ALT-ROCK HEROES MOVE BEYOND NOSTALGIA

The Pixies are, for the first time in 23 years, making additions to their musical catalogue. “After 20 years, who gives a fuck?” guitarist and founding member Joey Santiago dismisses. “Like, after -10 degrees, now you’re just splitting hairs. Fucking cold is fucking cold.” Yet within the past six months they’ve independently released two albums, two music videos and announced a worldwide tour. “It had to happen organically,” Santiago says of their new sound. “This was the just the compound of that organic process.”

Despite being one of the most influential acts in alternative rock history, the Pixies wrote and released their most coveted material by 1991. With a roster of well-known singles from their major label debut, Doolittle, the Pixies changed the definition of radio-friendly rock. Since then, the various members of the Pixies have kept prolific, supporting each other’s records. Santiago has been a consistent member on singer/songwriter Frank Black’s albums, while also forming “The Everybody” with Pixie’s drummer, David Lovering.

But eventually, the Pixies had to create something new. “People were just begging for a new album and after a while we just went ‘uncle,’” Santiago says about the Pixie’s newest releases. EP1 and EP2 are stark departures from the past, increasing the band’s sonic template from their last record, 1991′s Trompe Le Monde.

“We’re a band now, we obviously have all been getting along for the last 10 years. We wouldn’t have done it three years ago, because people were still in a nostalgic mood and we weren’t even thinking about it,” explains Santiago.

Santiago stars as the only Pixies member in EP2′s newest music video for “What Goes Boom,” a sparse recording of a Mars-like environment the culminates in an explosive finale. “I think that riff might have been around for a year,” Santiago says of the song. “It sounds different, but at the same time it still sounds like the Pixies, right?” The heavy metal riff takes a noticeable departure from anything you’ve heard before, but the band revels in its own creativity. “We go in to a studio to explore new avenues,” Santiago states, integral to the Pixies mantra for the entirety of their career. “Movies do sequels, we wouldn’t make Doolittle 2… unless we made a movie about Doolittle.”

Another good reason to attend this tour, Santiago’s origin in the Philippines becomes incredibly relevant in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the nation last year. “I do have family there,” he says with some sense of relief, “but fortunately they were out of harm’s way from that terrible storm.” In response, the Pixies have been collecting donations on their most recent tours. “We donate from every show, we’ve been asking people on the guest list to donate, it’s been a steady stream of funds and support coming from us,” explains Santiago. “But we couldn’t care less about politics, there’s enough bands that do that.”

Fans of the Pixies’ more-established material will have no cause for fear, despite possibly regretting their absence from their Doolittle tour. “We cater to the fans. We’ve given them all new material in one sitting before, but we prefer not to do that,” Santiago quips about their set list strategy. “And to be fair, even back then, when we released Doolittle, Bossa Nova, Trompe Le Monde, we didn’t release all new songs. We just didn’t.” Despite missing their long-time bassist Kim Deal, that should be enough to comfort even their most skittish fans. Just expect to leave with something new.

Pixies perform at the Orpheum on Feb. 17, 2014.

By Mathieu Youdan

A LIFE WORTH LIVING, ONE LITTLE TRIP AT A TIME

If ever you need an example of hard work coming to fruition, feel free to use Chron Goblin’s example. The band has already clinched some serious life achievements and their trajectory grows ever steeper. Last year’s Life for the Living quickly made it to a number of prestigious Best of 2013 lists, both locally and abroad. The connections they made while playing at the U.K.’s DesertFest are opening doors for them all around the world and Chron Goblin’s hometown fanbase gets bigger every day. So, to celebrate half a decade of tasty licks and tattered vocal cords, the Chrons are playing a show at The Gateway with Black Mastiff and We Hunt Buffalo. That’s not happening until the 22nd of February, though, so Josh Sandulak (vocals), Devin “Darty” Purdy (guitars), Richard Hepp (bass) and Brett Whittingham (drums) still have plenty of time to reflect on where they’ve been and where they’re going.

Chron Goblin formed rather naturally. The members had been partying together for a while in a University of Calgary residence and a mutual love of heavy music eventually brought Sandulak and Purdy to Whittingham’s basement in early 2009. The trio convinced Hepp to play bass for the band during preparations to record their self-titled EP and the lineup stuck. The band’s busy live schedule over the following years helped to cement their local reputation and, in 2011, they finally met with Casey Lewis at Echo Base to record One Million from the Top. The album garnered extensive praise and gave them something tangible to offer when they were networking with other bands and promoters, a task that all four members take seriously.

A bulky slice of Chron Goblin’s widespread appeal has come about as a direct consequence of their incessant quest to meet cool people and keep in touch. They won their coveted slot at DesertFest 2013 partly because of their perseverance and enthusiasm – they had a full-length record and a new music video that put them miles ahead of many of the applicants – but they were the first Canadian band to play at DesertFest and they would not likely have been considered had they not attended the festival in 2012 and gotten their name out to the organizers. Thankfully, their labour paid off and they earned a prominent fan base overseas; according to Whittingham, their fans in the U.K. haven’t forgotten about Chron Goblin and many fans across the pond are eager to show their support.

Chron Goblin didn’t waste any time after getting home. Within weeks, they were back in the studio laying down tracks for their popular sophomore full-length, Life for the Living. That record has propelled them into the upper echelons of Calgary music, earning praise from many of our local critics and playtime from many of our best DJs. Once again, they chose to work with Lewis at Echo Base and found that his expertise combined nicely with their newfound confidence. According to Sandulak, “It’s really neat that Casey recorded our first effort and got to see who we were as a band. Now, he’s got a better idea of our sound and was able to reflect on what he did with us.” Life for the Living feels more polished than their earlier work, but they didn’t lose their experimental spirit. The band incorporated everything they had learned from their live shows and previous studio sessions, experiences that Hepp feels to have directly influenced the album’s diversity and intensity. “The songs were a bit more concise. We didn’t really set out to write a heavy record […] but Casey looked at us at one point and said, ‘You know that you’ve made a heavy metal record, right?’”

Because the band has remained independent despite their success, most of Living’s promotional work fell squarely on the shoulders of Purdy, who worked around the clock to make sure that people had a chance to hear the new record. And despite the massive amount of work involved, the four members still feel fortunate to be where they are today: when asked about it, he humbly muses, “I think a lot of that legwork that we did in the fall has come back fortuitously for us.”

In addition to its local popularity, Life for the Living was honoured on Orange Goblin’s “Best Records of 2013” list and was applauded by many of the other bands that played at DesertFest. According to Whittingham, “We’re happy just getting the respect of our peers. Anything else is icing on the cake. But then we get this recognition and start to realize how much work there is left to do.”

Since DesertFest, Purdy has started to view their success as something of an addiction. “It just continues to motivate us. Like, every little win we get, we just say, ‘What’s next? What’s the next rung on the ladder?’” The band hasn’t let any of their hard work go to waste and have set their goals for 2014 even higher than before. Their first objective, unsurprisingly, is to play DesertFest again. But now that their name is out on the festival circuit, doors are opening around the world. The band is in the early stages of planning a West Coast tour and has received preliminary acceptance for a prestigious festival in Portland, Oregon (but are at this time contractually forbidden to disclose any more information). Purdy finds the process of making these global connections rather humorous, revealing how “this is coming about because of a girl from Portland that we met at DesertFest, who originally heard of us because a guy from Calgary posted something on Instagram.”

The band also hopes to record with indie rock stalwart Lorrie Matheson, a chance granted to them by your friends at CJSW. Ever vigilant not to miss an opportunity, Hepp summarizes the band’s mantra thusly: “When one door opens way over there, you just have to pursue it to make it happen.”

Chron Goblin’s first five years were filled with enjoyable toil and some crazy highs, but don’t tune out just yet. The world hasn’t even caught a glimpse of how high these guys can get.

Chron Goblin is ringing in their fifth year on February 22, playing with Black Mastiff and We Hunt Buffalo at The Gateway.

By John Julius
Photos: Josh Sandulak (top), Trevor Hatter (middle)

THE LEGENDARY MUSICIAN AND HIS EXTENSIVE CASSETTE CLUB

R. Stevie Moore is easily one of the world’s most prolific underground musicians alive today. Over 44 years, Moore has self-released dozens of videos, and his discography has its own Wikipedia page with over 200 albums of every genre. From post-punk to hard rock, power pop to electronica, Moore has tried to perform it.

“I’m the perfect kind of guy, with the perfect kind of music for curiosity seekers looking for something outside of the mainstream,” Moore says of his career, “and I’ve been doing it for so long.” His fans once had to mail Moore a letter to receive cassettes, akin to a “record of the month” club, but with a single prolific musician behind its entire catalogue. It was never like subscribing to a single sound though, “my music is like a radio show, it’s just all over the place,” he states proudly.

Moore’s influences exceed his notoriety, with current musicians including Ariel Pink, Jad Fair, Mike Watt and Yukio Yung citing him as a major influence. Pink’s notable collaboration with Moore, Ku Klux Glam, was officially released in 2012. “He was just a home-recording artist too, just playing in the Los Angeles area,” Moore says about working with the modern experimental magnate. “But then he too got a band together and started touring the world, and dropping my name constantly. We’re long-time friends, he used to send me tapes back in 2000.”

A result of exchanging letters with Pink for the better part of a decade, Ku Klux Glam became a turning point in Moore’s career. Leading to invitations for Moore to perform around the world. “My favourite gigs to play are festivals actually, which are so big these days,” he says, undaunted by the prospect of leaving home. “You never know though. Last year we played in Mexico City and Moscow, Russia. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Yet even with an extensive back catalogue, Moore faces similar hardships as younger musicians playing their first tours. “It’s just a long continual struggle and we’re pushing hard. But finally I’m becoming a reference part,” laments Moore. “On tour, one night will be great, but the next night will be totally in the wrong place to play and no one will show up. But that’s just part of playing, you’ve got to put up with it.”

Joining him on this tour are his long-time fans, guitarist JR Thomason, keyboardist TV Coahran, and drummer Reed Stewart. “Some college students, friends of Thomason’s, wanted to put together a documentary on me,” Moore says of his origins, “but then I got back to Nashville and I wasn’t sure what my future was like. Then Thomason calls me and says, ‘How would you like to go back on tour?’ We got together, did a bunch of my songs, and we haven’t looked back.” In this way, Moore’s performances became a fan-led tribute.

Expect R. Stevie Moore’s performances to be the hardest you’ve ever seen a 62-year-old rock out onstage. “I’m shredding my voice, and I’m having fun doing that,” Moore says. “These days I’m pretty much just in a hard rock band.” You might be a bit confused when comparing it to the records you get a chance to hear, but Moore’s made having fun with fans his top priority. “If I had more time and more planning, I’d love to have a little circus,” Moore laments. “But right now I’m up there shaking my booty and playing screaming rock, and I’m having a lot of fun doing that.”

R. Stevie Moore plays the Electric Owl on February 18^th.

By Mathieu Youdan

DANCING IN THE DARK

Since 2012, Actors have released a handful of dark synth pop singles inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode and other notable figures of the ‘80s new wave era. In a brief but fruitful phone interview, lead songwriter/bandleader Jason Corbett discussed Actors return to the stage, releasing new singles, a new music video and his various other projects in music production.

For Corbett, Actors was “a personal reinvention,” which allowed him to return how he wanted to express himself as an artist. Additionally, writing in the new wave style allowed Corbett to approach music beyond the traditional rock set-up of guitar, bass and drums. He observes that “as soon as I put in more synthesizers, the guitars became more of an accent…not just guitars banging away the whole time which to me started to sound kind of redundant or old fashioned for some reason…It was time to switch it up.”

In a similar fashion, releasing singles exclusively has been a deliberate choice for the Actors project. The upcoming singles “Like U Want 2” and “How Deep is the Hole” will build upon Corbett’s penchant for switching between poppier and darker tracks. “I want to keep it diversified and express the types of music that inspire me, stuff I would want to hear. So it’s always changing and evolving,” he says.

This month, Actors will be performing at a release show for one of their new singles and hope to debut a new music video the same night. After a transitional period over the last year, Corbett is excited to playing live again and to continue collaborating with other artists through his studio work. For Corbett, “It’s really about just building community for me with Actors and getting to express myself onstage too.” With an impressive line-up of backing musicians including members of Girlfriends and Boyfriends, Blank Cinema, Primary, and Gang Signs, Corbett’s Actors seek to draw an ever-increasing audience into their danceable-if-dour synth pop netherworld.

Actors headline The Cobalt Feb. 21. 

By James Olson

DANCE SCHOOL IS IN SESSION

After a 38-year stand as artistic director, Sylvia Waters has stepped down from the helm of Ailey II, making Troy Powell the second artistic director of the school in 40 years. Ailey II, founded in 1974, is a sister company to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey II began as an outreach program offering workshops and mini-performances to inner-city kids. As a premature program, Ailey II has grown to become a paramount company, raising 12 of the finest students hand-selected each year from the Alvin Ailey School. Over the span of two years, the company studies Alvin Ailey’s “traditional” work to enhance performance and main stage presence. Ailey II continues to write history as a transitional company to train the best dancers for the professional world, from Dallas Black to Broadway.

The 2014 Ailey II production will introduce four well-rounded ballets, touching on classic, abstract and modern contemporary, with hints of jazz, African and hip hop, using movement and storytelling. In recent years and with the helping hand of Powell’s “fresh new vision,” Ailey II has begun featuring personal envisions of the choreographer and allowing the dancers to bring who they are to the stage. The company’s latest work hopes to change the perspective of audiences who don’t really know what to expect, so everyone can relate to the stories shared.

With the ever-evolving nature of dance, Powell upholds Mr. Ailey humanistic vision with honour and works true to its name with this year’s company masterpiece: one of Ailey’s 79 preserved pieces (a traditional revelation) rooted in gospel, blues and spirituality. Ailey’s strongest work was created between the ‘60s and the ‘80s and Powell believes that even today’s modern minds can narrate early primal dance expressions.

This year’s international tour kicks off in Neuss, Germany, on January 30, and they will travel through 17 cities with 18 ballets in their repertoire. In Calgary and Edmonton, Ailey II will be presented to you by the Alberta Ballet, with one solid program consisting of four different pieces over six days. Experience some of New York’s youngest dance legends live of stage at the Jubilee Auditorium from February 20-22.

Ailey II will take place from February 14-15 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (Edmonton) and on February 20-22 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (Calgary).

By Callie Modeland
Photos: Eduardo Patino

RETRO-FUTURIST POWER-GOTHS MAKE THEIR STATEMENT

Teledrome has a sound that is well known and beloved to most Calgarians in the music scene. Now, after much anticipation, Teledrome is set to release their debut LP this month via Mammoth Cave Records. The enticing mixture that combines the styles of new wave punk, goth and electronic sounds is beautifully mastered by Ryan Sadler, the band’s leader. “I like to call it power-goth,” Sadler says, coining a term fitting to the new self-titled album.

Sadler does the writing and recording for Teledrome, and members of the band are an extension of his vision. The style is unconventional, but it works perfectly for the futuristic and emotional delivery of the synth heavy production. Sadler’s originality allows audiences to have an experience that is unforgettable, whether you’re watching the entire band live, or you’re listening to the album in a less inspiring atmosphere. The music tells a story from another time, forcing listeners to experience something that is original and moving.

When asked about being a bit of a black sheep, Sadler comments, “It’s fun to do something different and see how people react to it.” Teledrome have a sound and style that is hard to pin down in one or two words — it’s something that you have to hear to understand, a mix between the Spits and Gary Newman, as Mammoth Cave founder, Paul Lawton, put it.

The new Teledrome LP is currently available for pre-order through the Mammoth Cave website and will be available in stores by mid-February. When asked about the process that Sadler took to writing the album, he comments that it was a lengthy one, but at least he acknowledges, with brash honesty, that there was some procrastination involved. “It took a long time to record, but it was worth it. When I was writing this stuff —almost two years ago — it would always start with a beat. Music always comes first, that’s what inspires the lyrics.” The dark and moody lyrics written by Sadler come organically from the creation of the music. While listening to the album, you can hear the patience and consistency that Sadler employed in writing both the lyrics and the music.

I also had the pleasure of talking to Evan Van Reekum, the guitarist in the live band for Teledrome. “I’ve always looked up to Ryan and respected his abilities in song writing and recording. I’m honestly pretty honoured to be a part of Teledrome.” Reekum, a talented musician best known for his work in Fist City, speaks passionately about the time that he has spent with Teledrome so far. It’s a project that Reekum is very excited about, commenting that working with the band is a dream. When asked about having a different sound than most other Calgary bands, he replies, “You know, it’s not so much about what genre of music you make, it’s about the sincerity people hear.” The sincerity in Teledrome’s sound is apparent from the first notes. These artists play for themselves and hope that an audience will react.

“You just have to be willing to work hard and do your own thing.” Both Van Reekum and Sadler agree that this is paramount when reflecting on their experiences in music. The group has made waves on the Calgary scene and beyond by working hard and being consistent.

Teledrome has made musical experiences for its audiences and the talent of Sadler has led to the creation of an exciting and emotive album that is a must-need for any eccentric collection.

Teledrome’s self-titled LP is currently available for pre-order online at Mammoth Cave Records and will be available in stores Feb. 18. 

By Brittany Lahure

BLOG SETS UP SALES NETWORK OF, FOR AND BY LIKE-MINDED ARTISTS

Weird Canada has been inexhaustible in their quest to give emerging Canadian artists a voice and foster a supportive community for all the music that the CBC wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot flagpole. There’s a reason they’ve won a place in our hearts and it’s that they’re just really good at what they do: curating art. So, it’s no surprise that, when Weird found itself with a bit of excess of cash following a nice grant funding grab, they decided to take their curatorial skills to the next level and help get more weird music out there in a bigger and much more physical way. They opened the Wyrd Distro, an online (for now) record distribution initiative.

“The Wyrd Distro emerged in response to a long-standing problem: Canadian music fans have no reliable, consistent, secure way to purchase music from emerging and/or experimental Canadian musicians,” says Marie LeBlanc Flannagan, executive director of Weird Canada.

Though it may seem a bit out of left field that a blog is getting into the music distribution business – even for an organization as unpredictable as Weird Canada – LeBlanc Flannagan believes it’s actually not that big of a jump when you really think about it.

“As one of the few blogs focusing on exclusively physical, emerging and experimental Canadian content, we were always on the front lines of this problem,” she says. “People would email us frequently, trying to find a way to purchase the music they read about on the site, or asking for our help in locating albums they had purchased but not received.”

The concept is incredibly simple on paper: help bands sell their music. Thankfully, it’s also shaping up to be pretty straightforward in practice, too.

“To sell music through the Wyrd Distro, we made it as simple and transparent as possible: when an artist or label reaches out to us, we apply our curation priorities to the artist/album and decide if it’s a good fit. If it’s a good fit, the artist sends us the albums and dictates the amount they would like to sell them for,” she explains.

“We have volunteers that are excited to build relationships with record stores across Canada. So, we’ll be creating this massive network of volunteer-driven distribution and DIY-experimental music floating along the tracks.”

As for what kind of stuff they’re looking for, well there are no real hard and fast rules. Because Weird Canada is known for their discerning taste, they’ve set no guidelines for who can send them music. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to get accepted, that just means you can give it a shot. When it comes down to it, they need records that fit the aesthetic, or they’re simply going to sit on the shelf for a few years until someone makes them into fashionable ashtrays. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to be jerks about it.

“We’re likely to redirect people who don’t meet our general community aesthetic(s) to more appropriate (and excellent) services, like CD Baby. We aren’t doing anyone a favour by collecting music that won’t sell to our community.”

To kick off this wonderfully weird initiative, Weird Canada is hosting launch parties in every province and territory throughout Canada on February 15, tying them all together via Google Hangouts. Look forward to a bunch of great live music, some Q&A, the chance to digitally hang out with LeBlanc Flannagan and co-conspirator Aaron Levin, and a sweet Wyrd Distro mixtape.

“Also, we’ll have a distro dropbox where people who have already met our curation guidelines (have been written about on Weird Canada) can drop off up to five copies of their latest album to sell in the store,” says LeBlanc Flannagan.

So hey, you in the up-and-coming avant-neo-bossa-nova-core band! You’d better get a head start on pressing those flexi disc demos!

Wyrd Distro will launch on February 15 across Canada at the following locations in Alberta: Listen Records (Edmonton) and Sloth Records (Calgary).

By Nick Laugher

VISITING AWKWARD TROPES IN EROTIC FICTION

There are a lot of decidedly confusing things about romance novels. For one, the astonishingly large subgenre of “inspirational romance,” geared towards religious readers and frequently (very, very frequently) involving a widower who needs a new baby-mama. See also: sheikhs, vampires, centaurs, NASCAR, and, as previously referenced, dinosaurs for other peculiar romance and erotica preoccupations. Still, one classic figure in this “literary” field that nobody would ever dare to question is that of the historical romance Highlander. Strong, rugged, masculine, and equipped with a dazzling Scottish brogue, he is possibly the most beloved archetype in the genre. However, as one 16-year-old shelver at the local library was quick to point out with nose thoroughly wrinkled, “think about how AWFUL they would have smelled.” Touché, pal. With this quick and thorough debunking of a “sexy” staple, I couldn’t help but look at all of the other theoretically arousing classics that generally bomb in practice. For example…

• Ahh, fun with food. We’ve all been exposed to the Human Sundae thanks to 17-A rated movies about teenagers and hijinks, most notably Ali Larter in a whipped-cream bikini. Be aware, using food for foreplay is a grade-A, bad fucking idea. It’s sticky and it’s gross, and you’ll end up smelling like sweat and chocolate sauce and warm milk. It will be disappointing and when you try and salvage the situation by suggesting a steamy shower, you will remember…

• Team showers are sort of the worst. In a standard, single shower-head setup, you spend the majority of the time awkwardly shuffling under the water in futile hopes that neither one of you will freeze to death. Additionally, all but the most resilient of lubricants are immediately annihilated by the water and so you can’t even have sex without risk of tearing delicate tissues. Oral? Try it. You’re liable to drown.

• I’m just going to come out and say this — 69ing is dumb. Unless you are by some miraculous coincidence of compatible proportions with your partner, you end up spending a great deal of time attempting to maneuver genital A to orifice B. Once you have achieved this feat of engineering, you realize that it is exceptionally difficult to deliver a decent performance when you’re also trying to focus on that mouth that feels very nice on your junk. Nobody wins. I have to believe that people only pretend to like this position. I just have to.

• Roleplaying can be super hot, if done correctly. The problem is that it pretty much never, ever is. It requires an equal level of commitment on the part of both performers. If one of you is all, “Ooh, teacher, I need to pass this test,” and the other starts anxiously preparing for Chris Hansen to stroll out of the closet, you’re going to have a bad time. I’m not saying it can’t work, just that it probably won’t. It’s the same reason sexting is often terrible. One person is all tenderly trailing fingers while the other just wants to talk about the places on your body he could shower his semen.

• And now, the mother of all sexy things that are not sexy. Car sex. Steamed-up windows, quaint fumbling at buttons and zippers in the back seat… it’s a lie. Think gearshift up the ass, muscle cramps, limited range of motion, and a hot, wet little box of bad smells. Next, a cop is knocking on your window and you’re suddenly reminded that you are far too old for this shit and you have a condo and a real bed frame and a full-time job. Shame ensues, and you sell your worldly possessions and join a convent. These are the consequences of car sex.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep trying. I will never part with my misguided love of sexy showers, and you can keep lying to yourself about 69ing. No judgments here — just remember never to put sexual acts on a pedestal, because sex is fun and amazing and occasionally pretty fucking gross, and that’s alright.

By EZ Breezy

A MUSICAL OUTLAW

Paul Pigat — the remarkable Canadian rockabilly guitarist known by his stage name, Cousin Harley — is a man who laughs easily. He recalled the time when he bought his first vintage guitar. As a young man of about 17, he got dropped off outside of a Toronto location of Long & McQuade at 4:30 a.m., in the middle of a snowstorm to wait four and a half hours for them to open. The object of his affection was a 1928 Gibson Nick Lucas guitar that he knew was special and also desired by many others. He laughs as he explains that people started showing up at around 5:30 am to line up behind him and, as they approached, he said, “If you’re here for the Gibson, it’s already gone.”

In his twenties, he moved from Toronto to Victoria. “The first year was really difficult,” he explains, “it was the first time I ever had to deliver pizzas to make money and I’d never done anything for money other than play guitar really.” The challenge spurred him to become a singer and start his own band in order to get more work.

When asked if those difficult times have ever made him question his decision to become a musician, he answers definitively. “All the time. It never stops.” he explains. “Being self-employed is the best thing and the worst thing at the same time. I have no boss, but then I am my own worst boss,” he laughs. “I am really tough on myself… so I’m going to beat myself up until I get where I wanna go musically all the time.” He admits he can obsess on three notes for four hours. Music is the only thing Pigat has ever done or really been interested in, giving himself no other choice but to pursue it.

A university education in music was the only back up plan he really gave himself, which has come in very handy because he’s been teaching for almost 25 years. He released guitar lessons on DVD and now teaches privately, including online lessons over Skype. Pigat gets excited when talking about his students and how much he loves teaching them. “When you see them start to progress and start to get the ideas,” he explains, “and when they finally are starting to develop it and really starting to understand it, it makes it all worthwhile.” His teaching approach is very theoretical and pulls from his classical composition education. He doesn’t teach his students to play songs but, instead, how to understand music in order to write interesting music of their own. “Theory is everything,” he says, “Music is like a puzzle and, if you can figure out the premise behind the puzzle, then you can figure out the puzzle.”

One could wonder if he is still a student of music and if he is still surprised by things. With certainty he responds, “Absolutely. The day you think that you’ve finished or that you know everything there is to know is the day that you put the guitar away. Music is endless. Every time you open a door, there’s fifteen more doors to open. I’m constantly finding things that I never thought about before… and constantly amazed by what people are doing.”

Pigat has recently returned from a stint in Australia backing up The Sojourners and C.R. Avery and is about to jet down to L.A. to do a show with other Gretsch artists such as Billy Zoom. He also continues to perform as Cousin Harley. But there are musical sides to Paul Pigat that we have yet to see. He is experimenting with some open tuning on guitar in the style of John Renbourn and is composing again. There are some twentieth century compositions that he’s written that he describes as “weird” that no one has ever heard that he is hoping he will one day be happy enough with them to release them. Pigat is also actively seeking a hobby outside of music, which has proven to be challenge for him since all of his interests lead him back to the guitar, one way or another. It was film score composing that originally interested him in university and it’s been piquing his interest lately, too. His favourite is Neil Young’s score for Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch. He was recently approached to write music that combines Bollywood music and Rockabilly for a film score, which excites him. He knows he’s always taken the road less travelled musically, and so it seems he continues to do so.

Catch Cousin Harley at the Bowness Community Hall on February 21.

By Holly Burton

ONE ARTIST’S JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE

Frontman Taylor Cochrane is no stranger to making music: since he’s been a kid, he’s been involved in a variety of different projects, ranging from funk-rock, party-starting maniacs, Kronic Groove Band, to his solo project, the Taylor Cochrane Band. One band, however, has remained his pet project since he first started writing music: 36? has grown up alongside the energetic and inventive frontman, feeding his development as an artist and often working as a fertile breeding ground for exploring new ideas. With a new album scheduled to be released, where do we go from here?, Cochrane opens up about what making music means to him.

BeatRoute: 36? has been active since 2006 and has largely grown with you yourself as a person. Stepping back from it all, how has the band’s progression mirrored your own?

Taylor Cochrane: When 36? started out, I was a 17-year-old living in my parents’ basement tweaked out beyond belief on my ADD medication. I heard Is a Real Boy, by Say Anything, and it was like a switch went off in my head. The album had the gooey pop sensibility that I was so fond of, but they incorporated new elements in to their music that pretty much changed my whole approach to songwriting. The album was almost theatrical, featuring a ton of different instruments and put a heavy focus on lyrical content. Shortly after hearing it, I wrote a song called, “So What if I Feel Like Bondage!,” a sadomasochistic spazz-punk song about sexually dominant alt-girls. It became the first song I wrote under the alias of 36? and it was the biggest step forward I have made as an artist to date.

Within the next few months, I wrote and produced the first 36? record, entitled love.hate.bondage. By that time, I had developed a writing style where I would write every part of a song as I recorded it in the studio. That, combined with my Concerta-induced, overstimulated, obsessive state of mind turned me in to a songwriting machine and, in a year’s time, 36? had put out two more albums.

It was during the recording of the third 36? record, Fistu Inhaf!, that the side-effects of the ADD medication really caught up to me. My prescription had gone from 18 mg/daily a year prior to 72 mg/daily. Needless to say, shit had gotten pretty weird: I never slept, I had constant tremors in my hands and feet, I was barely over 100 pounds, I was wildly obsessive compulsive, I was paranoid, I would bounce between intense, euphoric states and self-destructive depression for no logical reason, and I was totally afraid of the dark because I would have vivid, horrifying visual and auditory hallucinations when the lights were off.

I stopped taking Concerta shortly after I had a mental breakdown after the release of Fistu Inhaf!. Over the next year, life became a lot simpler, but my creative spark had nearly disintegrated. Everything I put together felt helplessly contrived. I joined a local funk band, the Kronic Groove Band, and 36? took a backseat for the first time since its conception. It was with the KGB that I became immersed in the Calgary music scene. In all the time I had spent working on 36?, I had only played a couple of shows, so it was my first real introduction to the live experience. It was through playing shows with that band that I met Ryan Kusz and Eric Svilpis.

It’s been about eight years since I recorded the first 36? song and I am so grateful for that crazy fucked up period I went through. Thinking about that time in my life is bittersweet to say the least, but I don’t know where or who I would be without it and without 36?.

BR: Your upcoming album, where do we go from here?, will be your fifth release. What kind of goals did you set out to achieve?

TC: where do we go from here? is the first 36? record with a full lineup. On [almost] every single 36? recording before this one, I had recorded all of the instruments myself and had total control over every aspect of the music. In this album, everyone add their own personality in to their parts and the music is better because of it.
The biggest achievement for me, personally, on this album is the track, “This is Where I Draw the Line.” I originally wrote the song when I was 18, my parents had split up the night before and I had dealt with it by meeting with my friend and getting totally wrecked on drugs. I wrote the song in the morning during the worst crash I have ever experienced. I have recorded that song time and time again and have never felt that I did the song justice, but, with this album, I feel like I finally have a recording of this song that does it right.

36? will release where do we go from here? on February 15 at the Palomino.

By Sebastian Buzzalino

FOLK ROCK WITH A VOICE LIKE A HURRICANE

“I’m so sorry, my friend is stuck in a snowbank!” begins my conversation with Matt Goud, a.k.a. Northcote. This well-spoken, honest man has an incredible voice that will move mountains and hopefully a few cars.

Coming of the heels of a month long tour in Europe, this travelling troubadour finds time to chat between relocating across Canada and his extensive upcoming North American tour.

Growing up in the sleepy little town of Carlyle, SK, Goud’s kind character began at a small country church. Known to be a somewhat religious part of the province, he was raised going to church, Bible camp and eventually to a Christian boarding school through his teens. “It’s undeniable how those perceived spiritual experiences, have shaped [my] character. Some in a good way, some in a way I’m trying to unlearn.”

The “unlearning” refers to the sexism Goud observed in his community. Without pointing any fingers, he explains that although being raised a Christian boy was all well and good, it would have been much more difficult for a girl.

Truly a man of the modern age, Northcote recognizes the value of good Christian teachings while questioning and sometimes dismissing practices and philosophies that are negative in his experiences.

Saskatchewan has more roads per capita then any jurisdiction in the world and Northcote eventually found one that took him to Victoria, BC, where he developed the incredible talent that he has today.

Having grown up on a healthy blend of AM radio and punk rock, Northcote’s sound encompasses all the song-writing mastery of old-time country and the heartfelt, informative truths of bands like Propagandhi and The Weakerthans.

Lyrically, Northcote navigates politics of the heart more than the politics of Parliament. Thank God for that, because right now I don’t think our governing body deserves such foot-stomping, feel-good vibes.

To put his most recent vibes to tape, Northcote caught up with producer Collin Stewart (Yukon Blonde, Dan Mangan) for his latest release. On meeting Stewart, Northcote explains, “We chatted a couple times and he wanted, you know, to talk about outer space and stuff like that. So, we talked about outer space and what stuff you’d get from Ikea or whatever.” This somewhat strange vetting process turned into a friendship and the two soon collaborated on a record.

The latest self-titled record features the freight train voice of Matt Goud over simple yet driven instrumentals. There’s no overplaying here, so Steve Vai fans run to the hills because well-crafted blue-collar songs are comin’ for you! Every note is purposefully placed just where it needs to be. There is a diversity that moves from foot-stompin’ bangers, like “How Can We Turn Around” or “When You Cry,” and grows into chilled-out grooves, such as “Walking Home in the Rain” and “Knocking On My Door.” Northcote does more than kick ass and take names; it gives a hug and an umbrella for the rain.

The muck and mire of daily life deserves the relief and feel-good vibes of Northcote strumming his acoustic guitar and politely assaulting your heart with lyrics of love and loss. His voice can be as a big as a thunderstorm and as soft as the midnight rain.

Age has brought purpose and that purpose is to tour until the earth stops turning. I’d say Northcote is a public servant, saving our bad days with the gift of his voice. Last time I checked there wasn’t such a good pension plan for people in his line of work, so do this man a solid and buy an album when you see him for free at the Ship & Anchor.

Catch Northcote at the Ship & Anchor on February 21.

By Sean Hamilton

BUILDING NEW SOUND ONE LAYER AT A TIME

Five years ago, Anna Fox Rochinski rode her bike to play music with a couple of friends in a Boston neighbourhood with a guitar and an Indian instrument called a bulbul tarang strapped to her back. The three of them “just dove right in.” That sense of experimentation has been a stalwart through the group’s tenure as Quilt.

Their first album showcased what became of those jam sessions: a timid vocal harmony played over 60’s era hippy folk melded into a driven pop sound. Three years after their inaugural call to action, Quilt’s sophomore record Held In Splendor has secured them as heroes in pastoral urbanite lore. Their folky vocal harmonies remain, but a more decisive and deliberate accompanying melody conveys the experience of a band finally comfortable in its sound.

Some of that may have had to do with the recording process. Their debut album was recorded casually and sporadically, something the band said helped them on their first go around.

“We were like little babies who didn’t have a lot of experience under our belts,” Rochinski explains.

But they have certainly grown up. Rochinski, guitarist Shane Butler, and new drummer John Andrews spent an arduous month in their label’s New York studio last spring, working 60 hours a week and living just blocks away. The band had recorded demos for almost all of the songs that are on the record. Their studio time was for recording.

“It was an immersive experience,” Rochinski remembers. “It was a hands on, no holds barred, completely engulfing artistic month… It felt really good to have such an intense process.”

That process had to start somewhere. Rochinski met Butler at a school for Visual Arts in Boston. The two artists found a bond both through the medium they were studying at school, but also shared an interest in expanding their creative personas to the stage. Rochinski was already playing folk music by herself when she was invited to come and practice with Butler and their previous drummer. One thing they all shared: an affinity to take their art to a higher plane, whatever than art may be.

“We have all sort of had an interdisciplinary approach to making art,” Rochinski says. “[We like to] keep the process open and not keep it confined to something we think the band has to be.”

If anything, the band has expanded this attitude with their latest record. Saxophone and bass are included in the album, as well as the twang of a steel guitar that comes from an affinity for old country records that Rochinski says Andrews has “a soft spot in his heart for.” The way the three of them approach vocals has also changed. The trio’s harmony was often counted as just another melody with the other instruments on the first record but Held In Splendor sees these voices take a more prominent role as the centre of the sound.

With these new sounds and strengthened old ones, Quilt is set to go on tour. They’ve added a bass player, Keven Lareau, to bring some of that new sound from the record to the stage. But compared to actually recording the thing, touring to promote Held In Splendor should be a cinch. Rochinski thinks so at least.

“I just look forward to it. I have a blast … It’s literally like we’re just siblings kind of hanging in a van all the time.”

You can see Quilt play at the Media Club (Vancouver) on February 11.

By Patrick Connolly

A ROUNDUP OF NAUGHTY WORDS TO IMPROVE YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY VOCABULARY

At one time or another, we’ve all done a Google search or two for some words describing sex and sexy things.

Whatever your orientation, curiosity can happen to everyone. Below is an A-Z list of some words you might not know, and some things you might not know about them.

A:
Amychesis: Scratching and clawing at your partner during sex. Usually an impulsive, involuntary response. Rawr.

Appetence: A very strong desire or craving. Kind of a nicer way of saying you have “a hankering” for something.

B:
Basoexia: Getting aroused from kissing.

Barosmia: Sexual arousal from smells. Perfumes, foods, and people’s natural scents can all be huge turn-ons.

C:
Consent: What partners need to have from one another in order to have sex and not sexual assault. It can look like a lot of things depending on the person. Check in about consent throughout the encounter, because one “yes” at the beginning does not mean everything after is OK. Check in, give clear signals, and talk it out.

Choreophilia: Becoming sexually aroused while dancing.

D:
Dogging: Having sex in a vehicle while others are watching. Having back seats that fold down aren’t just for hauling IKEA furniture home anymore.

Diasteunia: When married couples sleep in two separate beds to avoid temptation. Watch some sitcoms from the ‘50s and you’ll see what they mean.

E:
Edging: A technique for prolonging orgasm. It consists of stimulation until you nearly reach climax and then stopping. It’s said that mastering this technique can lead to multiple orgasms. Woohoo!

Erotomania: Constant, insatiable sexual desire. Also called “nymphomania” in females and “satyromania” in males.

F:
Faunoiphilia: Getting off on watching animals get it on. Gives a quiet night on the couch watching nature shows a whole new meaning.

Frowzletop: Unkempt or messy hair from sex.

G:
Gendoloma: Using fantasies during acts of sex to reach orgasm. Your imagination is a beautiful thing.

Giggler: A pornography scene featuring two women.

H:
Harlotry: An old-timey term for prostitution. Used in a time when dudes smacked each other with gloves prior to fighting with swords and shit. Probably.

HIV status: Knowing if you have tested positive for HIV or not. If you aren’t sure, get tested. Even if you think you probably don’t have HIV, being 100 per cent sure is a lot better than being 99 per cent sure.

I:
Impotence:  Also called Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The inability to achieve or keep an erection. There are a lot of reasons this might be an issue, be they psychological or purely physical. It’s true, it happens to everyone now and then, but if it’s worrying you, talk to your doctor and to your partner(s).

Ivory rise: Ejaculating into the mouth of a partner.

J:
Jelquing: Tugging or pulling on the penis with the goal of enlarging it. This is different from masturbation as the main goal is not pleasure or orgasm, but to create micro-tears in the tissue of the penis to bulk it up. Does it work? A few people boast it works like a charm, but many docs and sexologists aren’t convinced. The penis is composed of erectile tissue and not muscle and doesn’t behave in the same way as your biceps.  As always, check with your doctor for a final answer, though it’s probably a “no.”

Jimmy: Also, joy sock, love glove, bone bag, raincoak, pecker pack. A condom. Wear them to protect yourself from diseases and to help prevent pregnancy. I’m serious!

K:
Kokigami: Dressing the penis in a paper costume. There are lots of print-and-cut costumes online. Just don’t get a paper cut.

Knee trembler: Having sex standing up. If the sex is good, your knees are going to shake and it might be time to take it horizontal before you fall over.

L:
Lube: A liquid, often made from a silicone or water base, that prevents friction during different sex acts. Lube can be natural or produced by the body, like vaginal secretions or saliva. Lube can make things like handjobs and finger play that much better, and is recommended during acts like anal or vaginal penetration. Make sure you’re using the right lube for your condoms or toys. Ask the staff at the sex shop.

Love child: A child conceived and born out of wedlock. Your parents might have explained that you were a “happy accident”. It’s the same thing, but it sounds way flakier.

M:
Mastofact: A festish of breasts.
Mack Moment: When partners both realize they are about to have sex with each other. They can be friends, strangers, or in a sexual relationship already. High-fiving sometimes occurs.

N:
Nyotaimori: Serving and eating sushi off the body of a naked woman. Eating sushi off a naked male body is called “nantaimori.”

Nuzzling the fuzz: A really cozy-sounding term for female masturbation.

O:
Oculolinctus: Licking a partner’s eyeball for erotic pleasure. Apparently, this was a recent trend. This is a highly unadvisable practice due to the fact that eyes are not built to cope with the germs inside your mouth. You can get some very gnarly eye infections, so don’t. Just don’t.

Onanera: Male masturbation. Now you can call it something that sounds real fancy-like.

P:
Pompoir: Using the vaginal muscles to stimulate the penis during vaginal intercourse.
Phallic: The penis itself, or something that resembles a penis, usually erect. Phallic objects can be really obviously penisy, or they can just be tall and pointy. Balls not always included.

Q:
Queef: Air leaving the vagina, giving off a sound like a fart. It isn’t gas, it doesn’t come from inside the body, and it often happens during sex acts that involve penetration. It just means that air has been trapped inside and is coming out again. No smells, no big deal.

Quickie: A very short sexual encounter, often spontaneous, usually with no foreplay. Other terms: butter and dash, in and out, bump ‘n’ run, etc.

R:
Robotism: The use of robots in arousal and sexual acts. See ‘lube.’

Rollies: A name for the testicles. As in “rolly-polly.” Awwww.

S:
Scarfing: Using a scarf during sex, usually for strangulation. As always for anything BDSM, talk to your partner(s), make sure it’s consensual, and that you have an agreed-upon “stop” signal to make sure no one is in danger. See ‘consent.’

Sapphosadism: Lesbian relations that are sado-masochistic. A consensual arrangement between self-identified women where the majority of interactions are BDSM-related.

T:
Top: The partner who takes control of the sex act and stimulation of another person. You might hear the term “top” and “bottom” used when talking about gay sex, but it’s applicable to many sexual expressions. Not everyone is always a top or a bottom at all times. The roles can be switched within an encounter. Tops might be the ones penetrating, but they might also take control in non-penetrative ways, such as teasing, tickling, oral sex, etc.

Tonsil Hockey: The word your mom uses for French kissing, or kissing with a lot of tongue. “Oh, those youngsters and their tonsil hockey and whatnot, eh?”

U:
Urolagnia: Being aroused by urine. Golden showers, water sports, golden enemas, etc.

Undergrowth: A kinda gross-sounding term for pubic hair.

V:
Vanilla: The stuff that isn’t super scandalous. Think: cismale and cisfemale encounters, usually involving vaginal penetration by a penis. Vanilla isn’t bad, it’s just… vanilla.

Vulva: The exterior parts of the female sex organs, which includes a heckuva lot more than the vaginal opening. Most people say “vagina,” which is the actual muscular tube inside the body, when they mean vulva. Other terms include: pussy, cunt, yum-yum, hoo-haw, bathing suit place, kibbles and bits, minge, ladyparts, etc.

W:
Whiskey dick: Impotence caused by drinking too much alcohol.

Wet spot: The area on the bed, couch, countertop, tree stump, etc. that is wet after sex. It can be a combination of sweat, semen, vaginal secretions and lube. Use a towel if you want a dry place to sleep.

X:
Xenodynamic: A person who can only be aroused with strangers as sex partners.

X-Rated: Sometimes a rating used for films, but usually a term that describes something pornographic or relating to sex.

Y:
Yonic: The vulva itself, or something that resembles a vulva. Like that stadium in Qatar that defs looks like a hoo-haw, you guys.

Yodel: Short for “yodel up in the canyon of love.” It means cunnilingus. Vocalizing can actually create some nice vibration, though actual yodeling might be a bit too much.

Z:
Zipless fuck: Sex, often between strangers, that has little or no emotional meaning to the partners involved. Coined in the 1973 novel, Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong.

ZZZs: Or ‘zees,’ the most amazing nap or sleep post-coitus, usually followed by a snack. A good indicator of the quality of an orgasm is how hard one passes out after sex. Tandem ZZZs are also great.

By Madison Behrs
Illustration: Jarett Sitter

It is not hard to imagine why someone might cheat – they weren’t completely prepared to begin with, they wanted an extra advantage, etc. – whether in school, sports or life. Yet it is still difficult to accept and move on once the truth is revealed and the person exposed.

The biggest sports newsmaker of late, besides the Sochi Olympics, has been the exposure of cyclist Lance Armstrong as a doper during his Tour-de-France years.

With his documentary The Armstrong Lie, director Alex Gibney managed to reveal a different side to the story that we never fully understood until now.

Documentary number four in the Doc Soup series, presented by Hot Docs and the Calgary International Film Festival, The Armstrong Lie is a gateway into the unfortunately surprisingly fraudulent and deceitful world of professional cycling.

Before I saw the documentary, the only information I knew about the Armstrong scandal was what I had read in the news. And truthfully, I didn’t pay much attention to it, only long enough to decide that Lance Armstrong was a cheat.

But Gibney’s film put more context into the whole situation than I knew there was to begin with, and he introduced us to the cycling world and Armstrong’s lie so easily that it is hard to believe we were fooled by it in the first place.

There was one scene in particular that stayed with me. In a manner of 30 seconds, seven pictures flashed onscreen, each one picturing the podium winners of the seven years that Armstrong won the Tour.

In every picture, each of the athletes but Armstrong had been blurred out. At the same time, Gibney’s voiceover said that in all of Armstrong’s Tour wins, all of the podium winners had been caught and charged with doping. All but Armstrong.

Armstrong and Gibney both said what I was thinking at the time later in the film – if doping meant winning in that sport in that era, why do we have a problem with it?

It’s now the lie more than the doping.

In all the other instances that I am aware of, the athlete doping was given a punishment, there was a little article in the paper the next day and then nothing but a little reference when that person was mentioned in passing.

For Armstrong, the lie went on for years and that’s the issue that Gibney brought forth so clearly in his film.

It is the things Armstrong did to maintain the lie over so many years that truly disappoint us.

How do you move on after a film like this – so open and revealing about an athlete’s mistakes? And what does it mean for our belief in other athletes and sports?

I’d be lying if I said my beliefs weren’t shaken. But I’d like to think that I believe the best in people before believing the worst.

Doc Soup’s next film is The Unbelievers, directed by Gus Holwerda. This documentary follows scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss as they travel the globe, speaking to people about the importance of science and reason in today’s society. It will screen on March 5, 2014 at Eau Claire Theatres at 7:00 p.m.

For more information and ticket sales, visit http://www.hotdocs.ca/docsoup/doc_soup_calgary/