Friday April 27 – Park Theatre
Bloodshot Bill, The Angry Dragons, The Thrashers, The Gunness
Saturday April 28 – Park Theatre
Miesha and the Spanks, This Hisses, Les Sexy, Microdot

It’s been a decade since Art MacIntyre registered the name and set up a website devoted to bringing music to the people. Transistor 66 was originally supposed to be an online magazine but he shifted focus after deciding to release the Rubberneckin’ album by his friends the Rowdymen in 2003.
“We were just winging it in the beginning. We shifted gears so many times; we’ve gone through a lot of clutches. In the beginning we thought we were going to be a rockabilly label: we were trying to sign Bloodshot Bill and the Farrell Brothers, then through the Guess Who project we got to know the whole High and Lonesome Club crew and got turned onto the roots scene and Scott Nolan,” MacIntyre says.
- Rob Williams

The Angry Dragons came together in early 2007 to bring their signature brand of searing garage rock to Winnipeg. Influenced by The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, and Link Wray, they feature both bubblegum-chewing ballads and trashy rock ‘n roll. Equal parts attitude, hairspray, and leopard print, their howling vocals, growling rythym and soaring power-surf solos will leave you shakin’.

http://dragons.transistor66.com/

Craving some meat-and-potatoes punk rock? Pig out here. The self-titled debut from the raucous St. Boniface franco-punk outfit Les Sexy bursts with the energy and exuberance of late-’70s heyday punk. (I’ve written it before but I’ll write it again: this seriously listens like some forgotten French LP from 1978.) At a breathless 10 tracks and 25 minutes, this is easily one of the most fast, fun and furious releases in this round of Local Heroes. The pièce de résistance? A cover of Plastic Bertrand’s 1977 novelty hit Ca Plane Pour Moi. And yes, all the songs are en français — but being able to speak French isn’t a requirement for rocking out.
BY: JEN ZORATTI

http://station.ckuw.ca/64/20120422.17.00-18.30.mp3″>les-sexy on ckuw

In these days when the majority of bands are all taking a drag from the same hypothetical cigarette, noise-pop outfit Microdot is smoking something else entirely – and for the better, I might add. Made up of members who’ve played with the likes of the Angry Dragons, Atomic Don and the Black Sunrise, F.P. Tranquilizer, The Gorgon and Pop Crimes, Microdot successfully blends the recorded-live-off-the-floor-in-your-basement-type music with catchy vocal melodies into a record that’s distinctly all its own. This is showcased best on the standout Teepee in a Forest and the head bopping Electrical Currents. My only complaint is that on some tracks I wish the vocals were at the forefront a little more as they can get lost amongst the noise. Regardless, if you’re seeking unpretentious, raw and organic music you should most definitely check these guys (and gal) out – they’re the real deal.

- Adam Petrash

Fronted by a chilling femme fatale who holds command over the stage, THIS HISSES casts dirty spells with their blistering yet hauntingly pretty live show.

THIS HISSES is JULIA RYCKMAN, opera singer turned rock crooner on fuzz bass, PATRICK SHORT with his distinctive guitar twang & swagger, and JP PERRON, acrobatic bludgeoner of drums.

Faced with the demise of her all-girl rock band The Gorgon, Julia enlisted Patrick and JP to help her rework and record 4 of her songs that she didn’t want to lose. From the first rehearsal in early 2010, they realized they had incredible chemistry and those 4 songs turned into 8. Two months after that first rehearsal, the new trio had become THIS HISSES and they had just tracked their debut album “Surf Noir”. What had originally started as a one-off recording project became a serious band.

“Surf Noir” was released on Transistor 66 Recording Co in Summer 2011, a little over a year after it was tracked. The album took This Hisses on cross Canada tours that included the Manitoba Showcase at NXNE 2011. THIS HISSES, “one of Winnipeg’s most thrilling live acts” (Stylus) was also selected to perform at 2011′s TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival as well as the Gimli Icelandic Festival. “Surf Noir” met rave reviews in EXCLAIM and beyond and charted in the top 20 on campus and community stations across the country, reaching number 14 on Earshot’s top 50 chart for the week of August 30th, 2011.

The Thrashers, comprised of Jesse Bercier (Guitar/Vocals), Sean G (Drums) and Iaian Loeppky (Bass/Vocals) have one goal above all else: Create the aural equivalent to an outta-control, outta-this-world, teen-age beach party! A goal theWinnipegtrio has seen realized night after night since April 2008 when they first debuted their unique blend of 1950’s Rock & Roll, 1960’s Surf and 1970’s Punk. Fast, aggressive and most importantly fun music you can dance to centering around far-out topics like sea monsters, zombies, mutant frog-men, robots, shark attacks and skateboarding. In January of 2010 The Thrashers independently released their first recording, a five track EP titled “ManRe-EntersSea” which sold hundreds of copies through only word of mouth promotion. Since then they have signed with Winnipeg based Rock & Roll label Transistor 66 Record Company and released a full length album called “Make a Splash” which charted nationally across Canada and became a summer favourite for many DJs. Currently The Thrashers are preparing to release their first 7″ in the summer of 2012. Give in to irresistible Rock & Roll damnation! The Thrashers are playing in your bars, shredding in your skate parks. Dance or Die! E-mail: thrashersrocknroll at gmail dot com

http://www.myspace.com/thrasherswinnipeg

“The Gunness is a solo performance by Alana Mercer that was inspired by nightly “quiet” practices in her apartment with an unplugged electric and her foot hitting a kick pedal to a suitcase as a way to keep beat but not make too much noise. After over a decade of performing as both a drummer and guitar player in such Winnipeg bands as The Quiffs, The High Thunderers, and The Blowholes, performing solo has given Alana a whole new direction in which to tear her favourite music apart and make it her own. As a kid, she was fortunate enough to have a music teacher that believed in everything magical about the energy behind rock and roll and taught her the importance of the song and not mysticism of the performer. From her own material, you get a sense of an innocence that can only be described by an adult who has done everything they could to keep up with what is expected of them, but try as they might, cannot reconcile their grown-up self with the one impatiently figdeting on the inside. By taking the nature of the music, both original and covered, and combining it with the nature of how she performs, which is notorious for its minimalism and vicious passion, this new act is something to be seen to be believed. Look for a recording this spring!”

One of the more standout presences in the obscure music world today is the Montreal-based one-man band Bloodshot Bill. When it comes to this rockabilly wild man, it is pretty safe to say that he is an exception to what many have come to expect from modern one-man bands.

- James G. Carlson

“Miesha Louie: singer-songwriter, have guitar will travel. She’ll pack up her gear, gather her drummer, hop in the van and play almost any show, anywhere. The mountain girl from Invermere, BC, is one of the hardest working girls in show business. I can see the headline splashed across the cover now.” Brad Simm, Beatroute Magazine

http://www.myspace.com/mandthespanks

by Jeremy Brooks
photos Joey Senft

For generations and with little fanfare or fuss, the bare hands and strong backs of farmers have worked their prairie land to create something basic but essential. And while few among us might bear the gnarled fingers of our farming heritage, we still appreciate work done by hand, with care, for our benefit.The same can be said when musicians—like British balladeer Frank Turner and Joel Plaskett, the prolific poet-rocker from Nova Scotia—strip their trade of gimmick or artifice and distill music down to its essence: A hand-crafted and heart wrung expression of who they are and what they think.
The pair claimed the Garrick Theatre as their plot of land during an April 21 show. And with their hands, their instruments, their voices, and their ideas, delivered a performance that I’d say benefited everyone in attendance.


Lanky, scruffy, always-smiling Turner took the stage first. Dressed in a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and a weathered acoustic guitar he quickly coaxed the crowd into the spotlight. Throughout his forty-odd minutes on stage, he made clear his affinity for the sing-along. Assuming concert-goers didn’t know his lyrics, he coached them and then poked fun at the process, calling it “one of those transcendent moments you never forget, but with lots of prep.”

To the already obliging Winnipeg crowd-turned-choir Turner reminded us, “Rock and roll should never be a spectator sport.”
A thread of open, okay ‘Frank’, dialogue weaved its way through Turner’s performance as he book-ended songs with stories and confessionals. He talked about Winnipeg, expressed his well-documented love for local musicians The Weatherthans and their poet laureate frontman John. K Samson, before covering the band’s ode to Winnipeg: One Great City.  


When the set wound down and the lights came up, Turner continued to deflect attention from himself. His Winnipeg gig, during this Canadian tour as an opening act, may have been on the heels of a show at London’s legendary Wembley Stadium, but he would have no part of stealing the main act’s thunder, “Joel Plaskett is going to f**king rip your faces off,” he offered before leaving the stage. The crowd remained in the moment and clamored for “One. More. Song.” An encore request for an opener is a rarity. Turner didn’t return, but it didn’t matter. He’d set the bar high for Plaskett and backing band The Emergency. But as they took the stage, would they be able to take the crowd with them as well?

Plaskett, cloaked in workingman’s denim from head-to-toe, along with The Emergency juxtaposed the one-man, one-guitar vibe of Turner’s performance with crunching chords and bouncy rhythm to open their set. The crowd was game, the answer to that earlier question a resounding yes.
“Frank Turner was killer,” said Plaskett at one point, acknowledging, and embracing, the impact of his tour mate’s set.
It’s clear the band has found a complementary companion in the ever-touring Turner. They deliver their own version of a hard-work-trumps-hubris approach to songwriting and performing: they’re promoting the release of Scrappy Happiness, an ambitious album that saw the group record 10 singles in 10 weeks, with most of the process shared warts-and-all and as-it-happened via Plaskett’s website (joelplaskett.com).
When Plaskett delivered the opening line to You’re Mine from Scrappy Happiness—“Let’s make a record for the old and young”—it felt like an invitation, albeit after the fact, for fans everywhere to get involved with the record’s creation. The sea of bobbing heads and syncing lips in the Garrick suggested that many already had. Powering their way through the tune were Plaskett’s vocals, which pierce the air but never sound piercing.
The Emergency left the stage after a few songs so Plaskett could slow things down with some solo work and acoustic guitar. At this point, he uncorked his imagination as he took the audience on one trip after another across Canada, over to the UK and back, with tales: of possibly ripped-off melodies, (a cautionary one about) buying used wheels from fellow rockers Sloan, and lyrical imagery that can only be the work of a man who seldom puts his pen down or turns his mind off.
“From my neck of the woods in the Maritimes to you, in Winnipeg,” said Plaskett, inviting the crowd to assist him with the poignant Love This Town. 
About this time a series of text messages started lighting up my phone. “Apparently [Frank Turner] is going to the Yellow Dog”; “He’s here”; “Get here!” and the decision is made to leave the Plaskett show early for a shot at some one-on-one time with Turner. (Next time Plaskett rolls through town, I’m staying for the whole show.)
A quick sprint to the Yellow Dog Tavern and all is tavern-like save one table at the back where the conversation is animated and tinged with a British accent. Turner sits there, his back to the door, holding court with local band The Treble. No security detail, no self-aware glances over his shoulder; he’s having a drink and shooting the shit. Matt Liang, a friend of the band and their self-proclaimed PR man, explains to me the significance of this encounter: Turner is to them what John K. is to Turner.
I get a chance to ask the ‘Wessex Boy’ a few quick questions in between conversations with fans, more like friends, who stroll up to him and say ‘hi’ as if he’d just got back from a trip. At 30, Turner’s been playing for two decades and in a band since he was 16; and his touring schedule is stretching into its seventh year. No complaints or signs of itch from Turner though. “This is my day-to-day, this is what I do for a living,” he says.

There is no on-stage persona with Turner, he is and always is. And just like the farmer, he goes about his business, big crowd, little crowd or no crowd at all, cultivating stories that captivate and spawn set-lasting sing alongs. He does it for a living, he does it with care, he does it for the benefit of us all. And we appreciate that.

photos Mike Latschislaw

English Moccasins @ The Folk Exchange

English Moccasins @ The Folk Exchange

Louisiana Cockfight @ The Folk Exchange

Louisiana Cockfight @ The Folk Exchange

Louisiana Cockfight @ The Folk Exchange

Frank Turner @ The Folk Exchange

Frank Turner @ The Folk Exchange

Frank Turner @ The Folk Exchange

Scott Nolan @ The Folk Exchange

Scott Nolan @ The Folk Exchange

Scott Nolan @ The Folk Exchange

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

Bokononists @ Into The Mucic

John Sparrow, known to many as DJ Khemlab or as producer John Norman, has been shaking up dance floors with his unique take on techno, tech-house and minimal for years. A staple of the local Winnipeg electronic music scene, John has also cultivated a worldwide audience as a result of his weekly radio show “Original Language” Global Session, as well as performing in cities across Canada and the Northern United States. Currently living in London, England, John took some time to talk to SquarePeg about where he’s been, and where he’s going.

Tell me about how it all began: how long have you producing, and what pushed you to start?

I have been making music since 1995 but only seriously producing dance music since about 2009.

My introduction to producing dance music didn’t start by tearing apart keyboards, rewiring things to make weird sounds and think I could throw them together to make a song. And it didn’t start by seeing a DJ play that changed my life. In fact I started DJing Dance Music before I attended my first “Rave” in 2001. I just wanted to play the music I was listening to. Much like when I joined my first band as a bassist in 1995. The goal was learning to play, and then perform the music we were listening to.

I wouldn’t say anything pushed me to start producing dance music.

When the band broke up in 1999, I needed a way to continue making music. As I sold my drum kit just before that I needed to find a program that I could use to lay down drum tracks. The program I found was Rebirth. Realizing I couldn’t record guitar or bass into Rebirth I found a computer program called Reason, which allowed me to re-create every instrument in the band. It wasn’t long after that I became more interested in the loop-based sequencing and Heavy Metal went on the backburner. I quickly realized that I was making a sound familiar to me, which I listened to back in the early ‘90s… Dance Music. As a result, I started searching out new tracks and put the creative process on hold. I took early influences from BK, Tony DeVit, Fergie, Tiesto, etc. and started DJing Hard House music in 2000.

Creating the music I was playing was naturally the next step for me, and the way that I’ve been doing things musically all my life. In 2008 I picked up an updated copy of Reason and started to fool around with making music again. As someone from the Canadian Prairies where there are many miles between Winnipeg and any major Dance Music market I quickly learned that DJing here will only get you so far if you want to make it somewhere in the global EDM scene. A good friend DJ Preach told me, you need to produce music and you need to constantly be releasing material to stay relevant in today’s market.  So in 2009, I took that advice to heart and have been focused heavily on producing dance music since then. I have now seen my first release “Never Again” land on Canadian label 4PlayTrax in 2010, and since then have had remixes and original tracks on 4PlayTrax, UNT! and forthcoming on 4PlayTrax, UNT! & 7StarsMusic based out of Amsterdam.

Do you feel that those influences have changed over the years?

Yes absolutely. In fact, I think it needs to. As a musician or artist in general your influences change all the time because you are always drawing from different sources. A good example is the more successful you become as a musician, the more you might travel. The more you travel, the more you experience and as such you will tend to draw from those new experiences. But it was traveling that allowed you to gain those new experiences.

How would you describe your sound?

When it comes to DJing, I believe in taking the listener on a journey. As with any journey that isn’t boring, like driving through the prairies, you are likely to experiences a change of scenery. The trees come and go, you drive up a hill, and then down a hill. You’re never constantly going in one direction. It’s these natural elements of life and travel that I like to inject into my sound. I believe in Peaks and Valley’s, so I think my bio sums it up best when it says, “driving yet laid back, full yet minimalist”. As a producer, I draw inspiration from the things around me and that can change the “sound” of what I’m making at the time. I think one thing you can always expect from my sound, is good drums.

Do you remember what it was like for you the first time you played out? Which party was it, and how long ago?

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 2001 and I was playing an event called Neon Nights at then U4ia Nightclub, which was an all local DJ talent event. My brother got me the gig because he was a good friend with the Resident DJ who hosted the night. I was the first DJ up on stage, and I was shaking like a twig. I wasn’t familiar with the mixer, so someone instructed me how to use this particular mixer. It truly was an awful design, but the error I was about to make was no ones fault but mine. I was set to go, and had my first vinyl playing. I got the second one on and cued it up. Got it beat matched and started to bring the track in. This is where it started to go all wrong. I still had my headphones on so I could beat match the tracks, so what I failed to hear was that on the main system the track I was bringing in was not playing out there. I slowly faded out the first track and upon taking it completely out I realized I couldn’t feel the sound anymore. I took my headphones off, looked up at the resident DJ in the booth who was controlling the sound and gave him the “what the hell are you doing” look. He shook his head as to indicate he had no idea what happened. There was a good few seconds of dead air and in the time that felt like an eternity, I had a good look at the mixer closely and realized I had the cross fader all the way to one side. Probably the most embarrassing moment as a DJ I have ever had. From then on though the set was fantastic and those who were there to experience my first time out absolutely loved it.

How do you feel you’ve grown since then?

Back then I was playing UK Hard House and as many things have changed in my life since then, the genre I was playing changed with me. I moved out of my parents house, went to the dark side of the party scene and made it back alive, I had a daughter, bought a house, got married, and have traveled a bit, so I definitely feel as though I’ve grown quite a bit since then. Both in sound and mind.

Are there any current producers, songwriters and/or artists that you are currently using for inspiration?

I would have to say that I draw a huge inspiration from DJ Fergie, known to many now due to his very successful Excentric Muzik imprint. He was a Hard House DJ at his peak and left it all behind to go back and rediscover what the music meant to him. He came back stronger then ever with a new sound and once again is a very successful DJ and Music Producer. I use this as inspiration, because in a way I’m currently going through something similar where I have built up the Khemlab alias in Canada over the last 10 years. I knew it was never a big name internationally so when I decided I wanted to become completely focused on producing and moving my sound internationally, I felt I needed to reinvent myself in a way as well. I felt the name was due for a change, and although my website name still bares the Khemlab imprint, I am currently building the name John Norman internationally through my production material.

Can you describe your current studio?

Currently at the heart of my production studio I have a Mac Mini with 8GB of ram running Ableton and Reason. Connected to it I have an M-Audio Axiom 25 and via firewire an M-Audio Profire 610 providing the sound to a pair of Mackie HR824 Monitors. I have 2 microphones for Voice capture; my Rode NT1-A and a Shure SM58. I also use my iPhone as part of my studio to capture random spur of the moment field recordings. Finally all my music is backed up 3 times, once on my Mac itself, then manually and through Time Machine on my Dual Drive WD MyBook World Edition. For the music playing bit I have 2 Technics SL1200s, Alan&heath Xone 92 Mixer with a crappy Denon D4000 Tray CD players. It’s nothing fancy, and definitely not pretty, but it does the trick.

How did you begin producing your radio show “Original Language” Global Session? 

I started producing my radio show when I was asked to do a Guest Mix for DJ Preach’s Transatlantic radio show. I repacked the set as a mix cd which I handed out at a couple out of town events I played and called it “Original Language”. From there I went on to produce the show under the name “Original Language” Global Session which is first exclusive to any radio stations worldwide, and then released at the end of the month on my site and as well on iTunes as a podcast.
You’re currently living in London, England. Do you feel that living ‘across the pond’ has influenced your sound? If so, how?

I’m not sure that it has influenced it a lot so far, but I know that travel as a whole for me has a huge influence on my sound. So I imagine over time the things I experience here will make their way into my overall sound. Many good things have happened to me musically after traveling. I wrote my first release “Never Again” after returning home from a trip to Mutek Festival in Montreal, Canada and I wrote a forthcoming release called “London Town” within weeks of arriving here in London. I expect more creativity to come rolling out after my winter trip to Marseille in the south of France this year.

Have you played any shows in England yet? If not, do you plan to?

No, unfortunately I have not played any shows in England yet however I do plan to. I’ve spent my first bit of time here in London focusing on productions. I’m currently finishing up 2 remixes and I just finished wrapping up the forthcoming release “London Town” coming in December on 7StarsMusic out of Amsterdam.

Have you noticed any differences between ‘the scene’ in London and Winnipeg? (types of venues, age of crowds, styles of music and/or production)

Dance Music rules some of the biggest and smallest clubs on the weekend here in London. Events take place in proper Night Clubs, Warehouses, even converted Car Parks, to little shoeboxes you couldn’t fit 60 people into. The clubs open doors at 11pm, they don’t close until 6am, and drinks are still served right up till then. When that’s all over if you are still up for it, you can go to the afterclub that’s open from 4am-9am sometimes even noon. The clubs are full of people from all age ranges and the music is some of the freshest you’ve heard. That’s a direct result of the artists and their friends living in this huge market and having access to higher profile label promo pools. There are also many tracks that are tested on crowd here that you may never hear again because it didn’t work out as expected for the artists. Overall the experience is like none other and you’re never left without a place to go.

Are there any must-see shows that you plan to attend while living abroad?

My first order of business was hitting a little club called Lightbox, which featured Fergie, who I wanted to bring to Winnipeg when I was promoting shows but could never convince my partners. He did not disappoint one bit!.

Up next was Ministry of Sound for the first time ever. I went with my cousin who has never been to Ministry of Sound either; in fact it was his first to a Dance Music event. We had it no other way, signing up for a night with Marco V, Markus Schulz, Richard Durand, John Askew, Manuel de La Mare and more.

A week and a bit later saw my wife and I visit the Ewer Street Warehouse which is a Car Park by day and converted Nightclub by Night for the Drumcode 15 year birthday party with Alan Fitzpatrick, Paul Ritch, Adam Beyer, Joe Mull, Ida Engberg, Joeseph Capriati and more! Wow… what an insane night that was!

And some must-see shows still to come include is Plastikman v1.5 (Richie Hawtin) for my birthday in December at the Brixton Academy. And in March 2012 we’ve booked our tickets for the CLR London 2012 Warehouse party with Chris Liebing and special guests.

How do you feel that your time spent living abroad will allow you to contribute to the music scene in Winnipeg when you return?

I’m getting to experience amazing clubs and parties here in London and elsewhere. My time spent living here will provide me the ability to experience first hand how many things are run. I’m sure it will have been very inspiring and given me a lot of ideas to hopefully set in motion once returning to Winnipeg.

Can you recommend any up-and-coming artists that you’ve heard in London to your fans back home?

Most of the nights I’ve gone to so far have featured already well established artists, so I can’t really make any suggestions at this point. However, I can suggest two artists whom I have been following recently and have been putting out solid material. You can expect to hear a lot of their stuff on future OLGS shows. These guys are ThreeSixty – ThreeSixtyUK.net and Dirty Harris – dirtyharris.net.

by Alyson Shane