Arts & Culture pages 12 to

Rainy Day Ritual and post-internet music

New musical project looks to break down artistic barriers

ARTS & CULTURE

Alex Braun, staff Rainy Day Ritual is the brainchild of Samwauw, or just Sam, a young artist with a lot on his mind. Since releasing its first mixtape last year and a new EP About August in February, Rainy Day Ritual has started picking up attention in the Winnipeg indie scene, nabbing an opening spot for Montreal’s Braids and Winnipeg’s Living Hour at the West End Cultural Centre on March 26, a high-profile slot for such a new project.

Listening to their music, it’s easy to tell why they’ve started picking up heat. Each song is overflowing with ideas — distorted synths, guitars, hyperactive beats, auto-tuned vocals and unexpected samples careen out of the mix at a rapid clip. It’s exciting stuff, conveying this wide-eyed feeling of the thrill of creation. Talking to Sam over Zoom, his excitement and ambition are palpable.

Sam got his start as a drummer in a band, but when he took it upon himself to buy home recording equipment, he was excited by the possibilities of recording and making music on his own.

“I got into synths and got […] Reaper, just some freeware [stuff] […] It’s just been a process of expanding for the past four years.” After releasing some music under the name Samwauw, the Rainy Day Ritual project started in order for Sam to build a space where he could bounce ideas off others freely, but without the constraints of working in the structure of a band.

“I’m always in the process of trying to sort this out,” he said. “I think four months ago it was a band, and now I think it’s just me getting my friends to help me write stuff.”

Most of the collaboration Sam does with Rainy Day Ritual is inherently idea-based, rather than musical.

“I guess [it’s] still collaboration nonetheless, but I don’t think in that regard I would call it a band,” he said.

“You think of a band, there’s like two to four people up there with their guitars and then there’s the drummer and I’ve been trying to almost get away from that […] I loved playing in a band as I did, but I know I’ve got more stuff to do.”

Instead, Sam bounces ideas and tracks off friends in a Discord server, allowing for a wider collaboration on the grounds of ideas and aesthetics, while he still writes and records everything the project puts out. Talking about this idea-based work on artistic ideology and aesthetic consideration, Sam brings up a series of rants he wrote about the project “The Re-Think” volumes one through three.

“I talked a lot about how I can’t shy away from what I grew up on […] [808s & Heartbreak]-era Kanye, T-Pain, Kesha, all this stuff that we see right now and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so out of date, that’s so uncool,’ but I love [it] to death,” he said.

“I can’t shy away from that because that’s my formation as a musician […] like Black Eyed Peas, ridiculously over-the-top hard synth pop stuff, and I love that stuff.”

“Nothing is really uncool now — we’re in a great place where everything is sort of ‘in’ and that’s wonderful and horrifying but it allows you to do whatever […] you want, and so that’s

provided / Rainy Day Ritual image /

what I do. I want to be, or at least I wanted to be on the last EP, like a sort of bridge between T-Pain and Kesha and Animal Collective and Deerhunter.”

While the project is still just beginning, Sam made sure to note there is much more to come.

“I’ve got cool ideas and I think a lot about this […] And maybe if it’s not as awesome as I want it to be now, it will be.”

The new Rainy Day Ritual EP About August is available on all streaming platforms. Tickets for the show on March 26 are available at reallovewpg.com.

arts@themanitoban.com

’Toban turntable

Maylee Todd — ‘Maloo’

3.5/5 stars ARTS & CULTURE

Alex Braun, staff

Multidisciplinary artist Maylee Todd has had a wild, varied career. Beginning her career as a comedian, she has since branched out into performance art, animation and music. All these elements come together on her ambitious new project Maloo.

The record is pitched as a sort of concept album, with a storyline as baffling as the uncanny digital avatar that appears on its cover — a smooth, grey humanoid creature with massive aquatic ears.

According to the press materials, “Maloo tells the story of a conscious AI observer summoned into being by the Children of Ew, creators of the metaverse. In this Age of Energy, empathy, mental health and creativity are the core elements for survival. [Maloo] travels to the Infinite Program, a planet whose sustainability is dependent on the well-being of its inhabitants.”

Given her comedic background and her work with notorious absurdist Eric Andre, it can be assumed the silliness is intentional, but the album also has serious intentions of interrogating our encroaching sci-fi metaverse reality. She examines the impact of the virtual space on our lives and explores identity, sexuality and mental health.

Musically, Maloo notably draws from Japanese ambient and environmental music, applying the glassy, melancholy and retro-futurist sounds of early digital synthesizers to more modern pop structures with a healthy dose of neo-soul and jazz influence as well. It is reminiscent of Mac DeMarco or labelmate Jerry Paper’s woozy songwriting.

The third track “Grab Your Guts” looks at the loneliness of virtual living, as well as the dichotomy of living more and more in a virtual space while still having a physical body to take care of, with a repeated mantra of “I grab my guts and my hardwire, still manning up.” Other songs, like the slow jam “No Other,” seem to abandon the sci-fi plotline, muddying Todd’s overall concept. Considering how all-in the rest of the album is, “No Other” is a glaring oversight.

The metaverse largely fills me with dread and confusion, but Todd seems to have an optimistic view of our virtual future. Even as the album

provided / / Take Aim Media image

contains melancholy and skepticism, she chooses to end the album with “Absolute Time and Space,” a comforting song about getting through confusing, troubling times by holding on to the ones you love. And maybe in the metaverse, all we need is love.

Bison athletes garner all-star recognition

Hockey, basketball, volleyball players honoured by Canada West

SPORTS

Matthew Merkel, staff On March 3, the University of Manitoba men’s basketball team had its season cut short by the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat in the first round of the Canada West basketball playoff tournament. Although the early elimination was disappointing, the announcement that Bison teammates James Wagner and Mason Kraus had been awarded for their exemplary play was a small consolation.

The only forward named a firstteam all-star, Wagner was the herd’s primary weapon this season. The fifth-year player averaged 16.8 points per game, ranked fourth in Canada West in field goals as well as sixth in minutes per game averaged.

Defensively Wagner was also a force, ranking ninth in defensive rebounds and being a shutdown player all season.

When asked how valuable Wagner is to the Bisons, Kraus praised his teammate’s work ethic and leadership.

“James was a first-team all-star for a reason,” said Kraus.

“He puts his work in on and off the court. He was [our] key player this year and personally the best player I’ve played with. He carried us as much as he could this season and we wouldn’t even [have won] half the games we won without him.”

Named to the all-rookie team, Kraus was also one of the U of M’s best players this season.

As a true freshman, Kraus was a presence on the floor for the herd. Starting all 16 games for the herd, Kraus had the most assists and steals on the team and ranked third on the team in minutes played, blocks and points per game.

After having an excellent first season, Kraus says he is just grateful to be on a competitive team that pushes him every day to be his best. He is thankful for his teammates allowing him to grow as a player and as a person.

“I knew when I was committing to U of M, I would be able to show what I have […] and would be joining a team that will push me not just as a player but as a person,” said Kraus.

“My teammates were allowing me to go through some of the growing pains throughout the season and would make sure and help me understand what I need to do to improve. I felt that everyone had a voice this year, and not just seniors helping me but my fellow rookies helping me learn and telling me what they see.”

After having a disappointing playoff, the Bisons men’s basketball team will look to go even further into the post-season next year. Even though the Bisons will be losing graduating players Wagner, Keiran Zziwa and Risto Zimbakov, Kraus believes the herd will be a competitive team come fall. He said he is ready to step up and be one of the Bisons’ main scoring threats and points to a fresh group of first-year teammates that are ready to take Canada West by storm.

“I’m excited for next year. I know I have something to prove as being one of our main scoring options next year and our team, I think, can compete for a [Canada West] championship,” said Kraus.

“We have a lot of young guys in all positions and I know the work that we all put in will show why we are not a team to play with.”

“James was a first team allstar for a reason”

— Mason Kraus, Bison basketball player

staff Matthew Merkel / photo /

More Bisons honoured

The day before Wagner and Kraus won their awards, Bisons women’s hockey captain Lauren Warkentin was named a second-team all-star by Canada West.

This season, the blue-liner was a defensive stalwart for her team, playing the most minutes on her team and being an excellent puck mover in her own end. The oldest player on a team of mostly first and second-year players, the fifth-year defenceman’s leadership will certainly be missed. In 2018, she was a member of the Bisons women’s hockey team that brought home the first national championship in program history.

Warkentin wasn’t the only Bison hockey player to be honoured in the announcement — teammate Ashley Keller was named to the conference all-rookie team. In her first season as a Bison, Keller notched six goals and five assists, good for third in Canada West rookie scoring. She will be a key player on the women’s hockey team for years to come.

A week later, a pair of Bison volleyball players received recognition for exemplary freshman seasons. Katreena Bentley and Spencer Grahame were each named to the Canada West allrookie team.

In her first year as the Bisons’ setter, Bentley had a historically significant season. She led the nation in assists per set with 10.53, a stat that ranks eighth all time in Canada West history. After the women’s volleyball team went winless in the first round of pool play, Bentley will look to carry her squad deeper into the post-season in 2023.

Since joining the team, Grahame has been one of the Bisons’ most productive players. Playing on the left side, Grahame has been efficient on offence, ranking second on the team with 2.45 kills per set and third in total attacks with 345. He has also been effective defensively, racking up 29 blocks and 61 digs. Hosting the U Sports men’s volleyball championship March 25 to 27, Grahame and his teammates will look to capture the program’s 11th national title.

Wagner, Kraus, Warkentin, Keller, Bentley and Grahame join an impressive list of Bison athletes that have been awarded by Canada West within the last six months.

In late October, women’s soccer player Bianca Cavalcanti was named to both the Canada West all-rookie team and second-team all-stars.

Hailee Morisseau earned a second-team all-star nod after placing 14th at the Canada West cross country championships.

Six players on the Bisons football team were also named all-stars. Ryder Klisowsky, Gavin Cobb, Brock Gowanlock, Nick Thomas, Cole Adamson and Marcel Arruda-Welch were all honoured by the conference.