2015 has always been premembered as the year we all get hoverboards and self-lacing shoes. Instead we got Islamophobia, Star Wars, and more of Miley Cyrus expressing her orifices. A mixed bag in general, but inarguably not our most brilliant moment this decade; a harbinger of our downward spiral, and the seemingly inevitable rise of President Trump in 2016. So what has brought us to this? If music is the articulation of our cultural zeitgeist, then what does the soundtrack to 2015 sound like? Rather than impose on you our tastes in music, we asked some of our favourite East Coast musicians about their favourite songs to come out this year by other East Coast musicians and this is what we got. Continue reading Peer Review: The Best Music of 2015
Category Archives: Music
Retrospective: Wooden Wives (2005-2015)
“Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.”
— “Crossing the Bar” Alfred Lord Tennyson
For a lot of us, Wooden Wives has been a fixture in the Saint John landscape, a benchmark for experimentation, collaboration, and what the local music scene can achieve by rolling up its sleeves. If you’ve gone to nearly any two shows in the Port City, chances are you’ve seen somebody play three sets by now. Hyperbole aside, this is the collaborative nature of the arts in Saint John, and for my five cents Wooden Wives embodies this ethic of building together and facilitating a thriving arts community. Continue reading Retrospective: Wooden Wives (2005-2015)
Quake Matthews Releases ‘Down With The King’ Video
Halifax rapper Quake Matthews has released a video in ode to that most East Coast of foods, the noble Donair.
Continue reading Quake Matthews Releases ‘Down With The King’ Video
New Music: David Picco’s ‘Start Again’
Although David Picco has been touring in Toronto for the last twelve years, the Newfoundland-born song-smith, with ‘Start Again‘, his fourth album, he’s returned to his native East Coast, both literally and metaphorically. As you listen to the opening track, ‘Baby, I’m Gone Away’, you realise that David has spoken to your innermost thoughts, wishes, and desires. You’ve left your old life behind you, you’ve checked out of the hotel, and you’re ready for the next adventure. Continue reading New Music: David Picco’s ‘Start Again’
New Music: Duane Andrews’ ‘Conception Bay’
Guitar virtuoso Duane Andrews’ new album, ‘Conception Bay’, is an ambitious undertaking, pairing Andrews’ jazz-influenced guitar with a string quartet and pulling from a spectrum of jazz, classical arrangements, and traditional Newfoundland folk music. Going into the album with just this description, you might expect it to be full of overwrought, difficult songs that are impossible to enjoy without a passion for all three genres. Legitimate fear though it may be, anyone familiar with Andrews’ previous masterful takes at blended-genre records already knows that he is more than capable of meeting the challenges, and as such, ‘Conception Bay’ is accessible and enjoyable for any music lover willing to listen. Continue reading New Music: Duane Andrews’ ‘Conception Bay’