Sound Salvation Army

Standards are the bread and butter of the jazz world. Generally defined as compositions that are “held in continuing esteem and commonly used as the basis of jazz arrangements and improvisations,” tracks like “Bewitched,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” are instantly recognizable. But they’re also malleable, a familiar canvas that every artist can transform just enough to plant their own signature on them, almost giving the listener a baseline expectation by which to gauge someone they’re hearing for the first time.

You know you’ve found a singer that’s truly special when they’re capable of absolutely murdering a standard but they don’t need them to get your attention.

Melanie Hankewich is one of those singers. She’s been making a name for herself in Regina the last couple of years, performing under the moniker of Belle Plaine. You can expect her profile to grow by leaps and bounds in 2012 on the back of her stunning first full-length album. Notes From A Waitress was released last Friday with a very special show at the beautiful Artesian on 13th Avenue. AND I WAS THERE, YOU GUYS.

From the moment she stepped on the stage with a special backing band that, at times, numbered as many as half a dozen (including trumpet player Cheney “Thunderclap” Lambert from the Pile O’ Bones Brass Band and vocalist Anna Rose) Plaine had a firm grasp on the sold-out and packed-in audience. Wearing the black and white polka dot dress seen on the cover of the album, she took some time to welcome the crowd before launching into a set of mostly-original material.

Most of Hankewich’s press tends to focus on her voice, and rightly so; she took classical voice lessons as a kid and studied jazz at the well-regarded Grant McEwan University in Edmonton. Her voice sounds timeless, somehow equally sultry, seductive, fragile, and dusky while still capable of room-filling bombast when the moment calls for it. One gets the sense that she could sing anything and she proved it last Friday by effortlessly switching from the jazz-pop numbers on Waitress to the folk-based songs on her preceding EP. It’s not so much that her voice changes in any way to suit those styles, more that she has the strength, control, and natural tone to make it almost universal in its application. To borrow an old cliche: she could sing the phone book and The Artesian would still be standing-room only.

But Hankewich doesn’t need to. She and co-writer/pianist Jeremy Sauer collaborated on much of the songs on the new record, if not all of them, crafting unique takes on timeless jazz and sepia-toned lullabies about far-away lands. In fact many of the songs on the record are directly inspired by locales of varying degrees of exoticness from around the world (the mid-record trio of “Port Angeles,” “Vegas,” and “Waikiki” being the most overt examples). During the release show Hankewich also provided some excellent background information on their lyrical origins, like how she found a scrap of paper in Las Vegas with a few lines of poetry scrawled on them and incorporated them into a forlorn remembrance of how bleak reality can turn expectation on its head in Sin City. Or how her time spent in Victoria informed the dourly-beautiful “Port Angeles,” a song that’s roughly as beautiful as anything you’ve heard before. But as well-crafted as her lyrics may be it’s when she sings on the latter that “There’s some things you see approaching but life just doesn’t always turn out the way you wanted it to,” that you get a sense of how far her voice can take you. Her wounded, emotive performance explains exactly how the relationship between the song’s undefined subject and a blind cook’s son from the east coast ended, even though her words don’t. Sauer picks apart the song’s minor chords and creates an upper-range piano melody that is as patient as it is heartbreaking, the individual notes twinkling as brightly as the lights flickering on the water’s edge in Hankewich’s memory and/or imagination.

The closing trio of songs also provide an unexpected but endlessly-pleasant surprise for me personally. The songs were written by Hankewich and Sauer when they put together a show for Regina’s Globe Theatre called The Unforseen Journey Of Nathaniel Dunbar And Other Tales Of Whimsical Sadness. One of the most unique and engaging performances I’ve seen at the Globe in my time, the cabaret-style concert performance accompanied a combination of animation, slide show, and video that told Dunbar’s tragic tale while the band waltzed it’s way into my heart. I can’t even describe what it was like but I’m absolutely thrilled that the two decided to include a few songs from that show on the album, especially the wistful rainy-day ballad “Legendary.” As reminiscent of Patsy Cline’s tear-jerkers as it is any jazz number, the ukulele helps a painful romantic memory seem a little sweeter. It’s a true classic and, along with any number of songs on the new CD, a serious contender to become a new standard.

Which brings me back to standards. Oh, those standards. None of the classics appear on Waitress but there are some that have been made staples of a Belle Plaine set. The most memorable one from Friday’s show is a captivating take on “Fever” (originally performed by Little Willie John but made famous by Peggy Lee) which features only Hankewich’s sultry singing and Elizabeth Curry’s lithe bass. The two have been playing together for years and their timing is perfect, their performances seamlessly intertwined, Curry watching Hakewich intently to get the timing just right as she plunks out a deft and dynamic solo that leaves the crowd clamoring for more. A fantastic rendering of “My Funny Valentine” also popped up, though Hankewich wasn’t really a part of it. She introduced the number and let Sauer and Lambert take over, the piano providing the backbone while Cheney layered on some brassy bombast.

That moment was essentially a space-filler, giving Hankewich some time to run backstage for a costume change. But it’s also evidence of how smart she is in her efforts to make a go of a music career. Both in the studio and on the stage she makes sure that she’s surrounded by collaborators that have an innate understanding of what her songs need. Curry’s bassline is an essential part of a song like “Swamp Lullaby,” such an integral part of the composition it simply couldn’t be the same without it; Sauer has enough chops for a five-star kitchen and has clearly played a huge part in forming Hankewich’s sound. She’s also recorded and toured with Regina’s hidden gems, The Lazy MKs, the group that helped realize the folk-country sound of her previous EP. She seems to be less a solo artist than she is a ringmaster, someone who recognizes the talent of those around her and ensures they also get to stand in the spotlight even as they help make hers burn brighter.

Hankewich gave herself until this spring to try and make it as a musician. With 3,000 copies of Notes From A Waitress to get rid of I doubt she’ll be calling it quits any time soon. Here’s hoping she doesn’t; this gal is possessed of a truly world-class voice and she knows how to use it. She has a specific musical vision that truly stands out in the modern music industry and a stable of friends and collaborators to make it a reality. If Belle Plaine doesn’t put Regina on the map I don’t know what will.

 

 Belle Plaine - Port Angeles [3:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Belle Plaine - Advice From A Vicar [4:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can buy Belle Plaine’s music from Bandcamp, both physical and digital, because she’ll make more money that way. Her site also offers a few other choices.

Here are the tour dates. You can find more show details at Belle Plaine’s web site.
February 3 Biggar, SK
February 4 Saskatoon, SK
February 11 Regina, SK
February 23 Regina, SK
June 8 Sudbury, ON
June 16 Montreal, QC

Pat entries Belle Plaine, Canadian content, country, folk, jazz, live music, Regina, standards instant classics

So yeah, all other dramatics aside, I got to see Jonathan Richman last weekend! It was amazing, you guys!

For some reason I never really imagined I’d actually get to see him perform live. I guess I just expected that he wouldn’t tour extensively, and even if he did he’d never come anywhere near Regina. I was prepared to drive all the way to Winnipeg (on a school night no less!) just to see him, but the late addition of a show in Saskatoon last Saturday night proved to be the perfect scheduling for me and my special lady.

If you’re new to the site we’ve talked about Richman before. The former lead singer for The Modern Lovers, a proto-punk band that never actually got around to releasing a proper record (their debut LP was cobbled together from demos) but showed all the promise in the world. Their track “Roadrunner” is an often-covered gem of the era, for example. Richman broke up the group before too long, reforming a new band under the name of Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers and drastically altering his sound. His music became primarily acoustic in nature, his lyrics moving even further toward the youthful exuberance that is his defining nature. It also marked the beginning of a remarkably consistent songwriting career that saw him tiptoe into latin, middle easter, and French music while still retaining his signature sound.

Appropriately enough we got a taste of all of that at the Saskatoon show. Well, ALMOST all of that.

Richman is a delightful performer. Much has been made about his quest for quiet, his penchant for playing as softly as possible while still being heard. He made that explicit to the Saskatoon audience immediately, partially because the size of the performance space at The Refinery confused him. He said it was just the right size to need a PA system but also nearly small enough that he didn’t need one. Throughout the show he wandered away from the microphone to sing and play more directly to the audience. It didn’t hurt the performance; he was right, we could hear him and drummer Tommy Larkins just fine without mics. At one point, however, he did pull the mic on Larkins’ kick drum back. I guess it was coming through a little too hot.

He clearly struggled with the necessity of the microphones. At the start of the show he and Larkins’ microphones and gear were pushed back ten or twelve feet from the tables at the front. He expressed concern, saying he didn’t like seated shows because they get too close to “an actual concert,” which he doesn’t care for. He was expecting people to come up and dance at the front and when they didn’t he dragged Larkins’ and his equipment closer to the nearest tables, bridging the gap between performer and audience. It made it feel more like the most talented friend at your party was pulling out your acoustic guitar and singing you some silly songs he wrote than a real show.

Actually though, that’s a bit of a misnomer. While Richman laid the foundation of his career with occasionally-silly numbers infused with the spirit of an adolescent boy his live set now is comprised mostly of decidedly grown-up ruminations on life, love, and society. Songs like “Her Beauty Not Of High Heels and Eye Shadow” and “Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love” are remarkably mature love songs, the former a paean to a decidedly contemporary woman, a story of ineffable attraction a younger man simply wouldn’t be capable of, the latter concerning a fully adult perspective on the importance of giving affection. “When We Refuse To Suffer” encourages the listener to recognize the importance of hardship and tribulation, seeing the upside and the learning opportunities in life’s more difficult moments.

His frequent speeches also came in the form of quick runs of Italian, Spanish, and French; for his non-English language songs he would often recite a key lyric before explaining exactly what it means in English and the sentiment underlying the song. A deft move, I suppose, ensuring that audience members that haven’t followed those tangents of his career will have more of a connection with the number.

Forming that connection is a vital part of his shows, it seems. While set lists posted on some fan sites show he plays some of his older numbers every once in a rare while that certainly wasn’t the case in Saskatoon; he seems to go out of his way to completely eschew his past. I think the oldest song he played was from 1998, going back just a quarter of the way into his catalogue. Once into the first of his three encores, Richman gave the audience a fairly extensive speech that I’m sure must be rather well-rehearsed by now about how a song is like bread; if it’s freshly baked and warm out of the oven it’s still appealing but if it’s been sitting on the counter for thirty years collecting dust you won’t want to touch it. Essentially: if he isn’t feeling a song anymore he damn sure isn’t going to play it. Shouted requests for everything from “Ice Cream Man” to “Roadrunner” (duh) to “Vincent Van Gogh” fell on unwelcoming ears, but the crowd didn’t seem terribly put out by it. How could you stay mad at such an affable fellow when he gives such a well-reasoned argument?

The nicest thing is that Richman doesn’t need to rest on his laurels. The highlight of the set was a new tune that must have stretched out at least eight minutes, a delightful story-song about how he used to frequent Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts while growing up. Sometimes his parents dropped him off, sometimes he would take the trolley, but regardless the hippies and artsy-types that held a kind of arts-based communion there during the 60s and 70s would always help “Show (him) the door to Bohemia.” It’s remarkably touching, honest, and illuminating; Richman admits to creating some pretentious poetry and also makes it easy to see where his journey to becoming the songwriter he is now and always has been really began. It’s amazing to think it took him this long to write it. To my knowledge it hasn’t been recorded yet and part of me hopes it won’t be. It seems like a song meant for the intimacy of live performance, a real piece of the artist’s soul that couldn’t possibly carry the same gravitas and tenderness it did on this particular Saturday night if it was shackled to tape for eternity.

If Richman thought the lack of dancing during the 90-minute show meant the crowd wasn’t appreciating as much as he might have expected I’m sure his mind was changed when the set ended. Richman and Larkins began to walk “off” the stage (behind a curtain), only to be urged back by a ravenously-applauding audience. That process was repeated twice more, with Richman registering a visible amount of shock. Saskatchewan may not make with the dancing, Jonathan, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you.

Note: Below you’ll find three tunes Richman did play during the show and three I can only wish he played, a trio of his numerous songs about classical painters

 

 Jonathan Richman - Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eye Shadow: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - When We Refuse To Suffer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - Le Printemps des Amoureux est Venu [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - Vincent Van Gogh: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - No One Was Like Vermeer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Once again: Jonathan Richman’s albums are available on the internet, sort of, even though he himself “does not participate in the internet at any level.” Check Vapor Records for links to physical purchases and iTunes seems to have the lot in digital.

Pat entries acoustic, ignoring the past, Jonathan Richman, live music, living legends, rock

By the time you read this I’ll be in Saskatoon and my life will be changing.

Jonathan Richman is playing what will no doubt be a very, very intimate show at The Refinery this evening (Saturday October 1st, 2011). It’s going to be amazing, seeing an actual living legend performing live.

I’ve been waiting months for this show. I was prepared to drive all the way to Winnipeg to see him there before I found out a Saskatoon show had been booked. But honestly, it’s going to be a bit of a sidebar to what will be the main event of the day.

That’s me and my sweet special lady Colleen in Maui a few months ago. It was an amazing vacation and remains an incredible memory. But a vacation is just a vacation and a lifetime is a lifetime.

I don’t know where I’d be today if it wasn’t for Colleen. I met her at a very low point in my life, a bleak pocket of time that I would be happy to forget completely if it weren’t for the fact that I learned a lot of things I badly needed to learn.

I met Colleen shortly after I met Jonathan Richman. In the midst of a deep, mostly drunk depression, I was doing dishes at home one Friday night. I had CJTR on my radio and was feeling low when I heard “Everyday Clothes” come on whatever program was airing at the time. It was a revelation. I could feel again. I immediately went out and got as many of his albums as I could find.

When I met her a few weeks later Colleen was another revelation. I was introduced to her at a local bar on her birthday; she and a mutual friend were both celebrating. She was there mostly with school friends but for the most part it was like there was no one else in the picture but she and I. In my memory we spent the whole night talking only to each other, thanks in large part to her inquisitive nature. She asked me question after question after question. I was more honest and forthright than I’ve ever been with anyone after just meeting them, possibly because of her disarming nature.

Frankly, I think it had more to do with her smile. Her smile is indescribable. I told her everything she wanted to know in the simple hope that it would make her smile again. You really have to see it to believe it. I live for that smile now.

It wasn’t an easy relationship to get off the ground, for a few reasons. When she left Regina at the beginning of last summer to return to her home city of Winnipeg for a job we decided we would give it a serious go. Despite only knowing each other for a few months we both felt the connection we experienced from that first night forward was strong and unusual enough that it had to be pursued. So we did.

We drove back and forth all summer, sometimes meeting in Brandon (roughly halfway in between) for date nights. We would often drive around for hours talking and listening to Jonathan Richman’s music. Songs like “It’s You” and “I’m Just Beginning To Live” and “Important In Your Life” became ingrained in our budding affection, the perfect wistful accompaniment to our idealistic, budding love.

He’s been with us every step of the way since. When, after six months, Colleen and I decided to move in together he was there, on the stereo in the truck we borrowed to bring her possessions back to Regina. He’s been in the line-up for my community radio show on any given Thursday, a secret message to my lady love while she listens from home.

And he’ll be there today, which just happens to be the one-year anniversary of us co-habitating, the 18-month anniversary of our decision to “go steady,” and the day I’m going to ask Colleen to marry me.

I imagine her face will look something like this:

So thanks, Jonathan Richman. I’m sure we could’ve done it without you but it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

Oh, and I know you don’t participate in the internet so you won’t be reading this but on the off-chance you somehow stumble onto the web and see this: I would love it if you could play “Everyday Clothes.” If you want me to weep in front of you, I mean.

FURTHER EDITOR’S NOTE — she said yes

 

 Jonathan Richman - A Higher Power: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - When She Kisses Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - This Love Of Mine: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - When I Say Wife: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - It's You: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jonathan Richman - Everyday Clothes: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jonathan Richman’s albums are available on the internet, sort of, even though he himself “does not participate in the internet at any level.” Check Vapor Records for links to physical purchases and iTunes seems to have the lot in digital.

Pat entries acoustic, it's personal, Jonathan Richman, live music, living legends, love, rock

Secret Sisters are actually sisters! There is no secret!

Now that we’ve put that little mystery to bed let’s expand a little. Laura and Lydia Rogers have music coursing through their very veins, a legacy of writing, playing, and singing that dates back to their ancestors. They’re young; it’s only been a couple of years since they’ve been pursuing music professionally, although they’ve been playing since they outgrew the bassinet. It allowed them to not only establish an impossibly-deep musical bond but also to craft songs that have instantly caught the ear of Americana music royalty like T Bone Burnett. He’s putting out the duo’s record and he’s not being very shy about it.

I have been making music for over forty years and The Secret Sisters album is as close to pure as it gets…Listening to the Secret Sisters sing, you hear in their voices a sound that is timeless and of the moment. You hear the history of rural American music from the 1920’s and a reverence for every musical genre this country has produced. Popular music requires the absolute honesty of the Secret Sisters and I’m thrilled to be involved in presenting them to the world.

That’s effusive praise, especially coming from the guy who played guitar for Bob Dylan and has won this many accolades (in addition to putting together the greatest soundtrack of all time.

They played a short teaser before KD Lang took the main stage on Friday night at the festival and the audience response was nothing short of fervent, especially when the nervous tremors in their voices while making small-talk with the crowd gave way to a chill-inducing a capella number that showed the depth of their musical understanding and interconnectedness.

Hear more about the sisters’ musical bond and their surprised reaction to the Regina Folk Festival in the interview below.

This interview wraps up our Regina Folk Festival interview feature for this year, sadly. While we endeavored to roll tape on all the artists who came by our tent some battery issues and forgetfulness meant we didn’t get enough of some interviews to publish. That means you won’t get to hear Cœur de Pirate’s Béatrice Martin and the audible contempt in her voice when I couldn’t properly pronounce her band’s name (due to my excessively English language skills) or ESL’s Cris Derksen discuss basses with Beth. Still, it was fun! Here’s hoping we get to do it next year too!

 

 Secret Sisters interiview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Secret Sisters - The One I Love Is Gone: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Secret Sisters have their music for sale via their web site and through the iTunes thingy dingy.

Pat entries #RFF11, acoustic, CJTR, interviews, live music, Regina Folk Festival, Secret Sisters

He came over to our tent between playing a workshop at one of the free tents in Victoria Park during our broadcast on the Saturday of the Folk Festival. We were in the midst of an interview and he wandered off, coming back later on and apologizing for being late. What a sweetheart he is!

Mangan comes across as a genuine, relaxed Vancouverite, which I expect is exactly what he is at his core. He leaned casually against our table while spending a good 10 to 12 minutes chatting with our Rhonda Nye, who really could not have been more excited to talk to Mangan (he was one of the acts she was most thrilled to see this year). He has a very unassuming manner in conversation, making easy eye contact and laughing without reluctance.

It matches the tone of his work to date as well. His breakthrough album Nice, Nice, Very Nice is a collection of acoustic songs that have a unique energy, sometimes rocketing along at a high pace and sometimes moving as slowly as Slow Down, Molasses. His singing voice is acres away from his speaking voice, low and gravelly without sacrificing melody. His songs retain a sense of humour as well; you can hear him grinning as he sings a fanciful tune like “Robots” and the songs are that much better for it.

But all that seems to be set to change on his new record, Oh Fortune, which is released this week. The three tracks that have been released early are all rock and roll, make no mistake about it; electric guitars, heavy drums, aggressive tempos, group vocals, and amps-to-11 solos run throughout these three cuts. It’s not a wholesale change of direction but it stands out in a big way. It should be interesting to see if that scope follows through the entire running time.

You can hear Mangan discuss Oh Fortune, his touring schedule, and a road regret or two in the interview below.

 

 Dan Mangan Interview [5:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Dan Mangan - Rows Of Houses: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Dan Mangan - Road Regrets: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mangan’s new album drops tomorrow on Arts & Crafts Records. Pick it up through his own web site, the A&C store, or the iTunes machine.

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, CJTR, Dan Mangan, festivals, interviews, live music, Regina Folk Festival

Marco Calliari was one of the best and most pleasant surprises of the 2011 Regina Folk Festival for me. Having literally no knowledge of his existence until I started doing research for our interviews I was not expecting such a charming, charismatic, gregarious individual. What I thought might be a three minute interview went on and on, each question a springboard for his funny, fun-loving personality to vault forward from.

Calliari is Italian and he wants you to know it. He now calls Quebec home and it was in la belle province that he began his foray into playing music professionally. Back in 1989 he formed the thrash metal band Anonymous. His true love, however, lay in the music of his ancestors. In 2003 he began his solo career, marrying the racing tempos of thrash metal with the romance and ribaldry of his Italian heritage. The result, as I mentioned in my review of his main stage performance at the RFF, is a high-octane Italian-language take on the rollicking cabaret sound fostered by groups like Gogol Bordello.

Calliari in a one-on-one situation is much the same. Speaking with a fairly noticeable accent, he speaks in energetic bursts and never breaks eye contact. He is endlessly enthusiastic not only about his music but about all music and the relationship between fans and performers. You can hear him speak to all those things in the interview below. What you can’t get from the interview? Just how amazingly swank he was dressed while we were talking. That man has FINE taste in clothes.

 

 Marco Calliari interview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Marco Callieri - L'Americano: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out Marco Calliari’s stuff at his big ol’ web store or via iTunes.

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, Italian, Italy, live music, Marco Calliari, Regina Folk Festival, snappy dressers

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent new album from Saskatoon’s Slow Down, Molasses. It was, and is, a giant step forward for the group, which has evolved into a nearly-uncategorizable (no, that’s not a word) genre of it’s own devising that combines shoegazing rock music, roots elements, atmospherics, and everything from trumpets to typewriters. It deserves every accolade it got.

The band’s appearance at the Regina Folk Festival last month saw them on the cusp of some very big developments. It wasn’t more than a week or two later that the band made the trip across the pond for their first tour of Europe, which culminated in an appearance at the prestigious End Of The Road Festival near Dorset. The show has a crazy legacy of booking amazing acts and this year was no exception, as Slow Down, Molasses appeared alongside Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Deer Tick, Wolf Parade, Iron & Wine, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Caribou, and many, many more (fellow RFF performer Dan Mangan was also invited, as well). The story of how they got there is amazing in it’s own right; one night on tour, despite only about four people in attendance at a particular bar in a particular part of Canada, the band played their hearts out. One of the few people watching just happened to have an in with the festival and the rest is history.

You can hear band member Jeanette Stewart talk more about that in the following interview, conducted by Beth.

 

 Jeanette Stewart (Slow Down, Molasses/Jeans Boots) interview [6:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Slow Down, Molasses - Light: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jeans Boots - Dark Forces: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can get Slow Down, Molasses music — digitally AND physically — via their bandcamp page. You can also fetch Jeanette’s solo/faux-lo nom de plume Jeans Boots on bandcamp as well.

Jeans Boots is performing in Saskatoon this Friday with buzz band PS I Love You. Check more details here.

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, CJTR, festivals, interviews, Jeans Boots, live music, Regina Folk Festival, Slow Down Molasses

What a weekend to not be in Regina.

I’m kicking myself, you guys. I’ll be in Winnipeg this weekend for a very important trip with my special lady to a city that’s not as bad as people (from Saskatchewan) think it is but I have an obligation (as a Saskatchewanian) to pretend like it stinks. But I’ll be missing SO MUCH good music, you guys!

It’s almost hard to keep it all straight but let’s start with Friday night.

Birds Are Dinosaurs are undoubtedly Regina’s most interesting group. The post-rock instrumental group frequently has a lot of members, including two drummers, and creates many-faceted songs that range from ominous to ecstatic, urgent to patient, bright to bleak, and everything in between. They also but on a downright entrancing live show, weaving textured arrangements with a studied expertise. They put out their first full-length back in 2009 and, word has it, they’re going to be working on another one. You’ll likely get a taste of that new material when they headline this month’s chapter of CJTR’s 10th Anniversary Showcase Series at the Exchange on Friday night at the Exchange. Also on the bill is the newly-renamed Sun Zoom Sparx, formerly known as Coelacanthdance. I promise, their music is better than their new name and easier to wrap your head around. Tickets, I believe, are $10 at the door.

HOWEVER, friends, conflict abounds on Friday night as well! Also playing tomorrow at the delightful Creative City Center are Surrey’s Sumner Brothers. Described by our friends over at Herohill as a roots act that even the most ardent Willie Nelson fans would have trouble finding fault in, the west coasters have toured Canada multiple times on the strength of a few criminally underrated albums (so underrated we haven’t even covered them before, in fact). Thankfully they continue to traipse across the country, guitars in tow, playing to ever-larger audiences. If a more traditional type of songcraft is your thing I highly recommend checking them out. Local musical mainstay Cam Wensel’s latest effort Black Drink Crier opens as well! Tickets are just $8 at the door (1843 Hamilton Street above Loggie’s Shoes).

Montreal by way of Calgary act Braids (mentioned all too briefly in our round-up of Regina Folk Festival’s first day) are also visiting the Exchange this weekend. They’re playing Saturday night with Pepper Rabbit and Painted Palms, two bands I literally know nothing about. I mean it; literally nothing. Braids, however, are tearing up the indie rock world right now. Their album Native Speaker has been short-listed for the Polaris Prize and is, according to some, an odds-on favourite to win. It’s layered, twisted versions of pop and rock songs are enough of a head trip to set them apart. Just take the Winnipeg Free Press’ word for it. This one is going to be jam-packed, so get your tickets at Vintage Vinyl if you don’t already.

Sunday is also going to be VERY exciting, as Hollerado roll into the Queen City on their “Meet The Mayor” tour. The concept has been so successful even the band has been surprised by it, but it goes like this: a month or so ago when they announced the show dates for their latest cross-Canada trek, the pop rock band joked on Twitter that they would endeavor to meet the mayor of every city they played. CJTR’s own Indie Insider and I relayed the message to Regina’s own Pat Fiacco and, being the amiable and eager politician that he is, he agreed to greet the group when they arrive in the city. From there, the idea spiraled, as Mayor Nenshi in Calgary also got on board. Odds are good they’ll talk about that meeting during their set, but even if they don’t you still get some of the finest pop rock happening in Canada these days. Young Rival and Wildlife open this one.

So there you have it folks. Way more amazing music than Regina is used to seeing in a month, let alone a week, crammed into a three day span. Please, miss as little of this line-up as you can.

 

 Birds Are Dinosaurs - Tragedy: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Sumner Brothers - Going Out West: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Braids - Lemonade [6:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hollerado - Americanarama: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Links!:
Birds are dinosaurs Facebook is here, because I can’t find anything else.
Sumner Brothers are on iTunes and they also have a web store.
Braids’ album is pretty cheap on iTunes and they also have a web store.
Hollerado are also iTunes fans, I guess or you can attempt to navigate their, um, unique website for physical purchase links. I sure as hell am not.

Pat entries acoustic, Birds Are Dinosaurs, Braids, Hollerado, instrumental, live music, pop rock, Regina, rock, roots, Sumner Brothers, Surrey, Toronto

Hey Ocean! was not an absolute nightmare. Far from it. The affable B.C. trio were as easy-going and spirited as their funky, laid-back pop songs would suggest.

Ashleigh Ball, David Beckingham, and Dave Vertesi are all attractive young folks with a relaxed air about them. While their bio material is frustratingly vague a quick perusal of archived interviews on the interwebs shows that Ball and Beckingham met while at a summer camp and formed a musical kinship that continues to bear fruit to this day. Presumably they share a love of modern pop music, but there’s also a very clear affection for their coastal home, as an awful lot of their songs reference the ocean, sunshine, etc (to an extent only Brian Wilson might be able to relate with). Its only natural, I guess. It’s a pretty goddamn nice canvas to paint some sunny, slightly funky pop songs on.

Of course, you can hear them talk about that and more in what I think might have been one of our longest interviews of the entire festival, linked below. Since I started writing this they have also released an entirely brand new song, which can be found on their old-timey, new-tangled Facebook page.

 

 Hey Ocean! interview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hey Ocean! - Turn Up The Stars: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A very enthusiastic fan site, I Love Hey Ocean!, has links to both digital and physical music purchases of Hey Ocean! records. Check it out!

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, Hey Ocean!, interview, live music, pop, Regina Folk Festival, rock

Regina’s Andy Shauf has a song called “Singer Of Love Songs.” In it he sings, “I am a singer of love songs, waiting for my cue to start the presentation of falling in love with you.” It’s only mostly sarcastic, simultaneously admitting to a characteristic that is plainly obvious in his work while also playing up the disingenuous and affected nature of so many musicians who use “love songs” as an emotionless, contrived stand-by.

Vancouver’s Dave Hadgkiss is not a phony singer of love songs. This spring he released his first solo album under the moniker of Folk Thief, the independently-released Love, Heartache, and Oblivion. It’s a collection of songs that reveal Hadgkiss as not only an intriguing new voice on the Canadian music scene but also a songwriter who laces his love songs with some decidedly bleak underpinnings.

From a musical standpoint the album is pointedly bare-boned — the instrumentation here is entirely left in Hadgkiss’ hands, his acoustic guitar the only musical element put to tape, aside from vocals. His playing usually comes down to a strum that lands somewhere between forceful and restrained, his chord progressions occasionally quick and sprightly, sometimes dour and muted. Regardless, his playing stays out of the way and lets his words and voice be the focal point.

The album’s stand-out track is clearly the duet “Broken Record,” on which Hadgkiss is backed by fellow Vancouverite Kelly Haigh in a circular tale of a ping-pong kind of love; it’s a song for those who can’t seem to do better and get mired in a mediocre coupling. The couple portrayed in the lyric are constantly going back and forth: they sing about their future withering and dying, with Hadgkiss (presumably) left to his own devices after his lover leaves him. But he can’t stop obsessing over her, even seven months later, and eventually she phones to say she wants to come home. The song’s chorus is a revelation on their part: “How long do we drag this out?” they both ponder in a majestically melodic chorus. “If this is love I’ll go without,” they continue, but not without a note of forgiveness and regret. The song ends with Hadgkiss all but sighing, “I’ve been down this road so many times I think I’ll have it paved.” That’s such a good fucking line, you guys.

His lyrics get even darker on the majority of the 10-song album. “A Light For Liberty” is propelled by a nice, upbeat guitar strum but thematically he spends most of the time discussing impending death. People die in their sleep, there are beasts that need to be slain, and Hadgkiss’ chorus ends with him describing a scenario in which his body is used to fuel a bonfire. Scary! “The Devil Behind Me” is a harrowing tale of a drug-addled man facing his doom, made even more harrowing by Hadgkiss’ gravelly scream, a jarring vocal explosion that is thankfully used sparingly here. It stands way out on the last minute of the final track and it’s a startlingly memorable note to end the album on.

It’s clear a lot of time and attention went into these carefully-written songs, although Hadgkiss’ voice almost sounds like it’s a somewhat reluctant enterprise. Aside from the record’s final minutes his voice isn’t forceful, powerful, or assertive as much as tempered, almost understated. But it works in the context of these songs, dour little pieces of poetry that call for a certain measure of caution and gentleness.

It’s a memorable entry into a genre that is frequently flooded and Love, Heartache & Oblivion just might steal some ears if people take some time to listen.

 

 Folk Thief - Broken Record [3:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hadgkiss is in Regina tonight at the delightful Creative City Centre. For directions and information check out this link. To grab up a copy of the album GO TO THE SHOW!!!!! Or, conversely, buy the record here in both CD and digital forms.

Pat entries acoustic, Canadian content, Creative City Centre, Folk Thief, independent, live music