Spotlight: Evening Hymns

There are very few first albums I can remember garnering as much aticipation as Spirit Guides, the debut from Evening Hymns (a.k.a. Jonas Bonnetta). That is, in part, due to his friends. Evening Hymns is on Out of This Spark and part of the same Friends in Bellwoods circle that has produced Ohbijou, Forest City Lovers, Timber Timbre, the Wooden Sky, the D'urbervilles (and Diamond Rings), the Magic and others.

It is not, of course, only his friends. Bonatas has an amazing amount of talent and has won over audiences with his previous EPs, his contributions to Friends in Bellwoods and his live shows.

I'll stop there and urge you to check out:

Review on Ear to the Sound

Review at Herohill

Review on Torontoist

Review at the Skeleton Crew Quarterly

Review on Stories from a Small Town

We Shit Vinyl Episode 32 with Evening Hymns and the Wooden Sky

the Snow Suit Sounds Christmas Special with Evening Hymns and the Wooden Sky

Evening Hymns - Dead Deer



Buy Spirit Guides on Zunior

Connect with Evening Hymns at:
Home Page - Myspace - Facebook - Radio 3.

Catch Evening Hymns live at:

Sat Nov 14 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky
Hamilton, ON @ Absinthe

Sun Nov 15 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky
St. Catherines, ON @ Merchant Ale House

Sat Nov 21 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky
Peterborough, ON @ The Montreal House

Thu Nov 26 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky
Quebec City, QC @ L’Agitee

Fri Nov 27 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky
Wakefield, QC @ The Black Sheep Inn

Sat Nov 28 2009 - 09:00 PM
with the wooden sky and jenn grant
Montreal, QC @ Il Motore

Fri Dec 4 2009 - 09:00 PM
CD Release Party with The Harbourcoats
Toronto, Ontario @ Tranzac

Evening Hymns Full Length, Spirit Guides, is Finally Here

Evening Hymns (a.k.a. Jonas Bonnetta's) long awaited full length debut Spirit Guides is out today on Out of This Spark. I don't have a crystal ball and haven't heard everything that's going to be released between now and next spring but it's a safe bet that one of the Polaris long list slots (& maybe more) just went away. You're seriously going to love this. Torontoist says:

"Why is Jonas Bonnetta so damn disarming? His debut full length as Evening Hymns—essentially a fleshed-out version of his real-monikered earlier release—oozes a level of granola that could cause discomfort for hyper-aware, self-conscious indie rock fans; the album is called Spirit Guides and much of the lyrical content is about the forest and there's a full track just of a rain storm and have you seen that eerie, foggy mountain on the cover? Somehow, though, there isn't a pretentious note on this record."

But whatever anyone says it sounds like this: (if you love you can buy it on Zunior).

Port Hope by Evening Hymns

Live Video: Forest City Lovers @ Pop Montreal

Via Colin Medley's YouTube channel. The Forest City Lovers perform Sullen Seas at the Pop Montreal Out of This Spark showcase.



That was this year, this was last year - Colin's video from his trip to Pop Monteal 2008 with Forest City Lovers

Review: Friends In Bellwoods 2 release party @ Lee's Palace, 28 Aug.

On Friday night I went to one of the best shows I've been to all year. At Toronto's Lee's Palace I and several hundred others were treated to an excellently put together and performed show to celebrate the release of the Friends in Bellwoods 2 compilation. The evening featured Waterloo-based electro dance group Bocce, hometown favourites Ohbijou, the lovely Forest City Lovers, and the expanded band version of Jonas Bonnetta's solo project, Evening Hymns. I have seen all these bands before (though not Evening Hymns as a 7-piece), and went into the show expecting to have a nice time. I did not expect the musical spectacular that it turned out to be. Silly me.

I missed the first song or two of Evening Hymns' set, and when I got there the venue was already pretty busy. A good sign. Jonas was still playing that sparkly silver guitar I saw him use during a solo performance a few months back---good. The addition of Sylvie Smith (The Magic) on backing vocals, James Bunton (Ohbijou) on drums, Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) on guitar, Andrew Wyatt (The Wooden Sky) on bass, and others made for an impressive lineup. Mid-way through their set, Sylvie Smith took over lead vocals, singing her contribution to the compilation, "On Our Own." On the record, her voice is strong and clear; live, it was even better. A real standout track. Another inspired moment was when most of Jonas' band cleared off, making way for the members of The D'Urbervilles, dressed up to mimic their friend Taylor Kirk (Timber Timbre), whose song "Magic Arrow" they covered for the album. And so they performed it for us. Great stuff.

Jonas recently arranged for Out of This Spark records to release his next album, coming out on 3 November. Promises to be a good one. Listen to "Dead Deer" on his MySpace. Or just watch this live video, taken by Colin Medley at a Wavelength show a while back:

Next up was Forest City Lovers, one of the top local folk-pop acts. This band had fewer tricks up its sleeves, but did bring in extra strings for a few songs (Jenny Mecija and Anissa Hart from Ohbijou). More importantly, the band performed a strong set with their full lineup. It was nice to see them sound so good and seem so confident in their set. Good! I like this band a lot, but the stars never fully align whenever I see them live. Friday night, they did. They played their track off the compilation---"Minneapolis," which also kicks off the preview podcast I did last week---as well as songs from their recordings. Look for a new 7" from the band sometime in the next few months.

The biggest draw of the night was Ohbijou, a band that's had a lot of successes over the past year, building on a longer history of community involvement and strong musicianship. I missed out on their CD release show earlier this summer, so tonight was my chance to get up to speed on how the band's been doing. And, well, they were great. I've sometimes found Ohbijou's recorded output hard to really get into. I am a fan of the folkier indie rock out there, but for a some reason Ohbijou never did it for me as much as it does for so many other people. Friday night was the moment when things clicked between me and the band. Casey Mecija and the rest of her bandmates seemed really excited for the event, and their energy added sparkle to their quiet songs. The didn't play too many of their own songs, calling up guests---Nils Edenloff (The Rural Alberta Advantage); Reg Vermue and Kelly McMichael (Gentleman Reg); Basia Bulat; and others---to sing and play with them, and it all made the set more festive. Consider me now much more firmly in the fan category.

At this point things could have ended, but no: the event's organizers had one more band for us. Bocce took to the stage ready to get the real party started. And my oh my did they ever. The dance floor was hopping and the guys seemed not at all phased to be playing to such a large crowd after such brilliant sets of music. I hung back near the soundboard, but it gave me the perfect sightline to witness the craziness of Casey, Kat Burns (Forest City Lovers), and Greg Santilly (The D'Urbervilles) rapping. During the encore, seemingly everyone who had performed that night, and even some who hadn't, piled on stage, jumping up and down and having a blast. So was everyone in the audience. Take a look for yourself.

What a great night of music. You can purchase a copy of the 40-song double-disk compilation from a variety of actual and virtual stores. All proceeds go to the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. Details here.

[Photo credit: staceymccool.]

Friends in Bellwoods 2: All Day All Ages CD Release in Toronto (and a Velvet Underground Cover)!

Via the Ohbijou Myspace Blog: The schedule has been released for the all day, all ages Friends in Bellwoods II Release Party at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue) on Saturday, August 29. Jen has already done a really good writeup so I won't go into detail about Friends in Bellwoods (you can read Jen's piece here.. I will though remention the samples available:

Jen posted these three:
The D'Urbervilles, "Magic Arrow" (Timber Timbre cover)
The Phonemes, "April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email"
Tusks, "New To Old Money"

and over at Chromewaves there is an MP3 of Bry Web from the Contantines and Casey Mecija of Ohbijou covering Oh! Sweet Nothin by the Velvet Underground... You should definitely go grab that!.

Back to the main event though, Saturday at the Tranzac - I don't have the price at the door (on edit, apparently it's $8 at the door) but the lineup is all like

ALL DAY, ALL AGES AND A BBQ!!!!!!!!

12:10 – Bruce Peninsula

12:45 – Kate Rogers

1:20 – Great Bloomers

1:55 – Sylvie Smith's Country Band

2:30 – Sebastien Grainger

3:05 – The Low Notes

3:40 – The Phonemes

4:15 – Tusks

4:50 – Canadian Wildlife

5:25 – The Cutting Edge

6:00 – Dinghies

6:35 – Kite Hill

7:10 – Bellewoods

7:45 – Lisa Bozikovic

8:20 – Kids On TV

8:55 – Emma McKenna

9:30 – Germans

10:05 – Snowblink

10:40 – The Acorn

Friends In Bellwoods 2 out soon!

On 25 August, Out of This Spark records will be releasing the Friends in Bellwoods Compilation 2, a double disc of musical treats featuring some of Toronto's---and the country's---best bands and musicians. The compilation was edited by Casey Mecija and James Bunton from the band Ohbijou, and many of the tracks were recorded at Casey's bungalow near Toronto's Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

The big parties happen next weekend (details below), but pre-release celebrations for the discs are happening tonight (Wednesday) at the Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). The weekly Granny Boots series is hosting the free party, starting at 7:30pm, with a promised end time of 11pm, so you can get home and into bed and back out to work tomorrow morning without losing any sleep. (Isn't that nice of them?) The show will feature performances from Gentleman Reg and Katie Sketch ("delicious duets"), Diamond Rings (AKA John O'Regan from OOTS band The D'Urbervilles), and Casey Mecija, Ohbijou's frontwoman. There will be video screenings, too. Look for new videos from Ohbijou, Diamond Rings, Kids on TV, and Katie Stelmanis.

To get you in the mood for the parties tonight and next weekend, here are a few tracks from the compilation:

Download: The D'Urbervilles, "Magic Arrow" (Timber Timbre cover)
Download: The Phonemes, "April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email"
Download: Tusks, "New To Old Money"

Some of the other rare, unreleased, and new songs on the discs include ones by some of my favourite acts: Forest City Lovers, Basia Bulat, The Acorn, Timber Timbre, Gentleman Reg, Great Lake Swimmers, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hooded Fang... and so much more! There are some great new finds in here for me, and some great tracks from these and other bands I already know and love. The songs tend toward the folky, rootsy, acoustic-y, though there are plenty of more rocking tunes. Proceeds from the compilation's sale go to Toronto's Daily Bread Foodbank, so you can feel charitable in your purchase. Copies are available from iTunes, Sonic Unyon, or Zunior. Head over the Friends in Bellwoods website for more info and links.

The compilation will get some fitting release events. The big party is next Friday, 28 August, at Lee's Palace in Toronto. The lineup includes Bocce, Ohbijou (special set w/ guests), Forest City Lovers, and Evening Hymns. Promises to be a great night of music. Tickets are $12 in advance (from Soundscapes and Rotate This) or $15 at the door. I predict a sell-out. Special guests include Sylvie Smith (from The Magic), Rolf Klausener (The Acorn), Nils Edenloff (The RAA), Gentleman Reg, and The Wooden Sky.

On Saturday, 29 August, there's a full day of music starting at noon at the Tranzac. Tickets are $10 (or $8 with a non-perishable food donation), and the event is all ages. The lineup is crazy-good, beginning with Bruce Peninsula and ending with The Acorn. This event is also a BBQ. Awesome.

Here's the full track listing for the compilation:

Disc One

1. Forest City Lovers – Minneapolis
2. Le Pigeon – Freezing Rain
3. Basia Bulat – My Heart Is A Warning
4. The Acorn – Slippery When Wet
5. Canadian Wildlife – Winter’s Moon
6. Double Suicide – Touch The Sun
7. Great Bloomers – Find My Way
8. Lisa Bozikovic – The Letting Go
9. Bellewoods – Kneel On The Apron
10. Kate Rogers – The Same Party
11. Timber Timbre – Water
12. No Kids – All That Heaven Allows
13. Snailhouse – Don’t Go Anywhere
14. Final Fantasy – Red Sun (Demo Version)
15. Sylvie Smith – On Our Own
16. Bruce Peninsula – In Parallel
17. Gentleman Reg – For Trust
18. Evening Hymns – Cedars
19. Kite Hill – Tom Thumbtack
20. The Bellwoods Crew – Staten Island Waltz

Disc Two

1. The Dinghies – The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
2. Bocce – Inspiration Bellwoods
3. Kids On TV - Poison
4. Katie Stelmanis – Believe Me
5. The D’Urbervilles – Magic Arrow
6. Sebastien Grainger – Home Is The Light
7. Violence – Living Off The Land
8. Ohbijou – An Ode To An End
9. Great Lake Swimmers – Send Me A Letter
10. The Low Notes – Glory Glory
11. Snowblink – When Pushed From A High Branch
12. lice - yggdrasil
13. Emma McKenna - Happiness
14. Richard Laviolette – Media Song
15. The Adam Brown – Joy Rider
16. The Phonemes – April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email
17. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Rough And Tumble
18. Tusks – New To Old Money
19. Hooded Fang – Highway Steam
20. The Wooden Sky – My Old Ghosts

Out of This Spark to Release Evening Hymns

Toronto's Out of This Spark label, which recently signed a distribution deal with Arts and Crafts have announced that they will release the new album from Peterboroug's Jonas Bonnetta a.k.a. Evening Hymns (Peterborough again?!?).

Evening Hymns has drawn high praise since Bonetta's 2006 'Farewell to Harmony':

"Upon first listening to Farewell to Harmony, the most notable attribute is the strength and ingenuity of each of these 11 songs. For an independent release, Jonas Bonnetta arrives fully formed, with an acute vision in mind that..s one part Brian Wilson, one part Jeff Buckley, and the scattered remnants of the Incredible String Band and other early ..70s British acid folksters. It..s a lush and deceptive album from this Peterborough, ON native who comes across to the casual ear as a singer-songwriter with a minimal refrain: just his voice and his guitar. But subsequent listens reveal a tapestry of tape-looping, a psychedelically inclined backdrop where mountains of sound hide behind every note. What, at first, sounds like one voice is indeed one voice thrice layered. That intricate guitar work is actually four loops competing. Each listen reveals yet another layer, and each layer brings its own rewards. ..We..re Moving On.. and ..Sea Side Waves.. are essential listening, while the rest of the album settles onto the back porch and waits for the fireflies. Through and through, Farewell to Harmony is an independent treasure."

- Exclaim

Yet had remained under the radar. Hopefully the Out of This Spark / Arts & Crafts partnership can remedy that.

Port Hope by Evening Hymns

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Herohill makes some Polaris predictions.

iheartthemusic interviews Black Hat Brigade.

Sunparlour Players cancel western tour dates.

Consequence of Sound reviews Rock Plaza Central.

jctrevors has a nice photset of the Superfantastics at the Dome in Halifax.

BlogTO interviews Black Hat Brigade.

Out Of This Spark has info on an upcoming Tribute to Royal City - to be held in Toronto and Guelph.

Radio 3 has info on a doc about Vancouver's vanishing music (and cultural) venues.

Timbre Timbre Signs to Arts and Crafts

Congradulations to Timbre Timbre, Out of this Spark and Arts and Crafts. According to CBC Radio 3 and Arts and Crafts, A & C and Out of this Spark are partnering to re-release Timbre Timbre's self titled debut (originally released in January).

"Bry Webb from the Cons turned me onto the Timber Timbre record and I immediately fell in love with it," says Arts & Crafts President, Jeffrey Remedios. "I went to acquaint Kevin Drew and he simultaneously tried to tell me. We both knew we had to try and tell the world about Timber Timbre and we're honoured he's giving us a chance to do just that." He continues, "Out Of This Spark has been doing great things for the Toronto music community and we're excited to be working more closely with them."

As a side note I found it somewhat amusing that the Arts and Crafts release refers to Out of this Spark as an 'upstart' record label. I suppose, if talking to an international audience, that may be true but with Timbre Timbre, Forest City Lovers, the D'urbervilles and Jenny Omnichord on board Out of This Spark hardly seems like an upstart anymore.

That aside, Arts and Crafts is celebrating the signing by giving away a free MP3 of Timbre Timbre's song 'Lay Down in the Tall Grass'

Timber Timbre - Oh Messiah


Upcoming Timbre Timbre dates:

5/13/09 - Sherbrooke, PQ @ Tapageur
5/14/09 – Sackville, NS @ Struts Gallery
5/15/09 – Halifax, NS @ Caleb's!
5/16/09 - Halifax, NS @ Company House
5/17/09 – Breadelbane, P.E.I. @ Funk the Dunk Festival
5/18/09 - Charlottetown, P.E.I. @ Ampersand
5/21/09 – Toronto, ON @ 67 Nassau St / Over The Top Festival
5/25/09 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Arcadia
5/26/09 – Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
5/27/09 – Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub
5/28/09 – Winnipeg, MB @ Graffiti Gallery
5/29/09 – Regina, SK @ The Club
5/30/09 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Stall Gallery
5/31/09 - Saskatoon, SK @ House Show
6/2/09 – Medicine Hat, AB @ The Ottoman Lounge
6/4/09 – Edmonton, AB @ Hydeaway
6/5/09 – Calgary, AB @ New Black Centre
6/6/09 – Canmore, AB @ Canmore Hotel
6/8/09 – Kelowna, BC @ The Blue Gator
6/10/09 – Vancouver, BC @ Little Mountain Studios
6/11/09 – Victoria, BC @ Solstice Cafe
6/12/09 - Vancouver, BC @ Secret Loft/ Waste Fest
6/18/09 – Toronto, ON @ NXNE
6/19/09 - Ottawa, ON @ First Baptist Church
6/20/09 – Montreal, PQ @ Plaza St. Hubert