Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Dana Sipos, half-alive, Tom Odell, Rich Aucoin, Steven Wilson, Nuela Charles, 404vincent, and Tim Delaney

Will McGuirk March 31, 2021

By Will McGuirk

“I was in Christchurch when the bombings occurred in the mosque, which of course was greatly mourned by all of New Zealand and the world. The aftermath of the 2010 earthquake was still very palpable and evident there. So ‘Light Around The Body’ is primarily about infusing oneself with the strange and beautiful and sometimes painful and strives to make sense of the senseless.” - Dana Sipos

“‘Time’s always right to fix what’s wrong’. That line felt like the open door to address the social climate we’ve all been surrounded by for nearly a year now & prompted the idea of transformation of one’s immediate & eventually global environment by looking inward first, to look in the mirror & realize that is where the change is going to begin.” - Josh Taylor, half-alive

“you're just a monster and I'm not scared” - Tom Odell

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Terry Uyarak with Riit, Ryan O'Shaughnessy, Dawes, Rich Aucoin, Tyler Ramsey, Kadeema, Butcher Brown, Low Float, and Color Fields

Will McGuirk September 19, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Nunavut artist Terry Uyarak has released the latest single from his upcoming album, ‘Nunarjua Isulinginniani (Before the World Ends)” due Friday Oct 20, 2020. The new track “Anuri” features Polaris Prize nominee Riit and is accompanied by a video directed by Chris Mills, no stranger to us at slowcity.ca. The song was written by the late Simon Uyarasuk and is dedicated to him.

“The land is our source and our being. The land has always been our trouble and our freedom. The land has been my ancestor’s stories and have become my story.” - Terry Uyarak

Dawes take on mental health and survival in their new song “Didn’t Fix Me”. Their new album ‘Good Luck with Whatever’ drops Friday Oct 2 2020 on Rounder Records.

“I'm sure we all know plenty of miserable people who seem to have it all and plenty of blissful people that seem to have close to nothing. This song is about the efforts one makes to find some easy fix, unable to recognize that it will never work that way, that we are in the end our own responsibility." - Taylor Goldsmith, Dawes

Buy the vinyl here ->

Rich Aucoin shouts out iconic music videos from such illuminaries as Prince, Nirvana, MC Hammer, Queen and more, in the fun and subtle new video for “Walls.” Aucoin’s album ‘United States’ out now, is a concise, creative and considerate response to a very complex situation in the country south of us, a response with heart and beats.

“. . . this song is appealing to not make the divisions amongst our groups be so hard cut off for membership and to keep lines of communication and compassion open to enable more and more to join the team.” - Rich Aucoin

Buy the vinyl here ->

Hidden Pony · Kadeema - Ordinary World

Acid jazz/hip hop crossover artist Butcher Brown’s debut for Concord Jazz, ‘#Kingbutch’ is now available.

Buy the vinyl here ->

Low Float · Golden

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Owen Pallett, David Clayton-Thomas, Idles, Liza Anne, Jesse Maxwell, Royal Canoe, Margo Price, and Rich Aucoin

Will McGuirk May 22, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Opening even as its getting closer, its a balance. There’s anxiety, bravado, averted eye determination, and a strange nostalgia for that slower time, even though it came packaged in privilege. We may be all equally vulnerable but we are not all equally impacted.

“This is a song for the unsung heroes,” the Blood, Sweat & Tears frontman shares. “I wanted to say thank you to the paramedics, firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, essential workers…

“I wanted to say thank you to all of the folks that put their lives on the line every day in dangerous and uncertain times.”

“I was reading through old poems and journal entries and circling the drain of my own sorrow stories, which felt like a bit of a wake up call. I have all these ideas of what taking care of myself looks like, but I tend to get in my own way. Bummer Days is me calling myself out. I am the only person who will take responsibility for my emotional and mental health.” - Liza Anne

“Music in general makes people feel good but especially at this time it is so important to make sure the people and the staff who are working so hard are given a moment to breathe and ground themselves through this.” -Jesse Maxwell

Slowcity.ca Open Mic - Front Porching edition with Bruce Cockburn, Rich Aucoin, BodyWash, Jacques Greene, The Actual Goners, Dante Matas and Royal Tusk

Will McGuirk August 8, 2019

By Will McGuirk

The neighbours must think it strange to hear such a variety of sounds emanating from my front porch. But there’s listening to be done and it is a lovely night, another one, how lucky are we to have such days, and to have such music and its the least we can do, to listen, perhaps like, perhaps share but to at least care. The job at hand now is to care. Its important and necessary.

Slowcity.ca Open Mic - Here comes the rain again plus Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Esperanza Spalding, Jenn Grant, Tamino, Rhye, Rich Aucoin, Black Mountain and Ada Lea,

Will McGuirk May 13, 2019

By Will McGuirk

So I’m leaving this here because it runs parallel to the way we think here at Slowcity.ca. Its from the Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ press release; “Boujee Natives stems from our belief that everyone is an artist in one way shape or form and that we were all created to create but it’s up to us as individuals to find out what that is for ourselves. We wanted to showcase all the badass First Nations artists that have welcomed us into their worlds as we were coming into ourselves and developing our artistry into what it is today. We are the creators, we are inspired natives, not native inspired, and we like to rock our shit, we dem Boujee Natives.”

So yes its up to us, you, me, to find our creative selves within and build our own future. Music helps so here is today’s open mic which you can air while you woodshed ideas this rainy week. Dig into Esperanza Spalding, Jenn Grant, Tamino, Rhye, Rich Aucoin, Black Mountain and Ada Lea. Dig into the future, unearth yourself.