In The Know...11 Questions w/ Boats

Boats just might be my favourite local band.

Seriously.

Their latest release, Cannonballs, Cannonballs is home to smart, sophisticated, and enviably inventive pop that runs amok all over its 12 tracks. And each listen reveals something fresh and exciting, making it one of those rare and rewarding efforts I actively seek out.

See the band perform these highly eccentric pop tunes on September 9th at the U of W, then again on October 2nd at the friendly neighbourhood Lo Pub.

The band's touring lineup features a revolving cast of Winnipeg musical characters all built around singer-songwriter Mat Klachefsky. I recently tracked down the band's leader for 11 questions, and below is what he had to say.


1. Where are you right now?

I am in my house that I am about to move out of.  There is no furniture so everything is in piles on the floor.

Let’s talk Winnipeg…

2. Who is the most underrated Winnipeg-based band?

Ian La Rue!  Guy has been putting out records quietly for the last 8 years or so and they are great, especially his new one A History of Layers.  Plus it’s fun to yell his name out in crowds.

3. What is your favourite local venue?

That’s a tough one…  For comfort, I’ll say Lo-Pub, it’s a great little spot but the building is not the best set up for live music.  The West End Cultural Center is the best pure-music venue but it’s more of a theatre.

4. Where do you shop for music?

Music Trader!  Employee discount!!





5. Where is the best place in town to catch a bite?

There’s a million good places but I’ll say Falafel House.  It’s near my house.  They got good breakfast and falafel and sometimes the cook yells at people.

6. What’s the worst bus route in the city?

ALL OF THEM.  Winnipeg has the worst bus system on earth.

And some hodgepodge…

7. What are some albums that completely changed your life?

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over The Sea
Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
Matador Records - Everything is Nice Compliation

8. Of the albums you own, which has the best cover art?

Without looking at every cover in my collection I’m going to say Grandaddy – Sophtware Slump.  I’m a sucker for rolling hills.

9. What TV shows are you currently following?

I’m on Season 4 of the Wire.






10. What is your current ringtone?

Funny you ask, I just got my first ever cell phone and no one has called me yet so I don’t know.

11. And finally, would you rather have the ability to fly or to turn invisible? 

Flying would make touring way easier.

Read more...

In The Future...Romi Mayes opens for Danny Michel; Ridley Bent @ The Park Theatre; And More!

First up, let’s fill out a few previously announced shows:

• Add local fave Romi Mayes (above) to the Danny Michel show, going down at the WECC on September 11th.  And if you missed the previous post, I’ve got two tickets up for grabs.

• Arkells and Meligrove Band are both on September 26th’s Tokyo Police Club bill going down at The Garrick.

• Indian Jewelry open for Holy Fuck, October 5th at the Pyramid.

Second bits of very cool news: The always welcoming Park Theatre Café is celebrating its 5th year in style. And by that, I mean three festive days of solid tunes courtesy of:

• Don Ross on September 9th. 
• JP Hoe and the Truly Richards on September 10th.
• Imaginary Cities and Royal Canoe on September 11th. 

Speaking of the Park Theatre, resident roots star Ridley Bent pops in there on October 9th in support of his rave-review-earning LP, Rabbit on my Wheel.

Whilst on the subject of extolled Peg City talent, the Juno-winnin’, roots lovin’, great songwritin’ Chic Gamine are staging their CD release at the West End Cultural Centre on November 13th.

Over at the Albert Calgarian art-rock outfit Women rock the cavern-like joint on September 25th.

Rae Spoon is touring Canada over the next few months in support of his just-released , surprisingly danceable record, Love is a Hunter. This includes a show at The Rocker (above Mondragon) on October 1st.

And finally, Coheed & Cambria are at the Garrick on October 24th.

Read more...

In The Know...Interview with Danny Michel

Sometimes you play an album for the first time and it, well, just hits the spot.

Take singer-songwriter Danny Michel's latest offering Sunset Sea, for example. From the first few laid-back notes of album opener "Maybe You Can Find It In Your Heart", it's difficult not to get instantly sucked in by the warm, summery melodies and overall feel-good aesthetic vibe the record offers. And the eight songs are punctuated, as always, by Michel's knack for thoughtful storytelling and his unaffected, slightly raspy delivery.

It's no surprise, then, that Sunset Sea was mostly written and recorded in remote Caribbean hot spot Belize (formerly known as British Honduras), a small tropical nation abounding in cultural diversity (and the only Central American country whose official language is English).

Hear him perform songs off Sunset Sea live on September 11th @ The West End Cultural Centre.

I recently caught up with Michel and asked him about the role Belize played in shaping Sunset Sea, the collaboration with Sarah Harmer, and his thoughts about the optimal crowd size.

Painting over Silence: Sunset Sea is your eighth studio record to date. Is this the first album to be conceived all over the place – from Belize to Holland back to Canada – or do you typically write/record whenever and wherever your travels take you? Did the end result match your original vision?

Danny Michel: I've never had a regular pattern of writing. I write when the feeling strikes. So where I am doesn't matter. But I did go to Belize with the intention of sitting down to just write. I rented a small house on stilts by the sea and just wrote songs & swam. The album did turn out how I heard it my head

PoS: How did the varied cultures of these countries ultimately shape the aural aesthetic of Sunset Sea? Were there certain native sounds or local musicians that caught your ear and inspired/influenced your songwriting process?

DM: Oddly enough, I've found very little live music in Belize. The sound is more influenced by the culture, places & energy of the people. I can hear music in the silence of the Mayan ruins or a sailboat cutting through the waves out at sea. All kinds of things added to the songs

PoS: Treasured Canadian songstress Sarah Harmer guests on “Binary Star”, the album’s final track. How did this collaboration come about?

DM: Sarah was actually in Costa Rica at the time & we did it over the internet. I sent a demo and Sarah sang her part into the little microphone built into her laptop....the effect was perfect for the song. I was & always will be so flattered she liked the song.

PoS: Speaking of collaborations, while Sunset Sea is a bona fide Danny Michel release, it’s also the result of musical input and contributions from friends, family, and, most surprisingly, fans. Were you ever overwhelmed by the myriad ideas that surely surfaced?

DM: Yes. It was a real blast to open each one, not knowing what I would hear.

PoS: How many recordings from fans did you receive?

DM: Oh, many. Tons of wonderful snippets. Maybe they'll find there way onto records someday

PoS: On your website there are several video blog posts that offer candid windows into the making of Sunset Sea. Why did you decide to document the behind-the-scenes writing/recording process?

DM: We felt we were making an album that was a little more special than usual. We wanted to let everyone in. We wanted people to be & feel involved.

PoS: Were there any tracks that didn’t make it onto the album? If so, do you have plans to release these songs at a later date, perhaps on a rarities compilation disc (or download)?

DM: There are always tracks that don't make the cut. It's always a horse race....Hard to say where the losers will wind up. Maybe another chance, or maybe off to the glue factory with them!

PoS: And finally, I read somewhere that your favorite crowd size is around 200. What is it about performing in front of around 200 fans that makes it an optimal show?
   
DM: I like having a connection with the crowd. Visually. I can feel how it's all going by their faces & can adjust if needed. When shows get too big you lose that. Even 200 is a lot. The worst is when its so dark you can't see anyone or anything. That's the worst way to ever have to perform. That's like trying to play in your closet.

***

Wanna see the show?

Courtesy of those generous, PoS friends the West End Cultural Centre, I've got a pair of tickets to Michel's show to giveaway. If you're interested, flip me an email (on the right) by noon on September 7th with the subject line "Danny Michel Ticket Giveaway" and your name in the body. One entry per person please.

Read more...

In The Future...The RAA @ WECC; Dan Mangan @ Park Theatre; And More!

The fall concert season is in full swing, and here’s another gem of a show to seriously consider: the white-hot Rural Alberta Advantage return to the West End Cultural Centre on October 27^th. Their last gig here was amazing. 

Alpha Couple have been added to tonight’s Grimes and Pop Winds bill @ the Lo Pub.

Winnipeg’s mighty fine indie-poppers Boats play the Lo Pub on October 2^nd.

Vancouver indie-roots act The Sumner Brothers stop by the Cyrk on September 1^st, then Times Changed the night after.

Polaris Prize short list maker / all around fantastic singer-songwriter Dan Mangan performs at the Park Theatre on November 19^th w/ The Burning Hell.

Magnum K.I., the After Party, and Sub City are all the WECC on September 10^th.

And finally, exCrash Test Dummy Son of Dave (Benjamin Darvill) is at the WECC on October 5^th w/ Patrick Keenan.

Read more...

In The Future...Arcade Fire Ticket Info; Gord Downie @ Garrick; Et Alia!

Ok. First up, ticketmaster released info about Arcade Fire's upcoming MTS Centre September 23rd date: no presale (as of yet) with generals up for grabs on Friday. Prices are head-scratchingly reasonable, ranging from $41.75 to $57.75 (including taxes and most fees).

Gord Downie & The Country of Miracles get together at the Garrick on October 7th. Never been a hip fan, but I was sure impressed with his band's loose and jaunty set @ Folk Fest '10.

What's in Edmonton's drinking water these days? Dropping by the Lo Pub on September 24th is another highly inventive indie-pop act from Alberta's capital: Hot Panda. If only my Oilers could get some of that top quality H20...

And finally, seasoned shock-rockers GWAR are embarking on their annual pilgrimage to the city this December 4th at the Garrick.

Read more...

In The Future...Arcade Fire @ MTS Centre

This just in: adjust those September music budgets (which, if you're me, you already spent a pretty penny on the Flaming Lips): Montreal's favourite orchestral-pop rockers Arcade Fire are bringing the Suburbs to downtown Winnipeg! They'll be at the MTS Centre on the autumnal equinox (September 23rd, to those who don't watch Cash Cab regularly).

No word yet on ticket prices. Nor when they're up for grabs. In the meantime, check out their killer performance on the Daily Show last night.

Wait a sec. A musical guest on the Daily Show?

Read more...

In The Future...Caribou @ The WECC; Hannah Georgas and Royal Wood there, too; And More!

Making his second Peg City appearance in just four months, tireless electro-indie / mathematics wunderkind Caribou stops by the West End Cultural Centre on September 28th. Cleveland prog-electronic trio Emeralds get the party started.

Trying to remember if Caribou (nee Manitoba) ever played there before…

Speaking of the WECC, solid double bill there on October 16th: singer-songwriters Royal Wood and Hannah Georgas.

Pearly Gate Music open for Blitzen Trapper, September 27th @ the WECC.

Whilst on the subject of openers, indie-rockers Zeus warm up the crowd for Jamie Lidell, October 7th @ the Pyramid.

Vancouver's The Pack A.D. rock the Lo Pub on September 14th.

Former Jurassic 5 member Chali 2na performs at the Pyramid on September 15th w/ The Lytics.

And finally, synth-popper Lights’ fanbase is growing exponentially: she’s now the headliner at the Burton Cummings Theatre on October 15th. That’s a lot of headband wearers under one roof.

Read more...