The Uniter Fiver
From December 5 to January 1, new Winnipeg musicians submitted videos and our readers voted. The result is the 2014 Uniter Fiver - five new and exciting bands that deserve to be on your radar. Each band featured here will get a one year membership to Manitoba Music, the chance to record a session at 101.5 UMFM, and (obviously) a story in this very issue. They’ll also take the stage together at the Uniter Fiver Showcase on January 17 at the Park Theatre. Additionally Sibyl was picked by an industry panel to be featured on our cover - they’ll also step into the studio with producer Rusty Matyas of Imaginary Cities and engineer Cam Loeppky (John K Samson) to record a single.
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Hardcover band
A few years ago, Winnipeg folk group Sibyl set out performing renditions of Sufjan Stevens and Nathan songs. Although the band soon made the switch to original material, one could argue it’s still a cover band. A hardcover band that is.
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Greek Riots
After playing together in different bands for years, Jacques Richer and Duncan Murta began collaborating as recently as November 2013 in Greek Riots. The duo has a newness about it that, coupled with the chemistry that comes from an existing friendship, makes for a promising group to check out live.
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Comfortably numb
“I got back from Cuba this past week,” says Daniel Baron, frontman, guitarist and eldest member of Winnipeg’s Industrial Revolution-inspired folk band FINN. He says the frigidity of this prairie locale satisfies his sense of home.
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What the poets are doing
Despite just forming in February 2013, Winnipeg indie rock quartet Hearing Trees has already played around 14 shows and is in pre-production for its debut EP, which will be produced by Les Jupes frontman and Head in the Sand record label head Michael Petkau Falk.
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Kick in the PANTS
In the spring of 2013, guitarist/vocalist Bill Perehinec, bassist Ryan McPherson and drummer Nyala Ali settled on the name PANTS. Thankfully, they also decided to take the band’s music a little more seriously.