By Will McGuirk
“I do believe certain songs can only be found in certain instruments,” - Doug Paisley
"We all go through ups and downs. Sometimes, we don't believe in ourselves. We've got skeletons in the closet trying to drag us down. But you've got to believe in yourself.” - Dave Shaw, The Revivalists
"I love the idea that songs can live many lives,” - Dan Mangan
By Will McGuirk
“While each song is deeply personal, at the time it felt as though they pushed the album further into the rural-folk spectrum than we envisioned for ourselves, but together now make for a sentimental journey that sounds just right on the cold winds of winter,” - Adam Sturgeon, Status/Non-Status
"It’s a gentle reminder that its okay to not feel okay… and that sometimes just getting through the day is enough" - Jill Barber
Piqsiq
By Will McGuirk
“We are soothed with messages of exalting an impossible version of womanhood through the Virgin Mary but the real life experience of women in the church is steeped in misogyny.” - Piqsiq
“Social media doesn’t tell the whole story. That a pretty picture doesn’t always reflect the whole truth, and that living a rich and beautiful life is about embracing the messy chaos of it all- the raw, authentic, and real moments, rather than just the highlight reel.” - Jill Barber
“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
“There is no container big enough for all the different selves we hold.” - Mourning Coffee
Whitehorse
By Will McGuirk
“I came across this Emily Dickinson poem and found it to be the most vivid description of an inner world I’ve ever encountered,” - Andrew Bird
“This duet playfully pulls back the curtain on a romantic proposition, exposing the inherent pragmatism in joining forces with another person,” - Jill Barber
"I let go of some swagger and embraced intimacy and joy and wonder. I hear this in the record and it makes me very happy to have made it.” - Jason Collett
By Will McGuirk
“Sadly, the persistent undervaluing of music forces so many of us musicians to trade it all in—often in a defeated way, much like those willing to trade in their most valued possession out of pure desperation to have cash in hand.” - Jill Barber
Ombiigizi - Nov 05 - Oshawa, ON - The Biltmore w/Tuns
By Will McGuirk
Like the best of digging in a record store is getting something you didn’t know you needed. A record store should be the physical version of the zeitgeist. Here at slowcity.ca we aim to be the same online, we open the mic to pretty well anyone but today’s line-up is one of the most eclectic mixes in some time. Shout out to the acts and PR reps who continue to surprise us with their fab recommendations and support.
“Here 4 U is a song about love, about a fleeting relationship, about the aftermath, and about the desire to be there for someone in a new light. “The fear of love, the fear of what it means to give, and what it takes, to protect it.” It’s the swirling thoughts as love falls apart, and the pillars to hold on to throughout.” - Braids