“I’ve come to realize that being a rebel or an outsider is not such a bad thing. Just stay true to yourself, and you’ll stay on the right path.” - Adrian Sutherland
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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: JJ Shiplett, Adrian Sutherland, Kellie Loder, Katie Pruitt, Maggie Andrews, KROY, Ballsy, and Tokyo Police Club
“When life gets heavy and the future feel overwhelmingly out of our control, we can learn to turn inwards and build a home inside of ourselves.” - Katie Pruitt
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Willie Nile, photo by Cristina Arrigoni
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Hillside Edition part 1
Hillside is a festival with a big heart and a small footprint and we give over the open mic to Hillside acts we think you should pay some attention to: Adrian Sutherland, Ariel Posen, Billianne, DEBBY FRIDAY, Steven Lambke, Tami Neilson, Willie Nile, Witch Prophet
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Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Pierre Kwenders, Storry, Jordan Klassen, Adrian Sutherland, Alexis Normand, Steve Mason, Velvet Beach, and The Lad Classic,
By Will McGuirk
“The mother is the land of your birth, it’s your culture, it’s all that makes you and it’s also all that makes you question yourself.” - Pierre Kwenders
"We praise the sun, earth, air and water. Just like the elements, we are gentle and lifegiving but also formidable. We are nurturing, we are power, we are ‘the maker of all things’.” - Storry
“Saskatchewan is often an overlooked and oversimplified place. I wrote Hidden Valley to show listeners a lesser-known landscape - it ain’t just flat roads, big sky and wheat fields over here! This is a cruiser - a road trip song that brings you to the breathtaking valley near the town of Eastend and embodies the contemplative peace I feel when I’m there;" - Alexis Normand
Adrian Sutherland, photo By Nadya Kwandibens
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Adrian Sutherland, The Trade-Offs, Evan Redsky, Terez, Julia Wolf, Jesse Roper, Handsome Jack, and Arctic Monkeys
By Will McGuirk
“"I teach at an elementary school in Beachburg, Ontario. My grades 6/7 and 7/8 classes are looking for ways to continue with ideas from the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We heard the song Walk With Me by Adrian Sutherland and decided to reach out," wrote Steve Pritchard.”
“Throughout the 20th century many Inuit families recall the Royal Canadian Mounted Police deliberately killing sled dogs to force Inuit into government run settlements, ‘Put ‘Em Down’ is about this sad story and about the effort to put us as a people down and erase our culture. A truth many do not know a lot about because it has been kept so quiet” - Josh Qaumariaq, the Trade-Offs
“It's a reflection of not just myself, but of an entire community of young people who lack access to mental health resources, cultural resources, and positive role models - where young First Nations folks just want to escape their realities in exchange for Oblivion.” - Evan Redsky
Raine Hamilton, photo by Megan Steen
Slowcity.ca Open Mice with Raine Hamilton, Elina Filice, Young Clancy, Jonathan Roy, Debra-Jean Creelman, Parks N' Rec, and Adrian Sutherland
By Will McGuirk
“When I was writing this song, I was shining that light around inside, seeing who had been left behind, and I rediscovered some parts of myself that I had long ignored. For me, that discovery had a lot to do with queerness, and finding my way to deep love of that part.” - Raine Hamilton
“After dating the wrong gender you're finally feeling something that feels right to you, things you’ve never felt for another person. At the exact same time you're realizing who you are. It really is finding yourself through loving someone else, which is why for the queer identity, who we love and who we are are inextricably intertwined.” - Elina Filice
“It took me leaving my comfort zone, buying (and living) in a van to find myself again. My songs reflect that – and reflect that recharge that I needed. Not only in my artistic life, but in my personal life as well.” – Jonathan Roy
“When I'm giving voice to my vulnerability, that's when the magic arrives. I've been re-learning how to trust my instincts, and so far I'm being shown that they're good.” - Debra-Jean Creelman
“We are strong as humans, even when we are vulnerable. We can be both reflective and confident at the same time.” - Parks N' Rec
Lal, photo by Nadja Sayej
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Slow Leaves, LAL, Charlie Houston, Middle Kids, and much more music
By Will McGuirk
Fast and furious babies not slow and level like we like - but with everyone home and tech so close those who make songs are making a lot of them so this open mic is going late. But lets start with slow - Slow Leaves, one of my fave finds in the last couple of years, authentically heartfelt, its the perfect sound for times like these; small, isolated, longing yet finding the warmth, the purpose, in the small slow things, in the domestic, the familiar, the inevitable. Yes hunker down, we are in for the long haul, we are in for the lockdown but with Slow Leaves in the ears we will get through it . . Slow Leaves is Grant Davidson, take the time.
“The song inspired an idea where the people and their surroundings are stuck in their own behavior, both physically and mentally. It’s a deeply touching song moved by a lot of energy, where the illustrations and the motions reflect a feeling of my interpretation of the song’s intention and atmosphere, without being too distinct.” - video director and animator Jonna Hallberg
“Respect the Gift" is about using our ‘gifts’ for good, and not taking for granted the everyday freedoms and luxuries we have. There’s never been a more important time to appreciate all that we find precious, especially given the world we’re living in today,” - Adrian Sutherland