FREE DOWNLOAD : D-Sisive - Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye

Last I heard, Toronto rapper Derek Christoff was hard at work trying to decide on a new moniker. In the meanwhile, you can enjoy the latest offering under his most commonly known name D-Sisive -- Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye. Jonestown 2 follows the format of the excellent 2009's Jonestown, which was also released free online.

Go to D-Sisive's Bandcamp page for the free download!

NEW VIDEO : Hilary Grist wishes you a happy Valentine's day

Cynical laments about Valentine's Day are dime a dozen. This video by Vancouver's Hilary Grist, however, shows that sometimes it's nice to embrace the emotionality of this spring holiday and see what it inspires. In this case, a lovely little ditty with a video that will make you smile. If you like the song, you can download it for free from Grist's website. While you're there, you can also send the video as an e-card.

So happy Valentine's Day, and remember, earbuds & ticket stubs loves you! xo

NEW ALBUM : Peter Elkas - Repeat Offender

The incredibly dreamy Toronto crooner/rocker Peter Elkas is set to release his third solo album on February 22 named Repeat Offender (New Scotland Records). If you head over to Exclaim!, they've got the lead single "Cool Thing to Do" for free download.

The album cover above alludes to Elkas' day job as a dog walker-- seriously, can this story get any better? Watch an R3TV episode featuring Peter and his dogs below.

Repeat Offender track list:

1. "Anticipation"
2. "Cruel Thing to Do"
3. "Blue Of You"
4. "Tiny Valentine"
5. "Misery"
6. "Melody"
7. "Repeat Offender"
8. "Hummingbirds"
9. "Atlas"
10. "Cool Thing to Do"

Christmas and holiday music galore : Free and for donation!

The copyright of this totally doesn't belong to me.

I have 8.1 hours worth of Christmas and holiday music on m hard drive as this blog post is being written, and a good chunk of that is free and by a lovely host of Canadian indie artists. So for you and your family's entertainment this holiday season, let me share with you some of these free holiday mix tapes, singles and albums fundraising for worthy causes. If you like the artists you hear, make sure to check out more of their music!

It is my hope to update this whenever free Christmas music becomes available. So please let me know if there is a link that I've missed, or if a download is no longer available!

Free compilations/albums

The Line of Best Fit has started a fine tradition of getting Canadian indie heavy hitters like Basia Bulat, Jason Collett and Great Lake Swimmers to cover some of their favourite Christmas songs along with some originals as well.

Download Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada
Download Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada Deux

Mental Beast got a all-Vancouver cast of musicians for their mixtape, named The Eggnog Experience, back in 2009. Artists include Lightning Dust, Apollo Ghosts, Brasstronaut, Analog Bell Service and much more.

Dan Moxon of Bend Sinister recorded an 8-track Christmas album with Jon Bunyan in 2006, complete with all the classics.

The Province Empty Stocking Fund Playlist, featuring 10 BC artists who donated their songs for the Empty Stocking Fund.

Free Singles

Hannah Georgas shared her lovely ditty "Christmas Touch" with me last year. Don't miss it!

Elephant Stone has two singles "Jingle Bells" and "A Hawaiian Holy Night" on their website for download.

Parlovr has two singles "I'm Santa" and "Spike the Eggnog" on their website for download.

Treelines covered "Little Drummer Boy," available for download from their Bandcamp page.

Said the Whale has their 2009 EP West Coast Christmas for download, at the cost of your email.

Library Voices w/ Julia McDougall - "Baby It's Christmas" (MP3, right click and save)

The Ruffled Feathers wrote you a letter and have "The Highest Mountain" for free download.

The Rural Alberta Advantage offer up "Little Drummer Boy," recorded live. (Via AUX.tv)

Kellarissa is offering up a few traditional Finnish songs over at Mint Records.

Data Romance also covered "Little Drummer Boy." (via Line of Best Fit)

Fresh for 2010, Said the Whale has released 2 singles named "24 Days of Christmas" and "Brightest on My Street" for download.

Cadence Weapon covered "We Three Kings" back in 2006 for the CBC.

Ricardo Christoff Apparatus (Buck 65 & D-Sisive) do "The Night Before Christmas."

Charitable Compilations

Zunior.com has recruited Canadian favourites such as Jill Barber, Jim Bryson and Old Man Luedecke for their annual themed Christmas compilations. All profits go toward Daily Bread Food Bank.

2009 - A Peanuts Christmas
2010 - A Country Blues Christmas






Jill Barber, Rose Cousins and Meaghan Smith teamed up to record A New Kind of Light back in 2007, which includes lovely originals alongside traditional favourites. They're three stellar artists and as you can imagine, the outcome is superb. Proceeds of this album goes toward food banks in the Maritimes. You can order the physical album here from Feed Nova Scotia.

Other Christmas Compilations

Prince Edward Island All Stars including Jenn Grant, Al Tuck, Paper Lions and Boxer the Horse cover their favourite Christmas tunes and contribute some original material as well.

Non-Canadian Free Singles/Albums

Beach House has "I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun" for download on their website.

Current Earworm : James Blake - "Limit to Your Love" (Feist Cover)

I've been addicted to this beautiful cover of Feist's "Limit to Your Love" by James Blake, a British producer whom frankly I knew nothing about. For the past week, I would open my browser, click on the link to the track and listen to it once or twice before carrying on in whatever work I'm doing. It's chill, it's moody, it's got a shoulder-dipping bass beat. And now there's a video to accompany it, which is below.

You can download the track from Jus' Like Music here (assuming it's still available).

FREE DOWNLOAD & TOUR DATES : The Pack a.d... and a contest!

Mint Recording artists from Vancouver, The Pack a.d. are leaving the fires of B.C. and heading back on tour yet again. This time in Canada. In order to celebrate they are offering up free downloads of fan favourites at the myriad of live shows they have played since releasing their critically acclaimed and chart topping third album We Kill Computers on April 27th.

Free Downloads:
MP3: “B.C. is on Fire”
MP3: "Crazy"

They are announcing the details of their new contest as well. Here are the contest particulars and rules according to the band:

The Pack a.d.'s Picture Contest

You know we love contests because we like getting things in the mail, right? Anyway, we think that others must like the same thing - so even if your entry doesn't officially win - you still get a handwritten postcard from us. Postcards are cool.

Here's the contest...

You: Draw a picture of us. That's right, however you want to draw it as long as it's by hand. It can be crayon, pencil, ink, oil - whatever medium you prefer. The only guidelines are that it can't be done on a computer and that it's to be somehow of us (Maya and Becky). That means you can draw us as like, even, errr, whalers if you want or perhaps to be more politically correct, you can draw us as The Wailers..minus Bob Marley of course...this isn't a Bob Marley contest.

We: Pick the ones we like. It could be 2 or it could be 30. No matter what the amount, the chosen pictures will be put into the album insert for our next album. Yes, it's true. The winners will be immortalized in a CD booklet just like Christopher Lambert...which reminds me, you can draw us as Highlander too...that would be sweet.

Entry Deadline: November 5, 2010

Send your pictures to:

The Pack a.d.
C/O Mint Records
P.O. Box 3613, M.P.O.
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
V6B 3Y6

CBC Radio 3 Presents The Pack a.d Canadian Tour Dates with Young Rival

09/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Victory Square Block Party (The Pack a.d only)
O9/O8 - Edmonton, AB @ The Black Dog
O9/O9 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City
O9/ll – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo's
O9/l3 – Regina, SK @ O'Hanlon's
O9/l4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub
O9/l5 – Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
O9/l6 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Lop Lops
O9/20 - Montreal QC @ Le Divan Orange
O9/22 - London ON @ London Music Club
O9/23 - Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
O9/24 - Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
O9/25 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
O9/28 – Kingston, ON @ The Mansion
09/26 – Wakefield, QC @ The Blacksheep Inn (The Pack a.d. only)
10/22 – Halifax, NS @ Halifax POP Explosion (The Pack a.d only)

FREE DOWNLOAD : Siskiyou - Great Lake Swimmers side project announce new album

Siskiyou is the music of Colin Huebert in collaboration with Erik Arnesen. Huebert was the drummer for the Great Lake Swimmers up to 2007, and Arnesen is the current guitarist for the Swimmers. Their self-titled album will be released on September 7 2010 by Constellation Records. Huebert, according to the press release, captured recordings of the album "inside stairwells, bathrooms, hotel rooms, and on beaches and rooftops in the greater Vancouver area."

You can preorder the album from their website, and while you're there, listen to a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "El Condor Pasa." A free download of the track "This Land" below, for the slim price of your email address:

Siskiyou Track Listing:

1. "Funeral Song"
2. "Everything I Have"
3. "Hold It In"
4. "Pull It Away"
5. "It's All Going to End"
6. "Useless Anymore"
7. "This Land"
8. "Never Ever Ever Ever Again"
9. "Inside of the Ocean"
10. "We All Fall Down"
11. "Big Sur"
12. "Brevity and Insult"

NEWS BITES : new Zeus video, Leif Vollebekk dates, The Golden Dogs new album

The Golden Dogs’ new song “Permanent Record” was recently selected by actor Elijah Woods for his “Elysium” charity compilation. The compilation is available exclusively on iTunes and all the bands, which also includes Vancouver's Black Mountain, have donated their music for children who are battling serious medical conditions.

The track is also available on their upcoming album, Coat of Arms which hits stores July 27. Fans that pre-order the CD, LP or digital album will receive 2 album tracks by email immediately.

Download (MP3): The Golden Dogs - "Permanent Record"

-----

Montreal based Leif Vollebekk is touring the west coast for the first time, bringing his minimalist folk that saw him open for artists such as Basia Bulat. He'll be promoting his latest record Inland, which was released back in January. Vollebekk is also returning to the studio with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Godspeed...) at Hotel2Tango in Montreal in order to record his sophomore album, due out sometime in 2011.

TOUR DATES
July 20 @ The Lo Pub, WINNIPEG
July 21 @ The Club, REGINA
July 22 @ Amigo's, SASKATOON
July 23 @ Haven Social Club, EDMONTON
July 24 @ The Communitea, CANMORE
July 29 @ The Media Club, VANCOUVER
July 30 @ The Comet Tavern, SEATTLE
Aug 3 @ Hotel Utah Saloon, SAN FRANCISCO
Aug 4 @ Hotel Cafe, LOS ANGELES
Sep 12 @ End of the Road Festival, NORTH DORSET, UK

-----

Polaris long-listed Toronto band Zeus released their latest music video for "How Does It Feel" off their latest Say Us. I've also included a live recording of "The River By The Garden" from the same album... just because it's a great song.


Zeus - How Does It Feel from Arts & Crafts on Vimeo.


Zeus • The River by the Garden from Sara Collaton on Vimeo.

NEWS BITES : Matt Mays single up for download; new Postdata video

psst... it's always easier to just follow me on Twitter.

Matt Mays and band will be in Charlottetown, PEI this weekend for a gig with Bachman Turner and Great Big Sea. Other shows in July include a solo show in Wolfville, NS on July 30 at Muir Murray Estate Winery and a FREE Natal Day show (with the band) at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth on July 31.

Mays recorded a song  called "Queen of Portland Street" (you may know it as "Hurricanes") and can be heard exclusively on Q104 or downloaded from Q104.ca.

Kathryn Calder (New Pornographers, Immaculate Machine) will be releasing her first solo release named Are You My Mother?. To entice fans, she's put two of the songs up for download, including "Arrows" (MP3) and "Slip Away" (MP3).

If you didn't know, Wolf Parade's latest album Expo 86 was out yesterday. Their single "Ghost Pressure" had me excited to hear the rest of the new material from this Montreal-based band.

Victoria's Jon and Roy to headline Canada Day celebrations in their hometown in front of the legislature. They're on at 9pm and there are fireworks after.

On January 26th Paul Murphy of Wintersleep released his solo debut under the name Postdata to glowing reviews. The video is for the lead single “Tobias Grey”directed by Christopher Mills and illustrated by Nicole Aline Legault. You can also grab 2 singles off of his website for free.

FREE DOWNLOADS : Ghostkeeper

Hailing from Calgary, eclectic folk/country/rock band Ghostkeeper are celebrating their Polaris Music Prize long-list nomination by offering up two songs off of their self-titled debut for download. They're going on the festival circuit this summer and you can see them all across western Canada.

Sarah Houle, drummer (and vocalist) for Ghostkeeper, has made a video for the track "Spring Fever." Speaking of Houle, when I caught Ghostkeeper opening for Toronto's The Balconies a couple of months ago in the dingy UBC pub, I was very impressed with her simultaneous drumming and singing. Their set was excellent despite the small crowds and poor sound. Mad props.

Ghostkeeper Tour Dates:

July 7-11: Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 15 : Vancouver, BC : The Media Club
July 22 - 25: Calgary Folk Festival
August 6 - 8 : Regina Folk Festival
August 13 - 15 : Peppermill Festival

Downloads (MP3):
“Like Moose Do”
“By Morning”

NEWS BITES : June 4, 2010

FREE STUFF
Audio Blood does North by North East Festival! Get a FREE MIXTAPE including artists such as Dinosaur Bones and Leif Vollebekk.

On top of that, Audio Blood is celebrating NxNE by throwing a free, invite-only party at the top of the CN Tower with The Balconies (one of my favourite finds this year), Hollerado and The Meligrove Band playing. Go to their website to win tickets!


NEW MUSIC
Arcade Fire has The Suburbs, due August 3rd, up for pre-order. All orders, whether digital, CD or vinyl,  come with instant downloads of the two already released singles "The Suburbs" and "Month of May."

Mother Mother is in studio finishing their upcoming album following the huge success of their sophomore album O My Heart. It's due out in early 2011. In related news, they suddenly became a lot more prolific (and friendly-sounding) on Twitter.

Sam Roberts is in studio as well with their upcoming fourth studio release following Love at the End of the World. Unfortunately, some personality conflicts in studio.

St. John's The Mountains & The Trees, otherwise known as Jon Janes, will release his first full-length I Made This For You on August 10 after critical praise for his EP Hop, Skip & A Jump.

Pre-order Stars' upcoming release The Give Ghosts on iTunes in deluxe and you will also get The Séance EP, which includes tracks remixed by the Album Leaf, Montag and Of Montreal - as well as other bonus singles.

REVIEWS

Rah Rah's new album Breaking Hearts is thoroughly enjoyable and all-around stronger than their first release. Their indie pop polish, combined with their tendency of using pop rocks and confetti cannons in their live shows, don't fully conceal their old souls and turns of cynicism. The elaborate album artwork involves some unfortunate passengers falling off the side of a boat and being torn apart by sharks. hmm.

Shad's newest release TSOL sees him solidifying his formidable position in the Canadian hip-hop scene, which involved selling out his (adopted) hometown show in Vancouver last night at the Biltmore Cabaret. The quick rhymes and clever word play, not to mention profound lyrics which touch on everything from politics to the origins of his name, would satisfy the most elitist of English majors. I see it on the Polaris short list.

Jamie Lidell, UK-based soul/funkster loads latest release Compass with grimy, experimental explorations of how technology expresses, however inadequately, sexuality and desire. It leaves you hot and bothered and a bit agitated, kind of like waking up with your lover on a stuffy summer day. This latest effort is joined by friends such as Feist, Beck, Gonzales and members of Grizzly Bear and Wilco. One of my favourite tracks off the album, "I Wanna Be Your Telephone," is below.


I Wanna Be Your Telephone from Jamie Lidell on Vimeo.

TOUR DATES
Two Hours Traffic from P.E.I. have released 2009's Territories internationally, more specifically in Australia and in the U.S. They will be touring Oz with Dead Letter Chorus.

Said the Whale announces all-ages tour dates on top of their Malahat Revue tour dates with Hannah Georgas, Jeremy Fisher and Aidan Knight.

MISC.

Voting is open in NxEW's 2nd Annual Shadow Polaris Prize.

Contribute to the newly established Canadian Music Wiki, brainchild of Amanda Ash working with CBC Radio 3 and the UBC School of Journalism.

NEW ALBUM & FREE DOWNLOADS : Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Montreal's Wolf Parade have announced their third full-length album, Expo 86, set to drop June 29 via Sub Pop. Pitchfork recently interviewed co-frontmen Dan Boeckner (also of Handsome Furs) and Spencer Krug (also of Sunset Rubdown) separately regarding the inspiration for the newest album.

Click here to check out the latest interview and grab two free songs from the new album, named "Ghost Pressure" and "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)."

Tracklist for Expo 86:

01 Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
02 Palm Road
03 What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)
04 Little Golden Age
05 In the Direction of the Moon
06 Ghost Pressure
07 Pobody's Nerfect
08 Two Men in New Tuxedos
09 Oh You, Old Thing
10 Yulia
11 Cave-o-Sapien

Wintersleep "New Inheritors": full stream, free download, pre-orders, tour dates

Halifax's Wintersleep has announced that their fourth album New Inheritors is set for release on May 18th, and they're streaming the entire album on their website. You can also download the title track for free while you're at it. After catching them live a few times during the Olympics in Vancouver, I'm excited to hear more of the bleak, riotous rock Wintersleep is known for.

CD presales for North America will start tomorrow, May 4th in the Wintersleep.com store or digitally on iTunes (Canada / Europe). Ticket pre-sales are also available on their website for the Halifax and Toronto album release shows.

Tour Dates:
5/2 - Camden, UK - Gaymers Camden Crawl
5/3 - Birmingham, GB - Hare & Hounds
5/4 - Manchester, UK - Ruby Lounge
5/6 - Amsterdam, Ntherlands - Bitterzoet
5/7 - Dortmund, Germany - FZW (Visions Party)
5/8 - Cologne, Germany - Werkstatt (Visions Party)
5/11 - Zurich, Switzerland - Abart
5/12 - Berlin, Germany - Bang Bang Club
5/15 - Paris, France - Scopitone
5/17 - London, UK - Lexington
5/20 - Halifax, NS - The Paragon
5/26 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
6/4 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
6/5 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
6/6 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
6/8 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
6/9 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
6/12 - Seattle, WA - High Dive
6/13 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
6/15 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
6/16 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
6/17 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
6/18 - Tempe, AZ - Sail Inn
6/19 - Santa Fe, NM - Corazon
6/21 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
6/23 - Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
6/24 - Atlanta, GA - Earl
6/27 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
8/28 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
9/4 - Edmonton, AB - Northlands Grounds (SONiC BOOM Festival)

FREE DOWNLOAD : Shad - "Yaa I Get It"

Vancouver-based hip-hop artist Shad (born Shadrach Kabango) has released the first single of his yet-unreleased follow-up to 2007's Polaris short-listed The Old Prince. It's called "Yaa I Get It" and the new album is named TSOL. Although Shad has offered up numerous suggestions of what TSOL could stand for, my favourite guess is "the sultan of love." If you've got a better one, feel free to leave me a comment!

Download "Yaa I Get It" free here. Scroll to the bottom for some upcoming tour dates with Grand Analog and D-Sisive.

24 Apr 2010 22:00
Buffalo Bill’s Whistler, British Columbia
25 Apr 2010 15:00
Skier’s Plaza (Next to the Longhorn) Whistler, British Columbia
27 May 2010 20:00
Pyramid Cabaret Winnipeg, Manitoba
28 May 2010 20:00
Amigo’s Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
29 May 2010 20:00
Starlite Room Edmonton, Alberta
3 Jun 2010 20:00
The Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
4 Jun 2010 20:00
Sugar Nightclub Victoria, British Columbia
5 Jun 2010 20:00
Habitat Kelowna, British Columbia
6 Jun 2010 20:00
Republik Calgary, Alberta
8 Jun 2010 20:00
The Exchange Regina, Saskatchewan
12 Jun 2010 20:00
The Opera House Toronto, Ontario
15 Jun 2010 20:00
Casbah Hamilton, Ontario
16 Jun 2010 20:00
The Red Dog Peterborough, Ontario
17 Jun 2010 20:00
Call the Office London, Ontario
18 Jun 2010 20:00
Call The Office London, Ontario

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Balconies - Serious Bedtime

I had the pleasure of seeing Ottawa ex-pats, now Toronto-based trio The Balconies play the UBC Pit Pub on April 8, 2010. Fellow NxEW bloggers Ming Wu pretty much told me to drop everything I'm doing and check them out, so I finished a research paper early and hopped on a bus back to school. Despite a small, end-of-term crowd, The Balconies blew the socks off of the few of us who were lucky/smart enough to witness the band's first ever show in Vancouver.


Consisting of Jacquie Neville on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Neville on bass and Liam Jaeger on drums, The Balconies plays a brand of bright, glamorous pop that's reminiscent of early era U2. As an ex-vocal jazz member, I was awed by Jacquie's voice and incredible range. The deftness with which she leapt across the stage, thrashing her guitar and shimmering under the glow of the stage lights with her sequined jacket screamed rock star. That's not to say her band didn't match her in energy and talent; notably, Jacquie's brother Steve complemented her soaring voice with a warm and dark one of his own.

Their self-titled first album is available in all those different ways you like to purchase your music. Or you can grab their infectious single "Serious Bedtime" here.

Here are some remaining tour dates as The Balconies make their way home:

16 Apr 2010 20:00	In to the Music in-store (Record Store Day Eve!) 5pm	Winnipeg, Manitoba
16 Apr 2010 20:00	Mondragon	Winnipeg, Manitoba
17 Apr 2010 20:00	The Office	Thunder Bay, Ontario
29 Apr 2010 20:00	Montreal House	Peterborough, Ontario
1 May 2010 20:00	Green Room	Montreal, Quebec
28 May 2010 20:00	STEAMWHISTLE UNSIGNED @ the Steamwhistle Roundhouse	Toronto, Ontario

SHOW REVIEW : Postdata and Julie Fader

I tend to judge the quality of a show at the Media Club by my ability to hear the performers. The shape of the venue, with the bar near the back of the rectangular room and the washrooms right beside the stage, ensures that your concert going experience is highly dependent upon the mood of the crowd. Using that criterion alone, Postdata (Paul Murphy of Wintersleep) and Julie Fader put on highly successful sets on March 20, 2010 in Vancouver.

But of course, a cooperative crowd is not the only element needed for a great show. And these also came in spades. After an opening set by Clinton St. John, Julie Fader approached the stage, dressed casually and playing a set that can be best described as comfortable. She's touring to promote her solo album, Outside In, after long stretches of supporting large names in Canadian independent music such as Feist, Great Lake Swimmers and Chad Van Gaalen.

In the best sense of the word comfortable, Fader drew in the near-silent, appreciative crowd, with many sitting on the wooden floor surrounding the stage. She commented at one point that she was glad that she didn't have to give each member of the audience a $20 bill to keep quiet. Observing from the back of the room, I was also surprised by the attention of the people at the bar. Every once in a while, I would catch a glance out the doors at the performance on the giant jumbotron across the street at LiveCity Downtown, before returning my gaze to the warm glow emitted by the stage lights, and Julie, equipped with only her guitar and soft voice. Her set was akin to escaping from the city into the warmth of a campfire. It was surreal and a quiet pleasure.

Julie Fader's set was accompanied by both members of Postdata, Paul and Tim, and in return Julie made frequent appearances on stage with Postdata as well. It was clear from the get-go that although many may have been there due to the band being comprised of two members of the highly successful Wintersleep, this wasn't going to be a derivative project. Gritty, stripped down, Murphy's voice commanded an intimate attention. And although I wasn't very familiar with the recording beforehand, I couldn't help but leave feeling like Murphy had shared something profoundly personal with each individual in the room. This feeling was best captured by a specific scene I witnessed-- 2 tall, enthusiastic fans, who began singing along to one of the tunes, grinning ear to ear with pleasure, gradually fading to silence with their eyes softening attentively towards the stage.

As a side note, after chatting with Julie after the sets, she mentioned how uncommon it is for people to approach artists after shows, and how it can make an artist feel disconnected from her audience. So let this be a lesson to you, to go up to the merch table and shake the hand of the person who just poured out their talent for you. Maybe give them a hug too!

Download two of Postdata's songs "Tobias" and "In Chemicals" off their self-titled:

Aidan Knight – a stabbing, Versicolour, cereal, and starting a label

(For North by East West.)

What just happened? I was in 7-11 across the street from Sugar [night club] where Said the Whale just played to a sold out, packed out house. And I was buying a 500ml carton of chocolate milk. While we were in line, one of the 7-11 employees ran beside us, literally ran beside us, and took off his belt and made a make shift tourniquet out of his belt and probably really helped out a guy who got stabbed. And then there was blood…

Aidan Knight, a singer-songwriter (in air quotes) from Victoria, BC joined me for an interview after opening for a sold-out set by Vancouver favourites Said the Whale and Hannah Georgas on a cold January night at a bus bench, with both of us reeling from a violent attack in downtown Victoria. The affable, tall Knight describes his music as indie rock mixed with pop, classical and country, “like a big gumbo of music.”

B: You’ve been described before as a sad Jack Johnson. Is that right? [laughs]

A: I guess I should clarify that it’s only because I play an acoustic guitar sometimes. And I put that jokingly, sarcastically in a bio, that people describe me as “sad” and “like Jack Johnson,” because someone who was really drunk once told me, “your music is like… it’s so sad!” And honestly, there’s this one guy at this other show who was like, “hey man, did you open Tegan & Sara’s show at Rifflandia?” And I said yeah. He was like “so great man, so great. You totally remind me of John Mayer.”

B: That’s a different one…

A: … And I get that people think that because I happen to have an acoustic guitar, and that I sing with it… I think it’s cool that people want to come and talk to me and tell me how much they enjoyed the set, and if that’s what their musical comparison is, then that’s what they like and they also like me, then I think that’s okay. At the same time, I have taken that off my bio officially, because that’s all I ever get quoted. Literally, the back of the Rifflandia program was one paragraph: ‘Aidan Knight: he’s from Victoria BC and his music is described as “sad” and “like Jack Johnson.”’ Period. So … if you’re asking what my music sounds in 5 words, I would not say—

B: “Sad and like Jack Johnson.”

Knight has played in several bands since he was a teenager, including Black Tie Social when he was 17, Counting Heartbeats, Toco & Jorge, Maurice, Lotus Child and Vegan Holocaust. He’s supported such mainstay Canadian acts as Julie Doiron, Patrick Watson, Tegan and Sara, Dan Mangan and Said the Whale.

On his latest album, Versicolour, he collaborates with Julia Wakal of Victoria’s gypsy band Bučan Bučan, Toronto’s The O’Darling and teams up with producer Jon Anderson. The name “Versicolour” is inspired by the name of a freckle-like skin condition that he had as a youth (tinea versicolor), which captured the sense of embarrassment and shyness which he can feel in sharing his music.

B: On Versicolour, was there a sound you were trying to achieve?

A: When I went in and first recorded, I wanted it to be very ‘70s-meets-Broken Social Scene. The O’Darling came and we were pretty much 10 people. In the beginning, I had an idea in mind of what I wanted certain tones and sounds to sound like. I just had no idea what the songs were going to be like when it was all finished. And then by the end of it, it just came together in the most unaffected kind of way. All the choices that I made in the beginning, and the choices I made later all compounded on top of those things and were what I would do, or what the O’Darling would do, or what Jon Anderson, the producer—he also played on it—so, there was just a great collaboration.

B: Would you say that other than Broken Social Scene, that the sound was influenced by anybody?

A: Yeah; Julie Doiron—I really like Désormais, it’s one of my favourite albums. My music has a lot more parts to it, like that album is very stripped down and basic, but the kind of spirit of what the guitars sound like, some of the time I was trying to cop her style. Also, I got to see Chet a lot… who are a Victoria institution. I remember going to see them a lot and really like the way that Ryan plays guitar, and the way he sang. I listen to a lot of specifically of Canadian music, and it’d be hard for me to go through and name everything. But yes, definitely Julie Doiron and Chet and Broken Social Scene. And Wilco is a huge influence for me but I think they’d just be in everything that I do, so I won’t even mention that.

One of the stand out tracks in Versicolour is the soulful, spiritual-esque closer “Jasper.” Upon hearing it for the first time, I thought it was a cover because it just sounds classic.  
You can grab a free mp3 of "Jasper" here.

B: Is “Jasper” about the place?

A: It’s about the Athabasca River. I was touring with Maurice at the time and it was the hottest day. And we stopped at this lake and we got out and all these people… hundreds and hundreds of feet out. And it was just up to their knees, and you could go all the way out. And the lyric “oh and I was frightened/when you put your face in/the mouth of the canyon” was about JP just like, diving into the water backwards and laying under the water and the water wasn’t even tall enough to fully cover him. It was inspired by that day; it was so crazy and coincidental that we ended up there that I thought to honour it with a song. And I was feeling a little bit twangy that day, and that’s the song that came out!

B: It’s definitely almost a spiritual.

A: Yeah. I also feel like I hear that sometimes. The lyrics are a little bit baptismal, and I know that the whole bathed in the water and stuff like that, that it’s a very classic religious allegory.

Knight definitely has been inspired by Christian allegory and experience in the church as a kid and youth. In his track “Alter Boys,” he drew from his experiences as one and credits years in the church choir with the hymnal quality to his music and his appreciation for harmony and choral classics such as “Once in Royal David’s City.”

A: Talking about influences, I listen to a lot of David Bazan because I love him as a lyrics writer. He’s the lead singer of Pedro the Lion. He’s very influential to me as a lyricist because he has very sardonic wit about how disenfranchised with God he is. I feel like it’s very edgy and raw and personal. And although I don’t want to write in that style, the things that he says have really captured my lyrical imagination. I love the way that he pieces together songs. I don’t want to steal all of his things, but in terms of adding those religious allusions in my lyrics, I just find that there are things that hint toward that.

You can grab a copy of Versicolour in stores by March 9, which will be under the label Adventure Boys Club. A digitally copy is available as of March 2. If you’re a vinyl person, you can pre-order it at aidanknight.bandcamp.com.

B: Tell us about your plans of starting a new label with a mysterious co-conspirator.

A: Tyler, from Said The Whale, and I are the adventure boys of The Adventure Boys Club. Which is our high-fidelity recording society. [laughs] It’s very elite. Right now we’re just setting the whole thing up. Releasing Versicolour is the only thing we’re doing right now. So hopefully it turns into more things with more bands we want to support. It’ll probably be a great British Columbian label.

B: Kind of like, what Arts & Crafts is like for Toronto?

A: I’m going to go on record and say that if it ever did become the Arts & Crafts of Vancouver or wherever, if it turned out to be the Arts & Crafts of the Georgia Strait, I’m sure that Tyler and I will be very happy about it. Things are looking good.

B: Who would you love to sign?

A: We Are The City. For sure. Even before they won the Peak Performance Project and got the money, they’re just fantastic and great friends. They’re young and have so much music and career and touring ahead of them. And my friends The O’Darling, I would love to give them a label home where we can just pay them money to live and create great music. Right now it’s pretty low key, a little independent label. Incredible friends and incredible musicians.

Aidan Knight had just concluded a tour with Vancouver’s Dan Mangan through BC and Alberta. He is currently on tour with We Are the City, going all the way to Montreal, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, and then heading home. Below are some upcoming tour dates:


Mar 6 - Montreal, QC @ The Green Room w/ We Are The City
Mar 8 - Sherbrooke, QC @ L’Antiquarius w/ We Are The City
Mar 9 - Ottawa, ON @ The Observatory w/ We Are The City
Mar 10 - Toronto, ON @ Global Village
Mar 13 - Toronto, ON @ Criminal Records (Free Instore Show) w/ Dan Mangan & Hollerado
Mar 24 - Calgary, AB @ The Gateway (SAIT) w/ We Are The City
Mar 25 - Lethbridge, AB @ Henotic w/ We Are The City
Mar 27 - Edmonton, AB @ Haven Social Club w/ We Are The City

B: And our last question, which is completely non-music related, and since you’re holding chocolate milk, what’s with the obsession with cereal?

A: I think my cereal thing is just out of nerves of not knowing what to talk about. I’m not really an expert on anything, but if I had to be an expert on something, it would probably be cereal since I’ve eaten so many varieties, looked at so many different nutritional information panels on the boxes. Right now my thing is trying to eat more local food. So I’ve been really supporting Nature’s Path cereal, which is all over. Their main office is in Richmond BC, and their production facilities are all over there. The amount of distance for shipping is much less than Kelloggs, or Post, or General Mills.

B: It’s totally within the 100 mile diet.

A: Exactly! I’m trying to support them, and I’m trying to support local dairies. So companies like Avalon, Island Farms, stuff from the Comox Valley. If I can make just one simple change like that, if everyone could make a simple change to just eat one variety of food locally, it would be supporting our local industry and the idea of food security if there’s ever a problem.

How fitting that Said the Whale also had one of their songs featured in an ad for orange juice. Watching the two of them play is like having a complete nutritious breakfast! If you’re interested in checking Aidan Knight out further, his various websites/social networking things are below:

myspace.com/aidanknightmusic

twitter.com/aidanknight

facebook.com/aidanknightmusic

aidanknight.bandcamp.com (vinyl and stream full album)

** Note, if you buy the vinyl, you’ll instantly get a digital version of the album.

FREE DOWNLOADS : Dan Mangan to perform with Shane Koyczan on NBC's Today Show

From Dan's blog:

I am incredibly proud to announce that I am performing with dear friend Shane Koyczan on NBC’s “Today Show” with Matt Lauer, airing 8am (PST/EST) on Friday, February 26th!

If you perhaps found your way to this site via the magical interweb on behalf of this broadcast and are seeking confirmation that you’ve found the right place - you most certainly have.

I watched Shane blow the world away with one of his poems “We Are More” at the 2010 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies. An undeniable highlight of the event, Shane Koyczan just stepped up to the proverbial plate. How many people watching? 2 Billion? 2.5 Billion? Some say 3 billion? I’d seen Shane tame a crowd of thousands with words alone before, but never with the added power of modern television. Koyczan 2.0.

I’m completely honoured he has asked me to join him for his performance on NBC.

To celebrate this event, I wanted to offer a free two-song download to new (and old) visitors to the website.. "Road Regrets" is the lead-off track to my new album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and "Tragic Turn Of Events / Move Pen Move" is a fairly heavy piece that Shane and I originally recorded for his album A Pretty Decent Cape In My Closet and was eventually released again on my Roboteering EP in 2009.

News from the New Pornographers : New Album, Free Download, Tour Dates!

It was on May 29, 2007 that we released the first music from Challengers. One of our favorite songs called "My Rights Versus Yours." (Rosie O'Donnell also announced she was leaving "The View" that day. Coincidence??)

Nearly three years later, we proudly present to you the first song from Together, entitled "Your Hands (Together)."
You can download it here: http://www.matadorrecords.com/mpeg/the_new_pornographers/new_pornographers_your_hands_together.mp3

The inspirations for the song is a magical trifecta of Black Sabbath's War Pigs with ABBA's Waterloo and Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Christine." Please feel free to tell all of your friends about it and make sure to play it LOUD!

We are also in the works of confirming our full touring schedule for 2010 and plan to traverse a good part of the four corners of the world. To satiate you right now, the following tour dates are now confirmed and on sale.


Tour Dates

19 May London, UK - Electric Ballroom
21 May Berlin Germany - Magnet 'Club NME'
22 May Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
23 May Amsterdam, Holland - Melkweg
25 May Brussels, Belgium - Orangerie
26 May Paris, France - La Maroquinerie
27 May Toulouse, France - Cafe Rex
28 May Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
31 May Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival

Go to our website for full ticketing information.

We're also now on twitter! Connect with us in every imaginable social networking way possible!

Live Blogging Olympic Music : Jenn Grant & Kathleen Edwards

Since I'm writing this a day late, I can also add-- first female gold medal for Maelle Ricker of North Vancouver in snowboard cross! My mom and I were watching--no, wincing-- throughout the preliminary rounds because of the choppy snow and heavy fog that lingered, necessitating a second qualifying round. And it was in this second round that Ricker came in third, sending her to the race which saw her beat her competitors by a mile and garner the third medal on the troubled Cypress Mountains. Very well done, Maelle, and what a big, contagious grin she bared to the TV cameras!

In a lot of ways, Ricker echoed a lot of the energy that dedication that Jenn Grant and Kathleen Edwards (and bands) demonstrated the night before in their shows at the Richmond O Zone on February 15th. Although the weather had been nice or overcast the entire day, the rain trickled in and came to a downpour once Grant's set began at 8:30. It wasn't just the rain; winds pelted sideways, bringing piles of accumulated rain down from the tarps above the outdoor stage onto the heads of front row listeners. Throughout the sets, especially Edwards', the band had to warm up their hands in between songs, and occasionally in between striking chords. Jim Bryson of Kathleen Edwards' band seemed to wince because some of his riffs simply couldn't happen because of his rigid fingers. But, needless to say, both bands stuck it through the set, and so did the soaked and shivering audience. So whether you were the ski officials up in Cypress or the fans down in the Cultural Olympiad, weather was the foremost thing on your minds.

Jenn Grant opened the night with her quirky voice and light pop. The show in Richmond was the second last of her 14 date Cultural Olympiad tour. Hailing from Prince Edward Island, I previously knew of Grant superficially from a few singles and the glowing recommendations from artists such as Hey Rosetta!. Unfortunately, the weather did not work in her favour, and the intricate and pretty pop orchestrations were largely distracted by the elements and the sheer size of the O Zone compared to the relatively small crowd. I wouldn't write off the show however; the crowd was still very pleased with her music, as well as her jovial banter. I would love to see her again in a smaller, more intimate venue-- indoors.

Kathleen Edwards and band stepped onto the stage amidst roars and applause, which was somewhat more muted than expected due to frozen hands. Edwards was warmly dressed in a poncho-- Peruvian and from her mother, as we were informed in between songs. Guitarist/keyboardist Jim Bryson (and established singer-songwriter in his own right) sported a toque and according to my friend, somewhat resembled Seth Rogen. It's fair to say that no layers were shed in this show. What was frequently shed were guitars; Edwards must've had no less than 5-6 guitar changes. She and band amped up the energy for the show, proving  to be better suited for the venue than their opening act.

Edwards kicked off her hour-plus set with the hockey-inspired "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory." The show was filled with hits spanning from Failer in 2003 up to her latest, and the few times she went slower tempo, it worked in her favour. "Asking For Flowers," the title track off her latest 2008 Polaris short-listed album, was dedicated to the tireless Olympic volunteers. "Goodnight California" showcased Edwards' formidable fiddle skills, which was demonstrated in this one song in the whole set. That's not to say the band didn't pull their weight comparatively; both Jim Bryson and Edwards' husband and lead guitarist Colin Cripps switched between killer guitar solos and riffs and rhythm guitar alternately. Bassist Kevin McCarragher and drummer Joel Anderson kept the rhythm strong and thumping, and bodies in the crowd if not dancing, then at least shuffling enthusiastically.

It's perhaps apt that Kathleen Edwards played the day after Valentine's Day, as her songs are often filled with anguished love stories and fun kiss-offs. It's safe to say that it's always satisfying to listen to Edwards, whether on your iPod or in concert. And I'm very glad to have caught her live in one of her few, sporadic shows.

And of course, it's always nice to get a customized thank-you tweet from the band. Come back anytime, y'all.

And here is the set list for Kathleen Edwards' show. As you can tell, there are 2 new songs, "Mint" and "Empty Threat."


For some free tracks off her older records Failer and Back To Me (2005), check out Edwards' website under the Music section.

For more photos of the sets, check out my Flickr!