By Will McGuirk
Andy Shauf at Massey Hall Friday May 5 2023. Tickets here.
Dizzy, Birthmark
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: the Sadies, Villages, Dizzy, Begonia, Andy Shauf, Murray A. Lightburn, Braids, and The Arcs
By Will McGuirk
“Evolution in and of itself is a patient act. Our pursuit of the individual self, which comprises all realms of human emotion, is sweetened with the intention and act of patience from ourselves, from those that we love and those who love us.” - Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Braids
Andy Shauf, photo by Angela Lewis
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Andy Shauf, Sammy Volkov, Goodnight Sunrise, Reeny Smith, Shira, Mod Sun, and Pop Evil,
By Will McGuirk
Slowcity.ca Open Mic: Andy Shauf, Jerry Leger, quinnie, Emi Jeen, Jean-Michel Blais, Logan Staats, Shane Ghostkeeper, and Doug Paisley
By Will McGuirk
"Christmas Without You is a song about missing a loved one during the holidays, which I think most of us can relate to. I know this time of year brings back many joyful but bittersweet memories. For me, I find these kinds of songs comforting." - Jerry Leger
“I wrote this about the holiday season, watching yourself and your family get older, being present, and savoring the rare moments when everyone gets to be in the same room once a year.” - quinne
"It took me 2 years to finish this song and I am thrilled to finally share it with the world. I’m a huge fan of the Holidays and I hope this song brings joy during the celebration!" - Emi Jeen
“The lyrics to this song are quite literal. There are no hidden metaphors, it’s cut and dry. They capture a moment that I carry with me to this day.” - Logan Staats
Lowell, photo by Mariah Hamilton
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Lowell, Emma Cook, Donovan Woods, Andy Shauf, Geoffroy, AHI, Elise Boulanger, Yukon Blonde
By Will McGuirk
“Caroline is both a nostalgic take on my childhood, while at the same time a cynical view on how wasted my youth was in the hands of my teenage self (an insecure, closet bi, miserable kid trying to fit in- all while pissing off my parents” - Lowell
"It tells the story of a woman who has been completely unseen and unappreciated by her partner for many years. In my imagination, she believes in her own worth and finds the strength to leave, but in reality, I’m not sure she ever will." - Emma Cook
“It’s about learning that someone you still have feelings for is suddenly in the same town as you for the night, and the inevitable thoughts and chain of events that might set into motion.” - Donovan Woods
“I guess it’s a very mature version of myself who wrote this, hah. It’s about accepting and coming to terms with the fact that a relationship has come to its end. It’s about moving on, letting go, and feeling okay about it." - Geoffroy
“You don’t really need to compete with yourself, you just need to challenge yourself.” - Jeffrey Innes, Yukon Blonde
Artistic imperfection - Colin Medley, Jared Raab co-direct new video for Andy Shauf
Andy Shauf, photo by Colin Medley
By Will McGuirk
“The song is about half-forgotten moments, so Jared and I wanted to make something dreamlike and imperfect,” - Colin Medley
“If you listen closely to the song, the lyrics drift seamlessly in and out of memories, so we wanted to find visuals that could capture the same sparse quality. We noticed that these scans were almost impressionistic, like computer generated pointillism. Along with our technical director Luca, we stumbled on a brilliant artist RubenFro, who was using the Unity game engine to render point clouds. The results are surprisingly natural, like ghostly moments frozen in time.” - Jared Raab
This video for Andy Shauf’s subtle “Clove Cigarettes” speaks to the ebb and flow of the stream, of the drift of the current and of the many, many, many drops which make up this massive stream of information we swim in. This marvellous concoction shatters the screen, pulls back the curtain on not only how a digital landscape is created, but also illustrates how the littlest things, the smallest of the small has import, how each and every single thing in the big picture matters to the big picture. In other words how even the least among us has equal weight,
Andy Shauf, photo by Colin Medley
Slowcity.ca Open Mic - Sometimes there's only music - Tami Neilson, Brielle Ansems, Andy Shauf, Soccer Mommy, Real Estate, Jesse Cook, Denise Leslie and Aerialists
By Will McGuirk
Sometimes sometimes sometimes when all else no longer matters, and the world wells up and the flood overwhelms there is only music, just music which will get you up and out. If all else is beyond you, focus all you have and reach out one finger to press play on whatever device you have and let the music in. Have at it.
“This song is for anyone who measures time against a deep loss of love that was an integral part of the fabric that makes up your life.” - Tami Neilson
“More Than My Heart” is about accepting the limits of what is in our power to give to another person. Sometimes all we have to offer is our heart, and that is enough. - Brielle Ansems
‘How hard is it to give a shit?’ - Andy Shauf
ZINNIA, photo by Jenna Ledger
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Reuben and the Dark, Andy Shauf, Hunting, Scenic Route to Alaska, Sorry, Geoff Berner, Kane Incognito, ZINNIA, Astrocolor, Alex Cuba,
By Will McGuirk
Art is the new news. If you wish to know whats happening in the world go to a gallery. If you want to survive the tsunami of information grab onto whatever floats.
Andy Shauf, photo by Colin Medley
“The great writer Thomas King, who is self-identifies as being of Cherokee, German and Greek descent, gave a series of lectures that became a book called The Truth About Stories. One of the lectures is called ‘You’re Not the Indian I Had In Mind’. It’s about the way white people often reject ways of being Indigenous that don’t meet their stereotypical expectations.
“I always loved that line, ‘Not the Indian I had in mind’. It really nailed something perfectly. I have experienced a similar phenomenon as a Jew. In my travels, people wanted to know if I was really Jewish, because they had notions in their minds of what was really authentically Jewish, and what was not. And anyone who was not, was maybe trying to trick them or something. They would decide if I was a real Jew.”
- Geoff Berner
"Life will always throw unforeseen circumstances at us that we cannot control. But what we can control is how we perceive them. Love or Hate. What do you choose?"
- Eric (Kane Incognito)
“I spent most of my twenties processing my dad’s death – thinking, writing and singing about it. In some ways, I feel like I processed it so fully that I grew a thick callus around the part of the loss that was very raw and fragile. At times I’ve resented the tough skin which was necessary to get through that hard time.”
- ZINNIA
Julian Taylor Band, photo by Jerome Joyce
Slowcity.ca open mic - with Julian Taylor Band, Kalle Mattson, Foxwarren, The Unfaithful Servants, Wintersleep, Ponytails, Once A Tree, Hot Chip and Mauno
“A lot of people are left feeling sad and lonely because of death. I understand how that feels. It’s a sadness that only eases with time but never goes away. As you move forward it will stay with you but it will help strengthen you too. Felt deeply. Felt not as in touched. Felt within, touching us." - Julian Taylor, press release
Julian Taylor Band, Kalle Mattson, Andy Shauf’s Foxwarren, Wintersleep, The Unfaithful Servants, Ponytails, Once A Tree, Hot Chip and Mauno.