Manchild Secret Broadcast and a smattering of other October shows
As students across the city purge their brains of all the sludgy buildup of summer partying and begin to settle into the routine of accumulating knowledge the wild fist-pumping bands of summer turn to more carefully considered brain-stimulating sounds piquing the intellect as well as plucking the heartstrings. The dark art-rock experimentation of Manchild is one such sound that will confound audiences this month and according to the band if the music doesn’t leave you a little puzzled they’re not doing it right.
“I’m bored of music that doesn’t confuse me at first to be completely honest” singer-guitarist Patrick Anthony explains. “I can’t listen to ‘sexy’ indie rock anymore. As I get older I get more interested in tones as opposed to songs.”
Featuring members of the long-defunct psych-pop project Pressure Kill Common Style as well as local multi-genre beat alchemist DJ Noah York the four-piece bonded this summer over the members’ fascination with the idea of playing with sounds and textures and raw experimentation within a rock context. They mention German Krautrock weirdoes Faust and Canadian lo-fi legends Eric’s Trip as touchstones.
“I think something we all relate to is the familiarity and obsession with the actual idea of sound instead of music” says York reinforcing Anthony’s comment. “I think we can tend to be obsessive about it in our personal lives but there’s a kind of freedom from that obsessing about it when we play together.”
Catch Manchild on Wednesday October 7 with Vancouver’s Minto at the Ship & Anchor.
One of last year’s X92.9 Xposure contest winners Secret Broadcast will be pounding out its pulsating pop epics at Broken City on Friday October 2 for more than just a few hoots and hollers. Stand for the Dead is aiming to use the energy of a few talented local bands to help raise awareness of the genocide conflict in Darfur as well as raise a few funds for the Doctor’s Without Borders program. Calm Asa Coma and Adam Power will also be featured that night.
Also on October 2 Artschool Skateboards will host an evening of art and acoustic performances by some fiery local talent in conjunction with Artlife gallery on First St. S.W. Reuben Bullock the winner of the Calgary Folk Music Festival’s music video competition will lead the pack with the singer-songwriter stylings of Denis Lebel and Ian Kilburn in tow.
To perfectly complement the buzzing blend of lo-fi murk-pop Friendo will celebrate the release of its new album on glorious analogue cassette tape at Broken City on Wednesday October 7. The four-piece featuring members of Women Puberty and Beija Flor will also be celebrating the launch of their Canadian tour which will take them as far as Montreal over the next two weeks.
On the more syrupy side of things Sandy Barron’s punchy pop balladry as Thighs will warm The Marquee Room on Saturday October 24 with Eric Hamelin’s freak-jazz project No More Shapes to throw a layer of skronk over Thighs’ thick warm tones. The night will also serve as the release of Thighs’ first CD following a small pressing of a cassette single this past summer. Fans of Wilco East Coast Canadian pop or Big Star would do well to investigate.
Finally Vern’s Tavern has the fullest October of awesome rock and metal band names that have ever graced the paragraphs of this fine column. Throughout the month bands such as Pretending to be Trees Bloated Pig Thrashomatic Bathing in Sanity The Profits of Doom Swiss Contradiction Brian Mason and the Arrivals and Pure Bad will be punishing audiences with aural wizardry. I can’t tell you how badly hearing those names makes me want to check out that action down at Vern’s. Visit myspace.com/vernstavern for more details.
