CONTEST: Enter to win tickets to see Library Voices @ The WECC w/ Novillero and Naysa

Courtesy of the good folks over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for Library Voices show going down there on Friday, June 13th.

Novillero and Naysa are also on the bill!

If you're interested in checking out this killer bill, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Monday, June 9th with the subject line "Library Voices 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.

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Sunparlour Players @ The WECC

Courtesy of the good folks over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for Sunparlour Players show going down on Thursday, April 17th. 

If you're interested in checking out the guys, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Monday, April 14th with the subject line "Sunparlour Players 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.

Read more...

Jessy Lanza to play the WECC

Hamilton-based artist Jessy Lanza just announced a tour in support of her much buzzed-about debut, Pull My Hair Back, which includes a Winnipeg date at the West End Cultural Centre on May 11th.

I'm intrigued.

Read more...

Afternoon Headlines: The WECC books Evan Dando, Library Voices

First up, 90s Flashback alert: Evan Dando (of Lemonheads) is at the WECC on Sunday, May 18th w/ Sara Johnston (of Bran Van 3000).

Library Voices returns to town for a show at the WECC on Friday, June 13th.

On Thursday, May 1st local up-and-comers Naysa is releasing its latest EP, Troubled Heart, at the Windsor Hotel w/ The Unbelievable Bargains, Paincave, and Palm Trees.

The Dead South is playing Times Changed on Friday, March 28th at part of Juno Fest.

And finally...Poemss (featuring Aaron Funk of Venetian Snares) is at the Purple Room (318 Ross Avenue) on Friday, April 25th w/ Ghost Twin and Glass Random (thanks to Dave for the heads up).

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Mark Berube @ The West End Cultural Centre

Courtesy of our friends over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Mark Berube (with full band) show going down on Friday, February 21st. 

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Monday, February 17th with the subject line "Mark Berube 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.

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Raleigh @ The WECC w/ Few Who Do, From Giants

Courtesy of our friends over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Raleigh show going down on Friday, November 29th. Few Who Do and From Giants get the evening started.

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Thursday, November 21st 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.

Read more...

Afternoon Headline: July Talk @ The WECC w/ Thomas D'Arcy

Stellar double bill going down at the WECC on Monday, November 4th: July Talk w/ Thomas D'Arcy (ex-Small Sins leader). See ya there!

Read more...

CONTEST: Enter to win tickets to see Leif Vollebekk @ The WECC

Courtesy of our friends over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Leif Vollebekk show going down on Friday, October 11th. Vanessa Kuzina and Woodpigeon are also on the bill.

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Friday, October 4th with the subject line "Leif Vollebekk 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.

Read more...

PHOTOS: Young Galaxy @ The West End Cultural Centre

Young Galaxy

The West End Cultural Centre

September 18, 2013

All photos by Sarah Gofflot

Young Galaxy put on a heckuva performance last night at the WECC (albeit a short one). Anyone else there?

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Young Galaxy @ The WECC

Courtesy of our giving pals over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Young Galaxy show going down on Wednesday, September 18th. Human Human get the party started.

Oh, and there's Bike Valet that night too!

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by noon CST on Wednesday, September 11th with the subject line "Young Galaxy 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.

Read more...

Afternoon Headlines: Leif Vollebekk @ The WECC; Rae Spoon @ The Windsor

First up, erstwhile 11 Qs participant Leif Vollebekk is at the WECC on Friday, October 11th.

Speaking of the WECC, solid double bill going down there on Saturday, October 5th: singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni is there with Rose Cousins.

Cancer Bats and Bat Sabbath will play the Pyramid on Thursday, October 10th.

The Pretty Reckless is at the WECC on Monday, October 21st.

Rae Spoon drops by the Windsor on Saturday, November 23rd.

Pistol George Warren rocks the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club on Thursday, August 1st.

For a good time, try oft-buzzed-about Shred Kelly at the Windsor on Monday, July 29th w/ Loon Choir.

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls will be at the Garrick on Saturday, October 26th w/ The Smith Street Band and Koo Koo Kango Roo. 

Dry Bones is at the WECC on Wednesday, August 7th.

Lee Harvey Osmond is there on Friday, October 4th.

And finally, Canadian guitar playin' treasure Amos Garrett's home in High River, Alberta was completely wrecked in late June's flood, so a benefit concert for him is going down at the WECC on Thursday, August 15th featuring Al Simmons, Nathan Rogers, Dust Rhinos, and Lindsay Jane. 

Read more...

Afternoon Headline: Young Galaxy @ The WECC

Young Galaxy performing at NXNE

Zounds! This September in Winnipeg. Iron and Wine. Passion Pit. The Dodos. Soooo much great live music going on, and here's another: Young Galaxy will be at the West End Cultural Centre on Wednesday, September 18th.

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ The WECC

(Yes, that's McLovin' stirring up trouble.)

Courtesy of the good folks over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the Unknown Mortal Orchestra show going down on Friday, June 21st. Also on the bill is Bass Drum of Death. Oh, and there's Bike Valet that night too!

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by Friday, June 14th at noon CST with the subject line "Unknown Mortal Orchestra 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.

Read more...

Contest: Enter to win tickets to see The Abramson Singers @ The WECC

Courtesy of our best pals over at the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the The Abramson Singers show going down on Monday, May 20th. Joining them on the bill is Oshima, solo project of Michael P Falk (Les Jupes).

If you're interested in checking out the event, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by Thursday, May 16th at noon CST with the subject line "The Abramson Singers 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.

Read more...

Concert Review: Purity Ring w/ Blue Hawaii @ The WECC

Purity Ring w/ Blue Hawaii

Wednesday, May 1st

The West End Cultural Centre

Winnipeg, MB

It’s been a banner year for Canadian electro-pop band Purity Ring.  They began making waves in 2011 when a steady drip of songs were picked up and hyped online by Pitchfork, and have gone on to garner buzz at SxSW and, more recently, a high-billed slot at Coachella.  Their July 2012 debut record Shrines was hotly anticipated and did not disappoint, receiving near universal plaudits from across the blogosphere.

Blue Hawaii kicked off the evening. Despite releasing an underwhelming sophomore record, Untogether, earlier this year, its set was altogether more expansive and developed and earned a warm reception from the audience. And a highly rare encore song (from an opener!). Look for vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston to return to her other project Braids soon; the follow-up record to Native Speakers will be released later this year.

Finally, came Purity Ring. Making its second stop at the West End in less than a year, it is evident Purity Ring has cultivated an impressive live show, which revolves around a multimedia, translucent-paper-cocoon-lantern light show.  It was a long developed project in which they sought to both create a more interactive audience experience and make themselves feel more comfortable on stage.  It presented itself nicely on Wednesday night, in a well-versed and tight 45-minute set that spanned its debut plus a cover.  Throughout, Roddick conducted musical proceedings while James drifted around stage and evoked a séance medium persona amidst the shimmering cocoons and smoke.

Maybe one of the reasons that Purity Ring has achieved such success is owing to the different aural spheres that both Roddick and James are working from.  Roddick creates sounds that have a sweet otherworldly aura with elements of R n’ B and these stylings fuse brilliantly with James’ delicate and highly literate vocals.

The capacity crowd at the West End certainly agreed.

-Will Burton

Read more...

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.

-----

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

Read more...

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.

Read more...

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.

Read more...

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.

Read more...

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

Read more...