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The funk comes fast and furious
The Pejoratives - August 2007 - #12

Funk and food. Two things that have always gone well together, and not just due to the catchy alliteration. On June 19th The Pejoratives were at the Clocktower on Bank to deliver their full menu of instrumental creations, and they were spicy. They're a four piece team with Blip Zimmerman on guitar, Aaron Wrightly on keys, Simon "The Non-Conformist" Gray on bass, and Michael Wrightly on drums.
The funk comes fast and furious at their shows and they generally get the crowd of heads bobbing withing the few bars of their opening tracks. Despite most of the tracks being named after food (and Blip swears this isn't his doing) they sound like they'd be more at home as the soundtrack to a '70s car chase scene than in the kitchen. The songs are well put together and never leave the listener thinking that there's something missing as can often be the case with instrumental bands, especially when they do covers. But the familiar melodies and hooks blend seamlessly with their own material, and "cover" might not be quite the right term, as it's more like a DJ dropping in a familiar chorus or verse over his own beat.
The recognizable tracks mixed in ranged from The Rolling Stones to Herby Hanckock but the proverbial cherry is most definitely hearing Europe's "Final Countdown" in all it's funked-up glory. Truly spectacular, and if one riff was ever worth the full price of admission, it's this one.
These guys also make a great case for hauling around hundreds of pounds worth of gear when modern digi-equipment would do the job. Rhodes pianos and guitars blasting through tube amps are one of the great aural delicacies of this generation, and it's good that there are still guys out there willing to sweat, bruise, and throw out backs to make it possible. One modern piece of equipment that they've recently added to the ensemble is a multitrack recording setup, so anything you can hear them play live will generally appear on their website within a few days.
One rather curious happening at the show was some impromptu self promotion by one of the members of Donkeypunch, who set up a merch table in front of the band while they were playing, selling Donkeypunch-loaded memory sticks that may or may not have also contained a track from the band that was actually playing that night. Strange, but then again so is a band named Donkeypunch (check Urbandictionary.com) having a mostly young twenty-something female following. Ah well, back to the band at hand.
The Pejoratives do a great job of holding the listeners' attention throughout their sets; Aaron and Blip play off each others' leads well, exchanging musical ideas rather than just waiting their turn to assert technical dominance. The rhythm section is tight and just as you think the pace is going to kill all of them they can stop on a dime showing that while much of the material is improvised there's also been some dedicated rehearsals put into the performances.
You can catch these guys at the Clocktower monthly. The guys are also in the process of firming up an early September show at the Avant Garde and as always have a full menu of snackable tracks on their website: www.thepejoratives.ca/. KK
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Antizario @ The Mercury Lounge August 2007 - #12

On Saturday, June 22 while Ottawa's masses flocked to the jazz festival to see Dave Brubeck Quartet, Antizario took to the stage at the Mercury Lounge to debut their new line-up. A bold move considering the number of talented acts in town that evening. But those that did were treated to eclectic sets that mixed the tried and true melody making instruments with effects racks and laptops.
Ritallin warmed up the room with a very strong solo performance that included spoken word, singing and hip-hop. One of the highlights of his set was an a capella piece about the plight of people brought to Canada under the Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program. A subject not too many people have heard about, but they definitely received an education on the matter that night. There is something to be said for a performer that can hold a crowd with just his voice and such raw subject matter.
Antizario is made up of Dave Halbisky on tenor sax and keys, Chris Naylor on trumpet avec funky mute and guitars, Alun Davies on bass, and Matt Aston on drums. Mad-hatter percussionist Dr. Lee filled out the rhythms on hand drums and Ritallin returned to the stage for several tracks to add vocals to the mix. Their bio describes them as a bunch of music nerds with a lot of gear, and they do in fact have a lot of gear in their stage setup. What first looked a chaotic arrangement of cables and pedals before the show started came to life in a very well put together performance and fit well with the dozens of locally generated paintings that lined the walls of the room.
The songs all have the mood and atmosphere that create the movie in your head that they should be the soundtracks to. Psychedelic cop movies, suspenseful thrillers, they're all there. (Details of said movies will differ from listener to listener.)
Halbisky and Naylor's extensive array of effects are put to good use adding a very modern sounding layer to a horn section that sounds a lot bigger than it is. Halbisky's lead lines blended seamlessly into well phrased backing notes. Naylor added some interesting sound-scapes by playing the effects themselves, creating delay loops and then going to work on them with filter sweeps. Aston and Dr. Lee played off each other very well, bringing some serious thunder to the rhythm section. Davies' bass lines were silky smooth with some well-placed harmonics adding to the depth of their sound. He is also well versed in processor manipulation and gets full style points for implementing the bass-wah.
Several shows are in the works for the summer and will be listed when solidified on the obligatory myspace page. Their latest CD "It's Great To Be Fine" is ready and available for mass consumption. pp
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Pride Tiger
Saturday, June 9th Zaphod Beeblebrox August 2007 - #12

On my way to a wedding reception in Aylmer that was guaranteed to go until the wee hours of the morn, I stopped in at Zaphod's to catch the Vancouver quartet tear up the stage for the second time this year. A little disclaimer: I missed the Mighty Eagle Band's set and I wasn't a big fan of Die Mannequin's, so I'm going to get straight to the point. Pride Tiger is a prime example of record geeks bringing their love of vinyl to the stage. No, not PVC pants, but good ol' fashioned records spinning at 331/3, with all the snaps, crackles and pops intact. Unapologetically steeped in the 70s, their sound rivals Thin Lizzy's, but without a hint of disingenuity, constantly progressing from one powerful riff to the next, and supported by a musical virtuosity combined with a flair for what makes an audience move. This is what happens when four guys with record collections that barely fit in their apartments get together to play music, and they provides more than enough decibels on stage to keep the whole bar shaking. Consider their history (drummer/vocalist Matt Wood and guitarists Bob Froese and Sunny Dhak were once part of "battle metal" band 3 Inches of Blood, while bassist Mike Payette was a member of hardcore act STREETS), and it's no wonder that they've been picked up by EMI Canada for their debut record The Lucky Ones, which was also produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet). Add on to that the fact that they put their entire album up on their myspace site a week before its release and I think you have pre-emptive evidence of greatness. They share their tunes and inspiration openly with their fans and they leave it all on stage, asking little in return except for a smile and that maybe you move a bit when they're playing. Isn't that what rock and roll's all about in the first place? JP
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River City Junction @ The Avant Garde August 2007 - #12

In a world of busy people being fed instructions off of tiny screens, working late and vacationing little there is something to be said for unwinding with several pints and a few sets of straight-up roadhouse rock. A good source for the latter is River City Junction, who frequents stages around Ottawa and the surrounding area.
Caroline Addison handles lead vocals with a thick, throaty voice that lends itself nicely to the bands raw blues sound. She also plays the role of drummer. Pairing those two tasks together is not an easy thing to do, and Addison does a stellar job considering she only started doing it in November.
Jason Fryer brings a wall of sound to the mix with a classic Gibson and tweed-faced amp combo filled out nicely with an old school pedal board at his feet. He switches well between roles of lead and rhythm with an arsenal of different effects and textures that adds a very rich dynamic to the band.
Tom Joanisse brings the melodies and beats together on bass rounding out a very technically proficient three-piece band. Their original pieces sound right at home among the Cream, Hendrix, and other classic tracks that fill out their sets. The band also shows a great work ethic staying on stage when others would already be well into their second pitcher at the bar.
The band's been busy in their home studio working on an album that should be available in the near future; they can often be seen at the Avant Garde on Fridays. pp
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Uncooperatives w/ Harshey and The Fucking Machines - Saturday, June 2nd at Irene's
August 2007 - #11

The mood was downright giddy on Saturday night. The Senators had just trounced the Ducks-although in hindsight, this wouldn't have brightened the mood of any in attendance had they known the result-it was a balmy evening, and the steady flow of booze refreshed all those coming in from the Sens Mile (well, maybe there weren't that many frequenters of that local cesspool of sporting fandom present). Taking the stage after the game, the Fucking Machines played a frantic set designed to be performed in between periods. It was a hardcore clinic that clocked in at precisely 20 minutes of full-bore punk rock destruction put on by five guys drunker than their audience. Saying this of any other group would surely evoke an image of stumbling, mumbling incomprehensible chaos, but of the Machines, it's simply picture perfect execution of a game plan. Perhaps a bit raw for most to start out the evening, but it kicked things off on the perfect note after such a frazzled nail-biter of a game. Harshey quickly followed, providing their usual solid set of classic punk mixed with prog/stoner elements, but the evening belonged to the headlining Uncooperatives, a group with about as much hardcore pedigree as one could ask for in this town. The history shows through every riff, arrangement and most of all in the intensity of their live performance. Front man Geoff Lindley flails around as much off stage as on, smashing into anyone that cares to engage in some moshing with him, while the entire band remains the picture of serenity. Hard to imagine, seeing as destruction is what they're feeding their audience. The riffs are fast and loud, but never sloppy-reminiscent of speed metal at times - the bass sits well in the mix and the drums… I could go on and on about Yarick's (sorry if I spelled it wrong) precise yet relentless drumming style, but I think you get the point. JP
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The Mongrels, June 30th at Irene's
August 2007 - #12

Rock and roll is a sweaty game and Saturday June 30 at Irene's Pub was no exception. Thanks to a great bill set up by Muffler Crunch’'s Angie the Barbarian, Montreal's The Mongrels hit town and blew away a small but enthusiastic river of open ears. While Montreal's scene is more nationally known for the pop stylings of bands like Arcade Fire, The Besnard Lakes or The Dears, The Mongrel's fit in more with the scene that houses such bands as Bionic, Starvin' Hungry or Tricky Woo - which is fitting considering that members of the Mongrels are in Bionic (drummer Tim Dwyer) and Tricky Woo (guitarist Andrew Dickson). Add in Blood Sausage's bassist Steven Ludzik and a second (yes, SECOND!) drummer in Local Rabbits' Jason Tustin, and you have a thunderous groove machine akin to Monster Magnet and Kyuss at their finest and most majestic in stoner rock anthems. Add a powderkeg of a singer in Amy Turok (who was clearly born to rock) and you have the makings of one hell of an entertaining night. Amy's powerful voice had traces of Carole Pope or Detroit's Motor Dolls, but at the same time was distinctly her own. Great riding riffage, Valkyrie thunder double drum attacks, and a throat that could rumble the nads of the God of War himself, The Mongrels hit Ottawa hard and quick and left a rubble of smiles. Can't wait for the upcoming CD release. JG

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ON A MISSION FROM GAD
Ottawa's Million Dollar Marxists
Are Out to Redefine Punk Rock
August 2007 - #12
From the moment Million Dollar Marxists' front man Luke Martin shoved a burned copy of their first demo into my hand in 2001, it was obvious that the band was going to be a hot commodity. "Shit, man, it sounds hot… I think", he said. It's as hard to disagree with him now as it was then. No other local band had managed to combine the vocals of Eric Davidson (New Bomb Turks) with the frantic pace and intensity of Electric Frankenstein in that day. Now, this may not mean too much to your average music enthusiast, but I lived and breathed these bands at that time, so I had an inkling of the potential these guys had.
Sure enough, they've shown themselves to be road warriors since then, playing several hundred shows -during which they expend more energy than a goddamn hockey team in Canada, the US and Europe, releasing their debut album, 2004's Give It A Name, on American hot rod record label Gearhead, and never looking back. Well, that's not entirely true. After a split with Gearhead, the Marxists have laid roots back down in Ontario, and are now calling St. Catharines-based punk label Stumble their new home. The Marxists are currently on a month-long tour promoting their first release on the new label, Zero Culture, and Upfront managed to catch Luke during a rare moment of solitude -presumably on the can, because that's the only time you get alone on the road- to talk about the tour, the label split and some delicious dried beef by-products.
UpFront: So how's the tour going?
Luke Martin: Well, we've only played one show so far. We did get caught in a torrential downpour in Kenora and now we're in Winnipeg and it's 50 degrees outside. We've all seen Davey naked many times already so I guess it's going well.

UP: You took a one-off date in Sudbury before heading to BC for a week before officially kicking off the tour. Was this just to have fun and relax before getting on the road or was there an official reason?
LM: There are only so many places in Canada to play and there are even less that will let us play. It was really just the way the tour was routed. We would have liked to play a few shows out west but nothing came together
UP: What's been the general response to the new record?
LM: Well, we really haven't played too much since the record came out so it's difficult to judge what the audience thinks. All the reviews have been really good though. Whatever that means.

UP: There's a generally darker feel to Zero Culture, kind of reminiscent of the way The Damned started lightening up on the punk rock in favour of more cultured, darker sounds. Although there are still a couple of anthemic -or at least super-catchy- punk tunes on the record, there's more of a songsmithing feel to it.
LM: It is definitely a darker record than anything that came before it. That wasn't a conscious thing. Just the general mood that I guess affected the writing process when we were working on the album. It's funny, a lot of the newer songs we've been working on lately have a fair bit of pop in them so maybe the next record will be rollicking fun times.

UP: [bassist] Johnny O told me a while back that he produced the record. Did that affect the recording process and the overall sound of the record?
LM: Johnny's a meticulous person and he spent a lot of time thinking about the sound he wanted and then working to get it. I think he did a great job. The record sounds really good. I don't think most people understand what we are about so finding a producer outside of the band is always going to be a problem. Him and Phil Shaw Bova (who engineered) came up with something pretty unique and that, if anything, is our ultimate goal.

UP: Davey (local soloist, Male Nurse, among his many side-projects) joined the band a while back on second guitar and keyboards right around the time the sound started changing a bit. Was his joining the band the kick-off in a new direction, or was this already a trend that was in progress?
LM: Davey definitely adds a new dimension to our sound, one that we all really like but I think we were headed into a different area anyway. We had wanted to add another person to the band for along time but with touring and stuff it was hard to make that happen.
There were really only a couple people that we were really hoping would be interested in joining and Davey was #1 on that very short list.

UP: The first record was released on [California-based] Gearhead Records, but you've stated more than once that the label didn't really do anything for you guys. Why the split?
LM: I think the problem with Gearhead was that they didn't understand Canada. They have a really bad habit of biting off more than they can chew. Plus we don't care about cars or tattoos which was in conflict with they're narrow marketing skills.

UP: How's Stumble Records treating you?
LM: Stumble is great. The main reason they're great is because they worry about Canada only. They're not trying to sell our record in Russia. Steve Stumble is a down to earth guy that likes music and has been putting out records for ten years. He has his shit together and not his head up his ass. What else could you ask for in a label?

UP: How was it shooting the video for X-Street?
LM: Our friend Cory from Arrow In Animals shot it. We spent something like sixteen hours in the basement of Arlington on one of the hottest days of last August. All that sweat pouring off our hideous mugs is the real deal. None of that fancy Hollywood sweat in a can for us. The extras had a hard time they were wearing execution hoods and had they're wrists duct taped for hours. We ordered pizza for them and I had a slice. Anyway, I had pretty bad breath by the middle of the day and I felt bad because I was basically spitting lyrics in to this one girl's face. She said she thought it was funny but it was actually just gross.

UP: Finally, what brand of beef jerky do you prefer to dine on? No, seriously. LM: No one else is around so here's my two cents: On our first tour we thought it would be funny to eat every different kind of beef jerky we found. Well it was really just Rich (formerly of the Sick Fits) and I thought it would be funny. We ate beef jerky a few times a day for the better part of a week. When Rich bought this tin of shredded jerky that was supposed to be like chewing tobacco I swore I would never eat another piece of that shit ever again. And I haven't. Nor shall I. Ever.

I still can't believe he had an answer to that.

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talkin trash August 2007 - #12
Tokyo Sex Whale will be dropping their debut slab of hot wax this July at Babylon, courtesy of Last Drag Records and Birdman Sound. A ferocious yet well honed behemoth of an LP: thunderous drum tracks wrapped around bowel evacuating low end thrust, and enough Big Muff guitar riffage to make Fu Manchu's Scott Hill blush.
On a tepidly humid June evening, I had the chance to porchsit with these sonic miscreants after they had finished wrapping up their own rehearsal, and I my own...this is what was said:

Yogi: Are we being serious about this interview?
JP: Half serious....
upfront: I don't know, you can be as serious as you want to be.
Yogi: What if instead we asked you your own questions?
upfront: That would be crazy...
JP: Wouldn't crazy be something people on "pot" would do?
Julia:: People on "pot"???
JP: Sorry, on "the pot"...sorry
we don't smoke weed.
Yogi: I'm gonna ask you the first question... you and Julia, how did you guys hook up?
All: hahahahhhahahahahha
JP: Is that your first question?
Julia: Through JP. See it comes back too.....
Yogi: Because I have a theory, and my theory is that you both got skreedled, because apparently that is a verb now...
All: (laughter).
Yogi: ....Because all weekend I heard it from Shawn (jam hill), "skreedle this and skreedle that."
JP: Do you want some more chips?
Yogi: No, I'm alright.
Julia: Didn't we get skreedled and jam , Yogi?
JP: Yeah we got skreedled, at the bar...
Yogi: We got skreedled somewhere and then we went to my basement.
Julia: We got skreedled at the Aloha, and then you (Yogi) came up to us and said...
JP: That’s not how it started.
Julia: We were skreedled, and we showed up, and Yogi was there, and he said "lets make an album. Lets go to my place, you guys wanna jam?"
JP: See I've been talking to Yogi for like fucking forever...
Yogi: ...That's how I used to pickup girls...
JP: That's right..See I'd been talking to Yogi forever, and Julia was coming back from Montreal, and she played bass and we've known each other for fucking forever, so I said "we gotta start a band" and got Yogi interested, and then one day we were skreedled and we decided to go.....
Julia: Well you picked up two girls that night, me and JP.
Yogi: Well, exactly, JP's got beautiful hair
JP: That's right, that's right, you picked up the hairiest girl in Ottawa, but he sucked on my tits all night.
Yogi: That night you played bass through my PA cabinet, and to this day, it is blown.
JP: Is it still blown?
Julia: Blown.
Yogi: Thanks Julia.

upfront: Stoner rock or desert rock?
JP: Stoner rock or desert rock?......Neither really. We don't get stoned and we don't live in the desert.
upfront:...But you do have a qotsa/ kyuss thing going on.
JP: Yeah we got the vibe, but it’s just kinda what ended up happening.
Yogi: Desert metal man.
Julia: Desert..You're Egyptian.....sand rock.
JP: Yeah, sand nigger rock....You can call it desert rock if you want, we can go back to my saharan roots.
Julia: Sahara rock?
JP: Pyramid rock?

upfront: So how did you get hooked up with last drag records and Neal Johnstone?
JP: He fucking saw us and he liked it, and he asked if he could put out our record. Actually when we decided to even record, we didn't even think of approaching anybody, we were just going to do a run of cds, and that's it.
Julia: We thought we were too mainsteam for Neal, and then when Neal was like " uh, guys, I’d like to blah blah blah"...
JP: Ok, that's not catching on microphone.

upfront: Well julia said she wasn't going to talk tonight anyways so...
JP: Ok, well then why don't you shut the fuck up, go inside and play some metal slug
Julia: I'm not talking.
JP: Julia's right, the whole thing when Neal actually asked us, we were fucking surprised because he has told me he'll only put stuff out that other people won't put out. I'm not saying that we would have otherwise gotten picked up, but, you know....

upfront: Are you saying the banditas are such a shitty band that no one else would have put out their album?
JP: Not me, Neal said that.
Julia: Neal never said that.
JP: That's what he said, "I put out stuff that I don't think other people will put out."
Julia: That's true.
JP: That's what he said. I'm not making any value judgements, I'm just telling ya what he said.
Julia: I think Neal just puts out stuff with a girl singer.
JP: There you go, there's that too. Especially the Fucking Machines, those guys have those two chicks up front, that bearded woman, she's crazy.

upfront: Song writing?
JP: We don't do any of that shit. We just rip everybody off.
Yogi: JP writes all the songs, all the lyrics, everything. He comes up with ideas. He sits down with an acoustic guitar and he shows me a G chord, and he says, "This is how you play it."
JP: I choreograph all the stage movements.
Julia: That's what you would like them to believe JP.

upfront: That's interesting because, there's one particular song, that I believe JP sings, something about a greasy tank driver....
JP: No I don't sing that, I just wrote it.
Julia: You wrote the lyrics?

upfront: Alright, so my question is...."greasy tank driver something something..."
JP: Its’ called "on the wall".
upfront: "Something something on the down low".
JP: "Keep it on the downlow".

upfront: What exactly is he keeping on the downlow?
Yogi: Its the low gear man.
JP: Yeah, it’s keeping it in low gear so you don't, you know, speed through life, man.
upfront: Ok, so it’s not like that episode of law & order: svu where we are informed, via Ice-T, that, "on the down low" is slang for " heterosexual men having homosexual sex"?
JP: I'm afraid that's not at all what I was going for...but you know what, I may have to change those lyrics.
Yogi: You know what would be interesting, if you actually wrote that JP and I are gay, and that's why we actually survive in a band with Julia because we don't care....
JP: No, no we're heterosexual men having homosexual sex.
Julia: And I like to watch.
JP: That's right. We don't actually jam, other people write everything.
Yogi: She does her thing, and people like it when she pulls her strap down this far when she plays, and like I'm just looking at JP.
JP: I'm just looking at Yogi's butt the whole time.
Yogi: I have a huge hard-on throughout the whole thing.
JP: Unfortunately that is not what I was thinking about

upfront: Wow, cool. ok, that's pretty cool. So my last question is: What is your message?
JP: Easy, breezy, japanesey....message, we don't have a message really.
Julia: What's our message?
JP: What's our message?

upfront: Yeah what are you trying to say?
JP: Uh, what are we trying to say?
Yogi: I'd like people to start switching from hydro to that other one, the environmentally friendly one.
upfront: Outdoor?
JP: Solar.....oh the weed.
Yogi: No, no there's this thing...I think it’s high time people stopped driving their cars.
JP: Oh, hybrids.
Yogi: That's my message... and grow a beautiful garden.
JP: Our message is ditch your cars, get a bike, and fucking join us for a bike ride, and maybe we'll get drunk and play some tunes together.
Julia: Our message is that we come from Aylmer and we have a lot of anger...
Yogi: Whose got a lot of anger?
JP: We don't have a lot of anger, you do.
Julia: But we're from Aylmer and we have a lot of anger and we need the anger to come out.
JP: We have nothing but homosexual attraction for each other, that's all there is.

Tokyo Sex Whale Album Release Show July 21st at Babylon with special guests; labelmates, The Banditas and Muffler Crunch, presented by Last Drag Records and Birdman Sound. Check the show listings page for more deets.

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TWELVE- LEGGED GROOVE MACHINE:
J + E GROCERY a cool way to feel - July 2007 - #11

The Aloha room- a warm and uniquely designed venue nestled under Barrymore's Music Hall on 323 Bank St.- features a roster of wizardly like DJ's who wield a masterful approach when presenting an eclectic play list from their impressive record and CD collections. The casual patron can drink comfortably in a non-elitist environment while the music aficionado sitting at the next table can enthusiastically trainspot the DJ's song choices during his or her stay.

It comes as no surprise then that local band J + E Grocery- known for their groovy, upbeat and inventive adaptations of soul, funk, jazz and new wave covers ranging from the mid 60's to the early 80's- were founded by two of the Aloha Rooms long standing, resident DJ's Andrew McKean and Benjamin Armstrong.
" I started DJing at the Aloha room five years ago," says Benjamin Armstrong. " Andrew approached me and chatted about playing music. He liked some of the music I was playing and I liked some of the music he was playing and we had a crossover in terms of stuff we were in interested in. "
Discovering Armstrong played drums, bassist McKean and Armstrong formed a short-lived act with two other chaps which, according to Armstrong " fell apart". Liking what they were doing musically, Armstrong and McKean persevered in creating music together.
In the year 2004, the next additions that made up what is now known as J + E Grocery, were Armstrong's high school chum guitarist Craig Maclachlin, Ilona
Jones- an old pal of McKean's- who took on vocals and John Macias came aboard as their percussion player six months later.
"Adding in percussion added a new depth to our sound," says Armstrong. " Its something a lot of live bands don't have. A lot of studio bands do have the extra percussions going on. Congas, bongos, cowbells and so it really adds a lot to the live experience."
The five-member line-up performed for a year and a half, recorded an impressive, self-titled five-song demo EP/CD and shortly after the recording percussionist Macias- who was moonlighting in a church choir band- suggested fellow church choir member Paul Hunsberger bust out of the cathedral and fulfill the role as keyboardist for J + E Grocery.
And just where did the name J + E Grocery come from?
"There was a store in Rochester, New York called J And E Grocery," says Armstrong. " This store had these awesome TV ads that were on in the 1980's. What the store did is they sold black, Southern style food. What their market was and what they were selling fit in with the kind of music we were playing. If you check out the liner notes written by Les Mcan on the back of Roberta Flack's first album First Take, he gets into the whole Southern soul food and things like that. It fit well with our music and the vibe. The Grocery part of the title also speaks of a mish mash of different influences from mod, punk, church choir, experimental and rock"
Armstrong further illustrates the diversity of artists J + E Grocery cover with their own particular slant.
"Many of the tunes we do are not the original songs themselves", says Armstrong. "Even though we're doing cover tunes and it might seem derivative, many of the tunes that we're doing are covers themselves. Each of us bring our own favorite DJ or bedroom tracks into the band and say "hey this is a song I totally love. I've never heard anybody do this, Let's borrow from this." We're being original and creative in terms of our research rather than our actual songwriting. We're taking old material, remixing it and putting it into a DJ set. "
Meticulous and infectious, Armstong thoughtfully sums up the J + E Grocery ethos by quoting a line from one of the 70's most influential, visionary and mind boggling artists, the German band Can.
"No Can song is ever finished," says Armstrong. " The same way with J + E Grocery. No J + E Grocery song is ever finished. Maybe we add a new band member, lose a band member, whatever. We revisit the song every six moths, every year. That's part of the re-interpretation of doing cover songs and having a fluid membership."
Entertaining and educational, the J + E Grocery have a remarkable ability to engage. This is music where enthusiasm is the dominant factor and only the deplorable curmudgeons in town would disagree.

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Mississippi Grover w/ Muffler Crunch
and Power Farm
Saturday, April 21st at Irene's - June 2007 - #10

Ottawa got a rare treat as one of its most prolific and talented expatriate musicians returned for a night of raucous debauchery in an ideal setting. Mississippi Grover is actually Greg Watson, part of some of the Ottawa area's best psych and garage acts such as Orange Alabaster Mushroom and The Desecrators-the latter was one of my favourite bands to ever play out of this borough. As a part of the Desecrators, Greg was known to switch between every instrument imaginable, providing keyboards-which he lit on fire-as well as percussion and bass services. So I guess it was only a matter of time before he realized that he could just dispense with band members all together and just start a one-man band. The result is a mind-blowing set of surf-infused psychedelic garage rock that never ceases to entertain throughout. Mississippi Grover keeps every part busy as he plays guitar, drums, tambourine, the harmonica and a kazoo, all the while belting out gravelly lyrics based mainly on his experiences living in the country-I'll let you imagine how many of these he can actually pull off simultaneously. An unbelievable set, to say the least, which should have capped off the night, had babysitters not gotten involved into the whole thing.
Kicking off the night, Power Farm laid out a solid wall of retro fuzz, hearkening back to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Metallica, and even pulled out a few covers that they managed to acquit themselves on rather well to entertain the crowd. Seriously, if you can get Metallica's Orion right, you're OK in my book.
Muffler Crunch rounded out the evening and provided the usual set of heavily distorted chugging stoner rock that was rather entertainingly accompanied by a projection of the choicest bits of George Romero's zombie classic Dawn of the Dead-I'm not talking about the remake, but the original, slow zombies and all. The best part was when they broke into the heavy part of the song just as someone shot a zombie and made his head explode-for those trying to synch Pink Floyd with the Wizard of Oz, this is a hell of a lot more fun. JP

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Mike Sasso at Humphrey's
June 2007 - #10

I had heard a lot about Mike Sasso lately. Talented guitarist, creative picking, good song selection and great with the ladies, I decided to go check out his act at Humphrey's on Wednesday the 25th. I was not disappointed.
The ambiance of the bar is great for lounge fair. Dim lights, comfortable furniture and a great turnout of people from all walks of life all contribute to a great stage for crooners or expert musicians. Sasso is certainly the latter. His picking is intricate yet driven, songs ranged from having an almost classical feel with a hint of Jazz, some folk and even the old staple G.L.O.R.I.A.
On this night Mike was not alone as he was accompanied by a fantastic keyboardist and for one song a sweet voiced songstress. Rumour has it that conga drums may make an appearance as early as next week. All in all it was the kind of acoustic set that doesn't turn you off music for good.
All too often open mic and acoustic nights are put on with any hack that can hold a guitar or a note (rarely can they do both) and quite frankly you can only hear No Rain so many times in a life span. No worries here, as Sasso is a professional musician and his talent is very quickly revealed.
If you missed him on the 25th, don't despair, he will have a return engagement at Humphrey's every Wednesday from now until sometime in the future. DR

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Running off to join
My Tiny Circus - June 2007 - #10
On the second Saturday of every month the Avant-Garde gets a visit from a swingin' octet that delivers silky loungecore sets that somehow seem right at home among the retro-Russian deco and the eclectic crowds that gather there. In fact the place is really the setting in which everyone should be introduced to My Tiny Circus, up close and personal, preferably sitting at the bar with some sort of cocktail, wearing something in white polyester.
The group is made up of the classic jazz elements, along with the classic jazz names:

Sacha Gabriel - Vocals
DJ Stevie Steve - Piano and Accordion
MC Mary Mack - Drums
B-Boy Badweather - Guitar and Vocals
DJ Darkside - Bass
Ice-D - Saxophones and Flute
Mixmaster Meiko - Flugelhorn and Trumpet
Jonny O - Percussion

A CD is currently in the works and a compilation of pre-releases is available at the shows. Don't let the overly bashful DJ Stevie Steve talk you out of buying one either, for a few bucks you get some very slinky tracks that sound very shiny indeed for pre-releases. Steve insists the new tracks will be shinier, but then again he also claims to be a magpie, and nothing's ever shiny enough for magpies.
The song "1-800-666-HELL" drops a very smooth Latin drum line that's complemented by a vocal melody and lyrics that sound like they could have been written by Ozzy Osbourne if he had done a Vegas show. The sinfully playful backup vocalists chanting the title are the proverbial cherry.
"Loser Magnet" is the track every girl can relate to at some time or another. The band swings as Gabriel laments stories with such obscure place references that they must be autobiographical. No one talks about Wawa unless they've had the misfortune of traveling through/getting stuck there.
The monthly shows are developing a regular crowd and with good reason: their unpretentious loungecore style delivers an atmosphere unlike any other seen in the Ottawa area. There's something surprisingly refreshing about a jazz band with a good sense of humor that extends past laughing at their own "jazz jokes" made up of strange notes that no one else in the room gets.
The fiendishly clever lyrics come complete with the attitude. Sacha's stage presence mixes the classic jazz lady image with that woman you'd imagine to be sitting in a Paris café, sipping a tiny coffee, smoking a long cigarette, and looking far too chic to be approached. And besides, what man doesn't have a special place in their heart for a woman that'll tell you straight up she "lacks the balls to tell you what [she's] really feeling"?
The sets sound polished and are full of very well put together original compositions, and some covers with a "what the fuck?" factor that is high indeed. You haven't heard Stairway to Heaven until you've heard it done circus-style. And every band that plays Avant-Guard should have to close out the show with a Leningrad Cowboys track, if for no other reason that it seems to amuse the owner to no end.
The band moves through the progressions of the tracks in a way that makes one think they've been playing together a lot longer than they have. The two percussionists gel nicely and the assortment of things that get whacked fills out the songs well. The horn section also deserves honorable mention, bringing excellent leads on a wide range of instruments that even included the rarely seen flugelhorn (yeah that's right, flugelhorn, Google it). The new disc should be along soon, the next show at the Avant- Garde will be on May 19th, so press the leisure suits, order a brightly colored cocktail, and set your ass to sway.

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Male Nurse
May 2007 - #9

Every once in a while an individual bursts on to the scene and one can't help but take notice. Be it a lovable stage presence or an innate ability to write music, some solo acts just seem to draw you in to their performances. Recently I had occasion to witness just such a talent: Male Nurse.
Male Nurse is Davey Quesnelle (Million $ Marxists, Quebexico, Fucked Corps), a guitar and a teddy bearesque stage presence that seems to hold his audience captive. I caught up with Davey at the Manx Pub for a few pints and a good ole' fashion brain picking.
Male Nurse began playing music at the age of three. A self admitted "indoor kid" he honed his skills behind a piano until the age of twelve. "I hated it because it wasn't cool" confesses Quesnelle. He begged his parents for a guitar with the purest of musical intentions, "I figured it was the only way to meet girls." It's always refreshing when a musician will come out and give the real reason for picking up an axe. Love of music is only a small contributor, the main driving factor is almost always the celebrity or the almighty vagina.
Davey's band mates have all been supportive of his solo aspirations, and he reciprocates their support; "my bands are just as important to me" emphasized Quesnelle. Totally believable, as sweat beads still form on his brow after an "intense" practice with the Marxists. In fact his start as a soloist came when an opening act failed to show up for a gig and Davey filled the void.
"I've written a lot of songs on my own that don't translate to the bands I play in" Male Nurse reveals. The solo stuff works as an outlet for this creativity. There have been a tremendous amount of solo acts, with endless talent that have risen out of Ottawa. Rolff Acona, Jim Bryson and Andrew Vincent are just a few of the many that Davey blurts out without having to think twice. Where does this veritable endless parade come from? Where does it end? "Ask any musician on the scene" challenges Quesnelle, "they seem to be in more than one band. It is a community." In this case community equals support. "There is no ego in the scene" beams Davey. "Going solo on the scene is very personal" and support for the Male Nurse endeavour already seems endless, as does the possibility for success.
In what is just now a fledgling career Male Nurse has already turned many a head. Keep your eyes and ears open for his next performance, and in the words of Male Nurse "Good bye forever… not really." DR
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Anvil w/ Joe Thrasher, Sweet Damnation and Bastardator Mavericks, March 10th
May 2007 - #9
Four-band shows are a hard thing to attend in their entirety. With attention spans -including mine- being so short and fickle, 4 hours of straight thrash is a little hard to catch… Or maybe I'm just trying to make excuses for missing Bastardator. I'm just not used to metal shows that start at 9, where the average age sometimes hovers dangerously close to that of a boy band concert. Luckily, Anvil's crowd is a bit more mature. Mavericks was packed full of metal aficionados, young and old alike, who were thirsting for the satisfaction that only heaviosity can provide.
The first act I caught was local thrash foursome Joe Thrasher, who made no bones about it: they were playing with their heroes and were gonna let it all hang out. They kept their promise, as their set was one blistering performance after another, with hair flying, solos wailing, drums pounding and some un-freakin-believable bass guitar work. After a furious set, they gave up the stage to another local act, Sweet Damnation, who proceeded to pull out every rock cliché in the book and even make up a few of their own. The singer was way out of his depth and never seemed to find his range, the bass player never stopped posturing in an effort to get the indifferent crowd to go along with their shtick, and they even had a chick from their entourage flash them! If getting flashed -in a small venue like Mavericks, where the lead singer might as well have had his entire face in what undoubtedly was his girlfriend's cleavage- does not cause you to even stumble a bit in a song, it was planned… and that's just wrong in rock. Despite the predictability of their songs, however, one thing about Sweet Damnation stood out: their 17-year-old (I think) guitar player. The kid ruled, plain and simple, and you should look for him to be in a phenomenal metal band when he ditches these guys.
Finally, Anvil stepped up to a howling crowd and blared through a huge set replete with solos played amongst the audience members, and one of the best drum performances I have witnessed in a while. Frontman/guitarist Lips is surely the star of the show when Anvil performs, but he has a solid backing band, and I could not take my eyes off drummer Robb Reiner's huge kit because -as so few drummers do- he used every single piece to its full potential. Triplets, quadruplets, fills, every single phase was full of every drumming technique you can think of. So yeah, I was delirious and throwing up the horns on a near-constant basis. But the finer point of Anvil's performance is that these are not aging rockers who have gotten back together for one last kick at the can. Sure, they have some classics they can -and do- rely on to get a crowd to remember who they are, but Anvil has been producing the purest of thrash consistently since 1981 with nary a break. Their work ethic shows in their attitude and, most definitely in their live shows, where they stop at nothing to make sure they leave a crowd wanting more. JP

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Tim Hecker + Eric Chenaux + Gennaro de Pasquale
Saturday, March 17th @ Mercury Lounge
- May 2007 - #9

Montreal ambient sound sculptor Tim Hecker, Constellation's Eric Chenauex along with a few Canadian video artists provided a serene alternative at the Mercury Lounge to the St. Patrick's Day market mayhem. Video MC Gennaro de Pasquale introduced the evening with an array of cinematic snippets produced by minimal video experimentalists from Montreal and Toronto, pieces that employed mostly abstract graphics scored to analog and digital beats and scapes. Next up was Eric Chenaux accompanied by drummer Nick Fraser and Aimee Dawn Robinson on the echo harp, a trio who entranced the audience with their instrumental virtuosity exploring terrain in freak-folk and improv jazz. Hecker's performance was nothing less than brilliant. He created an immersive experience in sound by laying down heavy drones of bass that hummed through your body like it was an empty vessel, while washing distortions and filters, distant choruses and slow sequences of melodic chimes filled the upper chambers of the room. One left with a thorough appreciation of the field of music therapy. SK

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HEAVY RETRO
JOE THRASHER IS BRINGING 80S METAL BACK TO OTTAWA
By JP Sadek - May 2007 - #9
Few kinds of music are as divided as metal. Stoner, doom, speed, black, death, hardcore, drone: these are but a few among the list of antecedents to the word. In Sam Dunn and Scott McFayden's recent documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, a chart is unfurled with the entire list of metal genres that present even the staunchest of the heavy connoisseur with categories they most likely have never even thought of. Obviously, metal is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, even in our little borough, and Ottawa bands are doing all they can to contribute to it. So, where do local heaviosity addicts Joe Thrasher fit into the pantheon? "I just think of us as metal", says Matt Ingram, founding member and guitarist of the foursome. "If you really need to classify it, I suppose I could call it old school thrash metal", he clarifies almost sheepishly. Although Matt does prefer 80s metal over most incarnations, that didn't stop him from playing with Deamon, another local outfit that he left to form Joe Thrasher "when it got too heavy" for him.
So, fresh off a death metal trip he didn't really enjoy, Matt decided to start a new band with a bunch of guys that were just as malcontent with the groups they were playing in. "Scott (vocals) was in a radio-friendly alternative band, but they were a little heavier when they started. When they moved toward the softer stuff, he left because he was a metal head". Gumby (bass) is also in a "hard alternative rock band" at the moment, but puts most of his focus on Joe Thrasher. Jim (drums) played in several local punk bands in high school and started the band with Matt. It's been an interesting ride since 2003. They've opened for former Anthrax front man Joey Belladonna's solo project-in which he plays drums and sings in that classic metal operatic tone of his-as well as 80s thrash metal band Infernal Majesty among others and got the chance of a lifetime to join legendary Toronto metal purveyors Anvil on a mini-tour in Montreal and Ottawa in March.
        Matt, somewhat bashfully, doesn't really see the two shows as an opportunity for the band. Where other folks would be foaming at the mouth to play to their ideal crowd in order to get discovered, he just wanted to be able to see the band that he loves and give Ottawa a chance to see them as well. In fact, he promoted the show himself as a favour to Anvil's lead vocalist and guitarist Lips. "I talk to Lips at shows in Toronto all the time". There is no name-dropping here. Just a simple fact from a reserved guy. "They had a show booked in Montreal and Lips asked me if I could give them an Ottawa date. We had two months to find some openers and do promotion, but I didn't know if Mavericks would be booked for that night". Luckily, they weren't, and Joe Thrasher had the simple pleasure of playing with one of the bands that they grew up idolizing.
       So, what effect has Anvil had on their music? "I think most people who don't really like Anvil and might not dig us kind of laugh at bands that put a little bit of cheese into their songs. But there's nothing wrong with it, it just makes your songs a little bit more fun to play, and also gets a crowd really into it". And that's what it's all about for Joe Thrasher: putting on a great show, seeing kids go batshit crazy and maybe mosh around a bit. "The crowd at a hardcore gig that we played thought of us more as a novelty act because of the old school high-pitched screams in our tunes", Matt recollects, "but at this show that we played in Gatineau, even though it was a hardcore crowd, people went nuts, and this short 265 pound guy was flying through the air throwing roundhouse kicks". Along with dodging flying microphone stands and flailing bodies, that just about constitutes the ideal Joe Thrasher show. One where all in attendance can dig the tunes and let the aggression of metal take a back seat to having a good time.
       After the interview, we relocated to Metal Night at the Oak-coffee will only get you by for so long, after all-where, lo and behold, the new bassist from local speed metal legends Exciter was also taking in classic 80s riffage. Over a couple of pints, I got to see what really makes Joe Thrasher tick: love of a genre of music long thought obsolete. "Most metal fans now think it's old shit, that it's been done before, but what matters is that it's fun", says Matt in the hopes of debunking the myth of the death of thrash metal. And what is more fun than a bit of cheese metal, anyway?
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NY*UK:
Tell your Parents you're Not Coming Home Tonight
By Stephanie Kale - May 2007 - #9
At many dance clubs in this town the music seems to recede into the whirling lights, the shouting of bar orders, and the soliciting of numbers from random sloshed boys and girls at the end of the night over shared cigarettes. Amidst this frenetic clamour, the money-making top 40 music played relentlessly on and on in too many public places, there is an aural mirage every Saturday night at Helsinki with the NY*UK line-up of talented and avid music makers and shakers.
I had the opportunity to sit down with most of the guys of NY*UK - Illo, Drastik and Memetic (Magnificent and Adam White were M.I.A.) - who commit every Saturday night to thoughtfully, and even lovingly, bring you music that has shaped who they are as people and also who they have become as artists. What brings them together is their love of music generally and hip hop specifically, all share a positive outlook for the future of Ottawa's music scene.
Illo got into DJing back in the mid 90s having a residency at Atomic and also a weekly radio show on CHUO, which is actually how he met Drastik. Drastik would phone in to discuss the nitty-gritty of the music, and the pair soon realized they both had an affinity for all elements of hip hop culture. Illo expanded his forays of spinning records into production and also promotion having a hand in the origins of Kapacity Entertainment, Ottawa's main hip hop promoters. For Drastik, the inspiration to pursue music came from listening to and deconstructing hip hop of the early 90s. At thirteen he bought himself some decks and taught himself how to scratch and beat juggle, and at fifteen he played his first club with A-Trak and Kid SL. After practicing non-stop for three years, he was ready for his first DMC competition in 2001 when he came in 3rd place. He started regularly playing in clubs with Illo when he was 18, and for three years hosted a hip hop night at 56 together.
Magnificent began pursuing his love for hip hop, like Drastik, at the age of thirteen when he started beat matching and scratching on a pair of old turntables. Magnificent has been a staple of the local scene since 1993 when he began DJing out of the basement, playing a gamut of shows from top 40 bars to house parties learning how to rock any crowd on the dance floor.
Memetic and Adam White came into the picture a little later. Memetic grew up in the GTA where hip hop was always around him. He recalls that Run DMC was one of his first mix tapes, and served as inspiration to start recording radio shows and producing his own mix tapes. Adam has been honing his DJ skills for over seven years now, bringing his ever expanding music collection to clubs, house parties and community centers across Canada. Both Memetic and Adam moved to Ottawa around the same time, meeting in mildewed tunnels of Carleton and forging a seamless friendship with music being a solid reference point. As roommates, Adam and Kwende began throwing wild house parties, keeping the hip hop vibe alive when Ottawa's club scene was still recovering from its post-Atomic fracture, while at the same time turning a lot of ears towards the kind of soulful music they play. All attended the night at 56 and that's how everyone connected with Illo and Drastik. And there goes the birth of great musical kinships.
NY*UK isn't just about hip hop: these music aficionados have made it clear they would like to portray an inclusive environment of many musical tastes, yet remain committed to playing great music. You can expect to hear electro, soul, reggae, funk, bossa nova, lounge, R&B, classic hip hop - whatever makes people move. Five humble guys invite you personally to listen to some great tunes and dance off the week. One thing they're not humble about is the city they live in. Ottawa is a city that's building stature on the North American party circuit thanks to many local promoters. Memetic emphasizes that we should respect Ottawa as a world class city, and a worthwhile place for people to come and party in.
Make it out to NY*UK on Saturdays at Helsinki. Usually the cover is $7 before midnight and $10 after. Some special guests will be passing through the booth downstairs next month: on April 21st Tommy Sunshine ($15 in advance, $20 at the door) and on April 28th The Bangers ($7 before midnight and $10 after). See you on the dance floor!

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Redwood Central
The Blues Began With a Lullaby
By: Mackenzie MacBride | April 2007 - #8

It's a dark, cold Monday night. It's the middle of winter in Ottawa. Is there any refuge from this misery for a discouraged soul? There is. The escape hatch comes in the form of the front door of The Rainbow Room, a live music venue in the Byward Market. Redwood Central, a musical act that's been on the Ottawa music scene since before the word scenester was invented, is preparing to take the stage.
Redwood Central is Allan Wood, as "Wood", and Michelle April, as "Red." April picked up this nick name from her once red hair. "Al might also say the name comes from my temper", April adds with a smile. April has just arrived from boxing class. "Boxing is a great meditation. To pound something and not hurt anything is wonderful" she says. While April says she has a good right hook, it's her skill at pounding on her guitar that really stands out.
The duo formed eleven years ago in Sault St Marie. April convinces Wood to tell what he evidently finds to be both a cheesy and a heartfelt story. "I got a summer job working in a steel mine in Sault St Marie. I went over to a friend's house and heard Michelle singing a lullaby to her daughter in next room. I said, 'Eureka! That's a great voice.'" This chance meeting would eventually lead to two records, a self titled release in 1999, and their sophomore effort, "Behind The Times", in 2002. The title references the duo's appreciation for contradictions. April explains, "We're living in a high tech world, but we're still playing back beat rhythm and getting down with the chugging." They describe their music as having elements of blues, country and ragtime. "It has a real back porch feel," offers April. RC is happy that both the folk and blues scenes in Ottawa have embraced their music over the years.
When asked about her musical beginnings April remembers harmonizing with her musical mother. "There's definitely something I liked about the vibration of sound. And there's something exquisite about a great melody, and the way a song grooves," she explains. She's a fan of Patsy Cline and Skip James, a bygone blues singer with a chilling falsetto voice.
April is also a visual artist. Her mixed media creations combine acrylics and unique items such as personal letters and family photos. "Most pieces mark a passage. Any time I had a huge transition, a piece would come out." she relates. April creates in the tranquil setting of a cottage she bought in rural Quebec. Her first full scale art exhibit opened on Nov. 5, 2006 at le 4 Jeudi, an eatery in old Hull, Quebec. Wood sticks to playing hockey with the guys.
Wood was influenced by old blues men like Little Walter, who was famous in the 1950's for innovating the overdriven harmonica sound. Of Little Walter, Wood remembers, "It was the first time I heard the harmonica the way it was mean to be played." He is also a fan of the music of Muddy Waters. "I was listening to American public radio, when I first heard Muddy Waters. It just went "bang!" An epiphany! And that was it for me. From that moment forward I had not much concern or much else." Understandably then, for Wood a highlight is meeting others who are really into the Blues. "It's not that I'm trying to convert people, it's just that the light was on! Every once and a while you'll be playing this music someone will come up, and they've got the "mental". They ask where they can get this old blues music, he recounts. "I find I spend more time trying to refer people where to pick up obscure blues CDs by old artists than trying to sell our own records, he tags on.
Concerning songwriting Wood reveals that for him it's all about listening to inner voices. "I'm driven by melody. It stews around in my head. I hear it being sung in a non-existent language. It starts to sound nice. Then I try to come up with some basic concept. It seems simple, but it's not. It's subtle. You're not going to get beaten over the head by us in terms of some huge message. There's something to be taken from it, but a lot of it is lucid metaphor," says Wood.
For April music making is always tactile and sometimes emotional. "I don't have one way of writing songs. Once I was in the bath and a song started because I heard the rhythm of the water dripping. Another time I wrote a song because I was procrastinating about studying for a statistics exam", she recalls. April and Wood write songs both separately and together. The song themes vary. When he was living apart from April, Wood wrote "Find Me A River", a song about lost love. "Not About Love Anymore" is April's account of a man who got out of paying child support.
As for earning their bread n' butter, Redwood Central offers a lot to chew on. When asked how having a day job interacts with the creative process April says, "We have friends who play music for a living, and they really have to compromise their sense of self in the music, cuz they rely on it. They can't tell a grungy bar owner to take a hike. They have to put up with it. Or they teach music, and don't want to pick up their instrument at end of day and play their own music. So to have something so separate (an office job) makes me want to go home and eat my guitar. I'm still excited about music." Some years ago April went back to school to school and earned a Master's in Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University. Her choice of program was motivated by earning a living. "I was working at Wallacks Art Supply for $9.00 an hour. But I was living in a government town. So I wanted a government job. It's a career oriented degree." About the fact that gig opportunities don't just fall from the sky for any band Wood adds, "Noone owes us anything. I always say TS Elliot was a bank teller. So I work a day job. Who gives a sh*t?"
As for what's next for RC, they're thinking of a week long tour during the Summer of 2007 in southern Ontario, including a stop in Hamilton. The duo's live set now includes a percussionist and bass player. Describing their live set April says, "There's magic in the making with our live show. We don't know what will happen next. So, for nights like the one you're having (upset about a man), I'd sing the back water blues very well." Well then. Forget tickets for a single concert. Is there a Redwood Central season pass?
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Crowded Skies
Show The 'Burbs Are More Than Just Meat N' Potats”
To the skeptic the bio musings of Crowded Skies might seem a bit rich. They could find it tough to equate concepts like, "vulnerability", "raw emotion" and, "a morbid state of mind" with these guys. After all, they rehearse in a basement out on Baseline Road and appear on stage with cowboy hats and the occasional missing shirt.
By: Mackenzie MacBride | April 2007 - #8

But if those skeptics could meet Jeremy Brisebois, co-founder of Ottawa's newest alt country rock band, they'd see that he says please, thank-you and doesn't ask whether the Sens' are winning or loosing even once. As for where all of this raw emotion comes from, Brisebois says he draws inspiration from his own life. "It comes from past experiences, lots of regrets and remorse, bad decisions, people I hurt along the way, and reflecting. That's the type of music I like to listen to, thought provoking songs," he says.
A music fan for years, Brisebois got the notion that he wanted to play music himself in an unlikely location. "I was sitting in a computer lab at school (Algonquin College) and was listening to the Jimmy World "Futures" album. I wanted to go home and be able to play some of these songs that I loved so much," he remembers. He then rented his first guitar from the Folklore Centre. Luckily for him, he opted out of the Folklore Centre's puppy farm style group guitar lessons. He taught himself how to play the instrument over the next few years.
Brisebois met guitarist/singer John Trude at Algonquin College and they eventually figured out that they both wrote songs. The two began Crowded Skies in March, 2006. The group also includes members Jordan Potechin doing percussion and Sebastien Dupont on bass guitar. Choosing the name of the band was a process of elimination. "We narrowed down the list from 120 choices. This name was derived from us liking the Sky Diggers and Crowded House. Brisebois describes the recording of their debut album, "Fire Off The Hill" as, "a laidback process." "We used a mobile set up, so we were able to record in the basement of our rehearsal space. We got it done in two months. We put down bed tracks, then bass. We broke it down so we could get the most out of it for mixing," he says. The title on the disc comes from an incident when the band arrived to record a demo only to find their friend's home engulfed in the smoke from a wood stove gone haywire.
For Brisebois, who comes across as insightful, songwriting is a way of looking back and making sense of what he's seen. "Most of our songs are reflective songs. I get a better picture thinking back. It's like a movie playing out in my mind. Where as when I'm right in the middle of it I can't be very objective. I can't really see all angles. After a bit of time has gone by, it makes for better songwriting. It's a balance of emotion and intellect that lets me write a song as best as I can," he reports.
Songs on the debut album cover everything from Brisebois' romantic relationships going sour to some of the flaky people he's met along the way. The line, "Sucks being down here" speaks to the truth of lovin' in the West end at its finest. "It's reflecting on a relationship I had. One of those typical relationships that went wrong for too long. Much as we tried to convince ourselves, we had to realize it's just not happening," he explains.
The song, "Come Back Kid" relates a tale of people who are marking time right down to the days, minutes and seconds. Explains Brisebois of one of the characters in the song, "This guy saw his best years pass him by. He's living with some regret now. He's hoping going to make a come back but he's not. It's not going to happen." This would be a good moment to point out that the music has an unpretentious and toe-tapping quality that references Ottawa Valley twang and 60's rock.
Brisebois reaches for songwriting instead of the TV remote because he finds it is a therapeutic process. "It helps out in a number of ways. It helps get over things, to put things in perspective, to learn about myself, to hopefully not repeat patterns from my past that kept me down." If only we'd known sooner that Dr. Phil could be put out of business with simply a song!
Brisebois' bread and butter once came from a real back breaker of a job. "I was a pipefitting apprentice. It was outdoors, hauling heavy iron pipes all day long. It didn't matter if it was cold or hot. We ate our lunch on a cement floor. It was brutal" he remembers. Still, Brisebois credits the ordeal with inspiring a real "Ah ha!" moment in the middle of a construction site. "Looking up at a high rise building, I had visions of my friends, who have these office jobs, sitting around in a toasty kitchen, talking over a pot of coffee, about what they did on the weekend and getting paid for it," he says. Brisebois continues with the honesty of his song lyrics, "I wanted a piece of the pie. So I went home that night and contacted a friend who works as computer programmer and asked, "How does a guy like me get a job like yours?" He told me to look into Algonquin College." Sure, Brisebois' tale of ascending into his very own government cubicle isn't the most unique tale ever told. But for him it sure beats stainless steel lunch boxes and eating Joe Louis snacks from under a hard hat. Plus it gives him his evenings free to plan the next Crowded Skies show.

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Pride Tiger w/ Double Pumpers
& Mighty Eagle Band at Zaphod’s
April 2007 - #8

A night has a funny way of turning itself around. When the Mighty Eagle Band took the stage, there couldn’t have been more than 20 people in the joint. By the time Pride Tiger started rockin’ the place, it was packed. But the Mighty Eagle isn’t the kind of band that’s going to take it easy and treat a small room like a glorified practice. Guitarist Shawn Hill is always trying to blow the crowd’s mind away with his head-melting sound, and Neal Johnstone never takes a night off from that trademark growling wail of his. So, could the trio of the Double Pumpers outdo the five-piece? Showcasing a couple of new tunes that have the band maturing in leaps and bounds, they did their best to put up a solid wall of volume and did not falter. Accompanied by the occasional misstep by Yogi on drums—and I don’t mean that he screwed up but literally almost fell off his stool—the Pumpers always keep it entertaining.
And that’s the name of the game. When a band has fun on stage—and I mean a whale of a time—an infectious feeling spreads through the crowd. You look at the person next to you and smirk like you’re in on some secret or you’ve just made a discovery worth sharing with the world. Pride Tiger puts on just such a show. I was outside smoking when these guys started taking the stage and walked into Zaphod’s in the middle of their first song. While walking towards the stage, I still couldn’t get a clear view of the band, but everyone was straining to catch a glimpse in this packed house, so I wasn’t the only one. On my way, at least three acquaintances and my lovely girlfriend told me I had to check out the drummer because he looked like just about the happiest cat to every walk the Earth while he was playing. Sure enough, as soon as I got close enough to really see these guys, I didn’t catch a posturing bunch of fashion-conscious spotlight hogs. Nope, I got an eye and earful of the way a rock band should be: fun as shit. Led by drummer and vocalist Matt Wood, Pride Tiger ooze classic Cream and Thin Lizzy, but with an energy that’s seldom seen from a bunch of smiling dudes. The crowd danced, hooted and hollered, and demanded an encore, which the band —although seemingly exhausted— was only too happy to provide. Wood was also gracious enough to spare me a couple of words and wanted to assure the “beautiful crowd” that came out to see them that they will be back in the very near future. So keep your eyes peeled, because Pride Tiger are not to be missed. JP

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Mackenzie McBride, The American Devices,
the Hilotrons @ Barrymores
April 2007 - #8

Not often can Rock n' Roll shows be successful on aesthetics alone, but whichever puppet master pieced this line-up together (and it reeks of Mike Dubue) put together a collage of hypnotic musical acts not to be trifled with.
Mackenzie McBride led off the night with her glam rock meets stand-up meets performance art. Mackenzie is able to swallow her audience whole, with an audacious personality and a haunting almost whinny yet somehow romantic voice. Picture, the most glamourous of glam rockers hitting you full throttle while being backed up by the Hank Williams ensemble, bizarre indeed! Judging by the electricity supplied by her quips it can be assumed that her lyrics also pack a punch but alas what was first judged as a sound issue can probably be diagnosed as a voice that just doesn't carry well in such a massive room. Or more correctly any voice would suffer without the required number of bodies to resonate off of. So all you hipsters out there who decided to show up fashionably late, know this: you missed an impressive show by a very unique talent.
The American Devices from Montreal were next up and unfortunately there's not much to say. Driving rock that somehow didn't drive. Cheap Trick after some very poor musical and career decisions, and a front man that appeared to have missed the turn to the 3D theatre... a missed turn that most regretted. Perhaps this is an unfair assessment as they were sandwiched in between Mackenzie and the abominable force that is... the Hilotrons.
Admittedly I was I Hilotrons virgin prior to this evening and I was astounded by their assault. Terrific musicianship matched with the schizophrenic stage presence of lead man, Mike Dubue, made for an intense mashing of past and future. They played all the songs missing from the Weird Science soundtrack, songs that the music listening world wasn't ready for then and still may not be ready for five years from now. A cutting edge group with huge potential for serious commercial success. They had all their faithful dancing the night away to hit after hit. Suffice to say they knocked it out of the park on this night, and left hundreds panting in anticipation of the next sighting of these Rock n' Roll extraterrestrials. DR

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The Bella Bombs (CD release)
w/ The Shifters, The Fucking Machines & Muffler Crunch
Babylon, Saturday Jan. 13th
February 2007 - #6
By:jpSadek

What a powerhouse bill! Featuring two of Ottawa's perennial volume dealers and joined by a long-time Montreal rock and roll mainstay, The Bella Bombs couldn't have hoped for a better way to launch their stellar first full-length effort.
Muffler Crunch, as always, provided a lengthy fuzzed-out set that never ceased to deafen and amaze. Between belting out her monster vocals and trying to keep guitarist Luke the hell off her while she pounds the drums, it's a wonder Angie the Barbarian can make it through a set with her sanity intact. Their stage antics merely lead to more applause, as the crowd, as always, digs it.
Having set the bar, Muffler Crunch relaxed and watched the Fucking Machines try to meet or exceed high expectations. And disappoint they did not. Toasting to everyone in the crowd in between songs, the Machines ran through their hardcore punk set in record time and with a record amount of booze on stage. Always tight, loud and ornery, their speed never detracts from their dedication to putting on a good show.
Following, Montreal's Shifters played a tight set of good ol' fashioned rock and roll. Although a bit generic at times, they acquitted themselves rather well thanks to some great guitar work and good stage presence. They definitely won the award for most tattoos of the night.
Finally, the Bella Bombs took the stage for their much-deserved celebration. They couldn't have asked for a better warm-up, and they used it well, the momentum propelling them through a phenomenal set featuring old and new songs. Was it just the energy of the night, or did they look a little nervous before they hit the stage? If they felt any butterflies at all, they sure put them to good use. As usual, the night was capped off with Metal Night at the Royal Oak. Any reason why I didn't see you there? JP

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THE SETBACKS CD RELEASE PARTY
w/ Garaga and Tokyo Sex Whale
Dominion Tavern, January 20
February 2007 - #6
By:Sylvie Hill

Ottawa's The Setbacks belted out tracks from their new collection of heavy-rock ditties, "Bless My Soul," to a packed house at the Dom back in January. Stoked and corralled by raucous rockers, infectiously rallying each other into communal, "Fuck Ya's!" and beer-raising, we hardly noticed that when The Setbacks' lead-guitarist, Trevor Kealey, and singer-guitarist, Steve Palmer, saddled up to play the other's guitar in a mutual-masturbatory rock pose, a grounding or polarity issue on stage sent a shock of something like 110V shooting through their arms. Although, after another acrobatic move, we did note a pee stain between Kealey's legs as he disembarked from the singer's shoulders - or maybe it was Palmer's sweaty head imprint? Sexy and electric was this night, which started with garage-rockers, Garaga (pronounced "Greg" as if you were gagging), followed by heavy stoner-rock trio, Tokyo Sex Whale that delivered a mental Sabbathesque 70's-rock assault. Next to Palmer's Borat mustache-for-kidz, they don't come sexier than TSW's Yogi "Onion-Armpit" Granger on guitars, UpFront's J.P. Sadek hot on drums, and Aylmer's answer to C'Mon bassist, jolly Julie.

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Birdman Sound Post-Festive Party feat.
Four 'N Giver w/ The Phantom Shifters & Mighty Eagle Band
Dominion Tavern, Saturday Jan. 6th
February 2007 - #6
By:jpSadek

The rock 'n roll community was well recovered from the holidays and out in fine form for the annual Birdman sound bash, held a little later than usual, but still sparing no one's eardrums on this night. The Mighty Eagle Band started off the night, while latecomers rushed in for the mayhem that was to ensue. Now, I know that "everything louder than everything else" is a saying coined by Motörhead, but the Mighty Eagle has definitely taken that philosophy to heart and decided to blow everyone's heads off. Frontman Neal Johnstone never has to struggle to keep up, as his growling vocals easily sit on top of anything coming out of the band's amplifiers. Further, a performance that included a nacho plate-bearing waiter and a lead singer running into anyone within a six-foot radius of the stage obviously doesn't allow anyone to get bored.
In due time -changeovers were a little on the long side, because full drum kits needed to be swapped- the Phantom Shifters took the stage. And, I must say, their gear is something to behold. Gibson Les Pauls, Ampeg amps and guitars, HiWatts, Pearl drums … the list is extensive and painful to enumerate for a gear junkie such as myself. And boy do these folks take advantage of these beefiest of instruments. A pounding, fast-paced set that allowed no one a moment to collect their thoughts lest they be pounded right back out by … a new song! That's right, these boys are back to their old ways and methinks I hear a bit of the ol' Martindale's touch in these new ditties. You'll have to wait and find out, though. Finally, to cap off the evening, Four 'N Giver demonstrated that they are no volume pussies either. Definitely more psychedelic than their earlier shows, the threesome set a steady pace and pound through a killer set replete with alternating hooks and drones. These guys mix it up well; and, from one song to the next, you never know which style they're going to throw at you. JP

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Mike Dubue
and the Hilotrons Have The Jam
February 2007 - #6
By:MacKenzie MacBride

Mike Dubue, front man for the pop experimental group the Hilotrons has food on his mind when he arrived at the Aloha Room, a hang out for hotties on Bank St.. Hilotrons band mate and roommate Damian Sawka is reportedly quite an enthusiastic chef. "Damian made us roast beef. We go all out with the salad and perogies. Do I smell like roast beef?" Hilotrons guitarist Paul Hogan, who seems to be all smiles, stops in for a few minutes as well.
A plan is hatched to head over to The Manx on Elgin St. Along the way there is a line up of 20-somethings waiting to get into dj night at Barrymore's Music Hall. Dubue is understandably dismayed that several local live music venues have had to start making room for dj nights. "They're lined up to hear taped music," he observes. At the Manx Dubue sends a few stern looks at a local drunk who, with his mop of white hair, is the spitting image of Einstein. Apparently Einstein had recently invented a bit of vulgar talk for the ladies and was rewarded with a couple of swift kicks. It's nice to know that musicians in this town still know how to kick a little ass.
Dubue is largely self taught in the area of music. "How I learned music was figuring out what I wanted to do musically and then learning the applicable skills", he relates. Dubue has used these skills to create the Hilotrons unique musical sound. The Hilotrons recordings feature richly textured arrangements that combine electric guitars and a drum kit along with vintage keyboards and the sounds of electronica. "We try to make people dance. Lately I've been driving the band crazy by changing up the order of the songs during the set. I read the crowd. Or Phil Bova (the band's drummer) will start a beat. If people aren't dancing then we are doing something wrong," he explains.
Dubue says he'd also like to be, "On a label and touring." The band already has some road stories. Remembers Dubue, "Coming back from Montreal in a van that ran on propane, the engine seized." This prompted a run-for-your-life style exodus from the van onto the road. Dubue adds, "Luckily the tow truck driver let us stay in the van on the back of the flat bed, which is extremely illegal." Speaking of daring, when asked about the theme of, "Truth or Dare", Dubue offers that back in the day he and his friends used to egg each other on with the catch phrase, "You don't have the jam."
The Hilotrons have a new album in the works that will feature tracks with an entire choir of their friends singing. Dubue is also interested in taking band merchandise further than just tee shirts and buttons. "I have the copyright on a, "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, starring the band, he jokes. Dubue promises hopeful fans that the book would include some "R rated" adventures to choose amongst. Ottawa, start making room on your bedside tables.

www.myspace.com/hilotrons
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The Reverb Syndicate
w/ The Havocs and The Solid Senders
@ Irene's
January 2007 - #5
By:jpSadek

Metal Night at the Oak and the M$M CD release party at Barrymore's had to split attendance for this fantastic bill at Babylon. Anyone calling out Ottawa’s scene for a lack of shows or events should watch what they wish for, cuz I just might get it. This was a line-up I just couldn’t miss, as Toronto’s perennial rock and roll nice guys -and gal- C’mon are always a treat to watch and listen to live. Tonight was no exception as they laid a severe wall of fuzz with new drummer Dean Dallas Bentley. His stage presence rivals that of the departed Randy Curnew -sniff- and his third live show with the band is a great sign of things to come. There are never enough nice things to say about C’mon -I think they’re one of the only bands around that can make twice replacing a busted string an entertaining interlude- so I’ll just stop right here. Opening the night was Montreal punk trio The Nymphets, who were a complete unknown to me. A fast, raucous and screechy style suits them well and is executed competently, but this night belonged to the Weapons of Mass Seduction, who were releasing their latest effort ”Desperate Men … And the Women Who Love Them” and pulling no punches this night. The guitar work has always been solid and these guys are fun to watch but mad props go out to drummer Bill Baumshell, whose improvements over the years have consistently blown me away. I’ve always enjoyed the frantic intensity of the songs, but they seem to have coalesced and their set is tighter for it. JP
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Muffler Crunch w/ Blackball
@ Dominion Tavern
January 2007 - #5
By:jpSadek

Metal Night at the Oak and the M$M CD release party at Barrymore's had to split attendance for this fantastic bill at Babylon. Anyone calling out Ottawa’s scene for a lack of shows or events should watch what they wish for, cuz I just might get it. This was a line-up I just couldn’t miss, as Toronto’s perennial rock and roll nice guys -and gal- C’mon are always a treat to watch and listen to live. Tonight was no exception as they laid a severe wall of fuzz with new drummer Dean Dallas Bentley. His stage presence rivals that of the departed Randy Curnew -sniff- and his third live show with the band is a great sign of things to come. There are never enough nice things to say about C’mon -I think they’re one of the only bands around that can make twice replacing a busted string an entertaining interlude- so I’ll just stop right here. Opening the night was Montreal punk trio The Nymphets, who were a complete unknown to me. A fast, raucous and screechy style suits them well and is executed competently, but this night belonged to the Weapons of Mass Seduction, who were releasing their latest effort ”Desperate Men … And the Women Who Love Them” and pulling no punches this night. The guitar work has always been solid and these guys are fun to watch but mad props go out to drummer Bill Baumshell, whose improvements over the years have consistently blown me away. I’ve always enjoyed the frantic intensity of the songs, but they seem to have coalesced and their set is tighter for it. JP
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C’mon w/ Weapons of Mass Seduction
and The Nymphets
Sat. November 4th @ Babylon
December 2006 - #4
By:jpSadek

Metal Night at the Oak and the M$M CD release party at Barrymore's had to split attendance for this fantastic bill at Babylon. Anyone calling out Ottawa’s scene for a lack of shows or events should watch what they wish for, cuz I just might get it. This was a line-up I just couldn’t miss, as Toronto’s perennial rock and roll nice guys -and gal- C’mon are always a treat to watch and listen to live. Tonight was no exception as they laid a severe wall of fuzz with new drummer Dean Dallas Bentley. His stage presence rivals that of the departed Randy Curnew -sniff- and his third live show with the band is a great sign of things to come. There are never enough nice things to say about C’mon -I think they’re one of the only bands around that can make twice replacing a busted string an entertaining interlude- so I’ll just stop right here. Opening the night was Montreal punk trio The Nymphets, who were a complete unknown to me. A fast, raucous and screechy style suits them well and is executed competently, but this night belonged to the Weapons of Mass Seduction, who were releasing their latest effort ”Desperate Men … And the Women Who Love Them” and pulling no punches this night. The guitar work has always been solid and these guys are fun to watch but mad props go out to drummer Bill Baumshell, whose improvements over the years have consistently blown me away. I’ve always enjoyed the frantic intensity of the songs, but they seem to have coalesced and their set is tighter for it. JP
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THE BELLA BOMBS
December 2006 - #4
By:jpSadek

     Ottawa’s Bella Bombs are so dedicated to performing live that they view getting their van crashed into outside a Toronto venue as a minor inconvenience before a show, and will happily suffer through a harrowing moment of
traffic dodging by their drummer -the aptly named Suspect Device- for a plate of Jager shots.
     “I waited for the tow truck, settled everything there, then went on stage, picked up my guitar, played, put it down, went outside and sat on the tow truck afterwards waiting for the rental”, explains guitarist E-Bomb, whose truck’s rear end got destroyed outside of the Bovine Sex Club. The whole band agrees that the vibe achieved through a great live performance will beat out all the anxiety in the world, just so long as you feel you’ve put on a great show. Holy shit, what a refreshing perspective.
     These days, the music business is unbearably packed with commercial appeal -or what passes for appeal- over content, and it’s just plain sobering to hear a band enthralled with the prospect of putting on a good show over marketing their product. The Bella Bombs have done that in spades all over Ontario and Quebec, also gracing the stage at North By Northeast and Canadian Music Week (NXNE and CMW, for all you acronese lovers), over the span of the last 3-plus years. One has to wonder why, then, they had never put a release together. The word is always that festivals won’t take out of town bands without label support or at least a demo, but the Bella Bombs have been doing fine scoring road gigs. “We just weren’t ready”, says bassist Turbo-bomb. It wasn’t until they solidified the line-up with a new drummer -the aforementioned Device- that they were set to fulfill the demand that had been growing.
     And fulfill it they have. After changing some song structures and, in the process, adding a new-found energy to the song-writing process, the band sequestered themselves in Yogi’s Meat Locker with Paul Granger -they had the honour of being among the first to test out the space and dubbed it “the Bomb Shelter”, which unfortunately didn’t stick- in order to sate the hounding cries of their fans and silence the whining masses once and for all. The recording process was not without its hardships, as one track simply vanished, had to be re-recorded, then vanished again during the mastering process, not to mention the breaking of a drum pedal to add to the ordeal. So when you’re holding the finished product in your hands and listening to No One’s There, remember that it almost never was.
     It’s taken them a long time to get to this point and, although the album is slated to come out in mid-January, the Bella Bombs are not a band that likes to remain idle. They’ve already played 6 shows this fall -the latest of which was an opening slot on the Harshey CD release bill- and still have one more planned before the record drops. They just like playing live that much, and value the friendships they make with every band on the road. Never mind that they had to pay an unexpected visit to Songbird Music in Toronto when promoters informed them that the backline amps did not include distortion. Nope, memories of Toronto focus mainly on the G-Men, and the fact that they actually clean up after themselves. Needless to say, they’re always welcome back for the after-show party.
     But what to do with that big white elephant sitting smack in the middle of the room? These are, after all, 3 girls -and one hilarious dude - in a punk rock band, a promoter’s and an interviewer’s wet dream because all they have to do to get the ball rolling is to play on gender, ask about how hard it is for chicks to break into the “male-dominated industry that is rock ‘n roll”, or put all-girl bills together and really hope that the ladies come out in a show of solidarity. You know what you do with that elephant? You shoot it in the fucking face and realize that the Bella Bombs’ sound goes past gender into balls-out rocking that any band should be lucky to attain, and that shit doesn’t depend on what’s going on south of border, but what you’ve got in your heart. That being said, the Bella Bombs are a group with enough rock in their hearts to bury us all.
     Bella Bombs play a New Year’s Eve Eve bash on Dec. 30th @ Mavericks w/ Asshole Time, Take One for the Team, Perfect Patient, Nummies, Gun Smoke, The Rookers, 4-stroke and Maximum RnR.
The Bella Bombs new record, Liquid Explosion, drops on Jan. 13th @ Babylon w/ The Shifters.
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 The Painless Monthlies:
An Interview with Funked-up House DJ Jason P
By Stephanie Kale - November 2006 - #3

     For all of you that haven't clued in yet, the world of house and techno is much more than 'repetitive and monotonous bass drums and high hats.' Yes techno cynics, you must step up on your post-comical diminutive beat-boxing to something a bit more complex and dare I say sophisticated. If you don't believe me read on, and I double dare you to come out to the next event put on by local DJ and event organizer Jason P.
     Having only lived in Ottawa for five years, Jason P. has given a good hand in building and steadily nourishing the local micro/funky-house scene through his series of monthly and weekly events. Many of you may have heard of Spins & Needles, Stay House!, Disco Bingo and Techcetera, intimate lounge-type parties that bring together an array of local talent featuring DJs and live video artists. From his hometown Moncton to a seven year stopover in Montreal, Jason has gathered a fistful of experiences throwing parties and DJing, creds he's carried with him - along with a couple crates of records - to Ottawa. "I played my first party or 'mini rave' back in Fredericton in 1993," says Jason, "where the scene was really open and experimental. I then moved to Montreal for school, and kept spinning and throwing small events learning a lot about promotions, bars, clubs etc., and have since used many ideas and concepts I have gathered in Montreal for some of our events held in Ottawa. For example, Spins & Needles was loosely based on a weekly pub night in Montreal that featured easy-to-do, hands on crafts, and beer!"
     Exploring the concept behind Spins & Needles a bit deeper, Jason elucidates that this monthly event, which has been successfully running for two years, is founded on a DIY (Do-it-yourself) ethic - accessible participation for all attendees in the production of the night itself. He, along with his girlfriend Melanie Yugo, forged this event to bring their separate interests together: funky house music coupled with arts and crafts. For a nominal cover charge, all guests are encouraged to partake in the craft of the night (for example, tiled coasters, snow globes and book binding) with materials provided by S & N, or likewise, to bring in their own creative project to work on in the company of others. This event has gained much attention from the media, which in turn has led S & N to hold their events at other interested locations such as the National Art Gallery on Thursday, November 30 as part of the "Art Sparks" series, and the Museum of Civilization in January. Also, stay tuned for the new S & N spin-off series, Disco Bingo! which will be held at Shanghai.
     On a similar note, the concept of Techcetera - another monthly event held by Jason and fellow tech-house DJ Andrew O'Malley - was also inspired from various lounge clubs in Montreal, spaces that demonstrate that techno doesn't necessarily need to be listened to in after-hours clubs or raves but can also be enjoyed purely as listening music while sipping a martini or glass of wine. Again, premising this event on an idea of accessibility, Jason and Andrew bring some of the funkiest blips and bleeps of the techno world to spots where you might not normally be confronted with this kind of music; back in May 2005 Techcetera was launched at Trio Bistro (307d Richmond, Westboro), and has now moved to Elgin St. Freehouse (296 Elgin St.) and by popular demand, is now a bi-weekly night. Expect to see some exciting guests spinning alongside Jason in the near future, including Cyan (Women on Wax, Montreal), Eloi Brunelle (Stereo, Montreal), and Mighty Kat (promoter /DJ for Dizzy Tuesdays in Montreal).
     Jason also has a weekly night on Saturdays at the Elgin St. Freehouse where he plays what he calls 'new school funky house.' Jason shares that much of this new house music comes from smaller labels from Chicago, San Francisco and Montreal, including producers such as Natural Rhythm, Leon Louder, Eloi Brunelle, Bryan Jones, Justin Long, Littlemen, Jay West, Sound Republic, and Switch. "Some of these names have been around for a long time, but I would still consider them 'new school' house: a mix of stripped down, minimal funky house with a distinct Chicago style."
     Since he's lived and been culturally active in a few different cities, I ask Jason to comment on how he finds the reception to the kinds of events he's throwing in this city. He replies that, "Ottawa, like any city really, has its own flavours and preferences. When I first moved to this town - the club scene was really going down - Nortel laid-off a lot of workers, 9/11 happened, the smoking bylaw came into force, Atomic closed, The Well closed, etc. Only in the last couple of years has the city grown again for the club scene. That being said, I have always pretty much did my own thing and preferred to push my own initiatives and events in the city. I like to get involved in things, and Ottawa didn't really offer a lot of the music or events I was into. A lot of the larger clubs in Ottawa were more into prog and electro house, so I've wanted to bring some different sides of house and techno by doing events like Techcetera and the Stay House! monthly series. I would rather focus on smaller quality events with a tight vibe, and be able to book some of the newer names in house and techno who have a fresh sound. I think a lot of my events cater to some people who are either sick of the usual club scene and are looking for something different: perhaps for people who don't go to clubs or even bars much at all! With some events like Spins & Needles we have exposed tons of new people to funky house that might never have listened to that kind of music in their lives."
     Lounging with bingo dabbers, glues guns and knitting needles while submerged in sonic scapes of funky house and minimal techno, these events are premised on a DIY (Do-it-yourself) ethic, and are unique to Ottawa as they openly invite the participation of the audience through forums other than dancing, and therefore operate on a completely different - arguably a more inclusive - dynamic than a large part of club culture. In any case, whether it's a toast made with extra dirty martinis, a finished art project by the end of the evening, or a sincere session of some good ol' Chicago jackin,' Ottawa is grateful for the intimate spaces full of tasty beats hosted by Jason P. and friends! Keep it up on those cold winter nights!

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GOING DOWN THE HARSHEY HIGHWAY

Lessons learned after 20 years in the business allow Harshey to change up their styles and be class acts all around.
November 2006 - #3

By:jpSadek . pic:DerrickRuston

     One would expect 20 years of rocking out and playing shows to turn Harshey guitarist/singer Jeff Martin into a grizzled old veteran. But on a dreary, rainy Tuesday evening at the Dirty Oak, his eyes light up as he discusses the writing and jamming process behind Harshey's new album. The key word is fun. "I never thought I'd be doing this at 30, let alone 40", says Martin, sipping on a pint, reminiscing about the old days. He starts at the beginning: over 10 years ago, he formed the hardcore band Neanderthal Sponge with now-drummer Jon Kiely -who also shares vocal duties in Harshey. The band played mainly all-ages shows, trying to break out into bars and licensed venues.
     Unfortunately, after 4-and-a-half years, they still hadn't converted the drinking crowd and decided to call it quits. A yearlong stint in the midst of local hardcore legends Grave Concern revitalized him, and he formed Mumbleweed, again along with Kiely and bassist Meredith Westlake, who would go on to create Harshey in 2001. Meredith lasted just a little over a year, "just long enough to record and release our first self-titled album", says Martin; she was then replaced by current bass player Larry Russell, plucked from the folds of Pleather.
     The current line-up is perfect for Martin, as Larry "is the guy who knows the names of all the notes", and their experience level allows them to perform in a variety of styles so that they can switch it up depending on who they're playing for. Slow tempos? Check. Fast tempos? Check. A bit of Prog? Stoner? Punk? Hardcore? Checkity-check-check! "We want to be the band that can do that"; he emphasizes the last word to indicate an insubstantial quality, something that remains out of reach but that bands always strive for. "The band that can whip out just about any riff in front of a crowd and have them raising an eyebrow a little bit because it's not quite what they expected."
     When asked if this stems from the desire to remove themselves from the all-ages crowd that they were slaves to back in the day, Jeff wholeheartedly denies it: "As Mumbleweed, all we did was play in bars, and we got kind of tired of it. So now we try to go everywhere and play to anyone". With performances under their belt in Sudbury -at the infamous Townhouse- and Montreal -at Barfly- Harshey's learned to just have a blast and not really care about the turnout. In Sudbury, only 60 people showed up to see headliner Shikasta. Some would be disappointed. Martin saw it as an opportunity to hang out and get to know the other bands. So they "just drank all night and got totally shitfaced". That's certainly the preferred method of bands on the road to get to know one another.
     And once you get to know a band, once they've gotten you a show out of town with them, it's always time to pay it forward. In Montreal, Jerk Appeal provided Harshey with an opening slot at the Barfly -one of the best little watering holes on the Main- and they're returning the favour, inviting them to open for them at the their CD release in just a couple of weeks. In fact, half the bill is comprised of out of town talent, with Toronto's G-Men as well. Martin sees it as cooperation more than opportunism, because "we all have to help each other out." Once on the receiving end of a cold shoulder from an out of town band they played with in Ottawa, Harshey swears never to reproduce that behaviour: "Even if I don't particularly like the music they play, I'll always be open to getting them back for booking us a show out of town". Lessons learned after 20 years in the business allow Harshey to change up their styles and be class acts all around.
     Harshey releases their new CD on Saturday November11th @ Babylon With s/g Jerk Appeal, the G-Men, and the Bella Bombs
Doors at 7:30 p.m., 7 bones

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UKRANIA
October 2006 - #2

The atmosphere of the World Cup during a rock show? That was the atmosphere at Barrymores as what seemed like the entire Ukrainian community showed up to witness the biggest show Ukrainia has put on to date. Replete with air horns, flags and an abundance of enthusiasm, festivities were under way early. The Empiricals played a fairly short set -about a half-hour starting a little after 9:30- but impressed everyone in attendance. The instruments were all set up on the floor, with minimal amplification, but still managed to reverberate through the room with enough reverb and tremolo to satisfy even the most maniacal surf enthusiast. Composed of arguably the best musicians in Ottawa, this instrumental surf band can warm up any crowd, as evidenced by a group of impromptu dancers on the second floor cutting a rug to even the most unwieldy beat. And speaking of dancers, everyone in attendance not familiar with traditional Ukrainian dance was treated to a lengthy education courtesy of the London Barvinok Dance Ensemble. For about a half-hour, everyone in the room stood in rapt attention as this troupe went through a dance act filled with kicks, splits and tumbles from the men, and choreographed footwork from the women. A perfect lead-in for Ukrainia, who gave the best performance of their local career -unfortunately, I haven't been able to follow them to an out of town show. Tom Werbo went through three snare drums, and a bevy of folks switched from keyboards to percussions, as a frenzied crowd danced, crowd-surfed and generally wigged out Eastern European-styles. The dance troupe even came out later in the set to dance along to some of the final numbers! jp
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Harshey
October 2006 - #2

Out of the myriad shows that were taking place across town on this particular evening, this is the one that interrupted a perfectly good time at a stag -and doe- party with a rushed visit to the Dominion. In light of this, one complaint must be voiced: start the show earlier than 11:30! At about 11, people were so antsy to hear something other than crackling pre-recorded rock that they appeared ready to bail for the dance landfill that is Zaphod's! Once the show got under way, The Un-cooperatives showed that they were a new force to be reckoned with in this town. Metal guitars and drums combined with hardcore punk vocals made for a very interesting mix, one that definitely took most of the crowd back -half of the band was actually part of legendary local metal stalwarts Grave Concern- while still remaining innovative thanks to a refusal to settle into one particular tempo. A definitely hard act to follow. And perhaps the promoters for this show should have heeded that warning. While changing up styles every once in a while is not a bad idea, on a bill with only two bands, one should ensure some measure of consistency. Harshey normally delivers a solid mix of pop punk with scratchy guitar, tight bass and a steady backbeat. Their vocals also hearken back to those peppiest of punkers, Head. But in this slot, it sounded like the volume was turned too far down and the intensity of the band seemed a little reduced. That being said, the audience still enjoyed the set; and Harshey will shine when they release their new record in November. The line-up's already looking great. jp
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Mighty Eagles Band
October 2006 - #2

The Mighty Eagle Band, who joined an already beleaguered line-up after their show at Barrymore's scheduled to take place the previous night had been cancelled, almost experienced déjà vu, as the scheduled headliner for this bill backed out. Local metal act Hellbros stepped in to ensure that a night of heavy rock and metal could be enjoyed by some -if not all. The Mighty Eagle Band took the stage first, providing an enjoyable -as always- set of swamp-rock that's been made even more solid with the presence of the ubiquitous Scott Terry on second guitar. The twin guitar assault is definitely an added bonus to this band's previous sonic attack, as the stability of a rhythm guitar is appreciated during the many leads that pepper their otherwise steady rhythm. Next up was Diablo Red, an heretofore fairly unknown act from Toronto that talked some trash and managed to back it up. Shades of early Alabama Thunderpussy were prevalent, with a southern rock/metal approach that's tried and true. However, the lead singer's put - on Southern accent - while bantering, mind you- remains mysterious, as it does not seem to be native to any known Toronto suburb. Finally, the Hellbros attempted to provide some mirth and laughter with a classic metal set, replete with misplaced guitar solos, screeching vocals and all-around frantic instrumentation. jp
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DoublePumpers
October 2006 - #2

A late arrival deprived me of Dinosaurs' debut performance, (I was told the name was temporary) but I managed to get some testimonials from the crowd. Brad's double-edged comment: "those greasy bastards were so tight I hope they never get AIDS because I want to play rhythm guitar in this band". Adam called them "a great instrumental act. They don't need a singer as they manage to impress without one." Finally, Albert added that they have "laid the foundation of a brilliant rock band." So a successful debut, I surmise. Black Actors followed, set up their guitars on the floor and proceeded to blast the crowd with their combination of Modest Mouse and post-punk rock. A high energy set that saw the entire band rotate between the floor and the stage, but, due to the sheer number of acts this night, they ended too early. The Double Pumpers provided yet another fantastic performance, barely pausing to catch their breath or even drink their beers! With the amount of side projects these guys are in, I'm surprised they manage to keep their songs so tight. Fantastic. A particular treat that followed -for me, anyway- was the Fucking Machines. If any outfit spelled nostalgia for me, it's these guys. Straight outta the 80's, hardcore that never stops, blistering, 2-minute songs and covers that have been shortened so that they don't go over the previously mentioned allotted time limit. What's next for the Machines, all-ages shows at Saw? Finally, the Marxists graced Ottawa with a rare appearance and, although the old classics still come off as the snotty beer-fuelled punk it's meant to be, I have to wonder what the deal is with the brand new tunes. They carry a haunted, late Damned feel to them, and I can't help but wonder where these guys are going. After chatting to front man Luke about it, he assured me that they know what they're doing. Well, then, I can't wait to hear the result on record. jp
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São Paulo Cansei De Ser at Zaphod's
september-2006 - #1

     Thanks to the Disorganized crew for bringing the funk to Ottawa on these steamy summer nights. Undoubtedly confronted by a more eager, willing and sweaty crowd this time around, Diplo returned to Zaphod's for a second year in a row. This time he brought an astounding entourage of acts who, along with him, continue to raise the international profile of Baile Funk, a genre spawned from the musical tryst of funk Carioca - a musical tradition emanating from the favelas or shanty towns of Rio - with Miami bass.
       Bonde Do Role, a three member act composed of three MCs and 2 DJs, was mid-set when I arrived mixing pirated samples from ACDC to 2 Unlimited and from Alice n' Chains to Salt n' Pepa. Up next was new indie-pop sensation from São Paulo Cansei De Ser Sexy (Portuguese for tired of being sexy), an instrumentally versatile six member band fashioning themselves on a raw, unfinished sound. Lovefoxxx, the female lead singer, trotted along the tables wearing reindeer antlers and cowboy boots, playfully singing to the pleasantly bemused and drooling audience. Marina from Bonde Do Role came and danced in the overly ecstatic crowd. Big thanks to the cute girlie stage dancer in the white hoody and panties for slapping Marina's ass and licking the fire extinguisher in attempt to bring the attention of the distracted grinders back to the performance.
     Diplo arrived and delivered a solid continuum of ghetto-tech, grime, booty bass and, of course, the funk carioca of Portuguese free-style atop samba rhythms.
     It's arguable that this sexually-charged-yet-somewhat-androgynous-grind fest could be trumped with other dance floors in Ottawa, as it seemed to be generally accepted and even encouraged to blindly grab n' grope those bodies in one's own vicinity. This event demonstrated that Ottawa can graciously host the Rio inspired Baile Funk. sk.

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Sarah Hallman @ Irene’s
september-2006 - #1

     On Saturday August 27, Irene's was the place to be as Lady Fest invaded. The neighborhood bar has become a hieroglyph, a testament to swill parlours long overcome by the ominous shadow of the chain. Thank God for places like Irene's that still get it right. One gentleman was heard to comment "I've been sittin' here since noon." Now that my friends is dedication. The bar gives way to a vast stage area where on this evening Sarah Hallman was holding court. One may be tricked into writing off an act with a woman singing while playing guitar with a drummer accompanying as an over done genre, but they would be sadly mistaken. Sarah's songs have a certain haunting tranquility to them. Imaginative rifts are augmented by driving drums which is usually not the case with the folkish set. Her music betrays the folk label with a serious rock conscience and her lyrics are well thought out and far from kitsch. You can't help but be absorbed by the emotion of each piece and Sarah somehow purveys a huge stage presence without force feeding you with useless embellishment. The sound of the venue was pristine which helped to make lyrics discernable, and allowed you to lose yourself with the artist.
     Definitely an act worth catching, but don't take my word for it, check her out for yourself on September 25th as she brings her act to the Manx. I'll see you there. dr.

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chasing curiosity @ the Urban Well
september-2006 - #1

On the final Friday of every month the Urban Well hosts Chasing Curiosity. So what is so unique about the band which illicits some reflection, well for one they are barely in their teens.
Chasing Curiosity are a post punk rock outfit with tremendous upside (which isn't hard to believe seeing as few bands reach their peak during their pubescent years). The kids come out and flat out rock the house. Now prodigy is a very strong word to refer to musicians and I will refrain here from using it, but the band is in your face and tight. Their originals are better than their covers as they appear comfortable in their own skin. And man, you can't help but grin when a fourteen year old tells you he is going to take you "way back".
Somehow at a very young age these kids have already developed an in your face attitude. Their stage presence eschews any notion of the old parents living through their kids adage. They are obviously having fun. In all the years I've been going to rock shows never once have I had to explain to a parent why I'm shooting photos of the act, but in this case I don't blame them, they are kids and there are a lot of creeps at rock shows.
The evening was a blast and the kids were done by 11pm, for legal reasons. So if you are bored of the same old, same old check these kids out on a Saturday September 9th @ the Well. At the risk of sounding like a grandmother, you'll just love em to bits. dr.

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Sleeping Pilot @ Babylon
september-2006 - #1

On a sweltering Friday night, I had to book it after band practice to try and catch this whole bill, and was it ever worth it. Taking the stage a little late, Death March Volunteers -namely Justin Gobeil (who did double duty this night with the headlining Sleeping Pilot), René LeClair, Scott Terry and the debuting Amy Brander- played a solid set -it was their debut performance- of alternating tempo rock. At times haunting, with dual guitars set in contrast -Amy played a hefty tremolo, while Justin provided a solid wall of fuzz and solos to fill in the space- matched up with René's always solid bass licks and Scott's steady beat. About 5 songs still clocked in at 35 minutes, with not a boring moment.
Following quickly after, the Jesus Mullet provided a damn fine stoner set. These talented guys ultimately make their home in low end of the sonic spectrum and always manage to impress with their abundant skill and great guitar tones. "The Mullet" have been a welcome addition to the Ottawa scene since they relocated here in 2004.
The last set of the night came from Sleeping Pilot (see photo). Always brimming with energy, aggression and determination to put on a stellar show, with a singer that I've been told, "would rip off his own arm and smack the crowd with it if he could", Pilot's style melds hardcore with rock, and the pace is always blistering and furious. Between Alex's flying dreads, Justin's constant gesticulation, Pat's relentless drumming style and Scott's vocal craziness, it's almost impossible to concentrate on the tunes, which are flawless nonetheless.
All around a good night, with solid, entertaining performances from all acts, new and veteran. jp.