Wait, have we gotten to this point, a mere two weeks before the 2011 Halifax Pop Explosion , uhhhhh, explodes out of the gate without posting on the almighty Herohill showcase? It appears that we have, but that's a wrong we're obviously righting at this very moment. But we can't talk about the showcase without mentioning the very exciting fact that we are involved with something else very exciting this year: The Saved By Vinyl, Kelp Records & Herohill BBQ being held at the amazing Company House on the afternoon [...]
Video: The Wheat Pool - Lefty Great Edmonton band The Wheat Pool. http://t.co/bkO7ycX
The Wheat Pool - Lefty Great Edmonton band The Wheat Pool.
So hear it is. The result of months of hard work from some of our favorite bands across this nation (and even a special cameo from one of our favorite American outfits). Basically, the idea was simple: Pay tribute to a Canadian legend on Canada Day. Oh, and get some free content for the blog of course. In all seriousness, Gordon Lightfoot has been making music for decades and his stories are passed from generation to generation. Unfortunately, when asked about the greatest Canadian songwriters, Gordon is often left off the list. [...]
It's no secret that we at the hill are big fans of The Wheat Pool . Not only did we ask them to play our NXNE showcase last year, but when they hit full stride on "Nervous Bird" , it was the type of moment that makes me keep writing and keep listening. Hauntario has aged like a fine wine, and two years later I still end up picking it out of the stack every time I start the car and immediately pine for new material. Hymns [...]
Are you from Alberta? Do your friends call you "the musician" in the group? How about you come out and join in a great showcase for local talent next March! This is also a kind of call to arms as the "submissions date" is October 1st, so you gotta get it together and submit within the next 3 weeks. To make sure you, me and the festival are on the same page, please read over the below to make sure you are eligible ( full info here ) because we want you if you are! [...]
It's a month late and a few dollars short, but I wanted to throw up some videos from NXNE. They are grainy, lo-fi and probably not worth the time it took to upload them... BUT ENJOY! Old Man Luedecke live @ The Dakota (herohill / killbeat showcase) ft. Jon Janes Volcanoless in Canada live @ The Gladstone Royal Wood live @ Lee's Palace ft. Amelia Curran [...]
One of 2009's great lost records was Hauntario , the sophomore album from The Wheat Pool . It is a collection of perfectly crafted, heart-piercing roots rock that gets better and better with each subsequent listen. The Wheat Pool have just announced the release of a digital-only EP called Behind the Stars that features alternate versions of songs from the Hauntario sessions along with some songs that didn't make the album. Their lovely cover of Neil Young's "Helpless" is a gift to fans who've supported the band over [...]
Undoubtedly, one of the best sets I saw at NXNE was seeing Edmonton's The Wheat Pool burn down the tiny stage of at The Dakota as part of the herohill/killbeat showcase. When the band broke into "Lefty" and "Nervous Bird", my face hosted a smile as wide as The Grand Canyon, but the real highlight was the boys spirited take on one of my favorite Neil songs ever. "Helpless" is a slow burner that hits me in the gut every time you hear it, and The Wheat Pool have made it [...]
I've been doing a fair bit more random listening to my Polaris '10 playlist over the weekend. Here's been some of the highlights: Another definite lock for my top 5 to start the day with: The Besnard Lakes and their sultry, soulful The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night is quite possibly the one record released this year that I'll never get tired of going back to time and again. As a matter of fact, it's sitting at the #1 spot on my ballot right now. [...]
Thursday is here, so it's time once again to fire up our favorite semi-regular fourth-day feature: Video Hits. Last time out I talked about doing an all-female version of our clip show, but unfortunately I don't have enough content to make that happen. But I didn't want to wait, so I've hooked up an eclectic selection that closes with two strong women from out this way. Like any and all rap groups from their hometown of Edmonton, The Wheat Pool gets a hearty thumbs-up from the hill. Hauntario is full of good songs, [...]
Another fine comp from our good buddies at AltCountryTab.ca . You can download this comp as a zipped file for one week only . Enjoy! 1. Gun Club - "Mother Of Earth" Miami (1982) Comments: No altcountry collection complete without this early classic. 2. Doug Sahm - "You Was For Real" The Return Of Wayne Douglas (2000) 3. Johnny Cash - Donut Ad.mp3 From : [...]
(photo: myspace.com/thewheatpool) Yet another of 2009's great records that slipped by me is Hauntario , the sophomore album by The Wheat Pool . In commenting on the choice of title, Robb Angus says, "From the very beginning, the first songs possessed a haunting quality, dark subject matter and melodies that wouldn't get out of our heads." Guitarist Glen Erickson goes on to say, "Ontario wouldn't go away, as a lyric, as a destination, or as the home base in our industry. For a western band it remains a necessary evil, [...]
And now, the Top Ten. A few of these were probably pretty obvious to anyone that reads herohill or likes Canadian music, but hopefully some of the lesser known acts (The Wheat Pool or Julie Fader for example) are new treats for you to digest with your cranberry sauce and dindon. Posting might be a bit sporadic over the next few days, but after some of these gems we gave you, hopefully you'll remember your pals at herohill in the new year. 10 [...]
It's Thursday, it's raining cats & dogs here in Halifax (and perhaps wherever you are) and so you're trapped inside. That means one thing here at the hill: videos. We've been having some jumbo editions of Video Hits over the last few weeks, and that continues un-abated today, with some fine Canadian musical fair committed to metaphorical video tape. We have a bit of a loose theme with these videos, as we're gonna start things out rather slow & moody, and steadily work our way up into a happier frame of mind. As many of [...]
The Duke digs this video and the song that goes along with it. The Wheat Pool hail from Canada. Their album Hauntario (which is a great album title) is out now. Watch: Listen: The Wheat Pool ∞ This Is It
Still a fan of these Edmonton boys since first seeing them live here in Calgary - won me over instantly. They are not the regular acoustic folk that might grace the electronic pages of this site, but sometimes you need a bit of country rock to wake you from your stupor. Sidenote: Even with my wife saying she thought "they wore their jeans very well..." I didn't hold that against them and still would welcome these boys around anytime! Enjoy the brand new video (just released yesterday) from their new album Hauntario! [...]
I have been a bit lax on the label playlist feature here on Slowcoustic so I noticed that the good folks at IODA have quite a bit of content from Shameless Records available. Hell, it is time to represent Alberta here - Canadian label action from my own province! They have a pretty eclectic roster, with my clear stand out favourite being The Wheat Pool - but that's how I roll (all families have their favourite child, right?). In reading over the info on their website, you know that 2002 was the official start [...]
I've struggled a lot lately with the reason I bother blogging anymore. Is it to be a critical voice? Probably not, especially considering the number of blogs out there outweighs the overwhelming than the amount of shitty bands hoping for some press. Chances are you can find a hundred reviews proving your opinion about the biggest bands in the world or the shittiest local band that hasn't even booked a show, so getting lost in the ether is almost a guarantee. Throw in the fact that classic media still views bloggers as nothing but pawns (rightly so), essential to [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Clare and the Reasons : "Ooh You Hurt Me So" [mp3] from Arrow (out October 20th) other Clare and the Reasons posts at Largehearted Boy Majeure : "Teleforce" [mp3] from Timespan (out October 20th) other Majeure posts at Largehearted Boy The Mary Onettes : [...]
Herohill
Hear No Evil
Slowcoustic
Quick Before It Melts
Rockstar Aimz
The Late Greats
largehearted boy
A-Trak - "Round of Applause" / "Where My Money At" (MP3 Download)
Diplo - "Climax" (MP3 Stream)
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
Check Out: Usher – “Climax” (prod. by Diplo)
Out This Week 2/14
