I attended GentleFest 2023 as a performing musician and received a complimentary ticket. I would be remiss not to mention this bias. Despite that, this review presents a sincere reflection of my experience.
An evening of trans + queer sound art and poetry (October 1 @ aceartinc.)
by maggie astrid clark photos by derek brueckner
As evidenced by September’s so-called “1 Million March 4 Children” and by recent legislation in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, we are living through a time of escalating fascist rhetoric against trans people and related political efforts to strip the most vulnerable of us of access to safe medical and social transitions. Amidst a backdrop of great uncertainty for the future of our communities, it was truly refreshing to attend an evening of Two Spirit, trans, and queer sound art and poetry at aceartinc. (206 Princess St.) on October 1.
The first full-length album by Paige Drobot is a veritable time machine, but not only because of its largely 70s-inspired aesthetic. She definitely took her time on this one, as all of the songs on the project first came into existence many years ago with her band, The Psychics. In fact, all of the songs on The Psychics–except for “Each Another’s Creation”–can be found on the 2016 release Live at the Graffiti Gallery, which was captured on the fourth anniversary of the original band’s formation, bringing us all the way back to 2012.
Friends and supporters of local “campus and community” radio station CKUW (95.9 FM) came out to the Good Will Social Club on Thursday, March 30 to wrap up the annual pledge drive in support of keeping CKUW listener-driven and free of paid advertising. It was an intimate gathering and a great opportunity not only to support the continued work of CKUW and its in-house music magazine, Stylus Magazine, but for the staff and volunteers to celebrate that work.
VVonder is a rock band born out of a noteworthy musical tie in Canada. A veritable mixture of the best local talent the heart of Winnipeg has to offer, this band consistently guarantees and lives up to soulful and highly entertaining rock music that resembles the early ’70s and late ’60s. VVoner takes the listeners on an existential journey throughout their new album Now And Again.
Living Hour is a Winnipeg-based indie band that has been around for almost a decade, and with the group having been in various jam spaces over the years, it was a pleasure to see their current setup in a beautiful living room in the heart of Osborne, filled with natural sunlight. Living Hour consists of members Sam Sarty, Gilad Carroll, Adam Soloway, and Brett Ticzon. It was through his links in the music scene that Carroll found Sam Sarty, who became the singer for Living Hour. Other members of the band, Adam Soloway and Brett Ticzon, were long-time friends with Carroll and visit the space regularly to write songs and jam.
Foxwell’s Just So EP is equal parts wacky and soulful, alien and human. The Winnipeg group are masters of orchestration, from stirring strings through mysterious feedback. Every hi-hat trill, every chiming synth, rings out clearly and deeply through a voluminous four-song setlist.
The following is an interview with Len Bowen, a Rap artist hailing from Winnipeg. Known for his lyrical prowess, Len has crafted a diverse catalogue of songs, ranging from soul-searching meditations to electrifying battle-ready verses. Here, we discuss his latest project, NTHN4GRNTD, and dive into what influenced it.
When a band releases their debut album in March of 2020, it’s got to have felt like a shoulder thrown right into the asphalt. However, the members of Death Cassette are back on their feet with the follow-up EP Get Rid of It, and it’s hard-hitting. All four members are the same since their formation back in 2018, led by frontperson Amanda Sousa, Lindsey Hawkes on guitar, Chuck Barchuk on bass, and Brock Macpherson on drums. As for the audio master of this project, it’s none other than John Paul Peters from Private Ear Recording (who – name drop — has recorded and produced for other bands such as Cancer Bats, Propagandhi, and Yes We Mystic).