Toronto singer/songwriter releases first single since 2022 debut
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Broken Social Scene, photo by Richmond Lam
Broken Social Scene headlining debut at Massey Hall April 20 and 21 2022
By Will McGuirk
When one looks at the legacy of BSS its hard to imagine that April 20 will be the band’s Massey Hall debut. I have always thought of the BSS more as a federation than a band as alumni of the TO collective include as you know members of Stars, Metric, Do Make Say Think, as well as massive solo acts Feist, Jason Collett and most recently Sam Jr. Not to mention Kevin Drew’s work with the late Gord Downie’s ‘Secret Path’ and the ever-present Brendan Canning. Plus all the others who have done their time with the band I consider, along with Arcade Fire, to have changed Canadian music industry in the way Nirvana and Pearl Jam did in the States, and the Clash and Sex Pistols did in Britain. There was the time before the BSS and the time after, done deal.
But so the world works, it may be timing as so many projects all have to be on hold to coordinate such a gathering. Either way the win is ours as the BSS will be on the newly renovated stage of the Massey Hall. And you know the band which is at its core a spiritual entity will fully realize the potential of the cathedral sonics of the new Hall.
OMBIIGIZI open Apr 20 and Georgia Harmer on the 21.
Deanna Petcoff, photo by Nadia Doss
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Jerry Leger, Georgia Harmer, Abigail Lapell, Deanna Petcoff, Sam Jr., Ghostkeeper, Niall Mutter, Allegories, and JIMBO
By Will McGuirk
“There's no smoke and mirrors in what I do and that can be rewarding for both the creator and the listener. Are we not all just trying to survive in some way?" - Jerry Leger
“I wrote it during a long period of emotional manipulation that made me question my own reality. I had enough sad songs and I just wanted to rock out.” - Georgia Harmer
“Make it sound like you're driving a stolen car at night after you've robbed a bank and you pull over to a bar at the side of the road for a drink to contemplate your next move. While you've been sipping your drink you've been also locking eyes with someone across the room. On your way out the door you stop by their table and after a few words you both make a run for it!’” - Sam Jr.
“It’s about yearning to return to that powerful spot: that piece of land where I have played in wonderment with the Creator as it engaged as Mother Earth and Grandmother Sun; that place in time when spirituality was simple, concise and magical…and I felt safe, inspired, and grateful." - Ghostkeeper
“I found myself having one foot caught in the past and the other in the future. I wrote this song from a place of acceptance, being ok with the duality of the two, and finding peace somewhere in between." - Niall Mutter
PUP, photo by Vanessa Heins
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Geoffroy, Georgia Harmer, OMBIIGIZI, Pup, Sunglaciers, Niall Mutter, Miles Francis, and Clever Hopes
By Will McGuirk
"Back in 2018, when I was on the road with Alessia Cara, we went to Austin, Texas, and my dad recommended we go to this barbecue spot he had been to when he was touring there. We had a day or two off to explore, so we went. I thought of my dad while I was there, and often when I was on the road, because he's also a touring musician - we’re very similar and we're very close. I wrote this song to articulate the significance and importance of our relationship, how much I love and admire him, and our many parallels." - Georgia Harmer
“Although my Dad was a very complex human, he was very compassionate towards me, especially when I explained how the kids would tease me for being Ojibway. He’d always let me stay home with him and oftentimes we’d go to the Rez store for chips and pop; I’d get Cherry Coke or Vanilla Coke. The lyrics and song title are inspired by these memories of my childhood and of my father." - Daniel Monkman, OMBIIGIZI
“It’s a lot of me trying to articulate my own coping with existential dread, hopelessness, and what I’ve called ‘Grim Reaping’—which is to me, the idea that we are all reaping what we sow, and right now we’re sowing some pretty fucked up shit.” - Stefan Babcock, PUP
“We tried to write vertically instead of horizontally,” - Mathieu Blanchard, Sunglaciers
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Georgia Harmer, Megan Nash, Keegan Powell, Cola, Astral Swans, Mad Ones, Terra Lightfoot, and Catherine MacLellan
By Will McGuirk
“‘Headrush’ is about wanting to go back to a moment and be completely present. Back to that summer day I didn’t realize was heaven until it had passed, only grasping its potency in retrospect.” - Georgia Harmer
