Sound, Phrase & Fury 3.1

1Jan/feb 2015 • Sound, PhraSe, & Fury

2 Sound, PhraSe, & Fury • jan/feb 2015


Editor-in-ChiEfJanet Adamana

AssoCiAtEEditor Ally Sigurdson

PromotionsdirECtorsteffshields

Contributors&PhotogrAPhyCrEdits

Dagmawit Dejene

sPECiAlthAnksSonia Sturino Lauren Chan Jordan Stowell Cam JonesDaniel Baron John Baron Matthew Baron Cody Iwasiuk

Darren Hebner

sound,PhrAsE&fury is a Canadian music magazine out to help

promote musicians not usually covered in mainstream media. All music, photos and articles used are for the sole purpose of

spreading the knowledge of these artists and their music. We always encourage readers to

support every act through purchasing releases, merchandise and attending live shows.

Jan/Feb 2015

SPFneedmoredreams 4 Note from the Editor

borderCrossings 6 The Box Tiger talks borders and murder mysteries

ArtiststoWatchin2015 10 We profile the artists making waves in 2015

Prairiefolk 18 FINN talks homegrown influences

inreview 20 Our take on some new releases

[email protected]@soundphrasefury

facebook.com/soundphrasefury

&Sound-PhraSe-Fury.com


need more dreamSEditor’snotE

2014 was absolutely insane! - From the cool new things we got to try, the awesome shows we got to see, the wicked music we got to hear, the talented people we got to work with, and all the continued and growing support we are always so lucky to have!

Looking back, it all feels so surreal. We still can’t believe all that actually happened in a span of one little year.

Thank you so much for everything. Every read, every share, every band we worked with, every writer, photographer/videographer, & audio engineer that lent us their incredible talents and shared their immense passion, it all means the world!

The insanity of year 2, has inspired us to keep reaching for our biggest goals, and creating an even bigger year 3! Thank you so much for helping us get to where we are, and we look forward to sharing the journey of where we are going!

May 2015 be even bigger and better for all of you!

Happy New Year! Stay inspired and stay happy!

Janet AdamanaEditor-in-Chief

savethesongsthatwecan’tstop singing


Facebook.com/AestheticHeartPromotions


“Jordan and I started talking online because we had similar music interests,” says Sturino. “He found my old band’s page and he was in another band as well. We kind of played in his band for a little while and after a few lineup changes it solidi-fied into what it is now.”

Although the group was based in two different locations, they made it work by constantly be-ing on the move; Sturino and Chan would drive to Portland for US gigs while Stowell and Jones did the same for shows in Toronto. However, the group has recently decided they need to be in the same locale to create their best material. “It’s been a crazy year so it made sense to be like, ‘Let’s re-ally focus on this, we’ve got this traction starting to build up. Why not take advantage of it?’” says Chan. “So as of July we relocated [to Portland].”

Being able to hold regular practices with all mem-

bers of the band has definitely helped the group solidify their sound. “Traditionally, it would start with me writing the foundation for the song but now it actually starts with noodling,” says Sturino. “We’d be hanging out and Jordan will start playing a little thing on guitar, and I’ll start playing some-thing over it, and we’ll just start looping it.” The relocation has allowed for a more natural song writing process for the group. “The four of us in a room creates a more organic sound,” says Chan.

Their genre, though hard to describe, is surpris-ingly adaptable to any group of bands they hap-pen to be playing with; whether it be a more hard rock/emo crowd or an indie alternative, the band is sure to please.

Their debut album, Set Fire, was released in Au-gust 2013. Since then the band has skyrocketed into the limelight, opening for bands such as

ProfilE

border crossings


Metric, Brody Dalle, Foster the People, Circa Sur-vive and performing at the Boston Calling Music Festival in 2014. “When I was 14, opening for Met-ric would have literally killed me,” said Sturino. There is no denying the band’s great success in the short time they’ve been together.

Sturino and Chan share that a new album is cur-rently in the works, but the band continues to tour all across Canada and the US.

Their new single “Fire Walk With Me” is a tribute to the similarly named Twin Peaks movie. Origi-nally, written four years ago, the group recently re-worked the song for their new album. Sturino and Stowell were watching an episode of Twin Peaks. When Stowell went off to work, Sturino began looking up similar murder mysteries in the area. “I found a shockingly similar story to the Laura Palmer story,” said Sturino. “That really

affected me and I was able to dive into that.” The song is eerie and dark with haunting vocals and lyrics that make you feel almost uncomfortable. The single was released in November along with a limited special edition lathe cut picture discs in December. “It’s like a clear record cut into plastic,” said Chan. “Ideally it’s going to be a collector’s item. It has gotten a really good response so far. We’re really excited about it.”

The Box Tiger hopes their success continues and assures us that this is only the beginning for the band. They are currently on tour in the US and hope to be playing Toronto in the New Year.

Keep up with them at TheBoxTigerMusic.com. Like them at Facebook.com/TheBoxTiger.

Follow them at Twitter.com/TheBoxTiger & Instagram.com/TheBoxTiger

ProfilE

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border crossings words By dagmawit dejene

For the members of theboxTiger, the Canada/US border

was a large, yet necessary challenge to overcome in order

to create the unique music they knew they were capable of.

Torontonians, Sonia Sturino (vocals/guitar) and lauren

Chan(drums) got together with Jordan Stowell (guitar) and

CamJones(bass) from Portland to create the four-piece

indie-rock band.



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AND WRITE?

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Then do WhaT you ShouLd Be doInG, and WrITe For uS!hIT uP Sound-PhraSe-Fury.com For more InFo.


artists watch

2014wasahugeyearforalotofindependentartists.here’salistofourfavouritemusicianswhose

futureslookextremelypromising.

To

2015in

compiled By janet adamana



Ending 2014 with an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign for her debut album, folk outfit bArtA, gears up for an incredible new year. Singer/songwriter Ashley Bart is the driving force behind BARTA, melding folk, touches of bluegrass and country, with her pure and pleasing vocals completely captivating you in song. Along with a debut album release in the summer, music videos and a long list of shows are also in the works for BARTA this year.

barta

knuckle puck

folk - winnipeg

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/BarTamuSIc - twitter.com/bartamusic - soundcloud.com/bartasound


knuckle puckIt’s hard to find a pop punk fan who hasn’t heard of knucklePuck. With their raw and infectious punk offerings, matched with their in-tense work ethic, it’s no wonder they’ve become a staple on everyone’s playlists. 2014 saw them on the continuous tour circuit alongside industry heavyweights, modernbaseball,realfriends, and neckDeep, and releasing the While I Stay Secluded EP. With Knuckle Puck’s recent signing to Rise Records and their debut full-length in the works, we’re incredibly excited to see what else 2015 has in store for the guys.

pop punk- chicago

13JAN/Feb 2015 • sound,PhrAsE,&fury

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/KnucklePuckIL - knucklepuck.bandcamp.com


Secret Someones has been on our radar for quite sometime now. With their continuous touring, and their addicting and catchy rock tunes, it’s hard not to take notice. The band grabs influences from Weezer, talkingheads, and Tom Petty and meshes it with the raw and sassy energy that can only come from female musicians. Secret Someones will release their debut full-length later this year and embark on yet another North American tour.

secret someonesindie-rock - new york

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/SecretSomeones - twitter.com/secret_someones - secretsomeones.com


2014 was undoubtedly an incredible year for the pop rock boys of As It Is. It all started with their first ever tour in February and their first sold out headlining show, to 5 UK/EU tours, the release of This Mind of Mine EP, signing to Fearless Records and quitting their day jobs to become full-time musicians. With the release of their debut album in 2015 and playing the entirety of this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, the careers of As It Is will not be slowing down.

as it ispop rock - brighton


ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/asitisofficial - twitter.com/asitisofficial - asitisofficial.com


It wasn’t too long ago that the words ‘bleed american’ were solely associated with patriotic notions and Jimmy Eat World. Thanks to one of 2014’s biggest breakout artists, bleedAmericannow brings pleasant thoughts of sweaty punk shows and fiery songs.

With the release of their debut self-titled EP, the “Restaurant Jobs” single, a Western Canadian Tour and an abundance of local shows, Bleed American has definitely had a busy year. They kick off 2015 with their much-anticipated debut album, Figure It Out, in February, and we fully expect another year seeing and hearing Bleed American everywhere.

bleed americanpop punk- winnipeg

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/bleedamericanmusic - twitter.com/bleedamericanca


Acoustic singer/songwriter and touring machine, AloneiWalk, will be gracing us with his debut full-length, early this year. Noting musical influ-ences from nevershoutnever and Mumford and Sons and melding it with his own personal dash of hope and happiness, Alone I Walk, has had no trouble finding his way into the hearts of music lovers.

Having released his first eP, Me EP!!!, and touring Western Canada several times in 2014, it’s no surprise we’re keeping our eye out for the acoustic outfit. Along with the release of his debut album, Alone I Walk will be planning an Eastern Canada tour in 2015.

alonei walk

acoustic - winnipeg

ArtisttoWAtCh

facebook.com/bleedamericanmusic - twitter.com/bleedamericanca

facebook.com/aloneIWalk- Soundcloud.com/alone-i-walk

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JA:howdidfinncometogether?Jb: Daniel (guitar/vocals) and I (bass/vocals) are brothers. There are three of us, the youngest, Matthew [Baron], he’s our keyboard player. We grew up playing music together. We grew up in a musical family. I left for music school at Brandon University and that’s where I met Darren (guitar) and Cody [Iwasiuk] (drummer). Daniel had writ-ten a bunch of songs on his own and he sent them to me. I was super into them and they reminded me of how much I really missed making music with him. I showed them to Darren and Cody. I was really good friends with them out there, and when they both moved [to Winnipeg] we decided to make this a project.

JA:Wheredoyoupullyourinspirationfrom?db:We’ve had a few people comment on the way our songs are written. They’re old but they’re

modern, so for a while in our biography we had this whole thing about being inspired by Win-nipeg’s industrial past. Then somebody asked us what that meant and I had the worst time com-ing up with an answer. I started doing research on Winnipeg’s industrial past and found it was a cultural center for a bunch of acting and stuff. I thought that was pretty cool, but I don’t know why I would have said “industrial past.” We were just trying to word the way the music sounds. It’s not easy.

JA:isbluegrassandfolkwhatyouguysgrewuplisteningto?Jb:I think that’s more what we’ve been recently into, and not so much what we grew up with. db:We grew up listening to a lot of bluegrass and traditional Ukrainian polka music, because that was our family background. We’re inspired by it.

loCAllovE

prairie folk


dh: I think our more traditional inspirations are blending with more modern sounds. Bands like localnatives androyalCanoeare all experi-menting with new sounds, different rhythms, and different ideas of how to put a song together. Jb: A lot of the stuff Daniel wrote on his own, we rewrote in a more traditional sense with a more modern twist to it. Once we all moved to Win-nipeg it became more of a collective project and that’s spawning a whole new influence of sounds. We’re approaching things a little differently. It’s less traditional chords and more playing smaller parts that are really intricate, and they come to-gether to create something grand.

JA:howhasmovingtoWinnipeg,whichhasareallyvibrantmusicscene,helpedshapeyouasmusicians?db:We’ve never had a bad show (laughs). We’ve

never played to like 2 people, which kind of says something about Winnipeg. John and I have done our time playing for small crowds but I think it also speaks to what kind of music we’re playing now. It’s more accessible and people just generally like it so there has always been a decent amount of people at our shows. It’s given us an opportunity to experiment with what we like, what we don’t like and the performance side to things. Jb:The music community in Winnipeg is really open, friendly and supportive. It’s not all about competition. I’d say it’s a pretty welcoming, large and healthy music scene. We’re just happy to be a part of it.

Like them at Facebook.com/FinnMusicWPG. Grab a copy of their debut EP at EP.FinnMusic.ca

&

loCAllovE

words By janet adamana

Stemming from a collaboration between brothers and a chance meeting of musical minds at university, finnjumped onto the Winnipeg scene in 2013. Blending their bluegrass roots with their eclectic modern folk tastes, the five-piece has been sparking up the local scene with their fresh take on the traditional. Members, John & danielbaron and darrenhebner, took us through their influences and song writing process.


dustin thomas

Review by Janet Adamana

inrEviEW

Singer/songwriter dustin thomas infuses so much soul between each pluck of his guitar strings. Packed full of themes of love and war, the ten-track album brings out an undeniable sense of hope shining through the cracks of the violent world he sings about.

Stand out track, “Marching Song,” melds tradi-tional acoustic-pop elements with a dash of island folk, and a little bit of funk. Thomas tells stories of hardships as a teen in Brooklyn, watching his city in decay, brimming with poverty. He sends shiv-ers down your spine with his raspy, passion-fuelled screams, “do you want to start a war? Tell me what we’re fighting for?” “Frackwell” and “City of Rain” are subdued and despondent tracks, tingeing the record with some deep despair. Just when you think you may break down and cry, Thomas throws in the purely acoustic-pop love song, “Your Love Is Wa-ter.” Reminiscent of early works of John Mayer and

Justin Nazuka, the song is peppered with Thomas’ personal touches of sweet and peaceful island vibe. “Awake, Rise, Shine,” is another political song, call-ing listeners to action to get up and change the world. The record ends with “Be Love,” Thomas’ last chance to inspire listeners to be better human beings.

As an activist, Thomas dedicates Watch The Wa-ters, Hold The Flame “to the lakes, to the rivers, to the ground waters and aquifers, to all the mighty fresh waters that hold the key to our freedom and prosperity.” Although the mix of themes and his obvious disdain for our power-hungry society could have turned this record into a purely political and angry one, Thomas embraces the chaos of the world we built, and adds his overall message that it’s not too late to make a change, just “find your light and let it shine.”

Music.LoveDustinThomas.com

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Watch The Waters, Hold The Flame

20 sound,PhrAsE,&fury• JAN/FEB 2015

21Jan/feb 2015 • Sound, PhraSe, & Fury 21

inrEviEW

Punk fans all around can rejoice - mobinagaloreexists. The duo, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Jenna Priestner and drummer, marciahanson, has been shaking up the Canadian punk scene since their start in 2010. Since then, the band has done a hand full of touring and writing. The duo’s latest offering, Cities Away, proves their growth.

The 8-track album kicks off with “Skeletons,” start-ing things off as you’d expect from a Mobina Galore record: edgy, raw and in your face. The song ends with a skillful pairing of Priestner’s face melting riffs and Hanson’s firecracker drums. It sounds more like the ultimate set-closer than an album opener, definitely making you think, how the hell can they top that? Second track, “Restless Nights,” contin-ues the stream of punk rock intensity straight into stand out track, “You’re Not 23 Anymore.” Pumped

full of angst and introspective wallowing, it’s by far the most emotional song on the record. Priestner leaves it all out on the table as she wails her anger at a history full of regrets and lost chances.

The band’s love and appreciation for thedistillersis apparent in “Revel & Riot,” with a dim and dingy basement feel of Brody & Co.’s early work. “Trying To Survive” adds pop elements into the mix, closing the album with a peppier, party essence.

Working with John Paul Peters (Propagandhi and Comeback Kid), proved to be a perfect pairing for the punk-alt duo. Cities Away, serves up the real high energy wrath of ladies in love with rock and

roll. &

mobina GaloreCities Away

Review by Janet Adamana

MobinaGalore.com



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Sound, Phrase & Fury 3.1