So, obviously you were on the edge of your seat wondering what 5 releases could possibly top the quality we hit you with yesterday. Well, fear not my friends. Here's the cream of the Hali crop for you to enjoy.

As a special treat, while you digest these gems you can think about some of the fantastic stuff due out next year and start saving cash for new records from DUZHEKNEW, Jon Mckiel, Old Man Luedecke and many more.

Band:: The Sorrys
Album:: Neanderthal Cell Phone
Web:: http://www.myspace.com/thesorrys
Review:: http://www.herohill.com/2009/10/reviews-sorrys-neanderthal-cell-phone.htm

Q1) What was the best musical moment for The Sorrys this year?
Jim - Passion Prince. It’s 2 minutes shorter than Kashmir.
Trevor - Jim’s solo on “Passion Prince.” It’s actually a minute and thirty-seven seconds.
Q2) As a music fan on the other side of 30, I find the music you guys make very refreshing. Not only does it make me want to get up and move, it takes the position that the best days aren't still behind us. You guys all have day jobs and have settled into "real" life but keep on rocking. What keeps you writing and playing shows?
Jim - It’s our church. I can’t help but psychologize, and say that like many other human endeavors (e.g., religion) it’s essentially about staving off the fear of death (but in a fun way!)
Trevor - We feel a deep sense of responsibility for not letting our immense gifts and unrivaled talent lie fallow.
Q3) If The Sorrys had to pick a drink that summed up their music, what would we all be drinking at the show?
Jim - Ten-Penny.
Trevor - Weer.
Q4) If you could offer your spot on the Best-of List to any band, who would get the nod?
Jim - Doug Mason
Trevor - Fuck that. What if you agreed with me? Then we’re fucked.
Q5) Most of Halifax agrees that a Sorrys show is one not to miss. That being said, covers are a huge part of the live experience. If you had the chance to hear any band cover a Sorrys song, what band and what song?
Jim - Ronnie James Dio doing Achievement Races
Trevor - That’s so true about Halifax. I do appreciate the kind words though. I’d have to say Celine Dion doing “Restaurant.” There’s something about her genuine lack of artifice and inherent earthiness. I think she’d bring the song to life without risk of it coming off overwrought.
Q6) For any of our readers that have never been to Halifax and might potentially end up here for a few days, what are the three "must-do" things you would recommend fill their itinerary?
Jim - Take the ferry. Go to Agricola Street.Have some good Middle Eastern food.
Trevor - Gap, McDonalds and Future Shop. Try to hit all three. But definitely Future Shop.

As a special treat, here are a couple of unmixed demos from the upcoming Sorrys release. They sound awesome and haven't even been mixed folk, so ah... yeah, 2010 = year of The Sorrys.

MP3:: The Sorrys - Sitting Duck (demo)

MP3:: The Sorrys - Passion Prince (demo)

Labels: Best-of '09, Cousins, Halifax, Joel Plaskett, Music, The Lodge, The Sorrys, York Redoubt

Last night, the herohill showcase went down at The Seahorse tavern here in Halifax, and of course we were on the scene. Like any night during the Halifax Pop Explosion, there is always competition for crowds, as at any time there are multiple excellent options, many within walking distance of each other. However, in my humble, the folks who stuck around for the entire evening were treated to a pretty excellent show. York Redoubt, The Got To Get Got, Valleys, and Bruce Peninsula all put in great sets.

Of course I had planned to have more photos, videos & the like, to put up with this post, but of course midway through York Redoubts' set, my iPhone decided to crash, and I couldn't figure out how to get it rebooted. Well that's awesome, so we have one good photo, and a video below from YR that I took, and a Valleys one I found today. For our recap of the rest, you'll just have to make do with my bulleted memories. Enjoy!

- The Seahorse was fairly empty upon arrival, but our fears of having our name attached to an empty showcase were quickly allayed as the room started filling during York Redoubt's set (like this should bother us anyway, as we've slaved for years on this site, putting up posts on bands & songs we love that often get a reception that is the cyber-equivalent to an empty bar).

- We knew YR were some young fellas, but seeing them live made us realize they might not be able to drink legally. This makes one feel a tad old.

- Still not sure this actually happened, but it seems someone's hair lit on fire next to us, it might have been TGTGG's Eleanor King?

- YR's set was very solid - they might be young, but they can all play, and their noise-leanings certainly didn't feel forced or over the top.

- The crowd was small, yet appreciative, during YR's set, but it had built up as they played and once they played their finale (a frenzied jam-out that ended with some guitar string ripping), the crowd was pretty hyped.

- Bryan said this earlier today, but TGTGG just killed it. It was our first time seeing them live, but it won't be the last, that's for sure.

- Fun fact: York Redoubt and TGTGG share guitarist Brad Lahead.

- Another fun fact, Bruce Peninsula drummer Leon Taheny came onstage to do a song with TGTGG, and there was indeed mention of donairs, as anyone who'd read our random question preview post with Mark Mullane would have expected.

- There's a ton of musical experience in TGTGG, and that is exemplified by de-facto band leaders King and Mullane - they are just fun to watch.

- Huge turnout and really warm welcome for TGTGG - they played a new song that left the band and crowd pretty giddy about how good it sounded.

- Unfortunately, Valleys had some tech issues with the guitarists elaborate pedal board, so there was a delay that allowed some of the crowd to slip away.

- That was their loss though, as despite the bands rather morose visages, they put on a pretty hypnotizing set.

- Guitars were the talk of their set, as frontwoman Tillie Perks played a huge one, whilst the aforementioned lead played his with both a drumstick and something that was either a stappler or a laser pointer while sitting cross legged in a chair.

- Not sure how well Valleys are known in these parts just yet, but I think the won the crowd over for sure.

- I took a quick break from the Seahorse in hopes of catching a few minutes of D-Sisive up at the Coconut Grove. Unfortunately when I got there he had yet to go on, and was a DJ playing to an empty bar - there couldn't have been more than like 10 people in there in total. Man, I hope it filled up later, otherwise Halifax owes D-Sisive an apology cause that's a little lame.

- As expected, Bruce Peninsula were pretty great live. I'd never seen them live, but their mix of gospel-ish harmonies and indie sounds was a whole let of fun.

- I know they're renowned for their size, but they were down to an 8 person touring crew that was still pretty impressive (4 ladies on the vocals, with dudes manning the drums, bass, and guitars).

- Not sure if she's a regular member, but Tamara Lindeman of Entire Cities/The Weather Station played with BP.

- I'm not sure what her name is, but the young lady manning the mic to the left-most side of the stage was clearly feeling the vibes during BP's set. If you were that, you know what I mean - she caught the spirit, and so kudos to her for having such a good time on stage.

Kudos to all the acts in fact, we enjoyed the show a great deal, hopefully everyone else did too. We'll see you out and about over the next few days (well, we'll see you, but you won't see us, as apparently no one knows what we look like....muahahahaha, mysterious, just how we like it)

Video:: York Redoubt @ HPX 09


Video:: Valleys @ HPX 09

Labels: Bruce Peninsula, Halifax Pop Explosion, Herohill showcase, HPX 09, The Got to Get Got, Valleys, York Redoubt

My how time flies, HPX '09 is but a mere couple weeks away, and so we roll on with our random-question powered preview. Perhaps you've heard, but this year's herohill showcase takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 21st at the Seahorse, and so far, from that evening's stellar lineup, we've talked to folks from Bruce Peninsula and The Got To Get Get. But now I think its time for a random chat with evening openers York Redoubt



The Ack was a big fan of the melodic distortion found on YR's self-titled debut, and I have to say that, even though on first listen I wasn't sure if they were in my wheelhouse, I'm actually a really big fan of their album now. So do yourself a favour and check out York Redoubt, and then join us at the Seahorse on the 21st. Mike from YR was kind enough to answer some questions, so let's get to them.

Name: Gordon Mike Wright
Band: York Redoubt
Web: www.hotmoneyrecords.com

1. Why do people still say 'We're doing an East Coast tour!' when they're only going as far as Quebec?

I wouldn't know. We are a regional band.

2. What is the worst experience you've had on the road since you started touring?

I've only been on one tour, but I know now that I'm afraid of moose at night.

3. Name a band that you wish was still putting out records

The Gideons

4. Name your all-time favorite Halifax album.

Hi Firey - Don't Worry About The Future

5. You can ask any musician dead or alive one question, who do you ask?

I might ask Patsy Cline to tell me about doom.

MP3:: York Redoubt - Upside
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/yorkredoubt

Labels: Five Funky Stories, Halifax, Halifax Pop Explosion, HPX 09, York Redoubt

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UPDATE
Well, how about a giveaway folks? If you like what you hear from York Redoubt, why not sign up to win a copy of the record and two tickets to their CD release show on September 5th @ The Seahorse. They will be sharing the stage with Bloodhouse and The Lodge. Basically, your ears and hearts will melt.

To enter, just email us (herohill AT gmail DOT COM) or leave us a comment with your contact info. Two lucky winners will walk away with the goods.
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Are you there Noise? It's me, Acker. I know a coming of age tale for women might not tie into the state of music very easily, but with everyone moving towards steel and banjos or lo-fi noodling, you can’t help but miss spastic guitar, minor chords, shocking harmonies and moments of pure melody that we thought would last forever. I don’t want to be 90’s guy, but shit, don’t you miss those two-minute bursts of noise? Or bands that moved on stage and left the crowd sweat soaked, bruised and feeling alive? That era was an embarrassment of riches full of the type of songs that made you sit up and take notice and the type of bands that made you fall in love with music.

Thankfully, Halifax’s York Redoubt is bringing all of those things back. Their new self-titled record is full of loud/quiet/loud/loud gems, fragmented thoughts and ideas and tons of distortion and fuzz. The fact that beautiful moments of melody (the breakdown on I Said Slightly and the Beatles-y feel they drop on Terrified for example) stand side-by-side with ear drum shattering moments like the feedback heavy, guitar shronking outro of Division makes this record unpredictable but incredibly rewarding.

It’s fun to hear the band slog through the droning, two minutes of Where The Day Grows and think, “what in the hell is going on here” only to get hit with a moment of pure bliss (the great group harmonies and cymbal crashes that grab you at the 1:15 mark). Initials is a jam space jam out held together by a few well placed vocals. Even straight ahead tracks like Mending seem ready to break apart at the seams, but What I love is that even with all the experimental flourishes and sonic explosions, York Redoubt show without a doubt, that they can still ride a melody. The muscular strums of the infectious single Upside and the spasmatic drumming of Wires grab you instantly, but just when you are about to get comfortable, they veer off into a chaotic storm of noise or hushed reflection.

I know that there are tons of silverbacks that can’t wait to bring up the old days when clubs were packed, live music was an experience and loud was all that mattered (I just made myself blush), but these Haligonian young-ins are barely twenty years old which means that they either have an old uncle that is still trying to be cool or access to some fantastic records. Either way, if it hits home with one of the best upstart young bands in the city, there’s hope for the masses. Let’s be honest. It’s 2009 and the world is all types of messed up and no matter how much we want it to, rock n’ roll ain’t going to save your life. But bands like York Redoubt remind us all why we bother living it.

MP3:: York Redoubt - Upside

MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/yorkredoubt
BUY:: http://noyesrecords.com

Labels: Best-of '09, Halifax, Music, York Redoubt

With CBC threatening to cancel the 5 PM airing of the Simpson, it only seems fitting that I run a Simpsons inspired "clip-show" style post trying to bring some shine to local artists. It's been an impressive year already and with Rich Aucoin, Jon McKiel and Ruth Minnikin all holding finished records in their respective vaults, we obviously aren't done yet.

Obviously, record like Joel Plaskett, Classified and Jenn Grant would be standing high on this list, but if you are from Halifax and reading a music blog, chances are you already have an opinion on both. So here are 10 others that you should check out. Don't agree? Think Kestrels or Klarka Weinwurm should have made the list (they were close)? What about Quake's mixtape or the upcoming Hemingways LP? Well, let us know what we've missed or why we are wrong.

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10) Gypsophilia - Sa-ba-da-OW!
web || Review

Their songs are still playful, as they balance tension, drama and whimsy nicely, but for some reason Sa-ba-da-OW! seems to have a stronger heartbeat and a more enriched soul.

Over the course of 11 songs they revisit traditional and familiar sounds (Jewish Dance Party and Legs Bounce for example), but it's the experiments with more soulful grooves (like the out of nowhere reggae tinged treat, You Make Time or the funk filled Sa-ba-da-OW) percussion and a willingness to stretch the borders and boundaries of timeless influences that makes this record work.

9) Steven Bowers - Circadian Anthems
myspace || MP3 - Comfortably Sweet ft. Christina Martin || Review

Bowers is an incredibly talented song writer, creating emotions and characters detailed as chapters in a book - on the atmospheric, piano Sleeping Dogs, Bowers takes the listener back to a small town and painful memories he can't discard - but it’s the arrangements he chooses that really set the tone. On the stellar Sewing Machines, he and Dale Murray harmonize over Brian Murray’s banjo, but he’s just as comfortable on the more muscular riffs of Circadian Anthem and The Hardest Thing.

But it’s the two closing tracks that really grab me on this effort. Comfortably Sweet relies on little more than an acoustic, Dale’s beautiful pedal work (and a gentle hint of mandolin) and a perfect vocal pairing with Christina Martin. It’s really the only “singer/songwriter” track on the EP and Bowers lets his words and their voices say all that needs to be said and the emotion filled track flows nicely into the full band closer, Your Life as a Piano.

8) Prospector's Union - Syracuse
myspace || MP3 - Old Wonders || Review

Matt finally finished recording Syracuse and is ready to release it to the world. Although Charlton may listen to a collection of stripped down, no nonsense artists (Townes, Mark Kozalek) this “home” recording is remarkably lush and defined. With support from the likes of Christina Martin, Daniel Ledwell, John Mullane, Andrew Sisk, Jason MacIsaac, Kinley Dowling, and David Casey, Syracuse plays more like a studio odyssey than a local, independent release.

More importantly, even with all the expert production and contributors, Charlton puts himself front and centre. With only a few picked notes, echoing subtle drums and Christina Martin's harmonies, Flaming Death is dark, but engaging. Over time, Ledwell’s steel work and MacIssac’s atmospheric keys are added and echo in the emptiness of the song, taking some of the weight off the harrowing tale, but it's Charlton's voice that grabs your ear. Even with the talent that surrounds him and the layers that move in and out of the song, he never fades to the background.

7) Doug Mason - Fox Pirate
myspace || Review

I mean, being honest, Doug isn't going to win a Juno for his songwriting (then again, does anyone good win Junos? HI-O!!!), but his songs are fun, and pretension-free, and they've won me over. Well it also helps that they're also mighty catchy (I honestly still have no clue what Ranchus And Ryukins is about, goldfish maybe? But it was stuck in my head for a few days), and well made (there are plenty of welcome little touches to be found, like the backwards-sounding guitar on the outro to It's True This Time). As on his previous releases, Doug recruited some of his musically inclined friends (Cliff Gibb, Jarrett Murphy, and Dave Chisholm) to help him on the record, but all the recording and mixing was done by Doug in his home studio, also dubbed Poutine Village.


6) Cousins - Out On Town
myspace || MP3 - Jon Schehr 32 || Review

Aaron Mangle seems like a pretty unassuming dude, but with the support of his new band, his songs leave a mark. Out on Town is a debut record – 10 songs, a few stumbles, but moments of brilliance that make bloggers and critics giddy – and it’s already one of my favorite local releases of the year. The folk scene here is producing some high quality acts. So is the noise scene, but Cousins is the only band I’ve stumbled on that combines the two. Aggressive, truncated strums and distorted notes give the songs life, but the melancholic, brooding pace and Mangle’s falsetto give the songs a warming glow. He manages to sound unique and interesting, but completely accessible at the exact same time.

5) Something Good - Just Add Water
myspace || MP3 - Did That || Review

If anything, Shane is willing to give any local hip hop artist a fair shake, but rarely does he get blow away. One quick read of his take on Markit and Boy-Ill's newest long player shows that not only is hip hop not dead, The Hali scene can hold its own against the bigger cities across Canada.

Tell me something good. For most, that sentence brings to mind a sultry entreaty from Chaka and her friends Rufus, but if you're a hip hop fan of a certain vintage (like myself), it can also serve as a plea to many of today's hip hop artists, who all too often deliver something quite the opposite of good. But all is far from lost where hip hop is concerned, and we can be thankful that hip hop's next generation still contains folks like the four dedicated lads in the Halifax/Montreal collective, Something Good.

4) Caledonia - We Are America
myspace || MP3 - We Are America || Review

We can often be heard stripping the humor (and originality) from the memorable South Park bit as we chant along with the angry mob – “blame Dubya! ” I’m pretty sure Caledonia didn't specifically wanted to move towards politically charged tracks, but there is no doubt they wanted us to start looking inward. The record is a collection of personal songs, chock full of heavy subject matter coming from the experiences of each band member. As opposed to nationalistic pride or delusion, Caledonia focuses on the events that rip us all apart; death, growing older, uncertainty, leaving home and wanting nothing more than to return.

3) The Got To Get Got - Sahalee
myspace || MP3 - Rattle Off || Review

I had high expectations for the record and The Got To Get Got easily Fosbury flopped over the bar. They also managed to supplement the local talent with some of the best musicians we have in the Canadian scene (members of Ohbijou, Plants & Animals, Sebastien Granger & The Mountains and the lovely Angela Desveaux) without disrupting the sound the band creates. If fact, without liner notes I doubt even the most devout fan could highlight the exact moments when the "ringers" help out.


2) York Redoubt - York Redoubt
myspace || MP3 - I Said Slightly || Review

I know. I know. I just reviewed this yesterday, but the beautiful combination of noise, melody, shock, and chaos remind you why I love music. These guys have the spirit, energy AND talent of the great 90's scene, but don't sound dated or fabricated. This one is a must have folks and also shows that noyes records is delivering the goods.

1) The Lodge - Take That Devil
myspace || MP3 - Forget the Silence || Review

It’s no secret that 95% of the shit we post on is never going to be popular or embraced by the masses – but if playing fields were equal a post on Halifax’s newest super group, The Lodge, would get us as much traffic as a 7 year old Outkast song. The Lodge is a classic indie rock outfit comprised of some of the seasoned vets of the Hali scene: Mike O’Neil (The Inbreds), Charles Austin (Superfriendz), Cliff Gibb (Thrush Hermit) and Andrew Glencross (Neuseiland and The Euphonic).

I could try to come up with a fresh description of their sound, but when Shane talked about them last year, he hit the nail on the head:

“One chunk, riff filled rocker after another.”

Labels: Caledonia, Cousins, Doug Mason, Gypsophila, Halifax, Music, Prospectors Union, Something Good, Steven Bowers, The Got to Get Got, The Lodge, York Redoubt