“I’m a dynamo! Pew-pew-pew!” Mike Biggar launches into the interview with both guns blazing. He’s had two cups of coffee, or at least two that I’ve seen, and they’re both working. Mike is a country musician and, full disclosure, I’m not a country music fan, so when I say his album, ‘Feels Like Now’, is listenable, that is high praise indeed. There’s even an unnerving sense that it has grown on me, but Mike waylays any fears of early onset Achy-Breaky-Heart-Disease, “I’m not a very twangy, cowboy hat wearing… My Keith Urban hair is the closest I get to Nashville. I try to not put the word ‘country’ out without the word ‘roots’; I worry that people get the impression that I’m striving to be a representative of the most country of country music.” Continue reading A Fireside Chat With Mike Biggar
Tag Archives: Saint John
Tomato/Tomato Release Video For ‘Toss It All Away’
Today, Tomato/Tomato‘s John and Lisa McLaggan announced the release of their first video, ‘Toss It All Away’.
“The song is about those days where you just want to throw in the towel and disappear from the world a bit; just live off the land with your family”, Lisa tells me. Suitable to the song’s themes, the video itself is the quintessence of simplicity, a window on the everyday adorableness that the Saint John duo embody. “Basically, we did it all live, we really wanted to capture what we do at our shows,” which is to say, all that fancy footwork isn’t the product of elaborate cinematography and clever video splicing, but the genuine Tomato/tomato experience. Lisa’s combination washboard/kick-drum/kick-tambourine tap-dance is an impressive staple to their live performances. Continue reading Tomato/Tomato Release Video For ‘Toss It All Away’
Adam Washburn: Musician In Transition
The first time I saw Adam Washburn perform with his new band, The Elements, was at the Halifax Urban Folk Festival this August, and I was blown away. They have a feel good, folk-pop vibe, that relies as much on electric guitars and bass, as it does on acoustic instruments, and their energetic mix of original tunes was balanced nicely by a cover of “Red Heart” by East Coast power group Hey Rosetta!. I met up with Adam Washburn at the Economy Shoe Shop in Halifax, which, for those not in the know, is not, in fact, a place to buy footwear, but a restaurant by day, and a music venue by night. Continue reading Adam Washburn: Musician In Transition
Clyde Wray: Saint John’s Storyteller
Clyde Wray is a poet, a writer, a performer, a producer, and a storyteller. When he speaks it’s in the low rumble of thunder, the room trembles, and small mammals go scampering for the hills. Any occasion to read his words is an opportunity lost that you might have heard them aloud. Most importantly though, Clyde is alive, and he wants you to know that. It’s a relatively common condition, and thus a relatable one, but Clyde embraces it with the full of his being; waking at hours most people would consider death defying, “I don’t like sleeping. I’ve been up now since three o’clock this morning. I like being up, I like being awake, I like being able to have a thought, I like seeing the stars and the moon, I like being in the sun, I like to see the sun go down. It’s all very romantic. I like being in life.” Continue reading Clyde Wray: Saint John’s Storyteller
Penny Blacks: Bande à Part
“First of all, this is very much a surprise. In fact, I am so confident that Penny Blacks is not going to win that I am drafting this short speech for Adam to read on my behalf with the full expectation that he will never do so. That being said, I would like say thank you to the committee and jury at the Originals for this honour, and to acknowledge the great service you do our wonderful city by recognizing the individuals and organizations that foster and create art. Although I cannot be there tonight, my friends, my family, my heart, and the lion’s share of my inspiration are there with you. I look forward to seeing you all in October, and, although I cannot speak for Ali, Adam, Chris, and Clinton, I am personally REALLY looking forward to stripping down to the waist, lubing up, and having Adam push me and this lovely statue around the old Liquidation World parking lot in a shopping cart, screaming ‘I’M AN ORIGINAL!!’ at the top of my lungs. And, if anyone says different? Well, I’m sure this thing would really hurt if it hit you on the head. (How are you doing with this, Adam? Can they tell that I never expected this to actually be read in public?) Thank you again. Jessica and The Playdates, this is just as much yours as it is ours.”
The above speech was written by Penny Black’s frontman and songwriter, Jason Ogden, and delivered, verbatim, by bassist Adam Kierstead, in acceptance for Saint John’s The Originals 2014 Popular Music Award. Continue reading Penny Blacks: Bande à Part