After postponing our initial January plans, Exclaim!'s Class of 2022 concert series launched last weekend with two searing sets at Toronto's Monarch Tavern. The emerging artist showcases continue at the Monarch with two shows this week: a night of psychedelic rock on Thursday, February 10, and some industrial synth-punk on Friday, February 11.
Before the shows, get to know this week's performers, and give them a spin on the Class of 2022 Spotify playlist.
February 10
Zoon
After a decade of moving around from city to city and project to project, Daniel Monkman appears to be settling down — sort of. Bleached Wavves, the 2020 debut album as Zoon, blew up due to its hypnotic mix of My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze and Ojibwe philosophy, landing on the 2021 Polaris Music Prize short list and prompting Monkman to move from Hamilton to Toronto. As a member of the Class of 2022, Monkman is excited to "connect with other musicians who are part of the Toronto music scene. I often feel like an outsider because of how much I move around, but I've decided to settle down in Toronto and can't wait to see more live shows." And though they've found a new home base, they're not slowing down: they are releasing the debut album by OMBIIGIZI (Monkman's project with Status/Non-Status's Adam Sturgeon) later this month and are hard at work on Zoon's sophomore album.
The John Denver Airport Conspiracy
Tired of the perils of our modern reality? So are the John Denver Airport Conspiracy. The band harken back to the days of rock 'n' roll excess with their immersive psych arrangements (check out those flutes on "But We're Not Expecting It To"), cheeky humour (like their song titled "Jeff Bezos Actually Works for Me") and prolific output. A recent jolt of inspiration yielded not just their 16-track, 52-minute debut album Something's Gotta Give !, but also its impending follow-up. Says the band's Cameron Brown, "We've been putting our heads down continuing to make new music whether it's good or not — putting it on the chopping block later on."
boy wonder
Someone once said that boy wonder sounded like "The Beach Boys on acid," but, according to project mastermind Ryan Faist, "I've never done acid and I can't really sing, soooo?" No matter Faist's intentions, his garage rock project filters squeaky-clean pop-rock hooks through disco grooves and country-fried vocals, as heard on 2021 album Kinda Blue Too. These days, Faist is watching documentaries on "extreme climbers," working on a TV show about "celebrity dreams," and developing boy wonder's next album — perhaps crossword enthusiasts can help decipher its title, as all he provided was _i__b___ S__________e. Says Faist, "I'm excited to make it in my apartment because at last no one lives below me. Can I wish in 2022? If so, I wish to go on tour, so if any of y'all agents are reading..."
For more information on the February 10 show, check out the Facebook event and Showclix ticket purchase link.
February 11
Pleasure Craft
The aptly titled Walls, Mirrors and Windows — the third-person character-study debut LP from Sam Lewis's Pleasure Craft, due next month — follows a three-act narrative arc, varying dramatically in style but undergirded by the common elements of industrial synthesizers and dark moods. Never lacking in energy, the high-intensity songs balance the multi-instrumentalist's low, gravelly tenor on the album, which he slowly chipped away at over the course of the pandemic in between taking a lot of walks. "I'm excited to reconnect with all the people I used to see at shows around the city," says Lewis.
Castle Frank
In the works since before the pandemic, Max Berge's forthcoming debut album as Castle Frank reflects on his experiences as a new Toronto transplant (via BC) in hopeful, lovelorn dream pop. He took a deep dive into mixing and production during lockdown, as well as starting therapy, which he credits with giving him the tools to deal with the uncertainty of these times — including the absence of community connection by and through music. "There's a focus of energy that we all create together at shows," explains Berge. "It's kind of magical."
OLGA
OLGA's cynical party music is a hodgepodge of techno and disco that oozes equal parts sex and death. Conceived, refined, recorded and released during — and as a product of — the pandemic, Class of 2022 will mark the first live outing for Nic Waterman's latest project. "I'm bursting at the seams to actualize the performance element, which will tie the whole endeavour together," says Waterman, adding, "As long as I don't bomb." Given his history as a fixture in the local scene, including playing in garage-psych outfit Vypers, that seems highly unlikely.
For more information on the February 11 show, check out the Facebook event and Showclix ticket purchase link.
Before the shows, get to know this week's performers, and give them a spin on the Class of 2022 Spotify playlist.
February 10
Zoon
After a decade of moving around from city to city and project to project, Daniel Monkman appears to be settling down — sort of. Bleached Wavves, the 2020 debut album as Zoon, blew up due to its hypnotic mix of My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze and Ojibwe philosophy, landing on the 2021 Polaris Music Prize short list and prompting Monkman to move from Hamilton to Toronto. As a member of the Class of 2022, Monkman is excited to "connect with other musicians who are part of the Toronto music scene. I often feel like an outsider because of how much I move around, but I've decided to settle down in Toronto and can't wait to see more live shows." And though they've found a new home base, they're not slowing down: they are releasing the debut album by OMBIIGIZI (Monkman's project with Status/Non-Status's Adam Sturgeon) later this month and are hard at work on Zoon's sophomore album.
The John Denver Airport Conspiracy
Tired of the perils of our modern reality? So are the John Denver Airport Conspiracy. The band harken back to the days of rock 'n' roll excess with their immersive psych arrangements (check out those flutes on "But We're Not Expecting It To"), cheeky humour (like their song titled "Jeff Bezos Actually Works for Me") and prolific output. A recent jolt of inspiration yielded not just their 16-track, 52-minute debut album Something's Gotta Give !, but also its impending follow-up. Says the band's Cameron Brown, "We've been putting our heads down continuing to make new music whether it's good or not — putting it on the chopping block later on."
boy wonder
Someone once said that boy wonder sounded like "The Beach Boys on acid," but, according to project mastermind Ryan Faist, "I've never done acid and I can't really sing, soooo?" No matter Faist's intentions, his garage rock project filters squeaky-clean pop-rock hooks through disco grooves and country-fried vocals, as heard on 2021 album Kinda Blue Too. These days, Faist is watching documentaries on "extreme climbers," working on a TV show about "celebrity dreams," and developing boy wonder's next album — perhaps crossword enthusiasts can help decipher its title, as all he provided was _i__b___ S__________e. Says Faist, "I'm excited to make it in my apartment because at last no one lives below me. Can I wish in 2022? If so, I wish to go on tour, so if any of y'all agents are reading..."
For more information on the February 10 show, check out the Facebook event and Showclix ticket purchase link.
February 11
Pleasure Craft
The aptly titled Walls, Mirrors and Windows — the third-person character-study debut LP from Sam Lewis's Pleasure Craft, due next month — follows a three-act narrative arc, varying dramatically in style but undergirded by the common elements of industrial synthesizers and dark moods. Never lacking in energy, the high-intensity songs balance the multi-instrumentalist's low, gravelly tenor on the album, which he slowly chipped away at over the course of the pandemic in between taking a lot of walks. "I'm excited to reconnect with all the people I used to see at shows around the city," says Lewis.
Castle Frank
In the works since before the pandemic, Max Berge's forthcoming debut album as Castle Frank reflects on his experiences as a new Toronto transplant (via BC) in hopeful, lovelorn dream pop. He took a deep dive into mixing and production during lockdown, as well as starting therapy, which he credits with giving him the tools to deal with the uncertainty of these times — including the absence of community connection by and through music. "There's a focus of energy that we all create together at shows," explains Berge. "It's kind of magical."
OLGA
OLGA's cynical party music is a hodgepodge of techno and disco that oozes equal parts sex and death. Conceived, refined, recorded and released during — and as a product of — the pandemic, Class of 2022 will mark the first live outing for Nic Waterman's latest project. "I'm bursting at the seams to actualize the performance element, which will tie the whole endeavour together," says Waterman, adding, "As long as I don't bomb." Given his history as a fixture in the local scene, including playing in garage-psych outfit Vypers, that seems highly unlikely.
For more information on the February 11 show, check out the Facebook event and Showclix ticket purchase link.