There was a band not mentioned in our post about Dusted at Windsor's Phog Lounge on Oct. 4. Not because we forgot about them. We just enjoyed The Walkervilles so much we thought they deserved their own five minutes of fame on N2DS2W.
Anyone familiar with Windsor's music scene knows the members of The Walkervilles: Pat Robitaille, and Mike Hargreaves and Stefan Cvetkovic of Michou (Stefan has another alter-ego, Efan and His Island Surfers). But we weren't sure what to expect. Were they a barbershop trio or as brief mentions hinted, a Motown cover band?
The answer is neither. Although they reach across the river for some inspiration and vibe, these artists are more than derivative. This is one of those felicitous occasions when the pieces all come together and good notes happen. The Walkervilles are having fun, and it sounds like it.
We hate writing these posts. Another sickening story of musicians having their equipment stolen. This is sad and disturbing as these are the tools that people use to earn their living. This time it was Windsor's Michou.
From the band's Facebook page today:
"Last night we had the unfortunate luck of having our car broken into and gear stolen. We had some gear in the trunk that was not visible from the outside. We have reason to believe someone has been watching us come and go with gear and has been planning the sting for some time. Please share this post and keep an eye out for the following gear. Attached are the serial numbers. We've made a police report and every pawn shop has to check serial numbers with the police before putting an item to sell. To get this gear back in the next week is critical. These pieces are our livelihood. Thanks for your help."
Currents in a river can run stronger than the surface suggests, until you wade in and find yourself going for a ride. Fans of Victoria, B.C.'s Current Swell have been flowing along to the band's eclectic rootsy rock music for more than five years. Now, after winning the top prize of $100,500 last week in Vancouver's PEAK Performance Project and with a month-old album that reached #1 on iTunes Canada singer-songwriter charts, Current Swell is poised to break the surface. And that's just swell with them.
"We're pretty stoked," said vocalist and lead guitarist Scott Stanton about winning in an interview with N2DS2W on Sat., Nov. 19. "There's an insane amount of buzz in town. I haven't stopped smiling."
That buzz hits London, for the first time ever Windsor, and Sarnia this weekend as Current Swell play back-to-back shows with Windsor's Michou (who took home Artist of the Year from the 2011 Verge Music Awards).
"We're really excited for our first Windsor show and playing with
Michou," said Stanton. "Sarnia has drawn the biggest crowd for us out
east, almost like a
hometown show. We played a smaller bar and it was packed with fans who
knew all the words to our
songs."
Stanton said fans were already singing along to songs off of the band's fourth album, Long Time Ago, at shows immediately after its release in Canada on Oct. 25 (U.S. fans will have to wait until January). "The response has been unbelievable," he said, even though despite its title, Long Time Ago is a departure from its predecessors. "In the past, we jumped all over the place as far as genres, reggae,
blues, folk rock," Stanton explained. "This one is different in that it's very cohesive. We
wrote a lot of songs, then distilled them down to five we knew had to be on the record, and then picked the rest to make it the most cohesive. We're very proud of it."
As they should be; the album is thoughtfully and beautifully crafted, with a mellow front porch-music vibe that sheds the surf-rock label frequently used to describe their earlier work. Stanton said he and songwriting partner Dave "Davers" Lang are most partial to the emotionally-charged "Brad's Song" (see video below) written in memory of a friend who passed away. "Family and friends remember a loved one who's died by looking at pictures," Stanton said. "I get to remember Brad every time I sing that song."
Veterans of Canada, U.S. and Australia tours, Current Swell has opened for Bedouin Soundclash, K-OS, K'Naan, Ron Sexsmith and even the
Beach Boys. They've played on stages at the Ottawa Bluesfest, the 2010 Olympics, Junofest and Rifflandia. Far from peaking, Stanton says "We put tons of thought into what we'd do with the money" from the Peak Performance Project. "It was simple for us. We knew we wanted to invest it back into the band and push our music around the world."
Current Swell is: Dave "Davers" Lang (guitar and vox), Scott Stanton (guitar and vox), Aaron "Ghosty" Wright (bass), Chris "Chrispy" Petersen (drums) and Dave St. Jean (percussion, trombone; not touring with the band due to other commitments). Additional tour dates: Nov. 30 @ Nicky Zee's, Fredericton, NB; Dec. 1 @ Baba's Lounge, Charlottestown, PEI; Dec. 2 @ Pavilion, Halifax, NS; Dec. 3 @ Manhattan's, Moncton, NB (all shows with Michou).
Songbird Crissi Cochrane is set to release her new EP, Pretty Alright, this Fri., Nov. 18 at FM Lounge in Windsor. Gin and tonics will be on special, Crissi will be giving away her trademark cupcakes and there will be prizes.
Pretty Alright, the six-song follow-up to 2010's Darling, Darling, was produced by Crissi and Michou frontman Mike Hargreaves and mastered by Michou bandmate Stefan Cvetkovic.
From Crissi's CBC Radio 3 artist page: "Opening with the daringly bold "I Won't Try To Break Your Heart" and flowing into warm and intimate songs, Pretty Alright proves Crissi is a dynamic vocalist - by turns vivaciously energetic and unassumingly sweet. The home-recorded EP emanates a warm, quiet confidence, making it the perfect complement to autumn and winter months."
THE VERGE MUSIC AWARDSAlbum Of The Year and Artist Of The Year finalists MICHOU
play the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight Best Live Venue in Canada - Phog Lounge
Friday Feb 4
Photo by Matt Barnes
Drawn together in 2007 by their love of music and a common vision to forge their own musical path, Mike Hargreaves (vocals), Sasha Appler (keys/trumpet), Ryan Frith (bass) and Stefan Cvetkovic (drums) formed MICHOU. Displaying a refreshingly light-hearted outlook and not taking themselves too seriously, the Windsor-bred quartet adopted the slogan “It’s Nice to Michou,” embracing a fun-loving approach to everything they do. -- The Agency Group
Former Nova Scotian and current Windsor resident Crissi Cochrane
opens, supporting her newest album "Darling, Darling."
An archive of our golden years as part of the CBC Radio 3 community and writing about, reviewing and promoting Canadian indie music in Detroit, Windsor and beyond.
