All 10 Nominees to Perform at Polaris Gala

Via CBC Radio 3 comes word that for the first time in the history of the Polaris Music Prize history all 10 nominees will be on hand to play at the Plaris Gala on Sept. 21. That means (in case you didn't know or have forgotten):

Elliott BROOD
Fucked Up
Great Lake Swimmers
Hey Rosetta!
K’NAAN
Malajube
Metric
Joel Plaskett
Chad VanGaalen
Patrick Watson

Last year's winner Caribou will also be on hand and Radio 3 has promised a "podcast version of all 10 performances".

The Grand Jury that will choose this year's winner from the list above consists of Bryan Acker (Herohill), Stuart Derdeyn (the Province), Mary Dickie (Elle), Brad Frenette (National Post), Nicholas Jennings (freelance), Robert Mersereau (CBC TV), Brendan Murphy (Hour), Mia Parang (Musique Plus), Ben Rayner (Toronto Star), Brad Wheeler (the Globe and Mail) and Lisa Wilton (Calgary Sun).  

Weakerthans, Metric, Hey Rosetta to Play Verge Awards Sept. 22

According to Chartattack the performers at this year's Verge Music Awards (Toronto's Mod Club on Sept. 22) will be the Weakerthans (winners of the Verge's Artist of the Year in 2008), Hey Rosetta! (last years album of the year winner) and Metric (not an award winner but the top 6 results on Google when you search 'Metric' now are all about the band - not the measurement system - which says something, good or ill.)

You can still vote for this year's Verge Music Awards at http://www.thevergeonline.com/vma/voting.php

The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight



Hey Rosetta! - Red Song



Metric - Gimme Sympathy

NxEW.ca's 2009 Shadow Polaris Short List

We started asking back in May who you thought should win the Polaris Music Prize, We started out with a list of almost 100 artists and asked you to vote. We had a "Long List", narrowed it to 20 and now there are 10. Five of these agree with the real Polaris Short List, five do not. Amanda Ash and Ladysound will be pleased to hear that four of those five are solo albums by women.

Now we'll need you to vote again (see the bottom of this page) but the 2009 NxEW Shadow Polaris Short List goes:

Chad Van Gaalen - Soft Airplane



Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows



Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels



Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs



Laura Barrett -Victory Garden



Jenn Grant - Echoes



Jill Barber - Chances



Joel Plaskett - Three



Julie Doiron - I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day



Timber Timbre - self titled



Keep Voting
(poll closes at midnight on Sept. 20)

Osheaga Festival: Day 2

Photo: M. Thibault

I made it to Osheaga on Sunday just as Le Volume Etait Au Maximum took to the Tree Stage to start things off under the tent – out of the rain. The great things about a pop/punk band like them is that you get at least 15 songs in a 30 minute set, and you never get restless. Barreling from one song to the next with about 0.05 seconds in between songs, they have a decidedly Ramones influence to their sound, but with a touch of The Cars via Friedrich Van Volsen’s synth playing, instead of a bass player. The three-piece was full of energy, but apparently the powers that be decided that people weren’t allowed to dance for this set, with security telling those who DARED to stand in front to get out of the way. Instead, everyone sat on the wooden stage and simply nodded their heads, although the Montrealers in attendance would have surprised me had they danced, as I’ve not seen too much of that – even at the funkiest, danciest sets of the summer.

As their set ended, the skies really opened up and let loose with a torrential downpour. Since we were already soaked anyways, we decided to go check out what art there was around at the “Osheaga Festival of Music and Arts”. Not much it turns out. These three paintings on wood cut-outs were tucked into the trees between the MEG and Tree Stages.

And over by the main stage, hidden behind the “Art and Design” tent (which had a couple of Kia cars inside – not what I’d call art), there were these installation pieces.

Pretty cool little sculptures made of foam, but not exactly in plain view for the average festival-goer to wander by. There were also these painted tarps fixed upon a stairway off to the side of the grassy knoll towards the back of the main stage.

Hey Osheaga: that’s not enough to call yourself a music and “arts” festival. Try to actually prominently feature some art in a conspicuous location or have more than a very few works on display.

The rain eased up enough for a crowd to congregate at the front of the stage for Beast’s set, which was damn fine. They have some great tunes, a fabulous singer, superb musicians and look like they’re having a blast up on stage. The bassist has the most unique instrument I’ve seen in a while, with a Korg synth mounted onto the body of a Fender Precision bass, making a real Frankenstein of a rig that he used to create some wicked grooves and layer effects over top of. They had an enthusiastic crowd dancing along to every song in spite of the continuing rainfall.

Hey Rosetta! kicked off their set with the soft intro of “There’s An Arc”, before the song shifted into high gear and got the crowd rocking along to the stellar harmonies of guitarist Tim Baker and bassist Josh Ward. They also played “We Made a Pact” from their newest Hawksley Workman produced, Polaris Prize nominated album, Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood. With the cello and violin added, these rock songs take on a broader, more interesting dimension that really engages the listener. Although lead guitarist Adam Hogan mostly hid towards the back of the stage in the shadows, he provided great licks and textures to the songs as well. As the least known act nominated for the Polaris Prize, I would say they’re the most deserving, and hope to see them walk away with the $20,000.

Photo: M. Thibault

Ending the festival on the Tree Stage was Hollerado, competing with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Crystal Castles on the two other stages. Unfortunately, that meant the crowd was sparse for the start of their set, but soon filled in quite nicely after they opened with “Brick Wall”. After a couple of tunes from their most recent release Record In A Bag (packaged in a ziploc bag with photocopied track listing), some asshole started throwing cups and water bottles at guitarist/vocalist Menno Versteeg. Since security didn’t seem to give a shit, Versteeg opened one of the still-full bottles and doused the guy. That didn’t stop the asshole from throwing more stuff, which got drummed Jake Boyd right pissed off. He charged out from behind the drums and began spitting and cursing at the guy, giving him the finger and telling him, “If you fuck with him, you fuck with me first buddy!” and the crowd backed him up by pushing his ass out of the crowd. Resuming the show, they brought out the Uplift Gospel Choir for “Americanarama”, meaning there was an extra nine voices to thicken up their sound. “Got To Lose” was next, the choir providing huge harmonies to lift the chorus sky-high while Nixon Boyd threw in the hooky-as-hell riff with a very Weezer-esque guitar tone. A couple more numbers sans-choir later, they brought out one of the female choir members to rap on their cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”, a fitting tribute to the group who had to cancel their festival-closing set due to Adam Yauch’s (MCA) health issues. Ending the set with “Do The Doot Da Doot Doo”, they crammed most of the audience up on stage, lending a real house-party vibe to close things out. After things were done, Versteeg bolted off stage and returned with what must have been at least 100 copies of Record In A Bag, which he handed out for free to those who stayed to listen. Watch for the official release of the album in October, which will hopefully get them the national attention they deserve. Great songs, great stage presence, great guys, great times!

Osheaga Festival Preview

Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau is getting prepared for the musical invasion that will unfold this weekend during the 4th annual Osheaga Festival. Although many were disappointed about the Beastie Boys' cancellation due to MCA's health problems (get better soon!), there's a pile of Canadian talent well worth checking out.

Photo: Christian Couture

CARACOL, hailing from Montreal, Canada, presents her first solo release L'arbre aux parfums, a more mature, personal and introspective album. The album is built on raw emotion and is a unique blend of american folk, old jamaican rocksteady, with a singer-songwriter and a vintage 50's feel. Primarily written in french, but also including two english tracks, the lyrics explore the sometimes darker side of human emotions and relationships through anger, love, contempt, arrogance and the search for something more.

Saturday, August 1st on the Mountain Stage from 4 - 4:30pm




K'Naan is up next, supporting his new album Troubadour. On a summer-long tour with Jason Mraz, he's been described as having a sound that fuses Bob Marley, conscious American hip hop, and brilliant protest poetry. Widely celebrated around Canada, he's sure to deliver a stirring set.

Saturday, August 1st on the MEG Stage from 4:45 - 5:30pm



About the same time over on the Tree Stage is Gentleman Reg bringing the folky indie-pop. Likely playing many cuts from his new album, Jet Black, which was recently released on the Arts & Crafts label. They've had a busy summer with Winnipeg Folk Fest, a show at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and Hillside Festival in Guelph.




Same stage at 6pm is Flash Lightin', a super-rad rock trio from Toronto. They've been touring the past couple weeks across Canada opening for Eagles of Death Metal (who're also playing Saturday) and could be easily compared to them. I saw them at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto about a year ago, and they destroyed the place, sounding like a modern-day ZZ Top - monster riffs, bad-ass attitude and catchy hooks. With one EP, Destello, under their belts, they are preparing to release a full-length in the near future. Get ready for some southern-fried rock, nice and greasy to fill you up real good.

Photo: Liam Maloney

You'll have to get over to the MEG Stage by 6:15pm to catch the start of The Stills set. Another Arts & Crafts band, these guys have exploded over the past couple of years. At the Juno's earlier this year, The Stills were awarded Best New Group of The Year (despite having already released 3 records), and Best Alternative Album of the Year for their 2008 album Oceans Will Rise. They're opening for Metric on tour this October, including two shows at historic Massey Hall in Toronto.

Photo: Joe Fuda

Head back to the Tree Stage at 7pm to check out The Rural Alberta Advantage. This Toronto-based band plays indie-rock songs about hometowns and heartbreak, born out of images from growing up in Central and Northern Alberta. They sing about summers in the Rockies and winters on the farm, ice breakups in the spring time and the oil boom’s charm, the mine workers on compressed, the equally depressed, the city’s slow growth and the country’s wild rose, but mostly the songs just try to embrace the advantage of growing up in Alberta.



You can chill for a bit before the 8pm set on the Tree Stage of Montreal Franco-Rock group Chinatown. I can't say I know much about them except that their frontman, Felix Dyotte, wrote The Stills song "Retour A Vega". Looks like it's definitely worth checking out, as there aren't a ton of French artists at Osheaga. Most will be playing downtown at the Franco Folies de Montreal Festival.



Feel free to skip Coldplay's set, which will certainly be plagued by screaming pre-teens, in order to catch a couple of Canuck bands to close out the night.

First is Winter Gloves at 9pm, followed by Woodhands at 10:15, both on the Tree Stage. I caught Woodhands' set in the rain at Ottawa Bluesfest a couple weeks ago, and it was a damn sweaty dance party. I can't imagine it will be much different this time.



Go home, get some sleep, get ready for Sunday.



Start the day off right with Le Volume Etait Au Maximum, self-described as "Canada's finest french anarcho-vegan-punk-art-pop." I can agree with that. Very hip, very creative artistically, and catchier than a plague. Like some sort of bastard child of The Ramones and Andy Warhol, with a good dose of The Cars. 2pm at the Tree Stage.

Photo: Marianne Larochelle

The first time I heard about Montreal electro-funkers Beast was from Mother Mother drummer Ali Siadat. Gladly taking his advice to check them out, the first track I heard was "Mr. Hurricane", which I'm pretty sure samples a cut from ANTIBALAS, so I immediately loved it. That same track was picked up by iTunes as a free download, so more or less blew up all over the world. Good dancin' music. 3:15pm on the River Stage.



From Hamilton, ON come The Arkells at 5pm on the Tree Stage. Happy rock n' roll with a liberal dose of piano, which isn't found nearly often enough in great rock bands these days.




Rufus Wainright will be playing a solo set on the Mountain Stage at 5:45pm, which is sure to be a gem. Elton John calls him "the greatest songwriter on the planet". His dad is Loudon Wainright III, and his sister is Martha Wainright, so you can be sure that talent runs in their family. He's won a bunch of Juno's and been nominated for a Grammy, in addition to touring and recording with massive performers. You should probably go check him out, even if you're a jaded punk rocker. He's good.



Back on the Tree Stage at 7pm are The Ladies of the Canyon. Four Montreal friends who love The Band and The Eagles. Ladies of the Canyon take you from candy sweet folk pop one minute, to heart wrenching country the next. Expect hauntingly beautiful harmonies, devilish beats and ivories, and a cold set of steel strings to strangle your misfortunes with.



Mega-star DJ/producer Tiga comes next at 7:45 on the MEG Stage. He's remixed a shit-pile of people and put out some great stuff of his own, including the Juno winning 2006 release Sexor. A sexy dance party for sure, but I'll probably be checking out the end of The Decemberists set.

Photo: Jule Malet-Veale

No more Can-Con until Hey Rosetta! start up at 9pm on the Tree Stage. Their new album, Into Your Lungs, has been selected for the Polaris Prize shortlist for this year for good reason - it's awesome. Having Hawksley Workman produce it probably didn't hurt too much. They're from the Maritimes, one of the only non Toronto/Montreal Canadian acts at Osheaga. You gotta love a rock band with strings (cello and violin). Since I've seen Yeah Yeah Yeahs already twice this year, I'll be staying until the bitter end of Hey Rosetta!'s set for sure and I think you should too.



Crystal Castles begin their 9:45pm set right when Hey Rosetta! are finished. You already know all about them, so I won't even bother.





Ditch their set early so you can mosey on over to the Tree Stage again by 10:15pm to get up front and dirty with Hollerado. I love this band. Saw them at Ottawa Bluesfest in the afternoon and they kicked so much ass, I downloaded their "Album in a Bag" for free from their website, which I suggest you do as well. Then you can support them in concert and buy some swag when you realize they're your new favorite band! End your weekend of debauchery and destruction by rocking out to great tunes like "Juliette" and "Fake Drugs". Maybe they'll even thrown in a cover of the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" to cap off the festival.

Live Photos: Dustin Bentall, Hey Rosetta! & Matt Mays

I’ve always found the Whiskey a hit-or-miss venue to see a live show. The sound is usually pretty good but unless you’re right on the floor, the view may not serve you well. Despite there being no photo pit, I managed to get quite a few great shots from this show, even while battling with drunken Stampede revelers. Make sure to read the review of Dustin Bentall, Hey Rosetta! and Matt Mays...

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THIS SHOW!

Hey Rosetta! on the CBC Radio 3 Sessions

St. John's Hey Rosetta! are on something of a roll. Three East Coast Music Awards, a Polaris Nomination and they are one of only a handful of artists to make both the real Polaris short list and our Shadow Polaris list (along with Joel Plaskett, Great Lake Swimmers, Elliott Brood and Chad Van Gaalen).

This week they are also the featured artist on the CBC Radio 3 Sessions Podcast.

Download it Here or click play below. For a full list of all the Sessions podcasts to date visit nxew.ca/sessions.html

Thoughts on the 2009 Polaris Short List

Art is art, it is neither science nor is it sports. It is entirely subjective, it can't be quantified or measured. The Juno Awards generally measure by record sales, though that is a measure of money, not art. Think of it like a Rorschach test (the one with the ink blots.)



What something looks like to me and what it looks like to you may be entirely different but that doesn't make either of us wrong (though it does mean that you're crazy). The Polaris Jury is made up of 'music journalists' - people from the national press, bloggers, radio hosts and others. They each get five votes for the long list, and five votes for the short list and then it goes to a 'Grand Jury' who spill chicken entrails on the floor and look for an answer in them.

You and I may not be happy with some of the results. I talked to a few Jurors today who weren't happy with the results. But it's hard to say it isn't 'fair.' Finding a 'fair' way to do it is nearly impossible when the subject is subjective.

It is true though that if you ask different people you get different answers. If you and I lay in a field and try to figure out what clouds look like we'll have different answers. Tomorrow we'll trim the long long long list that NxEW readers created down to 20 (I'll publish the top 40 just for point of comparison) and some people won't be happy with it but the answer will be different than Polaris' answer.

I do not know who all voted, but I have some idea who NxEW's readers are. They are, in some cases, music journalists. They are, in some cases, music bloggers. They are, in some cases, radio hosts. They are even, in some cases, polaris jurors. However they are also musicians, and promoters, sound technicians, and uber music fans - the people who go to shows on a regular basis, the people who buy CDs and t-shirts by the truckload. They are, in short all people who really love Canadian music (including people who aren't Canadian). So the votes of these others will change the dynamic, change the perspective and change the answer to the question. Granted we're small. We don't have 20 thousand dollars to give out but we will still acknowledge some great Canadian albums including albums completely overlooked by Polaris (I can guarantee at this point that some of our top 20 are not even on the Polaris long list.)

This does not mean though that Polaris is wrong. I sincerely congratulate everyone who made the list. That I would not have voted for some of them does not, in the least, diminish their achievement. They have all, whether you are a fan or not, worked very hard for many, many years and have achieved great things. They should all revel in it and everyone should show some respect to them - even if they have favorites not on this particular list.


the 2009 Polaris Short List

Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows



Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life



Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels



Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs (and around your heart and on through your blood)



K'Naan - Troubadour



Malajube - Labyrinthes



Metric - Fantasies



Joel Plaskett - Three



Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane



Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

British Site Celebrates Canada

Even as Canadian Indie Music superstation CBC Radio 3 tries to decide whether or not to cut 15% of the Canadian content from their playlists the british site The Line of Best Fit has launched an Oh! Canada column. Written by freelancer Ro Clem the column will hi-light the best of what's going on in Canada.

To celebrate the birth of the column they have released Oh Canada Vol. 1 (for free) with songs by Andrew Vincent, Ultimate Power Duo, Ohbijou, Dan Mangan, Timbre Timbre, Forest City Lovers, Bruce Peninsula, the D'urbervilles, Hey Rosetta!, Ghost Bees and more.

Go grab your copy at http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2009/06/download-oh-canada-volume-1/ and then tell CBC Radio 3 that until there are more hours in the average day, they need to keep trying to squeeze in the good Canadian stuff that is out there.

The Two Hours Traffic Interview!

....Oh, hello there. I didn't see you come in. Welcome to NxEW unplugged, or something. Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with one of Canada's best bands...Two Hours Traffic (THT) from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Of course THT is made up of four UPEI science grads that have taken to the artsy music scene (like that angle hasn't been beaten to death, eh?)... THT has now put out four discs (April Storm EP, Two Hours Traffic LP, Isolator EP and Little Jabs LP). I caught up with the lads to ask them a few questions that were burning my brain as well as the rest of the gang at NxEW! If you have any questions about the interview or if you just want to e-mail me to see if the interview changed my life, do it ([email protected]). So without further delay here is what transpired:

NxEW: What is your fellas favorite band in Canada right now?

THT: It's tough to name just one. We've recently really been enjoying the new Handsome Furs (Face Control) and Dog Day (Concentration) records.

NxEW: Gotta love that Canadian content! What about a favorite place in Canada to play?

THT: The Towne House Tavern in Sudbury might be our favorite. It has a grungy downstairs complete with beds and couches where the bands can sleep. Everybody has played there, from Stompin Tom to The Constantines. Also, the soundbooth is surrounded by a cage which is pretty cool. I have yet to see a beer bottle thrown at it, but I imagine it will be satisfying when I finally do.

NxEW: What is "Collegen Rock Records"/ Who's idea was it?

THT: It was the brainchild of Alec O'Hanley (of THT) and Ryan Crane (of Smothered In Hugs). The basic idea is to assemble a roster of bands so awesome that the world will be forced to take notice. We're almost there. At the moment it's made up of Two Hours Traffic, the Danks, Smothered In Hugs and Mardeen. It's not really much a record label right now, more a collective of bands, but I think eventually it will become a legit little label with national distribution and all that fancy stuff.

NxEW: Most people don't know that THT and the Danks share two band members. How do you fellas fine tune that sort of thing when it comes to recording and touring?

THT: We try and play as many shows as we can together for a start. Despite the fact that playing in both bands causes twice as much sweat and possible tendinitis it is still worth it. As far as recording goes it hasn't really been an issue. We make sure to set aside time for both. The new Danks album is called "ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DANKS" and should be out later this summer. All the kids will be talking about it.

NxEW: How do you think the influence Joel Plaskett has had on THT has affected some of your Collegen Rock label-mates such as The Danks and Mardeen?

THT: I'm not sure that it has. Joel has given us lots of little recording and songwriting tips that we've passed on I'm sure but for the most part Mardeen, Smothered In Hugs and the Danks tend to do their own things.

NxEW: Is there a working title for the upcoming album, and if not can you
make a cool one up on the spot?

THT: It will be called "Territory". If i'm forced to come up with a cool alternative I suppose I'll go with the worst thing I can think of, "Gridlock". or maybe "Traffic Jammed".

NxEW: ...come on, Traffic Jammed would be so...awesome? How many tracks can we expect?

THT: It should be 12 tracks.

NxEW: What is THT's new favorite song to play from the upcoming album?

THT: We've only played a handful of them live so far but "Happiness Burns" and "Drop Alcohol" seem to get the toes tappin'

NxEW: On your tour this past fall with The Danks and Hey Rosetta! how much of your new stuff did you get to play/ test out at different shows? and what was it like touring with those fellas?

THT: It was a hoot touring with them. Hey Rosetta! are a real powerhouse band live. It's tough to follow them as at that point in the night the girls are usually all screamed out. The Danks were a nuisance but that was no surprise. Interesting fact: Brohan (The Danks lead singer) ate only Subway tuna subs for the entire month long tour. He's never been the same.

NxEW: What was it like having your last album, Little Jabs, nominated for a Polaris Prize? and do you find it has changed THT at all?

THT: It was great. More than anything it was a nice pat on the back and let us know we're on the right track. Going to the Polaris Prize ceremony was amazing. We got to see all of the nominees perform while kicking back with a fancy bottle of Grey Goose vodka, or was it Belvedere?...it hasn't really changed the band. We don't feel any more pressure or anything like that. Hopefully when the new album comes out it will cause a few more people to give it a listen. That would be nice.

NxEW: When can the vast reaches of Canada expect to see you again? Any details on a potential tour?

THT: I imagine in the fall we'll start touring pretty hard. Hopefully we'll get to travel to a few new places.

NxEW: Last question, if for some reason Two Hours Traffic had to pick a new band name what would it be and why?

THT: Johnny Tungsten and the Transition Metals

NxEW: Right...the whole chemistry thing...thanks for all your time, gents!

Junofest 2009 @ The Media Club

The Media Club, Cambie Street, Vancouver BC. March 27 and 28, 2009.

I had so many options this past weekend that I didn't know what to do as far as shows go. I could have gone to Granville Street to see the Trews or State of Shock, but I honestly didn't want to be outside for hours over a 2 day period because I'm going to Seattle next weekend for the Comic Convention, and I didn't want to end up sick.
Instead of being on Granville Street, I decided to go into a club and see some independent acts that I knew nothing about. On Friday March 27, I went to see 3 bands - SAID THE WHALE, THE MIDWAY STATE AND HEY ROSETTA. This was a great show for me as there was high energy, a good crowd, and the music was very good. The bands were very tight musically speaking, and I enjoyed listening to new music; it was very refreshing to know that Canada does indeed have an indie scene that is like no other country.
I found that my favorite of the 3 bands were The Midway State. I love the name, and for some reason, it really suits all the band members. The music is energetic, fresh and I really found that the band performed as one unit. And to do that live and get that across to an audience is very hard to accomplish.

On Saturday March 28, I have to admit that I was really not in a good frame of mind. I'd had some upsetting news the day before that left me shocked to be honest, and I really was not into going out, but, being the music fanatic that I am, I went to see if I could pull myself out of the funk that I was in. And it worked! I just wanted to have fun, and went to see HEY OCEAN, CURRENT SWELL and ZAKI IBRAHIM. I had heard of Hey Ocean (courtesy of an earlier blog on this site) but I didn't know anything about what type of music they play. I was happy to be in an environment where new music was hitting my ears. The melodies of this bands' music is soothing but upbeat. I really enjoyed all the bands but Hey Ocean stood out for me in many ways. It was a combination of the music, they way they played as a unit, and how they interacted with the crowd in the short time they were given to play.

So overall, it was a good weekend of new music for this reviewer. Especially since the music pulled me out of a funk for a while and helped me to forget my troubles for the time I was in the club. That's the sign of good musicianship to me. I'm glad I decided to go with new and slightly independent bands instead of the bigger bands that have the exposure. Rock on....

Dan Mangan w/ Hey Rosetta! Tour Dates

East coast vs. West Coast Canadian style - Ontario dates haven't been set yet but on April Fools Day Vancouver's Dan Mangan is hitting the road with Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! I'll throw out the Ontario dates when I get them but if you're in B.C., Alberta, Sask, or Winnipeg heads up.

Apr 1. Kelowna, BC @ the Habitat
Apr 2. Canmore, AB @ Canmore Hotel
Apr 3. Edmonton, AB @ Starlight Room
Apr 4. Calgary, AB @ The Den
Apr 7. Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo's
Apr 8. Regina, SK @ Lazy Owl
Apr 9. Winnipeg, MB @ Shannon's Irish Pub - Free!
Apr 9-20. Ontario Dates TBA

Dan Mangan - Journal of a Narcoleptic



Hey Rosetta! - Yes! Yes! Yes!

Some Great Indie Shows Coming to Winnipeg

Now that it is warming up outside, Winnipeggers can once again venture out of their houses to all of the great Canadian indie shows that are happening around the city. Here are a few you should check out: (links to the artists' CBC Radio 3 pages can be found at the bottom)

Plants and Animals: March 24 Park Theatre $13

Hey Rosetta!: April 9 Shannon's Irish Pub

The Weakerthans & The Constantines: April 17 Burton Cummings $29.50

Melissa McClelland: April 21 Park Theatre $15

Bloc Party & Hot Hot Heat: May 3 Burton Cummings

Joel Plaskett & Friends: May 5 Garrick $20

The Stills: May 16 Garrick $20