"We all connected to that vibe of getting lost somewhere and seeing where you end up.” - The Matinee
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alt image: Leanne Hoffman
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Peter Katz, Ben Kunder, summersets, Venus Furs, Shred Kelly, Nation of Language, The Lagoons, Fleece, and Birdmask
By Will McGuirk
When we can’t quite put our finger on it the artist can, the artist can articulate what we are feeling, the artist seems to be able to express just what it is we are hovering around. We are hovering now, unsure, cautious, courageous but nervous about this future we were not expecting.
“Of one thing we can be certain, as to visions of the future, it will be, as it has always been, the emancipatory, freedom-giving, loving and best fulfilling version of the future having been anticipated already and suggested by artists.” - President Michael D. Higgins via Hot Press
“ “Paper Thin” is about restarting and that strength that we find in ourselves during our hardest moments. Through catharsis and release, we are able to heal and a new sense of self emerges.” - Peter Katz
“It’s about exploration, nostalgia, searching for something greater and deeper than anything you’ve known.” - Ben Kunder
“I wrote "Paranoia" as an examination of mental health, looking at a bout of anxiety and depression.” - Paul Kasner, Venus Furs
“Our vocalist, Tim, began the process of creating “Underground” during a period of anxiety and insomnia while dealing with personal loss.” - Shred Kelly
“It’s about the transition of growing up and finding someone to create your own family with – leaving home, finding love, and the evolution of that happening all over again.” - The Lagoons
“It’s about saying goodbye to the world we lived in before Twitter, smartphones and Reddit. The times when we used to show up to each-others houses unannounced and it wasn’t weird. Now, however, in the context of COVID-19, the song sounds like it’s about saying goodbye to the world we lived in before the virus.” - Matt Rogers, Fleece
100% of the proceeds from this single from Jun 10 thru July 10 will go towards the Black Youth Helpline, Native Women’s Association of Canada and Black Coalition For AIDS Prevention.
Busty & the Bass, photo by Maya Fuhr
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Soccer Mommy, Busty & the Bass, Juwan Crawley, Craig Strickland, quietype, The Informations, Lexxicon, Virginia to Vegas, Seth Anderson, and Toxic Holocaust
By Will McGuirk
Today we announced the nominees in the Oshawa Music Awards Best Songwriter category. We are working on the Apr 3 and 4 galas. At Kops we had Skye Wallace in and we have Hunter Sheridan and Robyn Ottolini coming in, all OMA nominees and we also have Tyler Ashton. Last week I was at the first Sewing Session held at Frere Du Nord in downtown Oshawa. Sponsored by Town Brewery the featured act was Tijuana Jesus. Quite sometime ago I was randomly crammed into a small gallery in TO for a show of Stew Jones and Chris Mills and it was one massive hug of thunder. I got that same vibe at the sewing factory and I see it with the OMAs and the listening room in the record store. Change is afoot, magic is afoot.
“As a gay man, how could I have faith in a God, whose commandment is to stone me for who I love? It just didn’t add up. But as I a grew a little older and developed my own faith and my own truth, I realized that it was never God that I had an issue with, but rather the systems of faith and religion, as well as the systems of government. That’s what this song is about. This video is about that inner battle of finding the courage to love yourself and find your true self amongst the clutter of tradition that all of us are born into.” - Juwan Crawley
“Strange Habits” is inspired by the idea of making music with a completely free mindset – of course, that's impossible in real life.” - The Informations
Lexxicon dates:
Thursday, March 5 – Rise Edutainment’s Rise & Flow – 918 Bathurst – Toronto, ON
Thursday, March 12 – Burdock – Toronto, ON – Tickets and Info
Saturday, April 18 – The Boat – Toronto, ON – Tickets and Info