Mike Duerksen
-
Twilight Hotel
They may have moved to Texas, but as long as Winnipeg ex-pats Twilight Hotel keep churning out albums as good as When The Wolves Go Blind, we’ll keep claiming the musical duo as ours.
-
LUKE DOUCET
Alt-country no more, Winnipeg ex-pat Luke Doucet delivers a certifiably rock ‘n’ roll bombshell on his fourth outing.
-
Comfortable and confident at last
The last time we saw Wilco on film was in Sam Jones’ now-legendary 2002 I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, an intimate rock doc chronicling the band’s departure from alt-country to more experimental territories with the controversial recording of their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
-
Little Smile
Local singer-songwriter Jodi King has taken her music all the way to Africa and performed alongside Steve Bell and Fred Penner – but Little Smile marks her first full-length album.
-
Love Songs For The Last 20
Del Barber is Winnipeg’s next great songwriter. In this, the second instalment of his self-proclaimed four-albums-in-four-years saga, the local singer-songwriter taps into melodies and stories that are instantly familiar.
-
Bringing it all back home
Ask local singer-songwriter Del Barber what’s missing in music nowadays and he’ll tell you it’s the cohesive narratives that once formed the bedrock of celebrated songwriting.
-
Thirsty for sweat, not blood
These creatures of the night aren’t thirsty for blood. Rather, they come out of hiding regularly on stages across Winnipeg with their grungy, oft-fuzzy dirty dance riffs thirsty for one thing only – sweat.
-
Distracted by life
It’s been close to three years since acclaimed local roots outfit Nathan released Key Principles and snagged a Juno award for its tender, haunting melodies. These days, the band can be seen playing large festivals in Australia, various gigs around town and even the upcoming Paralympics.
-
Five local artists to watch in 2010
2009 was another banner year for music in Manitoba, and although it seems impossible, 2010 could very well trump it. Here are five local acts you should keep your eye on.
-
Old habits die hard
When local frenzied-rock ensemble The Monty Yanks split up in the early days of 2009, there was only one thing left to do for lead vocalist Jason Maas: He recorded Clean, a folk-rock album with all the songs that didn’t fit the chaos-driven mantra of his previous band. It was released this fall.
-
The long journey from anxiety to harmony
Serena Postel is in a good place these days. The Winnipeg songstress has abandoned cigarettes, endured painful personal growth and started using her artistic abilities to help others. She is also working on a follow-up to her widely acclaimed 2006 debut Spare Change.
-
MATT EPP Safe or Free
On Safe or Free, local troubadour Matt Epp’s fourth outing since 2005, he plays it free.
-
Resistance is fertile
When Maxime Morin put the finishing touches on the follow up to Chill Em All – the highly acclaimed 2004 debut album under his stage moniker DJ Champion – he knew just what to do.
-
Preparing for takeoff
When Alexander McCowan heads out to promote Thief, his latest EP, later on this year, he won’t be logging miles in a touring van and sticking to a premeditated agenda.
-
Hannah takes the plunge
Three things you need to know about Hannah Georgas: She plays brisk, capricious folky pop songs, her full-length debut will be coming out this spring and she may one day marry Jack Black.
-
CROOKED BROTHERS - Deathbed Pillowtalk
Back-porch hymns, drunken hollers, odes to love lost and well-worn lonesome folk melodies mingle with each other in a dangerous blues-infused play between life and death on the Crooked Brother’s debut Deathbed Pillowtalk.
-
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Things About Comin’ My Way: A Tribute to the Music of The Mississippi Sheiks
In Things About Comin’ My Way, producer Steve Dawson manages to evoke the spirit of 1930s plantation-blues band of brothers The Mississippi Sheiks. Born to slaves, Sam, Lonnie and Armenter Chatmon are covered by various artists and bands influenced by their moon-howling tunes on this beautiful tribute album.
-
New dogs, old tricks
It’s often said you shouldn’t live in the past – but that old adage doesn’t hold true for Saskatchewan rock outfit The Sheepdogs.
-
THE SAVANTS - Absolver
In 30 years there hasn’t been a shortage of sweaty, dirty underground punk rock releases sprouting up across the globe.
-
KENT McALISTER & THE IRON CHOIR - How I’ll Remain
Sagas of gambling, love-lorn lamentations and hard-done-by living abound on How I’ll Remain, the third release by Vancouver’s Kent McAlister & The Iron Choir.
