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 Steve Wilson, Marie-Clo, Lydia Hol, Timid The Brave, Andrew Gabbard, Belle Tower, DYLYN, The Luka State, and Sean Watson Graham,

Will McGuirk February 1, 2021

By Will McGuirk

So much to unpack in Steve Wilson’s new video, but you may have to sign up for a course on McLuhan to fully get it - however the artist express the next now in this now so here we are now, you ask to be entertained but entertain this - how many do you know and ask yourself why you know. The Wilson track is from the new album, ‘The Future Bites” so there’s a clue.

“‘SELF’ is about our new age of narcissism and self-obsession, one in which a human race that used to look out with curiosity at the world and the stars now spends much of its time gazing at a little screen to see themselves reflected back in the mirror of social media. In that sense everyone now can take part in the notion of celebrity, and has the potential to share their life with an invisible mass of people they will never meet. The video take things further by exploring the idea that anyone can now project a version or ‘self’ that has no bearing on reality, and by using only well known faces the deception is made transparent.” - Steven Wilson

Marie-Clo · At Ease

“Hall & Oates meet Joan Didion in a big box parking lot." - Lydia Hol

Other Songs · Timid, the Brave - St. Maria

“I think we all can agree 2020 was a real drag. But here we are in 2021. “Wake up, Brother/Sister/Change the world” Let’s put on our shoes and kick the fu**ing door open to tomorrow. Happy NY!” - Andrew Gabbard

DYLYN · Make It Naked

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Ben Rogers, Zoon, METZ, Sylvan Esso, Ellyn Woods, Grace Gillespie, Hen Ogledd, and Steven Wilson

Will McGuirk September 22, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Some great tunes today on the Open Mic, musicians are not on stage but they are still working hard creating. In particular we welcome Ben Rogers back. He will be live-streaming an acoustic show from his BC base on Sep 27, 2020. Tickets here. Rogers is a mix of Andy Maize of the Skydiggers, Matt Mays and whole lot of empathy. He has a new video for an older track.

“During this pandemic that has affected us all, we can’t forget those hardest hit. Since the public health emergency there has been an increase in overdoses in Vancouver. This song is dedicated to the people of the streets of East Van who have lost their lives and those who are struggling to survive. They cannot be forgotten or abandoned." - Ben Rogers

First Nations musician Zoon (Daniel Monkman) has released his latest single and video, “Brokenhead,” from his debut album, ‘Bleached Waves’ issued on Paper Bag Records. back in June 2020 The song’s title comes from the Ojibway reserve where Monkman grew up and is a reflection on how he felt leaving family behind.

"I could see my dad and my uncle in the rearview mirror waving goodbye as distance between us grew further and further away. I felt a kind of Triumph and yet a rush of sadness/happiness. When I was recording the guitars, I kept focusing on that feeling." - Zoon

Buy the vinyl here ->

Monster noise-rockers METZ have announced a live-stream performance of their new album, ‘Atlas Vending’ plus they have released their new single and video, “Blind Youth Industrial Park.” METZ will be taking the full album live from the Opera House in Toronto on Oct 15 and 17, 2020. The album drops Oct 9 on Sub Pop and Royal Mountain Records.

“Something that is intrinsic to who we are as people has been taken away. We want, so badly, to find that feeling again, to forget the world for a moment, and share a brand new album that we love very much (plus some oldies) with you” - Alex Edkins

Buy the livestream tickets here ->

Buy the vinyl here ->