Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Mike Boguski, Jean-Michel Blais, Zoon, Zada, She and Him, Rachel Bobbitt, Dawes, Whitehorse, and Sorry,

Will McGuirk July 12, 2022

By Will McGuirk

“There is something alluring to me about checking the power of ego and tribalism, and as an artist, that is what I’m most inspired to do.” - Mike Boguski

“At the antipodes of the exploded, orchestral and luminous album that aubades represents exists its antagonism: sérénades” - Jean-Michel Blais

“I wanted to write about what it's like to be an immigrant…and for me – coming from Ethiopia – that meant excessive TSA checks, accustoming to new cultures, and travelling,” - ZADA

“Watch and See is a song about attempting to connect through moments of dissociation. Trying to use bits of phrases, visual landmarks & physical sensations to bring myself back to the present moment.” - Rachel Bobbitt

At the Drake Hotel. Toronto Aug 9 2022

at the Hayloft, Picton, ON, August 5 2022

Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Soccer Mommy, Sorry, Cat Power, Wet Leg, Flasher, Pierre Kwenders, Edwin Raphael, Current Swell, and Rudy De Anda

Will McGuirk April 21, 2022

“When we’re out of love we can feel detached and think ‘oh we’ll never be in love again… cry, cry’ but also try and laugh a bit… It’s easy to laugh or think you’ll never be THAT person then the next moment you can feel like the loneliest person in the world.” - Asha Lorenz, Sorry

“It’s the conflicting pursuit of stimulation vs stability.” - Edwin Raphael

Sorry @ Phoenix Theatre, Toronto, May 14 2022

Flasher @ the Baby G, Toronto June 28 2022 June 28

Pierre Kwenders @ Music Gallery, Toronto May 4 2022

Edwin Raphael @ the Drake, Toronto, May 13 2022

Current Swell @ the Opera House, Toronto May 14 2022

Slowcity.ca Open Mic - Tiger! Tiger! with Soft Plastics, Jacqueline Tucci, Tops, Pantayo, STORRY, Sarah Jarosz, Dirty Projectors and Sorry

Will McGuirk March 26, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Well who knew we would find common ground in watching tigers. Maybe that fading grinning Cheshire Cat of Alice was the clue after all. Maybe the Tiger King in all his George the Third madness may result in a revolution, as disruptive socially as the the one George set in motion.

“Sometimes we search for ourselves in various places, people, and things and end up ignoring what’s right in front of us.” - Jacqueline Tucci

“I hope this video rings true in the hearts of those who watch it, in a world where more is more and less is not good enough, new is better and what becomes old is an increasingly shorter window. I hope that people will laugh and cry and leave changed. Because what is art if it doesn’t make us feel and ask important questions?” - STORRY

Dirty Projectors, photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Arkells, James Blonde, Pantayo, Sorry, Mauve, Wray, Emma Charles Glass Tiger x Pino & Loeb, and the Long Beach Dub Allstars

Will McGuirk February 25, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Slowly the door to the woodshed is being opened, slowly the nose emerges, then cheeks, in time a whole head and slowly the door opens wider and songs flutter out, one by one by two, by three, by five, eight. . .

“You never know when the universe will deliver a tune from the song gods, but “Years In The Making” arrived just when we needed it.” - Max Kerman

“Sometimes love can come to you unexpectedly. I wrote this after thinking back in awe at how suddenly the emotions can come to you. . .” - Mauve

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Reuben and the Dark, Andy Shauf, Hunting, Scenic Route to Alaska, Sorry, Geoff Berner, Kane Incognito, ZINNIA, Astrocolor, Alex Cuba,

Will McGuirk October 23, 2019

By Will McGuirk

Art is the new news. If you wish to know whats happening in the world go to a gallery. If you want to survive the tsunami of information grab onto whatever floats.

“The great writer Thomas King, who is self-identifies as being of Cherokee, German and Greek descent, gave a series of lectures that became a book called The Truth About Stories. One of the lectures is called ‘You’re Not the Indian I Had In Mind’. It’s about the way white people often reject ways of being Indigenous that don’t meet their stereotypical expectations.

“I always loved that line, ‘Not the Indian I had in mind’. It really nailed something perfectly. I have experienced a similar phenomenon as a Jew. In my travels, people wanted to know if I was really Jewish, because they had notions in their minds of what was really authentically Jewish, and what was not. And anyone who was not, was maybe trying to trick them or something. They would decide if I was a real Jew.”

- Geoff Berner

"Life will always throw unforeseen circumstances at us that we cannot control. But what we can control is how we perceive them. Love or Hate. What do you choose?"

- Eric (Kane Incognito)

“I spent most of my twenties processing my dad’s death – thinking, writing and singing about it. In some ways, I feel like I processed it so fully that I grew a thick callus around the part of the loss that was very raw and fragile. At times I’ve resented the tough skin which was necessary to get through that hard time.”

- ZINNIA