Near and dear
Local musicians and labels are making Winnipeg a hotbed for music
John Kendle



When does a local music scene become an influential music scene? What made Athens, Ga., a scene? What made Minneapolis a scene? Or Seattle, Manchester or Toronto?

Music scenes can be traced after they develop, or after they explode in popularity, but it’s difficult to stand at ground zero and say “Hey, something’s happening here.”

Nevertheless, it can easily be argued that Winnipeg — for all its faults — is at the moment home to one of the healthiest scenes in Canada.

In the past year we have heard fantastic albums from the likes of The Duhks, D. Rangers, The Perpetrators, The Weakerthans, the Peanuts & Corn boys, Nathan, The Wailin’ Jennys, The Waking Eyes… the list goes on and on.

Most interestingly, all these acts are comprised of people of around the same age — players and singers and songwriters in their late 20s and early 30s.

As a result of all this activity, people outside Winnipeg know this city is a hotbed.

But sometimes this notion needs reinforcing here at home, which is what the Sept. 25 show at the West End Cultural Centre should do, when Novillero, The Paperbacks and Projektor take the stage at an Endearing Records showcase of some of the city’s best and favourite rock-flavoured acts.

These three groups are quite different but — in the two-degrees-of-separation scenario that is Winnipeg — their 16 musicians are somehow interconnected. When it comes to music in this town, incest is best.

Consider this: Sean Stevens is a guitarist and Moog synth player with both Projektor and Novillero. Paperbacks drummer Jack Jonasson sometimes acts as de facto manager for Novillero, occasionally jumps on stage with them and also works for Endearing, the respected local label that is this weekend celebrating the release of Projektor’s new album, Young Hearts Fail. Endearing will also handle Novillero’s new recording when it’s finished and has released albums by now-defunct bands featuring members of all three groups.

And those are just the obvious links.

Over the past decade or so, the players in these groups have known each other, jammed with each other and supported each other through various tours and gigs band and relationship breakups. They are a hub of activity.

“It’s really quite simple why we wanted to play on this show,” says Paperbacks singer Doug McLean when asked. “These are my friends and they make awesome music.”

Jahmeel Russell, bassist, singer and lyricist with Projektor, echoes those sentiments and takes them a step further.

“It’s amazing to think how many good bands there are that come from here,” he says. “And people from outside the city just love Winnipeg. I remember playing a show in Montreal and then going to a house party where these people had all the albums by Winnipeg bands in their own section on their CD shelves. It was quite an experience.”

Stevens has felt the love as well, especially as playing with both Novillero and Projektor has exposed him to two different, discerning audiences.

“I personally believe that (the two bands) are from different scenes. Projektor is a rock band and I think Jahmeel has taught me how to rock out and relax more. It’s also more aggressive and trance-like. Novillero is a band that comes from a sense of frustration, really. But when I play outside the city with either band, people are most excited that we are from Winnipeg.”

All three acts are about four years old and are poised to release or record sophomore albums.

The Paperbacks were formed from the ashes of the Bonaduces, with McLean stepping forward to write and sing his own songs. He is joined by Jonasson, bassist Jaret McNabb, guitarists Jason Churko and Mike Marshall and pianist Tanya Zubert. After the West End gig the band heads East to play the Pop Montreal festival, then departs for a long European tour that brings them home in mid-November. After Christmas, they head into the studio to record a second album with The Weakerthans’ John K. Samson acting as producer.

Novillero is perhaps the most esoteric of the three acts. Initially founded as something of a knockaround group, it released one album of mod-ish, late-’60s-influenced pop/rock called The Brindleford Follies.

Until about a year ago, however, Novillero had been basically defunct for a year. The newly reconstituted lineup features Stevens on guitar and vocals, drummer Dave Berthiaume, bassist Grant Johnson, singer/guitarist/pianist Rod Slaughter, trumpeter Jenn Agnew and trombonist Aaron Young. Others, such as Jonasson and original member Rusty Matyas (now with The Waking Eyes), often drop in for fun. The group is currently finishing its second full-length, with Weakerthans’ soundman/road manager/all-around good guy Cam Loeppky handling production duties.

Projektor is the hardest-edged act of the three, the earnest creation of founding members Russell and drummer Darren Achorn. Stevens and fellow guitarist Jeremy Gillespie joined after the release of the band’s first album, Red Wolf Glass, and the new foursome has just completed its second full-length disc, which hits shops on Sept. 28.

Because of his background with mutant indie metal act Kittens, Russell says he sometimes faces scorn for being played on commercial radio. True to his indie/punk roots, though, he doesn’t really give a damn.

“To us, it doesn’t really matter. People in the cliques in this town can be quite small-minded and you find that when you get out of the city it really doesn’t matter. We’ll play with guys in mohawks or guys in suits, I don’t care. The idea is to play your music and be heard by people on your own terms — not theirs.”

Russell makes an important point. To some extent the social politics of this city and its scene can cause it to eat its young. And what’s the point of that?

“What I think about is that it’s just been such an organic growth,” McLean says. “All our friends play and we’re all friends influencing each other, and we have been for years. That’s where the fertility of the city comes from — just all these people getting together and doing it.”

All three musicians nod in agreement when it’s suggested that all this activity has to be directed and channeled in some way, and that Endearing Records, formed and run by Blair Purda, is probably a fine example of a local label doing just that.

All are effusive in their praise.

“He’s been essential,” Stevens says. “Absolutely and for sure, he’s the guy. And he’s known all over the country. We travel and people in other bands give us stuff to give to Endearing because they are so impressed with the label.

“We are pretty lucky to have that support. It’s been amazing.”

For more info see our What’s Up entertainment listings.