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Local Guides
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INDIE
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by Unknown Author
December 10 - 16, 2009 |
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As the holiday season approaches, and for some, it's already
arrived, the weather is getting colder, the walk from the parking
lot to the venue seems longer and you're more anxious to know
how long it'll take your car to warm up each morning. However,
brave the snow dear Canadians, and get out to see these three
fabulous acts heatin' the streets of the tricities.
BROCK ZEMAN
Busted Flat recording artist, Brock Zeman, is coming to
Cambridge December 17, and not a moment too soon. The
Carlton Place kid who “elbowed his way into the independent
scene”, released seven records and tours nearly three hundred
dates a year is finally story telling his way into the Groove
Kitchen, support by Jesse Parent. “As an independent artist you
have to work your ass off and roll with the punches. I find that
most indie bands and artists would rather complain then roll up
their sleeves and get some work done. Music is something that
has and will never be easy, if it was, everyone would be doing it,”
Zeman explains of life as a musician. Scoped out by Country Hall
of Fame-r, Keith Glass, Zeman would go on to release his first
four records with Glass acting as producer, his fifth being
released on Kitchener's Busted Flat label. “Work, work,
work.....don't get frustrated. Every gig is a good one, every song
serves its purpose and if you believe in what you do there's a spot
for you to do it,” he advises. Armed with a truck-load of well-
crafted songs, Zeman is your every day hero, taking the stage
dressed as he is, playing what he knows and telling it like it is. “I
think people like seeing something that's believable on stage, I
could be wrong though. We don't just around or dress up or
anything, we play the songs that I write, have some laughs and
step off. People who take
themselves too seriously on stage tend to turn me off a little.”
Zeman's record is a compliant task of music you're familiar with,
an opportunity to regale a memory or two with your best friend
and a chance to bust at the seams with his fresh take on light
humour that peppers his most outrageous lyrics. (Be sure to
request, “Killer In The Corn”). And now that he's decided to head
back our way to our fair trifecta of towns with a stop at
Cambridge's Groove Kitchen, get online and check him out.
myspace.com/brock_zeman
CANARY MINE
Canary Mine takes flight again at the Boathouse, this time
Saturday December 12 with a matinée show sure to get your mojo
pumped for where ever the rest of the day takes you. The
Toronto-based, sans-genre quartet comprised of James Lanbro
(Acoustic Guitar, Vocals), Carl Welch (Drums, Vocals), Mim Adams
(Keyboards, Vocals) and Joe Arnup (Bass) have seen success with
the sold-out copies of their first five releases, forcing them to
quietly release the hits of each record on a compilation called
“Beginnings”. And now back in the studio prepping for their sixth
studio effort, “Between a Rock and a Heart Break”, Canary Mine
are taking a break from recording to stop an host a show at the
Boathouse, a familiar stage for the working musicians. With over
four hours of original recordings and another four chalked full of
covers, Canary Mine is a band with an incredible roster of show-
stopping music making. Between the catchy hooks, their smart
lyrics and lacing the mix with a twist of hilariousnesses that they
channel in their live performances, Canary Mine is a icon staple in
the indie scene, one that fans and young independent artists
continually look up to. Says Lanbro, “We are in it for the love, with
our goal being mostly to break even and make fun happen.” Now
as they prepare to host a slew of charity dates around the festival
season, you can catch all of their Christmas extravaganza music
online at myspace.com/canarymine. And since they are constantly
gigging and touring, having made it out West again, marking their
fourth trek to the left of the country, make sure to mark this
Saturday's date on your calendar. “When it is fun, it's a
extraordinarily fun. It is all about the noise that comes out of the
PA for 2 hours a night.” December 12th at the Boathouse.
SAM NABI
Life-long songwriter with a debut on the stage in 2007, Sam Nabi
is set to release his sophomore record, “Chance of Rain” as a
follow-up to his self-titled release. A message laced into each of
his finely crafted tales as an acoustic roots musician, Nabi's 2009
effort “marks a shift away from introspective questions about
faith and life and love into a more socially and politically
conscious collection of songs that are meant to move you. I want
to make social change with my music, and I hope that everyone
listening gets knocked off their chairs and onto their feet.” With a
delicate voice remnant of an early Ben Harper, the Sam Roberts
and Tegan & Sara influenced Nabi creates more than a haven of
well-written tunes. He transforms you into his atmosphere, and
before you've realized it, you've been listening for over an hour.
And that's the magic Nabi creates – ready to drop “Chance of
Rain” Friday December 11 at Kitchener's The Boathouse in Victoria
Park. “There are a great variety of bands and artists in the K-W
area, suited to all musical tastes. In Whitby, where I'm from, every
second indie band is a guitar/bass/drum metal band formed by
angry highschoolers who care more about the volume than the
quality of their noise. So, in that regard, K-W has an infinitely
better music scene. The wealth of great venues and the fact that
there are so many open mic opportunities are huge incentives for
emerging artists and bands to get out there and get stage
experience. I actually looked up all the open mics in the tri-cities
one day, and I found that I could go to an open mic at a different
venue every night of the week, if I wanted to.” Supported by
fellow local indie acts, Off Victoria and Long Range Hustle, Nabi is
planning a show to awaken the senses and invite people into a
world where the music runs deep but the message deeper. “When
someone compliments me on my performance after a show, it's
usually about two things: my voice or my lyrics. I consider myself
a songwriter first, and a musician second. But the presentation of
my art is terribly important to me. I want to make the audience
feel how I was feeling at the time I wrote the song. I'm not a
stellar guitar player, but I suppose I have a way of being genuine
with my words, and that hits home for a lot of people. There's a
message in every song I play; even a tune as fun and carefree as
"Ode to a Security Camera" talks about social exclusion and the
walls we inadvertently build up to shut out the unfamiliar
elements of our lives. When I'm performing, I'm telling a story.
And it's my hope that you lie awake at night thinking about what
that story means to you.” Nabi explains. So get online and check
him out, myspace.com/samnabi and once your done falling in
love, check December 11th on your calendar. You're not going to
want to be anywhere else.
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