THE MUSIC ZINE - ISSUE NO.7

We’re back (again), baby!

WHAT THE ACTUAL F!CK IS GOING ON? PART2

It’s 2023 (finally) and where do we find ourselves? Up the creek without a paddle? Having put on the best show of your career and asking, ‘what’s next?’ Wherever you are, I hope you’re well.

It’s been a wild ride for The Music Zine - so much has been accomplished over the past 6ish months and the amount of support and interest is overwhelming. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take over after Zac handed over the reins, but the zine seemed like too much of a good thing to just let go. I’ve got a wonderful team helping me out, and we’re excited to keep bringing you all things Music Zine! Mark, Christina, Alex, Steve, Leesh - you’re the best!

I wanted to take a step back and be clear about what our goals are going forward:

• Make something we can all be proud of

• Highlight the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the music scene

• Put on shows to support The Zine and provide more show opportunities for artists

• Not be severely out of pocket and be able to contribute monitarily to charity each month

It’s not going to be easy, and I expect to screw up or fail at some point or another. And that’s fine. If I can sound cliche for a moment - there’s not a lot that’s worth doing that comes without risk of failure. We need to be in the habit of defining our own terms of success. I’ve been asked a few times, ‘what’s the goal for all these bands you work with? Are they all trying to get famous and be rock stars?’ Everyone has different goals, and we all work towards them in different ways. Lettuce is 7$. Things are f!cked. What’s the point of saving for retirement if we’re gonna be underwater in 20 years? Bleh. I just want to put things out into the world that make people happy. I want to make art. I want to do it with my friends.

I’m 24, and sometimes it feels like I’ve got the weight of the world on my shoulders, which is absurd because the only obligations I have are the ones I’ve chosen to take on. It feels like we get stuck between: the extreme anxiety of having the rest of our life ahead of us, and the regret of not doing what we wanted when we were younger. How do you remedy this?

Say yes!

Try new things. Meet new people. Explore your inner self. Take a bath instead of a shower. Over the past year, I’ve tried to say yes to as much sh!t as possible. It’s exhausting at times, and there have been some misses - but no regrets. Not one. I should recognize I’m in a very privileged position to be able to do so, but it’s been invaluable nonetheless. There’s so much talent oozing out of every crack and corner of this city, and I want to see it all. I’m only really listening to local bands’ music these days, and every time I think, ‘I cannot beleive I know the people that made this’. It lights a big fire under my ass. Every day I feel more inspired and motivated. It’s a great feeling.

In closing, I sincerely thank you for reading, sharing, supporting, liking, commenting, and dragging your ass out to shows when it’s -20c with a bunch of cold white bullsh!t falling from the sky. We couldn’t do it without you.

In The Music Zine we trust -Neal

I just want to be happy.

MEMORY RIVER BY HOCKEY ACADEMY OUT NOW!

Melanch0ly Trolley by el paladin out feb 10!

midnight BY westernstechno OUT feb 3!

Rouge BY Kingdom of birds OUT Feb 3

IN THE SCENE

Doing cool sh!t? Supporting artists? We want to know about it!

Financial Consultations for “Music Currency”

Some of you may have seen me around Toronto venues head banging and showing love for various local Toronto acts. During the daytime and for the last 10 years I have studied and worked in various personal finance jobs and have my CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation.

As a new musician picking up the guitar three years ago my goal is to combine my passion for finance and music utilizing my skill set to give back to the Toronto music community.

I’d like to provide a financial consultation which can range from topics of; budgeting, investing, business structuring and more. In return provide me some form of musical currency; jam with me, teach me a new skill (guitar), add me to guest list of your show, etc.

If you’re interested hit me up via Instagram DM @dylsguitarvidz or email me at dylsguitarvidz@gmail.com

Smol Audio Projects is a Toronto-based non-profit that supports Canadian emerging musical artists. We work towards this goal by focusing our efforts into three areas: organizing shows, supporting releases, and building community.

We strive to provide meaningful programming of diverse and inclusive Canadian music, and to build equity and trust with our peers in the local music community.

We believe in DIY.

If you’re an independent artist, or a member of a music community in Ontario, whether you’re looking to drop your first vinyl release or book a DIY show, get in contact with us! We’d be happy to help.

smolaudioprojects@gmail.com

smolaudioprojects.ca

What do you do when there’s 2 shows in one night that you really want to see?

A) clone yourself

B) Tape your phone to a roomba and release it into the show you’re not at

C) Cry

@THEDECIBELDEN

When people talk about pedals and stompboxes, they usually talk about effects and things that often don’t get used all the time or have a very specific sound. I wanted to talk about a truly useful pedal - one that won’t just take up room on your board for nine out of ten songs in your setlist. Today, we talk about the Boss LS-2 Line Selector. There are a few pedals like it on the market that do very similar things, but they are usually far more expensive and take up way more space on your pedalboard. I started using this pedal years ago in an effort to make multi-effect switching easier and eliminate the need for tap dancing. Thanks to its two separate line level effects loops I was able to group all the pedals on my board into their own channels and switch or combine them with a single button. The LS-2 Line Selector pedal itself has three sets of jacks, one set for direct through signal, one set for effects loop A and another for effects loop B. Not only does this pedal have master volume knobs for each effects loop to help balance output levels, but it also has a mode selection knob that will allow you to choose how you want the line selector to switch.

Some switching examples are things like: A - bypass, B - bypass, bypass - A - B, or bypass - AB mixed. This provides a lot of flexibility to toggle through them or combine them for different uses. Totally fantastic if some of your tones are made up of multiple pedals that need to be engaged or turned off at the same time. Other amazing uses for this pedal not a lot of people think about are not just switching effects but switching instruments. You can plug up to 3 instruments into this pedal’s inputs making it super easy to switch over in between songs. Let’s say you have two guitars for your set in alternate tunings, One can be plugged into effects loop A and the other in effects loop B to make toggling between them effortless and without the need to switch over your cable to the other guitar. Adding to this setup a keyboard could be plugged into your bypass jack, now you have the

option of always having the keyboard ready to use with one of your guitars or basses at a time selected as well. Since the keyboard only sounds when being physically pressed, it is always a better idea to keep it in the bypassed jack as opposed to the “A” or “B” channels.

Something else you can use this pedal for that is pretty cool revolves around its output section. If you have two amps you like to toggle between during performances or just want that stereo sound on stage, multiple amps can be directly hooked into the effects loop “A” and “B” outputs allowing you to switch between them for different instruments or have them running the whole time. It’s also nice to keep certain effects separated.

Sometimes the best thing to do if you are using synth effects or acoustic sims to build a sound would be to separate them to different amps for a bigger sound and more clarity. Remember now this pedal has 3 inputs as well as outputs so you can actually have up to three amps running in total which is also pretty cool if you’re going for that wall of sound you only get in wet/dry/wet rigging. It sounds like overkill (in most cases it really is) but if you haven’t tried it for yourself it’s worth a go. Try keeping all your time based effects, reverbs, and modulations in the stereo speakers and all your dry stuff like wahs, and distortions in your center amp. This setup really allows you to turn up the verbs and delays without losing any attack, articulation, or that general feeling of blanketing your guitar sound.

This setup is more common than you think and is used by people like Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens and Eddie Van Halen. Similar to most things in this world there are advantages and disadvantages to using stereo rigs as well as wet/dry/wet rigs in live conditions. If you want to learn more about them, get at us via e-mail and we’ll be sure to cover these topics in a future article.

To sum everything up here I would like to just say I’m a firm believer that less is usually more and quantity means nothing. However, if you are one of those people who need 50 different effects on their board, this LS-2 may be the key to unlocking your pedalboards full potential.

pedalboard’s

Please let us know if anything here helped you out - and as always, STAY HEAVY!

THE HEARTISTIC CORNER THIS IS

I am in your head but I am not a physical presence. I come as many different forms of expression in humans. I might bring you down, but I’ll never let you down! Who am I??

The answer, my fine readers is creativity…

Hello and welcome to The Heartistic Corner!! I’m Stevie Sound, a local Toronto creative spreading the words of insight and inspiration from fellow creatives.

For those who don’t know me, I host a monthly podcast called (@) theheartisticpodcast. The Heartistic Podcast was an idea based on the mission to expose and elevate the talented, yet under appreciated Canadian creatives. After ten years in the industry, my experience and research led me to discover that Canadian creatives have it a little harder than most who try and pursue a creative career. Why is that? Is it something in the water? We don’t fully understand why but as I continue to connect with more creatives from Canada, I look to paint a better picture of what may be hindering our success. Within that, I hope to find a solution that will allow us Canadians to find more work whether in Canada or abroad. My goal is to offer insight and to inspire Canadian creatives and the growing future of Canadian creativity, in Toronto and beyond!

Some of the topics that you will find within The Heartistic Corner are as follows:

1. Tips and tricks for music business and management.

2. Creatives of the month (a short description/review of an individual that shows consistent devotion to their dedicated craft.)

3. Music organizations and businesses that we can utilize to enhance our careers. (Music Ontario, BRDB, Factor etc.)

4. How to manifest your creativity: books, films, docs, podcasts and educational courses that can help elevate a creative’s career.

5. Gear addicts: We breakdown gear set-ups from local Toronto/Canadian bands, artists, musicians.

I believe that any form of creativity is a universal language spoken amongst human beings. It can lift you out of a bad day or inspire you to lift someone out of their bad day. Life is hard but creativity keeps it interesting. Keep interesting with creativity and you will forget how hard everything else really is!

I’m Stevie Sound, thank you for reading and stay heartistic!

Thank you to all the bands that sent in posters for the zine! Not gonna lie - bit of a challenge fitting everything in! It’s so hard to figure out what shows are happening when these daysthere’s no one place to check for all the local gigs in the city... any suggestions? Write us @themusiczine!

Kicking Back With Kicksie

Do you prefer Kicksie or Giuliana?

I think I get an even number of both. So I’m pretty used to both. So really, whatever you prefer.

Introduce yourself!

I am currently living in Alliston, Ontario, which is about an hour and a half away from the city. But right before that, I lived in North York - and hopefully I will be returning soon because making that drive constantly to Toronto is devastating. It’s just so long, and I also hate the traffic and gas prices. I’ve been making music since about 2017... started under a few different names. And then I eventually landed on Kicksie. I’ve just been kind of making music all by my lonesome. And just recently, maybe about a year ago, is when I got my live band together. So I basically just write everything and record it on my own and then give it to the band and they allow me to do all the funband-live stuff that I couldn’t do before. I was just playing with my guitar on stage - which was sad - because my music is very much not a guitar and vocals (thing). It’s very much a band thing.

You’ve got 3 full length albums out on Streaming, that’s quite a lot!

There’s only three on Spotify. There’s a lot more! I’ve made a lot of music. Before This Summer, there was an album called Doghouse. And I was writing songs so fast, it took me three months to do that album. And then at the end of it, I listened back, and I hated it so much that my goal was to write another album, (which was This Summer) and try and prove to myself that I’m not as bad as I thought that I was. I recorded This Summer fully on a Blue Yeti mic, which was… horrid. But I did what I had to do! And then I stepped up my game a little bit for the next album, which was Mad Dash. And that album, I dropped out of college to write because I was in graphic design. And I was like, ‘No.’ Then I decided to take a different college program, which was Seneca Independent Music Production. We had a lot of music, like, song assignments. So I was writing a lot. And then all of those assignments, kind of put together, ended up being All My Friends, which was the last album I had released.

You’ve mentioned having a band benefits your music in the live aspect – what are some of the challenges of writing and recording these albums on your own? Oh, everything is a challenge. It was so hard to learn how to put instruments together to make it sound like it was a full band playing it. And also, I had

*This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity*

very limited knowledge about bass and drums. When I started, I was not the best guitarist. So, trying to learn how to do everything to an extent that is believable, was probably my very biggest challenge. And then on top of that, I had to learn how to mix and master which was even harder than learning how to play the instruments. Playing in a live band… It’s so much easier as a whole to try new things and be able to experiment with different dynamics and stuff.

Not to put you in a box - I hear a lot of emo adjacent influences in your music – are there any bands that inspire you specifically?

I grew up with Paramore, You Me At Six – bands in that pop-rock-kind-of-a-little-punky…. I listen to a lot of Sleeping With Sirens kinda stuff? When I grew up I started listening to bands like Origami Angel, or Prince Daddy and the Hyena, and lots of Oso Oso. They’re my very favorite band, definitely a huge inspiration for me specifically… I really love math rock. I don’t listen to too much of it, but I love the idea behind it. I love taking chords from it and trying to make it a little more pop-y almost… Make it fun, make it for the people.

So let’s talk about it – how did you end up opening for Oso Oso at The Velvet? The label I’m signed to (Counter Intuitive) has connections to the band. Coming to Toronto on their tour, they were just gonna guestlist us. It must have been 3 days before the show they were like, ‘actually, why don’t you just play?’. And I was like, ‘Oh. Ok, I guess!’. I was typing, ‘Thanks for the opportunity, really looking forward to it!’ and I’m like freaking out. It was the absolute worst timing because Morgan, my drummer, wasn’t able to make it – we found a sub so fast. I was dying with a fever so I was double fisting juices, NyQuil, everything… just trying to get through it. It was worth it though.

Can you talk about your experience with your label and the opportunities they’ve provided for you?

Our relationship is pretty new, but so far it’s been really good actually. I know there’s a lot of horror stories with labels taking advantage of artists. And that was my biggest fear. That’s why I stayed, I guess, independent for so long… They had approached me and were right off the bat so kind. Also, brownie points, I looked at their roster and thought, ‘this cannot be real.’ they’ve helped me with so much. They’ve already given me so many opportunities, they’re professional and allow me to retain my creative integrity. But they also just act like people, and like friends. A lot of people like this label for that reason. I don’t have anything bad to say, I’m really happy that this is my first experience.

Digging into the music a bit, can you talk about how you get ‘that’ guitar tone? The very saccharine, bright, sorta

tone. It sounds gorgeous.

I didn’t realize this was a thing that I did until it was pointed out to me, but I really capo my guitar up high. Like, some songs I have it on like the seventh capo and then play open chords. I think my main goal is to play in standard without having it sound like standard. And that’s like, ‘Okay, if I can do that, then I’ve won.’ I just I really love that like twinkly, high up sound... But I also think it complements my voice more because I’ve got like, a really high voice. So if I have low chords that I have to almost sing lower... I think that’s just the way that I see it. I don’t think that’s real. It’s just the way that I see it in my head.

So how do you think the scene is going for local bands?

It’s tricky because… when I meet a band in Toronto that I love, I love them a lot. I’ve met so many cool bands – Nerima that I played with the other night. And there’s another band, Bud, that I really like… Full transparency, It’s been a little hard for us to get close to many bands. I think maybe that might have something to do with certain promoters not really fitting the bills 100% correctly… Which is inevitable, that’s just the way it’s gonna be… I feel like maybe in Toronto there’s more of a sense of urgency. Amongst other things, which I feel like there isn’t, like in places up north… Something different in the air, I don’t know why… Which honestly to me, isn’t really a bad thing. I like to see people try as hard as they can to do what they want to do. We’ve played in Hamilton, London, Oshawa, Windsor… I feel like the city [Toronto] is where it’s happening a little bit. I like being part of something that’s bigger. I do wish that it was easier for me to connect with other bands… so that’s just kind of my only qualm, I would like some more friends.

Is there anything you’d like to see changed, or ‘happen’ in the scene?

We played this festival called Side by Side Fest in Ottawa over the summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd go so hard for a band they’ve never heard before. And I really liked the energy of Ottawa… In Ottawa, bands that were playing that night made a point of getting to know you well. And I also noticed that bands that weren’t playing that night still came out just to see who was playing that night. They just wanted to connect and become friends… the bands really cared a lot about who was coming in. Bands still care here, but it was to a level I’ve never seen before… I would love to see Toronto bands so willing to support each other and not to be afraid of meeting new bands and trying to make new connections.

Kicksie’s new single, “You’re On”, comes out February 8th. Connect with Kicksie: @kicksie

Bandmates include: Morgan - @morgan.dunbar (drums), Ethan@ethandomingo (bass), Sunny - @sunnyplaysguitar (guitar).

BEHIND THE BOOTH WITH ANDREI

INTERVIEW BY NEAL GANGULI

Show of hands – how many musicians have said something along the lines of, ‘man that tech is an assh!le – room sounded great though’. Musicians may put up with less-than-friendly live sound staff for the sake of the show, but there’s no reason this has to be a common practice. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andrei, the emotional support sound tech, at one of his frequent haunts, Sneaky Dee’s. Andrei is dedicated to making musicians feel as comfortable as possible in any given venue so they can focus on what’s important – the music. Andrei’s personal experiences playing in a band inform his unwavering attitude to support musicians in a live environment both emotionally and technically.

About the work…

“As a musician, It’s really rewarding to work in a live environment. I love helping people, and I’ve known for a long time how difficult it can be to walk into a venue and not know what to expect. People work for weeks and months to deliver a great show for their friends and their fans, and the least a tech can do for them is make sure they’re as comfortable as possible on stage.”

“My first goal in this environment is to be friendly to them. We’ll figure out the technical sh!t, I love what I do… but that’s never the priority. Being a sound tech is a customer service job. If you suck at customer service, don’t do it. And the customer is the musician, as much as the patron of the venue is.”

“The horror story is never some technical issue. The horror story almost always is a bad attitude.”

The relationships between bands on stage, their support staff at the venue and the crowd all contribute to the collective vibe of a concert. Everyone in the room plays a part in making a show successful - whether they’re aware of it or not. There’s been a greater understanding between bands that each concert is just that - one concert. Every band on stage is working together to put on the best show for the entire audience, and we’re better

for it. There’s a very tangible excitement and genuine joy for sharing live music that isn’t going away any time soon, even when increasingly more convenient options for entertainment exist.

About the return…

“Before COVID this was bad. It was almost every show. You’d have 10-15 people for the one band, 10-15 people for the next band… You had musicians almost begging the crowd to stay for the next act… Talking about the crowd dynamic - they’re not going out anymore to see what’s going on, they’re going out because their friend invited them to their set.”

“Since things have come back, I’ve seen a lot more crowds sticking it out. I find a lot more of the crowds are homogenous. And the community seems to be tighter too… You have bands of people who know each other and the promoters that know them, and the fans are not just fans of the headliner or promoter but everybody. So we just have a great big party about it.”

The live music scene has clawed its way out of near oblivion and returned with a vengeance. There’s been a shift, however - the makeup of crowds is different, and even more so from the time before I was born. Accessibility to entertainment and the overwhelming amount of content featuring skilled musicians has seemingly altered the value proposition of live music as entertainment.

About entertainment…

“There’s much less of a need to go out and be entertained, with all of the digital media currently available at home - something that’s expanded really recently in human history.”

“Recording music as something that is available to the masses is pretty recent in human history. There was a time when the only music you could enjoy was live. There was a time where the only live music was reserved for the church, or rich people… It’s only very recent where we have this kind of access to music, especially

recorded stuff. We’ve transcended from the physical media (the wax cylinder, the vinyl, the tape cassette, the CD)… It’s just a button on a device. You don’t even need the file on the phone anymore… The crowds are no longer full because it’s no longer a necessity.”

About tough times…

“Things are really tough right now. Grocery bills are climbing. Rent is almost (if not) impossible. So you have a huge number of people in this situation. People have to work all the time, and have less and less disposable money to spend on a concert. Consider cover, drinks, a ride share to get home safe if needed - most people aren’t in a position to dish that out all the time “

About the shift in the scene…

“The most predominant crowd I see is the bands, their partners, some family members and maybe a few friends. Sometimes that amounts to a crowd, if they stay for the whole show, etc. One of the big things that I’ve heard from the bartenders (our best storytellers) that have been around since the 70s, 80s, is that there’s been a shift. There are no longer people that go out and see what’s happening at this bar this weekend. It’s more of, let’s go out and support our friends. Which has led to a tighter feeling scene.”

This shouldn’t be met with discouragement. We have such a strong foundation of appreciation and enthusiasm for live music that, quite literally, anything is possible. All artists, new and old, should feel comfortable engaging with the opportunity to put on shows that suit you - those that are in the crowd will undoubtedly appreciate and support it. Take risks, try new things, learn something about yourself and your craft.

Advice for New bands:

“Let’s all walk into the room with the intention of being friends. That’s always going to be a two way street, and everyone in the room is responsible for the energy there. Sometimes stressful things can come up (technical issues especially), and they can often feel nerve racking - but the best we can do together is figure it out and keep things light hearted. ‘We’re not delivering rockets or launching babies,’ - a mentor once taught me.”

Andrei keeps busy with live and studio work, and is happy to help music humans in either setting. Reach out @_onray_ on Instagram.

SHOW HIGHLIGHT: THE THICK AT LEE’S PALACE

PHOTOGRAPHY: NEAL GANGULI

WORDS: ANDY BINNS & NEAL GANGULI

January has been a blast in the Toronto music scene, with The Thick setting the already high bar even higher for concerts in 2023. Choosing to curate their own bill at Lee’s Palace Saturday, January 21st, these funk rockers put on a clinic of how to entertain the music lovers of their hometown. The night culminat in the patrons of Lee’s banging their heads to heavy guitar tones whilst simultaneously moving their hips with the funky licks of The Thick. Oozing attitude and boundless energy on stage, The Thick’s mind bending genre blend had the crowd headbanging and hip gyrating in the same pit. Their funk fueled guitar supports their verses well, with heavier, dirtier musical tones during the chorus that pull an extremely diverse crowd. It’s important to note that each aspect of the band’s musicianship served to complement one another, rather than have any one element of guitar, bass, vocals or drums overshadow any other.

The performance itself is as dynamic as it is musically impressive, with each member moving about the stage in ways that are in service of the music. Overall, The Thick have blown the doors off their niche and delivered an extremely memorable experience.

The Thick are currently on tour, so now’s a great time to catch them live!

@the.thick