By Will McGuirk
Sarah Burton, photo by Jen Squires
Hayden, photo by Christie Greyerbiehl
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Hayden, The Bros. Landreth, Gabrielle Shonk, Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors, blesse, Local Natives, Hot Chip, and PUP
By Will McGuirk
"I was inspired to write this song after covering a Leonard Cohen song called ‘Avalanche’ for the promotion of the film Death Of A Ladies Man. I switched the finger-picking guitar to a rolling piano part and liked the feel so much, I just kept playing until this chord progression appeared. The words came later after an autumn visit to Newfoundland. To me, the East Coast imagery matched the circular playing perfectly.” - Hayden
“‘Just Before The Morning’ came from a burst of creativity after we finally reconnected in the studio. The song explores the cyclical nature of life and the many ways in which we begin again.” - Local Natives
“PUP live is PUP at our best and also at our worst. Raw, scrappy, and holding on for dear life.” - Stefan Babcock
Hayden's annual Dream Serenade benefit concert takes place on November 12 at Massey Hall. Tickets here.
Valerie June, photo by Renata Raksha
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Valerie June, Colyn Cameron, Chemical Club, A Family Curse, John Cale, Hot Chip, and Kodaline
By Will McGuirk
“It feels sort of like an internal banter about love in conjunction with some apocalyptic survey,” - Colyn Cameron
“Actively seeking self improvement and pursuing positive changes over neutrality and repetition. Leaving unhealthy habits behind and holding yourself accountable for your own actions and behaviors” - Chemical Club
“When I wrote ‘Night Crawling,’ it was a reflective moment of particular times. That kind of NYC that held art in its grip, strong enough to keep it safe and dangerous enough to keep it interesting” - John Cale
“Freakout/Release is about pent-up energy and the need for release, and escape. It’s also about making sense of music, and at times being plagued by the thing you focus on - music never leaves my head for a second, which is usually a good feeling, but it can feel claustrophobic at times too.” - Hot Chip
Bernice, photo by Colin Medley
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Arctic Monkeys, Motorbike James, Hot Chip, Bernice, Anomalie & Chromeo, Color Fields, Andy Mineo, Focus Your Audio,
By Will McGuirk
Brothers and sisters, others and blisters do you recall the whole of it, the gatherings, the wondrous, the moments of us, the one of us all, it exists even outside of the concert hall, stay there, be as of that one, support the tumbling body surfer, let no one fail, let no one fall.
“On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to War Child UK in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK” ~ Arctic Monkeys.
"My exploration brings me to a body of water and a boat.
It’s cold to be on the water, moisture hangs in the air as the aged motor groans to life. The human experience continues - inputs & reactions. Basic computing. The temperature drops, the birds fly south. My interpretation of reality flickers and fades from one frame to the next. I throttle up the tired vessel and cruise, I can’t help but smile as my memories fall back to a place where I was seasoned at the helm of a pleasure craft. But those memories, impossible to place, are part of an intangible existence that I somehow find familiar. As though deep within my spirit I’ve been here. But no, I am lost and have been for as long as I can remember. Truly alone with my thoughts. I focus back on the frigid air and icy water. The pink & grey of my surroundings. So perfectly curated they surely come from the hand of a great engineer. Perhaps just as the experience is seemingly all a series of inputs and reactions, this existence has been designed and engineered. A simulation." ~ Motorbike James
Donovan Woods, photo by Justin Broadbent
Slowcity.ca Open Mic -post Moonshine edition with Donovan Woods, Nathaniel Rateliff, Marcus King, Jenn Grant, The Blue Stones, Hot Chip, Lexxicon, HEALTH with Xiu Xiu
By Will McGuirk
In a world in which the centre will not hold, in a world where division is norm, fragments of shattered orders realign along old ideas on a global scale, so too the artists realign themselves. Look for them. Stand with them. Connect with them.
“We can always be in touch. So heartache must be getting harder.” - Donovan Woods
“The Party is a story about a woman, filled with anticipation in those moments while getting ready for the party, which sometimes feels like the best part,” says Grant. “It’s about the evening to come, of dancing and love and loneliness and gathering. And something that resonates with this time of year, under all the sparkling lights.”
Julian Taylor Band, photo by Jerome Joyce
Slowcity.ca open mic - with Julian Taylor Band, Kalle Mattson, Foxwarren, The Unfaithful Servants, Wintersleep, Ponytails, Once A Tree, Hot Chip and Mauno
“A lot of people are left feeling sad and lonely because of death. I understand how that feels. It’s a sadness that only eases with time but never goes away. As you move forward it will stay with you but it will help strengthen you too. Felt deeply. Felt not as in touched. Felt within, touching us." - Julian Taylor, press release
Julian Taylor Band, Kalle Mattson, Andy Shauf’s Foxwarren, Wintersleep, The Unfaithful Servants, Ponytails, Once A Tree, Hot Chip and Mauno.