BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition February 2019

BLOCK HEATER RETURNS WITH SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS, DJ LOGIC AND THE MARIACHI GHOST
FREE
FEBRUARY 2019
DANIEL
ROMANO
MUSICAL
CHAMELEON
CHANGES
COLOURS...
AGAIN
DIOR
DAZZLES
AT THE
GLENBOW
FREAK
MOTIF
SWEET AND
SWEATY AT THE
KING EDDY
SEX TOYS
SENSUOUS,
SCI-FI AND SILLY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER 20-22
DANIEL ROMANO
ARTS 6-11
Exposure Fest, Glenbow, Weird Valentine’s
FILM 13
Vidiot
MUSIC
rockpile 15-18
Monster Truck, The Varmoors, Slowcoaster,
Mindseed, Summerfallow, Sellout
edmonton extra 27
jucy 29-31
Shad, Vanic, Kyle Watson, Let’s Get Jucy
roots 32-34
Dan Mangan, Freak Motif, Block Heater
shrapnel 36-37
CONAN, Clutch, Month in Metal
MUSIC REVIEWS 39-41
Homeshake and much more ...
live reviews BIG WINTER CLASSIC 43
sex toys! 45
savage love 46
Sex toys for valentinos - pg. 45
Christian Dior’s famous perfume, Diorssima,
introduced in 1956. On display at the
Glenbow from Feb. 3 - June 2.
PHOTO: ZOLTAN VARADI
BEATROUTE
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Brad Simm
MARKETING MANAGER
Glenn Alderson
EVENT COORDINATOR
Colin Gallant
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Hayley Muir
WEB PRODUCER
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SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Miguel Morales
SECTION EDITORS
Arts/Film :: Brad Simm
Rockpile :: Christine Leonard
Edmonton Extra :: Stephan Boissonneault
Jucy :: Paul Rodgers
Roots:: Mike Dunn
Shrapnel :: Christine Leonard
Reviews :: Glenn Alderson
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Alix Bruch • Emilie Charette • Sarah Mac •
Michael Grondin • Gareth Jones • Mathew Silver
• Kevin Bailey • Hayley Pukanski • Nicholas
Laugher • Arnaud Sparks • Brittney Rousten •
Breanna Whipple • Alex Meyer • Jay King • Mike
Dunn • Shane Sellar • Kaje Annihilatrix • Dan
Savage • Sarah Allen • William Leurer • Jessie
Foster • Jamie Campbell • Trevor Hatter • Brenna
Whipple • Trevor Morelli • Logan Peters • Fredy
Belland • Stepan Soroka •
Art Direction: Jennie Big Kitty
Cover Photo: Sebastian Buzzalino
Cover Design: Troy Beyer
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(403) 607-4948 • ron@beatroute.ca
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BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 3

PULSE
$10 Date Night returns to Studio Bell
The National Music Centre (NMC) is pleased bring back its
popular $10 Date Night at Studio Bell presented by East Village,
starting on February 12, 2019. Visitors to Studio Bell can
enjoy extended hours and discounted admission rates once
per month from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on February 12, March
12, April 10, May 14, June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10,
October 8, and November 12.
Studio Bell is the perfect after work date night destination
with five floors of exhibitions to explore, interactive activities,
memorabilia from four Canadian music halls of fame, and new
temporary exhibitions celebrating iconic Canadians. Studio
Bell’s new and improved public tours will also be available
during $10 Date Night events.
Advanced tickets can be purchased at studiobell.ca/whatson.
Public tours are available at an added cost of $7 for adults,
$5 for students/seniors, and are free for youth and children
(12 years of age and under). All public tours can be booked in
person at Studio Bell during $10 Date Night.
glow: Downtown Calgary’s Winter Light
Festival
glow: Downtown Winter Light Festival is an annual family-friendly
light and music festival in the heart of downtown
Calgary happening from Thursday, February. 14 - Monday,
February. 18. This free, all-ages event welcomes everyone to
warm up winter’s darkest days and experience one-of-a-kind
interactive light displays, art, entertainment, food trucks and
activations.
Some of the events include Nightlight presented by
Bassbus, in which Olympic Plaza will be transformed into a
bioluminescent world of glowing jellyfish and pulsing waves of
light, with a musicial backdrop curated by cutting edge DJs and
stage performers. On February 17th, glow will also be joined
by local performers: Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, JJ Shiplett, The
Static Shift and Brad Saunders at Olympic Plaza. Visit www.
experienceglow.com for more information!
Soundoff Summit
Entering the fourth edition of SoundOff Summit Music Conference,
since first launching in 2012 as part of Calgary 2012 celebrations,
SoundOff has showcased a diversity of export-ready
Calgary artists to national and international industry delegates.
In 2016, the three-day festival was an official JUNO host
committee event that brought in 11 industry members from
across Canada and UK, and showcased 16 artists. Now entering
the 4th edition of SoundOff Summit Music Calgary is pleased
to be showcasing 44 local Calgary artists, to a diverse group
of national and international music professionals. Artists will
be playing at venues around the city, and tickets can be found
on eventbrite. For more information on SoundOff visit: www.
musiccalgary.ca
Mark Mills, one of 40 colourful
artists performing at
Soundoff Summit.
Esette (aka Isis Graham) one of several
DJs featured during Nightlight presented
by Bassbus.
Arts Commons Presents: Black History Month
with UNGANISHA and We Gon Be Alright
On February 22 & 23, the margins of the Black community move to
the front and center in the Engineered Air Theatre. We Gon Be Alright
is a cabaret experience highlighting the resilience of Black women and
Queer Black folks in tumultuous and uncertain times. Through the
challenging and provocative visions of five Black artists, including host
and local spoken word poet Mel Vee, we reimagine the past and look
to the future. For tickets, call 403-294-9494 or visit artscommons.ca
4 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE

ARTS
NOT JUST A HANG TEN
rethinking extreme boardsports with art
Not many people think about the origins of skateboarding, surfing, or snowboarding—
boardsports that now each have multi-million-dollar businesses behind them in the
form of gear, clothing, and other culture oddities—but they are actually very Indigenous.
A recent interdisciplinary art exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) called Boarder
X aims to demonstrate how board sports have a powerful relationship to the land and all
stem from Indigenous heritage. Boardsports actually all began with surfing which was an
ancient part of Indigenous Polynesian and Samoan cultures.
“Surfing was then adapted into land surfing with skateboarding and then snowboarding,”
says the exhibition’s curator Jaimie Issac. “It [the exhibition] really celebrates that culture arts
and boarding practices intersect in many of the artists’ work and it really embodies how the
artists interact to their environments, politics, and cultural landscapes that they occupy.”
Boarder X had its beginnings as a smaller exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2016. This
current iteration has artwork from more than 10 artists including Jordan Bennett, Meghann
O’Brien, Amanda Strong, Mark Igloliorte, and more.
“I also have this background of being a snowboarder, skateboarding and surfing, so I have
that kind of connection to the show,” says Issac. “I was really interested to do the research of
other Indigenous contemporary artists across Canada that had a practice of skateboarding,
snowboarding, or surfing and channelled that practice within their artwork. So, all of the
artists continue that practice.”
The exhibition has close to every type of artistic medium within it including, but not limited
to: painting, sculpture, video installation, photography, puppetry, and 3D monitoring.
“One [artist] that I knew about years before the exhibition opening was Mark Igloliorte
who uses two videos in the show to think about his Inuit heritage by doing the Eskimo
roll with the kayak and in the other video, doing a kickflip. It’s actually the same gesture of
rotational spin,” says Issac. “Jordan Bennett has also brought in skateboarding as a way to
mobilize traditional knowledge and heritage of the land.”
Ultimately, Boarder X is about rethinking the notions of extreme sports as more of a way
to connect with the land around you.
“As a skateboarder in the urban context, you’re skating in these urban spaces,” says Issac.
“Snowboarding is the same. Meghann O’Brien—who used to be a professional snowboarder—thinks
about her weaving practice with the mountain goat wool that she also shares the
mountain with. So really, extreme sports a really a way of life.”
Boarder X also has a sister exhibition that is being presented along with it called cantchant,
by multimedia Australian artist Vernon Ah Kee. It’s a massive installation of surfboards decorated
with traditional shield designs and colours of the Aboriginal flag.
“On the flipside of the boards are portraits of Vernon Ah Kee’s ancestors and relatives,”
says Issac. “The installation is surrounded by text paintings that talk about the race riots
in Sydney Australia. It’s really talking about territorialism within surfing culture but also an
erasure of the Aboriginal people that had origins to surfing and their relationship to the land.
It’s a really strong work and it pairs really nicely with the Boarder X exhibition.”
By Amanda Strong, Maashchii (to move), 2018.
Border X runs from Jan. 26 - May 19, 2019 at the Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton)
BY STEPHAN BOISSONNEAULT
By Bracken Hanuse Corlett,
Potlach or Die, 2018.
Acrylic on wood, horse hair.
PHOTO: DON HALL, COURTESY OF
THE MACKENZIE ART GALLERY
6 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
By Micheal Langan / Colonialism Skateboards Collaboration with Kent Monkman, The Four Continents, 2018.
Skateboard decks. PHOTO: DON HALL, COURTESY OF THE MACKENZIE ART GALLERY
ARTS

EXPOSURE
February’s fantastic photo fest
With over 40 photography exhibitions located in Calgary, Canmore, Banff, Medicine Hat, and Longview,
in addition to 60 plus events taking place throughout Alberta, Exposure is one of the most diverse and
intriguing photo fests that comes alive all through the month of February. Now in it’s 15th year, here’s a
few highlights waiting to be discovered.
CHRISTIAN DIOR
Glenbow Museum Feb. 3 - June 2, 2019
In February of 1947, a 42-year-old fashion designer named Christian
Dior unveiled his debut haute couture collection in Paris. Casting
aside the plain pragmatism of apparel introduced during the Second
World War, Dior’s designs revived the glamour of bygone eras
and focused on exaggerated, elegant silhouettes– long skirts and
accentuated bosoms with a cinched waist – and reveled in masses of
fabric and intricate embroidery. It was dubbed “the New Look” and
was an immediate sensation. Dior’s contemporary vision extended to
what he called the “complete look,” a holistic design philosophy that
dressed a woman from the smallest of details outwards, including her
perfume, handbag, shoes and jewelry. Dior revolutionized the French
fashion industry by creating multiple ways for women to achieve the
highly desirable Dior style.
The Little Gallery
Title: Translife in Asia. Artist: Kloie Picot
Framed on Fifth
Title: Returning Home. Artist: Kristofer Schofield
Christine Klassen Gallery
Title: Sanctuary. Artist: Lori Andrews
Jarvis Hall Gallery
Title: Clarahan Portals. Artist: Susan Clarahan
THE FENCE is a large-scale traveling photography exhibition reaching over four million visitors
annually through open-air exhibitions in seven cities across the United States: Brooklyn, Boston,
Atlanta, Houston, Santa Fe, Durham, Denver, and now returns to Exposure for 2019.
Presenting work by photographers of all levels across seven thematic categories: Home, Streets,
People, Creatures, Nature, Play, and Food, this upcoming exhibition will also feature a portion
exclusive to Calgary: The Western Regional. This portion features eight Western Canadian photographers.
From Feb.1 - 28, The FENCE will be located on MacLeod Trail, 13th Ave SE & 12th Ave SE,
installed on pre-existing construction fencing. This location is courtesy of ONE Properties Ltd.
ARTS
The Fence, Exposure 2018
FESTIVAL HQ From Feb, 5 - 28 the Exposure Festival HQ will be held in the historic Pioneer Building
(117 8th Ave SW), located on Stephen Ave. Featuring three stories of gallery space, this building will
host multiple exhibitions (the annual Emerging Photographers Showcase, the Open Call - showcasing
work of international artists, and the 2018 Emerging Photographers Showcase Winners solos show)
along with several special events throughout the month. The HQ is the essential hub full of festival
information and activity. Also visit exposurephotofestival.com for more details.
Drawn largely from the extensive fashion and textile collection of the
Royal Ontario Museum, the exhibition includes exquisite gowns and
smart daytime apparel, perfumes and accessories - all from the first
ten years of the House of Dior (1947 – 1957), when Christian Dior
himself designed the pieces. It explores the construction of Dior’s designs
to understand how the House reinvented modern dressmaking
by reviving forgotten historical skills and fusing them with unprecedented
designs, cuts, and materials. It highlights the artisans, designers
and manufacturers who pioneered new luxury products and the
business models that help explain how, in ten short years and only
22 collections, Christian Dior accounted for over five percent of all
French exports and created a new ideal of femininity that appealed to
fashionable women around the world.
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 7

Messages from the Stars: a look into the cycles and cosmic details of an unfolding forevermore,
along with the lovers playlist for February
BY WILLOW HERZOG
To quote the great Linda Goodman,
“sometimes, it seems that the problems of
two people who love each other are hopeless,
the wall that separates them too high to ever
surmount. But their problems would all dissolve,
simply disappear, if they would only touch hands
or hearts or minds—or even touch noses—and
whisper just one word: ‘magic!’ For love is magic,
the secret power all who love possess without realizing
it. No matter how great the injury, or how
bitter the words, love will erase it all as if it had
never been. But not without the desire and effort
to do so on the part of the one who has inflicted
the pain—not without the quality of forgiveness
on the part of the one who’s been deeply hurt.
Desire, effort and forgiveness, intermingled, are
necessary to release love’s force and power.”
Love is the theme for this month’s astrological
forecast, as we all strive to deepen and grow in
our capacity to love, feel and exchange. It feels as
if we are all going through something sometimes
and, really, shouldn’t we all strive to love each
other more? Love can be full of odd contradictions
and paradoxical insights yet, may I dare
to say, without it life would not be worth living.
8 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
Love can be the balm for the wound or the razors
edge. May you love all those in your life with love
that’s soft, fierce, sensual and calming. May we all
learn to love each other right in this lifetime.
Mercury transits Aquarius this next month the
day after St. Valentine’s and themes of communication,
community and relationship pierce like
cupid’s arrow. It is a time to speak your truth and
see where it lands. Aquarius, being the rebel and
the visionary, asks you to expand your horizons
of perception and look at reality from a place beyond
your current edges. Be willing and open to
see things that may shake up the tapestry of your
life. Mercury as the messenger will bring about
clarifications and wisdom. Be mindful of overtalking
and step outside of yourself to see others.
If freedom is love and love is freedom, perhaps
we must look at new definitions of freedom if we
are to find love.
This transit will affect each sign uniquely, here
is a look at how:
ARIES (March 21–April 20) Diversification
of your personal connections and a boost in
the way silver laces your palm. That’s right
baby, get ready for a little income boost or
a lucky gift. Check in with those you hold in
your heart and be open to understanding
misunderstandings.
TAURUS (April 21–May 21) New plans,
new dreams and new horizons. This is a
redefining period that sees you being seen
more within a professional realm. How are
you reinventing yourself? Your efforts will
be noticed, so check in with where to place
them. Let the light shine in and gravitate
towards peace.
GEMINI (May 22–June 21) A fruitful time
for little fortunes and a confusing one for
big decisions. This is a time to manage the
micro so you can expand into the macro.
Luck and abundance are at your fingertips
if you reach for it. So reach and thank with
deep gratitude. Many hands will present
pieces to your dreams this cycle.
CANCER (June 22–July 23) A dive into the
seas of the mystic and a return to the waters
of the occult sound like due course. A
pull towards study and the spiritual, whatever
that may mean to you. This is a time to
return to yourself and step away from the
world and its sensory input.
LEO (July 24–Aug. 23) Partnerships both
professional and romantic grow stronger
during this transit for you. This period sees
you rising and rising. Newness abounds
and opportunity continues to create new
doorways to pass through. Stay humble
and hold your head high, sovereign one.
VIRGO (Aug. 24–Sept. 23) Watch your
health baby, this could be a tricky cycle for
you. Elevate yourself by taking the time
to care for yourself and your emotional
needs. On the career front, this may be an
illuminating one as you are seen for all the
work you put in. You are a hardworking
one and this cycle would care to see you
rise in status due to this quality.
LIBRA (Sept. 24–Oct. 23) Expansion of
the mind and intellectual pursuits gain
increasing importance during this transit.
This may be a time of planning future
visions that take you further from home
than expected. This is a time of flourishing
love life, tap into the erotic and allow the
sensual pleasures to infuse you and those
you care for.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24–Nov. 22) Minor irritations
on the home front may show face,
counteract this with beautification of your
space and nourishing alone-time. Chances
are you will receive encouraging correspondence
and a new opportunity or two.
Feel inspired to ask for what you want and
receive what you deserve.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23–Dec. 21) Feeling
ambitious and kinda confused will share
space this cycle for you, ever-expanding
babe. Feel unity of all kind as you explore
social dynamics. Learn which situations
are most fruitful for you and endure the
challenges that may come your way. This
cycle will send concentric circles through
the realm of clear speech. You will be a
stronger communicator on the other side
of this.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 –Jan. 20) A cycle of
gains and strides, be ready to feel greater
inspiration and clarity. You may receive
communication from an old friend or past
lover at this time. Be open to communicating
in a new way from a greater space
of healing.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21–Feb. 19) Surprises and
support are keywords this cycle. It is an
auspicious one for you that may see you
traveling near and far. Trust in the support
structures you have around you and continue
to build up the community that holds
you. Check-ins with partnerships come up
so you may respect each other for who you
each are.
PISCES (Feb. 20–March 20) Choices, options
and considerations: get right with you,
so that you may get right with your life. You
may be considering a change of residence
during this cycle. Remember that you take
yourself wherever you go. What is it you
really feel called to change? Take the time
to trust your feelings but test them too.
Maintain calm as you create the new.
Astrological Lovers Playlist
for February:
1. “Show Me How” – Men I Trust
2. “Break for Lovers (Feat.Helena)” – Men I
Trust, Helena
3. “Dead to Me” – Kali Uchis
4. “Lay Me Down” – Carla dal Forno
5. “The Feeling When You Walk Away” –
Yves Tumor
6. “Farewell American Primitive” – Ariel
Pink
7. “Soon-to-be Innocent Fun/Let’s See” –
Arthur Russell
8. “Sex Music” – Beak>
9. “Beautiful People” – Mark Pritchard,
Thom Yorke
10. “Everyone Alive Wants Answers” –
Colleen
11. “I Am Curious, I Care” – Kaitlyn Aurelia
Smith
12. “In Gardens’ Muteness” – Julia Holter
13. “Good Intentions Paving Company –
Joanna Newsom
14. “The Great Undressing” – Jenny Hval
15. “Intern” – Angel Olsen
16. “Freedom” – Amen Dunes
17. “Brighter!” – Cass McCombs
18. “Sun’s Out” – Hoops
19. “So Many Details” – Toro y Moi
20. “Eyes So Bright” – Cate le Bon
21. “Times Is Weird” – John Maus
ARTS

COLLECTING DETECTIVE
delightfully weird Valentines
Valentine cards were produced by the millions
throughout the 20th century for the sharing of
affection between lovers and friends alike. c’s collection
is comprised mostly of children’s valentines designed
by artists working for publishing companies. With their
bright colours and shapely die-cut edges, they were
cheaply bought and widely passed between kids at school
around Valentine’s day. Today they make a fun and cheap
collectible.
Most of Kipling’s strange collection are commercially-produced
valentines, and she’s especially fond of mechanical
cards with movable parts. For her; the stranger
the better. As a commercial illustrator herself, Kipling
knows very well that artists have long been subversive and
like to sneak sublime messages into their work through
suggestive artwork and double entendre. Her collection
certainly shows that.
Common themes include animals, ghosts, robots,
clowns, food, outer space, nurses and doctors. The interplay
of text and images are usually innocent but can also
include outrageous references to sex, bondage, murder,
suicide and more.
What do you collect and why do you collect them?
Weird vintage valentines! Some of them are little works of
art. Some of them are just stupid. I’m happy to walk that line.
What got you started?
Well, at first I just wanted to find some images of skunk
valentines for a blog post, back around 13 years ago. So I
fell down the rabbit hole of eBay and valentine collectors
pretty fast, and started finding valentines a lot weirder
than skunks.
How many do you have?
Good question. Four or five shoeboxes full?
What makes a good one for you?
My favorites are from the ‘30s to ’50. Before that they’re mostly too
precious and sweet, and after that the art gets sloppy. After the mid-
70s they all seem to be tied in with movies or TV shows and I’m just
not interested. My favorites are the ones that are beautifully painted
and also have a sentiment that makes you say WTF out loud. There
are a lot of guns and weaponry and sexism in those old valentines,
stuff that hopefully wouldn’t pass today. There’s a whole other genre
I don’t collect, which is the racist valentines. Some of those are really
shocking.
Where do you get them?
eBay, mostly. Sometimes people find them and give them to me.
Tell me about the one that got away.
A beautifully rendered hinge, with something like, “My love hinges
on you, Valentine”. So dumb. I keep looking for that one on eBay but
haven’t found another yet.
Advice or pointers for other collectors?
Buy what makes you laugh.
Kipling is an artist and illustrator responsible for such creations as a
Halloween Tarot Card set and offbeat toys like Sparkzilla and Glowing
Maggots. After meeting her and discussing her collection, I’m
reminded of how a collector’s uniqueness and creativity can often
be seen in their collecting interests. Why not see what themes
and inferences you can find? A selection of Kipling’s strange and
wonderful valentines can be found on her flickr page at www.
flickr.com/photos/kipling_west/collections
• DAVID DALEY
ARTS
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 9

BLOOD OF THE RED QUEEN: CITIZEN SMEE
geek theatre goes noir
Scorpio Theatre, the community theatre company that prides
itself on being “theatre for people who don’t like theatre,”
is marking a milestone with Blood Of The Red Queen: Citizen
Smee. “This is our 50th play,” notes playwright Dan Gibbins, who
wrote Scorpio’s first play in 2000 and proudly cites the company’s
geek roots in their partnerships with Calgary Comic and
Entertainment Expo.
For Citizen Smee, a sequel to Scorpio’s Blood Of The Red Queen,
Gibbins ventures into a neo-noir take on classic literary characters
including Alice (of Alice in Wonderland), Peter Pan, and Jim
Hawkins (of Treasure Island).
“The origins go back to 2012,” Gibbins says. “I’d just directed this
super-dark version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and I came
out of it thinking, ‘How would that experience affect Alice? Or how
would Oz affect Dorothy? Or Neverland affect Wendy? What if we
put them all in ‘40s Los Angeles, and also there was a murder?’”
Working with Gibbins, director Chelsea Millard is fired up
about taking familiar characters in unfamiliar directions. “It is
a twist, but when you take a step back, the twists make sense.”
She adds that kind of mashup is part of the theatre company’s
longevity and success. “Scorpio has found the formula to bring in
an audience that wouldn’t necessarily come to see a musical or a
Shakespeare show.”
BY TIM FORD
Shandra McQueen and Stephanie Morris. PHOTO: IAN POND
Blood Of The Red Queen: Citizen Smee is playing Feb. 22 - Mar. 2
at the Pumphouse Theatre, for more info visit www.scorpio.ca
Bring It On Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin, and
Beyond — The Story of Rock's Greatest Manager
by Mark Blake
Da Capo Press
There’s a woman doing cartwheels “without any knickers on”
down the aisle of Led Zeppelin’s chartered jet, there’s Jimmy
Page sauntering dark and sexy across the stage wearing his Nazi SS
hat, there’s plastic bags full of “Peruvian marching powder” slit open
and offered up on the tip of a blade, there’s duffle bags stuffed with
cash whisked off in a fleet of limousines led by police escort, and
there’s the bodyguards, the road crew, the thugs unleashing their
menace and backstage violence.
It’s all there in Bring It On Home, the recent biography of Led
Zeppelin’s influential but notorious manager Peter Grant. Zeppelin’s
American tours in the ‘70s were overflowing with excitement, soldout
shows, sex, scandal, recklessness, booze, drugs, gangster love and
millions of dollars. While author Mark Blake (Pink Floyd biographer)
doesn’t go into great detail on every occasion (except the infamous
Oakland incident), his cross-section of recollections and tidbits of
stories is staggering, revealing that the depth and breadth of Zeppelin’s
rock ‘n’ roll pillaging of the U.S. was indeed an explosive, albeit
disturbing, fantasy in the flesh.
At the helm of its business operations was Grant, a former
bouncer, bit-part actor who graduated to management during the
mid-60s British Invasion of pop bands. Grant knew Jimmy Page,
helped him forge ahead with Led Zeppelin and secure a significant
deal with Atlantic Records. When touring America, where the band
skyrocketed, Grant became the “godfather” of music managers.
A large, intimidating man with underworld connections in the
East End of London, Grant was a fearless and feared leader who set
out to provide and protect his boys as they roamed through the
10 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
land of opportunity. For promoters bidding on Zeppelin, he set the
bar high where an unprecedented 90 percent of ticket sales went to
the band. An absurd demand at the time, but Grant got it up front
before the stage lights went on — thousands in cash taken right at
the till by handlers not unaccustomed to strong-arm tactics. With
bank accounts busting at the seams , like no band had seen before,
Zeppelin dove deep into their hedonistic hearts.
The sexapades are only touched upon — Blake saves us from rehashing
the sordid shark tale, the mythical groupies and fascinations
with leather, feathers, whips and ropes. Substance abuse, however,
another story.
By the mid-70s Page, Bonham and inside crew members segued
into heroin. During Zeppelin’s last conquest of American in 1977
the guitarist spiraled down, often close to comatose before and
after shows. Cocaine was rampant on and off the road turning the
band’s business office, where Grant held court on the fashionable
Kings Road, into a nasty drug den frequented by shady dealers. And
Bonham, sadly, would die from an all night booze-up in 1980.
Even before his death, the mighty Zeppelin was rapidly imploding
largely because Page and Grant, who once drove the band with
their creative brilliance and fierce financial force, were consumed
by addiction. After the formal break-up, Grant, with no band to
manage on the scale of Zeppelin, slipped further into the perils of
cocaine becoming a paranoid recluse locked away in the bedroom
of his country estate surrounded by, yes, a moat.
Making matters worse, the ugly beating of a stage hand in
Oakland during the ‘77 tour by Grant and body-guard John Bindon,
a seasoned criminal, would come further into light seriously damaging
Grant’s reputation. While he would eventually overcome his
craving for coke and largely repair his stature as the manager who
made millions for musicians, Zeppelin’s crash landing took a heavy
toll on Grant.
In the book, band members witnessing the escalating success of
their fandom and extravagance, wondered, “Just how much bigger
could it get?” At their peak the question they neglected, of course,
was, “How far will it come tumbling down?” Bring It On Home is a
sobering glimpse into Led Zeppelin’s demise.
• B. SIMM
ARTS

ASSASSINATING THOMPSON
the art of seeing different degrees
Bruce Horak’s journey to create his show Assassinating
Thompson dates back to 2013 and
the Vancouver Fringe. But his personal journey
as an artist extends to his childhood. “I was diagnosed
with what’s called bilateral retinoblastoma,
which is cancer of the eye, when I was eighteen
months old,” Horak says. Treating this condition
resulted in the loss of over 90% of his vision,
including complete blindness in one eye, tunnel
vision, and light sensitivity.
Early on, however, Horak was determined that
he not be judged by his condition. “As soon as I
got my first contact lens in grade 11, and got rid
of my big coke-bottle glasses, I figured out pretty
quickly how to look like a sighted person. I didn’t
want to be pigeonholed as a visually impaired or
blind actor. I wanted to be judged on the merit of
my work, instead of like a caveat, ‘He’s okay for a
blind guy.’ That was a big fear of mine.”
Over the years, Horak’s art guided him to
overcome that fear and to embrace his own
unique perspective. “Trying to interpret my visual
impairment in visual art meant coming to an understanding
of how I see. Instead of trying to look
like a sighted person, I was able to look through
my own eye, and appreciate it.”
It was in the process of visual art that
Horak’s idea for Assassinating Thompson, his
semi-biographical account of Tom Thomson,
crystallized. “Over the course of the year that
I was developing it, I was kind of stymied as to
what I was going to do with the show. At the
BY TIM FORD
same time, I was working on a portrait series.
Inevitably, in a portrait sitting, there would be
the questions of, ‘How did you get started?’,
‘What’s this all about?’ and I would explain about
my eyesight and tell the story of my cancer. I was
sitting with a friend, doing her portrait, and over
the course of that, the show just kind of came
out of my mouth.”
From there, Horak realized he could weave
a narrative back and forth between painting a
portrait while telling the story of Tom Thomson,
the celebrated Canadian painter and member of
the Group of Seven who mysteriously died at the
age of 39. “There’s lots of theories about it,” Horak
says. “But nobody has published or written the
theory that I put forward.”
Alongside presenting that theory, Horak
creates a painting of the audience, over the
approximately 55 minute runtime. The portraits
are then live-auctioned off at the end of the show,
with proceeds from the Lunchbox run going to
the Alzheimer’s Society.
Horak’s dual narrative in Assassinating
Thompson is something he wants people to
enjoy on multiple levels as well. “I hope that there
are opportunities for blocked creatives to start, to
unblock. For me, it certainly took a long time, to
have the courage, to just go for it.”
Assassinating Thompson is playing at Lunchbox
Theatre from Feb. 11 - Mar. 2. For tickets and more
information visit lunchboxtheatre.com
SMOKE
same-sex confrontation
Chantal Han
With the world premiere of Elena Eli Belyea’s
Smoke, Downstage is definitely living
up to its tagline: “Canadian plays that crweate
meaningful conversation.”
In Smoke, the conversation on stage is
between Aiden, and her ex, Jordan, about the
allegation that Jordan sexually assaulted Aiden
two years ago. Off stage, the conversation
among the cast and crew, which will undoubtedly
be echoed by audiences, is about gender
roles, memory and consent.
The real twist, though, is that while Aiden
is consistently played by actor Chantal Han in
every performance, on alternating nights Jordan
is played by either a female or a male perform-
BY TIM FORD
er. Han sees a lot more depth in that decision
beyond a simple gimmick.
“There’s so many different implications,”
Han says. “What does it mean when a woman
does that to another woman? What kind of
expectations do we have when a man does that
to a woman?”
With the still-recent events of #MeToo,
Smoke has a lot of contextual issues to operate
in. Han suggests that a play like this is indicative
of changing attitudes. “I wonder if in a different
era this would never come to light,” she says,
but also adds that there’s still room for growth.
“In general we haven’t made space in our
minds...for two women in a loving couple, and
one of them [committing sexual assault] agains
the other. What is rape between women?”
But regardless of which night audiences
attend - with Han opposite a male or female
costar - she hopes people are open to all
possibilities. “My hope is that in a time of
polarization and extremes, the audience will
make room in their heart for nuance and
complexity,” she says.
Smoke is presented by Downstage Feb. 13-23 at
the Big Secret Theatre, for tickets visit downstage.
ca or call 403.294.9494.
ARTS
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 11

12 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
FILM

FILM
First Man
Bad Times at the El Royale
Bird Box
Mid90s
THE VIDIOT
rewind to the future
Hunter Killer
The upside to being a submarine captain is
your crew has no choice but to go down with
the ship too. However, the commander in this
thriller hopes to keep his tub leak-free.
Unorthodox officer Joe (Gerard Butler)
is assigned to helm the USS Arkansas on an
investigation in to the disappearance of the
USS Tampa Bay. When Joe locates the missing
sub he also uncovers a plot by the Russian
defense minister to overthrow his government
by orchestrating WWIII. As his admiral (Gary
Oldman) negotiates with the usurper, Joe and
his Russian counterpart (Michael Nyqvist) try
to thwart the coup.
While the unlikely alliance between the
two super powers is timely and the action is
intense at times, this badly acted underwater
white-knuckler is eerily similar to many other
naval tales of its ilk.
Nevertheless, submarine battles remain the
best form of warfare because you don’t see the
casualties.
First Man
The best thing about being the first man on
the moon is finally getting to take a dump in
peace. Fortunately, this drama doesn’t depict
any astronauts popping squats in craters.
Following the death of his daughter, test
pilot Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) joins
NASA’s mission to put a man on the moon
before the Russians. Along with Deke Slayton
(Kyle Chandler) and Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll),
Neil trains his body for the suicide mission.
Meanwhile his wife (Claire Foy) worries about
her husband’s coldhearted approach to never
seeing his family again.
Beautifully shot with a haunting score and
stoic acting from Gosling, this meditation on
the first man on the moon may be a fine character
study of the no-nonsense astronaut but
it is also a very slow moving one at that.
Incidentally, Vladimir Putin wants to put
the first women on the moon by imprisoning
Pussy Riot there.
Bad Times at the El Royale
The best thing about living on the Nevada/
California border is that after sinning you
can go straight to rehab. Mind you, the hotel
guests in this thriller tend to favour the immoral
side of the boundary marker.
A priest (Jeff Bridges), a singer (Cynthia
Erivo) and a salesman (Jon Hamm) walk into
the lobby of a hotel that rests on the border
between the two states and check-in with
their baggage. The trio is later joined by a
kidnapper (Dakota Johnson) and a cult leader
(Chris Hemsworth). Each visitor has a secret
they’re running from or towards. And it comes
to a head one-night at the El Royale.
While the multiple narratives are somewhat
engaging, the assortment of oddball
characters intriguing and the direction stylish,
the overall production falls short thanks to
its laborious pacing and less than snappy
dialogue.
Moreover, the only conversation hotel
guests ever have together concerns the location
of the ice machine.
The Old Man & the Gun
It’s important to keep handguns away from
the elderly as they may mistake then for blow
dryers. Surprisingly, the septuagenarian in this
heist picture is more astute than most his age.
Career criminal Forrest Tucker (Robert
Redford) finally escapes custody in the 1970s
and goes on a successful crime spree while
in his seventies. Thanks to his charisma and
creativity, Tucker wins over bank patrons and
his long-time love (Sissy Spacek). He also uses
said attributes to evade the detective (Casey
Affleck) sent to apprehend him for a number
of years.
The incredible true story of one of history’s
greatest prison escape artists as well as actor
Robert Redford’s final film performance, this
endearing cat-and-mouse caper is a superlative
send-off for the latter and a heartfelt
tribute to the deceased former.
However, it’s hard to believe that any senior
citizen can be in-and-out of a bank in under
an hour.
Bird Box
Although the athletes are heavily mutated,
post-apocalyptic Olympic games are a sight to
behold. Regrettably, the blindfolded resistance
in this horror movie will never be able to
observe one.
When an unseen entity begins manipulating
humans to kill themselves, expectant mother
Malorie (Sandra Bullock) must cover her eyes
to avoid the creature’s suicidal influence. Eventually,
she finds shelter with other survivors
(John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, BD Wong)
and gives birth. With word of a superior sanctuary
downstream, Malorie braves the torrents
blindfolded in order to get her brood there.
Although the dialogue is exceptionally
corny, the accomplished cast works wonders
with the material provided. And while the idea
of a sightless struggle for survival is certainly
BY SHANE SELLAR
nerve-racking and ingeniously depicted, this
Netflix adaptation of the dystopian bestseller
is too ambition for its 2-hour confines.
Moreover, everyone knows the only way to
tackle rapids blind is inside of a wooden barrel.
Mid90s
The biggest threat to nineties teenagers was
having their baggy clothing sucked in to
machinery. However, this dramedy depicts a
number of other dangerous situations that
generation tackled.
Drawn to the rebellious fun of skateboarding,
13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) aligns
himself with a rambunctious crew. Thanks to
his daring nature, he quickly works his way up
the ranks, drawing disdain from other skaters.
Meanwhile, Stevie’s new friends have become
a point of concern for his mother (Katherine
Waterston) and older brother (Lucas Hedges).
Extremely similar to a number of coming-of-age
dramas released in the 1990s
themselves, first-time director Jonah Hill does
a commendable job of bringing the era, its attitudes
and its soundtrack to life. Meanwhile,
the underage cast fit the slacker image to a tee
and deliver the crude slang with legitimacy.
And while there was wireless back then you
only had coverage to the end of your driveway.
Johnny English Strikes Again
The best thing about being a spy is that you
don’t have to save anything for retirement.
Sadly, the agent in this comedy was not tortured
to death before leaving the agency.
When his former employer MI7 is hacked by
a cyber-terrorist and the names of every active
field agent is revealed, geography teacher
Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is reinstated
and tasked with tracking down those behind
the hack. But as English attempts to outwit
his Russian counterpart (Olga Kurylenko), the
real perpetrator makes a deal with the British
Prime Minister (Emma Thompson) for access
to sensitive government material.
Stained by sight gags and pratfalls that
have been seen in previous installments of the
British franchise, this pointless sequel sinks
even lower with a hackneyed cyber-hacking
storyline that’s pretty much standard across
the espionage genre.
Moreover, when retired spies come back to
work they bring their woodworking projects
with them.
He has a banana split personality. He’s the…
Vidiot
FILM BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 13

ROCKPILE
MONSTER TRUCK
baking a big batch of thunder
Unflinchingly obvious, Monster Truck are larger than they appear. (photo: Mathew Guido)
Big, bad and mean, Monster Truck is day of building the dough and then letting
a Hamilton phenomenon with the it sit overnight, and baking it the next day
multi-dimensional clout of a rock ‘n’ roll to have it turn out like shit,” Wilderman
juggernaut. Since the four-piece released says of his efforts that he also tries to pass
their third studio LP, True Rockers, last off to his bands member. “It really was like
September, Monster Truck has been riding two or three months of not getting great
high on the momentum along with the results for me before I started getting some
testosterone-fueled lead single "Evolution,"
featuring Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider. if people have enough time to wanna put
loaves I was satisfied with. So, I don’t know
Racking up tens of dozens of live shows into learning how to make bread. For me it
since their previous album Sittin’ Heavy ended up being worth it. But I’m not sure
(2016), the close-knit band has come to that’s something everyone wants to dive
appreciate the simple pleasures of life. headfirst into.”
Who knew that making a homemade meal For a hot minute there we thought Widerman
was talking about making an album
could compete with opening for Deep
Purple? Monster Truck, that’s who.
instead of baking a loaf.
“I like to do a lot of culinary stuff. I put a “You could say that,” he observes. “In the
fair amount of time into making sourdough studio it’s a lot harder actually than in the
bread in addition to doing a lot of Thai kitchen with the sourdough. The sourdough
cooking. Basically, just enjoying being in the kind of ends up being a thing where you
kitchen and trying to find new recipes to know it’s good by looking at it the second you
make and to liven up the ol’ dinner time at cut into it. You can see it from the outside, it's
home,” reports guitarist Jeremy Widerman. got an exterior element to it that is crucial to
Along with breaking out ear-grabbing knowing whether or not you did a good job.
rock anthems at the drop of a checkered In the studio you don’t know if you’re happy
flag, Widerman is also a self-professed sometimes until after the fact. There’s even
sourdough dealer to the stars. Or, at least, an element to some of the songs on the new
he’s trying to be.
album where I didn't’ realize I was happy with
“No one really wants it. It’s such an investment
of time to get through the entire you second guess, or are worried about
them until the album was out. Sometimes
this
BY CHRISTINE LEONARD
or that, it’s really tough. I think some of the
hardest things we’ve had to deal with as a
band is knowing when an album is done. And
it’s been a struggle every time.”
Well beyond the too-many-mechanics in
the garage stage of their creative relationship,
the foursome made sure to pack
True Rockers with a crowd-pleasing array
of heavy blues and hard rock tracks that
showcase Monster Truck’s affinity for all
things loud and greasy. You can hear it in
the bouncing boogie of “Devil Don’t Care”,
the electric urbanity of “Young City Hearts”
and the Sunset Strip hustle of “Hurricane.”
And if that doesn’t convince you, the iconic
album cover most certainly will.
“That’s exactly what we’ve been going
for,” Widerman says of the van-worthy portraits.
“That was a very intentional move
on our behalf with the cover art in that we
wanted something big and boisterous and
unapologetic. Kind of unflinching in its obviousness.
And that’s what we did. We used
a tattoo artist named Tony Sklepic (Sanitarium
Studios) out of Edmonton. He dowwes
comic book style for the most part, but
he’s tattooed a couple of members of the
band. We asked him to do this cover and
he knocked it out of the park for us!”
The other essential component of
Monster Truck’s success lies in their unified
vision for a putting on a riveting live show
that will have fans reaching for their wallets
and their beers.
“That’s definitely a fundamental aspect
of trying to figure out whether or not
a song is good. And that’s what I most
envision when I’m working on a song, a
transition, a part or a vocal hook with the
band. I always try to put my mindset of
how it's going to feel to play live.”
If you believe the signals, it looks like
Monster Truck has a long career of selling
the edge of seats ahead of them.
“This is something that we’ve done over
10 years, but we’re the same band as when
we started. There are people who are just
getting onboard now who are bummed that
they missed out eight years ago. They’re like,
‘Where have you been my whole life?’ and
we’re like, ‘We’re right here!’”
Start your engines with Monster Truck at
The Palace Theatre (Calgary), Feb. 15 and 16
at Station on Jasper (Edmonton), Feb. 17 at
Louis (Saskatoon), and Feb. 19 at Pyramid
(Winnipeg).
THE VARMOORS
beers ‘n’ sunshiny buds
According to their bio, The Varmoors hail from
“tropical Calgary,” have beach boy hearts and
approach their music with an optimistic glass halffull,
nonchalant mentality that puts the listener at
ease in their presence. That they’re a circle of close
friends also adds to their sunny disposition.
“We started the band a couple years ago, but we
go back to elementary school. We were all friends
through skiing and ended up partying together
and becoming a tight crew. We all lived in the
Varmoor House,” explains Nick Styles, the band’s
vocalist and guitarist. The clubhouse, located on
Varmoor Road in the suburbs of Varsity Acres, is
where the band is loud and proud to be from.
“Some of us played instruments, some of us
didn’t. We figured we would start a band and have
some fun!” says Cam Duncan, one three guitarists
in The Valmoors who possess a camaraderie that
manifests into a democratic crew of songwriters.
“It’s a collective process. Someone may write a riff
and someone else will come in with lyrics. We jam
our ideas out and everyone is involved.”
Sharing a love for legendary rock artists like
Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, the sounds
of yesteryear are evident in The Varmoor’s music.
Flowing off their new album, These Days, they
interweave summery, surf vibes with that wild
‘60s-era energy which embraces an exciting but
loose, feel-good message. One listen and you’ll
find yourself whisked away by sound that’s as
welcome as a chinook breeze on cold winter day.
All that’s missing is the slice of lime in your bottle
of Corona.
“It’s insane how much fun we have,” Styles affirms.
“Every time I come home from a show I feel
like I’ve done every drug under the sun. The high is
insane after a show!”
The Varmoors album release with Ashley Hundred and
In Search Of Sasquatch takes place on Feb. 23 at The
Palomino (Calgary).
• TORY ROSSO
ROCKPILE BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 15

THE MOON RUNNERS
raking in the right stuff from all over
Imagine taking a trip to the moon, floating through all the space
junk and stars. But instead of silence, there’s smooth, melodic
music slowly growing louder, spinning faster as guitars kick in and
drums begin so that this trip beyond the stratosphere isn’t some
calm, serene far-out flight anymore — it’s an exploding velvet-soft,
rowdy, angsty rocket-ride all at once.
While the Moon Runners refer to themselves as “musical
astronauts” guitarist/vocalist Stacy Tinan says his guess is as good as
yours to what exactly that means.
“Good question, I’m still figuring it out,” laughs Tinan. “I guess
it just means taking risks and trying to reach something new. If
you want to become one, just turn on a couple delay pedals and a
whammy pedal, that seems to always work.”
Hailing from good ol’ Swift Current, SK where metal and country
music rule, the type of prog-rock, trippy jazz-psych stuff that the
Moon Runners make they might as well be from another planet.
How does a band like that emerge from the prairies against the
prevailing musical forces?
“I think there is certainly a hole in the market for bands such as
ours,” says Tinan. “It’s tough to find bands that are exactly in our
niche to play shows with, but it’s kind of nice to be the ‘black sheep’
so to speak.”
While Swift Current may be a musical output, there’s no lack of
support and enthusiasm for all walks of genre.
“Swift Current is interesting,” says Tinan. “For the most part, the
people that you see at a show are at almost every show. It doesn’t
really matter. The same people that come see us in a makeshift,
thrashy, loud, noisy show will be the same people at The Lyric
Theatre watching Leeroy Stagger. I think people just want to get out
of the house and hear music. We’ve managed to find a couple spots
to play shows in town, there aren’t many options. There isn’t much
for loud, frantic, emo-flavoured prog in our area, but it’s always nice
to share the stage with acts that are out of our genre. Variety is the
spice of life, or whatever.”
BY CHANTEL BELISLE
Variety is a defining element of the Moon Runners, no
doubt. While the members are self-taught, except bassist/
vocalist Brady Frank who has a music degree, Tinan reveals
he’s not constrained by stylistics and has an “everything
but the kitchen sink” philosophy when he and the band
produce.
“We certainly draw inspiration from classic stuff like The
Mars Volta, The Fall of Troy, Coheed and Cambria (early
albums), Mastodon. I’m a sucker for early Fall Out Boy
and My Chemical Romance. That stuff is so ingrained in
my DNA that I will probably forever write music that has
those flavours in it. I try to draw inspiration from pop, R&B,
electronic, hip-hop, ambient music to add those colours to
my already prog-emo writing style. I also find it inspiring
listening to Saskatchewan bands like Blue Youth, Bears In
Hazenmore, Ponteix, Close Talker, Nick Faye and The Deputies
because they remind me that good music exists no
matter where you are.”
Tinan also says video games and video game soundtracks
are a big influence and that “there’s something about freezing
cold winters and long periods of dark days” that make
him want to write and create.
The Moon Runners play the Palomino Feb. 15 (Calgary), the
Owl Acoustic on Feb. 16 (Lethbridge), the Storm Cellar Feb. 21
(Banff), the Vat Pub Feb. 22 (Red Deer) and the Almanac Feb.
23 (Edmonton).
16 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
ROCKPILE

SLOWCOASTER
bring your helmets
e were standing right next to a tech, and he
“W came up and he started fucking ripping on
this tech about some problem with his mic stand. Like
ripping on this guy, like so mad!” laughs Slowcoaster
frontman Steven MacDougall about his encounter
with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler at Cape Fest back in
2014. MacDougall adds, “Did you ever see that Homer
meme where he like melts back into the bushes?
That’s what we did.”
Since the release of their 2010 debut album Darkest
of Discos, Sydney, Nova Scotia’s Slowcoaster has been
determined to keep the East Coast party going. They
released an online EP simply titled Track 1 last summer
and they’re already working on more new tunes
that will hopefully be released later this year.
“We just did a summer kind of project. We started
it last spring, then we released it over the summer,
and now it’s kind of wound down so we’re pre-producing
our next project,” explains MacDougall. “I like
what we’re doing right now. We’ll probably put out
another five-song kind of collective. We’ve come out
of that ‘chase the dragon’ phase.”
Elaborating further, MacDougall says the band
struggled with the balance between making honest
music and radio “hits” for a few years. After some
initial success with Darkest, there was a definite temptation
for Slowcoaster to keep making earworms, to
chase the dragon, whether they felt moved by the
music or not.
“We recorded an entire record and we threw it out,
and we were just like, ‘This is garbage.’” MacDougall
admits.
“Darkest of Discos did really well on the radio, and
it gives you that little glimpse into, ‘Oh, now my gigs
have gone from a thousand dollars to six thousand
dollars!’ and you just start to kind of want to chase
that dragon. It’s just like a natural thing to want to
do.”
He adds, “We realized it’s like, ‘Fuck, we started
thinking.’ When you start thinking is when the art
starts to suffer. We’re getting some pretty positive
feedback for the new stuff. It’s been working amazing.
I haven’t been this happy writing in the band in a long
time.”
With only one West Coast show on the books right
now, MacDougall says Slowcoaster is stoked to be
playing their annual show at Dickens Pub this month.
“It’s crazy every time. It’s never ceased to be amazing.
I guarantee you, you will have a good time. I don’t
know if you’ve spent that much time in a room with
400 East Coasters before. Bring your helmet.”
Slowcoaster plays The Annual Show With Nova Scotia’s
Best! on Feb. 8 at Dickens Pub (Calgary)
East Coast party rock without the Toys in the Attic ego. (photo: Duane Kelly)
BY TREVOR MORELLI
ROCKPILE BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 17

SEPTEMBRYO
not all nightmares are bad
It’s been a long time coming, but Septembryo is finally
ready to unleash Nightmares, the electro-rock sophomore
release from local musician Michael 8. Recorded at
Audiohouse Recording Studio in Calgary with producer
Grant Howarth, Michael 8 has been working on and
off the alluring Nightmares for nearly three years and
believes the trials and tribulations of the journey made
the record that much better.
“There’s been a lot of delays but there’s also been a
lot of really interesting, cool things that happened that I
think wouldn’t have happened, things you can’t plan for
that have been beneficial to it."
As the title suggests, Micahel 8 explains Nightmares
is a concept album “about the dark side of the law of
attraction,” adding that the process was one of the
“biggest epiphanies” of his life. “It was written during one
of my lowest points, at a time when I started looking at
everything going wrong and realizing it was my own creation.
When people think of the law of attraction they're
usually thinking about manifesting a new car, or lover
or anything else they want. It never occurs to them they
could be attracting all the stuff they don't want.”
Of the new tracks, Michael 8 feels the first single,
“Professor Pain,” is his strongest work yet with the song
building up atmospheric soundscapes before breaking into
a big, harmonic chorus. He adds, a video will soon follow.
“’Professor Pain’ is definitely one of my favorites. It’s
the song that made it clear that this was going to be an
album. It’s kind of about having bad experiences but
recognizing the gift that those painful experiences have
in that they change you and they teach you something.”
While the songs featured on Nightmares challenge the
purely, positive narrative surrounding the law of attraction,
Michael 8 emphasizes it's not all doom and gloom
either. He’s already working on a second part, Daydreams,
which finds light at the end of the tunnel.
“Just having the realization that I had created my own
lowest point gave me the power and focus that had directly
lead to my highest point shortly after. Which is why there
are two parts to this story — nightmares and daydreams.”
Septembryo drops Nightmares March 2 and the release party
with Lisette Xavier March 2 at The Rec Room (Calgary).
• TREVOR HATTER
18 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
MINDSEED
alt-rockers stoked to showcase fresh renos
Mindseed’s tough, pop-punk vibe earned them YYC Music
Award nominations in the last two years, a streak
they'd like to build on going into 2019. Following the trio’s
debut LP, Households (2016), which explored personal struggles,
their new EP, Renovations, sees the band rip off the old
wall paper, throw out the dated design and bring in different
mindset that deals in world issues and political themes.
Along with switching up the subject matter, they also
wanted a more diverse array of sonic textures on the new
release. Guitarist/vocalist Alex Labbe explains they aimed to,
SUMMERFALLOW
it’s okay to feel!
year and a half ago Summer Abney was a singer-songwriter embarking
on modest interprovincial tours. Meanwhile, Chris Tuijtel
A
(drums), John Hanes (bass/synths/effects) and Nathan Peebles (guitar)
were jamming heavy rock together. While their unified sound had coalesced
over years of companionship, the threesome were looking for
a new project to expand their horizons. When Abney joined the trio,
Summerfallow was born offering lion-hearted poetry, sombre-tempoed
arrangements and a soulful presence in Abney.
“People have said it’s a cross between Pink Floyd and Bruce Cockburn.”
That they are compared to the Canadian folk icon elates Abney,
who reveals her excitement over with five Cockburn LPs passed down
from her mother.
“expand the sound to something beyond just
a three-piece." That led to introducing bass
synths into the band's flow of consciousness,
producing a sound that reflects a more noticeable
hip-hop influence.
Labbe says, “When I want complex lyrics,
I go to hip-hop. Sure, rock and hip-hop have
been done together by bands like Limp Bizkit
and Run-DMC, but to take that and put it in
more of a progressive musical context. I felt
that would be interesting to explore.”
While many bands have succeeded in
combining these two mammoth musical
forces, there's also been a crazy percentage of
those who miserably fail leaving a “Just don’t
go there!” attitude that lingers in any conversation
related to the topic. So, is it worth the
gamble?
“Fuck yeah! Bring on the challenge!’, says Labbe talking a
solid stand. “That taboo probably helped to inspire us to attempt
it more. Without going cheesy though. We just want
people to get amped and pumped up! Push through that
obstacle in your way!”
You can explore Mindseed’s new album Renovations in its entirety Feb.22.
• PATRICK SAULNIER
“We have a classic
songwriting sound with
a little bit of psychedelic
edge,” say the
vocalist, adding that
band creates a listening
experience that contains
a conduit of emotional
connections.
“It’s okay to feel!” the
siren songstress exclaims.
A connection that
Summerfallow fills with
dynamic surges, mellow
grooves, iron, wine and
just a dash of danceability.
They aim to let improvisation
flow freely while
still leaving space for each member to express themselves. It is
a rare enterprise.
“People can expect to be tripped-out, have a good time,
look around warmly at their friends and smile, maybe cry a
little,” she remarks laughing, stating that the band’s mission is
to deliver a beautiful, moving occasion.
Summerfallow performs with Salt Horse, Lucid 44 and Cold Water
Feb. 16 at The Palomino Smokehouse (Calgary)
• TREVOR HATTER
ROCKPILE

20 | FEBRUARY 2019 • • BEATROUTE
ROCKPILE

4th or 5th
DANIEL
THE SECOND COMING OF
ROMANO
Words and photos by
SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO
Daniel Romano is wildly prolific, bursting bold and bound to no
one but himself — an artist equally comfortable kicking out the
jams before 300 mad girls in Madrid with his free-wheelin’ rock
‘n’ roll group, The Outfit, as he is nestled in a cabin deep, far-off
in the solitude of a waning Swedish summer. Such is the panorama
life he loves.
Romano made his name fronting the seminal Attack in Black
before striking out on his own, releasing an insatiable 10 fulllength
albums (including his recent Ancient Shapes LPs) since
2011. And when he’s not writing or recording music, his Instagram
feed features him filling canvas after canvas
with dreamlike and imperfect characters. Among
all this output, in pursuit of music, poetry and
painting aimed towards discovering a sort of truth
in art, he ends up confronting the notion that perhaps
truth isn’t the right question to ask.
“I don’t think the truth of a song matters at all,”
says Romano. “I never listen to music and think,
‘Is that true?’ I get uncomfortable with very literal
language in song, it makes me feel uneasy. Outside
of the personal relationship of trust, I think the truth doesn’t
matter so much.”
For Romano, there is no truth in rock ‘n’ roll, no fixed horizon,
DANIEL ROMANO
with special guests
Thursday, Feb 28
Commonwealth
Bar & Stage
731 10 Ave SW, Calgary
Friday, Mar 1
The Starlite Room
10030 102 St NW,
Edmonton
no centre from where we can get our bearings. Our
heroes are dead, the gods are long gone and, the
only thing that is left is an exploration of the human
condition as it unfolds alongside us. His lyrics,
penned somewhere between Dylan and Rimbaud,
exist in a paradise populated by Greek myth and
take on the mantle of a soft resistance, a call for
freedom.
On his recent album, Finally Free, this is particularly
true. The songs slip in and out of feverish
dreamscapes littered with alabaster bodies and weeping angels,
characters trying to get out from under the machinations
Continued on pg. 22p
ROCKPILE BEATROUTE •• FEBRUARY 2019 | 21

A SHOW IS,
‘TAKE THESE
SONGS, I MADE
THEM AND MAYBE
THEY’LL DO
SOMETHING FOR
YOU AS THEY DID
FOR ME.”
pContinued from pg. 21
of their own thumbs. It’s an apolitical warning
where freedom from corruption moves towards
freedom in love and expression. There’s
honesty in his lyrics, but not necessarily truth
— at least none that you or I could access. Not
that it would matter anyway, we make our own
truths as much as he has his.
“The song changes as soon as it’s written,”
claims Romano. “You write a song with a purpose,
with somewhat of a meaning in mind,
or, more interestingly to me, a mood. But then
you can’t replicate that mood once it’s done.
I mean, you’re singing the words in so many
different circumstances and playing the song in
so many different places for people, and people
are always going to feel differently, that I
wouldn’t want to try and replicate that original
mood. That would be so exhausting.” He adds,
“A show is, ‘Take these [songs], I made them
and maybe they’ll do something for you as they
did for me.”
Indeed, the live show is an arena of transformation,
of connection for Romano. His
songs span countless genres on album, where
he mostly plays and records everything himself.
But, on stage with his band and audience
sprawled in front of him, they are condensed
down to tightly wound rock ‘n’ roll performances,
relentless ceremonies that bring everyone
together, if even just for the duration of the
show. His live shows feel urgent and important
in a way that highlights the power and potential
of an electrified togetherness. As restless as
he is releasing new material on a yearly basis,
he is more so on stage, where he takes the distance
between recorded and live, between audience
and artist, and condenses it down until
it becomes a singular moment of freedom just
waiting to burst out in every direction.
This postmodern approach to songwriting
makes Romano one of the most enigmatic
and exciting songwriters in Canada. He understands
he is dead as an author but alive as an
artist, and that the intersection between him
and us is where we create instant meaning in
the moments we share.
“You can find anything in anything, if you
want to. I used to worry that things were too in
the moment and not exact and concise, as far
as whatever the process is for getting thought
into word in my songs. But it’s really more to do
with the mood than anything.”
With the mood of the song as his guiding
principle, Romano is a chameleon, a Renaissance
man, a dandy and a punk. His career is
built, in part, on his ever-shifting moods and
the songs that emerge from those shifts. He
can put on a Nudie suit and sing heartfelt songs
over weeping slide guitars just as easily as he
can step straight into the ‘70s and go toe-totoe
with anything Pete Townsend wrote for his
generation.
On the track, “Between the Blades of Grass,”
Romano shifts into singing about the “liberating
in the language of love.” It’s a common
thread throughout his work that clarifies what,
if anything, can fill the void — a deep, empathetic,
spiritual sort of love that binds us together,
a nucleic bond between artist and audience.
To illustrate his point, he mentions a new
poetic project he’s wrapping up with long-time
friend and artist, Ian Daniel Kehoe.
“We started a poetic correspondence. We
send each other poems in dedication to each
other. Interestingly, 2019 is the year of eros,
the origin of erotic nature. We had decided,
previous to knowing that, that it was going to
be a sort of erotic, in the early Greek meaning
of the word, exchange. As our correspondence
continued, the poems became tributes to each
other, more so than how we think of it as modern
eroticism… you can sense this kind of symbiotic
and drastic metamorphosis of almost
two people becoming one. There’s a unification
of thought and feeling.”
This unification, this becoming of one, can
be read as a blooming process that, again, resists
the easy packaging and distribution of a
singular sense of being. Romano and Kehoe’s
bodies move towards each other into one and,
in the cosmic collapse, an impassioned universe
of love emanates, entire constellations
tracing out nostalgic histories and emergent
presents. The same applies to Romano’s art,
musical or visual: it’s a tense, symbiotic relationship
between art and audience, between
creation and consumption, a crucial link in the
survival of both.
Thus here we stand, at our own brink of collapse
together — Romano and his audience,
Romano and Kehoe, Romano and his own
shifting identities — the ground already crumbling
at our feet in anticipation of emancipation.
Will 2019 be the year of eros, a complex
metamorphosis? What becomes the meaning
of love? Are our spirits truth? And are our bodies
free? ,
22 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
ROCKPILE

edmonton extra
Petunia Duo w/ Nathan Godfrey
The Aviary
Feb. 16, 7 pm
Hank Williams on acid, avant-country night clubbing music,
hillbilly ragtime music; these are just a few identifiers for
the modern day Canadian enigma that is Petunia. Petunia
sometimes plays with a full band as Petunia and the Vipers or
as a duo with which ever musician he can get his hands on. His
most recent accolade is the supernatural Americana musical
called The Musicianer where he plays an immortal, but not
famous musician in the 1920s. The real Petunia may not be
immortal, but the sounds he produces are pretty damn close.
Moontricks w/ Frase
Starlite Room
Feb. 15, 9 pm
The Kootenays bluegrass/EDM duo Moontricks combines
the banjo with liquefying vocals, psychedelic guitar lines, and
heavy dance rhythms. Being heavily inspired by the great
outdoors, Sean Rodman’s lyrics are easy going and almost
therapeutic. Production, bass, and harmonica come from
Nathan Gurleym aka Nog Osiris. The duo is flying hot off of
their release of their new single “Wood For The Trees,” a simple
and catchy beat that makes you nostalgic for those roaring
campfires in the forest mountains.
Basia Bulat
Festival Place, Sherwood Park
Feb. 24, 7:30 pm
Basia Bulat has an uncanny ability to perform powerful and
haunting solo folk with an autoharp or high energy indie
pop—as heard on her 2016 release Good Advice. She’s won
over droves of fans by her charming personality, stomping feet,
and dynamic lungs while also making a name for herself in
the pop world. According to her social media accounts, she’s
working on new music, so she will most likely debut a few new
tunes at this show.
• STEPHAN BOISSONNEAULT
ROCKPILE BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 27

JUCY
SHAD
the revolution will be energized
BY ALAN RANTA
Kenya-born, Canada-raised rapper Shad has been through
a lot since he dropped Flying Colours, his third consecutive
Polaris Prize short listed album, in 2013. He became
a positive face for CBC’s q after Jian Ghomeshi was fired in
disgrace, hosted the award-winning documentary series
Hip-Hop Evolution, and most recently became a husband
and father. If you think parenthood is going to make him
soft, you’ll be dead wrong.
“I thought that maybe it would make me feel more
conservative, just in terms of wanting to be stable,” Shad
says over the phone. “But it’s actually made me feel like I
have to live out my values even more, like there’s somebody
watching. I assumed it would make me get more pragmatic
and sensible, but it’s kind of done the opposite. Made me
think even more about what it looks like to live out my
values every day.”
Returning to hip-hop production after a five year gap,
A Short Story about a War is arguably his most ambitious
work yet. It’s a complex concept album set on a desert
planet waging a seemingly ceaseless world war. The album is
a staggering, insightful examination of humanity’s attempt
to survive the drawn out effects of a desperate capitalist
system.
“This album is really anti-capitalist, more than I think I
even realized when I was making it,” Shad says. “Do I think
we’ll survive? I want to say yes, but there are a lot of challenges.
I think the biggest challenge is how quickly things
change, and it’s difficult for us to get our heads around
what to do, frankly. Our institutions are big and slow. Our
governments are big and slow. Meanwhile, technology is
shaping us really quickly. I don’t know how we are supposed
to contend with that. There is something energizing about
having a problem to solve, and our generation has a lot of
big problems to solve, everything from the environment to
inequality. I don’t know if we’ll figure it out, but I do feel energized
that we have a task at hand and we have something
to do. There’s potential there.”
From a purely sonic standpoint, A Short Story about a
War is the most aggressive and forward-thinking album
Shad has produced, compared to the warmer throwback
De La Soul vibes of Flying Colours. With guest appearances
from Kaytranada, Lido Pimienta, Eternia and Yukon Blonde,
there is as much going on aurally as lyrically, requiring multiple
listens to fully appreciate all of its many flavours.
“I wanted it to carry the feelings I wanted people to feel
with the album, which to me felt imaginative, apocalyptic,
intense, exciting, anxious,” Shad desired. “All that means,
for the most part, getting away from the soul samples that
I still love, but, for this project, weren’t right... Part of the
fun trying to put this together was the task of making it
listenable, approachable and manageable somehow, even
though it’s dense and intense by nature. I had that idea of
interludes going back to the classic hip-hop thing of interludes
that feel almost live, like you’re hearing a poet or a
storyteller in a room stitching the thing together.”
Hitting the road for his first real tour in years, Shad is
excited to reconnect with his fans across the country, to
see how his challenging new tunes have resonated. It’s not
going to be all doom and gloom, though. He’s going to mix
it up.
“This lineup, as far as the musicians and sounds, is kinda
why I went away from live bass and live drums because I
wanted to at least make everything sonically consistent
with the darker sounds that are on the [new] album,” Shad
muses, “So that’s why there’s the synth bass and programmed
drums. The tricky thing has been incorporating
some of this stuff in with the old stuff, and have it make
sense altogether… Some of this stuff is going to a different
place emotionally, and then I have to make a turn to some
of the other material that I want to do, especially live, because
people like it. And it’s fun and that’s the energy I want
to give people in a live setting, but it can be a hard turn.”
Pushing the aesthetic boundaries of his music and taking
the structure and meaning of his lyrics to new heights, A
Short Story about a War deserves to be the one to finally
claim the Polaris Prize more than anything else he has yet
released. In any case, it’s sure to resonate deeply across
Canada and beyond.
Shad performs Feb. 18 at the Starlite Room (Edmonton) and
Feb. 19 at Commonwealth (Calgary).
JUCY BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 29

KYLE WATSON
new sensation comes this way
VANIC
melodic trap master hits the road
Vancouver-based electronic producer Jesse Hughes, better
known as Vanic, has made a name for himself with spellbinding
remixes and distinctive originals. Known for his signature
blend of milky vocals with a hypnotizing combination of trappy
beats and melodies, Hughes has a built himself quite the enamored
fan-base. His extraordinary ability to turn dulcet indie tunes
into haunting electronic compositions has helped Hughes build
his own unique identity in an otherwise crowded scene.
South African DJ and producer, Kyle Watson is back with his
highly anticipated album, Into the Morning, which showcases
a wide sonic spectrum and an array of musical influences.
Released on the label This Ain’t Bristol, he experiments with
hip-hop, low-driven bass, raw house basslines and captivating
vocals.
“I pulled inspiration from the different music I like to listen
to. It’s such a diverse project and I wanted the fact it was electronic
to be the only thread running through it.”
At the same time Watson says, “The focus right now is 100
percent on house music as I gear up for another year of touring,
but I’m not saying that I won’t explore those other avenues
again in the near future.”
Last year, Watson had an explosive introduction touring
the U.S. for the first time playing and dominating illustrious
festivals like Lollapalooza, Shambhala Music Festival, CRSSD
Fest, and Dirtybird Campout. This year, he’s back in the again
studio cooking up new music, which he hints will also focus on
dynamic vocals, then back out on the circuit.
“I’ve got a few festivals I’d love to get the opportunity to play
at. Other than that I just want to write the best music I can to
make sure the parties are even better than last year.”
Watson is set to swing through Western Canada playing Feb. 13 at
Maxx Fish (Whistler), Feb. 14 The HiFi Club (Calgary), and Feb. 15 at
Chvrch of John (Edmonton).
• CATALINA BRICENO
While Hughes parents started him with piano lesson at age
three, it wasn’t until later in his high school years however
that he developed an interest in electronic music.
“The music part has always kind of come naturally, but it’s
all the other stuff — the mixing, mashing, sound design all
that — that’s the hard stuff. You can learn everything online,
but it’s a lot different than music itself. It’s a lot of the science
and math and geek stuff… watching videos after videos and
you just keep trying things until eventually something sounds
good,” he explains.
The melodic trap producer is now embarking on his third
Canada-wide tour over January and February, finishing with
two back-to-back hometown shows in Vancouver at Celebrities
Nightclub, branding him the first local act to ever play
two shows in a row at the venue.
Hughes acknowledges that his favorite part of touring are
the shows themselves, adding, “It’s really cool connecting with
people in different size rooms and just, you know, meeting
people.”
Fans can expect to hear a mix of his classic melodic tracks
as well as some of his newer harder mixes such as his recent
G-Easy remixes during this tour. Hughes also plans on playing
some of his newer unreleased tracks, expected to drop following
the conclusion of the tour.
Vanic plays Feb. 7 at the Dancing Sasquatch (Banff), Feb. 8 the
Palace (Calgary), and Feb. 9 at Union Hall (Edmonton).
•ANUSKA SARKAR
30 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
JUCY

LET’S GET JUCY
Well hello again Calgary, and how are
you this fine winter day? If you don’t
take any joy from the frosty winter months
by conventional means like skiing, snowboarding,
or snow angel making, you can at
least take solace in the many excellent shows
February has to offer. Just dress warm for
those bar lines!
I’m going to start things off with Chris Lake,
who will be making his return to Calgary at
the Commonwealth on Feb. 7. This guy has a
far-reaching history in house music and continues
to up his game and consistently push
out quality music and put on good shows, and
what's even better is you can check the show
out for free with an RSVP.
The Marquee is hosting Um.. on Feb. 8 with
support from Post Humans. This will be a night
of mind-bending music — sounds to induce
your most impressed, yet bewildered bass faces.
Monster Energy’s 7” of Pleasure Tour is back
at the HiFi Club on Feb.15 and this year the
tour features DJ Jazzy Jeff and Brooklyn’s DJ
Scratch. The former you may know best from
the quintessential ‘90s classic Fresh Prince of Bel
Air, but his career and extraordinary skills as a DJ
extend well beyond that. The latter is a legend
in his own right, with a career stretching back
to the mid-eighties. DJ Scratch has worked as a
producer with heavyweight artists such as Busta
Rhymes, Talib Kweli, LL Cool J, 50 Cent and
DMX, just to name a few. In addition, some of
Canada’s finest turntablists Mat The Alien, DJ
Pump and DJ Illo will be getting things fired up.
Felix Da Housecat put on one of the greatest
exhibitions of house music I’ve personally
ever witnessed when he performed at Shambhala
a few years back, and it would certainly
be a treat to catch the Chicago master in the
warm, intimate setting that is Habitat Living
Sound. This goes down as part of the venue’s
ten year anniversary celebrations on Feb. 16.
Now the lineup for this one hasn’t been
released at the time of writing, but BassBus always
puts on great events and they have a new
one called Nightlight coming up on the 16th
at Olympic Plaza. The Facebook page says that
they will have both international headlining
DJs and local selectors, plus stage performers.
The event is in partnership with Glowfestyyc
and Downtown Calgary and will be a free
event. Watch for more details on this one.
Vancouver’s Humans are touring their new
album Going Late, and will be making a stop at
the HiFi on Sunday, February 17. Always a treat
seeing these talented, JUNO-nominated artists
do their thing, so definitely a worthwhile stop
for a long-weekend Sunday night. Smalltown
DJs will be opening things up, alongside some
other special guests.
There is plenty of great hip-hop shows happening
this month, one of which is courtesy
of Commonwealth, who will be hosting one of
Canada’s finest rappers Shad on Feb. 19.
The Saddledome is going to get a hot-boxing
the likes of which it may never have experienced
before, as the Snoop Dogg and Friends
Tour rolls through on Feb. 21. The legendary
West-coast rapper, successful actor, businessman,
podcaster, and infamous chronic Snoop
Dogg will be accompanied by a stunning
roster: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Warren G,
Kurupt and Luniz. This is without a doubt one
of the most impressive hip-hop lineups I’ve
seen on a bill in Calgary for a long while, and
will no doubt be a memorable experience.
If you didn’t get tickets to the previous hiphop
bonanza, or perhaps Snoop Dogg just ain’t
your thing, there’s another great hip-hop show
over at The Gateway that same night, featuring
Chali 2na alongside The Gaff, AYE and Dragon
Fli Empire.
On Feb. 22 check out Benny Benassi, the
Italian producer behind monster electronic
anthems like “Satisfaction” at The Palace
Theatre. A curiosity-induced cursory listen
through of a recent mix of his shows a blend
of big room house, trance, bass house, classic
rave anthems like Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim,
and of course a hyper-extended uber mix of
“Satisfaction”. I would definitely be intrigued
to catch this guy live.
I hope a few of these pique your interest and
as always I will be back again next month. Have
a great February!
• PAUL RODGERS
JUCY BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 31

ROOTS
DAN MANGAN
every morning’s a resurrection
Dan Mangan pivots from time off as a father into time well spent on more or less
Dan Mangan is one of those artists that always seems When Mangan decided he was finally ready to step back
to be challenging and pushing himself with each new into it he contacted producer Drew Brown and the wheels
record he produces. You can always tell when an artist is were in motion. “Took us nearly two years to get all of the people
together that he (Drew Brown) wanted. During this time
truly living life or just going through the motions. In the six
years Mangan took off from touring, he lived a lot of life. A Drew encouraged me to keep writing, by the time we hit the
year of rest turned into two kids, a marriage, multiple film studio I had all these new songs that weren’t in the demos.”
and television scores and plenty of time for reflection. All of Was it worth the wait?
the above have changed the man and the artist. “It just took Mangan seems in awe as he states, “I had the same
a lot of time. Back in 2012 the phone wouldn’t stop ringing; rhythm section, playing through the same microphones,
we were stuck in this positive feedback loop.”
in the same studio, with the same hardware and the same
Years of childrearing and domestication presented a steep engineer as Sea Change (Beck 2002 Geffen).” Their influence
learning curve for a man who had spent years on the road. on More or Less is apparent right away. Upon first listen, the
“Your kids don’t care about all this cool stuff you do. They album evokes a sense of gentle reflection; it’s much more
just care about how you are as a dad.” Rock stars aren’t rock stripped-down than Club Meds (2015 Arts & Crafts). It’s not
stars when they’re at home; they’re just dads. During this exactly a return to his roots, but more of an acknowledgment
and transformation he’s gone through. This is still very
time, Mangan wrote the experimental Club Meds with Blacksmith
and scored the incredible Hector and the Search for much a Dan Mangan record, but this a new Dan Mangan.
Happiness, as well as a number of other films and TV shows. “We all have our heroes. Joey (Waronker)’s cases said ‘Roger
On his latest release, More or Less (2018 Art & Crafts), Waters’. Jason (Falkner)’s cases said ‘Beck’. These guys work
Mangan remains himself, but with a greater sense of focus. with the best of the best. When I first got to LA and went
“I came to the realization I wasn’t done. I had more songs into the studio I was nervous, like, ‘What are they going
in me, I had more I wanted to accomplish,” he says of his return
to the business of making music. “That whole process Drew. They were so nice and really gave themselves to the
to think of me?’” Mangan confesses. “But they just trusted
took years.”
material. By the end, they were saying, ‘Great songs, man!’
32 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
BY JOHNNY KOSMOS
None of us is impervious to flattery. Having this affirmation
from people that I admire so much, I felt like I was getting
my groove back.”
Mangan’s groove is definitely back on this album. The
subtlety and vulnerability in the vocals bring the listener
into a very personal space, one filled with stillness and the
musical equivalent of sitting and staring. “You need to reserve
space in your mind that’s just for you.” Mangan says, “I
don’t meditate, but I try and be bored for a couple minutes
a day. If you can be peacefully okay with yourself just sitting
it will make you better prepared to deal with the never-ending
stream of bullshit.”
There was a full on stream of bullshit when he first
started recording More or Less. While out for dinner his
first night in LA, his car was robbed of everything except
his guitar. Laptops, hard drives full of the demos he was
about to track, his passport. Everything. “I spent the whole
next morning trying to find my stuff and get my passport
reinstated. So, I went into the studio, do one take of “Lay
Low” and Paul McCartney pops his head into the studio!”
Mangan continues sarcastically, “Of course, when Paul
McCartney hears my music it’s not the finished product,
it’s the first take of the first song I’m doing with my new
band. He gave me some suggestions, but then we scrapped
everything he heard. My Mom was devastated when I said
we didn’t use any of Paul’s suggestions.”
“What the hell is wrong with everyone now?” a line from
his song, “Troubled Mind” is fitting on days such as that (and
in the grander context of humanity as a whole). “People are
an equal amount of fucked up, always. There’s so much to
take in now, so much information, so much pain, so much
going on all the time.” Mangan says of society, “It’s up to us to
be informed citizens, so we’re not just passively distracted.”
There are lessons being taught everywhere, every day.
You just need to pay attention and take risks.
The day Mangan decided to take a break from touring
he got a call from a producer to score a film. “Every time
I’ve scored something I’ve learned about a deficiency in my
musicality that I’ve overcome,” he says of the experience.
“And you come out the other end and go, ‘Aw, man, I didn’t
know I could do that.’ It’s a beautiful thing when you know
you can still surprise yourself.”
When it came time to prep for the tour, Mangan enlisted
Don Kerr (Rheostatics), Jason Haberman and Michael Brian.
With an all-new gathering of people behind him, Mangan
took a couple weeks to rehearse in Toronto. He found
that time and this new group gave a breath of fresh air to
his previous work. “It was injecting all this new personality
into the old material. We started to think, ‘What’s the best
way we can deliver these existing melodies and songs in a
live context?’”
Reinventing yourself in the tireless pursuit of relevancy
is daunting and exhausting. While no doubt an intimidating
endeavor, it’s a good thing Dan Mangan keeps trying
because we missed him. Welcome back, Dan.
Dan Mangan performs February 9 at the Palace Theatre (Calgary)
and February 12 at the Vogue Theatre (Vancouver).
ROOTS

FREAK MOTIF
prairie funk parade — for the people
We are family, hot off the presses.
Are you ready to be wrapped in tentacles
of bold and brassy sound? Freak Motif
is a funky leviathan with eight heads and
one enormous, funk-powered heart. Praised
for serving up big-band, dance parties with
a flair for the nostalgic, the ensemble first
stepped into the spotlight with the appearance
of their self-released LP, La Casa Blanca,
in December 2012. That album was later remixed
and re-released in 2014, the same year
the band introduced their second full-length
record, Across the Nation. A limited edition
7” called Killing Me followed in 2016 and two
years later Freak Motif was back and ready to
leave a groovy impression with a radiant new
release, Hot Plate (available on sizzling red
vinyl and other formats).
“I’m glad you dig it,” says guitarist Stu
Wershof. “We released it online in October
and then we had a show with Antibalas that
same week. That was kind of a soft release
and now for the real album release party
we’re putting on this show on as a weekend
run. We’ll be playing these new tracks live,
which is the first time we’ve done that as a
band. So, we’ll keep the arrangements as they
are and then we have a big open space in
the middle of the track to take it into outer
space and back.”
Bringing a cosmic modern flavour to their
melting pot of musical ingredients, Freak
Motif knows how to heat up the room and
then brings things down to a sultry simmer.
It’s the culmination of years of refining a style
that is as loose and laid back as it is precision-timed
and tightly orchestrated.
“When we started there was no composition,
everything was 100% improvised.
If we were lucky, we’d tell each other
what key we were playing in, but for the
most part it was about letting the music
meander. That was the excitement of it!”
Wershof explains.
“There is still some of that element, with
BY CHRISTINE LEONARD
PHOTO: CHRIS TAIT
these tracks. We try to have an anchor point
and melody that hits hard and heavy and still
has that feeling of spontaneity and feeding
off the energy of the audience. Knowing
where you’re going to land at the end of it
gives you more license to experiment.”
Adept in the art of being intentionally
spontaneous, the eight (sometimes ten or
more) member group takes its cues from
some of the greatest afrobeat, disco, salsa,
cumbia, hip-hop, funk and soul artists on the
planet. But it's always their terrestrial home
turf in Calgary that brings them back to their
mothership connection.
“I’m not originally from Calgary, but it was
through this band that I learned how special
Calgary is as a city, and about all the cool and
talented artistic people, and how there’s a lot
of electricity happening in the arts scene,”
Wershof relates.
“The genre we used at the beginning was
‘prairie funk!’ At that time we were just joking
around. Now it’s easy to listen to music
from all over the world and different time
periods. But I think that music is influenced
by your immediate surroundings — your
community.”
Not an entirely surprising sentiment coming
from a band who’s known for encouraging
conga lines and once leading a celebratory
parade through the center of town in
honour of the 2016 Juno Awards.
“I think one of the really special things
about this band is the community that has
formed around it. Different artists, singers,
rappers, break-dancers — all these people
that we’ve collaborated with and gotten to
know over the years through this project.
Bringing different people on stage and working
with different combinations of people is a
big part of what we do.”
Freak Motif performs for the people Feb. 21 at
The King Eddy (Calgary)
DUSTIN BENTALL
precise craftsmanship
Once again, Dustin Bentall masters the art
of keeping things simple. His two new
songs, “Not Been Sleeping” and “High in the
Satellite” will make up nearly half of his new
EP, set to release on Feb. 22. “They’re very
unique from one another, but there is a thread
there…all the songs on the EP have a common
thread, but they really didn’t have a home on
a full album,” Bentall explains.
Bentall’s work is about careful craftsmanship
and curated decision making, evidenced
not only in his songwriting, but also in his
other full-time venture – Dust Leather. “I’ve
opened up a new shop in Toronto and it’s
been full on. I’ve been making shoes one at
a time, and it’s been rewarding and fun.” Fun
fact: John Prine sports one of Bentall’s custom
guitar straps on his beloved Martin guitar.
The first song released from the upcoming
EP is “Not Been Sleeping” and was recorded
during a difficult time for Bentall. His grandfather
had just passed away. He had been
touring extensively and finished the song just
days before the passing of his good friend, Jay
Smith.
“Subconsciously, a lot of things crept into
that song,” he admits. “It’s about re-evaluating…also
about how you need to help yourself
BY JENNY GRANT
and others.” The song is powerful in its slow
melodic repetition, with lyrics that don’t pepper
the issue of simply not being ok. The gentle
questioning, emphasized by the layering
of Kendel Carson’s hypnotic harmony, adds
optimism and hope to the song. The result is
relatable and profound at the same time.
“High in the Satellite” takes on a lighter,
almost hypnotic vibe reminiscent of classic
cosmic ballads like “Across the Universe.”
Bentall gives credit to engineer Colin Stewart
for the unique sound on the track. “He added
in that psychedelic element and brought it
all together.” Here, Bentall’s trademark sound
departs into both the unexpected and the
familiar, with distortion and Carson’s fiddle
mixed in respectively. It’s trippy and fun, but
hauntingly melodic.
Bental’s time on the road has also made
Calgary a preferred destination. “Calgary’s
always been the best to me. I’ll be playing with
a different band - Albertan musicians. I’ll start
the show solo, with some new songs and different
takes on a few and then bring the band
in to do the second set.”
Dustin Bentall plays the Ironwood Stage & Grill
on Feb. 23.
ROOTS BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 33

SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS
building bridges of colour
Yung Trybez and Young D.
PHOTO: VANESSA HEINS
Snotty Nose Rez Kids, the energetic, banger-heavy, hip-hop duo from
Haisla Nation in Kitamaat, BC, move fast and furious forging their own
path. Charting their course for 2019, the group is already working on new
a new album after last summer’s mixtape Rez Bangers & KoolaPops.
“That’s going to be out in probably a couple months. We kind of
switched up the whole look of the album. Rez Bangers & KoolaPops was
kind of like a summer mixtape for us that we were putting together and
hoping to get out before the festival season, and something that we could
just perform at festivals,” notes Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce, one half of
the dynamic duo.
“But this new album, we kind went another direction with it and there’s
a lot more to it than a mixtape. I would definitely say the album itself is
building bridges between us and other people of colour. And it’s kind of
showing that we’re not so different in a sense.”
In just over three years, SNRK has grown their fanbase across the country
that included making the Polaris Music Prize short list last year for their
2017 album The Average Savage. What started as a post-music school
project has taken on an exciting life of its own.
“It was about the end of 2015, I decided to take this audio engineering
and music production program, that was like a nine month program. I
learned how to work ProTools, I learned how to set up and work in the
studio and I started recording from there,” says the group’s other half,
Darren “Young D” Metz.
Young D says it was a natural transition to keep things going once the
class was done.
“I recorded a mixtape for a school project, and then that’s when I
first moved out of Vancouver and Q was the only guy that I knew, so he
became like my go-to feature. So that project right there was like a preview
of SNRK before SNRK.”
With just a few Western Canada shows on the current run, SNRK are sure to
bring the party loud and hard to this year’s Block Heater festival later this month.
“If it’s anything like Sled Island, I’m looking forward to a really hype
crowd that gets really involved in the sets. And I’m also looking forward to
linking up with Cartel Madras and maybe getting a song in with them as
well,” gleams Yung Trybez.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids perform Thursday, Feb. 21 during Block Heater at
Festival Hall.
• TREVOR MORELLI
34 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
THE MARIARCHI GHOST
a multi-mythical experience
Intent on weaving narratives through their music,
The Mariachi Ghost began in Winnipeg as an art
project in 2009 that explored the titular phantom
from which the band took their name. Mexican tradition
is the jumping off point from where they venture
into a contemporary world full of sight, sound and
exotic tales.
“We’ve always thought of larger concepts with the music
we’re making,” explains vocalist/jurana player Gabriel
Fields. “The first album tells the story of the Mariachi
Ghost, and the new one we’re finishing up now is based
on a Mexican novel called Pedro Páramo.”
DJ LOGIC
hears it the way he sees it
kinda paint the picture as I see it,” says DJ Logic, aka
“I Jason Kibler, over the phone from The Bronx, his
hometown and home base in NYC. Reflecting on his artistic
evolution that established the turntablist as musician,
Kibler says, “The mix of jazz and beats, that was about being
creative with music and adding a different vibe. We’d
be digging through vinyl, and you always gonna come up
with something that’s unusual. It might catch your eye as
well as your ear.”
That novel, considered one of the most important
Mexican literary works in the second half of the 20th
century, draws on a number of universal myths using
Mexican characters looking for identity in love, familial
origins and interpersonal relationships.
“The story kind of grew from the novel, while Jorge (Requena,
vocals/guitar) added elements from his own life
into the songs,” explains Fields. “It deals with a number
of archetypes, and Páramo who’s travelling to the town
of the father he’s never met. We stage it as a play as well,
backing the music to the theatre production.”
The Mariachi Ghost’s live show, with the band clad in
black and white charro suits with half their faces painted
as Day Of The Dead skulls, is vigourous and alive.
“Jorge’s is a very visual person, working in film as much
as he has,” says Fields. “His vision is always bigger than
what we can maybe pull off at the time, but it gives us a
great direction to move in. He and Raphael (Reyes, guitar)
grew up in Mexico and El Salvador respectively, so they
have this ear for the traditional sounds, and we all bring
some contemporary style into the mix. It’s always been a
show, an experience, rather than just a concert.”
The Mariachi Ghost perform during Block Heater on Friday,
Feb. 22 on the Gelato Stage at Studio Bell.
• MIKE DUNN
Mixing records with jam bands and dipping deep into
in hip-hop, soul and acid jazz, the search for something
different led Kibler down paths that was further out than his
contemporaries.
“It could have been sounds from Africa, or Indian music,
Chinese, or Eastern Europe, there were always unique
sounds and voices, and I just gravitated toward that to
create my own thing. Then I’d bring in some jazz players
to layer over certain things, or talk to them about the idea
that I was feeling, and they’d do an improv session, and
then I’d pull and sample from that.”
Kibler’s still on that path, working on a lot of collaborations
including The Yohimbe Brothers with long-friend friend guitarist
Vernon Reid, as well as a number of other contributions
some of which feature revisions of the late and great.
“I did a remix of ‘Glad To Be Unhappy’ for a compilation
called Billie Holiday: Remixed & Reimagined, as well as Nina
Simone’s ‘Old Day Woman,’” says Kibler. “And I did some stuff
for Weather Report, and have some other music coming out
with some guys from Wu-Tang, with 9th Wonder, Young Dirty
Bastard, and Master Ace.”
DJ Logic will perform at Block Heater on Saturday, Feb. 23,
on the ATB Stage at Studio Bell.
• MIKE DUNN
ROOTS

FIVE
TO
SEE
AT
BLOCK
HEATER
JEFF LANG
in the mood matters
With over twenty records in his catalogue, Melbourne,
Australia’s Jeff Lang has been consistently prolific over his
30-year recording career, all the while finding new sources of inspiration
in other instruments, and trying to bring those voicings into
his playing.
“The key is staying interested,” says Lang. “Whether it’s a new
batch of songs you’re working on, or pushing yourself into a
situation that stimulates you when you’re collaborating with
someone. If there’s any kind of goal that I’ve had in my career,
it’s to stay inwwterested. You know, keen to express something,
and excited by what the possibilities are. Sometimes it’s as simple
as finding things that are exciting to you, and things that
a really stimulating tend to make their way into what you’re
doing somehow.”
Lang adds, “There are definitely things in my playing where
someone might say, ‘Oh, that sounds like Indian music,’ or maybe
like Miles Davis’s trumpet or Aretha Franklin’s singing. It might not
be immediately discernible, because I’m playing it on slide guitar,
but I know where I found the things that excited me.”
Even with the ability to blaze riffs on guitar, Lang remains focused
on what a song needs, rather than have music be an avenue
for his instrumental dexterity.
“I’m far more interested in playing music than I am in playing
guitar,” states Lang. “Though that’s my particular avenue into
music and I love the sound of guitars. But I’m not interested in
guitar playing for guitar’s sake. It matters whether a piece of music
fits the song. So I’ll look to someone like Richard Thompson,
who’s breathtakingly proficient on the instrument, but it’s always
in service of great songwriting. I’m interested in moods. If I can
put the mood across musically, because sometimes people don’t
catch every lyric the first time through, then that’s part of telling
the story.”
• MIKE DUNN
Jeff Lang will perform as part of Block Heater on Saturday, Feb. 23 on
the Stand And Command Stage at the Central Library.
KACY & CLAYTON
Fresh off the recording of
their fourth full-length, and
second with Wilco frontman
Jeff Tweedy producing, Kacy
& Clayton bring consistently
deliver hauntingly beautiful
melodies backed by outstanding
instrumentation.
THE HANDSOME FAMILY
Country noir from Albuquerque,
New Mexico. The Handsome
Family’s “Far From
Any Road” was the theme
song on the HBO hit series
True Detective. A very cool
mix of country and Mexican
instrumentation.
ANDREW COMBS
Eclectic rock ‘n’ roll from
Dallas, Texas. Combs has a
hushed, smoky timbre that
draws you in with elements
of classic pop, country and a
spacey back beat.
SAINT SISTER
Ethereal folk-pop with a hint
of ’80s new wave. Morgan
MacIntyre and Gemma
Doherty’s vocals weave together,
almost visible as they
float on the air.
PIERRE KWENDERS
If the rumours are true,
Kwenders is a consummate
showman, with grooves that
entangle wildly disparate
elements as new wave, jazz,
and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
ROOTS BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 35

SHRAPNEL
CONAN
total conquest city
36 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
Liverpool, England, may be nicknamed
“the Pool of Life,” but it was the primordial
ooze of a million down-tuned guitars
that gave birth to the grinding sludge metal
band Conan. Emerging from the estuaries
of Merseyside in 2006, the stone-shattering
three-piece has grown to become one of the
most revered and recognizable artists on the
Napalm Death record label.
Most recently, the lumbering fuzz giant
unleashed its fourth studio LP, Existential
Void Guardian. A melodic yet bludgeoning
answer to 2016’s Revengeance, Conan’s latest
onslaught continues to benefit from the
grounding presence of bassist/vocalist Chris
Fielding. The producer of several of the band’s
previous recordings, Fielding has been adding
his gravitas to the sonic frenzy generated by
guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis and drummer
Johnny King. As Davis confirms, the complex
riffs and vexing grooves of Existential Void
Guardian foretell a new epoch in the history
of Conan.
“I think the main thing was how heavy it
came out and how the songs took shape in an
almost effortless manner. We had quite a disjointed
12 months leading up to the recording
of the album and there was a risk the album
would suffer, but I’m very happy that we put
out a cool recording in spite of it all.”
Rising above the din, Conan's first recording
featuring drummer Johnny King (Dread Sovereign,
Malthusian) stands out from the crowd
with Davis delivering his bloodstained lyrics
with a poetic passion that runs hot and cold.
“I think my lyrics have usually been kind
of concise and I think it works, because it
doesn’t give too much away,” says Davis. “It
helps the listener use their imagination, which
is absolutely what we want them to do while
listening to the music. I ‘defo’ use colloquialisms
in normal conversations but try not to
do it in the lyrics. I find that would be a bit
limiting for the tracks and I’d hate to make
myself cringe further down the line!”
One thing Existential Void Guardian has
in common with the trio’s earlier works is a
strong sense of altered reality, if not all-out
fantasy. After hours of exhaustive research,
Davis concludes that Conan’s back catalogue
is best paired with the following video games:
“Horseback Battle Hammer (2010 Throne
Records)–Rastan (Commodore 64 version),
Monnos (2012 Burning World Records)–
Quake (PC version), Blood Eagle (2014
Napalm Records)–Skyrim (PS4 version), Revengeance
(2016 Napalm Records)–Renegade
(Amiga version), Existential Void Guardian
(2018 Napalm Records)–Karateka (C64
VERSION).”
It’s only a matter of time before the industry
comes knocking, especially now that Robert
E. Howard’s beloved Conan character has
returned to Marvel Comics and the public eye.
BY CHRISTINE LEONARD
“Hold on, I’m just about to put a down
payment on our new tour bus,” Davis jests,
predicting an upsurge of interest in the necromancer-smashing
barbarian and the band’s
namesake. But seriously, you just never know
where the group’s doomy Cimmerian sounds
are going to turn up.
“I remember being stood at Islington MIll
in Salford in 2010. I had just watched Earth
play and I walked back into the live room to
watch them pack down. As I stood near the
exit, Laurie Goldston starts talking to me—
just said hi really—and we got chatting about
Nirvana. Laurie played cello with Nirvana. As
we did that, the DJ starts playing “Satsumo”
off Horseback Battle Hammer. It was pretty
weird, but I told her it was my band and it
was cool timing. I hear Conan in some places,
I guess a cool place to hear us would be over
the PA at a huge venue but other people pay
for that privilege.”
Prepared to set sail from the safe haven of
SkyHammer Studio in the Cheshire countryside,
Conan is primed for a run of tour dates
that will bring the terror and triumph of
Existential Void Guardian to thresholds from
Vancouver, BC to Austin, TX. So, it’s time to
get your fur loincloth out of storage.
Experience the might of Conan Feb. 25 at Temple
(Edmonton) and Feb. 26 at The Palomino Smokehouse
and Social Club (Calgary).
CLUTCH
from Beale Street to oblivion
Putting their own stamp on America’s
rock-metal soundscape since 1991,
Clutch is a four-man wrecking crew with
a cultish international fanbase and a
reputation for waging psychic warfare on
their foes. Armed with their blistering new
album Book of Bad Decisions as a roadmap,
vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon, bassist Dan
Maines, guitarist Tim Sult and drummer
Jean-Paul Gaster are emerging from the humid
subtropics of the state of Maryland for
a mid-winter tour that threatens to break
the ice and melt the poles. Blast tyrants
who rock the Earth with a barrage of whiskey-fueled
anthems, their nefarious live
shows recall the golden age of gate-breaking
icons like Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.
Combining classic trappings of hard rock,
blues-rock and heavy metal with their own
modern worldview, the quartet projects a
bravado that is entirely genuine and utterly
well earned. Megastars of the fuzz rock universe,
Clutch makes no apologies for their
sinful southern style. Better to give offense
than sit on the fence!
Catch the power and spunk of Clutch’s ‘Book of
Bad Decisions Tour’ March 3 at MacEwan Hall
(Calgary), March 4 at The Ranch Roadhouse
(Edmonton) and March 6 at Burton Cummings
Theatre (Winnipeg)
SHRAPNEL

After a slow start to the year for touring acts,
February brings the heat! The most depressing
month? Not if you are a fan of live metal!
Friday, Feb. 1 delivers an all-ages party
night at Tubby Dog with the Kataplexis
CD release featuring Gorgos, Feeding and
Sawlung! The following night, Dickens Pub
is throwing a sizzling EP release party for
Sadistic Embodiment, who will be backed by
a diverse mix of bands; Citizen Rage, Quietus
and T.H.C.
One of the first big tours of year rolls
through Western Canada in the dead of
winter. Brave souls from the southern U.S.
(the Carolinas and Louisiana) have decided to
sample our weather. The fools!
Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar,
Weedeater, and Mothership will be at The
Starlite Room in Edmonton on Feb. 4 and The
Marquee Beer Market in Calgary on Feb. 5.
Good luck, dudes! Keep your eyes on the road
and your hands upon the wheel!
Speaking of big wheels, diesel-fueled rockers
Monster Truck rumble into The Palace on
Wednesday, Feb. 13.. Valentine’s Day will soon
be upon us and what better way to say, “I love
This Month In METAL
you!” than with a Feb14. date night at The
Blind Beggar Pub for the Classic Rock Metal
Jam? Your charming hosts Sharkskin will keep
the spirit of romance alive all evening long!
On Friday, Feb. 15, Big Nate Productions, in
conjunction with the Calgary Beer Core, presents
Metal for a Cause: A Show for Melanie
Sinneave. This fundraiser features the talents
of Blackest Sin, Caveat and Greybeard.
Admission is a mere $10 donation at the door
and you could be taking home silent auction
items, cool prizes, warm fuzzies and more!
Saturday, Feb, 16, the Brass Monkey presents
arguably the heaviest show of the month
with death metal pundits Path to Extinction,
Detherous, Animosity and Skalds of Surt
slated to put on a scathing mid-winter show.
Can’t get enough of that heavy metal lovin’?
Grab yer black cowboy hat and drop by the
County Line Saloon on Feb, 16 for Valentines
Schmalentines... more like METALTines! Staged
by Voxx Promotions this metalcore giggity-gig
stars Metavore, For a Life Unburdened, Born
For Tomorrow, Syryn and Liandra.
Embrace your inner Viking with Heavy
Metal Axe throwing at BATL on Feb. 17. This
all-ages event combines metal music and adult
beverages and axe throwing…a winning recipe
in our books! What could possibly go wrong?
The annual Wacken Metal Battle will continue
all across Western Canada this month
with bouts planned for Feb. 7 and 21 at The
Starlite Room–Temple in Edmonton, Feb. 9 at
The Black Cat Tavern in Saskatoon and Feb.
20 at Dickens Pub in Calgary. Check www.
ashermediarelations.com for full lineups and
schedules as they become available.
Feeling lucky, punk? Throw your hat in
the ring for The Mosh Lotto on Feb. 22 at the
County Line Saloon. This raffle-and-riff combo
welcomes a huge line-up of hardcore talents
including Chaos Being, No More Moments,
After the Prophet, Chained by Mind, Iron
Tusk, Dystonic Waves, Snakepit, Vexterity,
Father Moon and Sicks. All ticket holders and,
more importantly the bands, have a chance to
win $649 cash by the end of the night!
On Feb. 23, The Red Room in Vancouver
will be hosting the World Premier gig of
Imonolith, the Western Canadian all-star
band featuring members of Threat Signal,
Devin Townsend Band and Fear Factory (to
name a few). Watch for them to visit Calgary
on March 1 at Dickens Pub and Edmonton at
The Starlite Room–Temple on March 2, for
their second and third-ever shows!
Gird your loins in fur and prepare your
soul for battle—Liverpool, England’s CONAN
is about to thunder across the west. After
plundering The Starlite Room–Temple in
Edmonton on Feb. 25, they will head down
to Calgary where BeatRoute Magazine will
present them on Feb. 26 at The Palomino
Smokehouse and Social Club alongside Culled
and Gone Cosmic!
All you classic rock snowbirds can flock to
The Grey Eagle Casino on Feb. 27 to warm up
to the familiar sounds of Foreigner and their
nostalgic Cold As Ice Tour.
Treading that fine line between Feb. and
March, American rock-metal gods Clutch
are bringing their grand Book of Bad Decisions
Tour to Canada. Catch them with Big
Business and Inspector Cluzo in Calgary
on March 3 and The Ranch Roadhouse in
Edmonton on March 4.
Stay frosty, everyone!
• JOSHUA WOOD
SHRAPNEL BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 37

musicreviews
Homeshake
Helium
Sinderlyn Records
It’s ironic that in this day and age, when the ability to
produce high-quality recordings is just a local studio
booking away, DIY music continues to grow in popularity.
Rather than spotlighting the technicalities,
“lo-fi” musicians embrace human imperfection and
put an emphasis on pure emotion and artistry. Their
subdued approach creates a distinct vibe and overall
earnestness, resulting in music that sounds, thinks
and feels like the people actually listening to it.
Montreal-based Peter Sagar is one of the best examples
today of a lo-fi musician who creates art with
a pulse. Formerly known as the touring guitarist for
Mac DeMarco, Sagar has since made a name for himself
with his dreamy, synth-pop project, Homeshake.
His fourth release, aptly entitled Helium, is perhaps
his most honest work to date; unlike his previous
work, Helium was recorded and mixed by Sagar alone
in his apartment. Making music without worrying
about external factors allowed Sagar to proceed with
a much clearer mental state.
Helium is a continuation of the buoyant synth
lines, tranquil guitar riffs and hypnotic tones that
were last heard on 2017’s Fresh Air. But whereas the
previous record adhered to the formalities of notes
and chords, Helium gives precedence to rich textures,
timbre, and atmosphere. Sagar trades in the accessibility
of conventionalism for the accessibility of emotion,
resulting in an intimate record that encapsulates
Homeshake’s unique brand of R&B-infused, lo-fi pop.
The definitive song of the album is “Like Mariah,” a
surprisingly charming ode to one of Sagar’s favourite
musicians. Like the R&B songstress, Sagar stretches
the limits of his vocal range and sings in the upper
registers. Although he impresses with his best Mariah
Carey-lite notes, Sagar admits to having insecurities
about his voice. In his lyrics he wistfully imagines
what it would be like to be a musician of Carey’s caliber,
fantasizing about possessing her talent and fame.
His quivering voice expresses a mixture of yearning
and disappointment when he realizes that this
scenario would only increase his loneliness. Layered
between silky synths and a full-bodied bassline, the
song sounds both relaxing and eerie, exposing a very
human vulnerability that contrasts the glamorous
image his idol projects.
The R&B influence continues to flow throughout
the rest of Helium, but it crops up in unexpected
ways. Unlike the typical, virile crooner, Sagar isn’t
writing party anthems or songs that promote his
sexual prowess. Instead, he reworks the conventions
of the R&B genre to reflect his own thoughtful
meditations. On the track “Just Like My,” a crunching,
Nineties boom-bap maintains a dominant presence
and is juxtaposed with Sagar’s lofty voice. And from
the frantic and fragmented lyrics, it’s clear that Sagar
isn’t concerned with crafting a perfect image of
himself: he separates himself from the outside world
to the point at which he isn’t sure whether or not
it’s a Sunday. This then prompts him to compare his
fading memory to that of his 98-year-old grandma.
It’s an interesting inversion that underscores just how
far removed Sagar is from accepted norms.
One song that isn’t as weighed down by heavy
synths or themes is “Nothing Could Be Better,” a
romantic ballad sung in a falsetto quaver. With its
memorable hook, the track stands out as the one
that most closely resembles a conventional pop song.
Sagar employs an accessible set of lyrics and croons
about ditching a social function to be with the one
he loves. With each verse he grows increasingly
honest, even hoping that he’ll never blink so that
he could stare into his lover’s eyes forever. The sense
of isolation that permeates the rest of the album is
gone, and the tone is self-assured and blithe. Once
he’s alone with his sweetheart, Sagar unshackles
himself from his uneasy feelings and proclaims, “Got
me smiling finally / Got no reason to be sad.”
Which isn’t to say that the rest of the album is
morose or lacking in confidence. Woven into the
14-song tracklist is a series of instrumental interludes,
including “Early,” “Heartburn,” “Trudi and Lou” and
“Couch Cushion.” Here Sagar seems to take cues from
Japanese ambient composer Haruomi Hosono, crafting
songs that could easily fit into the soundtrack of
a MUJI store. They may not stand out on their own,
but the tracks add to the album’s overall meditative
soundscape. Their woozy, slow-churning grooves
move at an unhurried pace and reinforce the dreamlike
state that Sagar inhabits. Sentient and sincere,
the songs reflect Sagar’s desire to build his own world
amidst the confusion and overstimulation of the
present. And this is exactly what Homeshake sets out
to do with Helium: Sagar is responding to his shifting,
existing environment by creating spaces of serenity or
stillness. His reality may be cold and often alienating,
but there is a comforting repose that accompanies
his solitude.
Helium’s brooding yet tender ambient pop is a
worthy addition to Sagar’s body of work.
Whether you’re mellowing out alone in your room
or roaming around in a crowded city, Homeshake’s
music is the type to lose yourself in.
• KARINA ESPINOSA
• Illustration by Michael Markowsky
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 39

The Claypool Lennon Delirium
South of Reality
ATO Records
Picking up where Monolith of Phobos (2016
Rancho Relaxo), Sean Lennon and daddy long
legs Les Claypool are once again voyaging
beyond the horizon to an realm of pure lyrical
and melodious delights. A playful “Within You
Without You” vibe pervades throughout the
psych-rock duo’s second collaboration. The
watery fairytale “Little Fishes” with its loping bass
lines opens the scene with a silliness that combines
Claypool’s Wonka-esque showmanship
with scaly geometric progressions. It’s a bubble
that refuses to burst as he muses, “Gone are the
days when your gender tells you where to piss.”
Pastel shades of John inevitably seep through
Sean’s lackadaisical, and at times lonely, vocals
on “Love and Rockets,” and reaping strawberry
hued fields with the metallic edge of a sharpened
chord. Determined to set the world on fire, or
at least to get the New Gen up on their hind
legs, title track ignites with a ‘60s tambourine
shakedown and electric organ boogie. Deep
waters and whale songs beckon on the menacing
“Boriska;” a vortex of warped, nasally vocals
and punkish guitar gales that conjures the story
of Forrest Gump. The quirky biopics keep on
truckin’ with the cinematic “Toadyman Hour”
and the sultry grooves of the Bukowski-inspired
“Easily Charmed by Fools.” Debatably, the most
compelling and seductive daytrip of the lot,
“Cricket Chronicles Revisited” is a magic carpet
ride of sitar synths, ponderous fret paddling and
multilayered reverb piloted by the Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. This hand-clapping raga on ‘roids
distends and transcends before it ends - with a
warning list of utterly bizarre side-effects that
(almost) put big pharma to shame.
• Christine Leonard
Dream Theater
Distance Over Time
Inside Out Music / Sony Music
Time and again, Dream Theater have brought
complex musical ideas to the table and made
them sound both interesting and effortless. Few
bands are able to match their technical expertise,
making them a highly respected band, especially
among musicians. Whether it’s John Petrucci’s
guitar virtuosity or Mike Mangini’s double time
kick drums, the Long Island, NY quintet has built
a dedicated following around its methodical
wizardry and inspired legions of Guitar Hero
wannabes since 1985.
With Distance Over Time, the band displays
a confident, sonic power that resonates more
with every listen. Attacking hard from the outset
with “Untethered Angel,” Dream Theater brings
an all-hands-on-deck approach to their latest
effort. Canadian James LaBrie’s vocals soar on
“Paralyzed,” Petrucci’s furious shredding shines
on “At Wit’s End,” and Mangini’s pulse-pounding
drums dominate the Rush-esq opus “Barstool
different.
40 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
Warrior.” Hardcore fans might argue that it’s not
as epic or influential as their previous efforts, but
Distance Over Time is a worthy mind-bending
journey nonetheless.
If Dream Theater is burning out after 14 albums
and nearly 25 years as a band, they certainly
don’t show it on Distance Over Time. Instead,
they’ve given us another collection of beautiful,
thought-provoking, and hard-hitting prog-metal
tunes that challenges us to think about how we
hear music. After you listen to a band like Dream
Theater, conventional songs sound half-baked
and oversimplified.
• Trevor Morelli
Le Butcherettes
bi/MENTAL
Rise Records
Who doesn’t have complicated feelings about
their family? For El Paso-based garage punk
group, Le Butcherettes, family drama is a source
of inspiration. bi/MENTAL, their first full-length
album with Rise Records, is a deep dive into the
relationship between family and self-perception.
With Teri Gender Bender on vocals, guitar and
piano, Alejandra Robles Luna on drums, Rikardo
Rodriguez-Lopez on guitars and synth, and
Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez on bass, each of the
13 tracks are diverse, sonically challenging, and
emotionally-intricate.
The lead single off the album, spider/WAVES
features punk legend Jello Biafra and explores
internal strife with religious -- often blasphemous
-- imagery. Teri Gender Bender’s vocals shift
between Gwen Stefani, Portishead, Heart, and
Kate Bush’s falsetto lilt. “nothing/BUT TROU-
BLE” features an industrial groove, sinister chord
progression, and indie rock vocals. “in/THE END”
slows things down and lightens up with layers of
synthy strings, lumbering tom groove, patches of
psychedelic dissonance and huskier vocals.
Produced by Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison,
the album is a mixed bag and an intricate
listen. “I’ve never been to a therapist before,” says
Gender Bender. “I don’t talk to my friends about
this stuff. Music keeps me away from trouble. It
keeps my mind free.” This album’s an artistic investigation,
and there’s a lot to unpack. With bi/
MENTAL The band defies generic expectations
and challenges perceptions of identity, family,
and what it all even means.
• Lauren Donnelly
Lee Harvey Osmond
Mohawk
Latent Recordings
Hamilton, Ontario’s Tom Wilson has a storied
and well-deserved place in the canon of Canadian
rock ‘n’ roll history. He’s the dynamic leader of
alt-rock mainstays Blackie and the Rodeo Kings
and prior to that, he cut his teeth in the ‘90s
blues funk outfit Junkhouse. Wilson certainly
pours his heart and soul into every release,
and his solo work as Lee Harvey Osmond is no
On Mohawk, Wilson continues his intriguing
and surprising journey of self-reflection after discovering
his true lineage in his 50s. Wilson was actually
adopted and recently learned his biological
parents were from the Kahnawake reserve outside
of Montreal. He is, therefore, Mohawk by heritage
and it’s led him to reconsider many of the things
he once thought he knew about himself.
Catchy first single “Forty Light Years,” lays
down a groovy beat that’s contrasted nicely by
angst-ridden acoustic protest songs like “Whole
Damn World.” “A Common Disaster” employs
fuzzy Beatles guitar tones, while closer “What I
Loved About You” tells a seductive story about
the highs and lows of love. Although the story
behind it is a little more interesting on paper,
Mohawk is still an eclectic mix of sultry, poppy
and folk-inspired jams crafted by an expert
songsmith.
• Trevor Morelli
The Lemonheads
Varshons 2
Fire Records
Yes, The Lemonheads are back. Far gone from
the ’90s heyday, and even ten years gone from
their last offering of covers with Varshons (2009),
leader Evan Dando is back with a crazy focused
collection of cover songs with Varshons 2. Like
a 21st century Joe Cocker, Dando lends his pop
sensibilities and distinct vocal style to such artists
as John Prine, Nick Cave, Lucinda Williams, Yo La
Tengo, and yes, even the Eagles. These are deep
cuts, and the songs are treated with pure heart.
Dando has a rare talent to see to the soul of a
track, and his voice is stronger than ever, but this
is no solo effort. The “Lemonheads” that he has
assembled are no stranger to lovely harmonies,
ripping guitar solos and a killer rhythm section,
and that’s no easy feat. Check the stomping
drums and face melting organ and guitar displayed
on “Old Man Blank” (The Bevis Frond). It
seems Dando has been meticulously assembling
songs to express himself, as well as the people he
wants to tackle that task with. Listen to his version
of the Jayhawks’ “Settled Down Like Rain”
and tell me Dando isn’t living happy ever after.
• Chad Martin
Malibu Ken
Malibu Ken
Rhymesayers
In some ways it seems like this would be a match
made in heaven. Rapper Aesop Rock’s lyrics
push the boundaries of language in novel and
abstract ways, while Tobacco’s hallucinogenic
sounds can move the listener into new worlds of
sound. The concern might be that it would be
too much; dense lyrics with psychedelic music
might just be too much going on to enjoy either.
With this new album that concern turns out
to unfounded. Tobacco’s beats are subtle and
woozy, providing a consistent sonic palate for
Aesop Rock to work from. While in some sense,
Tobacco takes a little bit of back seat to Aesop
Rock’s complex wordplay; the subtle touches
and mood really complement the rapper. This
comes across strongest on the body-horror
invoking “Tuesday,” which Tobacco infuses with
disorienting, sea-sick synths, as well as album
highlight “Acid King,” a song detailing the story of
a supposed satanic murder set to an almost ’70s
or ’80s horror movie soundtrack. Aesop Rock,
for his part, is on the top of his game here, with
off-putting stories, anecdotes and wordplay so
dense one finds something new on every listen.
It says something of the collaboration that this
never gets too heavy. It takes a light touch and
chemistry, which these two have in spades.
• Graeme Wiggins
Cass McCombs
Tip Of The Sphere
ANTI-
On his ninth album, Cass McCombs doubles
down on what makes his dream-like musical
prose so appealing, sending listeners on an
introspective trip that proves to be as relaxing
as it is thought provoking. Settling back into an
armchair, it’s very easy to get carried away by
the soothing Eastern influences of “Real Life,”
the moody outro of “Rounder,” or the wistful
guitars on “I Followed The River South To What.”
But beneath it are all lyrics that are observant
and contemporary, lyrics that croon laments to
the human condition and sling poetic condemnations
to larger political bodies. The effect
is engrossing, and the music is given identity
through dusty Americana flavours, mixed neatly
with folk and indie sensibilities. The underlying
anxiety culminates on “American Canyon Sutra,”
an outlying track with synthetic percussion and
bleakly spoken lyrics, before breaking back into
melancholic and folksy familiarity on the album’s
closers. It's a reminder of the inherent cycle of all
things, and few capture this meditative sensation
better than McCombs.
• Brendan Reid
Millencolin
SOS
Epitaph
Lean and mean. That’s how Millencolin plays it
on their latest studio album, SOS. The Swedish
pop-punks were born out of the ‘90s skate punk
power chord boom, and their formula hasn’t
changed much since then. That’s not to say SOS
is a bad record. It’s a loud, speedy effort with
enough rough edges to turn some heads. After
all, if it ain’t broke … keep milking it for years to
come.
With few songs running past the three minute
mark – and none over four – SOS is a raging,
sharp and well-polished album. Front loaded
with rocket launchers like “For Yesterday” and
“Sour Days,” it’s clear the quartet is aware of
their age but more interested in rocking on than
pining for the past. Their lyrics are always interesting,
letting a little cheekiness to shine though
without being downright silly.

Later, the band touches on relationships on
“Do You Want War” and politics on the amusingly
titled “Trumpets & Poutine.” SOS doesn’t
veer much from Millencolin’s last album True
Brew (2015, Epitaph) – or any of their other
albums for that matter – but at least they
bring the distortion pedals every time. Even
in 2019, Millencolin prove that a little dose of
pop-punk can be good for the nostalgic part
of your soul.
• Trevor Morelli
Panda Bear
Buoys
Domino Records
Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear, has put out
a wide collection of music in the past two
decades, both as a solo artist and as a member
of famed and acclaimed psychedelic pop
group, Animal Collective. His music has mostly
stayed within the reverb-laden wheelhouse
he's familiar with, but the experimental nature
of the genre has allowed his music to remain
fresh through the years.
Buoys is his sixth solo album and it’s incredibly
stripped back compared to previous
releases, with Lennox’s voice and acoustic
guitar serving as the meat and potatoes of
each track. Sampling, feedback and other miscellaneous
noises garnish rather than serve as
main attractions. Lennox's voice sounds bland
and flat fairly often and the songwriting only
sometimes justify this focus on the barebones.
On album standout, “Inner Monologue,” the
percussive sound of Lennox’s sliding fingers on
the neck of the guitar and heavy breathing bake
in a bevy of effects while his voice bounces
between dipping into a lower register and remarkably
harmonized shocks of a higher range
that punctuate the track’s hook.
On other tracks, Lennox flirts with an interesting
textural idea before quickly abandoning
it, only to return to his frequently repetitive
vocal melodies. Most of Buoys is restricted
rather than liberated by his minimalistic
approach.
• Cole Parker
Phaeton
Phaeton
Independent
From the mountainous stronghold of Kimberley
B.C., Phaeton charges forth with their first
full length album offering an epic progressive
metal listening experience. This self-titled
album showcases an instrumental endeavour
that doses the imagination with scenes of
shiny sci-fi fantasy, grave adventure and the
impending interference of an unknown mystical
power. Inventive throughout, Phaeton tells
its story by swapping between bright, technical
arrangements, ominous battle riffs and
foreboding war drums. Each song playing like
a chapter of a novel, the listener gains further
omniscient perspective into the universe Phaeton
has created, watching the events unfold
from above. The album creates a sense of good
versus evil taking place in a futuristic world
with the fate of humankind hanging in the
balance. Blasting the listener with layers of intense
progressive metal over dreamy operatic
chants, piano pieces and sounds of the ocean,
Phaeton churns out a heart pounding, head
banging album that brings the audience on a
journey deep into a world not of this realm.
• Trevor Hatter
Said the Whale
Cascadia
Arts & Crafts
Vancouver based indie trio Said the Whale
continue to outline their West Coast sound
with the aptly titled Cascadia. The JUNO
award-winning band consisting of Tyler
Bancroft, Ben Worcester and Jaycelyn Brown
bring together more than a decade of musical
talent, following up their 2017 album, As Long
as Your Eyes are Wide.
A piano riff, a strum on an acoustic guitar
and eclectic keyboard sounds introduce
Cascadia. It begins with “Wake up,” a satisfying
beat complemented by twinkling piano notes,
followed by “UnAmerican,” a head-banging
electric guitar rhythm. The songs cascade into
ten tracks that showcase the band’s broad
indie music capabilities; an excellent introduction
for any person unfamiliar with Said the
Whale.
Cascadia hits its stride with songs “Moonlight”
and “Love Always,” graced with music
and poetic lyrics relatable to anyone experiencing
love’s mixed blessings. “Gambier Island
Green” closes off Cascadia with a nostalgic
ambience and beautiful composure, ideal for
any romantics pining for a past love.
• Lauren Edwards
Seer
Vol. 6
Artoffact Records
Vol. 6 is Seer’s most fully realized work to date.
The Vancouver-based doomster’s signature
elements can still be picked out – bluesy
stoner riffs, moody Americana, eerie ambience
and, of course, doom, baby, doom. All those
bits have had time to simmer and ferment,
the flavours intermingling and complementing
one another, swirling and bubbling into a
thick, satisfying stew. The stoner repetition is
more selective and, thus, more effective. The
ritualistic, ambient mood-setters are more
pronounced, more powerful.
Bronson Lee Norton’s commanding vocals
exude confidence and charisma, perfectly
giving voice to the heavy metal doom swagger
of the music. The decidedly more menacing
vibe introduced on Vol. 5 is maintained in
this latest chapter, and is improved upon, in
and of itself, and by its enmeshing with the
existing sonic pillars outlined above. Best of
all, the darker approach does not sacrifice
any of the stomping, headbanging fun, it just
means there’s more of it now. As great as this
latest offering is, there’s a sense that Seer’s
masterpiece still lies ahead. In the meantime,
Vol. 6 is the latest and weightiest step in what
is proving to be a consistently impressive and
adventurous musical pilgrimage.
• Daniel Robichaud
Sneaks
Highway Hypnosis
Merge Records
For their third full length release, Eva Moolchan
packs up her minimal post-punk solo
project and takes it in a new direction. Sneaks’
previous LP’s are comprised of mostly brief,
bass-driven songs with a whole lot of (s)punk.
But on Highway Hypnosis, Moolchan lets the
drum machine take the wheel. The result is
a set of energetic and playful bangers that
could be played in your bedroom or at the
after-hours club.
The title track starts things off with a
sample of someone laughing and repeating
“Highway hypnosis” under a beat, aptly
introducing the listener to the sample rich,
experimental tracklist ahead. As the songs ensue,
so do the rapid fire hi hats and thudding
kick drums, pulling from trap, grime, even
darkwave during “And We’re Off”. Though
Eva’s new stylings draw from very established
and recognizable genres, the record is far from
formulaic, experimenting with creative vocal
samples and off the wall synth garnishes.
With Highway Hypnosis Sneaks takes us on
a scenic detour with a fresh, inventive fusion
of pop, trap and post-punk.
• Judah Schulte
David Storey and the
Side Road Scholars
Made In Canada
Independent
David Storey has travelled the world, but
there’s only one place he fits in. This sense
of home is celebrated with his latest release
Made In Canada, and through it the romantic,
somber and nostalgic charms of our nation are
explored with a country-folk flair.
Storey and his backing band, the Side Road
Scholars effortlessly bring the boot-stomping,
sing-along energy when the time is right, but
also know how to settle into more pensive
moments, reflecting on the wholesome
aspects of Canadian life. These emotions are
coupled with strong storytelling sensibilities,
and Storey easily transports you to the minds
of dreamy-eyed hockey players, small time bar
bands, and remorseful murderers alike.
Storey proudly carries the torch of Canadiana
folk-rock, and does so with the confidence
of a man who has fallen deeply in love with his
home. The effect is heartwarming and honest,
inspiring one to raise their stick in appreciation.
Whitehorse
The Northern South Vol.2
Six Shooter
When the Polaris Prize-nominated duo Whitehorse
released The Northern South Vol. 1 EP
back in 2016 it added a new layer to the bluesy
glam folk rock sound Luke Doucet and Melissa
McClelland had become known for.
Now with Vol 2., Whitehorse is still showing
how sinister, sexy and striking the blues can
really be. Made up of fiery traditional blues
gospel tracks and jams, Vol. 2 doesn’t stray
too far away from the original compositions
and sounds, but adds just the right pinch of
Whitehorse flavour.
Beginning with Howlin Wolf’s “Who’s Been
Talkin,” a song about a lover being less than faithful,
Doucet and McClelland utilize the Wurlitzer,
melodica, and of course some foreboding lead
guitar to reanimate the 1957 track.
Next comes a take on Jimmy Reed’s classic
“Baby What You Want Me To Do,” which stays
pretty true to the blues minimalism Reed
portrayed. Still, the jittery Gretsch squeals
enhance the track and keep it groovin.
“John the Revelator” finds its way onto the
album except with some more up to date
lyrics about the sorry state the United States
finds it in, global warming, consumerism, and
of course, religion. It might be the most experimental
and interesting track on Vol. 2.
“Baby Scratch My Back,”—Slim Harpo’s classic
sexist ditty—is morphed into a track of female
empowerment with McClelland on lead
vocals. To cap the album off is Whitehorse’s
take on “St. James Infirmary,” an American jazz
blues standard with unknown origins made famous
by Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, and
more recently, The White Stripes. Whitehorse’s
version is a great take on ethereal blues that
brings the album to a blissful halt, leaving the
listener wanting more.
• Stephan Boissonneault
• Brendan Reid
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 41

livereviews
BIG WINTER CLASSIC
JAN. 24-27, 2019
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The Coathangers PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO
Efrim Manuel Menuck PHOTO: LEE REED
Shannon and the Clams PHOTO: LEE REED
Physical Copies PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO
Miesha and the Spanks PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO
Bison PHOTO: TREVOR HATTER
Little Destroyer PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 43

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BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 45

SAVAGE LOVE
quickies
Can I still be considered sex-positive if I personally do not have sex? I’ve
never had sex or masturbated—all my life, any type of sexual stimulation
has been very painful and I’ve been unable to experience orgasm.
I simply get a migraine and feel mildly nauseated instead. I am not
looking for a possible solution, as I long ago accepted my fate and consequently
avoid sex, such as by maintaining only sexless relationships.
My question is simply whether I can still be considered sex-positive if I
do not enjoy or engage in sexual activity?
—Personally Loathes Unpleasant Sex
I consider myself cunnilingus-positive, PLUS, despite the fact that
I could not personally enjoy (and therefore have never engaged
in) that particular sexual activity. While I don’t think it would
cause me physical pain, I would not be able to experience orgasm
myself (through simultaneous self-stimulation) while performing
cunnilingus, and my cunnilingus partner would be highly unlikely to
experience orgasm, either (due to my ineptness). If I can nevertheless
consider myself cunnilingus-positive under the circumstances—if
I can consider myself a cunnilingus advocate—you can consider
yourself sex-positive.
About twice a week, my wife gets up from the dinner table to have a
shit. She won’t make the smallest effort to adjust the timing so we can
finish our dinner conversation. She can’t even wait for a natural break
in the conversation. She will stand up and leave the room when I am
making a point. Am I rightfully upset or do I just have to get over it?
When I say something, she tells me it’s unavoidable.
—Decidedly Upset Man Petitions Savage
“Let her have her poop,” said Zach Noe Towers, a comedian in Los
Angeles who just walked into the cafe where I was writing this week’s
column. “His Miss Pooper isn’t going to change her ways.” I would
only add this: Absent some other evidence—aural or olfactory—you
can’t know for sure that your wife actually left the room to take
a shit. She could be in the bathroom scrolling through Twitter or
checking her Instagram DMs. In other words: taking a break from
your shit, DUMPS, not shitting herself.
My boyfriend goes to pieces whenever I am the least bit critical. I’m
not a scold, and small things don’t bother me. But when he does
something thoughtless and I bring it to his attention, he starts beating
up on himself and insists that I hate him and I’m going to leave him.
He makes a scene that’s out of proportion to the topic at hand, and
I wind up having to comfort and reassure him. I’m not sure how to
handle this.
—Boyfriend Always Wailing Loudly
Someone who leaps to YOU HATE ME! YOU HATE ME! when
their partner wants to constructively process the tiniest conflict
is being a manipulative shit, BAWL. Your boyfriend goes
right to the self-lacerating (and fake) meltdown so that you’ll
hesitate to initiate a discussion about a conflict or—god forbid—really
confront him about some selfish, shitty, or inconsiderate
thing he’s done. He’s having a tantrum, BAWL, because he
doesn’t want to be held accountable for his actions. And as the
parent of any toddler can tell you, tantrums continue so long as
tantrums work.
I’m a well-adjusted gay man in my early 40s, but I’ve never found a
way to openly enjoy my fetish. I love white socks and sneakers. The
most erotic thing I’ve ever seen is a cute guy at a party asking if he
could take his high-tops off to relax in his socks. I’ve been in a couple
of long-term relationships, but I’ve never been honest about this fetish
with anyone. I’ve thought a lot about why stocking feet turn me on so
much, and I think it must have something to do with the fact that if
you are close to someone and they want to spend time with you, they
are more likely to take their shoes off to relax around you. I’m not sure
what to do.
—Loves Socks And Sneaks
I have to assume you’re out of the closet—you can’t be a “well-adjusted
gay man” and a closet case—which means at some point in
your life, LSAS, you sat your mom down and told her you put dicks
in your mouth. Telling your next boyfriend you have a thing for
socks and sneakers can’t be anywhere near as scary, can it? (There
are tons of kinky guys all over Twitter and Instagram who are very
open about their fetishes, LSAS. Create an anonymous, kink-specific
account for yourself and follow a bunch of kinksters. You need some
role/sole models!)
Santorum, DTMFA, pegging, GGG, the Campsite Rule, monogamish—
you’ve coined a lot of interesting and useful terms over the years, Dan,
BY DAN SAVAGE
but it’s been a while since you rolled out a new one. You can consider
this a challenge.
—Neo-Neologisms, Please!
I’ve got two for you, NNP. Harnies (pronounced like “carnies”):
Vanilla guys who attend big gay leather/rubber/fetish events like
International Mr. Leather or Folsom Street Fair in harnesses. A harnie
owns just one piece of fetish gear—his harness, usually purchased on
the day of the event, often in a neon color, never to be worn during
sex—and pairs his harness with booty shorts and sneakers. Kinky
guys old enough to remember when vanilla guys wouldn’t be caught
dead at fetish events prefer having harnies around to the kink-shaming
that used to be rampant even in the gay community. And most
kinky guys are too polite to tell harnies that harnesses aren’t merely
decorative. Someone should be able to hold on to your harness
while they’re fucking you or add ropes if they want to tie you down.
So if your harness is made out of stretchy fabric—like lime-green
Lycra—then it’s not a harness, it’s a sports bra. Kinky guys are also
too polite to tell harnies when they’re wearing their harnesses upside
down or backward.
With Extra Lobster: There are food carts in Iceland that sell delicious
lobster stew, lobster rolls, and lobster sandwiches. The menu at the
cart my husband and I kept returning to when we visited Reykjavík
included this item: “With Extra Lobster.” You could order your
lobster with extra lobster! Lobster is a luxurious and decadent treat,
and getting extra lobster with your lobster kicks the luxury and
decadence up a big notch. “With extra lobster” struck me as the
perfect dirty euphemism for something. It could be something very
specific—say, someone sticks their tongue out and licks your balls
while they’re deep-throating your cock. We could describe that as
a blowjob with extra lobster. Or it could be a general expression
meaning more of whatever hot thing gets you off. I’m open to your
suggested definitions of “with extra lobster.” Send them to mail@
savagelove.net!
On the Lovecast, Dr. Zhana on squirting: savagelovecast.com.
mail@savagelove.net
Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage
ITMFA.org
46 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE

ROOTS BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 47