Tag: Toronto

Introducing… Brenda

On September 29, 2017

Brenda

Frightened of clowns? If so, you might want to view this video from Brenda, for their song “Children,” with a companion. At first glance, it’s an innocent home movie by artist Sarah Ann Watson, filmed at an annual church service in East London to honor Joseph Grimaldi, the father of modern clowing. However, when paired with the song, this friendly gathering takes on more sinister undertones, and as it builds, the viewer is half-expecting this inoccuous scene to turn into some sort of B-grade slasher film. Which it never does, or at least, not that we know about.

On the surface, the song is about friendships, but it’s also about people losing their childlike innocence. It examines the idea of wanting to escape from reality and “run away to a place where it seems as if time doesn’t exist and age doesn’t matter” (such as the circus, perhaps?). As Brenda explains further, it’s a song “about manipulation and the inevitability of growing up.”

Musically, the song starts out childlike, with sweet little girl vocals, which then morphs into something twisted and demented, accompanied by heavy guitar riffs and driving percussion. It goes on to veer dangerously back and forth, creating a stimulating aural experience with a vaguely unsettled feeling. Think of it as psychedelic garage rock with a neurological disorder. It’s captivating, while at the same time unnerving. Much like the vision of people past their prime in white face, round red noses and floppy clown shoes.

Based in Toronto, Brenda has been part of the city’s punk scene since 2015. “Children” is from their upcoming aptly titled EP Creeper, to be released later this year.

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Introducing… Midnight Vesta

By julie

On May 27, 2017

In Indie Music

MidnightVesta

In Midnight Vesta’s “Second Chances,” a song from their latest album Seconds, they consider the possibility of reincarnation — a chance to come back for a “do-over” to correct the mistakes made in a previous lifetime. Or at the very least, can one be given the opportunity to make amends in a failed relationship — to heal, renew and recapture the original magic? It’s a serious contemplation set to a pretty pop song with the gentle sensitivity of a picked acoustic guitar, soft percussion and slightly wistful, inquisitive vocals that builds into a lushly instrumented pop song with buckets of tantalizing guitars.

The accompanying video is precious. Our protagonist, reimagined as a young boy, powers through his day at his warehouse job, dreaming of his girl. As he successfully completes his tasks, from sweeping the floor to wrapping boxes to counting pallets, we’re left to wonder if, having been reawakened and “reborn” as it were (quite literally, in this particular case), he could rekindle an extinguished flame.

It is a happy ending, as our working class hero returns home, all grown up, to find his love waiting for him. So sweet.

Midnight Vesta, based in Toronto, has transitioned from a banjo-based folk band to a guitar-loving quartet, yet still maintains that homey, personal feel. The thematic focus of Seconds is on transition. “Life is about managing the twists and turns that you encounter day-to-day. The date of birth, the date of death, and the “dash” in between: the loss of loved ones, failed relationships, and the prospect of new ones.”

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Introducing… Jono Josh

By julie

On October 11, 2016

In Indie Music

Jono Josh

It’s a confusing exercise, trying to find one’s place in the world and a sense a purpose. All the distractions that take us farther from ourselves, to the point where we have to fight our way back. Jono Josh understands this type of yearning, and it’s what inspired his song “Birds” from his Outside EP, being released this month.

“Birds do not need the world to be explained. But I do.”– Birds

As sung by a cast of friends, “Birds” becomes everyone’s story — a shared experience of one’s search for identity and meaning in a world that can often feel overwhelming and incomprehensible. This yearning is beautifully expressed — when not with raw honesty, with a searing guitar solo.

Musically and emotionally influenced by the time spent with his mother in Canada’s Juno award winning Toronto Mass Choir, Juno Josh sings with an old soul gravitas, infusing his soulful, gospel tinged music with pain, joy and a lot of heart. His musical heroes include Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, Son Lux, James Blake and Amy Winehouse, and his mission is to “paint a picture of truth for people to connect to.” In addition to his personal songwriting and heart-tugging vocals, he is also a choreographer and dancer.

As a choreographer, Jono Josh has worked with artists such as Jesse Labelle, manifest and Kirk Franklin, and he choreographed a piece to raise awareness for the problems in Haiti, which aired on Canada’s CBC in 2015. He has performed with a diverse collection of artists including Aleesia, Sean Desmond, Toronto Mass choir, Marianas Trench, Psy and many more. It’s now time for him to step into his own spotlight.

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He describes his musical upbringing and explains the meaning of “Birds” —

“I grew up in a family where everything seemed easy. I didn’t know otherwise. It wasn’t until I grew up that my realized how hard my parents worked to put food on the table when I was little. We were always singing and dancing, no matter what happened that’s just what we did. My brothers and I would break dance and my mom would sing to us. Music was our way of pushing through the storm… my song ‘Birds’ is about that —

“When I wrote ‘Birds’ I was looking for answers to questions that I felt most people ask. Looking for an identity, purpose, self-reliance. At times when I asked these tough questions it felt overwhelming but I realized that the only way I would find the answers was if I kept asking and looking. I hope that ‘Birds’ at the very least opens a dialogue about finding resonance in a world of dissonance.” — Jono Josh

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Introducing… Grounders (and their video for “Secret Friend”)

By julie

On June 8, 2015

In Indie Music

photo by Laura-Lynn Petrick

If you’d like to have some interesting dreams this evening, consider this curious and rather psychedelic new video from Toronto-based Grounders for their song “Secret Friend.” What begins with a pleasant dip in a pool located in outer space morphs into an important telephone call in a hallway full of doors, a marimba ensemble, a parade of bicycles led by a circus elephant, disappearing cheerleaders, a man without a head directing pedestrian traffic, a man with a growing and shrinking head in that mildly disturbing hallway full of doors (seriously, I’ve had dreams like that), which then dissolves into kissing couples and telemarketers, a baseball game and synchronized swimmers, people dancing and working out and walking all over the place. There’s also a presentation of many different repeating patterns and shapes, any of which would make very nice holiday wrapping paper. This is a track from their self-titled debut album, just released on Nevado Records.

Grounders will be performing in Montreal on June 11, at the NXNE Music Festival in Toronto on June 18 and in Chicago on June 20, in addition to other dates that includes Rifflandia in Victoria, B.C. in September. See their full schedule for details.

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