Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Sarah Harmer, Motorbike James, Metz, The Flamingos Pink, Wolf Saga, Granny Smith, and State to State,

Will McGuirk December 2, 2020

By Will McGuirk

If the dusk could sing it would sing like Sarah Harmer. If I have regrets well they don’t amount to a hill of beans, but I was, I say reluctantly staring into the expanse of this waning year, looking forward to seeing Sarah on a string of festival dates I had projected for the summer months, I was guessing Mariposa for her, and Hillside, and Wolfe Island for sure, and some TO dates, I was looking forward to following the unwinding of her new album, ‘Are You Gone’ from one caravan to another, and hearing her sing into the dusk and hearing the dusk sing back. But I line up the blessings. So does Sarah in this welcome video for the track, “Little Frogs”, It is a reminder the remainder is up to you, so keep on keeping on and see the grace in the world you are staying put in. And lets hope we stay put long enough to hear the dusk sing live again.

“It’s not a literal interpretation of the song by any means, but a document of random firing synapses of the mind during isolation.” ~ Hayden Menzies, drummer for Metz, and director of the above video. Scott Cudmore, a pretty rad director in his own right, is the force behind the band’s recent livestream from the Opera House in TO, and you can get on that below. The Metz record, ‘Atlas Vending’, when I first heard the lead single I played it seven times in a row, the track was seven minutes long, but it was immediate and returnable and the whole record may just be the actual soundtrack for a global reaction to Covid-19, which is one long relentless throat open neck stretched veins popping roar of angst stricken rage!

“If you really pay attention, the story writes itself. A real trip down memory lane. Remember live shows? The feeling of closeness to strangers while getting pummeled by a tower of sound? This is the past. What’s next? Let’s close out this year strong and look straight ahead, steady as she goes. Keep surfin’ the waves and feeling the heat. Let’s ride this through. Best we ever had – the focus is on the good times.” ~ The Flamingos Pink

WOLF SAGA · Fall Out

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Ben Rogers, Zoon, METZ, Sylvan Esso, Ellyn Woods, Grace Gillespie, Hen Ogledd, and Steven Wilson

Will McGuirk September 22, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Some great tunes today on the Open Mic, musicians are not on stage but they are still working hard creating. In particular we welcome Ben Rogers back. He will be live-streaming an acoustic show from his BC base on Sep 27, 2020. Tickets here. Rogers is a mix of Andy Maize of the Skydiggers, Matt Mays and whole lot of empathy. He has a new video for an older track.

“During this pandemic that has affected us all, we can’t forget those hardest hit. Since the public health emergency there has been an increase in overdoses in Vancouver. This song is dedicated to the people of the streets of East Van who have lost their lives and those who are struggling to survive. They cannot be forgotten or abandoned." - Ben Rogers

First Nations musician Zoon (Daniel Monkman) has released his latest single and video, “Brokenhead,” from his debut album, ‘Bleached Waves’ issued on Paper Bag Records. back in June 2020 The song’s title comes from the Ojibway reserve where Monkman grew up and is a reflection on how he felt leaving family behind.

"I could see my dad and my uncle in the rearview mirror waving goodbye as distance between us grew further and further away. I felt a kind of Triumph and yet a rush of sadness/happiness. When I was recording the guitars, I kept focusing on that feeling." - Zoon

Buy the vinyl here ->

Monster noise-rockers METZ have announced a live-stream performance of their new album, ‘Atlas Vending’ plus they have released their new single and video, “Blind Youth Industrial Park.” METZ will be taking the full album live from the Opera House in Toronto on Oct 15 and 17, 2020. The album drops Oct 9 on Sub Pop and Royal Mountain Records.

“Something that is intrinsic to who we are as people has been taken away. We want, so badly, to find that feeling again, to forget the world for a moment, and share a brand new album that we love very much (plus some oldies) with you” - Alex Edkins

Buy the livestream tickets here ->

Buy the vinyl here ->

“It’s the centre of the record - a song about being obscured by someone’s loving impression. A mirror on a mirror.” - Amelia Meath

House of Youth · Ellyn Woods - Tangerine

Grace Gillespie · Hoppers

Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Arkells, Sameer Cash, summersets, Krief, Le Couleur, LAL, Sam Roberts Band, METZ, and the Happy Fits

Will McGuirk August 21, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Its time I think for all of us to take a breath. Its been one hell of a year. Although we collectively hit the pause button back in Spring its still been go go go, an incessant propulsive hammering of dread, and with the country opening up, schools back and bubbles enlarged that sense of dread is amplified. I miss festivals. I go annually to rejuvenate my soul. I need it, I need trees and water and dirt and campfires at dusk and sky, so much sky. But there are trees in my yard and sky between the buildings in my city and water a drive away so I have been getting my festival vibes in fragments but still getting them. So do yourself a favour, grab some campfire vibes, go small, go slow, choose time, choose tunes, where ever you can, however you can, find a moment; outside, away from it all, remove the mask and breathe in deeply. As deeply as you can, feel it as deeply as you can, fill your boots. . . , pause. . . , and then strap on the mask and get back in the fight.

“I kept trying to find ways of communicating this illusive feeling that seems to plague my generation. This access to everything, but the need for nothing – it manifests itself in all aspects of our lives, from relationships, to the internet.” - Sameer Cash

“As we took this journey without the noise, the people, and the parties in our warehouse apartment, along with the constant grind outside, I found beauty in the stillness of our block.” - LAL

"Essentially, in my mind, it comes back to the need for some light. A way forward. To shine some kind of bright light on the future, the path that we’re walking and not giving in to despair," - Sam Roberts

METZ releases 'A Boat to Drown In', new album 'Atlas Vending' drops in the Fall

Will McGuirk July 21, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Intriguing video and then the Furry shows up unleashing the fury of this new track from METZ. “A Boat to Drown In” is the first single from the upcoming album, ‘Atlas Vending’, which will be out October 9, 2020, on Royal Mountain/ Sub Pop.

The single is a relentless headbanger, a numbing number that weighs in at over 7 minutes! and opens up a whole ship’s container of anticipation for the album itself. Its also the musical equivalent of pounding out day after day, blow after blow, a bloodied beating of this pandemic.

Tracklist
1. Pulse
2. Blind Youth Industrial Park
3. The Mirror
4. No Ceiling
5. Hail Taxi
6. Draw Us In
7. Sugar Pill
8. Framed by the Comet’s Tail
9. Parasite
10. A Boat to Drown In

#SupportCanadianVenues - Federal aid requested by CIVC to support indie venues through Covid-19

Will McGuirk June 19, 2020

By Will McGuirk

Slowcity.ca doesn’t carry much weight with the big guys, with the industry, we rarely get PR from the majors and are never offered interviews with the famous. But thats Ok because we take pride in our ability to provide a platform for new voices, for new bands trying out new sounds. We are proud of our work with acts from Durham Region and we are very proud that two artists from our beat ( we have been at this for three decades remember) are speaking up for indie venues who are suffering tremendous losses during this pandemic. Indie live venues are very much part of the fabric of a slow city. And music matters more than ever, music heals and it begins in the smallest of places first.

“I spent most of my life growing up in these smaller venues playing shows, learning how to be a better band. And I think that they’re super important for the culture landscape, of at least my own city Toronto, and many other places. I think they deserve support, we need to help our independent venues because they’ll continue to help us” – Chris Slorach of METZ

"The Ministry of Heritage needs to see this Music Industry as an important aspect of Canadian Culture, and we're just looking for some guidance, and most importantly some support.” – Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene.

Of course there are cases where a bedsit artist uploads to Bandcamp and all of a sudden makes it huge but for most artists it is a slog from one indie venue to another, wearing the road as a badge and paying the dues. Small indie venues across Canada are where it happens. And they are under threat. Here in Durham Region the Music Hall in Oshawa has closed for good already. They are the not first and they will not be the last. We need action now.

The Canadian Independent Venue Coalition is made up of hundreds of concert venues, performance agencies, independent promoters/presenters, production companies and independent music festivals across Canada. They came together to address concerns around venue closures due to COVID-19. In collaboration with the Canadian Live Music Association and other industries, businesses and non-profit organizations, they are advocating for emergency support funding and an economic stimulus package for the independent Canadian live music and touring sector, which was the first to close and will be the last to open.

Here at Slowcity.ca we join with the CIVC in calling for the federal government to introduce specific relief and recovery assistance for the live music and touring sector.

Please share this call to action.

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