THIS HISSES

With a chosen modus operandi of writing dramatic songs that are heavy and loud without being abrasive, the one-year-old surf-noir band This Hisses has already made a big impression on Winnipeg audiences.

Lead singer-bassist Julia Ryckman (Slattern), guitarist Pat Short (Electric Candles, Under Pressure) and drummer JP Perron (ex-Mahogany Frog) have stunned audiences with their electrifying live performance, thanks to Ryckman’s always commanding presence and the antics of Perron (disclosure: he’s The Uniter’s listings co-ordinator), who makes Keith Moon look calm.

The band’s debut full-length, which they’ll release on vinyl later this year, was recorded last April at Private Ear with producer and Royal Canoe frontman Matt Peters.

You can see them live on Friday, Feb. 18 at the Lo Pub.

With any luck, This Hisses will not go the way of The Gorgon – Ryckman’s previous power trio – and they’ll be with us for a while.

Visit www.myspace.com/thishisses.

BEAN

There’s a soothing sincerity and kindness in Dana Kowalsky’s voice that’s unmatched by other singer-songwriters in Winnipeg.

And though Kowalsky, who performs under the moniker Bean, is only beginning to sprout in the city’s music scene, she’s no stranger to music.

The 24-year-old has been playing music since she was five, often teaching herself her favorite melodies by ear. She began writing her first songs when she was 11 years old.

Kowalsky is currently working on her debut EP with producers Carlin Hiebert (The New Lightweights) and Los Angeles-based Adrian Bradford (Jodi King, Amanda Falk). A release date hasn’t been set, but the album is expected to be released later this year.

Still, Kowalsky’s brand of organic piano pop will carry listeners’ ears across her groovy mid-tempo time signatures, and keep hearts fluttering with her vocal range.

The tunes have already earned her a spot on Bluebird North, a national performance showcase series with roots tracing back to Nashville, Tennessee, at the Park Theatre this Tuesday, Feb. 8.

Visit www.myspace.com/beanmusic1.

LORENZO

Four frozen pizzas and a bus ticket – those were the only expenses involved when Leonard Sumner, a.k.a. Lorenzo, shot a video for What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, one of the songs off his 2009 debut EP Rez Poetry.

But the Anishinaabe MC gained national exposure with the vid after it was posted on the Maclean’s website and he was featured in an article the magazine published in December on Manitoba’s thriving hip hop community.

It’s another step along the way toward Lorenzo’s ultimate goal of performing at festivals and sharing his music with a wider audience.

Over hip hop beats fused with a hint of country as well as rhythm and blues, Lorenzo uses his raspy flow to spit insightful rhymes about growing up in Little Saskatchewan First Nation in the Interlake region of Manitoba.

With a guitar slung over his shoulder and surprising samples like Coheed & Cambria, Lorenzo will no doubt make good on his promise to make music that appeals to people who aren’t usually into rap.

Visit www.reverbnation.com/lorenzomusic.

FAME

It’s been a career of flux for Fame, from falling prey to a fraudulent band manager while getting ready to release their debut EP in 2008, to dealing with departed band members of lineups past – most recently, drummer Ben Routledge.

While these types of things tend to sideline bands, usually almost permanently, it hasn’t slowed down the tenacity of this group of groovy Southern-style heavy metalers.

No, the band has kept busy touring their violent, riff-heavy metal across Canada, opening for bands like Silverstein and The Devil Wears Prada, and keeping its foot on the throat of Winnipeg’s metal scene.

In October 2010, the band wandered west to Burnaby, B.C., to record their first full-length album, Thunder Pit, with producer Stu McKillop. The album will be released later this spring.

Until then, the band is in the process of shooting a music video for their song Rocket Rider and gearing up to play Canadian Music Week in March. You can see them at the Albert before that on Friday, Feb. 25.

Visit www.myspace.com/famerock.

CANNON BROS.

When you’re getting props from both campus radio stations, local alt-weeklies and scene veterans like The Weakerthans and Greg MacPherson, you’ve gotta know you’re doing something right.

Alannah Walker and Cole Woods, both 19, have managed to do all of that with their Pavement-inspired power-pop duo Cannon Bros.

Formed after the demise of their previous band, The Playing Cards, Walker and Woods have made a name for themselves with their charming ‘90s sound and endearing stage presence.

Although a six-song demo the band put out last year has already received significant airplay on campus radio, expect the band’s first official release later this year.

Recorded by Cam Loeppky at Prairie Recording Co., the duo hope to have the record out in June, just in time for some summer touring.

Until then, you can see them on Friday, Feb. 11 at the Lo Pub opening for Imaginary Cities.

Visit www.myspace.com/cannonbrosband.

Published in Volume 65, Number 18 of The Uniter (February 3, 2011)