Summer is almost done, but that doesn't mean all the fun music festivals are over just yet. The inaugural edition of Camp Wavelength — the three-day festival featuring some fine up-and-coming artists from across North America — will be taking over the Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island from August 28 to 30. Read on to find out which performers will be playing the weekend-long festival, as well as where you can find Steam Whistle Unsigned's ongoing Canadian concert series happening in your area this fall.
LIDS
You can blame City and Colour and METZ, in part, for the lack of a full-length release from LIDS. The Canadian indie rock super group — composed of Holy Fuck's Brian Borcherdt, METZ guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins and Constantines/City and Colour drummer Doug MacGregor — first formed and started recording together in 2012, but with the success of METZ's self-titled debut for Sub Pop, which came out that same year, and Dallas Green's popular solo project, the trio's musical efforts had to be put on hold.
"It seems Alex, Doug and I, we all do this, like, relay race where we're passing the baton to one another," Borcherdt says with a laugh. "We're never in the same city at the same time."
But something changed in 2015, and after a two-and-a-half year wait, the first music from LIDS finally surfaced. "Sarsfest B/W Blank Flag," the debut single from the three-piece (released on Toronto's Telephone Explosion label in March), is a fuzzy slice of genre-blending rock'n'roll, with the electronic experimentation Borcherdt became known for in Holy Fuck (who happen to be playing Camp Wavelength) taking a backseat to distorted guitars and propulsive rhythms.
Fans of Edkins' main band may see noisy similarities between the two groups, but according to Borcherdt, the beauty of LIDS is that it allows each member to express themselves in ways that their main projects do not.
"We all get something out of our system, but it's not all the same thing," says Borcherdt. "I think it's a really interesting mode of communication, and so far it's worked out very symbiotically."
With a couple new songs already recorded, look out for more releases from LIDS in the near future, and don't forget to catch their set on Saturday, August 29 at 5 p.m.
ANAMAI
At first glance, ANAMAI — the atmospheric and nuanced side project of HSY's Anna Mayberry and David Psutka (aka Egyptrixx) — may seem like a vast sonic departure from the crushing, punishing sounds of the band Mayberry initially became known for, but according to her, they're closer in style and purpose than you'd think.
"Sound can be powerful in vastly different ways," she says, "and both projects strive to find this power, to acknowledge it, to invite people into it, to destroy it and to see what's left when it disappears."
Sallows, the debut album from ANAMAI (out now via Buzz Records), succeeds on all fronts. Recorded by Psutka and Mayberry in between their other projects (and with zero budget) at his Halocline Trance studio, the songs on Sallows oscillate between ethereal, quiet confessionals to droning, minimalist barrages of ambient texture and, as Psutka suggests, are equally as awe-inspiring in a live setting.
"The shows are glacial, and can swing from very loud to almost silent," he says. "Whenever we play now, a few people will lie down on the floor and fall asleep during the set, which is perfect."
Catch them live at Camp Wavelength on Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m.
And That's Not All…
Canadian post-rock veterans Do Make Say Think, atmospheric indie rock troupe Moon King, electro-auteur Doldrums (photo above), psych siblings Doomsquad, folk-inclined festival favourites the Wooden Sky and the Weather Station, forward-thinking sonic explorers Prince Rama, Pierre Kwenders and many more will be hopping across the Toronto harbour for the inaugural event. Check out the full lineup and find out how to get individual tickets and weekend-long passes to the fest by clicking here.
#SWUnsigned returns this September
Steam Whistle Unsigned is teaming up with professional Toronto party throwers Dudebox to bring Prince Innocence, Bizzrah and Marlon James to The Roundhouse at Steam Whistle Brewing on Sept. 25 to raise money for some good causes. Get more info on the show and other Steam Whistle Unsigned concerts by visiting unsigned/steamwhistle.ca.
LIDS
You can blame City and Colour and METZ, in part, for the lack of a full-length release from LIDS. The Canadian indie rock super group — composed of Holy Fuck's Brian Borcherdt, METZ guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins and Constantines/City and Colour drummer Doug MacGregor — first formed and started recording together in 2012, but with the success of METZ's self-titled debut for Sub Pop, which came out that same year, and Dallas Green's popular solo project, the trio's musical efforts had to be put on hold.
"It seems Alex, Doug and I, we all do this, like, relay race where we're passing the baton to one another," Borcherdt says with a laugh. "We're never in the same city at the same time."
But something changed in 2015, and after a two-and-a-half year wait, the first music from LIDS finally surfaced. "Sarsfest B/W Blank Flag," the debut single from the three-piece (released on Toronto's Telephone Explosion label in March), is a fuzzy slice of genre-blending rock'n'roll, with the electronic experimentation Borcherdt became known for in Holy Fuck (who happen to be playing Camp Wavelength) taking a backseat to distorted guitars and propulsive rhythms.
Fans of Edkins' main band may see noisy similarities between the two groups, but according to Borcherdt, the beauty of LIDS is that it allows each member to express themselves in ways that their main projects do not.
"We all get something out of our system, but it's not all the same thing," says Borcherdt. "I think it's a really interesting mode of communication, and so far it's worked out very symbiotically."
With a couple new songs already recorded, look out for more releases from LIDS in the near future, and don't forget to catch their set on Saturday, August 29 at 5 p.m.
ANAMAI
At first glance, ANAMAI — the atmospheric and nuanced side project of HSY's Anna Mayberry and David Psutka (aka Egyptrixx) — may seem like a vast sonic departure from the crushing, punishing sounds of the band Mayberry initially became known for, but according to her, they're closer in style and purpose than you'd think.
"Sound can be powerful in vastly different ways," she says, "and both projects strive to find this power, to acknowledge it, to invite people into it, to destroy it and to see what's left when it disappears."
Sallows, the debut album from ANAMAI (out now via Buzz Records), succeeds on all fronts. Recorded by Psutka and Mayberry in between their other projects (and with zero budget) at his Halocline Trance studio, the songs on Sallows oscillate between ethereal, quiet confessionals to droning, minimalist barrages of ambient texture and, as Psutka suggests, are equally as awe-inspiring in a live setting.
"The shows are glacial, and can swing from very loud to almost silent," he says. "Whenever we play now, a few people will lie down on the floor and fall asleep during the set, which is perfect."
Catch them live at Camp Wavelength on Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m.
And That's Not All…
Canadian post-rock veterans Do Make Say Think, atmospheric indie rock troupe Moon King, electro-auteur Doldrums (photo above), psych siblings Doomsquad, folk-inclined festival favourites the Wooden Sky and the Weather Station, forward-thinking sonic explorers Prince Rama, Pierre Kwenders and many more will be hopping across the Toronto harbour for the inaugural event. Check out the full lineup and find out how to get individual tickets and weekend-long passes to the fest by clicking here.
#SWUnsigned returns this September
Steam Whistle Unsigned is teaming up with professional Toronto party throwers Dudebox to bring Prince Innocence, Bizzrah and Marlon James to The Roundhouse at Steam Whistle Brewing on Sept. 25 to raise money for some good causes. Get more info on the show and other Steam Whistle Unsigned concerts by visiting unsigned/steamwhistle.ca.