Month: March 2009

Grasshopper beats old master

By Chris Pedersen

Winning two sports championships in a row in most sports is difficult and squash is no different. Graeme Schnell, a squash player from the University of Calgary, successfully defended his Canadian University and Colleges Championship in Toronto on March 8, defeating the University of Waterloo’s Eric Dingle 3-2 (11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5) in the… Continue reading Grasshopper beats old master

Deconstructing Horsedog

By Ryan Pike

Human beings have walked the Earth for roughly 200,000 years, according to scientists. In that time, we have discovered fire, mastered flight and made scientific discoveries that have revolutionized the way the world works. The creation of Horsedog makes every other human achievement seem like a small child’s inane scrawlings. In the annals of Western… Continue reading Deconstructing Horsedog

Kashiwa Daisuke

By Jordan Fritz

Proving once and for all that people who use Macbooks aren’t necessarily useless, Kashiwa Daisuke envelops the listener within his own imagination in 5 Dec. Daisuke is not a musician, but a visionary. As a follow-up to 2007’s instrumental poetry reinterpretations, program music I, 5 Dec quickly moves from an uneasy ambience to overwhelming swells… Continue reading Kashiwa Daisuke

Propagandhi

By Chris Tihor

Propagandhi, Manitoba’s own pacifistic, tofu-eating hardcore musical warriors, are back with another hard-nosed album full of pounding drums, powerful guitars and lyrics devoted to hockey, class warfare and even some modest proposals for cannibalism. On opening track “Night Letters” the band starts out with a mighty, mosh pit ready shredding guitar riff that doesn’t let… Continue reading Propagandhi

The Fray

By Ryan Pike

The Fray are a hard band to peg. On one hand, their songs feature strong piano-work and competent vocals. On the other hand, nobody has an impression of them outside of, “Hey, how about that song that plays during Gray’s Anatomy?” The odd thing about the Fray is, that despite being around for the better… Continue reading The Fray

Stolen Organ Family Band

By Jordyn Marcellus

Listening to Divorce can lead to only one conclusion: B.C. band the Stolen Organ Family Band does way too many drugs. With incredibly fuzzy, razor-edged guitars and filtered vocals mixed so deep into the tracks that the lyrics are nigh-comprehensible, Divorce is a strange mix of stoner-influenced, countrified rock ‘n’ roll and pseudo-psychedelia. “Lez Get… Continue reading Stolen Organ Family Band

The Great Lake Swimmers’ geography lesson

By Laura Bardsley

Clear and distinct are not often used to describe music anymore. However, in the 1920s, when there was actually only time for one song per side on the record, bands were forced to be concise. Tony Dekker from Great Lake Swimmers worked toward this sound on the group’s fourth release, Lost Channels. “I was sort… Continue reading The Great Lake Swimmers’ geography lesson

As spring comes, so does Wintersleep

By Nicole Dionne

Despite the dreary weather, Wintersleep has opted out of hibernation and has instead been hitting the road. The band has been touring relentlessly to promote the U.K. release of their third album Welcome to the Night Sky. Though touring has helped the group gain more exposure and bond, vocalist/guitarist Paul Murphy still feels the pull… Continue reading As spring comes, so does Wintersleep

Learning the ways of the scene

By Amanda Hu

The Calgary music scene is becoming more and more well known for its sense of camaraderie and community. Many bands emerging from the scene praise the city’s musicians for working together towards common success and creation. As Sea Level Rise’s Brock Geiger is an emerging artist who is continuing to reap the benefits of this… Continue reading Learning the ways of the scene