Canadian Musician magazine showcases unsigned Canadian acts in our Showcase section. We publish this section online to help further promote Canadian artists.
John Allaire sure tosses in a load of instruments on this rootsy recording, Ghosts Of The Royal Motel, which gives it a little more pizzazz than most – vibraphone, organ, sax, pedal steel, banjo, cello, viola – but it’s not overpowering. The 12-song collection is perfect barroom cool. He’s got one of those rough ‘n’ tumble voices that lures you in right with the opener, “Angels,†a lyric about everyday angels that features a verse by prominent guest vocalist Amanda Rheaume. A great storyteller, Allaire has some standout lines in “Bourbon.†It’s a shame the lyrics aren’t included in the liner notes. Strange a song so enjoyable is about a suicidal guy with nothing to live for except the woman who pours his bourbon. More warped humour pops up in the boogie-piano lament “Keep The Rhythm,†complete with effective pauses and a chuckle at the end. The singer-songwriter did time in the ’80s and ’90s in a band called The Town Cryers and in 2003 released his solo debut, Crime And Punishment. In 2005, he linked up with a backing band, the Campistas, and put out Thank You Waitress, which received chart-topping play at many campus radio stations and even got some attention in Europe. To date, the self-funded album has sold about 1700 copies. Ghosts Of The Royal Motel should easily do the same.
Who: David Ace Dean Where: Montreal What: ace Contact: Kim Clarke Champniss at , www.davidacedean.com.
John Sakamoto of the Toronto Star and well-regarded Anti-Hit List wrote of this young artist: “Imagine Beck circa Sea Change crossed with Depeche mode circa Precious,†and few could put it any better. This 22-year-old recorded his self-titled debut album with Byron Wong, the one-time member of My Brilliant Beast, and went on to produce numerous David Usher albums. David Ace Dean’s album has been four years in the making, written in Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Dean sings and plays guitar, bass, keys, and “machines.†Wong handles piano, machines, scratches and noise, and there are a few guest musicians. Strangely, but perhaps showing what era Dean’s head is in, the album is divided into sides one and two, like a vinyl recording. The first half kicks off with the poetic rap “Only Child,†the more Beck-like spoken vocal, and is followed by the altogether different “Centuremetry,†more Depeche Mode-y with its ping-pong beat and Dave Gahan singing style, just not as dark. Another great cut is “Great Expectations,†a slow, sombre piano number, underscored by synthesized orchestra. The second half seems less finished, and the songs don’t pull you in the way the first half does. Still, by then, you’re hooked on D.A.D.
The debut album from Lonely Hunters is comically titled The Chaste Are Chased, and how very true that is. Perhaps they should change their name to Virgin Hunters, unless they’re the ones being chased? Enough silly musing, the Calgary-based four-piece is headed by vocalist/guitarist Gareth Williams (from Winnipeg’s The Horribly Awfuls) and rounded out by Laurie Fuhr (vocals, bass), Ben Rayner (drums) and Tynan Groves (guitar). The album was made by just Williams and Fuhr “with help from†an assortment of friends/colleagues before Groves and Rayner joined. Recorded by Ryan McVeigh at Winnipeg’s Face Value Studios, The Chaste Are Chased is “rough around the edges†as Lonely Hunters’ bio states, with an early-’90s lo-fi pop feel. Williams handles lead vocals, which are rather rough, while the diametrically opposed Fuhr, with her sweet, thin voice makes a stark contrast (like LEN’s Constanza siblings). They have some quirky lyrics in their quirky pop songs, such as “For True,†which begins “Hold my head while I sick on your shoe,†and “Dirty Tricks,†which mentions the word “syphilis†(maybe that’s where the chaste business comes from?). The band is part of Grumpy Cloud Records, an artist-run collective of Winnipeg natives now scattered throughout Canada, and including the bands Cone Five, The Consumer Goods, and The Haste.