Gigs This Week: Matthew Good at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk January 22, 2023

By Will McGuirk

Matthew Good at the Biltmore Theatre Saturday, January 28, 2023. Tickets here.

Gigs This Week: Orson Wilds at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk January 15, 2023

By Will McGuirk

Orson Wilds at the Biltmore Theatre Saturday Jan 21 2023. Tickets here.

Gigs This Week: Ill Scarlett at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk December 11, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Ill Scarlett at the Biltmore Theatre Saturday Dec 17 2022. Tickets here.

Gigs This Week: Sat Dec 10 Concert to Feed the Need Durham at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk December 4, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Feed the Need in Durham collects and distributes food and other essentional items to over 60 emerency food providers across the Durham Region, including food banks, shelters, meal and snack programs and other social service agencies. They provide over 1.5 million meals to Durham residents annually.

Featuring Cale Crowe, Dipo D Voice, The Doozies, Tania Joy, New Moon Junction, Alicia Robicheau, Kent Sheridan, and Kalista Wilson. Tickets here.

Gigs This Week: Housewife, Rural Alberta Advantage at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk November 29, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Skye Wallace, photo by Mikki Simeunovich

Gigs This Week: Skye Wallace at the Biltmore Theatre, an interview

Will McGuirk November 22, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Whitby rock ‘n roller Skye Wallace rolls into Oshawa’s Biltmore Theatre Friday Nov. 25 2022 on the eve of the close of her cross-Canada tour. Wallace is on the road promoting her latest long player, ‘Terribly Good’ available via Six Shooter Records. Its an apt title for the record, in the Old Blighty sense of the phrase. The album follows her self-titled which won the 2020 OMAs for Album of the Year. Wallace is, as they say a star on the rise; Grant Lawrence over on the CBC says "Everything this woman does is with raw passion and musical power.".

We have to agree, ‘Terribly Good’ kicks off with a kick full of that passion and power so we reached out over email and Skye responded, terribly kind of her.

Slowcity.ca: Straight off the bat such a strong song, Who or what were you fighting tooth and nail, and where does that determination to continue come from?

Skye Wallace: “The song is definitely a reminder of how far you've come and everything you had to fight for to be standing where you are today. That can mean the doubters, the people that wanted to take you down a peg along the way, and even your own mind - sometimes the biggest obstacles to overcome are within. What the song has become for me is a reminder to look at your current life through the eyes of your younger self - it's easy to get too close to it and lose sight of the long path you've walked, but there's a power in recognizing what you want and how you've fought to achieve it.”

SC: There is a sense of celebration, of joy to the album, is it a celebration of self, of survival or. . . ?

SW: “Kind of all of those things. There's definitely an introspection to this record that made me dig deep and look at all the little messy pieces of being alive. I think you have to celebrate your Self in order to keep going and growing, or to just keep surviving. And you definitely have to celebrate the little things, which can be fun and exciting, but can even be just getting out of bed in the morning when you're going through a tough time. I think it's a celebration of all of those pieces of life that shine brilliantly when you look at them altogether.”

SC: Tell me about the recording of the album, done during the restrictions, what was that like?

SK: “Technology has come a long way and allowed for so much work to be done remotely - it felt great to keep the momentum going on the record during that time. But another thing that I felt I was afforded during the album's fruition was time, space to be introspective, to try new things, to really dig deep and think about it all. So often when things are busy, I can't even think straight. I can't access my real emotions. Too busy to look inward. That kind of existence was stripped away and left a very raw and vulnerable space to move through the creation of this project and I'm pretty grateful to have had that time and space. I think, too, that being mindful of that oversaturation and burnout is something that we all need to focus on now that we're becoming active and busy again. It's something I'm trying to stay on top of as things ramp up.”

SC: How has it been back out on stage, some people built up habits during lockdown that might be hard to break, and some took a second look at their lives and said nah!

SW: “That is very fair! It's not an easy life and it's certainly not for everyone. For me, taking a step back and asking myself whether I wanted to continue and being met with an inner resounding "yes" made it all very clear. Touring is a wild west world out there right now, but this tour has really filled my cup with full rooms and full hearts. Connecting with people over all these new songs and rocking out in person has felt immensely special.”

SC: It could be just me, but there are parts of the album, 'Keeper,' in particular that have a very sweet Lowest of the Low vibe, is it there? What have you learned from being around those guys?

SW: “We have been very lucky to have shared the stage with lots of awesome acts like The Lowest of the Low, Matt Mays, Crown Lands, and Sam Roberts, and all have been so incredibly welcoming and supportive - I don't take that lightly, it's a privilege to be friends with all these folks and to get to continue to learn so much from them. The Low have always been a big influence for me and that tour formed a very bonded friendship between all of us that felt rare and intimate. My band and I still hang out with them all and work with them in many capacities. I think it's been an amazing growing opportunity to learn from the Low, who have had such a prolific and well-respected career - they've been so influential in the Canadian rock scene and I love how political they've been with their platform. I think you're right in your observation about their influence around Keeper and the dynamic of the album, because I think that's another thing that LOTL does so well is that dynamic in their music. They can rock out while accessing real conversations and topics, and they can also strip it down and sing the most beautiful tender song and have it completely make sense in their set. I think that's something I strive toward and really look up to them in their ability to create these spaces and emotional dynamics in their musical landscape.”

Gigs This Week: Judgement at Biltmore Theatre Fri Nov 18

Will McGuirk November 16, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Our pals in Oshawa hardcore band Judgement have a single release show at the Biltmore Theatre Friday Nov 18 2022. They are great people, very sound and you should check them out. I think you will like them. We asked lead vox Evangelos Aivaliotis for the low-down.

“The single is called ‘Crashing Down’ and its already out, It was released on Nov 4th. It was produced by Julius Butty (known for Alexisonfire, Protest The Hero, and City And Colour) and co produced by Alexisonfire Guitarist Wade MacNeil.

As for the other bands on the bill… We are going on a 3 day run ( Nov 18th Oshawa, Nov 25th Toronto, Nov 27th St Catherine’s) with 97.7 hits FM Rock search winners Conversation.

“Conversation are an emerging post hardcore band from Toronto, Ontario. Their sound contains the echoes of early Underoath and Deftones, while still carving out their own punk rock attitude with pop sensibility.” -Spotify bio

The other 2 bands are Oshawa Boys, Paralysis and At This Point!. (Openers)

Paralysis is a new Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band that's taking the old school sound of the 80's and bringing it back to life in todays modern age music. -Spotify Bio

At This Point! is a Canadian post-hardcore band that formed in Oshawa, Ontario.” “If you consider you’re self as someone stuck in 2005, or just enjoy throwback sounds from the time period where it prevailed the most, then At This Point! might be a perfect addition to your playlist.” -Spotify Bio

Gigs This Week: Beyond The Sun at the Biltmore Theatre

Will McGuirk November 7, 2022

Beyond The Sun at Biltmore Theatre Friday Nov. 11 2022. Tickets here.

Local singer Haddix opens for Harm and Ease at Biltmore Theatre Fri Oct 21

Will McGuirk October 20, 2022

By Will McGuirk

“if you can’t move to it or feel something internally while listening – it just doesn’t feel authentic.” - Haddix

Happy to have had Haddix reach out via Instagram recently. The Brooklin, ON., raised singer/songwriter is opening for rock ‘n’ rollers Harm and Ease, and Pink Leather Jackets, at the Biltmore Theatre Friday Oct 20 2022. Haddix is a grad of the O’Neill CVI in Oshawa, and after submitting an album of her songs, hooked up with Nashville-based group OneOne7. She has six tracks available now and is working on her new record.

Get you tickets here and get there early for Haddix.

Gigs This Week: MONOWHALES at the Biltmore Theatre; an interview

Will McGuirk October 17, 2022

By Will McGuirk

Toronto-based alt-rock band MONOWHALES play The Biltmore Theatre in Oshawa Thursday October 20th. The three piece , Sally Shaar, Zach Zanardo, and Jordan Circosta, won the 2022 Breakthrough Group of the Year Juno but celebrations were short-lived as vocalist Shaar took time to deal with her own breakdown.

Post-Lockdown more and more artists are speaking out about their mental health issues and the physical health challenges of touring. MONOWHALES are among those opening up their private experiences to the public so we reached out to find out how collectively the band is doing and how their new album ‘Tunnel Vision’ was created during these trying times for the trio.

Slowcity.ca: Vocalist Sally Shaar has been quite open about mental health challenges she was experiencing and how she got through, I'm curious about how the other members in the band are feeling, and if they too are also experiencing or have experienced similar challenges and if yes what were their coping strategies?

Jordan Circosta: “Zach and I have both had our share of mental health challenges over the past couple of years. Since our relationships run so deep it’s not unusual for us to step up when Sally is struggling, as she does for us when we start losing our grip. For me specifically, my stuff tends to revolve around existential problems and feelings of alienation, so my coping strategies coming out of the pandemic involved a lot of connecting with my support system and reconnecting with art through creation and performance. Needless to say these were the most difficult things to access under lockdown and it took an enormous toll on my mental health. Therapy helps too, and I really can’t overstate the importance of proper nutrition and hydration as a foundation for mental health.”

SC: The lyrics on the album speak to these challenges of course, but when it comes to the music, was there an effort to channel those feelings through the music and if yes can you give me some examples?

JC: “Music and lyrics are two sides of the same coin, so we’re always trying to make the music support the lyrical content, and vice versa. The guitar solo in StuckintheMiddle is a great example of this - it was recorded at our rehearsal space before the sessions began, after we had lost touch with Sally and were uncertain if ‘Tunnel Vision’ would even get the chance to exist. It was the first take Zach played and when we were assessing if we should re-record it in studio, we decided it already was exactly what it needed to be, since it contained all the frustration and anxiety that is the central theme of that particular track.”

SC: Tunnel Vision as a title is so on the money; we all have tunnel vision, literally . What are the members doing to get out of that tunnel, and see beyond the very tight linear narrative tunnels are such great metaphors for?

JC: “Our focus as a group right now is to immerse ourselves in the experience of performing. After so long away from it, we’ve rediscovered our love of the stage, which is what brought us together as a band in the first place, far more than writing and recording music ever did. For us, the experience of our live shows is the most visceral, all-encompassing, “in the moment” feeling there is, and there’s nothing better than that to break us out of the tunnel vision and plunge us into reality.”