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Posts Tagged ‘Club SAW’
Introducing Winchester Warm’s: “Sky One Room”
On Tuesday May 25th Winchester Warm officially released, “Sky One Room,” the Ottawa duo’s debut album. The band is celebrating the release of “Sky One Room” on Friday May 28th at Club Saw with opening act Culture Reject. The band will also play on May 30th at 1pm at Minto Park (on Elgin Street) as part of the Ravenswing Craft Fair.
“The surprise of the night was dynamic duo Winchester Warm. Jon Pearce on acoustic guitar/vocals and Matt Godin on drums/vocals was all this band needed to produce a tight, full-band sound. Having only heard a couple songs online within minutes I was smitten by their tandem vocals and emotive (but not mushy) lyrical sensibilities.”
- Amanda Putz , CBC Radio 3
Winchester Warm is Jonathan Pearce and Matthew Godin playing sometimes tender, sometimes raucous indie-folk. Most often performing with only an acoustic guitar, set of drums, a pair of vocal chords and no technological trickery, Winchester Warm create a sprawling, lush musical experience. Relentless acoustic guitar work is accented by interesting and off-kilter percussivethreads and soaring vocal harmonies, which create Winchester Warm’s resonating and catchy sound.
While the band’s name may conjure images of the Wild West and the Winchester repeating rifle, in fact, it was borne simply of spontaneous lyrics arising from a rehearsal of Pearce’s other band, Ottawa-Montreal indie-rock mainstay, Poorfolk.
While Pearce had started Poorfolk in 2002 as an outlet for his contemplative, acoustic song-writing, the band gradually evolved into a propulsive four member rock outfit. Alongside with (and perhaps even spurred on by) Poorfolk’s success, Pearce eventually followed an instinctual pull back to his singer-songwriter roots, and along with Godin, the result is the duo Winchester Warm.
Winchester Warm’s debut album, “Sky One Room” was recorded at the historic McLeod-Stewarton United Church in centretown Ottawa by Jarrett Bartlett (The Acorn, Andrew Vincent) in August 2008 and August 2009. Godin’s percussion and Pearce’s melodic guitar work, blended with their vocal harmonies reverberate against the church walls and ceilings, capturing the ominous and beautiful acoustics of the church. On the record the core of the band is still anchored by Pearce and Godin on acoustic guitar and drums, but the songs are augmented by low piano rumblings, plaintive lap-steel swells and electric guitar sprinklings. The songs on “Sky One Room” are at once brooding and melancholic while at other times, soulful and anthemic. They whimsically laud one’s triumphs in one breath while wistfully seizing upon life’s foibles in the next.
Free from the complications of lugging the sonic and instrumental baggage that comes with playing in a rock band, Pearce and Godin revel in the fact that in Winchester Warm, they can play music as a duo, with no restriction on where they can take their live show. They can play in living rooms and concert theatres, sandboxes and wedding reception halls… and art galleries, too.
Friday May 28th in Ottawa at Club Saw (67 Nicholas Street) w/Culture Reject
May 30th at 1pm at Minto Park (on Elgin Street) @Ravenswing Craft Fair
For more information:
Angry Arts Podcast Launches!
The arts show that puts you in the picture.
Showcasing the newest and best in local art, artists, events and authors.
Want to know who’s who and what’s what in the local arts scene?
Then listen here!
Episode 1: To coin a tune
In the first episode of the Angry Arts show, we talk to local artist Gary Corcoran who has among many other notable works, designed coins for the Royal Canadian Mint.
Gary Corcoran
Gary has done extensive artwork for the Canadian Wildlife Federation. He has also won the national artprint 2002 portfolio competition organized by Ducks Unlimited as well as the organization’s 2001 and 2002 poster contests.
One great portfolio piece was creating two designs for the Royal Canadian Mint: the ground-breaking 2003 launches of the Niagara Falls and Aurora Borealis $20 holographic silver coins.
For more examples of Gary’s work check out garycorcoranarts.com
. . .
We also talked to local Ska band, “The Toughtones” about what it means to “skank”.
The Toughtones
This local ska band has gathered a large online and national following for their personality and eclectic beats.
They are:
Philip Caunter
Bass / Vocals
Kieran Davidson
Saxophone / Vocals
Jared Davidson
Drums / Vocals
Jordan Robb
Trumpet / Vocals
Joshua Viljoen
Guitar / Vocals
You can see “The Toughtones” performing live at Club SAW in downtown Ottawa on the 23rd of April.
Find them at MySpace
Enjoy!
1st Ottawa FILM FEMINA Screening Marks International Women’s Day on March 8, 2010
Ottawa’s newest media artists’ collective, FILM FEMINA, is pleased to announce its first screening to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, 2010 at Club Saw at 7:00 p.m.
FILM FEMINA was established in February 2010 by Nena Toth, filmmaker and cinematographer. The objective of the collective is to bring communities together to increase awareness and understanding of women’s media art work. Members of the collective include local media independent artists: Kelly Ann Beaton, Tara Arnatsiaq-Barnes, and Liisa Rissanen. Bios on the collective members are attached.
“ The International Women’s Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate and view contemporary and unique films and videos created by 17 women directors that had been produced in the last 15 years in Ottawa region,” said Nena Toth.
FILM FEMINA screening will feature contemporary short experimental, documentary, animation, and narrative films and videos independently produced for the last 15 years in by Ottawa filmmakers. A complete list of films is attached.
Some of the films and videos from FILM FEMINA program have been awarded prizes at national and international film festivals.
Several of the films were previously selected from the Canadian Film Femina Festival, held in Podgorica, Montenegro (November 1-3, 2009). The cost of the screening is $5.00 Club SAW is located at 67 Nicolas Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
For information on FILM FEMINA, please contact: Nena Toth, Independent Media Arts curator and Nena Film Verite Productions and Academy 613-594-8458
nena_toth@rogers.com<http://ca.mc880.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=nena_toth@rogers.com>, www.graham.gs/nena_toth_filmmaker/index.html
Following the Passion of Sadie Hell
The days are short and heavy with lounge. Folks are caught in the vortex between Christmas and New Years. An impressive press release called me to the Canteen Art Shop and Gallery for a media presentation celebrating Sadie Hell’s new LP/CD. It’s my first media-only event and the experience is fascinating. This in-store concert featured a stripped down version of an ever-changing line up. The band gave an emotional performance to a gaggle of press people in front of a big beautiful banner. Soon you’ll be able to see video recorded by the good people at Bands Undone.
There are many different descriptions of Sadie Hell’s music, and they are all pretty bang on. The tunes feel symphonic at times, there’s some grunge, some emo and Ben Welland’s self-confessed love for dirty skate punk even comes through at times. While waiting in line to interview Sadie Hell, I stumbled across a coffee table book about the Obey Andre the Giant logo. The creator was simply having fun with stickers at first and eventually it grew into an international brand. On Obey’s website. I found some interesting information pertaining to Sadie Hell: Heidegger describes Phenomenology as: ” the process of letting things manifest themselves, The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to re-awaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment.”
Sadie Hell is phenomenology to a ‘T’. Some years ago, Welland recognized his innate talent and allowed it to grow, taking on wild shapes, sounds and momentum. The timbre and tonal qualities of his music are constantly shifting, but the vocals and guitar work remain unmistakably, Sadie Hell. It’s a brand that’s becoming more recognizable, associated not with a particular sound, but with a distinctive feeling.
During the interview, Ben and May-Jun came across as passionate and intelligent musicians. They love what they do and give over their whole hearts to the process. Ben speaks of dark lyrics and somber messages, but comes across as quite a happy person. He recognizes the allure in all things dark while not letting it consume him. Influenced by the rock and roll tradition of despair and gloom, he understands the disillusionment of the Smashing Pumpkins and it’s his pleasure to further the notion that this world is a dark and scary place sometimes. The result is a quest for expression that is a riveting journey through growth and destruction, love and pain, melancholy and the joy which is created when we follow our passions.
Here’s my interview with Ottawa’s newest phenomenon, Sadie Hell…
Maxim also blogs here: http://maximk7.blogspot.com/
