Monthly Archives: November 2009

Said The Whale – Monday, Nov. 9th at the Habitat

SAID THE WHALE – ISLANDS DISAPPEAR
It wasn’t too long ago that Said The Whale treated some lucky media, industry, and friends to a private boat cruise on a 68-foot antique yacht to preview their album Islands Disappear.  They made the trip around English Bay with Camilo (the magician in which the first single is named after), and while this party was a small one, this release has been anything but. 

Following the October 13th release Islands Disappear quickly climbed the itunes charts hitting #1 on the alternative chart and #5 on the album chart all in the span of two days.  Said The Whale were nominated for a Verge Artist of the Year award for the second year in a row, landed on the cover of The Georgia Straight, were invited to play the Edge 102.1 studios, and received a plug from George Stroumboulopoulos himself on The Hour.  Album copies are quickly selling off the shelves in record stores across the country, and the media is all over them.

“There isn’t a bad song in this bunch. Said The Whale have gone and made a career-defining album much sooner, I’d say, than anyone expected them to.” – CHARTattack

“Camilo (The Magician) is probably the jam of the year when it comes to Canadian indie rock” – HeroHill

On top of all of this , the video for the ‘Camilo (The Magician) was recently released and basically it’s so cute it hurts.  Directed by Adam Christl and produced by 3:AM Design, for your viewing pleasure you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar0bmGshhTs

For music + more info: www.saidthewhale.com  
More good stuff here: www.myspace.com/saidthewhale 

We Are The City – The Habitat, Nov. 7th

We Are The City with special guests Aidan Knight and Language Arts
$10 in advance/$12 at the door (+1.50 tx & sc) Buy your tickets for this show here
Doors at 7pm, show at 9 pm

With a studio date looming close, Kelowna, BC’s We Are The City realized they were going to need some financial support to raise enough money to record an album.  They launched a donation page with four different packages and through the online assistance of their loyal fans were able to raise enough money to put toward album costs.  Released in May earlier this year In A Quiet World has won the band new fans, great reviews, and given those donations a true sense of existence. 

Now set to tour Canada, We Are The City is a three piece progressive indie rock act featuring three young composers.  Cayne McKenzie (vocals, keys), David Menzel (guitar), and Andy Huculiak (drums) paint out a sincere and beautiful interpretation of life; exploring evocative sounds and storytelling.  Cayne has been classically trained in piano for eight years and playing for twelve, and David and Andy are both self-taught musicians.

“The arrangements are bold and emphatic as well as imaginative. You get the feeling that Kelowna was actually a greenhouse for the development of the music, allowing the band to find its focus.” – The Province

Having shared stages with outfits including Mother Mother, Said The Whale, and Winter Gloves, We Are The City were recently selected as a finalist for the Peak Performance Project.  As a best bet for CMW 2009 by The National Post, they’ve also been a featured artist with CBC Radio 3.  Listening to their instrumentation and orchestral arrangements you will readily discover their potential for greatness is simply palpable. 

“Extremely diligent blends of post-rock indie-pop bliss…Taking cues from foreigners like Sigur Rós and Múm, and blending them with organic Americana rock spirit (Wilco, the Shins) just might be the perfect combination to reinvent the wheel, and quite possibly the answer to this country’s stale revolving door of young talent.” – Clash Music

Prairie Cat at The Streaming Cafe – Nov. 7th

Prairie Cat celebrates the release of It Began/Ended with Sparks 
on November 07 at The Streaming Cafe 



(Kelowna, BC) -  Prairie Cat celebrates the release of It Began/Ended with Sparks (Fuzzy Logic Recordings) on November 07 at The Streaming Cafe. 

Vancouver indie-music scene heavy-hitter Cary Pratt, aka Prairie Cat, has pulled up his sleeves and stepped up the production on his second full-length, It Began/Ended with Sparks. A follow up to the sweet bedroom pop debut of Attacks!, Sparks is fuller, more diverse collection of songs. The album is sprinkled with booming orchestral instrumentation, while maintaining the fun, lightheartedness of Prairie Cat’s piano pop.

Conceptually, It Began/Ended with Sparks refers to Pratt’s last two years. Following a girlfriend to relocate on the other side of the country, Pratt’s heart was soon scorched in the aftermath of a fire. He lost a love and his most of his belongings, including recording equipment and the initial tracking for this album.

Broke and essentially homeless, Pratt quickly returned to his hometown of Kelowna, BC, where he worked long hours to make enough money to replace his gear. When he finally had a functioning recording set-up in place, Pratt buckled down and tried to re-produce his original tracks while pouring his heart and experiences into his new compositions.

While arranging the songs on It Began/Ended with Sparks, Pratt, a trained drummer, focused on rhythmic variation. This input makes for a dynamic compilation of songs, some jazzy (“Get Off”), others proggy (“Meanest Genius”), classic pop songs (“Just Cuz”), or a schmaltzy cabaret number (“Sun Away”). While recording Sparks, Pratt played keys and drums while inviting the talents of Montag (Antoine Bedard) for string and Moog duties, Ryan Dahle and Bend Sinister’s Dan Moxin on guitar, Jon Rae Fletcher’s Denver Rawson and Hidden Camera’s Shaun Brodie on horns.