PREVUE // POP
Ariane Moffatt Sat, Feb 23 (8 pm) Paramount Theatre
A
fter exploring some new linguistic and conceptual territory on her fourth full-length album, MA, Montréal-based singer-songwriter Ariane Moffatt continues to expand her sonic palette, giving six of MA's
Remixed and revamped //Maude Aresenault
11 tracks a new lease on life through an ethereal and hypnotic collection of remixes. MA marked the first recording by Moffatt sung in English and French, a step influenced by her Mile End neighbourhood, where both languages are prevalent, and she found herself switching between the two on a regular basis. Regardless of the back and forth between languages, the central theme centering around the Japanese concept of MA—essentially the invisible space between things and seeing it as reality—ran throughout. However, she notes continuing to express this theme, a reflection of the contemplative approach to her creative process at the time, was not the goal with the remixed album. "I think you can feel in the music some kind of vibey thing that can relate to ma, but with the remixes, there's something hypnotic that can maybe make you think of flying in your imagination ... everyone can find the ma in it if they can, but I don't think there's necessarily a
MON, FEB 25, THE ARTERY
close relation," Moffatt says over the phone during a hectic morning where she has nine interviews in the span of two hours. The mastermind reinventing Moffatt's songs to create the dream-like disc was Poirier, Montréal's go-to guy for underground beats. Moffatt wrote, produced, published and played the majority of the instruments on the original version of the album, but says the "maternal" way she has with the tracks was a motivator to give them a second chance under new guidance, and potentially broaden her audience in the process. "We didn't aim for dance, for clubbing. As my way of listening to music, I like to feel a balance of something that is more ambient and can be listened to as much on low volume as on high in the car, so I wanted it to be groovy and moody and not necessarily banging," Moffat notes, adding that entrusting someone else with songs she had developed independently from start to finish was not a difficult feat. "Once a song is done, it has an identity and then you take parts, you pull it apart, but everything can start all over again. When you decide to take a path with songwriting or arrangements, you take one of the infinite paths you could have taken ... there's so much possibility that it's not a question of trust; it's a question of letting go." // MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Alterra 'W
hat goes better with good energy than drinking beer and pretty ladies?" laughs Alterra drummer Keith Tib. Adrenaline-pumping energy, partyrocking good vibes and of course, an appreciation for the ladies are pivotal themes of the local rock group's debut EP, aptly titled Amateur Night. "It's clearly about strippers," notes guitarist/vocalist Steve Lemay. "That's the theme of a lot of the songs we have—sleaze rock ... that's what I was raised on. I listened to Mötley Crue and Guns N' Roses growing up, and we all like going to the strippers and drinking beer, so it works out." The unapologetic, unabashed approach to music, designed to get the blood pumping and the party shaking, doesn't mean Alterra can't get serious at times, but even these tracks manage to strike a balance and not get too heavy. Lemay says the key is telling
W/ THE PROVINCIAL ARCHIVE
UNION AND AVENUE PRESENT SAT, MAR 23, AVENUE THEATRE
BORN RUFFIANS W/ THE ELWINS
TUES, MAR 26, ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM THEATRE
HAYDEN W/ LOU CANON FRI, MAR 1, THE ARTERY
REUBEN AND THE DARK
W/ JORDAN NORMAN, AND F&M
FRI, MAR 8, AVENUE THEATRE
STEPHEN FEARING
W/ ARIANE MAHRYKE LEMIRE
MEAGHAN BAXTER
PREVUE // ROCK
Sat, Feb 23 (8 pm) With One Day Late, Rend, Transista Pawn Shop, $10
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE
SAT, MAR 9, THE ARTERY
BRASSTRONAUT W/ THE COLLECTIVE WEST, AND LOCOMOTIVE GHOST WED, MAR 13, AVENUE THEATRE
THE WHYTES & PORTAGE & MAIN
W/ WHITE ASH FALLS, AND THE YOUNG ALBERTANS
stories—and each song has one—but keeping it general and simple enough for fans to relate to in their own way. Lemay adds even though the band is just finally releasing its debut EP, a full-length album may not be far behind. The fun-loving sensibility portrayed in Alterra's music stems to its interactions as group. Things are kept lighthearted and have evolved into a collaborative effort from the early days, when Lemay was the lead songwriter and struggling to keep a solid lineup together. "I always thought that once I found the right lineup, it would be something important," he notes. "I had a lack of talent, lack of commitment from people, people just not showing up, and then we finally got the right group of guys and I still feel that way. We don't argue, we just gel really well together and we're on the same musical page, too." Tib has been the newest addition to the group, stepping out of his death
metal background for straight-up rock. The transition has been a learning curve in his approach to drumming, had to be pared down from the limbs-flying, high-octane speed he was used to. However, he notes the band has been supportive in the process, made simpler by the fact that Tib was already very familiar with the guys already in the group. "Rock music, it's really about the energy, the groove. It's not about having the fastest hands and the fastest feet and doing all the polyrhythmic technical stuff you do in death metal," explains Tib, noting he'd often get compared to Animal from The Muppets for his tendencies behind the kit. Now, instead of being honed-in solely on maintaining a blistering pace, he can interact with the crowd and help drive the party. "When I say party, it's not like I get drunk when I play. It's more crowd interaction ... it's about making it a more personal experience now with the crowd."
THUV, MAR 14, AVENUE THEATRE
NO SINNER
W/ VAN FUNK, & GUESTS
THU, APR 4, AVENUE THEATRE
TWO HOURS TRAFFIC
& RAH RAH W/ SHORT OF ABLE
SONIC 102.9 FM, AVENUE THEATRE, AND UNION EVENTS PRESENT FRI, APR 5, AVENUE THEATRE
YUKON BLONDE & ZEUS W/ GROUNDERS FRI, APR 13, AVENUE THEATRE
3 INCHES OF BLOOD & GOATWHORE
W/ EYE OF HORUS, AND SILENT LINE
WED, APR 17, AVENUE THEATRE
PICKWICK W/ JORDAN KLASSEN, & GUESTS FRI, APR 19, AVENUE THEATRE
DANIEL WESLEY
W/ JOSH HYSLOP, & GUESTS
FRI, APR 26, HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB
FAMILY OF THE YEAR W/ GUESTS SAT, APR 27, THE ARTERY
ROMI MAYES
W/ GUESTS
MEAGHAN BAXTER
// MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
VUEWEEKLY FEB 21– FEB 27, 2013
MUSIC 29