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Music

Onward, Voyageur

I spent five days in Vancouver in July 2010, and picked up a handful of records, this is one of the many. “Quicksand filled heart” are the opening lyrics to Onward, Voyageur’s self-titled debut record. If that was all I based the record on, I surely wouldn’t have bought it, but the fun pop music with a slight tinge of country makes it worthwhile. If they were a Toronto band, I’m certain they would be playing Rancho Relaxo monthly. They remind me somewhat of what The Cheap Speakers would be if they were fronted by a woman and with a bit less punch. Maybe it’s that Christine Choquette has a… Read More »Onward, Voyageur

Every Day And All At Once

I spent five days in Vancouver in July 2010, and picked up a handful of records, this is one of the many. Jasper Sloan Yip’s debut record1 Every Day And All At Once is is foray into sugar-laced pop folk music. It starts off with the bouncy and fun “Kiddo” which sets a perfect tone for the entire record. With a nice mix of guitar and banjo, ukulele and violin, drums, bass and keyboard, Yip’s creates a nice playful sound that where all the instruments balance off one another without overpowering the others. Yip’s style reminds me of a gentle Elvis Costello, and perhaps for a local Toronto appeal, a bit… Read More »Every Day And All At Once

Jasper Sloan Yip

I spent most of today wandering around Vancouver with my sister, or my sister-in-law, maybe my ex-sister-in-law, my Kelly. We had fun, as it had been a long time since I last saw her. We visited Gas Town, China Town1, Red Cat Records, was joined by Bryan2 for nachos3, and then finally we headed over to Granville Island4 to see a handful of bands, mostly Jasper Sloan Yip. It was about a month or so ago when I first heard of Mr. Yip’s songs. I really liked the two or three I had come across and wanted to hear more. The next day at work, one of my coworkers asked… Read More »Jasper Sloan Yip

Ben Gunning (with Matt Murphy)

A long time ago, in the mythical 1990s, there were a couple bands who took my heart by storm. The Flashing Lights and The Local Rabbits. The two bands would frequently play shows together around Toronto. Sunday night the frontmen from those two bands played two sets at The Drake Hotel to kick off Ben Gunning’s residency. Matt Murphy started off the night, he who was formerly in The Flashing Lights, was playing along with his acoustic guitar, and though I’ve seen this man perform countless times and in many different genres and band setups, I had never before seem him performing alone, with a guitar. Murphy started off the… Read More »Ben Gunning (with Matt Murphy)