THE LIPTONIANS

It’s nice to share. That’s true for people and it’s also true for bands.

Local pop-folk quartet The Liptonians are headed to Whitehorse later this month, where they’ll be playing a showcase as part of the BreakOut West Festival during the Western Canadian Music Awards. But they’re not going alone.

The band recently fell in musical love with Vancouver piano prog-pop duo The Zolas. So intense and mutual was the infatuation that the bands decided to release a shared 7” vinyl single and tour Western Canada together.

Playing eight dates between Winnipeg and Vancouver, the two groups will finally separate when The Liptonians fly to Whitehorse for an additional two shows.

The Liptonian’s single Destroy, Destroy, Destroy follows their second full-length album Let’s All March Back Into the Sea, released earlier this year. But vocalist and guitarist Bucky Driedger says this release is a stand-alone project.

“At this point there’s nothing imminent,” he says. “We spend time writing and recording and at some point we’ll say, ‘Hey, let’s take stock of all the demos we have and see what we can do.’ So, it’s kind of no pressure at this point, which is nice.

“But this is a fun way to keep our momentum going, to do this project,” he says.

The Zolas tune Cultured Man rounds out the single.

The tour kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Lo Pub. Alanadale will also perform and Frankie Doberstein will provide stand-up comedy between sets. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10. Visit www.theliptonians.com.

- Aaron Snider

BOG RIVER

This local folk-roots trio has its roots in the rowdy bluegrass outfit Prairie Wind, which was thinned out to the core of its three songwriters - Ben Hadaller, Carly Dow and Dave Barchyn - to make Bog River.

“(We) had a natural connection and managed to form together fairly easily from there,” says Dow. “It’s pretty great to be able to play in a band with a couple of your best friends.”

After releasing the Lost in the Woods EP just over a year ago, the band were quick to follow it up with a full-length - the brand new, self-recorded and released Hands in the Ground.

“I still feel like we’re in the experimental phase of figuring out what recording process is best for us,” she says. “There’s more room to be creative and less stress in terms of time and money.”

The lack of stress helped to ensure that all things were created equal for the record.

“(It’s) a product of each of us bringing forward our own unique writing styles and influences,” she says. “We each have a fairly substantial amount of material that we can bring forward to work on as a group.”

These intimate tunes were well rehearsed on a recent Canadian tour, the band’s first.

“I had a lot of help from our friends the Crooked Brothers and the F-Holes (with booking),” she says. “There is a great sense of community and generosity here that eliminates any reason to be competitive.”

The Hands in the Ground release show is Thursday, Oct. 13 at the West End Cultural Centre at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

- Nicholas Friesen

THE NOBLE THIEFS

Releasing The Moustache EP exactly one year ago and coming up on the release of a full-length debut just in time for Christmas, The Noble Thiefs give props to many sounds of the past for contributing to their old-school vibe, but also to good ol’ DNA.

“We all enjoy classic soul, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and the great pop music of a simpler era,” guitarist Riley Hastings says. “People have this music embedded deep within their DNA whether or not they realize it.

“This could be why people are bombarded with the irresistible urge to do the twist and shake it to our tunes. We modernize and rework the classic vibes of the past, with an energy and flair that is all our own.”

While the image of the average concert-goer getting down to the band’s tunes just popped into your head, imagine it now with zombies.

Besides past band get-ups including Chippendales, greasers and rockers from beyond the valley of the dolls, The Noble Thiefs will keep the living dead madness going as the annual Winnipeg Zombie Walk after-party entertainment.

“Another year of zombie madness!” Hastings says. “The Zombie Walk is such a cool and unique community event. We are super excited to be providing entertainment on a big night for Winnipeg music.”

Joining The Noble Thiefs at the Friday, Oct. 14 Pyramid Cabaret show are three other great local acts: Les Sexy, The Rockdoras and The Windups. The show starts at 9 p.m. with $7 tickets available at the door for the zombies and $10 for those arriving in street clothes.

- Pamela Roz

Published in Volume 66, Number 7 of The Uniter (October 12, 2011)