ISSUE 16: April 2024
THUNDER QUEENS - STRIKE ONE
OUT 04/24/2024
“Thunder Queens — the shit-kicking trio of Violet Bruneel, Lola Hayman and Clara Magnan — make music for staying alive. Their garage-adjacent tunes fold in elements of deep purple doom, scrappy punk and classic pop melodies, making debut album Strike One a thrillingly confident introductory statement. Equal parts reverent and forward-thinking, their larger-than-life energy is on full display with latest single "All These Problems." - EXCLAIM!
Embark on a sonic journey of revelation in motion with Thunder Queens, the London, Ontario-based trio of Violet Bruneel, Lola Hayman, and Clara Magnan. Out now, their debut full-length album, Strike One, Thunder Queens delivers a blend of doom-tinged grunge, onyx-toned punk melodies, and searing multi-part harmonies - all while creating a mesmerizing sound that is uniquely their own.
The band are unafraid to be experimental and shapeshift, conjuring the playful vitality of Sheer Mag, ground shaking range of Black Sabbath, and the urgency of The Runaways. Their raw energy and poignant lyricism show a band that’s played together for over half a decade while still being on the cusp of earning a driver’s license. Over 11 tracks, each riff and lyric paint a vivid picture of a world they’re still discovering, from the gauzy bliss of a sun-drenched road trip to the urgency of our fractured political landscape. Thunder Queens fearlessly explore a spectrum of emotions and themes with the unmatched curiosity of youth and solidarity that comes from nurturing a foundation of sisterhood.
OUT 04/10/2024
The long-celebrated, and JUNO Award-nominated group, The Deep Dark Woods, have shared another track from their upcoming album, Broadside Ballads Vol. III, out May 1, 2024 on Victory Pool. An 8-song LP, the record will lend a familiar melancholic warmth to a collection of traditional folk songs spanning centuries and continents.
“The Banks Of The Lough Erne” is a take on a traditional Irish song of emigration has many names, Rambling Irishman, Lough Erne, New York Bay, and An Irishman From Monaghan amongst many others. “I first heard it by the beautiful Irish singer Dolores Keane and her group De Danann,” says Ryan Boldt. “I thought Erin Rae, one of my favourite current singers going, would do a wonderful job singing the song, making it sound less Irish and more American. Our voices work very well together and I hope we can make more music together in the future.”
Intertwined amongst their albums of original material, Deep Dark Woods has been steadily building up a series of releases called Broadside Ballads, focusing on traditional Irish, English, and Scottish folk songs. It's a fitting tribute to the music that influenced Ryan Boldt’s writing and singing since first forming the band, and like their forebears, Deep Dark Woods aims to take their own experiences of traditional music and create something new and vital. The songs in this collection mine some of the more brutal depths of human experience, touching on broken hearts, love, murder, and the act of leaving. Boldt notes that “there are not too many jolly songs in there”, but the album is not a dour affair, instead benefiting from tasteful, unstated arrangements and an organic, no-frills recording sound. The songs on Vol. III generously display Deep Dark Woods' deep-seated links to the past while still sounding just like themselves.
THE SECRET BEACH - BUYING YOU A GARNET/WHERE DID IT GO?/BLAME MANNY
OUT 04/04/2024
The Secret Beach is an ever-shifting group of musicians and co-conspirators orbiting around the songs and voice of Prairie-based songwriter Micah Erenberg. The band moniker – in the same vein as classic groups Guided By Voices, The Byrds, and Tame Impala – helpfully points out that a songwriter is not an island (or indeed, a beach) unto themselves, and the contributions from the involved parties go a long way in making this project what it is.
Erenberg has shared three new songs from the upcoming album. “Buying You A Garnet Amp” follows the storyteller’s journey on their search to find the illustrious Garnet Revolution II guitar amplifier as a gift for their significant other. The amp is a particularly sought-after model that was a favourite of many including the late Dallas Good of the Sadies.
The story is the single-most defining activity of a Winnipeg musician: buying a renowned Winnipeg-made Garnet Amplifier on Canada’s favourite buy-and-sell website, Kijiji. In the 1960s Winnipeg-made Garnet amps took on worldwide acclaim when they were popularized by artists like The Guess Who. They became known as indestructible amps and the company was even later commissioned to make amps for esteemed companies such as Gibson and Fender. Today they are sought after by musicians and recording studios around the globe, however, the best place to find them is always a Winnipeg Kijiji search.
HIS HIS - OUTSIDE
OUT 04/15/2024
His His is the recording project of Toronto-based artist Aidan Belo. He combines elements of Greenwich Village-inspired folk, contemporary indie folk, coupled with low fidelity analog production to create something that sounds honest and melancholic.
He recently shared the new single, “Outside” which “started out as a little chord loop from an omnichord that I got at an auction,” says Belo. “I added guitars, bass, drums, ran them through my cassette deck and was sitting on this instrumental track for a while. This winter, I was hanging out with my bandmate at his place in Parkdale after a band practice. We then went to a bar called Pharmacy and at the end of the night I was going to call an Uber home but it was a bit expensive ($50 or so) because of the snowstorm that had just started. I ended up walking about an hour and a half home, trudging through the snow. At some point in the walk I came up with the vocal melody that would become ‘Outside’. I got home, partially thawed, and in a frenzy, tracked the vocals and wrote the lyrics. It’s about walking through what felt like a completely empty city at the time and reflecting on some of my friends who have left Toronto for good.”
Thunder Queens
April 27 - Guelph, ON - GainFest - Anti-Queens, Shiv and the Carvers
May 1 - Hamilton, ON - Casbah - Miesha and the Spanks, Mad Ones
May 2 - Windsor, ON - Dominion Tavern - Miesha and the Spanks
May 3 - Toronto, ON - Collective Arts Taproom - Miesha and the Spanks, Roach
May 4 - London, ON - Palasad Socialbowl - FREE w/ Miesha and the Spanks, SUSANS
May 31 - Chatham, ON - Skinny’s Bar - New Age Doom
Aug 16 - Elora, ON - Riverfest Elora
Miesha and the Spanks
Wednesday May 1 - Hamilton ON - The Casbah*•
Thursday May 2 - Windsor ON - Dominion House*
Friday May 3 - Toronto ON - Collective Arts Brewing*
Saturday May 4 - London ON - Palasad Social Bowl*
Wednesday May 22 - Calgary AB - Ship & Anchor Pub^
Thursday May 23 - Edmonton AB - The Buckingham^
Friday May 24 - Saskatoon SK - Amigos^
Saturday May 25 - Regina SK - The Cure^
Thursday May 30 - Montreal QC - Turbo Haus+
Friday May 31 - Ottawa ON - Dominion Tavern
Saturday June 1 - Kingston ON - The Mansion (Spring Reverb Festival)
* with Thunder Queens
•with Mad Ones
^with Dump Babes
+with Taxi Girls, Priors
MOONRIIVR
MAY 15, 2024 WED - Le Botanique @ 9:30 PM - Bruxelles, Belgium
MAY 16, 2024 THU - Paardcafé @ 8:00 PM - Den Haag, Netherlands
MAY 17, 2024 FRI - Luxor Live @ 9:00 PM - Arnhem, Netherlands
MAY 18, 2024 SAT - Koll an Aktioun 2024 @ 3:00 PM - Rambrouch, Luxembourg
MAY 19, 2024 SUN - Hafen 2 @ 5:00 PM - Almost Twins - Offenbach Am Main, Germany
MAY 23, 2024 THU - Kulturhaus Insel Berlin @ 8:00 PM - Berlin, Germany
JUN 27, 2024 THU - MOONRIIVR at Hotel Wolfe Island @ 7:00 PM - Wolfe Island, ON, Canada
JUN 28, 2024 FRI - Neat Coffee Shop @ 7:00 PM - Burnstown, ON, Canada
JUN 29, 2024 SAT - Motel Chelsea @ 7:00 PM - Chelsea, QC, Canada
JUL 19, 2024 FRI - Hillside Festival 2024 @ 7:00 PM - Guelph, ON - Observe Park Policies, Canada
JUL 25, 2024 THU - Calgary Folk Music Festival 2024 @ 7:00 PM - Calgary, AB, Canada
The Deep Dark Woods
MAY 8, 2024 WED - Hen and Chicken Southville @ 8:00 PM - Bristol, United Kingdom
MAY 9, 2024 THU - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - Guildford, United Kingdom
MAY 10, 2024 FRI - The Swiss Cottage @ 8:00 PM - Twyford, United Kingdom
MAY 11, 2024 SAT - The Deep Dark Woods Solo @ 7:00 PM - Twyford, United Kingdom
MAY 11, 2024 SAT - The Swiss Cottage @ 8:00 PM - Twyford, United Kingdom
MAY 12, 2024 SUN - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour 2024 @ 7:30 PM - Barton Upon Humber, United Kingdom
MAY 13, 2024 MON - Kitchen Garden Cafe @ 8:00 PM - Birmingham, United Kingdom
MAY 15, 2024 WED - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - London, United Kingdom
MAY 16, 2024 THU - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - Luton, United Kingdom
MAY 17, 2024 FRI - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - Scarborough, United Kingdom
MAY 18, 2024 SAT - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - Manchester, United Kingdom
MAY 19, 2024 SUN - The Deep Dark Woods Solo Tour @ 7:00 PM - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Ellen Froese
May 6, May 13, May 20, May 27 - Cameron House Residency - Toronto, Ontario
JUL 5, 2024 FRI - Mariposa Folk Festival 2024 @ 7:00 PM - Orillia, ON, Canada
SEP 13, 2024 FRI - The Sound of Bronkow Music Festival 2024 @ 7:00 PM - Dresden, Germany
Americana, Roots, & Folk tunes feat. Victory Pool artists & more... Cover: Ellen Froese
Music from Indigenous, Metis, & Inuit artists feat. Victory Pool artists and more... Cover: Shane Ghostkeeper