The Trade-Offs, photo by Joshua Qaumariaq / Jeff Maurice

Slowcity.ca Open Mic: The Trade-Offs, Ellen Froese, Mimi O'Bonsawin, KT Laine, Brendan Benson, Kendra Morris, Fousheé, and Soccer Mommy

Will McGuirk November 1, 2022

By Will McGuirk

"It is a song I wrote mixed between losing people in life and learning from life in general. Let go of regrets and give in to that one thing you have been holding off on, falling down and learning to get back up." -Josh Qaumariaq, the Trade-Offs

"For me, growing food and writing songs are very much the same. It starts with a seed, a story, or a thought… and with the proper care it can blossom into something beautiful. Music has always been healing to me and has always been a friend I can turn to. This song is the perfect example of that." - Mimi O'Bonsawin

Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Soccer Mommy, Raine Hamilton, Matthew Barber, Geneviève Racette , Ria Mae, Dilettante, Emi Jeen, Yves Jarvis, Allegories, and Son House

Will McGuirk March 24, 2022

By Will McGuirk

“The purpose of these songs is to connect. They are meant to be offered and received, and the best way to do that, hands down, is in the magical shared experience of live performance.” - Raine Hamilton amilton.com/

"Viral is about the accelerated world we live in. A world in which technology grapples with nature and ingenuity spawns unintended consequences," - Matthew Barber.

“I think love is a beautiful thing. It’s just intriguing how no one actually knows how it works and what it’s made of. I’m pretty sure that’s the main reason why I write songs: I’m just trying to figure out what the heck love is,” - Geneviève Racette

"I was so tired of seeing so many of my friends feeling like “s**t” cuz a guy or girl they were seeing stopped responding out of the blue. "No Emotion = No Tomorrow" is my pop-punk take on my friends and my own dating experiences," - Emi Jeen

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Nathaniel Rateliff, Donovan Woods, Debra-Jean Creelman, Soccer Mommy, Louie Short, One True Pairing, Megan Nash, and Suzie Ungerleider,

Will McGuirk July 17, 2021

By Will McGuirk

“‘Golden Arches’ is a song of escape and a song of possibility. Built from a load of software loops during hot days spent inside, dreaming of the drizzling open road.” - One True Pairing

“It’s about sitting with grief and loss. Feeling all of the heavy and uncomfortable feelings. And wanting to hear nothing but your own heartbeat.” - Megan Nash

Evangeline Gentle, photo by Kristal Jones

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with The Avett Brothers, Evangeline Gentle, Niki Black, Shirley Collins, Soccer Mommy, Aislinn Logan, and The Actual Goners,

Will McGuirk July 3, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Sticks and stones will break your bones but names can never hurt you but names, memes, avatars, icons, stereotypes do hurt. Cursory summaries, quick glances, are the building blocks of our entertainment economy. If you want to be known wear the same clothes. Every song has a hook, every act has a look. Avoid that rush to judgement, speed kills, slow down and learn up. We look too much and listen too little. Stop overlooking.

“I believe that our deepest connections are found through vulnerability which is why I feel compelled to sing this track completely unaccompanied.” - Evangeline Gentle

Niki Black · American Spirits - Niki Black

“Can I still connect with my America Spirits as the daughter of an Iranian immigrant mother? This song is an answer to that. Yes, I can and I will. But, this will come with a lot of uncovering and opposition against the unjust reality of what America has mean since its bloody conception and its chaotic, violent reality today.” -Niki Black

<a href="http://sopharela.bandcamp.com/album/soccer-mommy-friends-singles-series">Soccer Mommy &amp; Friends Singles Series by soccer mommy</a>

Aislinn Logan · What Everybody's After

“It’s about those moments when you’ve felt like you’re truly on the same plane as those around you.” - Tristan Armstrong, The Actual Goners

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

Will McGuirk March 1, 2020

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.

Soccer Mommy plays the Phoenix in Toronto Apr 8 2020.

“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