Sunleadsme Magazine

I first heard Half Moon Run’s 21 Gun Salute and the intensely dramatic beginning to that song with lead vocals by Devon Portielje on the CBC at a live show, just a couple of months ago. It was meditative even ambient – and I was entranced –instantly inspired – including other songs like Full Circle.Although I had not heard of them before, I felt it was a new mission of mine to share the gift of music with my family (including my preschool age children on some certain tracks (Call me in the afternoon even by one by one [x2 ]is sung around the hosue like a Christmas Carol substituting some words in for the obvious) and all my friends and social network so they too could enjoy this gift. That being said there was something sacred in hearing them for the first time. It was so different yet modern but there was a comfort in it that seemed to be missing in most modern music, and not felt by me personally, since artists like Bob Dylan, and Ballads from Simon & Garfunkel, I was introduced to in my youth.
That same day after discovering and enjoying the first album on iTunes (Dark Eyes Released June 2013) My musical journey with HMR led me to discover the second album which coincidentally was released that same day!
Sun Leads Me, Released Oct 23, 2015
It was a groovier sound and a more uplifting album than the first. It assisted in my creativity and put me in a greater mindset, having just emerged from the writing depths, after 10 years and creating again myself personally.
In researching the journey of the band, from recording in the desert (Texas) to California (For some seaside inspiration, leading up to the Second Album, and living in a dome shaped Oceanside house fit just right for a inspirational surf all day and late night magic sessions ) To experimenting in Europe in what appears to be a bit of a Rave Scene – road testing songs like Trust - it all lines up triumphantly.
I was lucky enough to experience this live set of troubadours on Dec 7th, 2015 at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria BC to a sold out show where some fans paid 9 x the door price just to get in. After staying late and meeting the eclectic mix of supporters, including a High School French Teacher and his wife who also thought their sound was as transcendent and made the journey to support them from up Island (Where most of the band hails from in Comox), to the sprawl of young woman who clearly were there for the "act" to the Lead Vocalist Devon Portielje who you could say in my excitement of après show and with my slight nerves "When a sip of gin saved an hour of speech - Nerve " I didn’t quite get the interview I thought I would - instead Briefly – you could say I found speaking with Devon clearly exhaustive from his end.
This band tours and plays almost nightly I would have asked him who "stole his Sunny Day" – but I could tell he was wiped. I asked him if the band would emerge on the Island again soon (Returning to play Rifflandia in 2016 like in 2014 but he didn’t commit to that.)
I spoke to his interests and would he get a chance to Surf the Jordan River on his visit to the Island but he said they only had 8 hours in the city and then off to Vancouver for the next nights sold out show at the Imperial.
This Band works hard – you forget sometimes when you haven’t seen an emerging act for awhile ( My last show was UB40 in the summer at the Commodore in Vancouver ) that to really put yourself forward you have to put in the hours (years ) on Tour (They actually toured Dark Eyes for three years !)
Just the fact that the Lead from the opening act for that nights show (Nick
Vallee from Folly & The Hunter) was assisting behind the counter at the merchandise booth after a long night and travel… well that’s a team of working mans bands.
More on the Music, there is huge variety in sounds on the current album, Sun Leads me – with the gritty Narrow Margins - There is a hint of Flamingo music that quickly folds into a somewhat Hip Hop beat – the sound not found anywhere else on the album, speaks like a story its very cool and soulful. It wasn’t played in the show, as I had anticipated – it’s a story of sorts that sounds very introspective.
Highlighting the further talents of Connor Molander (Harmonica being my favorite) one can find a cover done of the modern, Chvrches –The Mother we Share on the BBC Radio 1 (01/2014) then found again in the finale to the current live show touring with the Cover to Bob Dylan’s , Shall be released – seeing it live is spectacular - it was clever and mirrored the original art but with a tang of HMR.
There are confessional tones and a little sadness on both albums – and stories of what appears to be glimpse into the world of addiction – Music is a challenging business for anyone who has had this in their lives – this band however appears to live clean and is into a very healthy lifestyle from surfing to organic gardening mentioned to me by a family friend at the show about Issac’s Symonds (Mandolin extraordinaire and haunting vocalist) wishes for at organic landscaping book for Christmas.
I have heard Dylan Philips (Drummer – who has a great timing and a soulful sound as a professionally trained pianist – and always rocks the keyboard) said in other interviews that in terms of personal struggles that they have had the music guide them as a group – I noticed words formed around the struggle with being saved and loss of faith - perhaps even a loss of hope there – I hope they will continue to explore some further element of faith and that this translates to even more extraordinary music from this talented group, I am proud to call Canadian and will continue to share as their talents that will be sure to surprise us with further gifts in the future.
I clicked the you tube link on HMR’s website and watched some videos they had favored and found: TORA : and now I feel like the gifts just keep giving.
In the next feature story coming in January 2016:
　
Artist Profile: Half Moon Run
Singer Devon Portielje on vocals, guitar and percussion;
Conner Molander on vocals, guitar and keyboard;
Dylan Phillips on vocals, drums and keyboard;
Isaac Symonds on vocals, percussions, mandolin, keyboard and guitar.

Sunleadsme

CAPITOL TO CAPITOL Travel review tie in

Family event the Blues School and all Family photos

FOO FIGHTERS NIGHT 1 JULY 10

1. All My Life

2. Learn to Fly

3. The Pretender

4. The Sky Is a Neighborhood

5. Rope

6. Drum Solo

7. Sunday Rain

8. My Hero

9. These Days

10. Walk

11. Blues Jam / Another One Bites the Dust

12. The Dee Da

13. Imagine / Jump / Blitzkrieg Bop

14. Under Pressure (Queen cover)

15. Monkey Wrench

16. Run

17. Breakout

18. Dirty Water

19. Best of You

20. Still:

21. You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette cover) (Dave and Taylor with a brief… more )

22. Big Me

23. Times Like These

24. Everlong

Foo Fighters rock Bluesfest
Concert review

Foo Fighters, Greta Van Fleet

City Stage, RBC Ottawa Bluesfest

The Foo Fighters have a response for the pundits who keep saying rock is in danger of extinction, certain to be taken over by country music or forced to the backburner by hiphop and R&B.

The Foos’ stance on the issue was obvious on Tuesday as the band demonstrated its vitality with a loud and thrilling knockout punch of a rock concert in front of a sold-out crowd at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest.

“Hey, I know we’re at a bluesfest right now,” hollered singer-guitarist Dave Grohl, who was dripping with sweat by the second song, “but I came here to play some rock ‘n’ roll. You want some rock ‘n’ roll?”

The crowd roared its approval, and off he went with his bandmates, careening through a marathon, close-to-three-hour show that bristled with intensity at every turn. The Grammy-winning U.S. rockers blasted out of the gates going full-tilt on All My Life, hitting top gear in a fraction of a second and barely letting up on the gas, except to banter with fans and introduce the band.

Blowing a kiss to fans, the 49-year-old Grohl promised to play at least one song from each of their nine albums. He was clearly having a great time dashing across the stage, wielding his sky-blue guitar and screaming into the microphone, possibly even more fun than the fans packed onto the LeBreton Flats plaza. A diverse crowd ranging from grizzled rockers to young punks pumped their fists and sang along.

The pace was intense through Learn To Fly and The Pretender, two of the Foos’ most popular and radio-friendly singles, and they kept it up for The Sky is a Neighbourhood, one of the tracks from the latest album, Concrete and Gold. Later on came another flurry of singles, including Monkey Wrench, Breakout and Best Of You, plus a version of a newer tune, Dirty Water, that featured Grohl’s daughter, Violet, helping out with the vocals.

The concert also featured a wicked display of guitar dexterity by lead guitarist Chris Shiflett, which morphed into some blues for the occasion. “I don’t think we’ve ever played a blues song,” declared Grohl. “Let’s play a blues song.”

Somewhere in the middle was an entertaining medley that included an inventive keyboard mashup of the Beatles and Van Halen, as well as snippets of Queen, the Ramones and more.

RELATED
Fans don’t have to battle long Bluesfest lineups to get in to see Foo Fighters
The barrage of melodic hard rock was interrupted for some of the obligatory rituals of a rock concert, including, of course, a drum solo. In one interesting aside, drummer Taylor Hawkins referred to his time touring the world with Ottawa native Alanis Morissette. That’s when he first met Grohl, he said, giving props to the city of Ottawa and Alanis for the opportunity that led to his long career with the Foos.

Alanis came up again when Grohl returned to the stage for an encore, teasing an Alanis tune and reminiscing about the time he and Miss Thang had the same pigtail hairstyle in separate, mid-90s music videos. In honour of the “serendiptious hairdo” memory, he played that old-school Foos’ song, Big Me, before ripping through Times Like these and Everlong.

Grohl was well aware that it had been a decade since the band last performed in Ottawa. It was long enough that anticipation was at a fever pitch for their Bluesfest debut, which was also one of the rare occasions the festival has declared a sellout in advance. Organizers opened the gates ahead of schedule to accommodate the throngs, although they should have had more personnel serving beer, too.

The main-stage opener, by the way, provided further proof of the positive state of rock music. Michigan’s Greta Van Fleet consists of the three Kiszka brothers, with a friend, Danny Wagner, on drums. In their ’60s-inspired outfits of fringes, feathers and bellbottoms, the baby-faced crew played with the passion of Led Zeppelin and The Who combined, their energy focused on a curly haired singer, Josh Kiszka, whose searing voice rose to Robert Plant-like heights. It was a great match for the Foo Fighters, solidifying the case that rock is most definitely not dead.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com

DMB BluesFest 2018

1. So Much to Say

2. That Girl Is You

3. One Sweet World

4. Don't Drink the Water

5. What Would You Say

6. Again and Again

7. Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel cover)

8. Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)

9. Jimi Thing

10. You Might Die Trying

11. Can't Stop

12. Crash Into Me

13. Warehouse

14. Why I Am

15. Ants Marching

16. Encore:

17. Do You Remember

18. Pantala Naga Pampa

19. Rapunzel

RBC Ottawa Bluesfest
Wednesday
Dave Matthews Band
Still cooling off from the fire and fury of the Foo Fighters the night before, Bluesfest returned to its lazy, hazy summer ways Wednesday with the Dave Matthews Band taking over the tie-dyed festival grounds.

The venerable Virginia-based jam-band made their long-awaited festival debut — their local contingent of loyal fans petitioned Bluesfest for years to offer DMB an invitation — with an epic set of groovy jams showcasing each bandmate’s supreme musicianship.

It’s been awhile since the band played the capital. Their mammoth tours once made the old Corel Centre a regular stop during their late-90s hey-day, and local music-lovers still talk about their 1996 club show at a packed Barrymore’s.

Matthews and Co. made up for the extended absence (their last show here was in 2002), with a two-and-a-half hour set stacked with crowd-pleasing favourites from an extensive repertoire.

“It’s been a long time, we’re very, very grateful,” the affable Matthews said by way of introduction. “I love visiting this very civilized country to the north of the one I call home. So much so, on occasion I’ve wondered about moving up here.

But while other heavyweights may have fallen behind the times, DMB not only survived the era, they keep their fans under a spell by creating more of the same magic on their studio efforts as they do in their live performances.

Their latest, and ninth studio album Come Tomorrow, peaked at number one after its release in June, proving again the band’s staying power and crossover appeal.

Part of that has always been due to Matthew’s front man charm, on full display at centre stage as the band started up the new tune That Girl is You from the latest record, Matthews strumming his ever-present acoustic, his falsetto soaring above the bed of percussion and stinging guitar lines.

And Matthews has always surrounded himself with the finest of players to support his songwriting, the band’s membership now swelled to a seven-piece after the departure of founding member and violinist Boyd Tinsley.

Tinsley’s flashy presence was missed most dearly on set pieces like Jimi Thing and Ants Marching, where in place of his usual flame-thrower fiddling, the band had trumpeter Rashawn Ross and sax-man Jeff Coffin trading licks with keyboardist Buddy Strong and longtime Matthews collaborator Tim Reynolds on electric guitar.

But the star of the show for many in the crowd was the powerhouse drumming of Carter Beauford, navigating an enormous kit and weaving intricate splashes of cymbals and percussion, or pounding out a furious double-kick beat.

The interplay between Beauford and Matthews was near-telepathic on the vintage One Sweet World, from a collection of their earliest recordings released back in 1993.

Matthews snarling voice was only amplified by Beauford’s thunderous beat on Don’t Drink the Water, and they continued to play off each other’s intersecting rhythms on the funky What Would You Say, from their 1994 smash Under the Table and Dreaming, now serving as a launching pad for Coffin and his searing sax.

The band touched on its entire catalogue, with hits Crash Into Me and fan-favourite Ants Marching mixed with road-tested tunes from their new album.

Again and Again and Samurai Cop were among the best of the new batch, served up before breaking into a midset highlight with a ripping cover of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer.

There are few who can take on such a daunting tune, but DMB shot it into the stratosphere. And they were just getting warmed up.

Bluesfest continues with festival favourites Blue Rodeo Thursday.

ahelmer@postmedia.com

Blue Rodeo / The Lynnes

But after Shaggy pulled out and Blue Rodeo stepped in, it meant the hip hop crew became the warm-up act for Canada’s beloved country-rock stalwarts, which was something of a head scratcher for everyone involved.

Leave it to Bluesfest to come up with one of the most unlikely pop-music pairings conceivable, although credit goes to both acts for making it work. After all, both rose to popularity in the ’90s, and it seems they share a certain, slim demographic of fans.

For Blue Rodeo, it was their 12th concert at the festival since 2001, and all the elements fell into place for yet another enjoyable night. The weather was beautiful, the sound was terrific, and the crowd was a manageable size.

Co-singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy greeted folks like old friends: “So nice to be back at Bluesfest,” he said, getting into the spirit of the night. “Don’t worry we’ll keep the hip hop going up here.”

Well, not exactly. Blue Rodeo followed their usual roots-rock groove, but kept it upbeat and played with a swagger, almost like there was something to prove.

And maybe there was.

After a hearing problem experienced by co-frontman Greg Keelor caused some uncertainty in the Blue Rodeo camp this year, the band may be feeling the need to flex their musical muscle on this string of summer dates.

Whatever the reason, they played remarkably well, and it was reassuring to see the full lineup operate at peak capacity, cranking out shapely arrangements of the familiar songs that so many Canadians have grown up with.

The oft-requested ballad Five Days in May was a starting point that drew everyone together, the lush version decorated by the guitar work of Colin Cripps. The old nugget, Diamond Mine, was extended with an intense and trippy keyboard interlude by keyboardist Michael Boguski, who also provided an accordion flourish to Bad Timing.

Young Jimmy Bowskill, who’s a part-time member of the band when he’s not busy with Sheepdogs gigs, added a range of textures to the songs, too, contributing mandolin, violin and pedal steel to the proceedings.

The contrasting, honey-and-grit voices of Cuddy and Keelor were strong and true, and they had some assistance from Ottawa singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, who made a surprise appearance singing backup vocals on Try and Lost Together in the encore, joined by a chorus of thousands in the audience.

Earlier in the evening, the New Jersey hip hop trio Naughty By Nature delivered a show that was designed to please a wide audience, kicking it off with a soft-rock singalong and a show of respect for elders born in the 1960s.

It was an easily digestible beginning for an audience that looked to be mostly Blue Rodeo fans seeing Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee for the first time. All three performers worked hard to build a party atmosphere. Shots of liquor were consumed and single ladies were encouraged to disrobe in the 25th-anniversary hiphop celebration.

Highlights included the old-school hits O.P.P. and Hip Hop Hooray, the beats getting heavier as the show progressed. References to Tupac, the Humpty Dance, Marty McFly, and A Tribe Called Quest were tossed out along the way, a series of pop-culture tidbits that helped ease the transition between American hiphop and Cancon campfire tunes.

BECK

1. Devils Haircut

2. Loser

3. Mixed Bizness

4. Qué Onda Güero

5. Wow

6. Colors

7. l'm So Free

8. Go It Alone

9. Lost Cause

10. Debra

11. Raspberry Beret(Prince cover)

12. Blue Moon

13. Dreams

14. Girl

(Kanye West's 'Power' snippet)

15. Up All Night

16. E-Pro

17. Encore:

18. Where It's At

19. Good Times / Miss You / Cars / Once in a Lifetime / In the Air Tonight

20. One Foot in the Grave

21. Where It's At

(Reprise)

Beck came to party Friday night, the L.A. troubadour delivering a dynamic performance touching on every phase of his eclectic career as a horde of fans turned Bluesfest’s sun-baked lawn into a giant dance party.

His crack eight-piece band striking a pose along the laser-lit stage, with the flashing neon grid backdrop looking as if it was lifted from Tron, Beck stood centre-stage with his guitar held aloft as the thunderous opening riff of Devil’s Haircut came crashing down around him.

“How ya doing Ottawa?” Beck shouted over the teeming spectators, all raising their hands to the heavens as the unmistakable slide guitar hook of Loser washed over them.

The catchy chorus, ultra-funky beat and stream-of-consciousness lyrics somehow still sounded as fresh and distinct in the flesh Friday as it did when it first soared across the radio waves back in 1994.

“Thank you so much for welcoming us and embracing us,” the just-turned 48-year-old Beck told the boisterous crowd on his Ottawa debut.

· “I’m in the mood for something soulful, a little bit moving. Something to take it a little bit higher.”

GALLERY:

PHOTO GALLERY: BLUESFEST ON FRIDAY NIGHT (JULY 13, 2018)

· Beck on the City Stage for a Friday night performance during RBC Ottawa Bluesfest continues on...

· Sturgill Simpson and his band perform on the City Stage of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday...

· Sturgill Simpson band members Miles Miller on drums, and Chuck Bartels on bass guitar, perform...

· Sturgill Simpson and his band perform on the City Stage on Friday evening. Wayne...

· JW-Jones performs on the City Stage on Friday. Wayne Cuddington/Postmedia WAYNE...

· A close-up view of the guitar of JW-Jones during his Friday evening performance at RBC Ottawa...

· JW-Jones performs on the City Stage on Friday evening. Wayne Cuddington/Postmedia WAYNE...

· Cassidy Taylor performs in the Barney Danson Theatre during RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday...

· Cassidy Taylor performs in the Barney Danson Theatre of the Canadian War Museum as part of RBC...

· Hip hop performer BLACK IRI$H on the Black Sheep Stage on Friday evening. Wayne...

· Fans of hip hop performer BLACK IRI$H cheer him on at the Black Sheep Stage on Friday evening....

· Megan Kardos, 19, is all sparkled up for a night at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday. Wayne...

· The performer BLACK IRI$H joins with fans at the Black Sheep Stage of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on...

· Beck performs on the City Stage during RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday night. Wayne...

· Beck on the City Stage of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday night. Wayne Cuddington/Postmedia

· Beck on the City Stage for a Friday night performance during RBC Ottawa Bluesfest continues on...

· Sturgill Simpson and his band perform on the City Stage of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday...

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When the band didn’t play it hot enough for his liking, Beck took it upon himself to rev up the tempo with Mixed Bizness, the disco-infused hit single from his hard-partying Midnite Vultures album.

He instructed the crowd to “Giddy up” on the throbbing Wow, from his latest Colors, then busted out the dancey title track, which he (fairly accurately) described as “psychedelic Michael Jackson,” while pulling out his best MJ dance moves.

Always eclectic, Beck showed he had been equally adept at keeping up with his contemporaries with slickly-produced robotic beats, synth sounds and electronic bleeps and blips colouring new tunes I’m So Free, Wow and the furious Up All Night, its club-worthy pumping beat with shades of Timberlake.

He took time out to showcase the many other sides of Beck, though, gathering his band along the front of the stage for some acoustic samplings of the best of his back catalogue: the beautiful Lost Cause, rendered even more spare than the album version on Sea Change, the haunting Blue Moon, from his Grammy-winning Morning Phase, and the hilariously cheesy Debra, with Beck inserting an ad-lib vocal about driving around Ottawa listening to his favourite song on the radio and teasing a tidbit of that tune, Prince’s Raspberry Beret.

By the encore, a roaring version of Odelay smash Where It’s At, Beck had already worn each one of his influences loudly on his sleeve.

Still, in case anyone missed the clues, he cued them all up in sequence with riffs on The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever, The Stones’ Miss You, a verse of Once in a Lifetime by the Talking Heads and a rip-snorting take on the Delta blues of One Foot in the Grave from his earliest days as an anti-folk hero.

***

Sturgill Simpson and his band perform on the City Stage at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday night. Wayne Cuddington/Postmedia WAYNE CUDDINGTON / POSTMEDIA

Making a fine example of Bluesfest’s new festival format pitting two headliner-worthy acts on the main stage, early-arriving fans were treated to a scorching evening set from Sturgill Simpson.

The self-professed purveyor of Metamodern Sounds in Country Music — the title of his 2014 breakthrough album — Simpson and his band blazed through another genre-bending set, equally at ease with the earnest ballads, soul-infused heavy blues, heartland rockers and outlaw country boogie that make Simpson so difficult to define.

Opening with It Ain’t All Flowers, Simpson let loose his gritty growl and searing Telecaster licks as his lean, mean four-piece churned up a deep groove seeped in soulful Hammond organ.

The band barely took a breath cutting into The Promise, a cover of the ’80s new wave hit given the twangy Nashville treatment. Simpson said only a quick hello before that tune broke into the thick funk intro of Some Days from his self-funded, self-released 2013 debut High Top Mountain, with Simpson showing off his hot electric guitar licks and wearing influences of Highwaymen Waylon and Willie on his sleeve.

The band — drummer Miles Miller, bassist Chuck Bartels and Bobby Emmett on keys — had barely broken a sweat by the time they shifted seamlessly into Turtles All the Way Down, the thick blues riffage and chunky beat of Keep It Between the Lines, and the rippling waves of Breakers Roar, from his Grammy-winning 2016 album A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.

His cover of ’60s Stax soul hit You Don’t Miss Your Water, later featured on The Byrds’ essential Sweetheart of the Rodeo album, was further proof both of Simpson’s cross-genre appeal and his defiance of any convenient category the music industry may try to apply.

ahelmer@postmedia.com

Beck has been promising since 2014 that his latest (then next) album Colors would feature "high-energy songs, designed for live shows," and boy if he didn't deliver on that promise. Tracks like "Wow" (which was accompanied some ridiculously psychedelic visuals) and title track "Colors" were downright uproarious.

But those were only offered mid-set. He began his Toronto show with a slew of classics from his earlier albums, immediately whipping the crowd into a nostalgic frenzy. First on the list was "Devil's Haircut" from his 1996 record Odelay. It was an opener that not many expected, but one that was most definitely appreciated. He then followed it with his breakout single "Loser," which then ran into "The New Pollution."

Up to this point Beck was still guitar-less, simply jumping around donned in one of his trademark hats. This was fairly short-lived though, as he cracked out his acoustic for "Mixed Bizness." From there on in his set was a perfect blend of intimacy and hype. To accomplish this, Beck could have easily ran through a mix of his latest album, and his previous, award-winning record Morning Phase, but that wasn't to be case — this was a show packed with oldies and goldies. Surprisingly a lot of the highlights came from his divisive 2005 album Guero. "Go It Alone," "Earthquake Weather," and "E-Pro" proved to be some of the best tracks of the night.

His covers of other artists' songs stuck out like a jazzy thumb; his slowed-down version of Prince's "Raspberry Beret" was one of most beautiful parts of the night. This was probably overshadowed, however, by perhaps the longest interlude of any live performance to date. Here, halfway through "Where It's At," Beck took some time to introduce the band and let each member bang out a 30-second jam of their choosing: the bassist treated us to a snippet of Chic's "Good Times," the keyboardist gave us a slice of "Takin' it to the Streets," by the Doobie Brothers, before the rest of the band dished out "Cars," by Gary Numan, "Once in a Lifetime," by Talking Heads, and a whirlwind of a solo by drummer Chris Coleman.

At this point it was easy to forget that they were actually in the middle of a song, and though no one wanted the funky renditions to end, "Where It's At" had to kick back in some time, and kick it did. Just before that though there was a lovely moment when the whole crowd sang happy birthday to Beck (he was turning 48 at midnight). If his birthday wish was to put on a majestically memorable show, then he must have blown the candles just right, because that's exactly what he got.

It’s not a riddle it’s a stepping stone

Although I had not heard of them before, I felt it was a new mission of mine to share the gift of music with my family (including my preschool age children on some certain tracks (Call me in the afternoon even by one by one [x2 ]is sung around the hosue like a Christmas Carol substituting some words in for the obvious) and all my friends and social network so they too could enjoy this gift. That being said there was something sacred in hearing them for the first time. It was so different yet modern but there was a comfort in it that seemed to be missing in most modern music, and not felt by me personally, since artists like Bob Dylan, and Ballads from Simon & Garfunkel, I was introduced to in my youth.

That same day after discovering and enjoying the first album on iTunes (Dark Eyes Released June 2013) My musical journey with HMR led me to discover the second album which coincidentally was released that same day!

Sun Leads Me, Released Oct 23, 2015

It was a groovier sound and a more uplifting album than the first. It assisted in my creativity and put me in a greater mindset, having just emerged from the writing depths, after 10 years and creating again myself personally.

In researching the journey of the band, from recording in the desert (Texas) to California (For some seaside inspiration, leading up to the Second Album, and living in a dome shaped Oceanside house fit just right for a inspirational surf all day and late night magic sessions ) To experimenting in Europe in what appears to be a bit of a Rave Scene – road testing songs like Trust - it all lines up triumphantly.

I was lucky enough to experience this live set of troubadours on Dec 7th, 2015 at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria BC to a sold out show where some fans paid 9 x the door price just to get in. After staying late and meeting the eclectic mix of supporters, including a High School French Teacher and his wife who also thought their sound was as transcendent and made the journey to support them from up Island (Where most of the band hails from in Comox), to the sprawl of young woman who clearly were there for the "act" to the Lead Vocalist Devon Portielje who you could say in my excitement of après show and with my slight nerves "When a sip of gin saved an hour of speech - Nerve " I didn’t quite get the interview I thought I would - instead Briefly – you could say I found speaking with Devon clearly exhaustive from his end.

This band tours and plays almost nightly I would have asked him who "stole his Sunny Day" – but I could tell he was wiped. I asked him if the band would emerge on the Island again soon (Returning to play Rifflandia in 2016 like in 2014 but he didn’t commit to that.)

I spoke to his interests and would he get a chance to Surf the Jordan River on his visit to the Island but he said they only had 8 hours in the city and then off to Vancouver for the next nights sold out show at the Imperial.

This Band works hard – you forget sometimes when you haven’t seen an emerging act for awhile ( My last show was UB40 in the summer at the Commodore in Vancouver ) that to really put yourself forward you have to put in the hours (years ) on Tour (They actually toured Dark Eyes for three years !)

Just the fact that the Lead from the opening act for that nights show (Nick
Vallee from Folly & The Hunter) was assisting behind the counter at the merchandise booth after a long night and travel… well that’s a team of working mans bands.

More on the Music, there is huge variety in sounds on the current album, Sun Leads me – with the gritty Narrow Margins - There is a hint of Flamingo music that quickly folds into a somewhat Hip Hop beat – the sound not found anywhere else on the album, speaks like a story its very cool and soulful. It wasn’t played in the show, as I had anticipated – it’s a story of sorts that sounds very introspective.

Highlighting the further talents of Connor Molander (Harmonica being my favorite) one can find a cover done of the modern, Chvrches –The Mother we Share on the BBC Radio 1 (01/2014) then found again in the finale to the current live show touring with the Cover to Bob Dylan’s , Shall be released – seeing it live is spectacular - it was clever and mirrored the original art but with a tang of HMR.

There are confessional tones and a little sadness on both albums – and stories of what appears to be glimpse into the world of addiction – Music is a challenging business for anyone who has had this in their lives – this band however appears to live clean and is into a very healthy lifestyle from surfing to organic gardening mentioned to me by a family friend at the show about Issac’s Symonds (Mandolin extraordinaire and haunting vocalist) wishes for at organic landscaping book for Christmas.

I have heard Dylan Philips (Drummer – who has a great timing and a soulful sound as a professionally trained pianist – and always rocks the keyboard) said in other interviews that in terms of personal struggles that they have had the music guide them as a group – I noticed words formed around the struggle with being saved and loss of faith - perhaps even a loss of hope there – I hope they will continue to explore some further element of faith and that this translates to even more extraordinary music from this talented group, I am proud to call Canadian and will continue to share as their talents that will be sure to surprise us with further gifts in the future.

I clicked the you tube link on HMR’s website and watched some videos they had favored and found: TORA : and now I feel like the gifts just keep giving.

In the next feature story coming in January 2016:

Artist Profile: Half Moon Run

Singer Devon Portielje on vocals, guitar and percussion;

Conner Molander on vocals, guitar and keyboard;

Dylan Phillips on vocals, drums and keyboard;

Isaac Symonds on vocals, percussions, mandolin, keyboard and guitar.

Close Talker is an indie rock trio from Saskatoon, Canada. Formally coming together in 2012, after knowing each since childhood, the band has made two beautiful full-length releases, Timber (2013), Flux (2014) , with various tours throughout North America, Europe, and the UK. We recently caught Close Talker opening for Royal Canoe. There is an electricity and familiaurity that resonated from the group among the crowd at a small night club in Victoria in early October. Matt Kopperud and I had a great conversation about the passion for staying true to your ART, life changes, and the pride of Sask music scene, and an upcoming album set for release in 2017.

CLOSE TALKER

Close Talker are Matthew Kopperud (guitar, keys and plays base with his feet , vocals,) Chris Morien (drums, vocals ), Will Quiring (Guitar, lead vocals, keys)

P.J Tinham 10.11.2016

Afterthought

SLM: I feel like our meeting today has come from Sunleadsme(s) six degrees of separation with the ARTists highlighted in 2016. Sunleadsme was launched earlier this year with an ARTicle on Half Moon Run, who toured earlier this year Aidan Knight also having opened for The Zolas ( Interviewed in our Spring issue ) in the past, and now HMR, about to go tour with Plants and Animals, who we interviewed next, and who also toured with Royal Canoe highlighted and interviewed for this issue and now Close Talker as well having just toured wih RC. I love when the ARTists are all connected like that.

M: That's really cool !

SLM: Can you tell us who makes up the band Close Talker ?

M: The band is made up of myself, Matthew Kopperud I play guitar, keys and plays base with my feet , vocals, Chris Morien (drums, vocals ) ,Will Quiring (Guitar, vocals, keys). We all play different instruments and now it's just us three.

SLM: How did you guys all come together ?

M: That's kind of an interesting story, Chris and myself grew up together we were next door neighbours and went to kindergarten together and got together and I would fill my wagon with instruments and go over in grades seven we would jam and make pretty bad but adorable music. Will we met later on, my older brother and his old sister were really good friends they both knew that we liked music so they set us up for a play date I guess and we became friends later on. Then Chris and Will played in a band later on together in high school, then Chris and I played growing up and Will and I played in church growing up, we almost kind of knew we would play in a band together but it was just a timing thing, trying to figure out the "when" was the biggest variable, then we didn't even do that right. As soon as we started our band Will and I moved to BC, while Chris lived in Saskatoon, so it's been an uphill battle even with geography. Even now Will and family live in Saskatoon while Chris and I are in BC. But we still make music, write songs and jam as often as we are able.

SLM : How did the tour with Royal Canoe come about ?

M: That was cool, we've have actually toured with them before, 2 years ago at exactly this time, it was a shock when they asked us, we thought perhaps maybe people have seen this show, you know we have become really good friends both musically and socially, and have a deep mutual respect both ways musically, and were thrilled to go back out with them again, we look up to them musically and are the sweetest guys and we all really get a long well.

SLM: How was the tour experience with them overall ?

M: It was great, they are top notch musicians, they are the type of band where you don't actually get sick of them watching them night after night, and as you know they have so much going on, on stage , you kind of notice and appreciate some different every night, one night I would watch Matt Schellenberg (Lead vocals Royal Canoe) on the keys and all the tricks he has or Brendan on the base. They recreate their album so well its so taxing and they are really fun to watch.

SLM: Your Newer track, released this year “Strange Feeling’ , 2016 this was written during the making of the record Flux , is that right?

M: Yeah, exactly it was just left off the record and we knew we wanted to release it but it was one of the songs we thought could coherently stand alone outside the album. Then we just kept touring and doing all these things and we were thinking of a logical time to put it out it's here but then we knew we just wanted to release it.

SLM: Is this a lead song to a new album coming ?

M: No this song is just on it's own and it's the last artistic expression from that era, that's where we were at musically, lyrically and sonically and then the next record. I am not sure how much I am aloud to talk about but it's supposed to be coming out soon. It's completely finished I can say that, and we are really excited about it, it is a healthy evolution in Close Talkers sound and songwriting, and I think this next record we wrote all three of us together over the course of last fall. It's a little bit more unique a little more left brain, kind of abstract and maybe some subtle influence of Royal Canoe, since we hung out so much.

SLM: The video for Strange Feeling, black and white, very classic, it is very unique journey throughout, what can you tell us about the process of making it?

M: We've done lots of videos now and we are really getting more and more into the visual representation of our music and we get really excited about it. We have worked quite a bit with a director named Nathan Bowie, out of Vancouver, and we have become good friends and so much so that we have sent him songs off our new record and we are already brainstorming some ideas. I often will have an idea and text and him, hey Nathan is this possible ? Is this doable this trippy weird thing ?" He will say I can do that, ok sweet le's roll with it. So it's really great to have someone we are so comfortable with sharing our music when it comes to drafting up a treatment it's comfortable and organic and he is very gifted visually and when we are leaning towards sounds we can gel together it's really cool.

SLM : You've said that in your sound you can be relatively complex, in the electronics for this new album ?

M: Yeah we have gone a little deeper down the rabbit hole with this one, with how we approach sounds and I think we took some more risk with how we go about our music and still flirting with some pop structures. We need to like it, but at the same time we have definately put our needs and desires first. Writing challenging music and writing music that pushes our comfort zone a little bit and we hope those that have listened to our music in the past will come along with us and not abandon us. It's not super wild , we're not dirty projectors, animal collectors.

SLM: A look back to the Album Flux, in 2014 , and the song “Heads” I read that this was an inspired song that was really about the decisions we make and that for you guys this marked a new writing style where you were all invested in the song writing. Are you all in that place where you all still contribute lyrically?

M: Totally yeah, Wil still champions the lyrics because he is the one that has to sing them every night we have all been very involved, a line here or there will be from Chris or I, Wil is still the main lyricist and we are very a part of the songs concepts and making sure that they mean something with longevity to all three of us. It’s funny because our lyrics are very meaningful, but just vague enough that you can take your own perspective and it’s not married to one specific idea, so a song could mean a something a little different to Chris than it could to me or Wil, but for the most part there are some essential scenes, about marking where we are at with Flux, it seems that we are always in a season of change between our last record and this record. Wil and myself we have beautiful wives, so we both got married !

SLM: Congratulations !

M: Thank you so much. My wife is the bees knees, and I know I can speak for Wil too. Our wives are the most beautiful and loving people, and we could not do this band without them, I want that on the record.

SLM: You would really need supportive spouses to be in the industry for sure and it probably keeps you grounded while you are on tour ?

M: Totally. Our wives keep us grounded, and sane, and healthy, (laughs) they really take care of us and we are really thankful. So with our new song writing there is definitely elements of change in our social lives and that totally oozes out musically and lyrically. The lyrics mark at this specific time, in this season, and why its unique. A narrative of life and our perspective and the lense in which we see our live through.

SLM: I read that you and Will went to school on the West Coast and ythat you're from Saskatchewan.You guys support that the Sask Music scene. What have you seen musically over the last few years evolve from the West Coast of Canada in Saskatchewan specifically that inspires the group or you personally ?

M: Saskatchewan is a really cool place artistically and in some ways it is a melting pot as we take inspiration from the West and the East, what I am most proud of Saskatchewan music there is a sense that everyone is sticking to their guns regardless of those inspirations especilally in pop music. I feel personally that music is so transparent. If there is something not genuine about if feel like the audience can smell it a mile away, and what I am really proud of Prarie music is that when it comes to influences we take things from pop music that we love but at the same time we’ll never abandon our integrity. I would argue. So many bands in Saskatoon, they don’t play by the rules, and follow a formula of what they think everyone wants to hear. There is an integrity and humilty about artistic expression in the praries, that I am so thankful for, and proud of. There is someone about people pursuing their art in Saskatchewan that is magnetic and draws you in.

SLM : I know the band has written and been inspired in Paris and Europe and you guys are heading back there at in a couple of weeks to The Let's Get Lost Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands ?

M: We are really excited to jump the pond and go there again. They asked us to play and we are looking forward to going to the UK and Germany.

SLM: Do you guys have plans to stay there and travel there perhaps record there?

M: Maybe someday, actually our last Euro tour in May, after 3 weeks and actually ended up staying I met my wife in the Mediterranean. This time it will be short but sweet. but I definitely want to take advantage of being there as there is such a rich culture and beautiful artchitecture and people.

SLM: Does close talker thrive in more of an intimate show environment like Lucky Bar in Victoria that we saw you guys at a couple of weeks ago (which was amazing ) or the Festival Experience ?

M: I would heir on the the side of maybe the more the intimate setting. We have done soft seater shows, and quite successful and I think our music is intricate enough it can be appreciated in that setting. Then we have also played pubs and bars where there is more of a high energy experience ,with people sweating, and we love that too, so I am not really sure. But I personally prefer seeing show in the more intimate setting where the music is the common denominator not the party and I think our music and compositions cater more to that element.

SLM: Who are you listening to right now other than Royal Canoe ?

M:The new Frank Ocean, Radiohead, Porches, and an Australian band, he ymon an he actually passed away a few years ago but his family and record label has since released his music.

SLM: We are really excited for your new album, hope you have fun on tour !

Check out the site closetalker.ca for a new track 'Afterthought' recently highlighted on NPR.