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!
Brian Borcherdt (of Holy Fuck) is touring with Martha Wainwright to promote his new solo release ‘Coyotes’, released on October 7th thru Toronto-based label Hand Drawn Dracula.
Brian began playing music in rural Nova Scotia where he founded Canada’s first not-for-profit collaborative label, Dependent. After having left Novia Scotia and worked in film, he decided to go back to music, his true passion. After a few years with Canadian indie pioneers By Divine Right, Brian continued touring, playing with Holy Fuck and working on his solo career. Take the time to relax and be mellow with Brian Borcherdt at any of the below shows:
Nov 28 The Commodore Vancouver w/ Martha Wainwright Nov 30 Grand Theatre Calgary w/ Martha Wainwright Dec 01 Myer Horowitz Theatre Edmonton w/ Martha Wainwright Dec 02 Broadway Theatre Saskatoon w/ Martha Wainwright Dec 03 Pyramid Cabaret Winnipeg w/ Martha Wainwright Dec 05 Gig Theatre Kitchener w/ Martha Wainwright Dec 06 Danforth Music Hall Toronto w/ Martha Wainwright
Bringin’ It Back: The latest video from God Made Me Funky’s latest album ‘Enter The Beat’ Available iTunes and CD.
These guys were a BLAST to hang out with at NXNE back in June — a total blast. I caught their show at Sunshine Records on Yonge and then followed up the show with burritos and story time down the street. All around great people and fantastic musicians! Sadly all of my hilarious video footage from that day’s been lost. I’ll sum it up for you: It started with awesome, awesome music and ended with a talking burrito and Coke coming out of my nose. Got the picture?
Now, these guys have a small request from us (you and me and all of you who love awesome music, that is): The latest GMMF single, ‘Too Shy’, has just been released to radio nation wide. Go, request the single (please?). Call into your college station mix shows and ask them for some God Made Me Funky! Shout it from the roof tops, etc. Give these guys some love!
(Wanna see another super cool video from GMMF? Check this out! I have this song in my head for days at a time.)
Wintermitts are Lise Monique, David Thomas Manzl, Shane McMillan, Swann Barrat and Trevor Dunnett, a force of unique musical talent you cannot help but love. Wintermitts have a bilingual set list and a full length album “Cascadia Fault”. The recording took place in the wet Vancouver Winter of 06/07. They recorded all the music on this lovely little compact disc huddled in the dry warmth of Shane’s living room, the Lise Monique Manor, the Sullivan family basement and producer Christian Chaumont’s bedroom.
There was a time when music was a craft performed by artisans who rode the rails and played from the heart. A time when music was central to communities, bringing people together and inspiring change. If you have ever longed to go back to such a time, then Revival Dear will ride straight into your heart.
Revival Dear has found a way to pay homage to the past and herald in the future at the same time. Imagine a marriage between classic rock legends The Band and Fleetwood Mac, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of their sound. Yet Revival Dear’s music is fresh, totally alive, and very relevant in today’s music scene.
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.
From somewhere beneath the swelling strings and synths, the angular guitars and pulsating beats, cleaves the voice of Jamie Fooks of Jane Vain & the Dark Matter. In early 2003, Fooks started writing songs by her self in her basement apartment, to deal with the remaining demons of a reckless adolescence. Somewhat deterred by an open mic night that ended in tears, Fooks was encouraged to continue performing by the support of friends, and the interest of current guitar player Dillon Whitfield (of Raccoon). With the addition of Whitfield’s haphazard guitar playing, the foundation of Jane Vain & the Dark Matter was laid.
The duo played a string of shows, accompanied by only drums beats and bass, programmed by Fooks. These shows attracted attention from fans, promoters and other musicians.
Now, accompanied live by a rhythm section, (Shawn Dicey of Ox on drums, Markus Lake of The Incandescence on bass) Jane Vain & the Dark Matter have released their first full length, Love Is Where The Smoke Is, on Edmonton’s Rectangle Records, and are embarking on another national tour in support of their record. The record features contributions by local musicians Mark Hamilton, Foon Yap, and Annalea Sordi of Woodpigeon, Jesse Locke of SIDS, and Matt Flegel of The Cape May. Inherent in the music is a kinetic energy, as if Jane Vain & the Dark Matter are aiming for anxious chaos, but achieving a careful clarity.
Dragon Fli Empire is on the rise. The Calgary based duo, comprised of Cosm (DJ, producer) and Teekay (emcee, producer) have quickly become one of the city’s more popular groups, gaining respect from a wide variety of music lovers for their upbeat, melodic and positive sound.
It all started in May 2002. What was originally supposed to be a side-project for both of the Dragon Fli Empire members grew into something bigger than ever dreamed, largely due to the popularity of the track “Mount Pleasant” (which has become a Calgary anthem). The crew enjoys heavy rotation on campus radio across Canada and have also appeared on CBC (Radio, ZeD and The National), plus MuchMusic’s Going Coastal. The group has performed across Canada and parts of the United States, and have shared the stage with many top acts, including De La Soul, Mos Def, Pete Rock, Del the Funky Homosapien, and The Beatnuts.
Haven’t heard of Jon McKiel yet? Perhaps its because he’s spent the last year hauled up in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in a dim lit house, armed with a guitar and a cigarette, writing beautifully affecting indie-pop songs. Joined by his bandmates Josh Kogon (bass), Cory LeBlanc (drums), Mike D’Eon (guitar) and Colin Crowell (synth and trumpet), Jon improves on the tradition of fellow Canadian bands like The Stills and Great Lake Swimmers by combining deep pop sensibilities with rich descriptive lyrics and haunting melodies. On songs like “Poor Heart” and “Get Caught,” Jon McKiel delivers the genuineness that has attracted many to fellow singer/songwriters like Andrew Bird, Stephen Malkmus, and Ryan Adams.
Marie-Josée Houle was born in Val d‘Or, Quebec and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and celebrates her dual cultural roots through music. She sings and writes fluently in both English and French, she brings the Townships to the Prairies and beyond. This lady scores major points with me personally for having been classically trained on the accordion at age five. But, like yours truly, her musical history is as varied as her hair colour. In 2000, she took up the electric bass and saxophone in order to form two very eclectic projects in Edmonton: “Pangina”, an all-girl punk band and “The Elevators”, a post-modern muzak band. Her reconnection with the accordion coincided with a move to Ottawa in 2003 and culminated in the world music collaboration known as “Casadore.” The success of that project – including a performance at the 2005 Ottawa Folk Music Festival – served as a springboard for her solo work. Continue reading ‘Marie-Josée Houle in profile: Yes, accordion can be sexy’
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:
