sound, phrase & fury 3.2

1Mar/apr 2015 • Sound, PhraSe, & Fury

2 Sound, PhraSe, & Fury • Mar/apr 2015


Editor-in-ChiEfJanet Adamana

AssoCiAtEEditor Ally Sigurdson

PromotionsdirECtorsteffshields

Contributors&PhotogrAPhyCrEdits

Dagmawit DejeneKristen Fisher

sPECiAlthAnksCasey Manierka-Quaile Kamilah Apong Miles Gibbons Alexei Orechin Georgina Callaghah Lisa Nicole Grace Pierre-Olivier Dufresne Marc Maziade Gabriel Castonguay Mathieu RoyerMalcolm Williams Matt RollandGrace Rolland Bekah Rolland Jen Sandoval Jesse AllenJordan Voth Matt VothJarrod Mikolajczyk Jorb Ngantian

sound,PhrAsE&fury is a Canadian music magazine out to help

promote musicians not usually covered in mainstream media. All music, photos and articles used are for the sole purpose of

spreading the knowledge of these artists and their music. We always encourage readers to

support every act through purchasing releases, merchandise and attending live shows.

Mar/Apr 2015

SPFspinyourthread 4 Note from the Editor

Everythinginbetween 6 Unbuttoned talks musical mash-ups

Ahistoryinthemaking 8 Callaghan and her new album, A History of Now

sPfrecommends 12 Our picks of artists to listen to

Pain+gain 16 Bleed American and their debut album, Figure It out

inreview 18 Our take on some new releases

[email protected]@soundphrasefury

facebook.com/soundphrasefury

&Sound-PhrASe-Fury.coM


SPin your threAdEditor’snotE

here at SPF, there is nothing that we love more than being in-troduced to new music that completely captivates us. It’s what we started this all for - to be the ears that musicians work so hard to reach.

We recently had the pleasure of attending the Folk Alliance International Conference & Music Fair – the world’s largest gathering of Folk musicians and industry professionals. Need-less to say we were like kids in a candy store! With hundreds upon hundreds of talented musicians and hours of endless showcases, it was hard not to be enthralled!

Within these pages are some of our favourites from FAI 2015 – although there were way more than what we can fit. We hope as we continue to do what we set out to do and scour the globe for the best of the best, you’ll find a musician (or a few) that really connect with you. Because really, that’s all us artists ever want to do.

Janet AdamanaEditor-in-Chief

togetherwewillshare


Facebook.com/AestheticHeartPromotions


“Labels are just really limiting,” says vocalist/key-boardist, Kamilah Apong. Unbuttoned tries to keep from being classified as any one genre but listeners can pinpoint various musical influences in their songs including electronic, R&B, pop, soul, and rock. “We’re sort of a compilation of our influences,” says the band’s other vocalist/key-boardist Casey Manierka-Quaile, better known as Casey MQ. “We’re who we listen to. We’re who we talk to, and who we interact with.”

Unbuttoned originated in a basement where high-school friends Apong and Manierka-Quaile, cre-ated the band. Since then, Unbuttoned has seen

ProfilE

Unpredictable, spontaneous, risky & evolving - just a few words to describe the musical ensemble unbuttoned.

The four-piece Toronto band refuses to limit themselves to any one category, in turn offering audiences a sound completely unlike any other.

everything in between


ProfilE

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photo & words By dagmawit dejene

everything in betweenseveral line up changes, but currently the group consists of Manierka-Quaile, Apong, drummer Miles Gibbons, and guitarist Alexei Orechin.

Their music can go from upbeat pop, (“Listening to Me”), to synthetic electro, (“My Dealer”), to soulful R&B, (“One Mind”). They are definitely not afraid to try any style, yet their music still remains true to their own unique sound. This fearless ex-ploration is also prominent in their music videos, which carry a unique, artistic element not seen anywhere else. “We’re kind of evolving a little bit right now,” says Gibbons, “and we’re getting ready to give birth to that.”

Though their latest album, Planes, was only released a few months ago, the group hints that they are currently working on some new music, different from what they’ve done before. The band has also been touring across North America, and has recently taken up a residency in a local pub at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. “We played at the [Ryerson University] Parade + Picnic back in September, and opened up for Naz,” said Apong. “They asked us to come back, so I guess we did well.”

Get a copy of Planes at Unbuttoned.Bandcamp.com. Like them Facebook.com/Unbuttoned.

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JA:tellmeallaboutcomingfromtheuktonashville.thatsoundslikesuchacrazystory.gC:I am a huge Shawn Mullins fan. I’ve listened to his music religiously and his album, Soul’s Core changed my life. That album was so amazing and I thought, if I could have anyone produce my album it would be Shawn. So in 2009, Myspace was the place to be. I was Myspace ‘friends’ with Shawn, and I thought, I’m just going to send him a mes-sage. It’s probably not going to work but what’s the harm? A couple of weeks later I got a reply from him saying ‘hey, I listened to your songs and I just love what you’re doing. I’d really like for us to work together. Do you want to come to Atlanta and record a couple of songs?’ I couldn’t believe that had worked. When I came over [to Atlanta] I got talking to his sound engineer, Kip Conner. Kip had been on Myspace and saw my message. He had heard my name from somewhere else and

said to Shawn, ‘you have to listen to this girl.’ I’m so grateful that Kip did that. It was crazy. I came over in 2009. We did three songs together and I went back to the UK and back to my job. Shawn said he really wanted to do the whole album, and have me go on tour with him. So at that point I thought I need to move to America and really give this a good shot. Initially, I thought I’d be here for a year. That was nearly five years ago! (laughs) It’s been a crazy time.

JA:Whoknewalittlee-mailcouldgetyousofar.gC:Yeah, and you think the decisions you make could totally change the course that you’re on. You just never know what makes a connection with someone. I definitely have that whole outlook on life now -that you’ve just got to try it and see.

A historyCallaghan’s journey to become a full-time musician began with one simple e-mail and the decision to chase her dreams in a land across the sea. In just a mere five years, the British singer/songwriter has already lived a life every musician dreams about – from recording and touring with her biggest idol to setting up roots in America’s music capital. Callaghan takes us through her crazy, beautiful life, and her highly-inspirational new album, A History of Now.

in the making

A lot of my songs touch on that - living life to the fullest, trying to get as much

out of it as you can

words by Janet adamana


JA:Alotofyoursongsareaboutthat.doyouthinkthat’ssomethingthatwillalwaysbeabigpartofyourmusic?gC: I think so. I know a lot of my songs touch on that - living life to the fullest, trying to get as much out of it as you can and really experiencing it all. Obviously everyone goes through hard times as well but you’ve got to just embrace it all and think ‘this is what I want my life to be like. I’m going to try and get there.’

JA:tellmeabitmoreaboutyournewalbum,A History of Now.gC: It’s a really happy album. There’s a lot of up tempo, positive songs on it. It’s a little more to-wards the pop end of things than my previous album, but it’s still firmly in the singer/songwriter genre. Dennis [Matkosky] and I experimented with the new and the old. We had some really fantastic Nashville musicians come play on the record and also had Casey Brown from Owl City. He did some

tracks for it to give it a more modern edge. We also recorded a lot of it to tape, so it has this kind of warm analog sound, with some modern stuff thrown in there.

JA:Anysignificancetothetitle?gC:It came from the theme of the album, which is looking at your life, about the decisions that you make and the things that sometimes seem insignif-icant at the time but when you look back you think ‘wow that took me here.’ Now, people are look-ing back at their family tree and ancestry and are fascinated by the lives that people lived and their stories. It’s kind of about how you’re doing that right now, you’re writing your own history.

Pre-orders of A History of Now are available on iTunes and include instant downloads of “Noah’s Song” & “Best Year 2015.” The album comes out April 7. Like Callaghan at Facebook.com/Callaghanmusic

in the making

A lot of my songs touch on that - living life to the fullest, trying to get as much

out of it as you can

Q&A

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Ending 2014 with an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign for her debut album, folk outfit bArtA, gears up for an incredible new year. Singer/songwriter Ashley Bart is the driving force behind BARTA, melding folk, touches of bluegrass and country, with her pure and pleasing vocals completely captivating you in song. Along with a debut album release in the summer, music videos and a long list of shows are also in the works for BARTA this year.

bartafolk - winnipeg

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/BArtAMuSic - twitter.com/bartamusic - soundcloud.com/bartasound

Techno-folk – Yes, that is a real thing, thanks to the innovative musicians behind, MAZ. The Montreal-based quartet meld the elements of Québe-cois folk, sultry jazz and old school funk, with the new age movement of electronica and indie-pop, overall reinventing and expanding the param-eters of traditional folk. With accolades such as a Juno nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year and seven Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for their debut album, Télscope’s and sophomore release, Chasse-Galerie, the group have already seen much recognition for their promising musicality early on. With their beautifully unconventional sound and their outstanding and energetic on-stage performances, MAZ is sure to continue to wow audiences around the world.

MAZfolk/jazz/electro-pop- montreal

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12 sound,PhrAsE,&fury• MAR/APR 2015


espacemaz.ca - Facebook.com/ espacemaz


lisanicolegrace is one of those memorable singer/songwriters whose music instantly coos you into a calm and happier place. With an allur-ing voice and lyrics reminiscent of an honest heart-to-heart from a wise friend, Lisa Nicole Grace, undoubtedly reaches her listeners where it matters most.

Her current album, Tree of Life, boasts a wondrous collection of jazz, traditional folk and contemporary pop. The Edmonton-based artist can be compared to the greats like Sheryl Crow and Jann Arden, although adding her own personal touches and pouring passion into every word, Lisa Nicole Grace is quickly developing her own musical legacy.

lisanicolegrace.com - twitter.com/lisanicolegrace - instagram.com/lisanicolegrace

MAZ lisanicolegrace

acoustic/folk/pop - edmonton

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espacemaz.ca - Facebook.com/ espacemaz


ArtisttoWAtCh

Bleeding his personal anecdotes of love, loss, hope and hopelessness onto a backdrop of acoustic and pop intricacies, familythief has an impeccable knack for pulling at your heartstrings.

The California-based indie-acoustic outfit is set to release his new EP, King Of The Floor early 2015. The EP serves up a taste of Family Thief’s overall evolution as he refreshes his acoustic singer-songwriter sound with a mix of pop and rock elements. Always an open and honest man, Family Thief ’s music takes you through an exhilarating ride of emotions, paving an easy access into his heart and creating the ultimate path of human connectivity.

Family thief

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facebook.com/Familythief - twitter.com/familythief - familythief.bigcartel.com

acoustic-pop- twenty-nine palms

run boy run



Brandon exports, Slow Spirit, breathe new life into the folk-pop genre with their brand new EP, Bad News. Melting together soulful vocals and deep, somber poetry with a backdrop full of jazz, dreamy sonic touches, and otherworldly explorative sounds, the EP’s ghostly, celestialnature, coos you into another realm.

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/Familythief - twitter.com/familythief - familythief.bigcartel.com

run boy runPut on a runboyrun record and allow yourself to be completely en-thralled. With their blend of classical, bluegrass and modern folk, matched with their skilful storytelling and elegant harmonies, the Tuc-son, Arizona troupe transports listeners into another soulful era. Taking inspiration from the old-fashioned sounds of the South, Run Boy Run has breathed new life into the Bluegrass genre with a dash of youthful exuberance and a captivating stage performance. With their albums, So Sang the Whippoorwill and Something to Someone already making waves in their hometown, Run Boy Run is on a fast-track to capturing the hearts of audiences around the world.

bluegrass/classical- tucson

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runboyrunband.com - facebook.com/runboyrunband- twitter.com/runboyrunband15MaR/aPR 2015 • sound,PhrAsE,&fury



JA:fromthetimeyoustartedinearly2014tonow,whathasbeenthebiggestchangeyou’vegonethroughasaband?JV: We’re a fair bit tighter than we were when we started. The recording process this time around was a fair bit easier. It took three weeks to do the whole album, from the first note to master-ing. The EP took two weeks, but that was only 5 songs. So those 5 songs took two weeks and these 9 songs took 3. It was also pretty easy to do. There wasn’t really any pressure to out-do the EP or any-thing. We didn’t publically say we were recording at all either so there weren’t too many people who knew that it was happening. I think people had a general idea that we were going to be recording

but we weren’t keeping anyone updated with that process. Sometimes it’s just nice to work.

JA:youcantellyouguyshavedevelopedamuchmorecohesivesound.youcanhearasongandthink,‘yeahthat’sbleedAmerican.’sohowdidyouguysdecidethiswaswhatbleedAmericanwasgoingtobe?imeanit’sonethingtosaywe’regoingtoplaypop-punkbutthere’ssomanyotherelementspulledintothat.JV: Some of the things that come with our sound were deliberate right from the start, like guitar styles, using less distortion. The clean guitars were a big part of it and the dual vocal play was some-

Q&A

pain + gain


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loCAllovE

In their much-anticipated debut album, Figure It Out, the boys of bleedAmericanpull inspiration from dark painful pasts and meld it into a record that’s equal parts moving, cathartic, spirited and downright impressive, deeming the quartet a spot in the pop-punk Hall of Fame.

Vocalist/guitarist, Jordanvoth, takes us through the highs and lows of writing and recording and the public’s ever-growing opinion that they’ll be the genre’s saving grace.

Q&A

-thing we wanted to do a bit more of. I think it came out with a bit more of that where the vocals play off of mine and Matt’s [Voth] different voices. That, and the use of dynamics to create drama and such - that’s basically where that signature sound comes from.

JA:there’smuchdeepercontentonthisrecordthanthelast.CanyougothroughwhatFigure It Outisallabout?JV: The whole album is themed around the break-up of my family as a result of my mother’s alcoholism. There are two songs on the album that are not about that – “Bloom” and “Disregard.” “Bloom” is about a person that I don’t like and “Disregard” is about a person that I do like. The other seven songs all deal with the events that happened which lead to the breakup of my family.

JA:didyoufinditwasabigemotionalreleasewhileyouwerewriting?JV: There are some lyrics that I sang for the first time while recording and I choked up when I sang them. There were some spots that I hear and it still has a lot of weight to me. Some of the stuff I’m singing about are on-going issues but yeah, it was pretty relieving. Lyrically, it’s very much an album we can all relate to. All four of us have this kind of family history. Of course Matt and I because we’re brothers but Jarrod [Mikolajczyk] and Jorb [Jordan Ngantian] also identify with the issues addressed in our songs. That’s pretty

remarkable to me. But as relieving as it is it’s also a bit stressful because my mom’s going to hear that. People that I know are going to hear it and are going to know what it’s about. That’s pretty stressful.

JA:therearealotofpeoplesayingthatthisistherecordthatprovespoppunkisnotdeadormaybeneverwas.What’syourtakeonthatwholething?JV: It never was. It hasn’t really gone away. Wheth-er it’s a genre that’s in vogue or not I don’t think getting too caught up in what a genre of music is, is of any merit. There are great songs in absolutely every genre from rap to metal to hard rock to pop and R&B. I don’t think it’s so important that we bring pop punk back but that we write strong songs. There are already a lot of bands – a lot of local bands -that write strong songs.

Obviously that’s a genre that, maybe we’re not to-tally immersed in now, but we definitely grew up loving so it is flattering. But it’s way more impor-tant that we write good songs, and not necessarily to save a genre that hasn’t died. It’s about writing, taking thoughts and feelings and putting them out there, in a way that is meaningful. Figure It Out is available for digital download on through Bandcamp and iTunes. Like Bleed Ameri-can at Facebook.com/BleedAmericanMusic.

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pain + gainwords by Janet adamana


the young evils

Review by Kristen Fisher

inrEviEW

for punk enthusiasts that have handed their hearts over to pop production, theyoungEvilsout of Se-attle, Washington induces a much needed energy.

What started out as Vaseline pop cover band from two respected record store owners, grew into a band that would eventually consist of mackenziemercer(Vocals), troynelson (Vocals & Guitar ), brendonhelgason (Bass), michaellee (Guitar ) and scott helgason (Drums). Understanding Mercer and Nelson’s love for the darker side of 80’s music, they clearly translate the possibility of mak-ing music that can hold high regard for that par-ticular era.

The Young Evils have felt the presence of every push and pull that a major label can indict when it comes to signing your name on the dotted line. Thankfully, the band found their way through the fog and came out with control over the music they created. Their latest EP, False Starts, is a preview of such homecoming, bringing forth the ultimate destiny that can either be doomed to fail or prevail in the highest light. For The Young Evils prevailing and pushing through by making the sounds they choose, shows that musicians still have the right of way when it comes to songwriting and captur-ing the waves of noise they record. The Young Evils pull off a 6 track album with the only craving you’re

left with is wanting more.

TheYoungEvils.Bandcamp.com

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18 sound,PhrAsE,&fury• MAR/APR 2015

False Starts

19Mar/apr 2015 • Sound, PhraSe, & Fury 19

inrEviEW

TheAutopilots serve up some juicy hits with their new release, 10¢ Lemonade.

The Winnipeg-based alt-rock quartet return to Garfield Studios to create their debut EP. Pulling the best elements from the likes of thesubways, foofighters and even the grunge kings and queen of garbage; The Autopilots present a solid rock and roll record. Stocked full of gloomy introspec-tive musings slathered across their signature in-your-face riffs and energetic drums, 10¢ Lemonade captures the group’s evident musical prowess and newly fortified sound.

The EP kicks off in high-gear with opener, “Draw the Line,” a riff-heavy grunge meets dance-rock and indie track. Oozing pure rock goodness, this track perfectly encapsulates the depth and skill of every band member. The emotional and captivat-ing “Happy” balances out the record while allowing you a second to catch a breath before overdosing on energy with “Timebomb” and closer, “View From The A.M.”

All in all, 10¢ Lemonade does not disappoint – such a perfect record to quench your thirst for real rock

roots. &

the autopilots10¢ Lemonade

Review by Janet Adamana

Facebook.com/theautopilotsband

19MaR/aPR 2015 • sound,PhrAsE,&fury

sound, phrase & fury 3.2

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