“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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Allison Russell, Photo by Francesca Cepero
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Allison Russell, Caveboy, Julia Stone, Shane Pendergast, Lemon Cash, Nathanael Philip Mosher, and Peter Drucker
By Will McGuirk
Been a fan of the ‘Mac for so much time, happy to see them back in the spotlight, being shared, being covered, all over the globe and in so many different voices. Born witness to the Birds of Chicago and the sense of spirituality they bring onstage, of being wholly involved, so this is one where birds of a feather etc.
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“Music saved my life. I learned that women could write music too. I discovered that I was a musician; that I was a writer. But, I was a listener first. Every time I listen to a modern song that moves me it feels like resistance. These brilliant artists - Sade, Stevie Nicks - powerful writers all, make me feel brave and fully human. These songs each create a world that I want to visit and revisit. They sound like freedom to me.” - Allison Russell
Slowcity.ca Open Mic pre-future edition with Braids, Dralms, Loving, Caveboy, Lord Dying, Nikki Yanofsky, Laila Biali and The Revivalists
By Will McGuirk
The future is inevitable, even the day after the Groundhog, round and round and round again, even after palindrome dates - back and forward, to and fro, but the sun rises and the mellow days of a waning winter approach, the endlessness ends and in the waxing we wait for the inevitable breaking of Spring. Perhaps earlier in this year of hindsight, perhaps earlier than ever. The sameness is no longer.
“Why is it that where we were or what we had isn’t clear until it’s gone and over? In the end, has the story written itself?” - Dralms
“The video was filmed on location in the countries that made up former Yugoslavia. It highlights both the beauty and strangeness of Spomenik (WW2) monuments, some of which have been forgotten by the sands of time.” - Lord Dying
“Forget is about being underestimated, overlooked and doubted, but prevailing. Going from the butt of a joke to being impossible to ignore, being everywhere (like a meme!). A song for the haters.” - NIkki Yanofsky
“I believe that nothing is wasted, that even life's greatest challenges can produce something meaningful, even if only to make us more aware of and empathetic to the struggles of those around us.” - Laila Biali
Aphrose, photo by Jen Squires
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Caveboy, LIA, Best Coast, Union Duke, The Bros. Landreth, Aphrose and Yorkston/Thorne/Khan
By Will McGuirk
Have you ever wondered what fusion of music will occur as we collectively stumble around the internet gathering bits and bytes of tunes and traditions from across the globe. Who will mesh and mash-up and draw upon such treasures. What new sounds will emerge and what new world will be born from such creations. I wonder a lot about that but mostly I wonder who will be brave enough to seek.
"I wrote this EP as I was coming into myself. It was a period of my life when I learned how to love myself and what it meant to show myself respect. The root of this EP grew from the word resilience; Resilience in my mental health, as a woman and in my relationships. - LIA
"Sometimes the biggest holdback is that little voice in your head saying you can’t do what you really want to do, for fear of failure. It’s a song where I’m battling the inner demons in my mind, asking them ‘why you wanna bring me down?’ when all I want to do is at least try. We all battle with these voices and this came to me and sometimes confronting them is the best way to get ahead." - Aphrose