Archive for February, 2010

Fridays with … Stephen MacDonald

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Broken Ohms

(Halifax’s Broken Ohms, from left: Peter Hubley, Stephen MacDonald, Paul Nickerson, Troy Wilson.)

“Too metal for the indie scene and too indie for the metal scene,” is how Broken Ohms describes its heavy rock sound.

The band, Peter Hubley, Stephen MacDonald, Paul Nickerson and Troy Wilson, have garnered a great reputation themselves performing around the east coast and at festivals like the Halifax Pop Explosion, Maritime Tattoo Festival and Nova Scotia Music Week.

The band’s 2008 album Nocturnal Emissions netted the band a few weeks in the Canadian college radio charts and rave reviews from all over the world.

Most recently, the album was nominated for Music Nova Scotia’s Loud Artist Recording of the Year (won by Shelter with Thieves for Confessions of a Toxic Generation).

As Stephen MacDonald, Broken Ohm’s bassist, tells us, the band is storming into 2010 with a new album in sight and no signs of slowing down …

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

Broken Ohms are currently working on songs for a new album that will come out later this year. We’ve got about eight new songs and about 15 half-finished songs in the works. We’re all excited about every one of them, so it’s gonna be hard to pick and choose which ones make the final cut. I can’t wait to start recording!

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

We did our first tour outside of the Maritimes in October. In Montreal our van was broken into TWICE! I lost two basses and Troy lost a guitar. We learned a major lesson the hard way: someone ALWAYS stays with the gear!

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

Them Crooked Vultures and the new Priestess album have been taking up most of my listening time lately. Both are such awesome new rock albums. Lots of Thin Lizzy too. They’re like the classic rock band that I never really got into until the past few years … so they’re kinda new to me.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Sitting on the couch with my girlfriend drinking beer/wine and listening to records is my favourite way to relax. Definitely not a waste of time though!

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

I think Facebook and Myspace are extremely useful for both independent and established musicians. Everything is instant and everywhere. DON’T DRINK AND USE FACEBOOK!

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I’d be sitting around wishing I was in a rock band.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

Geezer Butler wrote almost all of Ozzy’s lyrics in Sabbath!

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

Scarf rock.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Propeller IPA!

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … is like a phoenix rising up from the ashes. Whatever that means … There are a lot of great bands here that are getting the attention they deserve. There are a lot of crap bands that are getting the attention they don’t deserve. For the most part the east coast music scene is better and more exciting than it ever has been. It’s a lot LOUDER now too!

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

Musically, I’m very excited to make the next Broken Ohms album. I’m very proud of our last one, but this new one is gonna be far superior I think. We just wrote one (recently) that gives me chills just thinking about it. I also plan to start doing more design work this year. I’ve got a few album covers in the works right now for other bands as well as Ohms. To me, the album cover is as important as the music itself. Let me help you make your music look good!

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: The Motorleague and Something Delicious’s Jonah Hache

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Construction & Destruction embark on tour

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Construction & Destruction will embark on an east coast tour this week in support of their recently released album, Video et Taceo. They will be joined on the tour by Shotgun Jimmie and The Burning Hell. Dates are as follows:

Feb. 25 – Saint John, NB @ Jaco’s Bar Grill
Feb. 26 – Fredericton, NB @ The Capital
Feb. 27 – Halifax, NS @ Gus’ Pub
Feb. 28 – Sackville, NB @ The Legion
Mar. 2 – Charlottetown, PEI @ The Ampersand
Mar. 2 – Charlottetown, PEI @ Baba’s Lounge
Mar. 5 – St. John’s, NL @ CBTG’s
Mar. 6 – St. John’s, NL @ The Ship
Mar. 7 – St. John’s, NL @ The Ship

Construction & Destruction is made-up of partners Colleen Collins and David Trenaman. The duo live seaside in the rural wilds of Nova Scotia, where they record most of their work in a studio called The Quarantine.

Since the album’s release, Construction & Destruction toured the United Kingdom with Julie Doiron in September, and have played the Pop Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion and Sappy Records festivals in Canada and the Glasgow DIY Festival in the U.K. Following their upcoming east coast dates, the band will perform throughout Europe with Shotgun Jimmie and The Burning Hell for the majority of April and May.

Mike Bochoff tours east coast

Singer/songwriter Mike Bochoff will perform a series of dates throughout the east coast this March in support of his new album, Horror Culture. The album’s first single, “Everything Burns,” was recently added into rotation on MuchMusic. Dates are as follows:

Mar. 06  – Sydney, NS @The Crown and Moose
Mar. 11  – Fredericton, NB @ The Capitol
Mar. 12  – Woodstock, NB @ Fusion Café
Mar. 13  – Moncton, NB @ The Manhattan
Apr. 9  – Halifax, NS @ The Foggy Goggle

Since its release in August, the video for Horror Culture’s single “Everything Burns,” showcased at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was awarded Best Music Video at the Arizona Underground Film Festival in Tucson, Arizona, and the Silver Wave Film Festival in Fredericton.

Bochoff started writing songs and playing drums in Pasty Felix, a punk band based out of Hartland, NB, when he was 15 years old. It wasn’t until halfway through his first year of university that he was introduced to the acoustic guitar. Six months after picking up the instrument he wrote the first of 10 songs for what would later become his debut independent release, …In the Service of Madness. The debut was released in August 2007.

Gravel Chewer release free download

New Brunswick based metal band Gravel Chewer has just released a free download of “Filth Angel,” a tune from an upcoming to-be-named EP that will be released in April 2010.  The single can be down loaded here.

Formed in Oct. 2008, Gravel Chewer is planning a Canadian tour in support of the EP. The band is also working on what will be a full-length album.

The Olympic Symphonium release new videos

Fredericton three-piece The Olympic Symphonium have released three new live videos from their Feb. 2 performance at the Rebecca Cohn Theatre in Halifax. CBC taped the show for Canada Live and Concerts On Demand and it will be available soon.

The videos can be viewed here, here and here.

Rusted Dawn prep for The Black Tides of War

New Brunswick thrash band Rusted Dawn, recent signees to Diminished Fifth Records, have announced that their debut, full-length The Black Tides of War will be released in North America on Tuesday, March 30 (distributed in Canada by Sonic Unyon and in the USA by Relapse Records).

The band has been releasing a handful of tracks from the album on their myspace to build anticipation.

The final touches are being added to ‘The Black Tides Of War – Canadian Tour’ which will launch on March 25 and run through May 16.

Maritimers are getting some shows in the next few weeks however. Check the band out at the following dates:

Saturday, February 20 @ Gus’ Pub in Halifax
Saturday, March 6 – ECMA Loud Showcase @ Maxwell’s in Sydney, NS
Saturday, March 13 @ Sunstar Lounge w/ Cauldron in Saint John, NB
Sunday, March 14 @ Nicky Zee’s w/Cauldron in Fredericton, NB

Gordon Gets Lost in New Brunswick

Fredericton/Halifax band Gordon Gets Lost will be making three stops in New Brunswick over the weekend, bringing their unique mixture of funk, jazz, bluegrass and world music to audiences.

Joining new bass player Mike Glaze are Jason Merrill (guitar, vocals) Tyler McGee (drums, vocals) and Mike Humble on Percussion.

You can catch Gordon Gets Lost at the following shows:

Thursday, Feb. 25 @ The Capital in Fredericton
Friday, Feb. 26 @ Paul’s Wharf, St George, NB
Saturday, Feb. 27 @ The Mason Jar, Sussex, NB

MIMEfest seeks bands

Moncton music festival MIMEFest has opened submissions for bands to play at this year’s festival. The festival set to take place over the weekend of April 1-4 and the deadline for submission is March 10. Submissions are open to artists of all music styles from acoustic to metal to hip-hop. Check out the website to sign up.

MIMEFest is Moncton’s Integrated Music and Education Festival. This weekend long series of concerts takes place in downtown Moncton and showcases bands from every genre of music – both French and English alike. MIMEFest 2010 will mark the festival’s 7th year but only its third under the MIMEFest moniker. Originally starting off as Monctonlocals’ Birthday Parties, the festival has grown to draw in over 1,000 people in attendance and as well as an educational panel to help support the growth of the music industry.

“I am really excited to see what bands apply for the festival this year,” commented MIMEFest organizer Don Levandier and guitarist for Moncton’s own The Motorleague. “Previous years we had a great variety of genres and managed to get some really great and talented bands like The Monoxides, The Divorcees and Les Paiens. I expect that this year the festival will grow to be better and bigger.”

Moncton open mic night takes place next week

The next monthly edition of Songwriters Association of Canada Moncton Songstage, Moncton’s open mic night for original music by singer-songwriters, will take place on Tuesday, March 2, 9:30–11:30 p.m.  at St. James’ Gate.

Performers for March 2 include Robin Anne Ettles, Guillaume Aubé, Steve Long and Mel Keith of Mel Keith & The Strombachs (2010 East Coast Music Award nominee for Pop Recording of the Year). Each performer showcases 3-5 songs in an environment that is friendly to original music.

There are still a couple of spots available for March 2, and pre-registration is open for the April 6 show. Pre-registration is required via e-mail to monctonsong@gmail.com, with demo or link to a site where your music can be auditioned. Participants must bring their own instrument. All languages of performance are welcome.

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Acadieman creator releases album

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

A new band from Moncton, Sunset Industry, will launch its debut album tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Café Aberdeen in the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in Moncton, at 7 p.m.

Sunset Industry features Dano LeBlanc (Godspeed! You Black Emperor, The Great Balancing Act), creator of Acadieman, the first Acadian Superhero, and his partner-in-crime, Léandre Bourgeois (Cathare-6, Kaméléon).

Tomorrow’s launch will be a listening party open to the public. Beverages will be available in addition to an Acadieman cake. Admission is free.

The duo’s debut record features the single Rhapsodie délinquante.

Sunset Industry is the first complete album to be released by La Menuiserie, a new record label founded by LeBlanc and Bourgegois. The album, co-produced by the two artists, will be part of the Distribution Plages’ catalog at www.plages.net

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Fridays with … John Poirier

Friday, February 19th, 2010

john-poirier.jpg John Poirier has been the Warner Music Canada representative on the east coast of Canada for “decades.”

Poirier handles requests from east coast media and ensures record stores here get their product, in addition to the many other hats he wears.

Over the years, Poirier has taken on several pet projects, including releasing a series of albums that gather up some of the Atlantic region’s top traditional music talent under the Atlantic Standards banner.

Last year, he expanded on this series with an album called Atlantic Voices, compiling songs by some of the top female singer-songwriters in the region. The album featured Julie Doiron, Rose Cousins, Christina Martin, Ruth Minnikin and many more.

These projects are a labour of love for Poirier, who has the full support of Rhino Records, who release the albums, and Warner, who distributes them.

Poirier is already considering his next compilation, but in the meantime he took a few minutes to answer some questions for our Fridays with … feature.

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

Preparing for the  Wilco (Halifax) show in March.  Also, Warner Music Canada is gearing up to  promote Meaghan Smith’s new record, The Cricket’s Orchestra .

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

I started importing and selling records that did not have a domestic release from the U.K. and U.S. when I was in university. First major lesson was not to promise what you cannot deliver.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

I have been listening to the latest releases by The Magnetic Fields, Charlotte Gainsbourg and The Low Anthem.  I’m also enjoying  some Atlantic & Blue Note jazz reissues as well as The Beatles mono box set. I’ve started to acquire vinyl again.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

I like to read computer (Mac) magazines and study Greek and Roman history.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

Anything that allows the artists to interact and inform their fans is a valuable asset. Forward thinking record companies realize this. Twitter, Facebook and MySpace have ushered in a new era in marketing.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I’d probably be a veterinarian or a history professor.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

How not to electrocute myself while installing a new doorbell.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

The “boy band” era…very annoying.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Single-malt scotch.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene ... is the most vibrant and diverse scene in Canada. When music professionals from outside the area visit Atlantic Canada they are always blown away by the amazing amount of talent emerging from a region with such a small population.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

Release another compilation of East Coast music for Rhino Records, this will be the fifth volume.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Broken Ohms’ Stephen MacDonald

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Fridays with … delayed

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Hey all … Fridays with … has been delayed this week. I’ll try to get it up over the weekend, but can’t promise anything at this point.

Check back soon!

Apologies,

Eric

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Luedecke’s hands are on fire

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Old Man Luedecke

(Old Man Luedecke. Photo: Killbeat Music.)

Nova Scotia banjo picker Old Man (Chris) Luedecke is releasing his latest effort, My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs, on March 30.

The album follows up his Juno-award winning (Roots Album) Proof of Love. Joining Luedecke again at the production helm is Steve Dawson. The album was recorded over three dates with Keith Lowe (Fiona Apple, Bill Frisell) on bass, John Raham (Be Good Tanyas, Po’ Girl) on drums and Grammy award-winning Tim O’Brien (Hot Rize, Steve Earle) on fiddle, mandolin and vocals.

“Good music is honest to its time,” Luedecke says in a press release. “The old blues and country artists I love were singing about the world they lived in. When they sang about trains and telephones, they weren’t being ironic. It was new and what they saw around them.

“I want the songs I write to be catchy, but not at the cost of being true. I hear so many songs that have beautiful melodies, but I don’t know what they’re about and I can’t feel them. I try to write about my life in a way that I’d like to read about somebody else’s life.”

Luedecke has two east coast shows lined up in the coming months:

April 30 – Halifax @ Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
May 1 – Fredericton @ The Charlotte Street Arts Center

Ruth Minnikin releases new record

The press release for Ruth Minnikin and Her Bandwagon’s latest effort, Depend on This (Songmill Music) says the record was finished “27 months, two weeks, five days and 11 hours after its noble beginnings.”

It took some time, but the follow-up to acclaimed 2006 album Folk Art is in stores now. Divided into two halves, the album explores two sides of Minnikin’s creativity. She describes the completed album as, “a conceptually dramatized exaggeration of an avant-garde jalapeno pepper on a life raft.”

Minnikin’s first band, Booming Airplanes, was signed to EMI during the Halifax pop explosion of the 1990’s. Her chamber-pop side project, The Heavy Blinkers, developed a cult following all over the world, and at the turn of the millenium, Ruth made two albums and toured the UK and the US with alt-country quintet, The Guthries.

She’s appeared on over 50 recordings throughout her career.

Depend On This track list:

01. The Theme Song I
02. Sleeping and Dreaming I
03. Four Churches I
04. Depend On This I
05. Animals of Bremen I
06. Finale I
07. The Theme Song II
08. Sleeping and Dreaming II
09. Four Churches II
10. Depend On This II
11. Animals of Bremen II
12. Finale II

Minnikin has showcases planned during ECMA weekend in Sydney. She also has the following date planned for this weekend:

Feb. 13 – Wolfville, N.S. @ Al Whittle Theatre

Mullane unleashes Shift

Nova Scotia’s Jon Mullane is releasing his latest album, Shift, this month.

He’ll debut the album with a show on Friday, Feb. 26 in Halifax from 5-8 p.m. at the Pogue Fado. The launch is being held in conjunction with Molsen’s monthly Give ‘Er’ event. The $5 admission is in support of the 2011 Canada Winter Games

Mullane worked with producer Creighton Doane on Shift. Mullane describes the collaboration as “…two ‘80’s boys channeling their inner synth-rock gods!!”

“Shift continues where my last album, The Source, left off – a shift in momentum, a shift in direction, and a shift in energy,” he says.

The single Make You Move saw heavy chart action and was featured in NBC’s international promotional campaign for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and was the official theme for the World Canoe ’09 Championships.

Andrew Watt and the Glory Glory make debut

Nova Scotia’s Andrew Watt and the Glory Glory will celebrate the release of its debut album, First Day of Summer Life, on Feb. 19 at the Seahorse Tavern in Halifax.

The band became the new musical outlet for former The Heavy Blinkers co-frontman Andrew Watt last year when he enlisted the aid of three complete strangers to help make his debut solo record.

Recruiting Halifax rock trio Glory Glory Man United as his backing band was a leap of faith for Watt, he says: “I decided to blindly invite these strangers to come over to the studio and rehearse my album. It was a real gamble that has paid off.”

Robert Drisdelle (Poison Percy Rufus) was soon brought in to record horn and string arrangements and finally Dreamsploitation’s Charles Blazevic to help work on the final mixes.

As a member of the internationally renowned Halifax pop outfit The Heavy Blinkers, Watt received critical acclaim from magazines such as Mojo, Q, Uncut and Rolling Stone. Recently, The Heavy Blinkers were named one of the “greatest bands you probably never heard of” by Spin.

Smothered in Hugs drop name

P.E.I. band Smothered in Hugs is now English Words. The band announced the name change last month at a gig to release the new 4-song EP Customer Appreciation.

The band says it’ll have a new website up shortly branded with the new name.

In the meantime, check out the band on tour with In-Flight Safety.

And with that …

In-Flight Safety tours Maritimes

In-Flight Safety is embarking on a Maritime tour this winter in support of its latest album, We Are An Empire, My Dear. The band was recently nominated for six East Coast Music Awards and had a song featured on NBC’s Chuck.

The band will perform two shows in Vancouver during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games before returning to the Maritimes for their tour.

The Maritime dates are:

Feb. 25 – Moncton @ The Paramount w/ English Words, John Jerome and Great 88
Feb. 26 – Halifax @ The Seahorse w/ Rich Aucoin & The Stance
Feb. 27 – Charlottetown @ Baba’s Lounge w/ English Words & The Orb Weavers
Mar. 4 – Sydney @ Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion (ECMA Concert Series Stage)

The Cottars bounce back with new album

Cape Breton Celtic four-piece The Cottars are back with a new album, Feast, on Rounder Records this month. Featuring traditional songs as well as tunes by founding band member Fiona MacGillivray, the album is the band’s first since 2006’s Forerunner.

The new album may come as a surprise to some, for The Cottars, originally made up of two sets of siblings, Fiona and Ciarán MacGillivray and Roseanne and Jimmy MacKenzie, split up some time ago.

However, the MacGillivrays are back, this time with new members Claire Pettit and Bruce Timmons.

Feast was released this week, and its track listing is as follows:

1.       Overture
2.       Fare Thee Well, Northumberland
3.       Seagull
4.       The Munster Suite
5.       Song For Stephen Foster
6.       Young Munro
7.       The Contradiction Set
8.       Leave Tomorrow Till It Comes
9.       On A Pier
10.    The 23rd of June
11.    Hymn For N
12.    Goodnight To You (Oidhche Mhath Leibh)

The band will perform on March 5 at Cruise Pavillion in Sydney, N.S. as part of the ECMA concert series.

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Fridays with … Jai Sadler

Friday, February 5th, 2010

We, The Undersigned

(We, The Undersigned is, from left, Jai Sadler, Andy Stevens, Chris Gatza and Tyler Feeney.)

In a fairly short period of time, We, The Undersigned has made quite a name for itself on the east coast metal scene. Touring relentlessly with everyone from Protest The Hero, Fuck the Facts, Cancer Bats and a variety of fellow east coasters, the band hasn’t stopped.

As we reported yesterday, the four-piece (Jai Sadler, Andy Stevens, Tyler Feeney and Chris Gatza) is part of a tour of loud showcase shows leading up to East Coast Music Awards 2010 in the next few weeks (dates are reprinted below).

Since signing with busy metal label Diminished Fifth Records of Halifax, the band has released its full-length record Bleed The Constants, which is nominated for a 2010 ECMA for Loud Recording of the Year.

Band bassist Jai Sadler was kind enough to join us this week for our e-mail Q&A feature Fridays with …

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

Well my current musical project is my band We, the Undersigned. We just put out an album on Diminished Fifth Records, toured Canada and most recently shot a video for the song Burning Bodies (in the Distance) that should see the light of day come mid-February.

WTU will also be part of the ECMA’s Loud Nominations Tour before we head to Sydney for a few showcases. Besides that I’m working three part-time jobs, paying off some debts and saving cash for the plans WTU have for this coming year, which include more touring, hopefully outside of this continent.

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

I start booking and promoting shows in Sussex, N.B. with a close friend of mine from high school. I was in a band at the time and throwing shows was something we did for fun, once a month, to kill a Friday night.

This operation was completely do-it-yourself and with next to nothing in terms of guidance or advice from others. We were 16 and 17 at the time, so we were ripe with ignorance. I can remember learning about riders and contracts pretty quickly.

We had booked Silverstein into Sussex for a show with a few other bands, but I had not properly handled the contractual obligations and we didn’t make enough money at the door to pay them their guarantee. They’re weren’t happy. I came home that night to their booking agent more or less screaming at my mother over the phone.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

There’s a few albums:
Everytime I Die – New Junk Aesthetic
Genesis – Foxtrot
Fall of Troy – Manipulator
Andy Stevens – The Awakening
Black Dahlia Murder – Nocturnal

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Loud music mixed with either Mario 64, Super Mario All Stars or Super Mario World – I’m on a retro kick.  I generally need music going all the time though, that’s really what keeps me relaxed.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

It’s good and bad, for a lot of what I think are obvious reasons. It’s great for bands who truly want to get to know their fans, and for those fans who have been truly touched and inspired by the artists music.

On the other hand, it leaves the door wide open for bands and musicians who are simply there to play the business game and propel themselves forward by taking advantage of the sites and systems.
With everything that comes about to help musicians connect with their fans there seems to be a new aspect of image that comes along with it.

An obvious example would be the customized MySpace sites. A great tool, and it’s neat to see everyone’s ideas, but at the same time there are many bands out there who are being judged solely on how their MySpace looks and navigates. It’s just another thing that takes away from the actual music that is created.

It also makes it a lot easier for bands to connect with other bands in terms of booking tours. Again, this is good and bad. Touring is essential, but having it be easy to book a tour means that the scenes can become overwhelmed and oversaturated relatively quickly.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I honestly have no idea. Since Grade 9 it seems as though everything I’ve done has been centered around music in some aspect, be it learning to play bass, forming my first bands, promoting shows, recording albums. Even my post-high school schooling was in audio engineering so I don’t think I have much other choice then to try and stay afloat, financially, with music in some respect.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

We just recently shot a music video for the first time so that was an interesting learning experience. I can’t really sum it all up in a couple sentences, but knowing what goes into that sort of effort was really neat. We’ll be even more prepared when we shoot our next one.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

Two things come to mind: the Loudness Wars – brought on by digital mastering – and the abuse of pitch correction.

Melodyne’s latest, or I believe it’s their latest, pitch correction invention – DNA (Direct Note Access) – could be considered pretty neat, but it should also be considered pretty scary.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Water is probably my favorite, followed by Hochtaler wine (Right now anyway – my preferred alcoholic drinks switch up every few months.) And then chocolate milk … though I can’t remember the last time I had any. A few years ago it was my favourite drink, hands down.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … is an awkward thing.

The Maritimes feels like a big small town. Everyone knows everyone, and it feels like there’s a lot of unhealthy competition going on.

I can only really speak on the metal scene though, and more so the Fredericton scene. Bands dissing bands, no one going to each other shows, no one supporting other bands’ accomplishments – it’s weird and frustrating. The strangest thing is that all of the metal bands basically fit into a different genre. There’s really no band that sounds like their neighbour’s band, yet everyone is worried about not being the best and feel the need to diss the others.

It’s odd. I could understand that if all the bands sounded the same, competition would then make sense, but they don’t.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

I’d like to tour Europe for at least a month, and the same goes for the U.S. Getting another full-length record underway also ranks high on the list.

Check out We, The Undersigned at the following dates:

Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Fredericton @ Nicky Zees
Thursday, Feb. 25 – Halifax @ Gus’ Pub
Friday, Feb. 26 – Moncton @ The Manhattan
Saturday, Feb. 27 – Saint John @ Sun Star Lounge
Friday, March 5 – Sydney @ Maxwells

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Warner Music Canada’s John Poirier

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Tireless Sedans tour N.B. with new album

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Tireless Sedans

(Tireless Sedans)

Moncton’s Tireless Sedans released its latest effort, Score One For The Underdog, this week. The full-length sophomore release follows up on the band’s 2009 EP Parts & Labour.

The album is released on indie label Superbob Records.

Featuring singer/guitarist Dave Rahmer, drummer Mark McGinnis, bassist Chad Lifford and keyboardist Jenna Gallant, the band blends alt-country, folk and rock sounds.

Check them out over the next few weeks at the following shows:

Friday, Feb. 12 – Moncton @ The Manhattan
Friday, Feb. 19 – Fredericton @ The Capital
Saturday, Feb. 20 – Sussex, N.B. @ The Mason Jar

Swift tours for new record

Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Thom Swift is touring throughout the winter and spring in support of his new sophomore recording Blue Sky Day (GroundSwell/Warner), in stores Feb. 16.

Swift, a member of ECMA-award-winning trio Hot Toddy, released his debut solo recording Into the Dirt in 2007.  It won an East Coast Music Award, a Maple Blues Award, a Galaxie Rising Star prize and two Music Nova Scotia Awards in 2008.  Swift was also selected by CBC’s Song Quest in 2009 as one of Canada’s top songwriters.

Like his first recording, Blue Sky Day was produced by Swift and Halifax-based engineer/producer Charles Austin (Joel Plaskett, Buck 65, Matt Mays). The album features 11 original songs and a cover of No Depression In Heaven.

Dates include:

Feb. 8 – Halifax, NS – Metro Centre (Halifax for Haiti Benefit)
Mar. 4 – Sydney, NS – Cruise Pavilion/ECMA Concert Series*
Mar. 6 – Sydney, NS – Delta Sydney Crown & Moose
Mar. 19 – Fredericton, NB – The Playhouse*
Mar. 20 – New Glasgow, NS – Glasgow Square*
Mar. 25 – Riverview, NB – Riverview Arts Centre*
Mar. 26 – Saint John, NB – The Blue Olive*
Mar. 27 – Charlottetown, PEI – The Mack*
Mar. 31 – Halifax, NS – Casino Nova Scotia’s Compass Room*
May 7 – East Margaretsville, NS – Evergreen Theatre

*Album release concerts with full band

Songwriters’ Circle tours Nova Scotia

In addition to his upcoming solo tour, Thom Swift will join award-winning singer-songwriters Dave Gunning, Lennie Gallant and Steven Bowers for the Music From The Heart Songwriters’ Circle, which will hit five Nova Scotia communities over the next week leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Hosted by Gallant, Music From The Heart will visit:

Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Mabou @ Strathspey Place
Wednesday, Feb. 10 – Port Hawkesbury @ Shannon Studio, Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
Thursday, Feb. 11 – New Glasgow @ Glasgow Square
Friday, Feb. 12 – Liverpool @ Astor Theatre
Saturday, Feb. 13 – Yarmouth @ Th’YARC Playhouse and Arts Centre

Spend Valentine’s Day with the blues

New Brunswick blues singer Theresa Malenfant, a three-time Female Artist of the Year winner at the East Coast Music Awards, will perform on Valentine’s Day at the Riverview Arts Centre in Riverview, N.B.

Tickets are $15 advance or $18 at the door and they are available at the Sobeys smoke shop in Riverview, Jean Coutu in Riverview, Frank’s Music in Moncton and online here.

Malenfant has several more gigs lined up for the coming months, including:

Feb. 19 – Moncton @ The Old Cosmo
Feb. 26 – Halifax @ Bearly’s
Feb. 27 – Truro @ Roadside Willie’s
March 5 – Fredericton @ Gordie’s Pub
March 12 – Moncton @ The Old Cosmo
March 18 – Moncton @ Millenium Lounge in Colonial Inn
March 19 – Saint John @ Blue Olive
April 16 – Moncton @ The Old Cosmo
April 23 – Saint John @ Blue Olive
April 24 – Petite Riviere @ The Firehall
April 25 – Truro @ Marigold Theatre
April 30 – Sussex @ Broadway Café
May 1 – Sussex @ Broadway Café

The Motorleague preps second video, tour

The video for The Motorleague’s You Wear Me Down is nearing completion and should be released late this month. The band will be playing a series of loud showcase shows leading up to ECMA 2010 in Sydney, N.S. alongside Big Game Hunt, Black Moor, Shelter With Thieves, Uncooperative Death and We, The Undersigned.

The tour is organized by Hogan Media Relations and MIMEfest 2010.

Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Fredericton @ Nicky Zees
Thursday, Feb. 25 – Halifax @ Gus’ Pub
Friday, Feb. 26 – Moncton @ The Manhattan
Saturday, Feb. 27 – Saint John @ Sun Star Lounge
Friday, March 5 – Sydney @ Maxwells

D5R plans another compilation

Halifax-based metal label Diminished Fifth Records has opened submissions for the third compilation album in The Music of Artisanship & War series.  In addition to accepting submissions for bands to appear on the compilation album, for the first time ever the label will be opening up submissions to graphic designers giving them an opportunity to submit a piece of art to be used for the album’s cover.

“We really wanted to further the ‘Art & War’ premise with the third compilation,” says D5R mainman Josh Hogan in a press release. “With the previous two compilations we’ve helped unearth so much unknown and up-and-coming talent in Atlantic Canada and I expect this compilation to not only continue to pave the way for east coast metal but also enable some graphic designers in the region to help gain some extra exposure as well.”

The Music of Artisanship & War series began in March 2007 as a way to help expose the seedy underbelly of the east coast music scene. The albums feature tracks from artists on the Diminished Fifth roster as well as a variety of heavy bands in the region.

The Music of Artisanship & War: Volume III is tentatively planned for a May 2010 release.  Submissions will be open until Saturday, Feb. 13 at 11:59pm EST. Visit the label’s website for more information.

The Pinecones release Sage

About this time last year, Halifax’s Brent Randall & his Pinecones released their debut album, We Were Strangers in Paddington Green. The acclaimed piano-based orchestral pop of the album brought the group attention and accolades. Now, they’re back with a new name, a new lineup and a new album, Sage.

Following a move from Halifax to Toronto, and a new line-up consisting of Brent Randall, Brian O’Reilly (Their Majesties, Meligrove Band), Joel Goguen (Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts) and Paul Linklater (Bidiniband) the band reformed simply as The Pinecones. With all members contributing and singing their own songs, Sage is a fully collaborative effort produced and recorded by Paul Linklater.

The band’s only dates at this point are in Toronto, but check out their myspace page for more information.

New Art Records release Juvenalia

New Art Records released Juvenalia this week, a compilation of recordings from students of the Shambala School.

New Art Records started in 2009 in the attempt to aid developing artists. The label has since built a collective of young talent from the Maritimes who are creating original music with the help of the label’s production team. The label’s first release, Juvenalia, was helmed by Dave Christensen (Jenn Grant, The Heavy Blinkers) and features the students contributing songs in a vast array of styles and genres. This ranges from the hushed folk of Olivia Fader to the off-beat rock delivery of Lampshades and Offlights.

During the sessions for Juvenalia, the New Art artists received support and guidance from several renowned acts, such as Stars’ Amy Milan and Evan Cranley, Juno-award winner Serena Ryder and Joel Plaskett. Each artist visited the New Art studio and gave the students guidance on their recordings.

For more information, visit their website.

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