You'll have to forgive me, as I'm still kind of reeling from the Saints improbable & miraculous wining of Super Bowl 44 on Sunday night. As such, I don't have a formal post for you today, so I thought I'd give you a bit of a Tuesday treat by posting a few songs from Bahamas & John K. Samson that I captured during their show at last month's In The Dead of Winter festival.

I wish I had more songs, or rather, more songs in better quality, but hey, for free.99, it's not a bad deal. I actually wish I had some video of yer man Afie "Bahamas" Jurvanen doing a few songs, because he's quite a character. At first I thought he was un-impressed with the whole "playing solo in a church" setup, but I realized after a few songs that he's just a bit out there, and also quite funny. His set was a big hit though, and it made me go back to his album afterwards for some repeated listens.

John K. Samson on the other hand, is also pretty funny, but what he is mainly is an accomplished musician, with a literary style that few can match. Samson went so far as to re-write lyrics to a famous hymnal, and place them in a number of the hymnbooks in the pews. He also mounted the impressive St. Pat's pulpit to give an appropriate version of Elegy For Gump Worsley.

It was a great evening, well worth braving the snowy evening that made the festival's name ring very true, so enjoy the songs.

MP3:: Bahamas - Southern Drawl

MP3:: Bahamas - What's Worse

MP3:: John K. Samson - Cruise Night

MP3:: John K. Samson - Utilities

MP3:: John K. Samson - One Great City

Labels: Bahamas, Halifax, IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, John K Samson, Live

Unfortunately we didn't make it out to any In The Dead of Winter festivities last night, but hopefully you did. Tonight is chock-a-block full of options again, as you likely remember from our Friday Preview - again, that Bahamas/John K. Samson bill at St. Pat's will be hard to pass up. But today, we're going to have a look at what's on tap for Saturday night:


St. Patrick’s Church, $25:
8:00 - Catherine MacLellan
9:00 - Justin Rutledge
10:00 - Jim Bryson

The Company House, $20:
7:30 - Babette Hayward
8:00 - Jon McKiel
9:00 - Jon Brooks

The Bus Stop Theatre, $15:
8:00 - Gabrielle Papillon
9:00 - Jenny Omnichord
10:00 - Dreamsploitation
11:00 - Dinah Thorpe

FRED, $10:
8:00 - Gianna Lauren
9:00 - David Celia
10:00 - Brooke Miller

Those in the market for something a little different would likely enjoy that Bus Stop Theatre show with Jenny Omnichord and Dreamsploitation, but St. Pat's has another pretty amazing show on offer as well. Get out and see something on the festival's last night.

MP3:: Jim Bryson - Fallen Leaves (Live)

Labels: Halifax, IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, Jim Bryson, Jon Mckiel, Justin Rutledge, Live

I don't know about you, but last night's IDOW opener didn't disappoint your friends here at the hill. We tucked into a table at the back of the intimate Bus Stop Theatre, and even though the weather outside wasn't overly wintry, based on the packed room, we weren't the only ones interested in some musical mid-winter therapy.

And that therapy was bountiful, as Toronto's The Wooden Sky backed up their selection to our year-end best of list with a "quiet" but very enthusiastic set of gems from their last album and even a rendition of the Royal City cover they were kind enough to give us for the year-end post. As you might've read yesterday, we were pretty interested in finding out what the Paper Beat Scissors' set was going to sound like with the addition of Chuck Blazevic and Dreamsploitation atmospherics added to the mix. Well our high hopes were met, as the PBS set (which also included Jess Tesolin on cello Ryan Veltmeyer on junkstruments, and Kyle Cunjak (Olympic Symphonium) on the double bass) was pretty awesome. Adding all those elements gave the songs a more expansive feel, but at the same time Tim's vocals seemed even more stark and plaintive than usual. Unfortunately we had to head out only after a couple of CR Avery songs, but if the awed silence during his ode to Pierre Elliot Trudeau was any indication, his set was likely really well received.

I know you checked out yesterday's Thursday night preview, so what's on tap for tomorrow you ask? Well let's have a look, and be sure to scroll down for some treats from last night.

St. Patrick’s Church, $25:
8:00 - Carmen Townsend
9:00 - Bahamas
10:00 - John K Sampson

The Company House, $20:
7:30 - Klarka Weinwurm
8:00 - Del Barber
9:00 - The Abramson Singers
10:00 - Melissa McClelland

The Bus Stop Theatre, $15:
8:00 - Cahalen David Morrison
9:00 - Racoon Bandit
10:00 - Erin Costelo
11:00 - Zumbini

FRED, $10:
8:00 - Kim Dunn
9:00 - Shaun Cromwell
10:00 - The Hupman Brothers

MP3:: John K. Samson - Cruise Night

MP3:: The Abramson Singers - You Don't Love Me (Bob Wiseman cover)

MP3:: Erin Costelo - Weak Like Us

As I think we've already mentioned, you'll find us tomorrow night at St. Pat's church worshiping at the alter of Bahamas and John K. Samson. And now, treats:

MP3:: Paper Beat Scissors - Bad Days (Live @ IDOW)

MP3:: The Wooden Sky - An Evening Hymn (Live @ IDOW)

MP3:: The Wooden Sky - My Old Ghosts (Live @ IDOW)

VIDEO:: The Wooden Sky - Raw Youth (Royal City cover)


VIDEO:: Paper Beat Scissors - Flicker

Labels: Bahamas, Halifax, IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, John K Samson, Live, Paper Beat Scissors, The Wooden Sky

Yip... you read that right. Halifax resident Tim Crabtree and his band, Paper Beat Scissors have welcomed a new member into the fold. Hoping to add some electronics/programming to the mix, Tim has been collaborating with Chuck Blazevic - you know, the guy that transformed the second half of Ruth Minnikin's stellar release and plays in a band you might have heard of.

Anyway, PBS is following up The Wooden Sky tonight @ The Bus Stop Theatre, which should be an amazing show. How amazing you ask? Well, why hear it from me when you can get the details straight from the horse's mouth:

I'm really pumped about it - it's going to be the first time that Chuck Blazevic (Dreamsploitation) will be playing with us. He's going to be backing up on guitar, as well as doing some electronic signal processing, beat programming and playing-with-his-flashy-light-box stuff.

Including this live higher-end electronic element has been a goal of the project from the start - this will be the first time we've managed to combine it with the orchestral instruments (this time double bass - Kyle Cunjak - Share/Olympic Symphonium/Snailhouse and so on, and cello - Jess Tesolin), found instruments/non-instruments-turned-into-instruments (Ryan Veltmeyer) over the guitar and harmonized vocals backbone...

So basically, you'd be foolish to miss this one folks.

MP3:: Paper Beat Scissors ft. Chuck Blazevic - Once You Didn't Know
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/paperbeatscissors

Labels: Dreamsploitation, Halifax, IDOW, Paper Beat Scissors

Well now, it's Wednesday, and thanks to yesterday's IDOW preview you have your plan for tonight figured out, but what to check out tomorrow night? As per usual, there are plenty of options, so Let us assist you:





St. Patrick’s Church, $25:
8:00 - The Good Lovelies
9:00 - Rose Cousins

The Company House, $20:
7:30 - Natasha Peach
8:00 - Charlotte Cornfield
9:00 - Thom Swift
10:00 - Ken Whiteley

The Bus Stop Theatre, $15:
8:00 - Leif Vollebekk
9:00 - Acres and Acres
10:00 - The Undesirables
11:00 - Steve Gates

FRED, $10:
8:00 - Jon Bryant
9:00 - Kim Wempe
10:00 - Ria Mae

If you've never seen Rose Cousins live, seeing Rose & The Good Lovelies at St. Pat's church would be, well, lovely. Rose is, of course, the possessor of a clear & striking voice, and she's also a very thoughtful, gifted songwriter. On top of those valuable qualities though, she's also very funny, and she will most certainly keep you entertained. If you're looking for something a bit more rough-hewn, you can check out the alt.country-esque lineup and the Bus Stop Theatre, featuring Halifax's awesome Acres and Acres sandwiched by Montreal's Leif Vollebekk and Toronto's The Undesirables. Failing that, you can catch some local sing-songwriters in the intimate surroundings at FRED, featuring Kim Wempe, who might be a little distracted as her song Oh Heart will be featured on Showcase's Crash & Burn that same evening.

MP3:: Rose Cousins - Maybe I Knew (Live In Wolfville)

MP3:: Leif Vollebekk - Don't Go to Klaksvik

MP3:: Kim Wempe - Oh Heart (Radio Mix)

Labels: Halifax, IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, Live

Tonight sees the kick-off of the 2010 edition of the In The Dead of Winter Festival here in Halifax with a sold out Ani DiFranco show at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. IDOW has been warming the cockles of musical hearts here for the last five winters, giving fans and performers alike a reason to look forward to the slushy dead zone that is normally Halifax at the end of January/start of February.

Since the Ani show is sold out, I figured we'd start our preview with a look at the festivities on Wednesday night, which is the first full night of the festival:

St. Patrick’s Church, $25:
8:00 - Ruth Minnikin
9:00 - Ron Hynes

The Company House, $20:
7:30 - Dance Movie
8:00 - Field Assembly
9:00 - Ryan MacGrath
10:00 - Luke Doucet

The Bus Stop Theatre, $15:
8:00 - The Wooden Sky
9:00 - Paper Beat Scissors
10:00 - CR Avery

FRED, $10:
8:00 - Che Aimee
9:00 - Pamela Underwater
10:00 - Coco Love Alcorn

Sounds like a pretty solid evening all around doesn't it? And that's only day one. If you're looking for us, The Bus Stop Theatre is a pretty safe bet I think. Get out and see something.

MP3:: Ruth Minnikin - Four Churches II

MP3:: Luke Doucet - FIrst Day (In The New Home Town)

MP3:: The Wooden Sky - Something Hiding For Us In The Night

Labels: Halifax, IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, Paper Beat Scissors, Ruth Minnikin, The Wooden Sky

With the annual IDOW festival kicking off this weekend, it's about time we got a more in depth look at the lineup. We already offered up our thoughts on the lineup in general - seeing names like Justin Rutledge, Bahamas, The Wooden Sky, CR Avery, Jim Bryson and local talent like Jon Mckiel present and accounted for means that IDOW will continue it's rapid maturation into one of Hali's best festivals. Even with all those terrific acts, the name that will draw most people's interest is that of John K. Samson.

As the end of the decade comes close - and for the purpose of lists, I guess it's already past - The Weakerthans' front man has his fingerprints all over the best Canadian music written in the last 10 years and with the release of his solo 7" - City Route 85 - it's fitting he's going to play by himself, benefiting from the blissful acoustic of St. Mathew's Church on Friday night. Coupled with the fact he's got Bahamas opening for him, this easily becomes the show of the festival and one anyone with a few extra bucks should be attending.

Here's a couple of tracks - the confident, simple strums and a classic car/freedom of youth narrative that makes up Cruise Night - and a classic from a CBC session that has been traded online like it was property of one of those annoying talking babies from the e-trade ads.

MP3:: John K. Samson - Cruise Night

MP3:: John K. Samson - Reconstruction Site
WEB:: http://www.anti.com/artists/view/75/John_K_Samson

Labels: IDOW, In the Dead of Winter, John K Samson, Music, The Weakerthans

One of the great and sadly underrated festivals here in Halifax is the ice cold In the Dead of Winter Festival that tries valiantly to warm our January nights. This year, the organizers went above and beyond and signed up a bunch of terrific artists that everyone knows (Ani, John. K Samson, Jim Bryson and Justin Rutledge) but there are a ton of lesser known acts that you should think about seeing.

One of those acts is The Abramson Singers. When I was in Vancouver, Leah Abramson played in some great bands (Dyad was always a treat to see) and was kind of the West Coast Julie Fader when it came to being recruited to guest on tracks. Her voice is so pure that she is able to create layer after layer of harmonies and meld them into a beautiful (and equally dense) musical experience.

She's getting ready to release her record on White Whale, and thirty minutes of music she offers up on the self-titled release are pretty amazing. She can deliver amazing vocal dynamics (like the opening number, Take a Camera, Trucker's Prayer and Old Maids) but is just as comfortable fronting a more traditional folk offering (By the River) or dark swirling numbers like Fool's Gold, but for me the album stand-out is her stellar take on the Wiseman number, You Don't Love Me. Leah stands front and center, but when the harmonies kick in it sounds like she is fronting the Deep Dark Woods. The whole album is enjoyable, but when this song comes on I can't focus on anything else. It's probably my favorite song of the new year.

She and David Sikula will be playing Jan 29th @ The Company House with Klarka Weinwurm, the always amazing Melissa McLelland, and Del Barber. Seeing how she transforms the meticulously recorded layers of harmonies should be a real treat.

Click here for the entire IDOW schedule.

MP3:: The Abramson Singers - You Don't Love Me (Bob Wiseman cover)
MYSPACE:: http://myspace.com/leahabramson
BUY:: BUY from White Whale

Labels: Canada, Halifax, IDOW, Music, The Abramson Singers, Vancouver

The second annual In the Dead of Winter festival kicked off last night and certainly lived up to its name, delivering both a horrendous storm and some fantastic music. We dropped into The Company House to pick up our passes and the venue is beautiful. Intimate and warm, it really felt inviting, but we jumped across the street to see the songwriter circle featuring Halifax’s Ryan MacGrath, Brooklyn’s Ana Egge and Ottawa’s Lynne Hanson.

Before getting into this, hats off to the organizers because this circle featured three diverse acts and the change of sound really helped the intimate session keep moving. All too often these things seem like a fantastic idea, but the folk stylings tend to blend together after a few rounds.

Last night, Ryan’s Rufus Wainright, Neil Diamond-ish croon boomed and Lynne’s more tried and true folk helped the crowd tap their feet, but for me the highlight was getting to see Ana Egge play for such a small crowd and so stripped down.

Her voice is fantastic and she was fun and charming, well except for the fact she made us all picture Dubya having sex. She played tracks from her new album, including the Farmer’s Daughter, a nice spiritual (inspired by a new found patriotism thanks to whole Obama family) and my favorite song (Motorcycle).

For anyone still unsure of which venue to crash tonight, Ana and Christina Martin would be strongly recommended by herohill.


Up next was Bend the River. Honestly, I'm not sure why these guys aren't more popular. They play soulful roots tunes that really deserve a bigger audience. I don't toss around names like Van Morrison or The Band haphazardly, but that type of praise isn't that far off base.

I loved their record, and with the organ booming from the mix last night, I found their live set even better. This is an act I'm going to be following carefully.



We ended the night by swinging over to the Cohn to catch Al Tuck play with an 8-piece band. Obviously, most of us are used to seeing Al stand alone with a guitar so the large setting was quite surprising... for the audience as well as Al. Having to walk back and forth to the amp was flustering Tuck, but once the band started playing it was all good.

The stark contrast of his dapper silver vest and black pants/shirt combo against amber lights and sepia toned vibe the band and songs gave off put Al in the spotlight, but kept the performance intimate and warm. As Shane mentioned yesterday, Al has influenced a lot of the artists in the Canadian scene (quite obvious as you scanned the room and saw Joel Plaskett, Kyle Cunjak, Matt Epp, Ruth Minnikin and countless others musicians braving the elements to see him play) and the crowd was almost too silent out of respect for Tuck. After each song, the crowd waited for Al to say something or allowed for only a polite golf clap. But with guitar, lap steel, congos, drums and keys... it was easy to see why some people might have been left speechless.

Labels: IDOW

Over the last few weeks, we've been trying to bring those interested some preview coverage of the '09 edition of the In The Dead of Winter Festival, which kicks off tomorrow night here in Halifax. Well, seeing as how the event is now upon us, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the marquee event of opening night: Al Tuck at the Rebecca Cohn. Not only will this show serve as a release celebration for Al's new record, Food for the Moon, but it's also being recorded by CBC Radio for its Canada Live concert series. It's going to be quite the show.

Earlier today, the Ack called William Elliott Whitmore "an artist's artist", and I think if you were to identify that person in the Halifax music scene, it would have to be Al Tuck. He's more known, and celebrated, amongst his peers in the music community than by the public at large - especially those who, like Al, came out of the 90's Halifax music boom. Speaking from our limited experience, seeing Al Tuck live can be rather engrossing. He cuts an unassuming figure, but he's a born storyteller who captures the room just by doing what he does. This Cohn show will see him performing with an eight-piece band, so it should be an interesting experience for those used to seeing Al's solo shows.

Joining Al will be the lovely and talented Amelia Curran, whose latest album, the very well-received War Brides saw a re-release late last year thanks to the folks at Six Shooter records. Also on the bill is the revival of Little Orton Hoggett and his Ten Cent Wings, the rockabilly country alter-ego of Superfriend Matt Murphy and his cohorts. I'm sure there are plenty of folks excited about the return of Little Orton, and this should be quite the show. If you're hitting IDOW, you might as well kick things off in style.

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music

For such an understated festival, the 2nd annual IDOW really put together a stellar lineup. You’d be hard pressed to find a music fan that isn’t somewhat interested in seeing Al Tuck and Little Orton Hoggett and his Ten Cent Wings play in the pin drop quiet, perfect acoustic setting that is the Rebecca Cohn. Or seeing Buck 65 at Palooka’s. Or seeing the jazz dance party waiting to happen known as Gypsophilia. Or Christina Martin, Ana Egge, Norma MacDonaold, Ruth Minniken... well, you get the idea.

But for me, the must see show of the Festival is the Friday night lineup at the St. George Round Church. Starting with Halifax’s own Daniel Ledwell, we are going to be treated to three show stopping sets in a row. Ledwell – who we’ve talked about many a time on herohill – is probably best known for his work with In-Flight Safety, but his stripped down solo effort was a true hidden gem.

Knowing that such a talent is OPENING the set probably says a lot and IDOW certain ups the anti with the next act - Polaris long list and herohill Top 20 album of the year artist Justin Rutledge. Man Descending was a slow burning, perfectly constructed affair that featured many of Justin’s friends and label mates, (including Halifax’s Jenn Grant – so who knows… she might show up to sing Oh Sister) and a rcord that has continued to grow with every listen.

Somehow, one of Canada’s best artists is not the headliner, and with good reason. Closing the night is NY-based Jolie Holland. Touring in support of her fantastic new record - The Living and the Dead – the former Be Good Tanyas member and Greg Graffin collaborator is easily one of my Top 5 favorite female singers. I could listen to her recite the phonebook or one of Allan’s reviews (I kid, I kid) and I would still be entranced. I’m not sure how many people know about Jolie so I’ll just let everyone know it would be a damn shame if you missed a chance to see her play in such an intimate setting.

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music

We've been doing this ole blog thing for a while now, and even though we like to think we do a good job of covering the music coming out of our home province, we're still surprised on the regular. As you might guess, we've been going through the list of this year's IDOW performers in order to do some preview-age, and we're coming across some pleasant NS surprises. Amy Honey, representing for Seaforth, Nova Scotia, is one such surprise.

Of course Amy has only recently moved to Seaforth, before that, this native of West Chezzetcook called Vancouver home and, according to Wiki, was a member of a number of bands, including the "ladyrock extravaganza known as Clover Honey"- which is as impressive a description as I can recall. Not only that, but she used to be co-owner of the highly-regarded Red Cat Records, which impressed the Ack, fellow former-Vancouverite that he is.

So with that backstory, and the eclectic goodness of the selections available on her myspace, Amy was easily someone I felt that we needed to mention here on the hill. There's something about the breakbeat & country violins combo of Farley Mowatt that is just tremendously likeable. And when's the last time you heard someone sing the line "Oh Farley Mowatt, I'm giving you props"? Add that to the fact that there's also a fun, guitar-fueled song on her recent album (Pioneer Woman) called Larry The Homicidal Maniac, and I think I'm safe in guessing your curiosity is aroused.

Anyway, Amy is playing on the first night of IDOW - Wednesday, January 28th at 8PM at the Company House as one of the openers for Meg Hutchinson and the The Good Lovelies. If you're in for IDOW, check that out, if not, you can check out Pioneer Woman for yourself.

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music

IDOW is getting closer, and we’ve been slow on talking about some of the acts that will be in town for the show. One of the most pleasant surprises is the appearance of Ana Egge. You may not know it, but you’ve probably heard Ana’s honey coated vocals countless times and swooned along accordingly. She’s worked with Ron Sexsmith and according to our sources (Joel), she and Rose Cousins sing harmonies for a fair amount of the tracks on the new Joel Plaskett record.

Her originals are lovely and from the few tracks I’ve heard on her upcoming record, Road to My Love – including collaboration with Frenzy Ford and Trish Klein of the Be Good Tanyas, I am thinking it’s going to be an album that grows on you with each listen. Her voice, obviously, is beautiful but the tracks are soulful and when the horns and whistle kick in on New Tattoo, you just have to smile.

Ana will be playing two shows, the first a quick songwriter circle on Wednesday, 28th @ The Bus Stop Theatre and then a longer set on the 29th, opening up for Halifax’s own Christina Martin.

Labels: Canada, Halifax, IDOW, Music

Recently, we've been doing a bit of preview work for this year's edition of the In The Dead of Winter festival that's taking place here in Halifax at the end of the month. But thus far, we've kind of been focusing on acts that are new to the hill. I thought I'd mention a couple of fantastic ladies that we've already covered here on the hill, but are certainly deserving of further mention. Norma MacDonald and Catherine MacLellan will be playing at the Bus Stop theatre during IDOW (Saturday, Jan 31st)the same bill during IDOW, filling the opening slots for Ron Leary and Gypsophilia (who Bryan discussed a few weeks ago).

I reviewed Catherine's latest album, Church Bell Blues, a while ago (2007 in fact, time flies when no one reads your blog), and it got a deserving Stateside re-release last summer. The Ack and I have both taken a shot boosting Catherine and this album, so its only natural that we plug her IDOW show. Now that we've finally been there, I can say with confidence that the Bus Stop should be a perfect venue for her intimate storytelling.

As you might've gathered if you read the Ack's review of Norma MacDonald's new record The Forest For The Trees, the hill is fond of this new (to us) Halifax singer-songwriter. In fact I heard a song of hers on the CBC Radio a few months ago, and looked her up immediately on facebook when I got home and sent her a message asking her if we might review her album. Or at least I thought I did. I forgot to take into account that approximately 40% of the people in Nova Scotia have the last name MacDonald, and so, some other random Norma MacDonald, with no records at all, likely ended up wondering why I was bothering her. But no matter, Norma was kind enough to get in touch with us later on, and we are happy we could eventually help spread the word about her album and its abundance of country-tinged warmth.

So there you go, a re-introduction to a couple of great singer-songwriters. If you're in Halifax for IDOW, keep in mind this show starts bright and early at 7PM I believe. We're going to try and make it, I suggest you do the same.

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music

myspace

One of the acts I’m most excited to see at this year’s IDOW is actually a local band. Sure, getting to see Jolie Holland again will be something fantastic, but after listening to the new disc from Bend the River countless times in the last week or so, they have jumped up the list of "must see" acts.

Revolt of Angels is a unique blend of fireside intimacy, rock and full blown, country-fused soul. Vocalists Ronok and RJ can tug at your heart with only a tender narrative and his guitar (like he does for the first minute of Never Be the Same Again or the country tinged One of These Days), but the band is skilled enough to transform even his starkest emotions into a complete effort, filling in the ample space with Matt Myer’s keyboard work, electric guitar and drums but making sure to never overpower the mix.

The band seems to have a never ending well from which to sample. The Arrival lets Ronok reveal a tender falsetto and shows the band inching towards a Brit pop sound and although the opening track, The Want relies on Jonathan Andrew’s jazzy lead guitar to set the mood of the song, the song builds into a more modern pop affair. The title track is a surprisingly delicate, country waltz and even though the album closer, She Keeps it Hanging On uses a lot of the same sonic palette, but the band freshens the effort by spiking the energy as they surge towards the finish.

But in my opinion, it’s when the band fleshes out the sounds with organ, harmonies and a bit of drama that their sound really clicks. It’s hard to imagine a band so young being able to dabble in the sound spectrum as Van Morrison, but melody and feel of Aimless Rivers shows that they have the skill to handle the bigger arrangements. The gentle build of keys and guitar push the song into the chorus, and the jazzy breakdown shows a maturity you wouldn’t expect to get from an unheralded local release.

Instead of my typical process of finding a record that sounds good filtering through the crackle of my computer speakers or iPod and can be embraced by the type of people that run or read music blogs, I’m happy to find a band that can be shared and enjoyed by anyone. I’m happy to find a band that plays music that won’t be an afterthought in a few weeks and one that could win the hearts of any of the people that show up early to the Bus Stop Theatre on the 28th

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music

In an effort to get people excited about the second annual In the Dead of Winter (IDOW) festival, we are trying to give a preview of as many of the artists that we can, starting with Nova Scotian artist, Ryan MacGrath.

It seems that Ryan MacGrath is destined to walk along the same path carved out by Rufus Wainright, but those easy comparisons might simplify his musical journey. Crafting melancholic, cabaret pop is not something you stumble upon without suffering through that alienation and heartbreak yourself, so thinking an artist like MacGrath found his sound from simply listening to Rufus’ back catalog seems naïve.

myspace

Talking about your love and fears so honestly, without worrying about how it will be received takes strength of character that most don’t possess and that confidence allows MacGrath to put everything he has into the recording. At times his sound is cinematic, as tracks like Run and No More Tearsexpose vast soundscapes and deep emotion. Even the opening number, Bell Boy moves with a sense of drama, but it’s the subtle touches he and his friends add to the arrangement that make the biggest impact and really rewards the listener. Cymbal washes, backing vocals, picked strings and chimes all dance in the background and really complete the song.

What makes this record successful is how changes pace to invigorate the EP. MacGrath uses two up-tempo tracks in the middle of the EP, and it's these efforts that force you to look at him through a different lens. The infectious Way West - probably the only non traditional song I know that mentions the Bluenose – starts your head nodding and the chaotic, more heavy rocking Featherweight completely refreshes the listen.

Ryan will be playing two shows at the IDOW festival. He is part of the songwriter circle on Wednesday January, 28th (that includes the terrific Ane Egge) that jump starts the Bend the River performance and he gets a solo set the next night.

But for those in town this week, Ryan’s EP release show is this Friday (January 16th) at the Seahorse Tavern.

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music