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

Ruth Minnikin and the bands she played in were always ahead of the curve. I mean, Booming Airplanes got signed to EMI when she was barely out of high school and without a doubt, if The Guthries were making music today in the "everybody wants to be a rootsy, lap steel heavy, cowboy shirt wearing music player" they'd be huge. That same "what if" type pondering could easily be applied to the orchestral pop The Heavy Blinkers delivered so well.

So even though Ruth's solo work was strongly rooted in the realm of folk, it's not surprising she refuses to sit still. The first half of her new record - Depend on This - hits me the way the same way Jets To Brazil's Perfecting Loneliness did. Even with the strides and fleshed out sound the band made, it was the perfect summation to Blake's evolution from the early days of Jawbreaker to his more mellow, melodic stylings under the JTB moniker. For Ruth and her friends, the tracks still dabble in the country, down home sounds we've come to expect, but she fuses that traditional feel with the lush orchestration and quirkiness you could find on a Blinkers effort.

Orchestral horns blasts and group vocals stand on equal footing as steel guitar and. Tracks like Theme Song and Sleeping and Dreaming expose Ruth's more playful side, where as Four Churches moves into the chamber pop realm and Animals of Bremen is about as traditional as Ruth gets this time out, but the meticulously arrangements she constructs help weave the songs together in a warm, multicolored quilt. Perhaps the standout is the blissful title track that uses terrific horns and steel during the verses before exploding into a sing-along chorus.

Even if this effort was a simple, six-song EP you'd feel satisfied after each listen, but what really stands out is the progression in sound she made for this record. The b-side of Depend on This will shock even her oldest fans as it finds Ruth exploring an end of the evening vibe thanks to her ambient, atmospheric collaborations with Dreamspolitation's Chuck Blazevic. She revisits each of the themes and titles of the A-side of the record in a completely new fashion, transforming each in a way that inspires and challenges the listener, but never loses them.

The flute that makes an appearance on Theme Song II and the hand claps and heavy plucked bass line of Sleeping and Dreaming II peak your interest, but the echo-y horns and computer effects on the later are what really takes you into a more magical, dream like swirl. The first few tracks on the second side are shocking and enjoyable, but the effort peaks on Four Churches II. The smooth horns, hand clap beat and rapid fire synth all dance around terrific vocals, swooning strings and and terrific, long bended guitar notes and really demonstrates how effortless Ruth could find a home in this new style. She follows up with the click clack, flute filled Depend on This II, a track that never moves past a brisk shuffle but spikes the record with energy and emotion.

Amazingly, even with all Chuck's electro flourishes she still manages to hold true to the spirit and soul of the original versions. Animals of Bremen II still feels traditional - especially when the piano ends the track - even though it's filled with computer effects and a heavier bass line. I'll be honest. This isn't the record I expected from Ruth, but I'm not complaining. The funny thing is, just when you think you know where Ruth is going to reside, she shifts and her next record could be recorded in a farmhouse, a disco, on a bus or with Symphony Nova Scotia playing behind her. That's the great thing about a creative spirit. You never know where it's going or where it will end up, but you know the risks will end up in rewards for the us all... it just might take us a few months to catch up.

MP3:: Ruth Minnikin - Four Churches II
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/ruthminnikin
WEB:: http://www.ruthminnikin.ca/

Labels: Best-of '09, Halifax, Music, Reviews, Ruth Minnikin

After a month off (sorry y'all, having a child go through heart surgery was only slightly more important than blogging), we are back with the herohill/music nova scotia band of the month. The leaves are turning and the little chill rests in the night air, so it seems like the perfect time to settle into the autumn sounds of Ruth Minnikin and Her Bandwagon.

The Haligonian song writer has been a part of some of the best (and most criminally ignored) bands to come out of the city, The Heavy Blinkers and The Guthries. If the internet and blogs existed like they do now, The Blinkers would be a household name and honestly, with today's obsession with alt-country, The Guthries are another classic case of a band being ahead of its time.

Well, the world's loss is our gain because in the years that followed both bands, Ruth has had time to pen records like Folk Art and make cameos on albums by Joel Plaskett, Gabe Minnikin, Old Man Luedecke, Kate Maki, and The Russian Futurists and now she's about to release another solo record (with the willing support of the Bandwagon) called Depend on This.

Apparently, the record is a return to orchestration fans of The Blinkers will appreciate, but she's grown so much in confidence and song writing that there is no way this record won't be a must have. The first single is called Four Churches moves with a confidence and swagger, but Ruth's precious vocals draw in you in close. Deep below the infectious sounds is a compelling story, which according to Ruth is:

About Allan gardens in Toronto, between the blocks Jarvis, Sherbourne, Dundas and Gerrard Sts. in this city block, on 3 of the 4 corners there are churches, the fourth corner is an empty lot. My good friend/artist/actor chris cunningham used to live on Gerrard and made up a story about a demon that lived beneath the gardens. the force of the 4 churches had kept the demon under the earth and at bay... But eventually it broke through the forth church, destroying it and leaving the empty lot...

Four Churches - Ruth Minnikin

Needless to say, we at herohill are waiting on baited breath for Depend on This and think it will be the perfect Autumn record.

MP3:: Ruth Minnikin & Her Bandwagon - Sun Coming up (Eric's Trip cover)
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/ruthminnikin
WEB:: http://www.ruthminnikin.ca/

Labels: Halifax, MNS artist of the month, Music, Ruth Minnikin