The Yukon Blonde

This trio of musicians from Kelowna, BC moved to Vancouver last year to write their new album. The change of scenery and the life changes that came along with the move to BC's big center have really shaken things up for these three rockers. The Yukon Blonde are Jeff Innes (Guitar, Vocals), Brandon Scott (Guitar, Vocals) and Graham Jones (Drums, Vocals). The sound they are crafting is a mix of harmonies, poetic lyrics and tight, rocking instrumentation. At first listen, they sound like a mix of Fleet Foxes, The Shins, and Oasis. In this golden age of indie rock, this seems to be a recipe for guaranteed success. Their vocal harmonies come quite close to those of the foxes and their songs definitely have catchy beats and memorable guitar hooks. The lyrics are focused and upbeat with a touch of sunday afternoon melancholy that touches everyone in Vancouver on a rainy spring day in that gorgeous city.

Their first full album (the self titled Yukon Blonde) just came out here in Canada in February and the boys have been out on the road since then. Tour plans are being formulated for a massive Canada wide tour as well as forays south to America over the next year. This album is quite good for a debut record. I first heard of them when I was over at my mum's house listening to the new Vancouver rock radio station The Shore (104.3fm). They played the song 'Wind Blows' and I was instantly caught by how I thought their sound was reminiscent of CSNY or the Byrds crossed with a more updated, indie rock sound. The comparison to the Shins is easily audible when you check out their stuff. Stand out tracks for me on this record are 'Loyal Man' (which I think is the most classic rock sounding track and has an awesome chorus is quite catchy) and 'Wind Blows', which is fantastic and has vocal harmonies that seek to rival the Fleet Foxes. Perhaps my overall fave track on the album is 'Babies don't like Blue any more'. It is a totally rocking track that hits you with a nostalgia rock feeling in a similar way to how the music of Sam Roberts gets you grooving. It is a rocking track and the instrumentation is fun and tightly put together. Included for your listening pleasure is the album! check their stuff out, I think this is going to be a new addition to the blog. We are adding playlists for every article so I can share more music because that is what this is all about really. Sorry I have been absent this last week I have been quite under the weather. I am back with a vengeance now though so look out for a ton more articles coming soon!
-Tosho



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#17 Sabbath meets Floyd in Black Mountain

Vancouver BC is quickly becoming the kind of place for music that San Francisco was famous for in the late 60's. Obviously not in the same vein, but in terms of the amount of talent then sure. One of the cities biggest acts lately is Black Mountain. Formed in 2004, they are just a part of the Black Mountain Army, a group artistic collective of mostly musicians, from Vancouver's East end. Most of Black Mountain participate in a number of other band's as well including: Pink Mountaintops, The Black Halo's, Jerk With A Bomb, and more then a half dozen other projects. Black Mountain itself consists of Stephen McBean (guitar, vocals), Amber Webber (vocals), Matt Camirand (bass), Jeremy Schmidt (keyboards) and Joshua Wells (drums). For the majority of their career, most of the band have also worked day jobs at the outreach center 'Insite' in East Van. When asked about their involvement with Insite, the band replied that they wanted to continue the work they were doing there to help people with drug addiction and mental illness and that working there also keeps them grounded as they begin to become more famous.

The music that comes out of Black mountain is all shades of blue and black. Metal intertwines perfectly with Blues and Psychedelic Rock like ingredients in some complex potion being stirred up by magicians on a hilltop during a thunderstorm. At times their sound can be very experimental. At others, it ranges somewhere between progressive rock, Blues Rock and Metal. Amber Webber's vocals sound like a darker, more mystical version of Grace Slick and her vocals perfectly coexist with those of Stephen McBean's. The Rhythm section are hard and thunderous with just the right amount of funk on tracks like 'Druganaut' and are reminiscent of the back bone of Led Zeppelin created by John Paul Jones and John Bonham. The guitar work in Black Mountain done by Stephen McBean is phenomenal and influences can be felt in his work from all over music. He seems just as adept in more slow, folk rock tunes like 'Stay Free' as he is in harder edge tracks like 'No Satisfaction' which sounds a bit like a cross between the Rolling Stones and the Velvet Underground with McBean masterfully channeling Lou Reed's murky vocal tone.

Their music doesn't really lend itself to singles or hit tracks but the albums themselves are solid gold for those times when you want to throw on a record and hear a complete piece of work. I actually enjoy that they make records for people who enjoy records, not just crafting an album around one track they hope to score big with a flashy music video. This is a tight five piece band and I was very pleasantly surprised when they proved just as talented live as they do on record. I saw them live at the Pemberton Festival in 2008 and while the set seemed a little rushed, they managed to perform 'In The Future' almost in its entirety. Songs like “Stormy High” and “Angels” were definitely the highlights of that set for me as McBean and crew rocked the side stage better then almost every other act to hit that stage during the course of the festival.


The Facts:
-In 2005, the band opened for Coldplay on their Twisted Logic Tour for three weeks.
-The band has really started taking off after the media exposure they got for 'Stay Free' appearing on the Spider Man 3 soundtrack.
-During a show in Oklahoma City in 2005, the band realized the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne was in the crowd. Impressed by what he saw, Coyne invited the band to crash at his house. "In the morning, we looked outside, and Wayne had all these bubble machines going," says Amber Webber, "He gave us one, and we used it on tour."


Fave Album:

My fave album so far is 'In The Future' (2008). This album breaks free from industry patterns and restraint with every track. Critic Adam Moerder commented, “The eight-minute ‘Tyrants,’ sounds like a Middle Earth baptism by fire.” "In The Future also features the Pink Floyd homage “Wild Wind". This record is another fine example of what I would call a 'Rainy day album'. One of the many shining moments on the album comes in the form of “Evil Ways,”a very fun jazzy song that is one of my faves of the album. I highly recommend this record it is another great example of the fantastic talent we have in BC these days.




Dig this video of 'Set Us Free' and see what is so awesome about Black Mountain.

#6 Canada's House Band, The Tragically Hip

In Canada we pride ourselves on our distinctiveness and our unique identity in regards to the rest of this world. Canada has Maple Syrup, Tuques, Kraft Dinner, Canadian Beer, and the Tragically Hip.

Growing up in Canada over the last twenty years, you tend to develop a soft spot for these five small town boys from Kingston, Ontario. If Canada was like its joking stereotype with one small city and the rest of the country just open land and scattered farms and igloo's, then when all of us Canadians gathered each Friday night in downtown Canada to have some fun at the bar drinking our Canuck beer, The Tragically Hip would be the house band that would take the stage in between periods of the Hockey game.

Getting their name from the 1981 movie 'Elephant Parts' starring Michael Nesmith (of the Monkies), 'The Hip' as they are more affectionatley referred to, all attended the same high school together but didn't officially form the band until 1983. The band got their start touring the demanding southern Ontario club circuit and became a favourite on this scene very quickly playing mostly cover tunes with a few originals thrown in that sounded like covers. They consist of: Gordon Downie (lead vocals and guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar and vocals), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass guitar and vocals), and Johnny Fay (drums). Gordon Downie supplies the fantastic lyrics that have made The Hip legendary across Canada.

The songs they have created speak of what it is to be Canadian, with influences from Canadian folk legends, historical moments, hockey, and almost every other aspect of our culture. Downie's writing of such myths and stories about life in small town Canada have helped build that image that is known from Vancouver to St. Johns. We all feel like the Hip are 'Our Band' in a way. The music of the Hip is very distinctively Canadian, which may be a reason why they have never really seemed to catch on south of the border, but is also the reason that Canadians have stood by them for so long. We can all see ourselves in it. They are singing about Our culture and they are doing it with intelligence and eloquence with an introspective feel that we can all appreciate.

The Hip soon became known for their energetic and often very improvisational live performances. Downie often strays from the song lyrics to rant to the audience or wander off into fictitious monologues and lunatic conversations about the microphone stand or the crowd itself as if the whole audience were a friend or lover or child. His maddening fits that sometimes include hacking and bashing the microphone stand to pieces are perfectly contrasted by the fact that the band keeps up with him and anticipates his apparent lunacy without missing the beat for a second and then merging back into the song perfectly with him down the line. A live Hip show is really something to see. You can see the visible stress making him sweat buckets and turn his face a fiery red as if he were about to explode from the power of the music. Rob Baker shreds that guitar with fiery intensity, seldom smiling, and completely focussed on his instrument. The man is a real pro, it's really impressive how his guitar licks are so integral to the songs but not up front taking away from the other instrumentation. The fact that they have known each other since childhood is easily visible on stage, and the audience can clearly see that these 5 guys love playing music together, which is really cool after almost 30 years together and counting. Their latest album released in April of '09 entitled 'We Are The Same' debuted at #1 on the Canadian Music charts. I hope we continue to see and hear the Hip for a long time to come because when it gets right down to it, when your having a few beers at the bar watching the hockey game, you gotta have some hip thrown in to top off the night.

The Facts:

-They also hold the record for most number one albums on the Canadian Albums Chart with a total of eight reaching the pole position.
-Over 14 Juno Awards between 1990 and 2009
-Twelve Studio Albums and a Live Album since 1987
-Fantastic party music, goes great with beer.

My Fave Album:

While I have to admit I really dig most of their discography, one album definitely stands out for me. 'Phantom Power' released in 1998, is a totally dynamite album. From start to finish it blends that fantastic canadian party rock sound with softer folk songs rich with imagery. The whole thing feels like a really complete piece of music, not just a bunch of tracks thrown together for marketing purposes or contractual obligations. It won the Juno for best rock album and it's single 'Bobcaygeon' won single of the year. It is in my opinion one of their greatest works to date. Songs like 'Something On' and 'Poets' are catchy and have a great beat as well as fantastic pieces of writing from Downie. The band recorded the song 'Something On' while stuck in the studio during the infamous ice storm of 1998 that brought havoc to much of North-Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and the North-Eastern United States. This had an effect on the lyrical creation within the song, such as:
:"Outside there's hectic action
The ice is covering the trees
And one of em's interconnecting,
With my Chevrolet Caprice."

'Bocaygeon', the single that won them the Juno that year, is a terrific song about love in small town Canada and the choices that we have to sometimes make in our lives. It is beautiful lyrically, and has simple yet wonderfully rich melodies that make it one of the most famous and best-loved songs the band has recorded.