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.

Upcoming shows:
18 Sep 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
10 Oct 2008 20:00 Aufsturz Berlin
13 Oct 2008 20:00 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival Nancy
14 Oct 2008 21:00 Le Sirius Lyon
16 Oct 2008 20:00 Mistral Palace Valence
17 Oct 2008 20:00 De Nieuwe Anita Amsterdam
19 Oct 2008 15:00 DB’s Utrecht
28 Oct 2008 20:00 West Germany Berlin
31 Oct 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Halloween Party Peterborough, Ontario
1 Nov 2008 21:00 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
11 Nov 2008 20:00 Gus’ Pub Halifax, Nova Scotia
12 Nov 2008 20:00 Struts Sackville, New Brunswick
13 Nov 2008 21:00 Baba’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward
15 Nov 2008 21:00 Grumpy’s Montreal, Quebec
5 Dec 2008 20:00 The Montreal House – Goodbye Show! Peterborough, Ontario

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.

(and if you want a good laugh, check out these boys doing an impromptu cover of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’)

Upcoming shows:
31 Jul 2008 21:00 Ampersand Charlottetown, Prince Edward
2 Aug 2008 20:00 Sappyfest Sackville, New Brunswick
15 Aug 2008 21:00 Rancho Relaxo Toronto, Ontario
21 Aug 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
25 Aug 2008 21:00 Solo at Bread & Circus Toronto, Ontario
27 Aug 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
28 Aug 2008 21:00 Times Change(d) Winnipeg, Manitoba
1 Sep 2008 21:00 The Club (at The Exchange) Regina, Saskatchewan
2 Sep 2008 21:00 Ottoman Lounge Medicine Hat, Alberta
3 Sep 2008 21:00 The Slice Lethbridge, Alberta
4 Sep 2008 20:00 Tubby Dog Calgary, Alberta
5 Sep 2008 21:00 Little Mountain Studio Vancouver, British Columbia
6 Sep 2008 21:00 Hermann’s Victoria, British Columbia
9 Sep 2008 21:00 Deux Soleils Vancouver, British Columbia
10 Sep 2008 19:00 Meow Records Prince George, British Columbia
11 Sep 2008 21:00 Likwid Lounge Edmonton, Alberta
12 Sep 2008 21:00 Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
14 Sep 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
16 Sep 2008 21:00 Solo at The Spill with Al Tuck and Black Molly Peterborough, Ontario
18 Sep 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
10 Oct 2008 20:00 Aufsturz Berlin
13 Oct 2008 20:00 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival Nancy
14 Oct 2008 21:00 Le Sirius Lyon
16 Oct 2008 20:00 Mistral Palace Valence
17 Oct 2008 20:00 De Nieuwe Anita Amsterdam
19 Oct 2008 15:00 DB’s Utrecht
28 Oct 2008 20:00 West Germany Berlin
31 Oct 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Halloween Party Peterborough, Ontario
1 Nov 2008 21:00 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
11 Nov 2008 20:00 Gus’ Pub Halifax, Nova Scotia
12 Nov 2008 20:00 Struts Sackville, New Brunswick
13 Nov 2008 21:00 Baba’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward
15 Nov 2008 21:00 Grumpy’s Montreal, Quebec

Mardeen brings together the very best of the genre with distinctive pop hooks all their own. Think of the bright shimmering guitar of Built To Spill and Teenage Fanclub accented with the swirling distortion of My Bloody Valentine. Imagine the anthemic vocal delivery of Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices) or early Michael Stipe (REM) mixed with the sweet high harmonies of Rivers Cuomo (Weezer).

Mardeen’s upcoming debut album Read Less Minds and 2005’s critically acclaimed Friends Don’t Love EP were recorded by Halifax indie rock veteran Charles Austin (The Super Friendz, Buck 65). “They have a great melodic sense going for them,” Austin says, “that harkens back to the hookiest moments of Teenage Fanclub, or dare I say it, The Beatles or Zombies, coupled with ferocious guitars that owe as much to The Ramones as they do the current crop of jingle janglers!”

Music as expertly crafted and as confidently performed as this doesn’t just happen. It requires a solid foundation, a dedicated and shared vision. “It’s all in how deep the rock goes,” sings Travis Ellis in “Can You Feel It” from Read Less Minds. In the capable hands of these musicians, the rock is sourced from deep within that foundation, each song a polished gemstone.

“Matthew, Jon and I have been playing music together since we were 12,” explains Travis. The three grew up in the small community of Whycocomagh in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. “We are first cousins. The three of us write and record all of the songs.”

The song’s chorus asks two questions all music fans should ask themselves when assessing new songs: Can you feel it in your mind? Can you feel it in your body? In the case of Mardeen, the answer to both is a resounding yes.

1 Aug 2008 20:00 The Capital Fredericton, New Brunswick
3 Aug 2008 14:00 SAPPYFEST Sackville, New Brunswick

Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, and noted musicians like John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats) hailed her 2005 album, Paper Anniversary, and Fellows’ song cycle/score for The Spinster’s Almanac was nominated for a 2007 Dora Mavor Moore Award.

She is currently dividing her time between her work as composer-in-residence at Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (2007-08), building a pigeon coop, and touring in support of Nevertheless.

Upcoming shows:
3 Aug 2008 20:00 Sappyfest with Leanne Zacharias

Adam & The Amethysts – Bumble Bee

Adam & The Amethysts – He Passed Away

Adam & The Amethysts – Sonic Youth Centre

Adam & The Amethysts – Stupid Ocean

Adam & The Amethysts – The Return

In between performing with groups Miracle Fortress and Telefauna, Amethyst Amulet was handcrafted with the tools Adam Waito had available in his Montreal apartment. In the spirit of long-lost concept albums of the past, Amethyst Amulet tells a story through unified musical and lyrical themes, yet remains, essentially, a collection of good pop songs about love and small-town remembrance, earnestly but playfully composed and humbly realized at home in the big city.

Live, Waito is joined by drummer Nathan Ward and guitarist Jessie Stein, both from Miracle Fortress, as well as long-time collaborator, pianist Katherine Peacock of Telefauna. With sweet vocal harmonies, rock guitars, fluttering keys, and creative percussive arrangements, Adam & the Amethysts perform compelling live renditions of the songs of Amethyst Amulet that sparkle and thump.

Not unlike a large percentage of active musicians in every big city, Waito grew up in a small town. Waito’s supernatural lo-fi opus, Amethyst Amulet, is unified by an overarching focus on the remote Northern Ontario town of Thunder Bay where he grew up (one of the rare locations to mine amethyst in Canada). In its 13 tracks that traverse a great deal of sonic and musical territory–from tender Neil Youngian balladry, to reverb-drenched ’60s pop, to fuzzy ’90s-nostalgic indie rock–the listener can trace a narrative about revisiting the people, places, and events of the small towns that shape the identities of many urbanites, that we wear and carry with us to work, to school, and on tour with rock bands.

12 Jul 2008 21:00 CD LAUNCH @ Casa Del Popolo w/ Tune Yards, Mussaver Montreal, Quebec
25 Jul 2008 20:00 Babylon w/ Think About Life, Miracle Fortress Ottawa, Ontario
26 Jul 2008 20:00 Sneaky Dee’s w/ Think About Life, Miracle Fortress Toronto, Ontario
31 Jul 2008 20:00 Le Cercle w/ Think About Life, Miracle Fortress Quebec City, Quebec
03 Aug 2008 20:00 Sappyfest w/ Eric’s Trip, Miracle Fortress, Luyas Sackville, New Brunswick