The Sound [of St. Catharines]

The only online site for Niagara Arts & Culture listings, opinions and musings.

[streetweekly-blog]

Matt Sajn @ Mahtay Cafe, June 16

About a month ago, Matt Sajn performed at Mahtay Cafe with Jonah Mantranga's Onelinedrawing, and Waterbodies. We were lucky enough to get two videos for "Fry Up" and "Mesh and Lace"

Follow the jump to watch them.

[streetweekly-blog]

Jonah Mantranga hits up Mahtay tonight in St. Catharines

By Chris Illich

I can't say enough nice things about Jonah Mantranga.

I still remember when I sat down with him in the back room at The Hideaway in St. Catharines when I was a young 16 year-old (for those keeping track - 11 years ago) and had the pleasure of interviewing him.

For me, it was a huge stepping stone. I was offered my first foray into music journalism through Joel Carriere, and as we sat in the back talking, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. We talked about life after Far, his side projects, and at a friends request, what his favourite popsicle was. He autographed all my albums, and I was sincerely stastruck.

Think about it, a 16 year-old interviewing someone he admired for his first interview. At the time, his amazing record Visitor came out, and he showed up with his R2D2, and during the show, he looked down at me sitting on the ground singing along to all his songs and said how before the show he had the chance to meet a young guy (me!) who was passionate about music and discuss his music and career, and how our encounter meant a lot to him. To this day, that day has meant a lot to me, and I often wonder if I had followed this path if it wasn't for that afternoon. 

I wish that interview was online at Bedlam Society still for me to share with you, but unfortunately that site doesn't exist anymore.

Tonight, Jonah returns to St. Catharines, on his third trip (I think) through town at Mahtay Cafe. The show is rounded out by Waterbodies playing a rare acoustic set, and my favourite football keeper Matt Sajn of Northern Primitive.

Below are some tunes from the openers, and be sure to check back for photos from the show.

Matthew Sajn - From A Bedroom In East Anglia (BTR034) by Blacktop Records

The Evil We Know by Waterbodies

[streetweekly-blog]

SCENE Snappin' with Lauren Garbutt

click, snap, upload, edit, post.

This is the life of the modern photographer.

Gone are the days of film canisters and darkrooms, in our constantly evolving world, everything is digital and anyone with a camera can be a photographer.

But, there is a distinct difference between a hobbyist and someone that is truly passionate about their craft.

Lauren Garbutt, known for her great smile that's hidden behind a camera, has been shooting pics for roughly eight years, and got her start taking photos at shows during high school.

"From there it progressed to shooting different things, so I'd say I became much more passionate about photography when I began shooting shows and I just really wanted to create images of and for all the bands that I knew and loved," she said. 

The self-taught Garbutt has been attending SCENE Music Festival for 10 years.

"It's really great to see so many people downtown St. Catharines for a change," she said. "It gives me an opportunity to discover new bands, shoot them, and connect with them during and after. As much as running around like a maniac all day gets tiring, it's totally worth it."

Garbutt, who's first camera aside from a point and shoot was the Canon 3OD, which she used for a few years before updating to the Canon 5DMK II, and now currently uses the MKIII.

After shooting bands for years, Garbutt admitted that sometimes it becomes stale, but she said that trying to challenge herself continually is something that she strives for.

"With taking photos of live bands, in the same dark venues, it does start to get tricky to find different ways to shoot the same room," she explained. "But, I suppose the challenge to do so is good for me."

Garbutt also explained that she is always looking for new ways to retouch photos, as much of her time is spent on post processing and retouching with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

"As much as I'd prefer to be shooting, sitting on the computer takes up a large portion of my time from the importing to the exporting and watermarking [...] I do different things for different photos," she said. "Post processing is also the kind of thing where you are constantly figuring out new ways to do things."

Garbutt, who currently shoots for Aesthetic Magazine, which is based out of Toronto, also writes concert reviews for the Web site. She explained that she's been involved with a few different online music magazines, "which is a great way to improve your craft and make connections."

After attending SCENE for ten consecutive years, Garbutt is more than excited for this year's festiva. This year at SCENE, Garbutt said that she is excited to see Comeback Kid, My Son the Hurricane, Creature Speak, Sarah Beatty, Waterbodies and Serena Pryne, among others, but still holds her first run in with the Festival, deep in her heart.

"I'll always remember the first time I attended and I was introduced to so many bands and people, and I just remember thinking that SCENE fest was the best thing in the world."

Garbutt can be seen at SCENE with a camera in front of her face.

[streetweekly-blog]

Behind the SCENE with Jen Anderson

By Chris Illich

18 years ago, a grassroots music festival was created that would ultimately change the standard perception that St. Catharines was a city filled with cover and tribute bands, but a city that had a vibrant and now prospering original music scene.

A downtown music festival that featured three venues and 21 bands hoped that it would bring the same communal feeling that surrounded other popular festivals in the Niagara Region, like Grape and Wine and the Folk Arts Festival.

Now in it's 18th year, Jen Anderson and Steve Stumble are at the helm of the SCENE Music Festival, and they have been running the Festival for 10 and 11 years respectively. 

It has grown leaps and bounds since the first inception and even though the festival changes line-ups and venues on a year-to-year basis, it's refreshing to know that the organizers have stuck with the Festival, and are continually looking for ways to improve the Festival.

"The Festival is always a new experience each year and even if we have got the method down, we still have to be able to roll with the punches and be ready for anything," said Anderson.

"The important part, to me, is to embrace what works and refine it and always be ready for something. It's both of those things that still keeps it exciting. At the end of the day, to be able to look around and what we, as the organizers have put together, and what our musical community is collectively, is amazing."

Anderson, who co-founded the now defunct Tantrum Records began helping out with the Festival in 2003, quickly moved from volunteer to co-promoter, and co-opted the idea to use the Market Square as a vendor area and as an outdoor stage as well.

Anderson said that one of the reasons she still cares for and commits herself and her time to the Festival is because she looks forward to that "inevitable moment every year when I am running around Market Square or downtown and I am forced to stop in my tracks because of some performance I hear that I have to see, even for a moment and I discover something new."

Even though running the Festival the day of is hectic but highly rewarding, there are difficulties organizing a festival that houses roughly 100 bands and 7,000 fans in a small but unique downtown core.

"The most difficult thing every year is going through submissions and narrowing down how many performers we can accommodate," she said. "We have to strike a balance between performers, venues, participants and the diverse range of genres we want to represent.

"There are many opinions on what this festival should be - and the best part of that is that it means something to people." Anderson continued to say that the Festival could be just be based regionally, must like it's original conception, but the organizers want to showcase our surrounding musical communities and basically "come together for one giant street party that revolves around music above all else."

And a giant street party it is. I've attended 10 of the 11 SCENE Music Festival's, played it four times, and volunteered for two years since Anderson became part of it, and I can attest to the magnificence of the Festival when it is running at full steam. For someone who spends the majority of his time in downtown St. Catharines, the way the core transforms for a single day is truly something special.

Every one has favourite experiences of the festival, I remember seeing Billy Talent play before their debut album came out at a bar called The Red Square for me and 10 other people. I remember seeing one of my favourite bands Bear Vs. Shark, come into town and do the same thing, then play to 500 people at L3 at SCENE - for me the memories are countless.

For Anderson, one moment sticks out in the forefront of her mind.

"The second year we brought the main outdoor stage to Market Square and it was the biggest one to date. Alexisonfire was closing the night and the crowd was crazy," she recalled.

"Everyone was happy and in the moment even the security couldn't stop smiling. At the apex of the set, George (singer) looked out into the sea of people and stopped and gestured to the entire area and declared, 'THIS is what happens when you support local music.' He was right.

SCENE Music Festival takes place on June 9 in downtown St. Catharines. You'll probably see Anderson running around throughout the day.

[streetweekly-blog]

Waterbodies should be the last band you see at this year's SCENE

By Chris Illich

Even though SCENE has touted Tokyo Police Club, Hollerado and Comeback Kid as this year's festival headliners, St. Catharines' Waterbodies have the latest set at SCENE this year - beating out Step Echo by a whopping five minutes - making them the true headliners of this year's festival.

Coming off the release of The Evil We Know, Waterbodies are heading into their sixth year playing SCENE, and Mike McGean, singer and guitarist of the group said, "I'm almost certain we've not had a repeat line-up out of all the years we've played. We're really stoked to play this year, and it seems to be really promising that this will be the final line-up." 

The final line-up, which consists of McGean, Rick Fast on bass guitar, and Shane Turner handling duties behind the kit, has been one that's been in the works for a while now. The group has had a revolving door of musicians entering and exciting over the past seven years, but the core of the sound has always been held between Turner and McGean.

"I don't really think that past members have really affected what Waterbodies has stood for or sound like so to speak," explained McGean. "The past is the past and we're really excited to move on with our current line-up. Everything is feeling really tight and natural being a three piece again."

The Evil We Know was recorded with producer/engineer Dean Malton at Groundloop Studios, and it was the last album to feature vocalist and guitar player Dylan Turner before he headed off to the beautiful blue skies of Australia.

McGean said what sets The Evil We Know apart from Sleep Like Submarines, Floresta and Black Braille is that this was the first album that the group truly wrote as a full band. He also stated that "working with Dean was a great experience for us. It also helped us push ourselves to be better musicians and songwriters."

But, the recording process wasn't as easy as they expected. While in the past they've worked on their records in a short series of sessions, but with The Evil We Know, they were forced to space out their recording sessions dude to scheduling between the band and Malton.

"One of the most challenging aspects of writing The Evil We Know was the elongated period of time in between sessions," said McGean. "So, it was just a bit different with the whole stopping and starting vibe, and getting used to that practice."

The whole album is great, but some of the standout tunes on The Evil We Know include the opening track, "How to Burn Bridges", "1997 (The Wolf of Memphis)" and "A Glasgow Kiss", the latter two of the three can be found below.

1997 (The Wolf of Memphis) by Waterbodies

A Glasgow Kiss by Waterbodies

"How to Burn Bridges" was recently turned into a music video for the group in collaboration with Fourgrounds Media Inc. and 2A Arts. It's a one shot video, that took roughly 15 takes to get it right. McGean, Fast and Turner brainstormed ideas until they found something that they could think of as both interesting and natural, while remaining true to their aesthetic.

"This was our second music video (the first being here) so it was pretty exciting doing the whole one shot thing," explained McGean. "Everyone on set had a blast working on it. However, after the 13th or 14th take it started to take it's toll us. But it was completely worth all the time and effort put in.

"It's something we're really proud of - having done this independently and with such a minimal crew and resources. We can't thank everyone involved with the project enough."

Currently Waterbodies is working on a new 7' record, along with some new music video ideas and merchandise.

"We're really eager to continue working on new material and getting back into the studio as soon as possible," concluded McGean. "We're also focusing on our live show and playing as much as possible."

Even though there will be lots of opportunities to see Waterbodies in the near future, there is no reason they shouldn't be the last band you see at SCENE this year.

Waterbodies headlines the festival at 12:50 at Rockfords.

[streetweekly-blog]

Thursday June 6 - Indoor Shoes Are Putting On A Night To Remember

By Chris Illich

On Thursday June 6, local record company and show promoters, Indoor Shoes are putting on a unique and special show, their Pre-Scene Echolalia Party.

The show, consists of five bands, doing full cover sets of highly reputable bands, some who we may never see again, and some who maybe should have given up after they had hit their prime.

Needless to say, the bands have put in their work, and the tracks picked will surprise, as everyone involved seems to be amped up for this experience.

Riley Jensen, the singer and guitarist of One Armed Kaptur, said "We've had a blast learning the At the Drive In songs - that band has a lot of incredibly challenging parts, in the high pitched vocal melodies, the guitar riffs and the completely bonkers lyrics. As soon as Justin Jennings, our drummer, suggested we attempt to cover that band, I knew it would be super tough, but very rewarding.

"We've spent way too much time listening to songs over and over again trying to decipher guitar parts or drum fills and the like. It's going to be very high-energy, very loud and very fast."

Mike McGean, singer and guitarist of Waterbodies, will be performing as Water Pumpkins, doing a set completely comprised of Smashing Pumpkins, and they too have been enjoying the process of learning their set. While performing Smashing Pumpkins songs may be just as tricky as At the Drive In songs, McGean didn't show any worry towards it.

"Learning the Pumpkins cover set has been a blast. The three of us grew up on the Pumpkins so it was fairly easy to learn the songs," he said. "We decided to play songs from Siamese Dream, and Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness. Those are the ones that hit closest to home for us." 

In addition to Water Pumpkins and One Armed Kaptur, Sum of These Words (Through These Words doing Sum 41), The Cousintines (Cousin doing The Constantines) and I Slept With A Member of Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was A Lamb's CD (Lambs Become Lions doing Fall Out Boy) will round out the show.

Eric Conlon, singer of I Slept With A Member of Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was A Lamb's CD for the night, included in on the fact that it's been a fun and rewarding time learning the songs of Fall Out Boy, most notably songs from Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree.

"For me, it's been a ton of fun. It's a real eye opener to see how simple these songs are but how great they are. This is the first time we've ever done a cover, let alone six," he said. "Expect high energy and pretty true to form. Expect 30 minutes of singalongs."

Whatever comes from the night, I'm sure it will be a night to remember for all that are a part of it. To RSVP to the event, click here.

[streetweekly-blog]

Theatre Crisp "Keep Runnin'" Through their Third Year at SCENE

By Chris Illich

Running into their third year at SCENE Music Festival, Kyle Petch aka HumbleHAB, the MC for Theatre Crisp couldn't be more excited for this year's outing.

"The last two years were great, but we weren't at the greatest venues and our set times were really late in the evening.  That was kind of a bummer, but both shows were still good times. This year we're at L3 earlier in the evening and I think its gonna be a much more EPIC experience," Petch laughed.

Five years after conception, Theatre Crisp has no doubt run through some changes in the group, most recent of which was the addition of drummer Jared Goerz, whom Petch enthusiastically toted as "an all around great dude.

"We could not have asked for a more qualified individual. He has fit in perfectly with our style [...] We've played almost 10 shows with him now, and he has sunk into his position perfectly."

Theatre Crisp perform a fusion of Hip-Hop, Rock 'n' Roll, Funk and other genres. Petch explained that "mashing those all of those together to form our sound has been an interesting experience over the last five years."

To get a good taste of their sound, here's the title track from their album Modern Daze, recorded live at L3.

Now that Modern Daze has spent a year on the shelves, Theatre Crisp have been working steadily to finish their upcoming 6 track EP. Petch said that they've "taken a lot more time perfecting our sound in the studio so that the quality of the new tunes is much higher with better structures."

  Although Petch couldn't state a release date, he did say that it will be released at some point this year. Guitar player Jay Baty has handled production on the album once again, and this time around, they've found a way to capture David Cox's (the group's resident tap-dancer) taps into the mix of every song.

  Fans of the group can except a pair of videos being released in the near future. They shot two live acoustic videos with Current Sessions Productions from Toronto for the tunes "Next Path" from Modern Daze, and "Keep Runnin'" a  track that will be on the new album. One was shot at Montabello Park, and the other on the Peer in Port Dalhousie. "[It's] some real broken down organic stuff," said Petch, "and we're excited to see the edits."

With some projects in hand and enthusiasm for the group at a high, Petch exclaimed that they looking foward to just making music, having fun and playing shows, while expanding their fanbase through Ontario. 

  "We have some other videos in the works as well, for some of the tunes on the new album. We are also getting the opportunity to record a free session at Metalworks Studios this summer for one of our new tunes which we are very excited about," he said. 

  "In general though, we're still just keeping it real and making positive music and have become very comfortable with the style we've created."

  Theatre Crisp play at the L3 Upstairs stage at 8:15

[streetweekly-blog]

Riley Jensen will be Kaptur-ing the SCENE this year.

By Chris Illich

After releasing the fantastic 5 song  EP, Thousands, back in 2011, Riley Jensen, aka Kaptur has been working steadily to it's follow up. The fact that he hasn't yet released another record astounds him, because he has "heaps and heaps of songs and sounds on my laptop that I've been tinkering away at and obsessively listening to for the last 6 years or so and I think I often forget that no one has heard them but me. There's going to be quite a bit of material released in the next 2 years." 

Jensen, and his band which comprises of Andy Grierson on guitar and back-up vocals, K.C. Floyd on bass and Justin Jennings on drums, will be playing SCENE for first time with his current line-up, but the second time as Kaptur. 

"Every scene is a lot of fun. You get to see everyone you know enjoying music on a hot summer day," said Jensen. "Last year after our set, I got to do an acoustic video in a gazebo in Montebello Park, that was a lot of fun."

Here's the video for "Millionaire Counting Machine" from that session.

The name Kaptur, which means "hood" in Polish, and is a popular image sharing program, came to Jensen as a "creative way of spelling captor that I had used on some music file I had saved on my computer and when I needed a name it popped out at me [...] But as far as music goes, I think it's pretty unique and suits me."

Jensen and his group, will be moving into the next chapter of Kaptur, as they plan to release a 6 or 7 song EP this year. Jensen said he will also be releasing more material for free and his home demo versions of his songs. He summed up his attitude to releasing more material with the following line, "I've got too many songs that no one's heard, and it's about time I get them out there."

Kaptur plays at 4:10 at the Merchant Ale House on June 9, 2013.

[streetweekly-blog]

Why Tokyo Police Club will be CHAMPS at SCENE 2013

By Chris Illich

This year's SCENE Music Festival, taking place in downtown St. Catharines may have one of the better lineups of the past few years, and a main reason behind that is because of the festival headliner, Tokyo Police Club.

Arguably, Tokyo Police Club are the best band in Ontario, and I'm sure that their follow up to 2010's Champ, will cement them near the top of the elite bands in Canada as well.

I'm sure SCENE and a few other shows and festivals that the band has announced over here will bring the band back into the spotlight, most likely with a slew of new material and hopefully a new album in tow.

The group released their first EP A Lesson in Crime right upon the band's conception, and they received heavy airplay on Toronto radio station EDGE 102.1 in 2007. The song ""Nature of the Experiment" was the standout tune, and the music video can be seen below.

"Well, we did Elephant Shell and then we spent two years writing songs and working on things - we were constantly discarding and modifying things all the time. So for me, Champ is a very logical progression because I saw every link on the chain," Wright said to me in March 2010.

"Whereas for listeners, they heard Elephant Shell and heard nothing for two years, and now they are going to hear Champ, so I suspect that will be a much bigger change for audiences."

And their sophomore record, Champ, was a big change. It was recorded with producer Rob Schanpf (Islands, Elliott Smith), and it heralded a new wave of catchy uplifting tunes, notably the pair of songs "Favourite Food" and "Favourite Colour". A video of them playing the latter live is down below.

"Champ [was] definitively the start of a new chapter and the last two records were just one big thing," Wright said to me in 2010.

While I was excited to speak with Wright again leading up to their performance at SCENE, my request for an interview was denied, leaving me wondering where they are at within this chapter, or if a new one is currently underway.

Hopefully the group brings their best to the stage at SCENE, because with their track record in St. Catharines, it's tough to know if the audience will get a mixed bag of material, or a polished set.

"It's funny. I sort of feel bad for St. Catharines because that was us feeling out the new material on stage, and playing live is a far cry from recording them. It usually takes us a few months to get to the stage where we are a well-oiled machine," said Wright.

"And now we are coming back and doing the same thing - so I apologize that you guys have to be the guinea pig twice [Now three times] - but there is also a certain sort of energy created when you don't know what you are doing that I kind of miss. At the beginning you are constantly teetering on the edge, and there is a sort of electricity to it that you don't otherwise get. So hopefully that will make up for us probably messing up all the songs."

Either way, I'm sure they'll impress, and leave us waiting for that new album to drop.

Tokyo Police Club play at the Market Square from 9:45-10:45 at SCENE Music Festival on June 9, 2013.

[streetweekly-blog]

Photos from Real Friends - May 20 @ Mansion House

On Monday May 20, Indoor Shoes brought Chicago's Real Friends  into St. Catharines and they treated a packed room to thirty minutes of pop-punk goodness, and even inserted a cover of Brand New's 'Mixtape' into the set.

[streetweekly-blog]

Paper Bag Palace at In the Soil - April 26

Street Weekly had the chance to take in this beautiful performance of Paper Bag Palace's "Oysters" at the In The Soil Arts Fesitval on April 26 at The Hub in downtown St. Catharines. 

[streetweekly-blog]

It's Going To Be A Beauty Day!

By Chris Illich

A few years ago I had the chance to interview Jay Cheel, director of Beauty Day. Since then the film has travelled the world, and tonight we get the chance to view it at The Hub (Corner of St. Paul and James St., in St. Catharines) for In The Soil, followed by a Q&A with Cap'n Video himself. Follow the jump to the article.

The monotony of working in a large factory can do a lot to someone. Repeating the same laborious tasks day-in, day-out can leave some people wishing for something more fulfilling in their life.

Some stick to their jobs and deal with the tedium and lack of variety because of a constant pay-cheque and a sustainable income to provide for a family and a mortgage. On the other hand, some improvise their own ways to deal with their profession.

Alcohol easily comes to mind as one of the ways to deal with the boredom and dullness associated with these jobs, but, more often than not, it causes serious issues which sometimes result in visits to rehab and unemployment.  

After losing his job at General Motors (GM) in 1990 due to alcoholism during his late 20's, Ralph Zavadil started a genre-breaking, cable television show on Cogeco Channel 10 – the local Cable Community Channel in the Niagara Region.

Zavadil — known as Cap'n Video to his fans — created a Friday night television show which ran for five years, which found the Cap'n performing death defying stunts alongside music videos that he filmed himself at local venues.

"Basically he worked at GM and hated his job. He hated the monotony of being on the line waiting for things to break down because he was a Millwright [a position that engages with the construction and maintanance of machine technology]. He eventually was forced to leave his position because of his drinking, and never returned [after his leave of absence] because the job was just sucking the soul out of him. So, after leaving GM he decided to pursue a more creative endeavor," said Jay Cheel, the 32-year-old director of Beauty Day, his first feature-length film that documents Cap'n Video's television show all the way up to his 20th Anniversary Special.  

"I think that being in a factory, doing the same thing over and over led him to escape that and do the exact opposite in something creatively fulfilling. I think that people can relate to him [getting trapped] — not that everyone who works at GM hates their job — but he was just lucky that he was able to do it because he just didn't have any responsibilities at the time."

So, who came first? Tom Green or Jackass? This argument initially prompted Cheel to create a 15 minute short to answer that question.

"Well, Cap'n Video came first," he answered.  

The original goal of the short was to put it online to highlight and preserve Cap'n Video's rather short-lived legacy as a television host that unfortunately ended with an Easter special that featured the Cap'n licking chocolate sauce off of the stomachs of puppies, among other things that some audiences found grotesque and unethical. He also found the Lincoln County Humane Society knocking on his door.

John Law, a writer from the Niagara Falls Review was a supporter of the Cap'n, and is also featured in the film. Law was very vocal about thinking that Cable 10 was gutless and pulled the plug on the Cap'n just to handle complaints about the program.

While Cap'n Video may or may not have exceeded the limits of cable programming, Beauty Day is not about the excesses of the program. It is not about cable television, nor is it about the idea of who was the "original Jackass".

"The film is about being creative," said Cheel. "It's about being a working class artist and surrounding yourself with friends that are equally creative and pursuing goals. So, the Jackass thing is an easy thing to hang the movie on and quickly sum it up, but I don't think that's the point of the movie."

Cheel, who also a staff member of the Web site The Documentary Blog, sent off a review on Kevin McMahon's Waterlife to McMahon himself alongside his promo video for Beauty Day and by happenstance, McMahon offered to meet with Cheel and took him to the producers at Primitive Entertainment."It's such a hard industry to crack, especially from the perspective of wanting to direct something," said Cheel. "You should do whatever it takes to get in there, outside of being obnoxious and showing up to Questions and Answer segments with scripts and hounding people and stuff like that."

As Cheel and many other scholars and Professors alike would agree, writing about films gives filmmakers the opportunity to think and speak about film as well.

Yet, one of the factors that Cheel was worried about was being labeled as a "[new-age] blogger trying to make a movie", rather than a passionate critic and writer attempting to make a film.

"In this respect, [Cheel] is part of a very long tradition of filmmakers who have also worked as critics and writers," said Mike Meneghetti, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film.

"His writing has in fact been a kind of film practice, and his admirable refusal to separate cricticism and filmmaking has undoubtedly left an important mark on Beauty Day: in thinking and writing about what he finds valuable in the work of others, Jay has been able to continue to develop and deepen his own ideas. It's certainly not an accident that his first feature-length film is so fully formed."

Cheel grew up in St. Catharines and began making films with his friends when he was 12-years-old. He watched the Cap'n Video program every Friday night and in 2005 he graduated from Niagara College in the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program.

"You'd be surprised how many people go to school to be a filmmaker without any natural love or passion for watching movies," said Cheel. "I think that it's important to be aware of cinema and watch movies in order to learn about the art form. But, documentaries are the brand of cinema that people take advantage of."

After the completion of his program at Niagara College, Cheel made a notable attempt to further his knowledge of the documentary genre when he found employment at the local video game development company, Silicon Knights in St. Catharines.

During his employment at Silicon Knights, Cheel found himself delving into his first foray in major filmmaking while working on a viral video for the video game Too Human titled The Goblin Man of Norway. The short documentary film was accepted into Toronto's After Dark Film Festival in 2008, a festival known for their presence within the horror genre and their celebration of all things absurd.

Cheel acted as the director, cinematographer, editor and music editor for the film. After the festival, Cheel left Silicon Knights and began the development and pre-production for what would ultimately become Beauty Day.

"I first contacted Ralph in January 2008, and our first sit down interview that we filmed was in February 2009," said Cheel.  "So, there was a year of going back and forth with Ralph about what the film will be about, whether or not he wanted to do it and going to his house and getting to know him."

As Cheel and Zavadil became comfortable with each other, Zavadil slowly separated himself from his Cap'n Video alias and began to open up to Cheel. This was when Cheel realized that Zavadil's character study was enough for a feature length film.

"The more I talked to Ralph, the more I realized that there was an interesting story there […] I realized that there was a three act structure," he said.

"Once we finally did an interview, it kind of expanded and he began talking about his family, and certain elements that he might not have been willing to bring up in the beginning started coming out, and then the whole idea of the 20th Anniversary Special came up, which was a perfect third act to structure the film on – and it just kind of progressed from there."

Drawing influences from director Werner Herzog and American Movie, while making homages to The Wrestler, Rocky IV  and a variety of Canadian films like Fubar and Strange Brew, Cheel masterfully created a documentary character piece that plays out almost as a piece of dramatic fiction.

"In Ralph Zavadil, he has, of course, found a very compelling character," said Meneghetti. "But Beauty Day's deliberate rendering of his story is what makes it truly absorbing. Jay is especially skillful at telling his stories with images, and like many of the great documentarians he has the unerring sense of being in the right place at the right time with his camera – capturing the revealilng gesture, balancing empathy with the potentially intrusive curiosity of documentary films, recognizing valuable accidents and surprise while filming.

"By imagining itself as a dramatic piece, Beauty Day manages to shape its material into a superb character study."

Zavadil's character is cartoonish and at times almost unbelievable, but at the heart of the film is the raw emotion of a wild-man producing a distinctive form of art in a time in his life when perhaps, he had nothing else to produce.

"Having now attended a few screenings of Beauty Day, I sense that what audiences find intriguing about Ralph is his fearless commitment to his video-making: as he often says, the Cap'n Video program provided him the ideal vehicle for self-expression, and he held on to it with great determination," said Meneghetti.

"Even if his type of humor doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone, audiences invariably respond enthusiastically to this part of Ralph's story."

Beauty Day's first two thirds of the film are a retrospective look at what Cap'n Video was. The opening shot of the film displays the stunt that catapulted him into the spotlight of news stations among the world – his infamous pool plunge from a ladder that found Zavadil in the hospital with shattered third and fourth cervical vertebrae.

In addition to the pool plunge shot, the audience is also treated to highlights of the Cap'n Video show in which we see the Cap'n sled off his roof, snort eggs up his nose and drop through his shed from a telephone pole.

"I think the stunts just come from his own wild nature, and the fact that he grew up with four brothers who were just crazy guys," said Cheel. "It's just how he is. He's a wild guy. He was willing to make his show more interesting and engaging."

Despite the fact that Zavadil proclaims at the beginning of the Beauty Day, "Fame means fuck all", he would still go through these dangerous stunts, breaking bones and cutting himself up, just for the sheer adrenaline of creating something to call his own, and, to this day, he is still willing to do all the stunts all over again, as displayed in his 20th Anniversary Special that appears near the end of the film.

This is what makes Cap'n Video so appealing as a character study to audiences, scholars, and most importantly, Cheel.

 "I was really interested in him as a character. He is very complex. Although he remained anonymous when filming the show, he obviously liked entertaining people and people getting joy out of what he does," said Cheel. "I try not to overanalyze him, I let him speak and he can say what he thinks, and then people can watch the film and figure it out themselves."

Originally published at brockpress.com on June 5, 2011.

[streetweekly-blog]

Here's our first set of images from Sunday's SCENE Music Festival.  Come back next Tuesday to see even more!

Top: THE WOODEN SKY play an impressively heartfelt and surprisingly loud set at the PBR stage at Market Square.

Left: A couple fans take a curb-side break. Trying to see every folk-rock band play SCENE is tough work.

Right: THE KAC HIMSELF - the quip spittin', colourful rapper, performed an seriously-fun set on Cache's back patio.

Bottom: ELK may look pissed off, but they're actually having a really good time. 

all photos by Sarah Jarvis.

[streetweekly-blog]

June 24: SCENE Music Festival - Round 2

As of this post, there is only 1 days, 13 hours, 14 minutes, and 10(ish) seconds until this year's annual S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival in downtown St. Catharines. Excited? I am.

Street Weekly began our S.C.E.N.E. coverage yesterday, and today we'll continue our discussion of the festival and make sure you leave here with some tips on who to check out this Sunday.

For those who are unaware of the history behind the festival, S.C.E.N.E. was created 17 years ago by Chris "Cashmere" Wojtowicz.

It was meant to be a grassroots music festival that would ultimately change the perception that St. Catharines was a city filed with cover and tribute bands, but, instead, a city that has a vibrant and prospering original music scene. So, 17 years later, has it changed? Does local music get enough attention? Well, yes and no, but, that's an entirely different discussion.

There are still a mass of cover bands in the region, and, it will never go away. But, there are handfuls of original bands that are continually paying their dues, playing at the downtown clubs and wherever they can get their hands dirty and their music heard.

These groups will keep on playing music, and they'll keep on playing shows, but those are the bands that deserve your respect at S.C.E.N.E.

So, if you have a free moment in your schedule, make sure you go see your friend's bands, your peer's bands, bands you may have heard of, or bands that played at a show you went to. Those are the bands that keep our scene alive, so that we don't rely solely on a one day event to showcase all that Niagara has to offer. Support your scene at S.C.E.N.E.

End rant.

Anyways, in between checking out our homegrown talent on Sunday, here are a list of five more bands you should probably make sure you both see and hear. 

The Wooden Sky (3:50 @ Pabst Blue Ribbon Stage)

The Wooden Sky released their third long player Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun this past February. If you haven't heard the release, its a collection of 13 lush and eloquent songs.

Borrowing from Americana and indie-rock alike, the instrumentation on the album is magnificent. Yet, it is Gavin Gardiner's voice that really compels the listener, and has been captivating the emotions of audiences around North America. 

Said the Whale (5:10 @ Pabst Blue Ribbon Stage)

This year, Said the Whale released their rather lackluster Little Mountain. The songs and melodies are there, but for some reason the album just doesn't click with me.

But, that's nothing to hold against them, because they are fantastic live. They aren't strangers to St. Catharines, and I can only imagine the energy they bring to a moderately attended club show will be far surpassed by their performance for a crowd full of swinging hips and eager ears - especially when they play the fan favourite Camillo (The Magician).

The Junction - (5:55 @ Barracuda Pretty)

The Junction had their St. Catharines heyday back in 2004 when they were playing to packed houses at L3 when they released the excellent And With This Comes Tomorrow (which still gets regular play in my car stereo).

But, after being signed by Universal, The Junction reportedly took to long to release their first full length and were subsequently dropped by the label.

Fast forward - and eight years later, they are still rocking, and still putting out relatively great releases through their own record label (how cool is that?). Anyways, they are still a great band, and more than deserving of your attention. If you want a little sneak peak without the cramped environment that the Festival will hold, The Junction are also playing a low-key event at The Rex in Welland on Saturday night.

Death by Stereo (9:00 @ L3 Upstairs)

I remember seeing Death by Stereo years and years ago, opening for AFI, who at the time were an amazing band - now, not so much. But, the Orange County, CA political punk-rock/hardcore band Death by Stereo are still at it, recently releasing their sixth studio album titled Black Sheep of the American Dream via Viking Funeral Records, the label owned by Fletcher Dragge, guitarist of Pennywise.

Anyways, after years and years on the road, Death by Stereo are without a doubt a well-oiled machine, and I can only assume that their set at S.C.E.N.E. will be intense, enjoyable and a momentously memorable one.

(The) Saint Alvia (Cartel) (7:00 @ L3 Downstairs)

Saint Alvia recently came to town and played with the excellent Organ Thieves. Unfortunately, the show was a bust, no one showed up, Organ Thieves shredded, and even this guy took off before Saint Alvia hit the stage.

This band does not deserve that. They deserve to play to a packed room, I've seen them do it before - and hopefully that's what they'll get at S.C.E.N.E. They recently released their first single from their upcoming Static Psalms, titled "Mothers Day", in which all the proceeds from the iTunes download are being donated to keep-a-breast.org and iamthatgirl.com. 

And there you have it. Hope to see you there. Stay hydrated, eat lots, high-five everyone and just have a time.

//CI//SW//

[streetweekly-blog]

June 24: SCENE Music Festival - Round 1

On top of the following bands, Street Weekly highly encourages you to check these need to know tips:

For it's 3rd year at SCENE,  Warchild's Busking for Change finds great bands playing stripped-down sets on King street, to raise money for Warchild. In the past couple years, we've  witnessed some incredible acoustic performances by Wildlife, The Library Voices, the Balconies and many other talented bands.

Make your own schedule, but be open to changing it and catching a couple 'buzz' bands. Also, create a pen and paper version of your schedule, for easy edits. And take a chance on seeing some bands you've never seen or heard of before.

Let chance encounters happen. Like, bumping into your favourite band while getting a cold drink at Christophers, or eating on a curb and finding someone wearing the same shirt as you. These are the indescribable things that make SCENE unique. 

Eat food. If you get shitty drunk and don't eat a single thing, you can't expect to last until the end of the festival. 

The Planet Smashers (5:50pm @ Jagermeister stage at Market Square)

Remember ska? While you can't argue the coolness of original and 2-tone ska, the fourth- and fifth-wave ska comes and goes faster than a gold finger at missing digit convention (ahh!). But, when it comes to Canadian ska-punk, the Planet Smashers are true legends.

Since forming in 1994, the Montreal-based outfit have released eight albums with countless horny toots, and skanky riffs. Refresh your memory with this video, or get some surf-spiration for the beauty of the west coast.

Eamon McGrath (8:30pm @ Merchant Ale House)

The first thing that struck me with Eamon McGrath's third album Young Canadians, is the album art's resembelance to DJ Shadow's Entroducing. Well, now looking at them side-by-side, they're not that similar, maybe just conceptually alike. 

Eamon's dusty and dusky voice is remarkable and stands out among the folky, grungier rock tunes. On "Johny Brought the Bottles Back," he sings, 'Heaven's just a word for the liquor store,' McGrath funnels a vibrant punk rock energy into a slow-burning country ditty. For a(n) (ex-)punk-rock town like St. Catharines, McGrath should be welcomed with open arms and endless pints. 

The Strumbellas (9:25pm @ Exclaim! stage at Cache Outside)

This Peterborough by-the-way-of Toronto-seven-piece will make you forget everything you already know about the term folk-rock. Dreary and slow-paced toe-tappers? Nope. Gospelly-charged rock anthems? Oh yeah! These folks inject a gigantic rock sound into the alt-country genre and do so with grace, chutzpah and a style; like wearing a bolo tie to a black tie dinner.

The Strumbellas return to St. Catharines after their last show packed the minimal capacity at the Merchant Ale House during this year's In the Soil Arts Festival. 

Let the band's new video "Sheriff" speak for itself. 

Thunderclap (10:10pm @ Strega Cafe)

Adam Buller is a theatrical genius. By day, he's an artist, director, film-maker, and expert mural creator. By night, he becomes Thunderclap, a troubadour on a mission to entertain. Thunderclap's music is acoustic, dramatic, powerful and captivating, like a James Bond villian armed with a didgeridoo. 

Earlier in the month, Buller (and company) hosted a massive party in downtown Niagara Falls. The Heavy Pickle Party saw over 300 people come out, (many of them wearing green), and even more dancing and eating the criminally underrated peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. The cucumber celebration brought out musicians, comedians, DJs, artists, film-makers and sci-fi fans to the Seneca Queen Theatre. Crunchy.

Be sure to catch Thunderclap's set in the intimate confines of Strega Cafe. 

Cadence Weapon (10:55pm @ Barracuda Pretty)

Edmonton's Poet Laureate, Roland Pemberton, better known as Cadence Weapon is going to have a field day at Barracuda Pretty. I'd say his over/under for jokes about the venue is 5.5. The rapper's newest album, Hope in Dirt City has just been long-listed for this year's Polaris Prize and deserves every ounce of praise (Really Pitchfork, just a 6?).

The MC takes live soul samples and snippets of IDM and futuristic jazz and dare I say, 'mashes it up' with a classic hip-hop sound. The beats are incredibly strong, the flow - constantly maintained and the dancing, godamn, I can't wait for the dancing. 

So, come Sunday, forget about your silly-ass hip-hop acronyms, marketing genius, Cali-brats (OFWGKTA-blah-blah), and embrace your homegrown hip-hop and give Rollie a high five. 

//JY//SW//

[streetweekly-blog]

June 16: Still Murray @ Rise Above

If you look at St. Catharines’ artist Grant Redman’s website, aside from the brilliant sample pieces of his work to date, the first thing you'll notice is Redman’s statement: “It’s not what you know – it’s who you know”.

It’s this comment that has sparked Grant’s (Can I call him just Grant instead of Redman? Is that OK on the Internet?) fascination with painting portraits. In the past he has done portraits of friends and family, but has also extended his work into celebrities and popular culture icons such as Bob Dylan, Twiggy, Morrissey, Audrey Hepburn, Clint Eastwood, Ryan Adams, Paul McCartney and most recently Bill Murray.

The opening of Grant’s series of eight Bill Murray portraits, entitled Still Murray, is being held at St. Catharines’ vegan bakery and restaurant Rise Above on Saturday, June 16 at 8pm.

For more on Grant, as well as a piece-by-piece breakdown of Still Murray, just click the button.

The last time I caught up with Grant (in a professional setting) was to preview his first ever art show – his Cowboys and Engines series  (click here), a collection of pen and India ink images of, well, cowboys and engines.

I first met Grant nearly 10 years ago, just after he had finished both his degree at Brock University’s Visual Arts program, and his diploma in Niagara College’s Art and Design Fundamentals program. It's hazy, but, I remember that Grant was a Mario Tennis (N64) dynamo, I just couldn't figure out his game (and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one).

But, video games aside, since I’ve known him, I’ve seen Grant develop into an amazing artist – one that relies on his skill at developing acute realism and his painterly qualities.

Previously, in a piece for The Brock Press, I said that “The realism that Redman displays in his work is unparalleled, with images complete and life like – like something out of a movie,” and with his Still Murray series, I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

His Still Murray series traces years back. “It all begin with Superstation, you know, channel 47?” he asked me. Well, anyways, he said that the typical Saturday or Sunday afternoon movies are Bill Murray movies. His '80s and '90s films are just such well-produced feel-good movies.

“I would say to myself ‘Ahh... I love this movie, I can’t believe I forgot about it, I just love Bill Murray,'” he recalled. Nearly four years ago, he compiled a list of Bill Murray in attempt to collect all 52 of his film credits on DVD (including his work with Saturday Night Live).

I actually remember the time he first showed it to me. He had moved to Toronto and I was coming home on the bus, I walked on and there was Grant. We shared the ride back to St. Catharines together and, as a collector myself, I was appalled by his commitment to his collection. The list looked a lot better back then. But, I can attest that he's been carrying it around in his wallet for almost a handful of years now.

To date he has 43 of them (if anyone wants to help, some of the titles he’s missing are Scout's Honor – a short film with Alec Baldwin – Cradle Will Rock, and Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video).

The series origin story places itself at Sunrise Records, where Grant and I worked together for a period of a year and a half.

“I remember I said to some coworkers about wanting to do a Bill Murray series, and I did my first one while I still worked there,” he recalled. “A couple months later I finished the Steve Zissou and then became engaged and started two new jobs, so I kind of stopped painting half way through my Caddyshack piece."

Proof? 

Subsequently life got in the way and then came his standstill.

“I didn’t paint anything for six months after that,” he said. “I wanted to paint, but I was so busy and didn’t have any time to.”

It took a little bit of reminding, but two months ago, Grant and I were walking downtown St. Catharines late at night and ran into Kyle Paton (owner of Rise Above) on St. Paul St. and Paton put him on the spot and said, “Lets set a date for your show for the beginning of June”.

“So, for the past two months, I’ve been painting my face off. I’m still working two jobs, but I’ve just been painting in every free moment. I was a little rusty when I started again, but I work best under pressure.”

Working under pressure isn’t something that is new to him either. For his Cowboys and Engines series, he was working his deadline to finish his 18 pieces for the show, and he remembered that this rather frantic quality of his has been pushing back to his days at Brock. 

“I would have critiques, and I didn’t really utilize my studio classes, so I would have a critique in a week and have to paint four different pieces and I would show up waving the canvases hoping that the paint to dry.

“It forces me to just paint for a long period of time – knowing that there’s a deadline,” he explained. “I feel like I have to be in the mood to do it. Maybe a deadline helps me get in the mood. I find that the hardest thing about painting is actually taking the paint out of the bottles and putting it on the palette, and then actually touching paint to canvas."

For his Murray paintings, Grant meticulously researched the portraits he wanted to do. He spent hours upon hours looking at images on the Internet, and even pulled out his camera, put it on a tripod and attempted to take pictures directly from the movies.

For the series, he only wanted to do portraits, images from the shoulders up, but with different backgrounds or costumes to distinguish which films the portraits were from.

“I thought about doing the badger from Fantastic Mr. Fox, just because it would be funny,” he joked. ”I also though of doing one of Garfield because the idea of it is also pretty funny, but I chose to just stick with actual portraits of himself."

(Grant, it's probably for the best that you chose to leave this one out)

“It was so hard to pick, because there are 51 movies, and it was so hard to narrow it down. I know at the show, people are going to come up to me and say ‘why didn’t you do this?’ because everyone has a favourite Bill Murray movie. And I could only do so many.“

During his artistic process, he explained that he doesn’t initially view his paintings of Bill Murray. First he maps draws out the proportions, to make sure the ears, nose and eyes are all where he wants them to be. Then he breaks it down into shapes and colours, and then refines it, while still maintaining his distinct painterly quality.

“The vision and creativity comes first. I decide what I want as the focus. That’s where the creative side of my brain works. Then, as soon as I start painting, the technical side of my brain comes alive. I pick it apart and work on every little detail,” he explained.

“When I get that right, there is nothing more exciting. That’s where the prepping and mapping it out is so important."

With Still Murray hanging up on the walls at Rise Above, he stated that for the time being, this series would mark the end of his cycle of celebrity paintings.  

“I don’t want to be known as the guy who does celebrities. In the future I want to do something completely different. I love painting people, so there will always be a figure in the paintings, but who knows whom it will be. I think that Still Murray is pretty fitting [for a departure from this type of work] – he is my favourite actor.”

Below you’ll find images from Still Murray, as well as descriptions of why Mr. Redman chose these particular images, and accompanying film clips.

Bill Murray - Saturday Night Live

"This was the first painting for the series. I like this one because he’s a little bit younger - it’s the beginning of his career. It’s still one of my favourites.

It was the first painting I spent so much time on. The majority of my paintings I spend a few hours on, but I spent days and days working on this one. I just took my time with it. I like the background, the faded grey is smooth, and I was pretty happy with the detail in the fat patterned tie. Half his face doesn’t even seem there and the black eye is just his wicked bags from all the drugs – or staying up late."

Steve Zissou - The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

"I knew I had to do a Wes Anderson movie, not only because Anderson is one of my favourite directors, but also because he has become known for them and he just plays so many good characters in them."

"I really like the way the blue shirt and blue-sky look together and it was really fun painting the beard. What I really love about this painting is that you can tell he’s outside with the squinty eyes and sun on his face. I feel like this is the Wes Anderson role he is known for and everyone just loves this movie."

Carl Spackler - Caddyshack

"This one looks like it could be from Stripes because of the military feel. But, he’s hiding from the gopher in Caddyshack and trying to track it down. What I find about all these paintings is that he looks very serious. You look at them and smile and laugh because it’s Bill Murray. But that’s what’s so great about him – he was kind of a dick, and comes across so somber, but pulls it off so well with his comedy."

"I love the leaves, and the lips sticking out. I was taking risks with the leaves. I just made them up. I just knew there had to be a headdress of leaves attached to his hat. As one of his first movie roles, I knew Caddyshack had to be part of it."

Dr. Peter Venkman - Ghostbusters

"I absolutely had to do Ghostbusters. This is when he sees Slimer for the first time and he gets on the radio and says ‘Ray, it’s looking right at me’. This piece was really fun to do. There are so many good scenes in this movie and I had to pick one that you knew it was Ghostbusters. I knew that people were going to want to see the proton pack."

Grimm - Quick Change

"I just love that this is a super serious face, but he’s dressed as a clown. It’s a clown, but you can tell it’s still Bill Murray. The first scene of the film is of him robbing a bank as a clown. This image is from when he’s in the vault. It’s not just his face with his trademark receding hairline and almost-mullet."

"A lot of these pieces are with pretty simple palettes, but this was enjoyable because of all the colours. I know I’ve probably said this a lot, but this is one of my favourite ones in the series, and it’s one of my favourite movies as well because it’s so ridiculous."

Bob Harris - Lost in Translation

"Lost in Translation is just such a brilliant film. After the show, I might just do one more Bill Murray for myself. It’s the scene where he’s in the elevator with all the Japanese men who are all a foot shorter than him."

"There are 1000 portraits I could do from this film. I think this one is such a beautiful shot and he stands out so well in it. He’s holding the glass and it’s so awkward when they are telling him to ‘Be like Roger Moore’. It’s so distinguished, and I feel it’s the perfect portrait for the series."

Bill Murray - Zombieland

"For this piece I used such a minimal palette of just black, white, blue and pink and it just worked. It’s Bill Murray as Bill Murray. He’s still a character and he dressed up in a costume – you can tell that these cameos are something he enjoys doing."

"He can laugh at himself. That’s part of the appeal too. He makes the film, and like in Kingpin, it’s him and Woody Harrelson again. The facial expression in this piece is when they are talking about him and complementing him, and I personally think it’s hilarious."

Phil - Groundhog Day

"This was a weird one for me, because he’s laughing. He has a lot of laugh lines. Groundhog Day is my favourite movie, I watch it every Groundhog Day – it’s kind of like my Christmas. It’s just such a ridiculous movie about living the same day over and over. Again, this is one of those perfect Saturday afternoon movies."

"I like this one because it’s different. It’s him and the groundhog – when he steals it – and I love how the groundhog looks like it’s driving the truck. This is the only image in the series where he’s smiling."

And that's it, hope you enjoyed the ride. Prints and originals will be for sale at the opening, Saturday June 16, 8pm, at Rise Above.

//CI//SW//

[streetweekly-blog]

The Polaris Music Prize 2012 - "Long Listin' Predictions"

It's Polaris time again! The time of year when over 200 music journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and other music critics decide collectively which Canadian album (released between June 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012) is the best. Sales quotas, geography, language and genre all don't matter, so the prize could go to a remarkably talented solo artist or an ensemble band. 

In Polaris' short history, no artist or band has ever won two Polaris prizes. Whenever past-Polaris winners release new albums, the coveted 'double double' is always a possibility. In 2010, Caribou (2008) and Owen Pallett (2006, won as Final Fantasy), were both shortlisted and a chance to make history, but Karkwa surprised many of us by winning the prize for Les Chemins de verre.

This year, both Patrick Watson (2007) and Fucked Up (2009) return with very strong releases, but they have to make it through both rounds of voting first. 

Tomorrow, Thursday 14 June, Polaris releases the long list of 40 albums, and the list will be trimmed down to 10 by Tuesday 17 July.  After listening to many potential album winners, thinking about Canada's geographical and genre biases, we've come up with our own Street Weekly Polaris Prize Long List. (Our apologies Leonard.)

Apollo Ghosts-Landmark

Arkells - Michigan Left

Azari and III-Azari and III

Baby Eagle-Bone Soldiers

Bahamas-Barchords

Bruce Peninsula-Open Flames

Bry Webb-Provider

Cadence Weapon-Hope In Dirt City

Cold Specks-I Predict a Graceful Expulsion

Couer De Pirate-Blonde

Dan Mangan-Oh Fortune

Dog Day-Deformer

Drake-Take Care

Elliott Brood-Days Into Years

Feist-Metals

Fucked Up-David Comes To Life

Great Lake Swimmers-New Wild Everywhere

Grimes-Visions

Handsome Furs-Sound Kapital

Islands - A Sleep and A Forgetting

Japandroids-Celebration Rock

Jim Cuddy-Skyscraper Soul

Joel Plaskett Emergency-Scrappy Happiness

John K Samson-Provincial

Kathleen Edwards-Voyageur

Kid Koala-Space Cadet

Memoryhouse-The Slideshow Effect

Mike O'Neill-Wild Lines

Ohbijou-Metal Meets

Patrick Watson-Adventures in Your Own Backyard

PS I Love You - Death Dreams

Radio Radio-Havre de Grace

Rae Spoon-Secrets

Sandro Perri - Impossible Spaces

The Barr Brothers-The Barr Brothers

The Darcys-Aja

The Deep Dark Woods-The Place I Left Behind

The Wooden Sky-Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun

Yukon Blonde-Tiger Talk

Zeus-Busting Visions

//JY//SW//