their sound didn’t hint enough toward the influence, guitarist Kevin Faulkner adorned a 2008 North American Tour t-shirt of Winnipeg’s Golden Boy Neil Young.  The show evoked the aggression of Young, particularly in his raw, Crazy Horse moments.

The Men blazed through the hour-long set with a professional, workman-like attitude, efficiently shared vocal responsibilities between the three guitarists and lone keyboardist. Very little banter was had. They closed with set highlight New Moon closer ‘Supermoon, and 8-minute, slow-building number that winds into a manic, yet methodical, jam.  The Men have something that other bands towing the same musical line don’t – they have big hooks, intensity, variance, and undeniable songwriting consistency.  It was a powerful, masculine-charged performance, and it’s clear that their relentless energy is not solely directed to their shows, but musical output too.  Neil Young would, no doubt, have approved.

Fortune favored the few who had arrived prior to 8:30 with local act The Hoots (off I’m Trying Records) opening.  They were great. Their shoegaze-psychedelica and sprawling, winding guitars paired muffled vocals fed nicely into the headliner’s set.

- Will Burton

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Morning Headlines: Rococode, Mac DeMarco, Shotgun Jimmie, From Giants all book dates @ The Park Theatre

First up, solid triple bill going down at the Park Theatre on Thursday, April 18th: Vancouver indie-pop/rockers Rococode play the joint. Salinas and Animal Teeth complete the bill.

Speaking of the Park...Mac DeMarco and his band will be there on Wednesday, June 26th w/ Departures.

Join Shotgun Jimmie and Cannon Bros at the Park on Saturday, May 25th.

And finally, burgeoning local folk band From Giants is releasing its debut EP, This Burden is Light, at the Park Theatre on May 9th. Keri Latimer opens.

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Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Little Annie and Baby Dee @ The WECC

On Friday, April 19th, Little Annie is teaming up with her good pal Baby Dee to perform songs off their 2012 record, State of Grace. And courtesy of our pals over at the WECC, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the show.


If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by Monday, April 15th at noon CST with the subject line "Baby Dee and Little Annie Ticket Giveaway" and your name in the email's body. Winning name will be drawn randomly sometime that afternoon and contacted shortly thereafter, with the first name and last initial published on my Twitter account.

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Afternoon Headlines: Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ The WECC; Claire Morrison EP release

First up, a concert that has me brimming with excitement: Portland-rooted psych-rockers Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be at the WECC on Friday, June 21st. Tickets will ran ya $15 in advance.

Masaki Batoh - integral member of Tokyo's Ghost - will bring his Brain Pulse Music project to the WECC on Thursday, May 9th.

Irrepressible rockers KISS will be at the MTS Centre on Thursday, July 18th. Will Gene Simmons wear his key to the city around his neck?

Local singer-songwriter Claire Morrison is releasing her debut EP, Here's to You, Here's to Me, at Ballroom (218 Roslyn Road) on Friday, April 26th.

Comeback Kid is at the WECC on Thursday, May 23rd w/Distances.

Calgary's Raleigh is at the WECC on Friday, May 3rd w/ Kieran West and his Buffalo Band & Poorboy.

And finally, triple bill going down at the WECC on Tuesday, June 4th: Your Demise, Empire, and Rotting Out.

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In my younger and more vulnerable years...records that had a lasting impact on Eagle Lake Owls

Welcome to a regular feature on Painting over Silence in which musicians share records that had an indelible impact on themselves and discuss what it is about these albums that were - or continue to be - so important toward their own musical development.

In this edition of In My Younger...we're joined by two members of up-and-coming Winnipeg folk group Eagle Lake Owls: leader-songwriter Andy Cole and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Dominique Lemoine. 

Rounded out by cellist Nathan Krahn, the trio will introduce the city to its stripped-down folk stylings this Saturday night at its EP release going down at the Exchange Community Church. Federal Lights and Man The Selector kick off the event. Show starts at 8. 

Both Cole and Lemoine each picked two records, and here's what they had to say about them: 

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Andy Cole's Picks:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

It remains something I often go to in my mind, intentionally or not, when I'm writing. It's sad, tragic, dirty, frenetic and raw. There are layers upon layers of meaning, but you can take a lot of it on face value and feel like you understand. It's one complete experience that leaves me emotional and exhausted every time. Musically, it taught me that a melody can expand greatly across just a few chords. I pretty much learned to sing by playing these songs on my guitar and howling the words when nobody else was home. 

Transistor Sound & Lighting Co. - Self-Titled

I was 16, and it was my first indie record ever. It's noisy in a way that serves the melody, and production tricks become a part of the music rather than just some kind of sheen. White noise, feedback and phone filters are as much a part of the songs as the guitar. The songwriting is very organic - if the point is made and it's only been a minute and ten seconds, then that's it. That was a big lesson for me to learn, that a song didn't have to fit the verse-chorus-verse template. It's such a "summer" album for me that I can only listen to it at that time of the year, and keep the CD stashed away til then. 

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Dominique Lemoine's Picks:

No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom

In 1995, I was in Grade 4 and the girls in my class were talking about No Doubt. I didn’t know what it was but I wanted to find out, so I asked for Tragic Kingdom on tape for Christmas and was surprised and ecstatic that my conservative parents actually bought it for me. It was a treasure, my first record, other than mix tapes of songs recorded from the radio. I still know it by heart.

The Beatles – 1

In 2000, my parents separated and my dad asked me for The Beatles’ greatest hits record for Christmas. I happily bought it for him, knowing they were a famous band from the 60’s but not knowing their music at all. The next summer, my dad took my siblings and I camping in the Whiteshell and we listened to the CD I’d gotten him on the way there. I was flabbergasted. For years after that, I couldn’t get enough of them.

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Top Five "Must-Attend" Events This April in Peg City

Yukon Blonde is at the Pyramid in a few days. It's highly doubtful the dogs are along for the trip. 

Welcome to a regular feature on Painting over Silence that previews the month ahead on the Winnipeg concert front: each month we'll be spotlighting five local shows/festivals deemed as "must-attend." This month's "must-attenders" were selected by contributor Stefani-Raine Allan, and, without further adieu, here are the five she selected, in chronological order:

Rah Rah

The Park Theatre

Tuesday, April 2

8 p.m.

I’m from Saskatchewan, so I actually have quite a fondness for all things SK, and Rah Rah – arguably the best thing to come out of Regina since Dick Assman – ranks up there. The stage antics of these multi-instrumental pop-folksters are as fun and entertaining as their tunes. Local acoustic outfit Yes We Mystic and Charlottetown natives Two Hours Traffic join them on this eclectic Canadian bill. It'll be a solid show. I hope you can take my word for it, now that you know I hail from Riderville ...

Tickets are $12/advance or $16/door.

Yukon Blonde w/Zeus

Pyramid Cabaret

Wednesday, April 3

8 p.m.

Unseasonably frigid April weather calls for back-to-back weekday indie shows, don't you think? Check out BC indie-rock trio Yukon Blonde at the Pyramid; they're touring in support of their new album, Tiger Talk. I've been streaming it on their website, and it’s ridiculously catchy and upbeat. Check out “My Girl” and “Stairway for LA.” Also on the bill is another staple on the Canadian music scene – Zeus – who always deliver a raucous, entertaining set. For the vinyl lovers, they'll be selling a deluxe edition of their latest record, Busting Visions, which includes an appropriately titled 7-song EP, Cover Me (featuring covers by Stone Temple Pilots and Sam Roberts Band, of all things.)

Tickets are $18.50 in advance.

The Bad Nerves EP Release

Royal Albert Arms Hotel

Friday, April 5th

9:30 p.m.

Over the last few weeks, I've overheard this question a lot: "So, have you been to the Albert yet?" If you didn't realize it's back open, then there's no time to waste. The Bad Nerves are celebrating their EP release along with Surprise Party, The Thrashers and Hostile Life. If you're not a hardcore fan, that's okay. After all, drinking pints of PBR with friends in a back corner is a perfectly legitimate way to spend an evening.

Tickets are a scant $8 at the door. 

Todd Snider

West End Cultural Centre

Wednesday, April 17

8 p.m.

Since Folk Fest last summer, I've been hoping Todd Snider would make another visit to our fair city. I got my wish. The ever-prolific Snider's been pumping out great folk-Americana albums since the mid 90s, and after an expansive near-20 year career, his low-key, storyteller style still captures the hearts of his adoring audiences. He's on his way to becoming an American legend, and I'm already looking forward to telling my kids I saw Todd Snider at the West End way back in the day...
Romi Mayes opens.

Tickets are $25 in advance. 

AIDA

Centennial Concert Hall

April 13, 16, 19

8 p.m.

And now for something completely different ... When was the last time you went to the Opera? I'll admit it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you've never been, it's a great way to try new things AND support Manitoba arts!  AIDA, which debuted in 1871, is a love story set in ancient Egypt and is one of the most popular operas of all time. So make a night of it - get dressed up, go for dinner, buy a pair of those mini binoculars, and please - leave your cell at home!  Culture On Every Corner is offering a 20% off deal on tickets - see details at cultureoneverycorner.ca.

Range of prices and seating guide available at manitobaopera.mb.ca.

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Now it's your turn, Dear Readers. What shows/events are you looking forward to this month?

Read more...