TRANSCANADARADIO is proud to celebrate Canada’s Current Cultural artists and their locations! Traveling across Canada’s vast surface and finding the best of the under and above-ground artists who are rooted in, Soul, Funk, Reggae, Beats, House, Breaks and all that afro-Jazz… and where to check them out in your favorite Canadian city! Pack your bags! We’re going on a road trip!
Taking its name from a religious tract, The Burning Hell has been slithering around in the muck in one form or another since the dawn of the millennium. Fronted by the moderately agoraphobic songwriter and occasional history teacher Mathias Kom on electric ukulele, The Burning Hell currently features between one and twelve people, depending on the night.
The variable lineup promises a very different show every time: sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes rock, sometimes roll. Always folk, never anti. Quirky? Maybe. Cute? Never.
The latest Burning Hell album, ‘Happy Birthday’, celebrates the beauty of age, the joys of decay, the possibility of dating after death, and the inevitable repetition of mistakes. Combining happy little melodies and depressing Old World fatalism, the music of The Burning Hell is sure to make you smile and want to give up.
Tuesday June 10th was Dan Mangan’s second time around at the Mercury Lounge last Tuesday. For the Merc to be close to capacity on a Tuesday night, this show had to be more “than your average going out to encourage a friend and his band” performance.
Said the Whale warmed up the crowd and then it was time for Dan. Joined by friends John Walsh on stand up bass and Andrew McCormack on drums, playing songs from the album “ postcards and daydreaming. They gave me the chills more than once. Dan’s voice is like a beautiful black hole that you just want to fall a sleep in with a smile and dream about his songs. He had the hole crown smiling.
My musical background is mostly electronic but when the music is good I can recognize it. He has such a simplistic approach to music. All he needs is himself and a guitar to deliver beautiful music. Check out this interview and live performance to see for yourself.
He will be playing more shows this summer, so here are some dates and other artists that he will be performing with.
Swelling in primordial pulses and wholloping whoops, the tacit tones of Vancouver Island’s Shane Philip’s didgeridoo hold the power to still listeners into silence or encourage audiences to rise up in a tribal swell of intoxicating spirit — with sometimes but a heartbeat in between. Meanwhile his hands will be skilfully juggling between shaking up rhythms with his aslatua, driving the dance floor with his djembe and sliding out grooves on his Weissenborn-style guitar while his foot taps in earthshaking electronic kicks wherever they might fit. He is a one-man show weaving sounds that inspire audiences anywhere he goes.
Brian’s music is rooted in the folk, pop and soul traditions of his heroes. He often draws comparisons to artists such as James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Bruce Cockburn and Stevie Wonder. Brian has recently released his second cd of original material entitled “Let The Darkness Go”. Approaching the stage like an old friend; excited, warm and ready to engage, Brian’s command of his guitar allows him to create a complete sound as a solo performer or as the focus in a duo or trio. The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals recognized his songwriting in 2005 by awarding him the Colleen Peterson Award. Brian has performed at such festivals as Home County, Mariposa, Shelter Valley, Winterfolk, Toronto City Roots, NXNE, SXSW and Boston’s NEMO festival. He was recently a performer on the 2007 Barenaked Ladies Ships and Dips Carribean cruise tour. Outside of his solo career, Brian can be seen performing regularly with many local greats such as Lori Cullen and Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies). He can also be heard on recordings by The Wailin’ Jennys, Lori Cullen, Kevin Hearn and Harmony Trowbridge. Continue reading ‘Brian MacMillan in profile: Rooted in folk, pop and soul traditions’
At the tender age of seven, Dan Mangan’s first goal was to memorize and recite Abbey Road’s side ‘B’. At 17, it was to record his first EP. Now, at 24, it’s to meander into the stereo and hometown of music lovers worldwide. With the recent release of his debut full-length, Postcards and Daydreaming, five recently completed tours of the US, UK and Australia – including a feature in the Brit-tastemaker magazine, NME – and let’s not forget the umpteen festival performances (SXSW, MusExpo, The Great Escape, NXNE, etc.), one could definitely say he’s off to a good start.
For your listening pleasure, here’s a great track “So Much For Everyone” - my personal favourite - off of Dan’s album Postcards and Daydreaming:
Hot Toddy is a hot act from the east coast. Comprised of Thom Swift, acoustic guitar, dobro, vocals; Joel Leblanc, lead guitar, harmonica, vocals and Tom Easley acoustic bass and vocals, this award winning Fredericton based trio is truly one of a kind. Continue reading ‘Hot Toddy’
