Ko hopped a plane from Toronto to Victoria to visit the Zone and play a sold out show at Darcy’s. He played a couple new songs including his single “My Life” from an up-coming record due out tentatively April 20th, 2013.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music, The Zone @ 91-3 | Tagged acoustic, Ko, Live, radio | Leave a Comment »
I meant to blog this remix last week. So good, but I am conflicted on the jam.
I love Nirvana and I love remixes. When I laid it down at Lucky Bar last week, people got grooving. BUT the song is about sexual violence. Just seems weird to play this dance song in a club where everyone is drunk and hooking up. Clearly I am an old man that thinks too much about this stuff as the remix is a monster jam and the dance floor went off when the song came on.
From the Ministry of Remixes of the songs from my youth. Check out this remix outta Portland by Stefan is Stefan.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Nirvana, remix, The Offspring | 2 Comments »
A band that named their ep after the motto of Coach Taylor? A band named after the inscription of Robin Hood’s sword? OK… you’ve hooked me, lets see what you got Lambs Become Lions.
We travel to the distant lands of St. Catharines, Ontario for a sound they describe as Joyful, Country Pop Rock. The band features some veterans Canadiana rock and roll including Alexisonfire drummer Jesse Ingelevics. Listening to the 6 song ep, I’m hearing the sound of a maturing band struggling with the day-to-day of living life as a modern adult in Canada. Songs about love, growing up, having dreams crash-up against the walls reality, and ultimately being comfortable or content with the hand dealt. Also they have a song called “Postcards” with maximum shoutouts to the Gaslight Anthem. If I were to a draw a parallel to another Canadian band with a very similar aesthetic, I think they sound like Acres of Lions (whoa Lions, so hawt right now).
Side one, track one is their single. “When I Open My Eyes” is a romantic song. I am getting a wedding first dance taste when I hear this cut.
That is kinda nice. Slow jam.
The next song is that “man, growing up is hard work” anthem. They made a music video for this song that features kids, and baseball hats. hey… I LOVE kids and baseball hats.
Dig it.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Acres of Lions, Alexisonfire, Lions Become Lambs, Robin Hood | Leave a Comment »
Hamilton fuzz rockers WTCHS are doing a lot in music that I am currently interested in (minus the taking vowels out of your band name…but that’s me getting nit-picky). Their own bandcamp page offers a good description of what you’ll hear.
Strange sounds upon strangewinds emerge from a newly born Steeltown oasis. The strangled snare of gnarled guitars harken upon the nethersteps of Haligonia, but it’s the hooded nihilism of WTCHS’ droning vocals that yield unlimited satisfaction. Hope comes in a multitude of flavour. Hand-stamped package complete with 6-minute tape-only drone-out. Grip sicc widdit.
***
Lots of interesting stuff to take away. I think when you’re a rock band and use descriptions like, gnarled guitars and droning vocals…. right away, to me, you say… “we don’t care about being pop stars.” Then you put your record out on cassette… hand made. That says, “I like being a music nerd and I like this kind of work.”
This isn’t for everyone…but its for me. I’ll have to put this noise on my iPhone.
Thanks Alan Cross for the heads up! Good pick.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Alan Cross, WTCHS | Leave a Comment »
The first time I met Kandle was back in maybe 2006. I was at a party at Ryan Rae’s place out in Langford. One of those backyard shindigs where there is a turkey being deep-fried and people are drinking out of those red solo cups like an American teenage comedy film.
A couple girls walk in and I’m like, “whoa, who are those smoke shows?” My buddy Razer turns to me and says, “calm down pervert, that Is Coral who is like 16 and her LITTLE sister Kandle.”
“Who lets a 16-year-old come to a party with a bunch of you quasi-employed musicians and sexual predators?”
“They are Neil Osborne‘s kids.”
“oh.” So that’s my Kandle story… Kandle and Coral have been bouncing around making music as long as I’ve known of them. They had a band in Victoria called The Blue Violets. At that point….nope still don’t think they were old enough to hit a club, but I saw them at Evolution for a show case once. They have powers maaaaaaaaan. When I was that I age, I had boogers and played D&D.
They grew up and moved away. I think Coral is in Toronto now doing something with music or TV. Working on the Stombo Show maybe? And Kandle is in Montreal making music as…. Kandle. She lives in Montreal. The blogs and press call her “Montreal.” I get that, Montreal is neat, she calls it home now…but she is a West Coast kid to me.
Kandle does a cover of the Rolling Stones “Play With Fire” which is all kinds of super-duper.
I like her style…
Go with yourself.
Posted in Capital Rock City, music | Tagged 54:40, Kandle | Leave a Comment »
Everyday at 3PM, Jon Williams punches up something from the UK on The Zone @ 91-3. He consistently finds some groovy stuff and Monday was no exception.
The group is Rudimental. They have once again teamed with vocalist John Newman (who they discovered singing in a pub), and for the song “Not Giving In,” Alex Clare. We know and love him from this song.
Lots going on with this “stonker” (Jon’s word).
A driving drum + bass keeps this song falling forward. You’re hearing some jazz, some funk, some bluesy vocals. The song has a powerful, uplifting message. This song makes me wanna fight a giant Soviet man in a boxing match. If you have some challenges going on, this is your new totem song. Its time to start the show…. dig it.
Rudimental has a lot going on and on the up-and-up.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Alex Clare, John Newman, Rudimental | Leave a Comment »
New York based Brother/sister group Blondfire have a Metric vibe if that’s your thing.
Then a remix!
They also do a delightful cover of Atlas Genius’ “Trojans” but I can’t find it online right now… and its time for a sandwich.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Atlas Genius, Blondfire | Leave a Comment »
Woke up to an email pointing me in the direction of the UK’s answer to Frank Ocean or Drake (that was how the email described it).
The project is called Xander The Great. The dynamic duo is Xander Taha and Ed Sanders. I *think* it is the Ed Sanders British actor guy…. because this kind of looks like a picture of him? Then there is THIS….
As for the tunes….just a couple jams on Soundcloud. The project is in the early stages of development. Not much online, Spartan website, seems to hint toward some sort of release on December 12th (a week and a bit before Apocalypse!).
This first song is sexual…almost pornographic.
A couple young British art-lads singing about Vegas, I wonder if they’ve been? If not… I wanna go with them! I bet we’d have fun.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Drake, Ed Sanders, Frank Ocean, Xander Tatu, Xander The Great | Leave a Comment »
I was listening to Alt Nation on my way to the pizza Joint for some grub before the Grey Cup. They punched up this bluesy young lovely named ZZ Ward. The 24-year-old LA based singer has a timeless vocal style, but she also messes around with hip-hop. The combination gives her a unique spin and I’ve enjoyed the songs I’ve heard so far.
Lets get started with the single. From her record Til The Casket Drops which came out in October.
Visiting Billboard, she laid down a cover of a lesser known Etta James single, “Charlie Ain’t Home.”
“‘Waiting For Charlie’ was not her most popular song,” (ZZ) Ward points out, “but it’s so haunting, and the emotion when she sings that song is so strong.”
Lastly… ZZ Ward “borrowed” the beat from a Freddie Gibbs hip hop tune. The song worked out so well they collaborated. Then Com Truise got ahold of it… and now we got a sexy slow burn.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Com Truise, Freddie Gibbs, ZZ ward | Leave a Comment »
Caveman Sound had a great post today from a NYC punker making house music. Couple rad songs…. On VZLKS’ facebook page, he talks about writing this song “Consider Getting Lost” while hanging out in coffee shops during Hurricane Sandy. Savage.
The original is pretty cool. I like the guys that have the ability and confidence to create their own music. But the song I LOVE from his soundcloud is the remix he does of Urban Cone‘s “We Should Go To France.” The title of this song is what got me to click the link to begin with on Caveman Sound’s blog! (what? I get distracted by shiny superficial shit like song titles).
Great couple last minute jams to add to my set tonight at Lucky Bar!
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Hurricane Sandy, Urban Cone, VZLKS | Leave a Comment »
The Morning After 