Silhouette Music Issue

THE MUSIC ISSUE SPRING, 2011

Peter Goffin Executive Editor Roxanne Hathway-Baxter Senior ANDY Editor Dan Hawie Music Editor Myles Herod Entertainment Editor LAYOUT & DESIGN Fraser Caldwell Peter Goffin Roxanne Hathway-Baxter Dan Hawie Myles Herod PHOTO & GRAPHICS Christopher Chang Jonathon Fairclough Michelle Ng Joy Santiago EDITING Peter Goffin Roxanne Hathway-Baxter Dan Hawie Myles Herod Kaitlin Peters WRITERS Fraser Caldwell Sam Colbert Kevin Elliott Mike Gallant Peter Goffin Roxanne Hathway-Baxter Dan Hawie Myles Herod Michael Hewak Chris Hoy Aaron Joo Santino Marinucci Victor Pek Everad Tilokee

INDEX 3 Editorial 4 Polaris Music Awards 6 Sam Roberts 8 Band Profiles 19 Northern Music 21 Karkwa 22 Jian Ghomeshi 25 Hip-Hop 26 Michou

CROSS-CANADA TOUR 2011

BY ROXANNE HATHWAY-BAXTER From the high peaks of the West Coast’s Rocky Mountains, to the Atlantic coastline of the East, from the cold expanse of the territories of the North to the Southernmost tip that touches the United States, Canada is a nation of diversity. We live in a country that prides itself in its multiculturalism. And, through this cultural mosaic, we have created a distinct identity that’s unrivaled in its uniqueness.

Our diversity is not limited to our geography, though. Within the borders of Canada we are privy to a vast amount of musical talent.

Many voices and sounds echo around our 10 million square kilometers, but they often go unnoticed by the outside world.

With The Arcade Fire’s performance at the fifty-third Grammy Awards earlier this year, Canada’s musical talent, once been hidden and unknown to many, began to reach out towards a larger audience. On the home front, CBC Radio pumps out internal content through the airwaves, turning up the volume of up-and-coming and established artists alike. With every passing day, Canada’s voice or, rather, voices are beginning to rise.

In celebration of those voices, we here at ANDY invite you to join us for a cross-country tour of Canada. We’ll be making stops in each of the provinces to be introduced to 10 new bands, and we’ll be chatting with CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi and the legendary Sam Roberts as well, just to name a few. We’re sure that within these pages there’s something that will either ignite or rekindle your love of Canadian music.

This magazine is not here to serve as a tourism pamphlet, but rather to illustrate how much talent there truly is all across the country, not just in our largest cities. We don’t have to look very far away to find musical brilliance, It’s in the recording studio downtown, or the basement around the corner. Sometimes we miss those things that are right underneath our noses and forget those that are closest to us. Let us remind you of them.

THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE This annual award for musical excellence proves that there is a plethora of talent lying within our Canadian borders.

Its founder, Steve Jordan, explains why it’s important for this talent to be recognized both at home and abroad.

BY ROXANNE HATHWAY-BAXTER

O

ver the past five years, the Polaris Music Prize has emerged as a defining achievement in Canadian music. Founded in 2006, Polaris is a yearly award given to the best full-length Canadian album. Past winners include Final Fantasy’s He Poos Clouds and, most recently, Les Chemins de Verre by Karkwa. The prize committee aims to popularize Canadian music outside of our borders and also to bring it to the attention of this country’s own citizens, who might not realize that great musical talent isn’t that far away.

Canadian music often gets overlooked in the global musical sphere, and this is an injustice that Polaris’ organizers hope to address. “There are a lot of artists who are not obviously commercially viable, but who are pretty essential, and probably artists in the category where it takes time for them to reach an audience or for their audience to reach them,” stated Steve Jordan, the executive director and founder of the Polaris Music Prize. “The prize is as much an objective of promoting great talent to Canada as it is harnessing some of that energy that those artists had internationally and bringing that back to Canadians. People still aren’t aware of how well some of our artists do away from home.”

Jordan recalled a recent trip to Dublin, Ireland where he found many of Canadian electronica artist Caribou’s records and posters distributed throughout record stores. “They love him there,” he said. Caribou, who won the Polaris Prize in 2008 for his album Andorra, may have achieved a great deal of success overseas, but remains obscure at home, still not hugely well-known in certain Canadian circles.

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The winner of the prize is selected by a 200-member jury, composed mostly of music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers. One might assume that having such a big jury would pose a problem to the decision-making process, but Jordan was adamant that the size of the jury was largely advantageous.

“Each member has their own ideas about what artistic merit means and they bring their own background and aesthetics to their decision,” he explained. The large number of jury members makes it possible for a greater number of artists to be considered and not be overlooked because they lack widespread recognition.

The process of selecting the best album is not restricted by genre, record label, budget, or any other sort of limiting criteria. The decision is based solely upon the opinions of the jury members and, for maximum equity, no one with any financial interest in the nominees is allowed to participate as a member of the jury. “It’s very important for people to know that our jury members are not from the music industry. They’re people who listen to a lot of music and make editorial decisions about the music that they hear. They’re being selective in their opinion about music on a daily or monthly basis,” said Jordan. Quite simply, the decision is only made to reward talent and absolutely nothing else.

The maintenance of the Polaris Prize has not come without its own share of challenges, with the ever-present issue of funding being at the forefront. “The most challenging aspect is sponsorship and coming up with the money every year to make sure that we do all of the artists justice. We’ve done a pretty good job but it’s a constant battle to keep your current sponsors pleased.” They haven’t had a problem to date, which indicates that Polaris must be doing something right.

When asked about previous winners of the Polaris prize, Jordan stated that, “All of our winners have been really fabulous ambassadors for Polaris and in doing so are really fabulous ambassadors for Canadian music.”

Many Polaris-winners continue to promote the prize and their nation as a whole, though Jordan feared some would not. He offered Owen Pallett, and Fucked Up’s Damien Abraham as examples. “I feared they wouldn’t embrace Polaris because we are corporately sponsored, but they actually check in

from time-to-time and run ideas by.”

There is great connection and communication between the artists and the Polaris Prize, one that extends far beyond a simple award-nominee relationship.

The Polaris Prize was inspired by the Mercury Music Prize, which awards excellence in music from the United Kingdom and Ireland. After only five years on the music scene, the Polaris has inspired the Atlantis Music Prize, established in 2008 to award outstanding music in Newfoundland and Labrador. When asked about how he felt about Polaris serving as an inspiration to another award, Jordan humbly stated that, “It’s really nice to be referenced when you see something else happening internationally and be compared to other initiatives elsewhere, whether it’s in Canada or outside of Canada.”

There are no major changes in the future of the Polaris prize, there is, however an initiative to make the award more accessible and year-round. The result is the launch of Polaris Salons, a monthly jam session at which the entire record of an artist is played from front to back. It provides a chance for a jury member who feels particularly passionate about an album to promote the band for others.

“Hopefully Salons catch on so we can do this in other cities as well,” Jordan said. “This will give Polaris and our whole curating aspect a sort of year-round presence. Any future plans will certainly be to have an impact year-round. We want to create more excitement for when we finally announce the list of nominees.”

The people behind the Polaris Prize are working extremely hard to dispel the myth that Canadian music isn’t as great as its American and European counterparts. “You hear a lot of people say, ‘They’re Canadian?’ Because [a band] are good,” explained Jordan. “It’s the implication. So I think, in a way, what Polaris is doing is showing that Canadians are really good in music.”

By highlighting the talent of our artists, the Polaris Prize pushes these negative ideas from the consciousness of the population, both in Canada and abroad. Hopefully one day when a Canadian band does a performance and the often-asked question, “Are they Canadian?” is posed, it can be answered with a proud and resounding, “Yes.”

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COLLISION COURSE Canadian troubadour Sam Roberts embarks on a new direction with his latest album

BY DAN HAWIE

“With this album, I embraced the unknown by taking my inspirations and influences, and just smashing them together to create a new path for writing. I never questioned it.” - Sam Roberts Ideas collide. At some point, in the daily grind of working, writing, or even interacting with one another, we reach a point where that preserved, fortress-like mentality becomes completely overturned by an uncharted idea. It’s penetrable, infringing on our rational capacity even, but the very routine of living is always vulnerable to being on a collision course. And it’s out of that spark that we find ourselves in a whole new direction.

Finding shelter in the creative allure of open-mindedness has become a life-lesson for Canadian troubadour Sam Roberts over the years. Back in 2008, you would have found him trotting the globe in support of his third critically acclaimed album, Love at the End of the World. The following months of national tours, including an Olympicinspired series of free outdoor gigs solidified Roberts’ reputation as a man of his roots. But, outside of the public eye, the Montreal native has done a bit of soul-searching.

In the three intervening years, Roberts has seen his life change, becoming a father of two and, at the heart of his own creative course, has seen his relationships and work ethic become reawakened with a fresh perspective on the world. His role in penning the Sam Roberts Band’s upcoming album, Collider, slotted for release in May, is a testament to this rejuvenation.

“I’ve always preserved my own sense of what music is supposed to be,” explained Roberts in an interview with ANDY recently, one of his first in quite some time. “There have been times where I’ve sat down to write and thought, ‘What’s the quintessential song by me?’ But the key is allowing that definition to slip away, and you do it subconsciously. You ought not do it, but somehow it happens.”

He elaborated: “The struggle is to avoid defining yourself and reaching that miserable fate of being creatively unsatisfied. Allowing anything to seep in for avoiding that fate, to me, strikes at the heart of songwriting. In my case, having two little girls completely altered the way I live, the way I think, and the way I feel about the world and the people around me, so my songs naturally flowed with that transition.”

Dubbing his latest work Collider is Roberts’ way of symbolizing the creative process of the album. And indeed, it’s a noticeable transition from that folk-drenched “Canadiana” descriptor pinned to his earlier work. The album’s first single, “I Feel You,” strikes an immediate chord with its grittier, more textural use of guitar and synth, as an emboldened Roberts chants, “All in love and love is war, remember who you’re fighting for,” with resonance.

Allowing his influences to mingle with the unknown became Roberts’ way of coming to terms with collision as the album’s motif. He explained, “The word itself was just gnawing away at me. We spend our lives revolving in this

sort of orbit, or routine, where we go through the day-today at a safe distance from change. And all of a sudden you come into contact with the unexpected, and your life moves forward.”

He continued, “With this album, I embraced that unknowing by taking my inspirations and influences, and just smashing them together to create a new path for writing. I never questioned it, and the result is a lot more spontaneous, both in terms of production, and writing.”

Outside of writing, change became evident through the addition of a few helping hands on the album. Roberts and company welcomed the Chicago-based Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine) at the production helm of the record.

They also challenged their rhythmic boundaries by collaborating with Califone percussionist Ben Massarella, and Antibalas saxophonist Stuart Bogie. The lull of songstress Liz Powell (Land of Talk) also makes an appearance to round out an album that’s steeped in textural explorations.

“When you see these kinds of musicians at work in the studio it just lights a fire under your ass,” laughed Roberts about the extra help. “As a band, we laboured over the album’s songs for months, so when you see these guys coming in on a first listen and sparking really creative parts, the bar all of a sudden gets raised. It was great to be surrounded by such musical minds, because it takes a lot to reach that level of trust where you’re able to take your songs a step further from the original ideas behind them.”

He added, “We definitely bucked our studio traditions with Collider in trying to introduce the unknown and avoiding that tediousness behind the process. It’s funny because rock ’n’ roll music is supposed to be raw and off the cuff, and yet, you find yourself playing the same thing hundreds of times and sucking the life out of it. Avoiding that redundancy was a big part of this record.”

Despite years of being lauded by front-line critics as both a modern-day Tom Petty and one of the Canada’s most iconic tunesmiths, Roberts has preserved his creative outlook by steering clear of any titles while writing. Instead, he’s held true to maintaining a rather progressive mentality; one of which is always open to that fated possibility of ideas colliding.

As Roberts explained: “If I want to write about life in Canada it’s because I’m inspired by it, not because I feel a responsibility to do so. It’s important to avoid titles, even if it’s flattering, because in the end it doesn’t do your writing any good.

“Celebrate the things that you love, and what matters to you after coming into contact with them, even if they’re unexpected.”

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ILLUSTRATION BY JOY SANTIAGO

yukon blonde british columbia trio evokes a style of sun-drenched indie rock Originally formed in 2005 as a five-piece known as AlphaBaby, Yukon Blonde decided to strip down to their core, change their name, and move west to the Vancouver as their sound outgrew their hometown of Kelowna, BC. While many bands are crowding their stages with musicians in an attempt to thicken their sound, Yukon Blonde has taken a more parsimonious approach: the group has slimmed down to three members.

As a testament to the adage that bigger is not necessarily better, the simplicity in Yukon Blonde’s lineup has done more for their sound than an army of guitars ever could have.

Their brand of nostalgia-soaked indie rock now often feels as expansive as the territory referenced in their name.

Yukon Blonde makes music that references a time when music really mattered to people. The band’s classic sound recalls a time before popularity was measured by Youtube views, and before the album format surrendered its throne to the almighty mp3.

Drawing on influences from past decades, the band employs massive arching melodies, bright guitar riffs, and gorgeous ’60s-influenced harmonies across their catalogue; Yukon Blonde has developed a sound that is as expansive, sparse, and

beautiful as the nation that they call home.

Yukon Blonde’s sound finds much of its inspiration from in the melody-driven rock and roll of the 1960s. The band’s guitar work sees reverb-dripping melodies dance among one another, recalling the iconic “jingle-jangle” sound that The Byrds made so famous and their catchy vocal hooks are enough to win over any Fleetwood Mac fan.

Nevertheless, Yukon Blonde’s sound is certainly their own. The band references the past, but refuses to be confined by it.

Signed to Bumstead and Nevado Records, Yukon Blonde has seen success recently as their career has begun to catch up with the band’s talent. Named one of the “ten Canadian bands destined to break in 2010,” by the CBC, the band released their self-titled debut album that year before touring the continent, showcasing their music from coast to coast.

The nostalgic beauty found in this BC trio’s work evokes the glory days of music found in our parents’ record collections. But despite being a band that thrives on the past, Yukon Blonde’s future looks even more exciting.

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Mike Gallant

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women

alberta noise rockers make musical leaps with subtlety

The overwhelming emphasis on the wall-of-sound in Canadian music has led to a community flooded with bands that aim for big sounds. Simple chord progressions and distinct melodies are layered with walls of instruments and voices to create a characteristic sound that can’t be described as anything other than massive. A market so saturated with massive collectives playing anthemic pop songs begs the question: what happened to subtlety?

Enter the Calgary, Alberta noise rockers, Women. With a name that can’t be Googled and a sound that hides its hooks in a sea of reverb, Women transcend hype. Letting their music speak for itself, the band’s rise to prominence is solely a function of the strength of their understated songwriting.

Women’s 2008 self-titled debut album received general critical acclaim and earned the band a spot on Pitchfork Media’s “Best of 2008” list. Perhaps even more impressively, the influential Pitchfork also put Women’s track “Black Rice” on its list of best songs of the decade. The band’s second album, Public Strain, was released late 2010, garnering praise from critics across the spectrum of media.

Though critically acclaimed, the music that Women is making is far from easily accessible. If the shrill guitar tones and dissonant chords don’t give their sound a cold feeling, the reverb definitely does. And while the band’s characteristic frigidity would seem to contradict the aesthetic of so many other Canadian acts, it works for them. Beneath all of the fuzz, Women crafts elegant melodies and catchy hooks that just beg to be unearthed with a careful ear.

In an unfortunate turn of events, a performance by the band in late 2010 erupted in a fight onstage. The result was the cancellation of all of Women’s upcoming shows, and the announcement that they were going on hiatus. While the band’s future is unclear, fans across the nation are holding their breath in the hopes that one of Canada’s most promising bands can continue to contribute understated noise rock to an ecosystem full of polished, pulsating pop anthems.

Women is a band that consistently defies the status quo, glazing their underlying melodic sensibility with excessive reverb, fuzz, and icicle-sharp guitar while their contemporaries allow pop elements to permeate their own music. Whereas most bands’ sounds aim for the mountaintops, Women prefer their sound to remain buried underground, reminding us that sometimes the most gorgeous melodies require a little bit of digging.

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Mike Gallant

the sheepdogs

born to boogie in saskatchewan Saskatoon’s The Sheepdogs are about as vintage as you can get. The band looks like they came from a time when rock and roll was king, with their flared jeans, leather vests, vintage Gibsons, and, of course, shaggy sheepdog manes. But heck, all that doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t got soul.

Unlike other bands paying homage to ’70s riffs, The Sheepdogs haven’t forgotten the other key elements of great rock and roll: melody, harmony and groove.

Although at first their influences seem to run the obvious gamut of classic rock, The Sheepdogs also borrow elements of alt-country, psychedelic and Canadiana. Guitarist Ewan Currie’s confident vocals are complimented by harmonizing guitar leads with Leot Hanson and a groovy rhythm section courtesy of Ryan Gullen and Sam Corbett.

The Sheepdogs create a sound that is not merely a rehash, but a careful crafting of timeless songs that exhibit a warm, social demeanour much like the herding dog of their namesake.

Since forming in 2006, The Sheepdogs quickly gained notoriety as the most exciting band in Saskatoon and have since brought their three-part vocal harmonies coast to coast in Canada and south of the border.

They meanwhile have also independently released three albums, the most recent being last year’s Learn & Burn which helped them to become finalists in an ongoing contest to grace the cover of Rolling Stone.

Their home province of Saskatchewan is not known for much except being relatively flat and producing some of this nation’s finest curlers. Devoid of a strong music scene, Saskatoon may not be the most likely origin for one of Canada’s most promising bands.

This, however, may be the exact reason why The Sheepdogs are flourishing. Without the pressures of a scene like the ones in Toronto or Montreal, there is no need to compromise with impressing critics or adhering to trends. Instead, the band focuses on their craft purely as an art form, and not a vessel for hipster credibility.

Saskatoon is also in the middle of no-man’s land for touring bands. Located seven hours from Calgary and nine from Winnipeg, Saskatchewan is the greatest hurdle in any CrossCanada tour. Travelling 40 hours to play in Hamilton, Currie admitted in an interview earlier this year that this may be the band’s greatest hardship. This, however, is merely another demonstration of the band’s dedication to play live and rock audiences across Canada.

While garnering critical acclaim in Canadian press and earning a spot alongside Arkells, Rise Against, and The Weakerthans on this year’s Edgefest, The Sheepdogs are ready to show Canada that there’s more to Saskatchewan than just the Roughriders.

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Chris Hoy 11

The dynamic collection of Winnipeg musicians that is Royal Canoe began as a side project for Waking Eyes’ front man Matt Peters in 2006. Peters took the lead in the recording of Co-Op Mode, the band’s debut album.

The album was driven by keyboards, percussion, falsetto vocals and a pulsing bass, but the diversity of the many musicians who contributed, including members of Waking Eyes, caused the sound to bounce along a spectrum between acoustic guitar-focused alternative rock and electronica.

The songs laid dormant for a few years while Waking Eyes worked toward their 2008 album, Holding On to Whatever It Is. Peters gathered a fresh Winnipeg collective in 2009, primarily drawing from local acts The Liptonians (adding Bucky Driedger, Matt Schellenberg and Michael Jordan) and Tele (Brenden Berg Derek Allard), to formally establish Royal Canoe as a band.

It wasn’t until July of 2010 that Waking Eyes went on hiatus while Royal Canoe officially released Co-Op Mode. Despite originally having vowed to never play the songs live, the group’s popularity outgrew Winnipeg that year when they toured across Canada.

All the while, the band had been crafting new

royal canoe

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songs to feed the growing anticipation for their second album. Royal Canoe was a part of Canadian Music Week, a music and film festival that ran this year from March 9 to 13 in Toronto, where they revealed some of their new material, including the single “Today We’re Believers.” The song, which features a percussive and catchy yet almost haunting synthesizer groove, is available for download on their website.

Peters’ ties to Winnipeg music are both abundant and rich. Royal Canoe are members of the local music community, Head in the Sand, which has provided the opportunity for Peters to interact with artists like The Weakerthans and Christine Fellows, two of Manitoba’s better known musical exports.

Having caught the eyes of Canadian audiences, Royal Canoe is seeking international attention as a showcasing act in the South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas this month.

This spring, fans will be waiting for Royal Canoe to take its energetic live act back on tour, this time with a set of new material.

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Sam Colbert

energetic manitobans are making musical waves

forest city lovers

ontario’s answer to urban and organic folk Forest City Lovers, which began as the solo act of Whitby, Ontario native Kat Burns, is gaining steam as one of Canada’s brightest young bands. Burns, who serves as the band’s lead vocalist and main songwriter, began to make a name for herself in Toronto in 2005. After turning heads with her EP, For the Birds, she decided to expand her act into a multi-member outfit.

Forest City Lovers boast a pleasant mixture of folk and pop elements that are bound together by Burns’ beautifully polished vocals. The band draws on urban life and the city of Toronto for inspiration, yet is able to create a very organic sound that would be just as fitting in a more natural backdrop.

In 2006 the group issued The Sun and the Wind, their first album under the name Forest City Lovers. They played a large number of shows after its release, slowly crawling out of the confines of the Greater Toronto Area to reach audiences in Halifax, Vancouver, and almost everywhere in between. The extensive touring helped establish a strong national fan base pining for new material.

In 2008, Forest City Lovers answered the call with their sophomore album, Haunting Moon Sinking. With the new release, the band gained substantial attention and acclaim. All the while, they continued to play shows predominantly in Ontario and, in April of 2009, took the stage in another country for the

first time. Beginning in Paris, France, the talented collective performed 15 shows on a European tour that also saw them visit the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy.

Following a short break from touring, and their first performances on American soil, the band returned to Europe in 2010 for six shows in the United Kingdom. A few months later, they put out their third album, Carriage. This most recent collection of tracks seems to possess the sound that the band has been working towards since 2006. It features a vivid assortment of melodic songs that set Forest City Lovers apart from other Indie-pop bands.

The brilliant marriage of charismatic instrumentation with Kat Burns’ soothing voice makes for something truly special. This dynamic is especially apparent in “Pocketful of Rocks,” “Light You Up,” and “If I Were a Tree.”

The Toronto-based act has nowhere to go but up, and certainly deserves a listen. They are constantly playing in small venues around Southern Ontario and continue to jump the border to perform in the United States every once in a while. If their track record is any indication of things to come, expect Forest City Lovers to be one of the frontrunners in Canada’s music landscape in the near future.

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Victor Pek

Though Canada is predominantly Anglophone, the Francophone music scene cannot be neglected, yet in many musical circles this neglect is not hard to find. For the most part, English Canada is unexposed to the wealth of talent its French sibling has to offer.

One such talent is the young French-Canadian sensation Béatrice Martin, also known as Coeur de Pirate (Pirate Heart). Martin was introduced to music early and it is paying off after receiving Juno and Polaris Music Prize nominations for her self-titled debut record and a Victoires de la Musique award (the French version of a Grammy) for her hit “Comme des Enfants.”

At the not-so-ripe age of three, Martin first met what would be a life-changing tool – the piano. She studied classical piano intensely for five years and began playing keyboard for the post-hardcore band December Strikes First at age 15. Only in 2007, when Martin began composing her songs, did the band Bonjour Brumaire sense her potential and employ her inherent keyboard and vocal qualities.

Shortly after, Martin began a solo career as Coeur de Pirate and in 2009, she teamed up with Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash, Kardinal Offishal and Coca-Cola to write “Ouvre de Bonheur” (Open Happiness) for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The definitive turning point in Martin’s career

was the choice of her song “Ensemble” for a YouTube video entitled “Time Lapse of a Baby Playing With Toys” that went viral. In response to earning play on the popular US show Good Morning America and critical acclaim from gossip guru Perez Hilton, Coeur de Pirate’s MySpace plays peaked over 3 million.

This attention secured her a major label contract with Universal Music France and her career has soared ever since.

Despite this and live appearances featured on CBC Radio One’s Q, Coeur de Pirate is still a relatively unknown in English Canada. Over the past year, Martin has embarked on a side project (Pearls) alongside her more well-known pseudonym with the hopes of expanding her craft and fan base.

She has also collaborated with Bedouin Soundclash on the song “Brutal Hearts” featured on their latest album, Light the Horizon. She continues to work with Malinowski and others as part of the band Armistice who released a 5 track EP on February 15th.

Martin offers an escape from the everyday challenges of our lives. With moving pop melodies and a stellar voice, Coeur de Pirate appeals to the innocence in all of us and is a force to be reckoned with in the Francophone world, and hopefully soon in English Canada to boot.

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Everad Tilokee

couer de pirate a quebec songstress who is full of heart 14

andy brown

new brunswick’s soulful strummer

East Coast music has always had its own distinctive tone and community of followers.

For whatever reason though, those labelled as Maritime artists often have trouble breaking out of their shell and hitting that coveted national audience.

At his current exponential rate of exposure however, Fredericton-born Andy Brown is looking like he might be the next one to do so.

In 2006 Brown recorded his folksy debut album, Quicksand Confusion, and was still performing tiny solo acoustic shows around New Brunswick. Three years later, Brown decided to fill out his sound, assembling a band with which he recorded his sophomore LP, False Alarm, to critical acclaim.

His first single from the record, “Crazy”, has garnered significant radio airplay, quickly reaching #1 on East Coast Countdown, a nationally syndicated radio program showcasing the best in new music from the Maritimes.

Since then, he was named the CBC’s Galaxie Rising Star of 2010, and in October won three Music New Brunswick awards including Male Artist of the Year, and Recording of the Year. Having moved past playing local shows in intimate venues, he and his band have been tour-

ing the country, gaining a reputation for particularly energetic live performances.

Recently Brown has been elevating his profile, being showcased in various music festivals such as Indie Week Canada, North By Northeast, and Canadian Music Fest, and will be a featured performer in April’s East Coast Music Awards.

False Alarm is a collection of chugging acoustic rock tunes so characteristic of the East Coast scene and often reminiscent of early Wintersleep, and Brian Borcherdt’s (of Holy Fuck) solo material. The record contains a finely balanced mix of bright Noah & The Whaleesque crowd pleasers such as the lively “Gone”, and soulful folk ballads like “Virginia” and “’Til The World Ends.”

Brown’s heartfelt Maritime twang is always passionate and couples nicely with his organic sea-gazing instrumentation, adding a refreshing layer of personality that places him well above his peers.

With a burgeoning fan base, critical praise, plenty of radio exposure, and appearances at prominent festivals, Brown seems poised to make his big break nationally, so keep an eye out.

• Michael Hewak

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caledonia

unique influences. unbelievable riffs. pure nova scotian.

Caledonia has faced nothing but positive reviews since the release of their latest album. Over their career they’ve accomplished a lot with their two earlier albums but not to the degree that We Are America takes it.

The Nova Scotian quintet hit new heights; they’ve been featured in Exclaim! magazine, name-dropped by The Globe and Mail, and their song “Scott’s House” has peaked into the top 5 on CBC Radio 3. They’ve even been nominated four times at the East Coast Music Awards, including awards for Group Recording of the Year and Rising Star Recording of the Year.

Big things that point to imminent success for an up-and-coming band.

Addressing accessible themes like despondency, doubt, and dying, Caledonia has definitely put all their human effort into making the album what it is. Opening with “Restless Year,” the track deals with the image of unsettling movement, followed by “We Are America,” a well-structured, soft-spoken anthem about the everyday snares we encounter when becoming stuck.

Although not overtly political in subject, with an album titled We Are America, it’s difficult not to think about the suggested connotations.

After all, how quick is the average Canadian in pointing the finger at the States in times of political distress and economic crisis? The album draws certain attention to the level of stagnancy among us as a nation. The track “Winter Drips From Trees,” a personal favourite, illustrates this point brilliantly. A 16

flurry of purring guitars with a wicked beat paired alongside the emphatic voice of Tanya Davis, a spoken word poet, who speaks on the issues of hopelessness, anxiety, and lack of direction in our government and society.

We Are America is densely packed with not only substance, but also something you don’t see too often in bands: variety. What’s most impressive about Caledonia is their ability to experiment with different sounds, yet accomplishing it well, throwing the assumptions of critics and listeners completely off-balance.

“Sometimes indie-rock, sometimes folk,” Caledonia doesn’t follow such labels, or at least their music suggests that they don’t really care. Too many Canadian bands today are wrongly invested in what they want their band to sound like. By that I mean that they try to emulate the American music industry to such a degree that they completely lose sight of their own identity as Canadians.

Animal Collective rip-offs, Pitchfork obsessed suckups, bands like these are far from the honest, potent, underground musical force that they could be. Caledonia is the real deal, a genuine group of musicians who properly acknowledge their situated context in politics and society, who see themselves not as a band making music, but as human beings doing what they love.

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Aaron Joo

two hours traffic p.e.i. lads infuse punchy bass, poppy synths, and a electric guitars into a winning result Generally, when you think of Prince Edward Island, you are more likely to think of fishing communities and that giant bridge that links P.E.I. to the mainland instead of indie bands.

However, if that’s all you know, something’s about to change, because there’s a rock group out of Charlottetown that will soon be making headlines.

Let me present to you Two Hours Traffic, a band that’s been churning out records since 2003. They are a power-pop influenced group that will get in your head and have you singing their tunes all day.

Founded by Liam Corcoran (vocals) and Alec O’Hanley (guitar), they soon became a four-piece, adding Andrew MacDonald on bass and Derek Ellis on drums.

If you were wondering why the band chose the name Two Hours Traffic, you probably would never guess unless you love reading Shakespeare. That’s right; their name is taken from a line in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, Alec and Liam’s favourite play.

When I sat down to listen to this band I could not help but hear influences from ’70s power-pop band Big Star, and English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe for a unique blend of power pop, rock, and indie rock that they have managed to flawlessly weave together.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “I have never heard of this band, therefore I don’t care.” Well it’s a shame you don’t,

because Two Hours Traffic are actually on the up-swing, with their album Little Jabs having won Best Alternative Record at the P.E.I. music awards, and also getting nominated for a Polaris Prize in 2008.

In addition to that, people have taken to Traffic’s catchy songs without hesitation. “Limelight” fuelled some hot tub drama on The OC, “Better Sorry Than Safe” edged out entries by indie-rock mainstays Broken Social Scene and The Constantines on CBC Radio 3’s 2005 year-end top songs list, and Little Jabs was nominated for Best Rock Recording at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards.

While their debut full length album was a magnet for critical accolades, their peers began to take notice as well; Two Hours Traffic toured Canada extensively with the likes of Wintersleep, The Joel Plaskett Emergency, and Arkells.

Two Hours Traffic’s most recent album, Territory, released in 2009, resembles how polished a band can become after a few years of rigorous touring. Every song from ‘Territory” to “Happiness Burns” shows that this band can write some serious lyrics while evolving the sound and cohesion of the group.

When you get the chance, you should definitely check out this East coast band. They have everything from powerful vocals, catchy songs, and just good music.

•

Santino Marinucci

17

the mountains & the trees meet newfoundland’s newest folk troubadour

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Picture Newfoundland and you see the ocean, the Northern Lights, and of course, the mountains and the trees. Lately, music lovers across the country have been picturing the mountains and the trees in a less literal sense.

That’s because Jon Janes of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, a folk rock singer-songwriter on the rise, happens to go by the moniker The Mountains & The Trees. Initially a drummer, Janes’ musical goals drove him away from the kit and into the limelight as an up and coming singer-songwriter.

Without a doubt, Janes is the epitome of musician. He plays - in addition to the conventional drums, guitar, and piano – the banjo, ukulele, mandolin, harmonica, bells, and even whistles. On stage he is occasionally backed by the band Valleys & Seas Orchestra, though it is often Janes on his own.

The manner in which such a wide variety of instruments are seamlessly integrated into each song is the definite reason why The Mountains & The Trees has enjoyed an increased amount of attention as of late.

Even more impressive is the ease with which Janes performs songs solo on stage.

Equipped with only harmonica, violin bow, and guitar, and a few effects pedals, Janes consistently delivers a moving performance.

The band released the EP Paper or Plastic in 2006, the album Document in 2007, and another EP, Hop, Skip, and a Jump in 2009. The Mountain & The Trees’ most notable song is “Up and Down,” which features multiple guitar lines, harmonica, banjo, and drums.

It is easy to hear the effect that Janes’ influences, which include the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Hayden, Iron & Wine, and Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy) have had on his sound.

The Mountains & The Trees are stirring up interest, albeit slowly, across Canada and is definitely an artist to keep an ear out for.

• Everad Tilokee

NORTHERN LIGHTS,

NORTHERN SOUNDS Isolation in the country’s Northernmost reaches means exposure can be hard to come by for musicians from Nunavut, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. But a handful of dedicated musicians, community groups and politicians are striving to bring the music of the North into the public light.

BY PETER GOFFIN

N

o one will ever be rightfully able to accuse Northern Canada of lacking a musical tradition. Even the most casual students of culture will know, thanks to Social Studies textbooks and National Film Board shorts, that the history of Canadian folk music is peppered with the gold miners, lumberjacks and trackers of the three territories. And, of course, one of the longest-standing musical heritages in the world is that of Canada’s Aboriginals, the Inuit among them. But, at least to the prejudicial music listener of today, the past 50 years or so have passed the territories by, musically speaking. The upper regions of our country are not known for their output of popular music. Rest assured, it’s there.

Popular music does have a foothold in Canada’s Northern outposts. The sounds currently coursing through the scenes of this country’s largest cities can also be found on the more frequently frozen streets of The Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Though they may not often be talked about, and though they certainly do offer unique challenges, music communities are there and they are fighting against tough odds to be heard.

Every February for 33 years, Whitehorse, YK, has played host to the Frostbite Music Festival, a weekend-long showcase of acts from across Canada. The 2011 incarnation festival was headlined by Toronto-based roots rocker Bahamas but also featured a wealth of local talents. Among them was Death in Venice, a four-man jam-centric group, which played the festival as a homecoming, having returned from Montreal to the city in which the band was forged in 2004. Also on the bill was Sarah MacDougall, a folk-soaked singer/songwriter who, after starting her career in Vancouver, is now based in Whitehorse CONT. ON PG 20

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Despite being based in Toronto, Dave and Veronica Johnny’s label, Slave River Records, has an especial focus on developing artists from the Northwest Territories.

CONT. FROM PG 19

and recording her second album at local Old Crow studios.

While Frostbite serves as proof that there are members of the territories’ citizenry who can match pitch with a pillar of Toronto’s music scene, it is also a reminder that, all too often, talented Northerners have to relocate to some of Canada’s bigger cities to find success. Though MacDougall makes her home and her music in the Yukon, she releases through Vancouver’s Copperspine Records. Death in Venice, meanwhile, fled South when the going got good.

With a basic lack of resources available in the area, it is ever-challenging for local musicians to get exposure while sticking around their home territory. The Yukon’s only multi-artist record label, Caribou Records, folded in 2007. The independent label was founded in 1995 with the mandate bringing local music to a larger audience, and over the next 12 years managed to build a solid stable of local artists, including Juno Awardwinner Jerry Alfred. Founding partner David Petkovich cited digital downloading and a flagging consumer interest in CDs as the main reasons why his company was squeezed out of the market.

Making the end of Caribou Records particularly devastating was the fact that the label had been so integral to getting airplay for its bands, a feat with which Northern musicians do not normally get much assistance.

Although the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has well-established guidelines for Canadian music in general, it does not have any province or territory-specific regulations.

According to CRTC Manager of Radio Policy Michael Amodeo, although some stations may choose to focus their programming on small communities, that choice is left up to individual station managers and cannot be mandated by the CRTC. There is no way to guarantee that a territorial band will get airtime over a betterknown band from down South, even in their own territory, let alone the country at large.

Lacking a viable means of exposure at home, a Southward journey is often necessary for acts that want to make it big. But, for some Northern-bred musicians, a change of address does not mean a split from the scenes in which they came up. The Johnnys, for instance, have made a business out of bridging the gap between North and South.

Dave and Veronica Johnny are a husband-andwife, drummer-and-singer team at the centre of an eponymous punk/garage rock quartet from Fort Smith, NWT. Although the Johnnys moved to Toronto in 2005, Dave and Veronica have continued to play an active role 20

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in the development of Northwest Territories talent. The pair founded their own record label in 2006 for the purposes of releasing their group’s debut album, I Like it A Lot, the following year. Since then, Slave River Records has been dedicated to, as its written mandate terms it, “establish[ing] partnerships developing, recording and promoting the music of individual artists and groups.”

Despite being based in Toronto, Slave River has an especial focus on artists from the Northwest Territories as well as performers of Aboriginal descent.

The label serves as a resource to help up-andcoming artists write, record, and promote their music.

It will even provide bands with instruments as needed.

But perhaps most importantly, the Johnnys, through Slave River Records, help NWT musicians apply for government grants to secure funding.

Although events like the Frostbite festival and personalities like the Johnnys strive to bring Northern artists into the light of the public consciousness, a helpful, intervening hand from higher powers is often needed to keep territories’ music communities afloat.

Ottawa and the three territorial capitals alike have put initiatives in place to offer financial support to burgeoning artists of the North.

The NWT Arts Council has, since 1985, supported NWT artists and art-related organizations with money provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Employment Established. For the 25th anniversary of the Council in 2010, a sum of $500,000 was awarded to various artists around the territory.

At the time of the donation, NWT Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty said in a press release, “The arts are a source of pride for all Northerners and contribute to our territory’s unique culture. As Minister, I am very pleased to continue to support the NWT’s artists, performers and events.”

Similarly, the Nunavut Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth has established a Nunavut Arts Council through which funding is given to local arts each year.

In the Yukon, the Department of Tourism and Culture has established an Arts Fund, supporting projects that, according to the Department, “foster the creative development of the arts in the Yukon.”

The music communities of Canada’s territories are being helped from all sides. While gaining exposure will never be as easy in Yellowknife as it is in Toronto, the people behind the government grants, popular festivals and philanthropic endeavours are all working to stoke the notability and success of Northern musicians.

The artists are there, the music is there. All that’s left is for the public to turn their ears toward it.

LE CHEMIN DE KARKWA Kevin Elliott talks to Louis-Jean Cormier of the 2010 Polaris Award-winning band

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sk most people in Canada about Quebec music and they’ll tell you that it’s all about the Montreal scene: The Dears, The Stills, The Besnard Lakes, and Wolf Parade, not to mention Arcade Fire, who are now riding a wave of international success thanks to their recent Best Album Grammy. As such, it’s quite astonishing how much our country is immune from Frenchlanguage Quebec bands.

In fairness, a language barrier is always a tough challenge to overcome. Perhaps for that very reason it’s even more astonishing that the francophone Karkwa are the most recent recipients of the prestigious Polaris Prize, awarded annually to the best Canadian album of the year. Not only did Karkwa win for their 2010 release Les Chemins de verre (in English, The Glass Paths), but they were also the first French band to take the prize.

“It certainly wasn’t expected, and we were sure we weren’t going to win,” admitted vocalist/guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier. “It means a lot to us, especially considering the amazing bands nominated who we respect a lot.” Cormier modestly went on to discuss how much of an honour it was just to be seated in between fellow nominees Broken Social Scene, and The Besnard Lakes at the award ceremony.

Cormier is not unaware of how significant the award is for French-Canadian music. “We are in a sense representing the Francophone community, and it’s always really nice for Frenchlanguage music to get this kind of exposure.”

Cormier attributes this recognition to the basic desire music fans have for good music, in any shape or form. “There are music lovers everywhere, no matter the language spoken,” he noted. “I think the buzz with the Montreal music scene dem-

onstrates how much the music communities of both languages are blending.” And, he explained, it means more music is becoming more accessible to more people.

“When you have a musical language, people will dance.

The spoken language in the end doesn’t really matter,” he adds.

Karkwa has actually been around since 1998, and they’ve released four full-length albums since 2003. Cementing a strong presence within Quebec early on, it wasn’t until their third release, 2008’s Le Volume du vent (in English, The Volume of the Wind) that they started to penetrate the rest of Canada, and Europe too.

But with Les Chemins de verre, the band went for a new approach. This album has a more organic, almost improvisational sound to it. It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that it was written and recorded in only three weeks. “We used to practice and prepare a lot for our previous albums, but this time we just booked a studio and created it live,” Cormier said.

He further explained that the approach for Les Chemins de verre was all about simplicity. Uncomplicated rhythms and melodies, and minimal instrumentalization and effects all influenced the fleeting qualities of the songs on the record. They were the kind of results you get from writing songs almost on the spot.

Of course, if you’re going to write an ephemeral album without any preproduction, it’s only appropriate you do it in the historically transient city of Paris. “We were on tour. We were sleeping and living in the studio. We were isolated from our normal lives. We were in a creative mood far from home. It worked well!” summarizes Cormier.

Apparently so.

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UALITY CONTROL Dan Hawie chats with charismatic CBC host Jian Ghomeshi

T

here’s no denying the ubiquity of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) when it comes to showcasing Canadian music from just about every nook and cranny across the country. Through 75 years of bilingual programming first in radio and then television, the CBC has connected those from Victoria, BC to St. Johns, NF, and anywhere in between under an indivisible bond of national pride.

The CBC’s adeptness at pushing the ethos of Canadian spirit has led it to expand over the years. Covering the national indie scene are CBC Radio 3 and the French-language station Bande à part, while CBC Radio 1’s show Q takes a more multi-disciplinary focus, exposing cultural and entertainment personalities from across the country. Q has burgeoned into amassing the country’s largest audience out of any cultural affairs program, and has also earned the prestige of serving as CBC’s highest-rated morning show in its history.

ANDY spoke with Q’s host and co-creator Jian Ghomeshi last week about his role as one of the country’s most influential media personalities, and how his hand in Q has opened the floodgates to covering any caliber of artist and genre.

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ILLUSTRATION BY JOY SANTIAGO

Q: Your role with Q, and on CBC Radio 1, has become widely recognized as promoting a variety of Canadian artists. Given the millions of listeners tuning in every day, how does the show fit as an outlet for showcasing Canada’s finest?

A: What’s interesting for us is that we’re in a unique position because Q serves as a non-genre specific prime-time variety program, and that allows me to remain unchained by the narrow formatting of a deprived commercial radio station living within its musical boundaries.

So without this kind of mandate, I’m able to champion Canadian music that can be everything from a singer/ songwriter, to an opera singer, to an independent rock band, or a well-known jazz musician. Since we have the largest audience in Canadian cultural programming, we’re able to really make a difference.

We recently had the Vancouver-based musical duo Memphis on, and they’re sort of an interesting hard-to-classify mix of alternative, indie, and rock. This kind of music isn’t going to be on a commercial radio station. It doesn’t fit into jazz, and in some cases it doesn’t fit alternative rock, so where does it go?

I’m really happy we can provide that venue for a bunch of young Canadian musicians who are doing something cool.

What are your thoughts on the progression of CBC over the years to diversify its musical programming through stations like Radio 3, and shows like Q? The CBC, not dissimilar to some other public broadcasters like the BBC, is indispensable to the vast majority of Canadian musical artists. And by vast majority, the fact [is] that most Canadian artists – even those who put out albums that are quite good – can’t get played on radio, or don’t get showcased on television anywhere else. I felt this way before I worked with CBC when I was in the band Moxy Früvous, who very explicitly didn’t get played because our stuff was too weird except [for] airplay on CBC.

So whether you’re a Cape Breton singer/songwriter, or a heavy dubstep electronic band from Vancouver, or a creative indie pop group out of Montreal, you’re just not going to get played anywhere else other than the CBC. It’s become a very important lifeline, and I’m aware of that as a musician first, and then a manager/producer, and then as a person in the media who can be the promoter and curator; it’s very evident to me.

Q plays a part in covering massive names, but also a lot of up-and-coming artists that may not be known across the country. Has this exposure of both sides in Canadian music become a mandate for the show?

What we try with this show is to put on what we like. We’ve built credibility and a big audience that trusts us, and I still follow through with putting on the stuff that I think is really good. When it comes to Canadian music, of course we don’t get everything we want in there, but overall we take a lot of pride in playing what’s important to us. Even when there’s an artist that we’ve had in the past, who releases a new album, it’s always about playing that record and making it known that that’s something we believe in.

A good example is Kingston’s PS I Love You. We had them on, which, relatively in terms of mainstream, are an unknown group, and we actually got a lot of pushback from listeners, but we put it on because we liked it. They benefited from that, and got a real boost from that. The same goes for us putting on Vancouver’s Young Galaxy recently, or any artist really.

In an interview with ANDY last year, you mentioned how Canadian artists hold an inferiority complex to the outside world. After the recent “Album of the Year” Grammy snag by Arcade Fire, and the heap of critical nods to artists from this country, do you still feel this way?

We do have our own industry here, and I actually think that music increasingly is one area where we don’t have as much of an inferiority complex in Canada anymore. We’ve become emboldened to know that we’re the real deal and, to a certain extent in terms of the size our country, we’re punching way above our weight class.

We’re exporting all of this incredible music made by Canadian artists that is really unparalleled in any other part of the world, and I think that we kind of get that. I think there’s a lot of confidence, and Arcade Fire was a real moment for us, because it wasn’t just a Canadian band winning album of the year, it was an example of a real grassroots independent do-it-yourself Canadian band that actually is the way a lot of Canadian bands develop. It was a validation of this country and our theme.

CONT. ON PG 24

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CONT. FROM PG 23

There’s been a lot of critical recognition for a number of musical circles across the country, with Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal exporting so many big names recently. What do you think it is about these communities that have gained so much exposure?

I think that when certain artists lay the template, other artists can follow in their footsteps. So much fertile ground has been created by Canadian artists through the last couple of decades that younger Canadians, who are interested in music, look at it and go, “I can do this.”

On a very basic level, Arcade Fire winning a Grammy means that any Canadian independent act can basically say, “We can make music that is outside of the mainstream of Top 40, we can call our own shots, and we can win the Grammy award for Album of the Year.”

That’s emboldening, and I think that’s part of what’s happened here.

Whether it’s Broken Social Scene in Toronto, or The New Pornographers in Vancouver, they’ve created the conditions where the next generations of indie bands coming up can follow in their footsteps.

It becomes self-perpetuating to a certain extent. The stronger the industry is, and the stronger the artists are, the more success they have, and the more that creates the conditions for stronger artists.

So then with respect to Q, do you feel it has played a part in weaving together all of these artists across the country?

There really isn’t anything like our show that can have [as much of] an impact, and we do take a lot of pride in that. In each respective community there’s radio stations and television programs that can really do a lot, but I think in a broad base in terms of what we hit, we do quite well.

It’s funny because there were some warnings we were given consistently before starting Q. One was that, according to focus groups and studies, everybody these days wants shorter interviews and sound bites, and nobody wants long-form programming anymore. It’s all niche programming because people don’t have an appetite for a lot of different stuff.

We did the exact opposite of having a show that features a lot of bands and long-form interviews. It’s a completely multidisciplinary show, and that says to me that Canadians, and our audience beyond, are interested in a variety of stuff, more so now than ever. Just because you like the rapper Shad, doesn’t mean you’re going to like Sam Roberts, or the pop rock act Mother Mother, or Gerald Findley the opera singer.

I feel like that’s one of the victories we’ve learned, not only about our show, but the audience too in what they have appetite for, and I find that really gratifying.

Q airs on CBC Radio 1 weekdays at 10 a.m. (10:30 NT) and 10 p.m.

(10:30 NT). For more info, visit http://www.cbc.ca/q

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DARTING PAST DRAKE Fraser Caldwell looks into how Canada’s true hip hop pioneers suffer in Drizzy’s shadow

The Canadian rap scene has suddenly gained worldwide recognition, but it may not be the kind its artists wanted.

For more than 20 years, pioneers of the rap genre north of the forty-ninth parallel have toiled to gain a reputation for their work both within this country and in the United States.

Luminary performers such as the Rascalz, Choclair, and Kardinal Offishall perpetually struggled to improve the reputation of a field of music in its infancy.

Canadian rappers have been content to win small victories, eking out an existence on the fringe of the mainstream with appearances on regional urban radio stations and Much Music’s flagship rap program, RapCity.

That was the situation until a few short years ago, when the Northern rap scene enjoyed a major breakthrough into both the Canadian and American mainstreams in the form of Drake.

The Rosedale-bred product of Toronto elitism was an immediate darling of corporate America.

But for all that he is, the Degrassi alum will never be a wordsmith. He may pop your eardrum through sheer force of bass, but Drake will never blow your mind with the depth and incision of his lyrics. That power is left to others among the Canadian hip hop circuit. But unfortunately, very few are listening.

In the interminable jet wash that Drake’s media buzz leaves behind, more talented artists are perpetually overlooked.

And that is perhaps the greatest injustice of them all: that as Canadian rap unearths a star, onlookers kick the true pioneers to the curb.

Take for example, perhaps the greatest hip hop artist to ever emerge from the East Coast: Nova Scotia’s own Buck 65.

The Sackville native has been churning out rap records since the mid-90s, cycling masterfully through genres and styles, from rap’s traditional urban roots to jazz, blues, and country.

And yet how many Canadians have heard his gruff and steady delivery layered over the lazy patter of a banjo?

What about an example that hits closer to home for those of us shacked up here in Ontario? Shad, a Kenyan-born but London-bred lyricist has gained no shortage of critical acclaim since piecing his 2005 debut album When This Is Over together with contest winnings. In 2008, The National Post’s columnist Ben Kaplan went as far as to proclaim him the greatest rapper in the country.

But despite those accolades, how many can attest to having basked in the wit and candour of his political lyrics, or delighted in the perfect timing of his flow?

Some of the best and brightest of Canada’s hip hop artists have even garnered recognition and respect beyond the strict realm of the musical. Rollie Pemberton for example, an Edmonton-based performer who operates under the stage name of Cadence Weapon, was honoured as the city’s poet laureate in July 2009. The power of Pemberton’s lyric poetry is such that Edmonton authorities saw fit to appoint him as their ambassador of arts and culture. Weighty stuff for a man who endeavours to rock the mic.

The point here is simple. While the man known affectionately as Drizzy will continue to sell a horrendous number of records, that success should not come at the expense of his more musically talented Canadian counterparts.

So the next time you turn to spin Thank Me Later, maybe you should grab Breaking Kayfabe instead.

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NICE TO MICHOU They shocked everyone with their win at this year’s Verge Music Awards.

Now they plan on taking Canada by storm. Find out what all the fuss is about. These Windsor natives are much smarter than you think.

BY MYLES HEROD Have you heard of Michou? Well, now you have.

Recently they walked away with a Verge Music Award for Artist of the Year, beating out such luminaries as Broken Social Scene and The Arcade Fire.

Hailing from Windsor, Ontario, the members of this four-piece undoubtedly know how to get a party going.

With that said, underneath their facade of youthful abandon lies a certain maturity uncommon for rambunctious twenty-somethings.

Lead singer Michael Hargreaves sat down to discuss their recent Verge win, and the adjustment that comes with being one of Canada’s hottest new acts.

“It’s been a very steady progression. It’s always a nerveracking balance between changing your music as your life changes, and keeping your music the same to not throw fans off. Hopefully as we grow our fans invest themselves into the journey we’ve embarked on.”

Having formed in 2007, through what Hargreaves described as a “common interest in free beers,” Michou is a singer/songwriter-driven group with the ambience of a full band. “It’s just more writerly, as opposed to a more freeform jam band sound. We explore several genres, from pop to rock to folk, which are tied together under our own creative sense of identity and also by the nature of our lyrics.”

The band has recorded two full-length albums and two EPs, the most recent being 2011’s Celebrate Love.

Their 2010 album, Cardona, has been hailed as a turning point for that band, but Hargreaves prefers to examine the band’s body of work as a whole.

“We’re always evolving as a unit,” he said. “Our albums have become more like souvenirs. Everyone has to live with their past, and we’ve always looked to the future with optimism.”

This humble outlook provides needed stability to a band that could just as easily let adoration get to their heads. It also goes some way to explaining their great popularity, as exhibited by the Artist of the Year accolade.

“We tried to stay positive for the weeks that led up to the award show. We’d say to each other over and over, ‘Did you hear? We are going to win $25,000 next week,’” explained Hargreaves, referring to the prize-money attached to the award.

Kidding aside, Michou had some stiff competition at the annual Verge Music Awards, as the shortlist consisted of The New Pornographers, Stars, Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene, and Gord Downie, in addition to The Arcade

Fire, fresh off their astonishing Grammy win for Album of the Year.

Suffice it to say, Michou had their work cut out for them. “We were very intimidated,” Hargreaves said. “We tried to put out the positivity into the universe, but when we arrived at the Mod Club we all confessed that we had little faith that we’d actually win.”

But they did win, surprising everyone, and perhaps even themselves. As Hargreaves explained: “It was a very interesting moment. We were all standing up in the balcony, and were gathered by our manager so that we could ‘lose together.’ We were suddenly surrounded by blackoutfitted, headset wearing people who forced us down a set of stairs where we stood wondering what was going on.

After Kevin Drew said, ‘congratulations’, we finally started to grasp that maybe we had won. There was only a minute between having no clue we had won, and being onstage holding up a beautiful award.”

Looking retrospectively at what will be a career-defining moment, Hargreaves said, “It did feel like we had arrived in a way. When you’re working hard on your career, the industry is like a giant mountain to climb. That moment gave us a chance to twist our heads around and look back at all we had accomplished in 2010, from releasing our first studio album, to opening for the likes of The Weakerthans, Dashboard Confessional, and Lights.”

Considering the 12 hours of celebratory binge drinking and partying that followed the Awards, one question must be asked: What happens when a band wins $25,000?

Debauchery? Excess? Hargreaves and the rest of the boys have a better idea.

“There will always be things to spend money on.

Spending is an activity we typically try to avoid. The first thing will be to give back to our fans a free tour in the top four [Verge Awards] voting regions. After that we are looking at new and improved merchandise and a new vehicle for touring safely across the country this May with USS.” It all comes down to touring and, in his closing comments of the interview, Hargreaves shared some words of wisdom about life on the road.

“Playing shows is always the highlight of the day,” he said. “Sharing our music as it evolves from album to album is a process we could all enjoy for eternity. Everything I’ve learned about how to exist with other people, and how to become a better person, has come from touring. I suggest traveling to everyone who can afford to do it.”

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Sharing our music as it evolves from album to album is a process we could all enjoy for eternity.

�

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