Rifflandia Recap: The weekend that was, wasn't, then was again

As you probably already know last weekend was the Rifflandia Music Festival. I had the pleasure of attending that festival along with my fellow bloggers Brenda Lee and AlexofAnders (who were much more punctual with their posts). But don't give up on me yet internet world as I still have a story to tell.

I started the festival on thursday night at element nightclub just in time to catch Said the Whale. They put on a fantastic show to a capacity crowd and played a whole bunch of new songs. From the sound of them their new album is gonna be an ear pleaser, and I can't wait till it comes out. After an encore filled with more new goodies the band left us with the timeless advice of "Now go see Shad!" I quickly heeded that advice and made for Market Square to catch Shad's set. As you may have heard from Alexofanders Shad did not disappoint either. I was especially happy to hear Rock to It and I Get Down; gotta love the hip-hop with the acoustic guitar in hand. After Shad Champion took the stage and I gotta say I've never seen a crowd so alive. With his G-Strings backing him up including Pilou Côté doing an amazing, amazing job on vocals the crowd was a writhing, sweaty, collective of very satisfied people.


Friday night for me was supposed to start with In Flight Safety but because of some delays, I ended up catching the Library Voices instead. Its a good thing I had my extra beer and missed that bus because the Library Voices were something awesome. Their high energy show had the whole everyone going, no small feat to the mostly sober 9:30 crowd. The lead singer was everywhere, standing on the barrier on the stage, jumping into the crowd, climbing the speakers, and all while still singing. The base player was no slouch either, enjoying himself just as much and giving the crowd a great show. The whole band blew me away and I picked up their EP and a t-shirt to thank them for such a great performance. After that show I'd been hoping to catch the Dudes and Mother Mother in Market Square but upon arriving a line-up half a block in length greeted me. Somewhat disappointed but not overtly so as I'd seen both bands before I headed back to Sugar nightclub for Zeus and the Most Serene Republic. Zeus put on a great show and I was glad I did get to catch this much hyped band(hype well earned as it turns out) but it seemed as though by the time MSR started the sound guy had fallen asleep as there was nary a lyric to be heard over whatever noise the speakers were spitting out. Most Serene Republic did not let this deter them however and still put on an excellent show. I hope they're able to track down their gear in Vancouver.


Saturday night was the night I was most looking forward to. I was really looking forward to seeing Jon and Roy, Jets Overhead, Hey Rosetta!, and Buck 65, and really really looking forward to Hey Rosetta! I made the effort to get downtown early that night as they were all playing in Market Square and I wanted to avoid the line up. No luck. My heart sank when I saw the massive line up confronting me. My girlfriend and I waited for a bit but as the security guards wandered up and down the block shouting that the venue was at capacity and no one could get in until someone got out I realized it was a lost cause. I knew what bands were playing and I knew no one would be crazy enough to miss out on them. So after much ranting and moaning about why they shouldn't have put all their headliners in one venue, and how there was only two all age venues open that night with Market Square being the most popular, we made our way over to Sugar once more in the hopes that the sound guy had woken up. As it turned out the sound guy was awake; he would have been hard pressed to sleep through the head bangin Pack A.D. set we saw. Man those two rocked and Maya Miller even kept us entertained between songs with her witty banter and insistance that it was Friday. Once the Pack finished up we decided we'd head over to Rooftop to catch the Holy Fuck DJ set. It was one of the shows that had been added to make up for the Market Square line up the previous night, and, I assume to relieve pressure on Market Square that night. I'd missed out on Holy Fuck's show earlier in the night and I figured this would kinda make up for it. Alas my hopes were once again dashed when no member of Holy Fuck was to be found at the Rooftop. A bartender confirmed our fears when she said that the bar was closing in 15 minutes. Needless to say Saturday night was quite disappointing and I voiced my concerns on the Rifflandia facebook group.


Sunday came with some renewed optimism. Brendan Canning was supposed to do a DJ set that night and I thought I might as well catch one more act. And then I got a facebook message from the Rifflandia group alerting me to two Mother Mother shows for those who missed out on friday. With hopes buoyed once more I made my way downtown for the earlier all ages show. A friend of mine had even picked up passes at the Rifflandia HQ that guaranteed us entry, and enter we did. Mother Mother played an excellent show and the crowd ate it up. You could tell every person there was there just to see Mother Mother as in between songs you could hear a pin drop. I was impressed that Mother Mother was able to make it back and do two more shows on such short notice, and the fans didn't seem to mind either. After that show I was too rocked out to catch Mr. Canning's DJ set so I headed on home.


So over all Rifflandia was a pretty rockin time. Yes there were some disappointments, but for a festival only in its second year I would say they did pretty good. The organizers made a solid effort to make up for missed shows with last minute additions. Admittedly this didn't always work out (the Holy Fuck DJ set for example) they didn't give up, and voila they somehow pulled two Mother Mother shows out of their hat. I even got a personal facebook message from one the festival people saying that one of those guaranteed entry tickets would be held for me. Despite my earlier reservations I was impressed with how much the organizers wanted to satisfy the fans, and this is one fan they did satisfy. I'll be back next year Rifflandia!

Rifflandia 2009 – Day One

So, after an extended bus & ferry ride we headed straight to the Rifflandia festival HQ in downtown Victoria. I was glad to see signs everywhere saying the festival has sold out, which is awesome but with the line-up of bands they've got, it’s no surprise. After signing in and getting a wristband, I picked up an official festival booklet and man, these things are pro-star, they’re nicer than most magazines. A lot of the write-ups and interviews are really good too, I hope they make them available online but I haven’t been able to find them yet. Actually, so far everything I’ve seen in terms of festival coordination and setup has really impressed me with how well these guys seem to be doing and they’re only on in their second year. Now, enough talk about festival logistics, let’s get to why you’re really reading this, the bands!
I mentioned here that my anchor of the night was Final Fantasy and true to my word, I showed up at the Alix Goolden Hall. Sadly, after the transit, getting settled in my lodgings and scaring up some food, I got there just after Christopher Smith had finished. I was looking forward to seeing what this guy was about since I hadn’t heard of him before but I guess it was not meant to be. Sorry Chris, some other time I guess. Still, at least I was in good time for Timber Timbre. I’d only heard a few of their songs on CBC Radio 3 and I liked what I'd heard. The recordings of these guys may be good, but it just doesn’t come close to capturing the live performance. There’s the sense of depth and richness that come off their instruments, it really grabs you. Their songs feel like they have this depressed, almost lonely feel in both the melody and the lyrics, it made me think of country soul for a neo-cowboy who’s down on his luck. It really pulled at my heartstrings and was a wholly absorbing experience. Especially when Taylor Kirk brought out a myriad of noise making things from flutes, bird calls and what seemed to be a screw squeaking into something, to create a background of forest sounds by looping each sound to build upon every sound, really cool use of a looping pedal. Also, I really must say, the Alix Goolden Hall makes for a magnificent venue and the acoustics were amazing. Especially when the lit the organ pipes behind the band, talk about giving a sense of grandeur. For how great it is, the only thing it’s really missing is beer…wait, is it sacrilegious to drink in a church?

Sadly, after Timber Timbre finished up we were greeted by a Rifflandia producer who informed us that Owen Pallet was too ill to play. Now, I wouldn’t want him playing sick so I understand but still disappointing and it effectively left me anchorless. I hope he’s well enough to play his Vancouver show tonight but for now, he’ll remain one of my unicorn bands (unicorn as in the term of something you want to catch, but somehow never manage to). Luckily, backup plans had already been thought of, I knew that there was a great showcase going on at the Market Square. The stage was an awesome setup at the square, big stage surrounded by second story walkways with a large dance area in front and a beer garden in the back.
I made it in time for most of The Racoons set, it was already pretty packed in there but I found a sweet spot right in front to the left of the stage that was still open. The Racoons really feel like a band that’s just waiting to explode and have everyone bopping and dancing across the country and even into those foreign areas that aren’t Canada. The crowd was just eating up what The Racoons were dishing out and they thrived off the energy the crowd was giving them. They’re electrifying pop-rock tunes make you want to get up and move, these guys are ones to look out for.

After the Racoons finished up, there was a short moment of silence. I spotted the Old Price himself on side stage but then in the middle of the crowd came a cacophony of eastern European sounding music. It almost looked like a crazed gypsy umpa band had pushed their way into the crowd to hijack the showcase but then I realized it was Victoria band Bucan Bucan. Decked out in hilariously hyperbolic attire that suited their sound and a megaphone they proceed to play and try to get the crowd to jump, clap and dance with them. People seemed just awestruck at first, like they didn’t know what to make of it but then slowly, some people started getting into it. I was definitely one of those people, these guys are doing something I’ve never seen before and I wanted more. I kept hoping they’d get to go up on stage for at least a song but it seems like they were billed as something of a tweener between the Racoons and Shad. There’s always a special place in my heart for a band that has a real sense of showmanship and made me think that they’d go great on a bill with Hank Pine & Lily Fawn. That's why I took video instead of a picture, words just don't do these guys justice. Hopefully, we'll see these guys out more.
Now we come to the man himself, Shad, and my first hip-hop show. It’s true, I’ve never been out to a hip-hip show before, I’m admitting it, and I can’t think of anyone better to see. Shad’s raps just flow great, are smart, witty and often throw down hilarious references like name-dropping George Lucas. You can tell that Shad’s no slouch when it comes to lyrics and his back up is just as strong. DJ Tito treating the crowd to one solo song in the middle of the set with his scribble DJing style. If anyone was going to sell me on hip-hop, Shad and his crew would be the ones. Feel free to correct me if I got his DJs name wrong or anything, I'm going off what I heard on stage as I can't find him online. If you have any info on him, I'd love to have it!
At this point, I’d been up for a really long time so a ditched the crowd for DJ Champion and his G-Strings and watched on from the sidelines. For anyone who like myself, has not had the pleasure of seeing these DJ Champion, his G-Strings consist of 5 guitarists and Champion on his laptop orchestrating the guitars. It’s really a sight to behold, Champion waving his hands at the guitars like a conductor as he dances and produces his beats. The crowd just went nuts for it, arms were in the air, person after person popped up onto the sea of hands and Champion just kept stirring them up into a bigger and bigger frenzy. This has to have been the biggest and sweatiest dance party the Market Square has ever seen. Being in that crowd must have be a blast, but even if the mind was willing, my body was just done for the night and needed some sleep. All in all, this was one hell of a good night and I can’t wait for tonight.

As for what to see tonight you ask? The Market Square again has a pretty awesome line-up, I’m unfamiliar with Our Book & The Authors and Brandi Disterheft but it ends with The Dudes and Mother Mother. They're are going to knock the socks off that square tonight, wonder if they'll give DJ Champion's crowd a run for their money. It’s a real shame that Fritz Helder and the Phantoms aren’t playing anymore as I would have loved to catch them, I’ve been really addicted to Punch Me in the Neck lately. Still, there’s Aidan Knight and Tegan & Sara at the Alix Goolden Hall and right beside it at the same time is Woodpigeon in the Metro Theatre. Still, I think I’m gonna situate myself in Sugar Nightclub for what was a quadrapack of Canadian indie rock with The Library Voices, Zeus, Cuff The Duke and The Most Serene Republic. Turns out Cuff the Duke has moved to the Market Square to take the place of Fritz Helder and the Phantoms. I think I’m still going to stick with Sugar as I want catch Zeus but the show starts at 9:30p so I’ll be able to catch someone beforehand, possible Aidan Knight but maybe I’ll try Vince Vaccaro and the Victoria band Maurice. We’ll see what happens tonight!

Hope I see you out there and have fun.
- AlexOfAnders

The 2009 Verge Music Awards

The Verge Music Awards were held Tuesday, Sept. 22 at The Mod Club in Toronto.

The Finalists:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire

Amos the Transparent

Dan Mangan

Joel Plaskett

Said The Whale

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Arkells - Jackson Square

Joel Plaskett - Three

Metric - Fantasies

Mother Mother - O My Heart

The Winners:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Dan Mangan

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Photo credits:

Dan Mangan - Cody Lobreau

From the 2009 WCMAs...nice job!

Alexisonfire - designermagazine.org

New Mother Mother music video for Hayloft

Mother Mother has just released a new video for Hayloft, it seems to only be available off Much Music's website for now. Watch it here.

As soon as I can find an embeddable source I'll add it here.

In case you didn't know, Mother Mother is playing a show at UBC next Saturday September 12th, put on by AMS Events and Dose.ca. They'll be rocking the Pit Pub with fellow Vancouverites Said the Whale and Hannah Georgas. Not only that, it's only $10! There must be a catch, right? Well, sad to say, right, there is one. You have to have a valid UBC student id or be the guest of someone who does. Do 2 year old IDs still count?

No university friends either? Don't worry, Immaculate Machine is playing the Biltmore Cabaret that same night and there's no stipulations aside from being over 19. Hard decisions for those students though!

XM Verge Finalists Announced

Chances are you've gotten a few announcements from various bands urging you to vote in the XM Verge awards for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. The voting is now over and the finalists have been announced. On September 22, the 2nd annual Verge Music Awards will be announced and the winner in each category will receive 25 thousand dollars.

The finalists are
Artist of the Year:

Alexisonfire

Amos The Transparent

Dan Mangan

Joel Plasket

Said The Whale

Album of the Year

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Old Cardinals

Arkells - Jackson Square

Joel Plasket - Three

Metric - Fantasies

Mother Mother - O My Heart

For more info check out thevergeonline.com/vma.

Dawson City Music Fest: In Conclusion

I said I was going to do one big final post on Dawson and now I've finally found some time to give you the whole Dawson experience. Here goes. . .

When we'd finally arrived and settled in after the 5 hour drive from Whitehorse my gf and I had some drinks and headed over to the festival grounds. The beer gardens are a point of note for DCMF. The festival is basically just one big excuse to go to Dawson and get drunk for a lot of Yukoners, a lot of my friends don't even buy tix as you don't need them to get into the beer gardens(although price is another factor at about $130 for a weekend pass they aren't cheap). Thus everybody I know is in the beer gardens at some point or another, it is a great atmosphere and can be hard to leave sometimes; I almost always miss the first song or two of the band I was intending on seeing on the mainstage.

Anyways, after enjoying a few cold ones I made my way into the music tent to watch Luke Doucet rocking it something awesome. He played a fantastic, energy filled set; I can't even remember all the tracks he played, just that he rocked.

The next day we were very thankful for the heavy curtains in our hotel room keeping the sun out of our aching brains. Eventually we got ourselves together and after a quick meal we ventured across the river to the paddlewheeler graveyard. Now in the first half of the 20th century paddlewheelers were the way to travel in the Yukon; at their peak there were over 200 of them plying the rivers. Now there are only two preserved ones left. Just outside of the campground in Dawson is a place where several of these once majestic ships were parked and forgotten. Its quite fascinating if you're into this sort of thing, we walked around for a good while and snapped some pictures.

We caught the ferry back just as the thunder and lightning started and we realized we were very much not dressed for the weather. After warming up and changing we made for the lineup for the CBC Radio 3 showcase at the Palace Grand Theatre. Thanks to our earliness we got the best seats in the house, front row center. From this fantastic vantage p oint we enjoyed the likes of Ryan McNally, The Acorn, and Chad VanGaalen. Ryan McNally was the fill in for Coeur de Pirate and his foot stompin tunes opened the show very nicely. The Acorn picked up where he left off and man oh man were they good. I will admit to not being a big Aco rn fan previous to this but after their show I was converted, so very very very good. Chad Vangaalen was up next and once again he did not disappoint. You could hear a pin drop when he played W illow Tree, it was perfect. In between these sets Grant Lawrence was being the awesome MC that he is and handing out the R3 swag. After getting some guff for favouring the people who travelled the farthest to get to Dawson he asked who all was from Whitehorse, and my gf being the fantastic, beautiful girl that she is, was able to get me a coveted R3 scarf; that girl knows how to make my night.

We left the Palace Grand after that as we needed to prepare for the Mother Mother show in an hour. Mother Mother is one of those bands who I always manage to just miss. I go to school in Victoria and they play there a lot but I was vnever able to catch them. This time however I made it and I was not disappointed. We butted shoulders and wedged our way through the writhing crowd to get as close as we could and rocked out. I'll definitely try to catch them again next time they're in Vic (I believe they're playing Rifflandia Music Fest).

I made my way back into the beer gardens to find that despite having 7 types of beer they were down to cider and light beer, ugh, how did that happen. I grabbed some during last call and then gave them to a friend to hold on to as I ran outside of the gardens to use the bathroom (the line up was smaller outside the fence) but when I returned I found the entrance closed and my beer trapped inside with my friend. Fortunately a mysterious stranger in a beer gardens t-shirt grabbed me and said if I didn't get my "brother" out of there they were going to call the cops. He shoved me through the exit to find my missing "sibling." I must thank you mysterious stranger for your help in reuniting me with my beverages.

The last set we caught was Sunset Rubdown. They put on a career best performance. When I was chatting up Grant Lawrence later he said that they played much better than previous shows he'd seen them do. I hadn't seen them perform before but that closing set was ridiculously awesome. Crowd surfin was goin down and the crowd was hot and sweaty and lovin it. It was the best way to end the night.

Unfortunately I had to work on Monday which meant leaving Dawson on Sunday at a reasonable hour so that we had enough time to drive home and recover. I was able to catch Melissa McClelland accompanied by Luke Doucet though and they played some perfect tunes for a blossoming Sunday afternoon. I saw Grant at this again and he introduced me to a fellow R3 blogger, the beat street. That made two of my fellow R3 compatriots I'd met that weekend, the other being emmaf.

And that concluded my DCMF 2K9 weekend. What a great and awesome time, I hope I'll be able to make it next year. . . If I do, Grant, would you like a ride?

Lucas

Dawson City Music Fest: The Preview

So in just under a week's time the greatness that is the Dawson City Music Festival will take place. Being a resident Yukoner it has been my pleasure to partake in this festival on more than one occasion and each time has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Dawson City has what I will call the 500 kilometer appeal, now this rule of appeal can be adjusted depending on your distance from the place, but as I'm in Whitehorse and Dawson is about 500 km north of me its what I'm going to call it.

Firstly there is the weather, I know it poured rain last year but that was an anomaly, el nino or something, for the most part the weather is amazing. High 20's the entire weekend and sun all day and night. Where else in the country can you travel north for hotter weather. This summer has been a great one for the Yukon and we can proudly boast to being the hottest place in Canada on more than a few days this year.

Secondly there is the famed midnight sun. Now by the end of July darkness is slowly creeping into our nights down in Whitehorse, but 500 km's north in Dawson, the nights are still bright and warm. Its like getting an extension on a term paper, those bright summer nights lingering for a few more days. There is nothing better than going into the Palace Grand for the Radio 3 showcase, getting out at 10 or 11 and then putting your sunglasses back on as you trek to the beer gardens. Then as 2 am rolls around and things are closing up you grab that sixer you left in your car and head for a friend's campsite to keep the night going, just tell yourself you'll go to bed when it gets dark and see how it works out.

Thirdly there is the drive. Now you can fly into Dawson and many do, it is much shorter and a lot more convenient, but the drive from Whitehorse to Dawson should be experienced at least once. If you're driving in from elsewhere in the country then you might groan at the thought of another 5+ hours tacked on but here's what I suggest. If you can, arrive in Whitehorse a day or two early, camp or grab a room in town(you can stay in my yard if you need to), recover, enjoy the city, and grab some supplies for the weekend(things in Dawson are a little more pricey than Whitehorse). Then the next day get an early start, or a late one its not like its going to get dark, and head north. An experienced Yukoner can do the drive in about 5 hours, I believe the exact distance is 480km. Sections of the road are unpaved and this can make for some dusty periods if the weather is dry. There are plenty of stops to make too: just under an hour outside of Whitehorse is the Braeburn lodge, stop here to grab some humongous cinnamon buns, then just outside of Carmacks (another hour or two down the road) you'll see the five finger rapids. There's a great pullout here with a spectacular view so snap some shots while you can. You can gas up in Carmacks or wait another hour for Pelly Crossing. You'll also pass by Moose Creek Lodge on the highway and if they're open you can grab a Also watch your speed in between the two communities, the cops are awake festival weekend and checkstops have been known to happen. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as well as they like to roam alongside and on the highway. Umm I think that's all I can think of for the drive, as you can tell I'm a big proponent of it and would definitely count it as part of the festival experience.

Alright so on to the music, this is a music blog after all and you want to know who's playing. Dawson has another stellar line up this year which includes: Chad Van Gaalen, The Acorn, Coeur de Pirate, Johnny and the Moon, Sunset Rubdown, Luke Doucet, Eekwol and Mils, Lana Rae, Triple Forte, Melissa McClelland, The Handsome Family, Alma de Espana, Gadji Gadjo, SoCalled, Iskwew, Mother Mother, Crash the Car, Katie Moore, Elena Yeung, Headwater, and Bend Sinister. I've had the chance to catch Chad Van Gaalen and Bend Sinister in concert before and I'm looking forward to seeing them again, but as you can see they are only a fraction of the talent performing at this festival and I can't wait to see everybody else. The stages in Dawson range from a waterfront gazebo, to your customary festival tent, to the much lauded Palace Grand which you have to see to believe.

So come one come all to Dawson City, home of the Klondike Gold Rush and the best little festival in Canada. If you're in Whitehorse on Thursday, stop by the MacBride Museum to say hi or ask for a ride, otherwise track me down in Dawson it would be great to see you there!

Lucas

Rifflandia Music Fest Earlybird Wristbands and Lineup Announced!

So last year Victoria got a new music festival, it went by the name of Rifflandia and it rocked. I unfortunately did not get to go as I decided to enjoy the Yukon for a few extra days before it was back to school. This year however I fully intend on enjoying what will no doubt be a stellar festival full of fantastic talent. The festival will run September 24 - 27th and will feature the mad skillz of Tegan & Sara, Holy Fuck, Buck 65, Mother Mother, Champion, Final Fantasy, Beach House, Shad, Pink Mountaintops, and Mt. Saint Helens Vietnam Band(I hope all those links work, they took way too long to do) with more names to be announced on July 15th. Right now a limited quantity of earlybird wristbands have been released and will be available till July 14th. Wristbands will run you about 50 bucks including fees and are totally worth it. They'll get you into every venue as well as some bonus perks. Also Rifflandabrau will be brewed once again for your enjoyment and some special "twists" like the Rifflandia Drama Club and as well as an official festival magazine/guide book to be released in mid August.

And that's not all, Rifflandia is being held as a sister event to Transmission, an international music conference for all the movers and shakers of the industry. It looks to be pretty interesting and hopefully I'll be able to grab an invite for that so I can let you know what its all about.

All in all it looks like a pretty darn exciting weekend in Victoria. For more info you can check out the Rifflandia site here and the Transmission site here.

O My Head: Are Mother Mother New Pornographers Clones?

Does

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I was listening to the CBC Radio 3 Sessions of Mother Mother (get 'em all here) today, and was once again struck by the absolute brilliance of this band, when I realized that I had actually never read a single review of their latest album, O My Heart which, for my money, was one of the best start-to-finish albums of 2008 (mise-en-scene aside: that is one long run-on sentence there, and there's nothing I'm going to do about it).

Anyways, most of the stuff is along the lines of "good album, slightly uneven, band shows promise." Fair enough. But then I read one that to my mind is just so off the mark that I have to ask you, the audience, if I'm missing something here. Here it is (jaw-dropping bits in bold):

"On their Touch Up debut album, Mother Mother sounded like a more acoustic, folky version of The New Pornographers. Here, they've largely ditched the acoustic guitars in favour of a more electric, plugged-in approach, and now they sound like they could be a carbon copy of the Pornos. I guess this isn't a surprise, considering Howard Redekopp, who produced the Pornos' Challengers, helmed this record. But it's pretty unfortunate, since O My Heart could have been a likeable record had the quintet managed not to sound a little too much like their fellow Vancouverites. Ryan Guldemond's voice is all Dan Bejar, while his sister Molly and Debra-Jean Creelman sound like Neko Case and Kathryn Calder. The only times they really break away from this sound-alike approach are on the jazzy "Try To Change" and closer "Sleep Awake," on which Molly Guldemond sounds (bizarrely) like Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki. Besides that, becoming trapped in someone else's sound is unfortunate and Mother Mother have further entrenched themselves in that here."

There are a number of comparisons one could make when speaking about Mother Mother, but the New Pornographers is not one I would have ever thought of. I mean, yeah, they both make good use of empty space and guitars and vocals and stuff, but I do not hear "Body of Years" and think "Myriad Harbour," or even "Jackie Dressed in Cobras." Am I off-base in thinking this reviewer may actually never have heard the album (I've posted some audio samples for comparison, using Bejar-led N.P songs)?

Mother Mother Interview

Hear what frontman Ryan Guldemond and drummer Ali Siadat have to say about touring with Sam Roberts, their SXSW experience, their new member, and the new material they've been working on.

The interview was done before their recent show at Henotic in Lethbridge, AB where Said The Whale opened the night. These youngsters have a great sound and are sure to really take off soon, but need to hone their sound to get to the next level.

Mother Mother blew the roof off the place with their boy/girl/girl vocals cutting through the cacaphony of the pop masterpieces they've created.

Henotic has begun to bring in some serious acts and is revitalizing the Southern Alberta music scene. Hopefully this trend continues...

Read the full interview here

Mother Mother @CBCRadio3 Sessions Podcast

Vancouver band Mother Mother are the guests on this weeks CBC Radio 3 sessions podcast.



You can download the mp3 over here but I've also put a list of all of the Radio 3 sessions to date up at http://www.nxew.ca/sessions.html!

Western Tour: Said the Whale + Mother Mother

Vancouver bandsSaid the Whale and Mother Mother are doing a quick Western tour starting Wednesday in Kelowna B.C.

April 15 | Kelowna, BC | Habitat
April 16 | Lethbridge, AB | Henotic Lounge
April 17 | Saskatoon, SK | Louis' Pub
April 18 | Calgary, AB | The Gateway @ SAIT
April 19 | Edmonton, AB | Starlite Room
May 9 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom

Mother Mother - O My Heart



Said the Whale - This City's A Mess

CBC Radio 3's SXSW Podcasts

Last Week the Radio 3 folk sent a contingent to South by South West in Austin Texas. The podcasts of some of the performances they caught are now up.

First there is R3TV (episode 79) which features Performances from King Khan, Young Galaxy, Jenn Grant, Beast, Two Hours Traffic and more.



(A full list of every R3TV episode is available at the Facebook Group)

Then there is the Radio 3 Sessions Podcast:

"In this podcast we bring you sounds from the Canadian Blast showcase that took place on Wednesday March 18 in Brush Square. Featured here are Two Hours Traffic, The Arkells, Mother Mother, Beast and Shout Out Out Out Out. As a bonus, we're including a few songs from the Thunderheist set on Saturday afternoon at the 'M' For Montreal 'T' for Toronto showcase."

(download -
Facebook group)