Things have been quiet on the Pop Echo front lately. After their biggest acts either a) broke up – Golden Hands Before God b) Got picked up by another label – Bella, Junior Bloomsday or c) are more associated with another label and are kind of stuck in limbo – The Whitsundays , it's not shocking that it took some time to restock the talent pond. But restock they did. Calgary super group, heat-ray is about to release their debut record, and since the band is comprised of members [...]
Sled Island Festival: June 24-27, 2009 (CALGARY) The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival - taking place at various venues in Calgary, Alberta from June 24 to June 27 - is pleased to announce the initial line-up and the inclusion of Olympic Plaza as the main venue on Friday, June 26. This year will include over 200 bands performing at 23 venues plus art shows, film screenings, and a comedy component at the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival. [...]
There are many reasons why Calgary's Sled Island Music Festival has earned such great accolades since its inaugural addition two summers ago. For one, it goes down in Canada, which in itself is unbelievably awesome. Then, there's the fact that Consequence of Sound will be involved in the festivities, but shhh . . . more on that in the weeks to come. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Sled Island offers a set-up like no other, consisting of South by Southwest-like showcases during the week and a more proper festival during the weekend, all of which is [...]
Faunts Feel.Love.Thinking.Of Friendly Fire (2009) Download: "Hurts Me All The Time" Recently the norm for electro-pop outputs has been to fall back on deceptive noise and feedback to add false depth to the songs. Canada's Faunts have ably avoided these trappings and assembled a well crafted and toughtful album with Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. The band was formed in Edmonton in 2000 by brothers Steven and Tim Batke. Their first offering was the well-received 2005 release High Expectations/Low Output. [...]
![The <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Whitsundays</span>: The <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Whitsundays</span> [Album Review]](http://cache.elbo.ws/posts/1659867_lg.jpg)
How surprising is it that the name of The Whitsundays ' keyboardist is Doug Organ? Then again, the jokes that could be made are put to rest when Organ steps up to his vintage instrument—his ability to channel the 60s greats like Rod Argent [The Zombies] and Ray Manzarek [The Doors] is stunning, stemming beyond the mere sound to mimic their ability to whip out sections of quick, catchy improvisation. There is no question of whether or not Organ lives up to his name. These days the term improvisation, in [...]
In Theatre, There's a number of interesting shows closing this weekend, including " Katherine Mansfield ", " And Up They Flew ", and " Blackbird ". If you only have time to see one, my pick would be "Katherine Mansfield"; this revamp of last' year's Theatre Smith-Gilmour production is funny, touching, and sublimely economical in its precise physical storytelling; not a single flick of a finger or intake of breath is wasted. [...]
1969 was "The Summer Of Love" because of Woodstock and the hippy/LSD movement. 20 years later, 1989 was tagged "The Summer of Love" because of ecstasy and the rave movement in England. Now it's 2009 and I'm wondering what drug-fueled musical movement will inspire this lovely summer? Right now the front runner would have to be a coked-up disco revival (which I'd be all for, minus the coke) but I think The Whitsundays from Edmonton would love it to be a good ol' brown acid Woodstock revival. Their [...]
zebra society You might think that a band whose pedigree includes Edmonton electro-shoegazers Faunts and dance-punks Shout Out Out Out Out would be, well, like some kind of electro-gaze-dance-punk hybrid. But The Whitsundays , who draw members from each of the aforementioned bands, could not possibly be farther from that description. Instead, they channel the baroque, British Invasion spirit of The Zombies and do so quite convincingly - perhaps its just the tonic for spending all that time playing electro-shoegaze and dance-punk. They released their debut, [...]
In Theatre, The immensely popular edgy new opera series, Tapestry's "Opera to Go ", runs this weekend, with four new mini-operas debuting, all hewing to the series' stated mandate to create accessible, "blue collar" opera; Small Wooden Shoe's "Dedicated to the Revolution ", the final show in their brilliant theatrical meta-physic and philosophy show series, previews this weekend and opens mid-week at Buddies in Bad TImes Theatre; and two up and coming companies preview their productions of theatre [...]
So on Australia Day I left for a nice almost week-long vacation to the Whitsundays (where it rains 15 times a day). Before I did so I had a chat to fellow wbdf member DEAN about collaborating on a review of the Big Day Out for this year - as we were the only 2 from this blog who attended (thats right - no more funboys). While we never actually got to the writing stage before I left, I departed in the hope that I would come back to find a hilarious and informative review written by our little friend [...]
Like ( ) Dark Meat - Universal Indians This album is a very soulful album. Hip-hippies and their jam outs are to be expected, but there's a chance of awesomeness on the horizon. Dark Meat - Well Fuck You Then The Whitsundays -The Whitsundays Groovsters delight at times, bluesy and soulful at other times. It didn't suck me in, but the songs are [...]
It's December, so that pretty much means fighting through crowded shopping malls, going crazy with last minute work before the holidays and trying to convince your mom that they should by you another guitar pedal (ok, maybe that's just me). Whatever the case, we're all busy this time of year. Thankfully, the good folks at Pop Echo Records are making it a bit easier for me to get off my lazy butt and post by announcing a free compilation in honour of the holidays. Available here for a limited time , the [...]
Rock Dreams - csn&y © Guy Peellaert (1934 - 2008) PLAYLIST : The Weakerthans - Sun In An Empty Room Reunion Tour ( Epitaph - 2007) www.theweakerthans.org The Henry Clay People - Something In The Water For Cheap Or For Free ( Autumn Tone - 2008) www.thehenryclaypeople.com Jim [...]
Darin of Hume, California, is a little happier today. He won last week's Danks CD giveaway contest , and the CD is on it's way in a spiffy recycled bubble mailer made by yours truly (see photo left). I get a lot of promo CDs in the mail, which I'm ever grateful for, but the biggest conundrum I've had about them is the paper bubble mailers they're sent in. You can't conveniently throw them in any recycling bin, and it would pain me to just throw them in the garbage. I have quite a supply stored up, and I [...]
It's been a couple of days since CMJ , but I'm still catching up on posting pictures from the marathon. On Wednesday night, after checking out The Whitsundays at the Village Underground, I headed over to the Knitting Factory to check out our official After The Jump showcase which was in full swing by that point. Because it was more or less physically impossible (and because I can't stay out as late as I used to), I wasn't able to catch all the acts at our showcase, but I did see Motel Motel , [...]
The Whitsundays at The Village Underground (10/22/08) I really wanted to see Alberta's The Whitsundays during CMJ, so I stopped by The Village Underground on Wednesday night (certainly one of the more douchebaggy clubs in the Village) before heading out to our own After The Jump Showcase at the Knitting Factory. I wish I could say that I loved them live, but I think for now, I prefer the record (maybe part of it was the venue). More pictures after the jump.
After The Jump Showcase at The Knitting Factory (10/22/08) Photo : Bryan Bruchman Q: Where were you last night (October 22)? A: After The Jump Bloggers Respond Below. Bumpershine.com Dave says: The Whitsundays (from Alberta) at The Village Underground, then off to the Knitting Factory for Motel Motel, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Alina Simone. I tried to call it an early night, but I still got home [...]
More last minute CMJ picks for Tuesday, October 22. Knitting Factory - After The Jump Showcase Piano's - WKVR / Free Yr Radio Chairlift Show : Chairlift The Annex - Bring On The Brits Showcase Arlene's Grocery - Canadian Blast: Said The Whale, Karkwa, Shad , The Midway State, Hey Rosetta! The Living Room - Tobias Froeberg Maxwell's - Eulogies, The Dears Mercury Lounge [...]
More last minute CMJ picks for Wednesday, October 22. Knitting Factory - After The Jump Showcase Piano's - WKVR / Free Yr Radio Chairlift Show : Chairlift The Annex - Bring On The Brits Showcase Arlene's Grocery - Canadian Blast: Said The Whale, Karkwa, Shad , The Midway State, Hey Rosetta! The Living Room - Tobias Froeberg Maxwell's - Eulogies, The Dears Mercury Lounge [...]
Women at Cake Shop, 10.21.2008 DAY PARTIES Earfarm presents Takka Takka; Sam Champion / Project Jenny, Project Jan / Drink Up Buttercup / Sister Suvi / Howlies @ Pianos 12 - 6PM School of Seven Bells, Marnie Stern / Women / Tobacco / Faunts / Shugo Takumaru / Starfucker / Rainbow Arabia / Frontier Ruckus @ Cake Shop Gothamist House w/ Emmy the Great / Gabriel Kahane / Bell / Nat Baldwin / Physics of Meaning / Pattern is Movement / Extra [...]
WKND PLYLST!! This has nothing to do with NEW MOON!
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
new music from vampire weekend – cousins + music video
Tila Tequila NSFW UStream Freak Out (Video)
Friday Five: Surf Songs
