Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Arctic Monkeys, Motorbike James, Hot Chip, Bernice, Anomalie & Chromeo, Color Fields, Andy Mineo, Focus Your Audio,

Will McGuirk December 2, 2020

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

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Sarah Harmer, Motorbike James, Metz, The Flamingos Pink, Wolf Saga, Granny Smith, and State to State,

Will McGuirk December 2, 2020

By Will McGuirk

If the dusk could sing it would sing like Sarah Harmer. If I have regrets well they don’t amount to a hill of beans, but I was, I say reluctantly staring into the expanse of this waning year, looking forward to seeing Sarah on a string of festival dates I had projected for the summer months, I was guessing Mariposa for her, and Hillside, and Wolfe Island for sure, and some TO dates, I was looking forward to following the unwinding of her new album, ‘Are You Gone’ from one caravan to another, and hearing her sing into the dusk and hearing the dusk sing back. But I line up the blessings. So does Sarah in this welcome video for the track, “Little Frogs”, It is a reminder the remainder is up to you, so keep on keeping on and see the grace in the world you are staying put in. And lets hope we stay put long enough to hear the dusk sing live again.

“It’s not a literal interpretation of the song by any means, but a document of random firing synapses of the mind during isolation.” ~ Hayden Menzies, drummer for Metz, and director of the above video. Scott Cudmore, a pretty rad director in his own right, is the force behind the band’s recent livestream from the Opera House in TO, and you can get on that below. The Metz record, ‘Atlas Vending’, when I first heard the lead single I played it seven times in a row, the track was seven minutes long, but it was immediate and returnable and the whole record may just be the actual soundtrack for a global reaction to Covid-19, which is one long relentless throat open neck stretched veins popping roar of angst stricken rage!

“If you really pay attention, the story writes itself. A real trip down memory lane. Remember live shows? The feeling of closeness to strangers while getting pummeled by a tower of sound? This is the past. What’s next? Let’s close out this year strong and look straight ahead, steady as she goes. Keep surfin’ the waves and feeling the heat. Let’s ride this through. Best we ever had – the focus is on the good times.” ~ The Flamingos Pink

WOLF SAGA · Fall Out

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Max Richter, Close Talker, Mipso, Luka Kuplowsky, Zella, Day, Anthony da Costa, Ryan Hillier, Taylor & the Apes, Motor James, and Lexxicon

Will McGuirk August 4, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Its been a fine few days of music; starting with a livestream by Oshawa band, Dizzy, on Friday, and today getting a peek inside a possible new venue in Oshawa while shooting an episode of a new Bell Fibe TV 1 show on the Oshawa music scene, this episode starring Lindsey Schoolcraft. On the weekend I was working, selling records in the shop and chatting with customers about possibilities and projects.
This is my community, I am of it and in it and I am in it because of music because music culture, unlike sports, is not divisive, music unifies. Music creates space for conversation, not competition. Music is its own venue, its own channel, its own content. And music is at its best when it hears itself as art and not product. We are getting closer.

“The voice of the song is overwhelmed with questions - seeking answers in teachers, family, love. Exhausted and uncertain, the song arrives at the recognition that the voice itself is the vehicle for change and actualization.” - Luka Kuplowsky

“It's about missing people deeply because you realize that you need them more than anything.” - Close Talker

“It’s a song about something I struggle with, which is how I want to present my body to the world, especially as the only woman onstage most nights in our band.” - Libby Rodenbough, Mipso

“Every day, I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote. I said something. It all felt urgent.” - Anthony da Costa