Woolly Leaves

I find Will Kidman's (aka. Woolly Leaves) new album to be very intriguing. The songs linger on long after I've hit stop, yet they seem fresh upon each listen. He was working on it for a long time, I bought a demo of it off him in September 2005, but it's now finally getting a proper release. A few new songs have been added, unfortunately one of my favourite songs, "Towers," got cut, but he did play it a few weeks ago when I saw him so hopefully it turns up again down the road. You can tell just by listening that these songs were recorded at different places at different times, which I find sorta neat. There are very few instruments, mostly just Will and a guitar, though one of the new songs, "A Soft Place To Call Home," throws in some drums and definitely makes the track standout. It was a good call naming the album Quiet Waters. I should also say that I love the lyrics, especially for the song "New Graffiti." Anyway, I asked Will a few questions, and he kindly answered them for me:

How's was the tour with Julie Doiron and Shotgun & Jaybird? Was that the first time you went across Canada as Woolly Leaves?
Will: Yeah. First solo tour cross Canada. Playin' with S+J and Julie was great. Nicest people. Beautiful Music.

When did you get/What was your first instrument? How did you learn to play?
Will: Guitar. Learned by listening to records, like most kids.

When did you start writing songs?
Will: Soon as I learned some chords. I thought you were supposed to write your own tunes, so I made up songs before I learnt others. Probably because it was easier. No one can tell you you’re wrong if you're being yourself.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Will: I guess the history of rock 'n' roll, with a little bit of high school vocal jazz.

Could you tell me about the writing/recording process of your album, Quiet Waters?
Will: It was written and recorded in a lot of different spaces, usually with portable recorders, whenever I felt like. Pretty casual, until the mixing stage. Then it was a bit more intensive, peicing everything together. It was fun.

How has Woolly Leaves evolved since you began this project?
Will: It started solo with electric guitars. Then a two-piece with a drummer - more riff rockin. Then after I moved to Toronto it got more and more quiet and now I'm playin’ a lot of acoustic guitar by myself. It’s the only guitar I own...

On one of the new songs you played live, you had Shotgun & Jaybird accompany you. Is this something you'd like to do more with Woolly Leaves (play with a full band)?
Will: Maybe. If I did, I would want Fred and Jimmy to play with me. I thought we jammed well together.

I thought the cover of Neil Young's Shots you sang on the Constantines split was really cool, and it got me wondering if you'll sing on future Constantines releases?
Will: Gonna try to work on more backup vocal arrangements on the next record. When Bry plays with Horsey Craze, I think we do some of the vocal harmony stuff pretty well. That'll probably be it though...

What would you like to accomplish with this record?
Will: Hopefully tour some more. I like touring now...

Tunes: myspace.com/woollyleaves

Jim Guthrie and Chad VanGaalen

It seems like forever since Jim Guthrie released new material. His last album was 2003's Now, More Than Ever, and since then he's been playing less and less, in fact, I was lucky enough to see one of his last solo shows in August 2005. He's been keeping busy with other projects of course. His old band Royal City broke up in 2004, but not before releasing another album, and much of the past year and a half was spent recording and touring with Islands. All that is well and good, and I fully support it since they're all great projects, but I would love to hear some new songs by him. I'm hoping to hear a new record, possibly in the new year. Not sure who would release it though, since his record label closed down. I'm betting on Outside Music... but who knows!

Tunes: myspace.com/jimguthrie

I bring up Jim Guthrie because of someone else I've been listening to lately, Chad VanGaalen. Why? Well, I feel like they make the same type of music, or at least, their music comes from the same place. Not only do they have similar beginnings(both of their first albums were collections of songs taken from self-released EPs), and share some common traits (Guthrie often uses a Sony Playstation to create his music, VanGaalen makes his own instruments), but I get a similar vibe from both artists. They're both fantastic songwriters, but they definitely challenge the listener with the way they arrange their songs. If you want to hear what I'm talking about, I recommend listening to Guthrie's album Morning Noon Night, and then VanGaalen's Infiniheart.

I like both of them a lot, for all their similarities and all their differences. Have a listen for yourself and tell me what you think. Do you know of any artists you feel may have influenced either Jim or Chad's music? I really don't know...

Tunes: myspace.com/chadvangaalen

Bloody Miracles

The Bloody Miracles play the Red Room in Orono this coming Saturday. The show is going to be recorded for a live album, so if you feel like being part of something extra-special, I suggest you go. I wanted to know more about this great band so I asked one of the group's members Nick Ferrio a few questions:

So, could you tell me a little bit about the band?
Nick: James Kent, Ben Rough Mike Duguay and myself, Nick Ferrio make up the Bloody Miracles. We just recently added Mike Duguay as a drummer. He is a real musical guru (plays piano, synth, melodica, accordion, fiddle, drums - all pretty well too) and he is an all around good guy.
The band started about a year ago with James Kent and I. We both were writing songs and playing in each others little back up bands but secretly wanted to write songs about ghost towns so we started a band.

Have you played many shows?
Nick: Yes we started as mostly a 'live' band. As soon as James and I decided to work together, we were offered a hosting position at a weekly open mic. We hosted that and it sort of became a live rehearsal. Since then we have played a bunch of shows around Peterborough, Toronto, and Oshawa a few times too.

How has Peterborough influenced you?
Nick: Peterborough has had an enormous influence on us. Both James and I work at the Spill Café which is a very magical little place. All kinds of stories, characters and ideas are coming and going there. It’s a great place to work as a songwriter. The musical community is very supportive here in Peterborough but also very critical, which I think is indicative of any developing music scene.

You've just released an album, What's on it?
Nick: Well, if you mean songs, it has a few of the ghost town songs we worked on (Star of the Prairies and Frank, Alberta). Most of the songs are either about the ruin of towns or the ruin of relationships. Instrumentally we have banjo, acoustic guitar, piano, accordion, Nashville guitar, lap steel, electric guitar, harmonica, and layers of vocal harmonies.

Finally, tell me a story (concerning The Bloody Miracles)?
Nick: Well this story is more concerning my stupidity not the entire bands, but we were playing a show so I guess it counts as a Bloody Miracles story. Jonas Bonnetta calls this the 'smashtray' story. Anyways, we played this Peterborough Folk Festival gig in the summer at Mexicali Rosa's. It was part of the night before the festival called the pub crawl. Mexicali Rosa's is a pretty cheesy (literally and figuratively) Mexican restaurant. It definitely wasn't a 'concert venue' by any means. We were playing at the very back of the building near the washrooms and it smelt like urinal pucks.
Anyways, after our set Jonas and I were hanging out in the back of the place, one thing led to another and well next thing you know this ashtray is falling off the balcony, which surprisingly really pissed the Mexicali management off. It got pretty out of hand, they blamed the bands for the toilets being clogged too (not the bean burritos) and eventually the show got canned.
Anyways I felt really shitty because they pulled the plug on the rest of the bands that night, which really sucked... but not as bad as their nachos sucked!
So the moral of the story is.. don't play with ashtrays and don't play crappy Mexican food chains.

Tunes: myspace.com/bloodymiracles

Two Shows/Two Thumbs Up!

Friday night I headed to Lee's Palace to see some bands. First up were The Salt Lick Kids from Guelph. I'd seen 'em before and was excited to see them again. They put on a good show, but I enjoyed the last show more because it was in a smaller venue and there were more people rockin' out with me. This time I was seriously all by myself in front of the stage, everyone else was lame and was sitting down drinkin' and not having fun. Anyway, I spoke to the singer later on, he remembered me from the Oshawa show, and even remembered my humble website. Hopefully they'll be back 'round these parts soon.

Tunes: myspace.com/thesaltlickkids

The next band I saw was Jewish Legend. I wasn't too familiar with their stuff, I'd only heard two songs, but they were alright. I'm pretty damn sure one of the members was Ian McGettigen (from Thrush Hermit), which is cool! But I'm not sure if the drummer should have stopped the show when his drum-seat broke during the last song... just fuckin' go with it dude! That annoyed me a tiny bit, but what do I know?

Tunes: myspace.com/thejewishlegend

Finally, the last band of the night came on just around midnight... Jon-Rae and the River! Lordy lord, it was a fantastic show. It was my second time seeing 'em and they played mostly new material as expected, but they threw in one of my favourite old songs "Open, Broken," which they said they brought back just for us. The band really seemed to be having fun on stage and seemed really happy with the turn-out (the show was packed!). They did two encores, and the second one was particularly memorable since the entire band came out and sang another old song, "Song of Harmony," a cappella. Needless to say, by the end of the show I was dead tired and my hair was coated with beer and spit. Fun night. Their new album is incredible!

Tunes: myspace.com/jonraeandtheriver

Saturday night here in Oshawa we were treated to one of the best lineups we've had all year. First up was Shotgun & Jaybird, originally from the city just down the street, Ajax. I was really diggin' this band. They reminded me of the 1990's which is a very good thing in my book, sorta had a Pavement vibe. The vocals really stood out of me, especially the fun harmonies. They had a lot of stage banter, but luckily it was mostly all entertaining. Good job!

Tunes: myspace.com/shotgunandjaybird

The next act to come on stage was Woolly Leaves. This was my third time seeing him play, and probably the best of them, though there were a few songs I was hoping he'd play that he didn't, but we were treated to some new stuff which made up for it. His set was very quiet until the end when Shotgun & Jaybird accompanied him on a brand-new song which really rocked. He said they recorded it when they were in Winnipeg so hopefully we'll all hear it soon!

Tunes: myspace.com/woollyleaves

The last person to play was Julie Doiron, who needs no introduction. I feel really lucky to have seen her in such an intimate setting. She somehow managed to get the entire room quiet for her set, which was fantastic because too often I'm ashamed by the amount of chatter that goes on when people are trying to play. She was takin' requests from the crowd which is always neat. She also covered "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" which I really enjoyed. She played about half her songs by herself, and about half once again accompanied by Shotgun & Jaybird. It was so great! What a beautiful voice, eh?

Tunes: myspace.com/juliedoiron

Alright, so that was my amazing weekend of music. Now if you'll excuse me, I have like, seven albums I need to listen to.

I'll avoid mentioning alcohol

Jon-Rae and the River are playing Lee's Palace this Friday, and I'm going. This is going to be a memorable show, I just know it. I saw 'em play last February, and since then they've really taken off. It seems every week they're being interviewed in a magazine or newspaper, or some blogger is raving about how good their new album is. Personally, I've yet to hear the new album, even though it's been out since August on vinyl (I'll pick it up at the show). That's alright though, I'll enjoy the concert just the same. Jon-Rae's music, especially the singing, always sounds so spontaneous to me, and that's why I love it. Listen to "Just One More" if you want to hear what I'm talking about. The part where he's howlin' before he goes into a full on yelp of "Just-one-just-one-just-one more!" always gets me. While the new album has been getting rave-reviews from everyone whose heard it, I'm still hoping for a healthy dose of classic tunes. Though this is a 'CD-Release Party' so I won't hold my breath.

Tunes: myspace.com/jonraeandtheriver

Downtown Oshawa

I have high hopes for Downtown Oshawa. After years of talk, this vehicle finally seems to be in drive. You can't deny that the new GM Centre will be a big boost to the downtown... hell I can remember just a few short months ago, myself and my friend Will were wondering if we'd ever see our beloved Constantines play in the 'Shwa, and here they are, January 31st opening for none other than The Tragically Hip. I hear the tickets are moving fast... glad to have mine. Over on the forums we've been talking about how great it'd be to have an after-party at the 'Elvis (the Cons are quite familiar with the place if you haven't heard). If it happens or not, well, it doesn't matter too much. Word on the street this week is the bars have been packed with hockey fans who just aren't ready to head home yet after the game. Even on days when the Gens aren't playing, like last night, the 'Elvis was packed. That could be due to the awesome line-up of bands they had playing, but I feel that people are just ready to head downtown and do a little exploring.

Sometimes I don't realize it but most people still don't know about these gems we have in Oshawa.

The Rural Alberta Advantage

I first investigated this band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, when I found out they were playing at my friend Jonas's house a few months back. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the show, but I kept this band on my mind since I really liked what I'd heard on their website. I even played 'em on my radio program a few times! Thankfully, they're coming to Oshawa later this week, and there is no way I'm missing this show! I e-mailed them a few questions and their singer Nils Edenloff was nice enough to answer them for me. Here we go:

For people who have never heard of you, what would you like people to know about your band?
Nils: Given the fact that we're a newer band based out of Toronto, there's been a lot of confusion as to the authenticity of the whole Alberta angle. Just to clarify I'm actually the only one in the band from Alberta and it’s a completely honest tribute.

If rural Alberta has such an advantage, why did you leave?
Nils: I guess the advantage is more of a personal thing. After initially moving to Toronto to pursue music I found the local scene intimidating. There were, and still are, so many great bands around town that it was hard to feel like you could contribute something different, and something that is your own. I guess it wasn't really until I started writing more and more songs about Alberta, that I started to feel like I was doing something that was my own. I think it was that point that I really started to look at the fact that growing up in Alberta gave me my own advantage and defined who I was.

Did your songs become more retrospective once you moved to Toronto, or have they always had this outlook on Alberta?
Nils: It was totally something that started after moving to Toronto. Its one of those things where only after you leave home do you start to look back fondly on every little thing that you miss about it.

I see you've listed some of your influences on your MySpace. How have they shaped your sound?
Nils: I've always been a fan of quieter music, songs that focus more on the melodies and yet the instrumentation allows the songs the space to breath, which has a lot to with the fact that we've usually got more percussion than melodic instruments. To be honest this band more or less evolved from an acoustic guitar and drum kit open mic night setup and I think at the heart of what were really trying to do there is always going to be that aspect to the songs.

Are there any plans on recording again in the near future?
Nils: Yes, we're definitely hoping to get do some more recording in the next couple of months, working with Ryan Mills at Little King (now Sleepytown Sound) was such a great time that we're hoping to do it again. As it is right now we've got a lot of songs that we really want to get down, we just need to decide on the songs and save up a little bit of money.

For someone who has never been to a RAA show, what can I expect?
Nils: Its really hard to describe, the current setup that we're preforming with isn't exactly the standard rock setup that you'd expect to see. It’s a really stripped down approach and there’s a lot of drums in it, but honestly I couldn't be happier with it.

Tunes: myspace.com/theraa