BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition May 2019

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS RUN FOR COVER Orville Peck breaks the rules of the Wild West with his debut, Pony By MAGGIE McPHEE “Who was that masked man?” was a classic query in old time westerns. The answer used to be “the Lone Ranger” but now it’s Orville Peck, a risk-taking and mysterious Canadian musician determined tor reinvent the country sound. “North America feels the most like the Wild West than it has in a long time,” says Peck over the phone in a steady voice, worlds away from his baritone that belts out ballads of heartbreak and loneliness on his glimmering debut, Pony. “The rules don’t really matter that much anymore, largely on a negative scale,” he says. But to him these tumultuous times also inspire subversive artists that reject the status ORVILLE PECK Vancouver: Friday, May 19 The Wise Hall Calgary: Thursday, May 23 Commonwealth Edmonton: Saturday, May 25 The Starlite Room Tix: $12 18 BEATROUTE MAY 2019
quo and make their own rules, “like outlaws.” Peck embraces the contradictions of being a country musician; a rebel and performer, clad in rugged jeans and bedazzled satin shirts, craving normalcy and seeking freedom, embracing machismo and homoeroticism. The phallic imagery evoked by his 10-gallon hat and fringed leather mask is probably no accident. Within these fluid binaries, he moulds masculine western tropes into something personal for him as a queer musician. At the core of this alchemy lies a sense of respect for himself and for country music listeners. “A mainstream country radio station would look at what I do and think it’s too inappropriate for their listeners,” Peck says. “But I receive messages every day from middle aged white men who live in Alabama telling me they’re driving their kids to school every day with their wife and they’re all listening to ‘Dead of Night’ in the car.” Country music audiences are dying for diversity and Peck feels part of pushing for the genre’s comeuppance. He harkens back to his punk roots, laughing that being a “weird country star” feels like being a punk rocker because he’s rallying against this “facade of what people are still trying to push as country music.” His fans tell Peck they crave fresh perspectives and idiosyncratic stories. They want to outgrow country music’s “stigma of being a conservative, bland pedestrian genre.” Pony stands in bold opposition to these stereotypes. Peck assembles sprawling and sparkling landscapes within which his cast of outsiders love, lose, and long. On opener “Dead of Night,” drawn out chords craft a never-ending desert for he and his man to drive through. Peck’s lingering, rumbling vocals on “Big Sky” carve a skyscape expansive enough to hold a lineage of ex-lovers. And on “Buffalo Run,” thrashing guitar and rhythmic drums transmute into stampeding buffalo. Setting plays a major role in Peck’s storytelling. “When I started putting together these songs, the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met, those are the things that have really stuck with me.” Having been on the move his whole life, from the Pacific Northwest to London, England, to Toronto, Peck developed a strong memory connection to environment. “It’s definitely important to the cowboy and western aesthetic because it’s so much about travelling and being this nomadic soul,” he explains. “You leave a little piece of yourself everywhere and you take a little piece with you as well.” These pieces sneak into Pony in subtle ways. Peck draws inspiration from his experiences on the road as well as his personal obsessions with theatre, cinema and a slew of musical genres. He cites new wave, gospel, girl groups, punk and 80s rock as things he enjoys that “just had to kind of creep in for the record.” The end result is a sound “rooted in outlaw country” that can travel into rougher territory and sometimes soars into glittery falsetto. “I think if you’re doing anything with sincerity it will always have a uniqueness to it,” he says. Peck has just started his first full North American tour. “I’m not really a fan of apathy,” he says of performing. “You can expect a lot of drama and cool outfits and stories wrapped up with sincerity, hopefully to come and hang out in Orville Peck’s world for a while.” , MASKED FOR MUSIC Some artists love basking in the warm glow of the bright stage lights they’re performing under. Others would rather hide in anonymity and let the music speak for itself. Here are some of our favourite artists hiding in plain sight. By BEN BODDEZ Daft Punk All hail the dance-party powering robots. These iconic helmets have evolved, now coming equipped with colourful LED displays. It’s rumoured that these impressive and complex extensions of the famous duo cost $65,000 each to produce. Nobunny Wearing an unkempt bunny mask and often not much else, the identity of the sweaty garage rock anti-hero isn’t as hidden as most. At the same time, it’s a strangely perfect, albeit creepy, accompaniment to his chaotic live shows. Pussy Riot Donning colourful balaclavas, the Russian punk rock activists remain masked for different reasons than most as they’re known to stage public protests. “Anybody can be Pussy Riot, you just need to put on a mask and stage an active protest of something,” says band member Nadia. Leikeli47 More than a fashion statement, Brooklyn rapper Leikeli47 says her trademark bandannas and balaclavas help her cope with shyness. She takes her dedication to the mask a step further, staying concealed in interviews and other public appearances as well. Marshmello The latest EDM star to cross over to the pop world with some big-name collaborations, this sweet-tooth foam enclosure was inspired by the artist’s fascination with fellow masked party starter Deadmau5. . MAY 2019 BEATROUTE 19
Page 1 and 2: MAY 2019 FREE KALI UCHIS: THE NEXT
Page 3 and 4: Contents Up Front 4 7 8 9 10 The Gu
Page 5 and 6: UPCOMING SHOWS REAL ESTATE WITH SPE
Page 7 and 8: MAY The AgendaBy YASMINE SHEMESH 4
Page 9 and 10: That's Dope THIS BIG NAME BACKERS B
Page 11 and 12: Fashion CHILDISH KICKS By KIM JEV L
Page 13: VanCity Places TUNE-UP TIME: ASK TH
Page 16 and 17: JESSIE REYEZ • BAHAMAS • SERENA
Page 20 and 21: MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS MAYA FUHR YV
Page 22 and 23: MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS JENNY LEWIS:
Page 24 and 25: MUSiC COVER STORY KALI UCHIS LIVES
Page 26 and 27: MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS BEN HOUDIJK
Page 29 and 30: MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS MARC DE VINC
Page 31 and 32: SPENCER MARSH Reviews MUSiC Mac rid
Page 33 and 34: SCHOOLBOY Q CrasH Talk Interscope R
Page 35 and 36: Live MUSiC ALICE IN CHAINS April 10
Page 37 and 38: MOViES|T.V. HOAXING AROUND Standing
Page 39 and 40: DAN’S HOMEBREWING SUPPLIES Huge s
Page 41 and 42: LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE MORGUE
Page 43 and 44: ARTs DAVID MONTEITH-HODGE THIS MONT
Page 45 and 46: Yungblud IF YOU GO: Details/line-up
Page 47 and 48: MAY 2019 BEATROUTE 47

BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition May 2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?