The
Duhks – Migrations
(Sugar Hill)
It’s normal for ducks to
migrate south for the
winter, but The Ducks
from Winnipeg hardly
ever fly home anymore.
They landed an American
agent, and according to
the band, “They now
spend eighty percent of
their time in the
States.” But, there’s
still a lot of Canada in
their acoustic blend of
folk, bluegrass and
worldbeat. They’re
hoping to make a bigger
splash at home while
getting their feet wet
in the competitive
Country music market as
well. Each of the five
Duhks brings something
different to their
music; from roots, to
Celtic and Spanish
influences, to bluegrass
and Québécois folk. But,
somehow they manage not
only to blend different
genres, but transcend
them. ‘Migrations’ is
the name of the latest
and most cohesive
release from these 2006
Juno Award winners.
Banjo player and group
leader, Leonard Podolock
knows a thing or two
about folk music. His
father, Mitch Podolock
is the founder of the
acclaimed Winnipeg Folk
Music Festival.
Brazilian
Girls – Talk To La Bomb
(Verve Forecast)
Brazilian Girls are more
closely linked to New
York’s underground scene
than to Rio de Janeiro.
This globe-trotting
quartet, none of which
are Brazilian, have just
released ‘Talk To La
Bomb’, their second CD
of exotic cabaret and
electro-clash. The album
was recorded at Jimi
Hendrix’s legendary
Electric Lady Studios in
Greenwich Village with
The Cars’, Ric Ocasek at
the controls. ‘Talk To
La Bomb’ is a
multilingual and
multi-dimensional disc
filled with more artsy
chic and trashy
debauchery. But, the
question remains, “Why
call a band Brazilian
Girls when there’s only
one girl and none of the
players are Brazilian?”
Drummer, Aaron Johnston
explains, “A Brazilian
group called Forro In
the Dark used to play
Wednesday nights at
Nu-Blue, the New York
night club that booked
us every Friday. They
would attract all these
hot, Brazilian girls and
their shows were packed.
So, we started calling
ourselves ‘Brazilian
Girls’. It’s like
calling your band ‘Free
Beer’. Brazilian Girls
have a lot of fun being
outrageous. Their
enigmatic, Euro-fox
singer, Sabina Sciubba
overstates the
importance of the new
album by playfully
claiming, “The future of
this planet as we know
it, the human and animal
kingdom and the plants
depend solely on this
record.”
Santa
Lucia LFR – The Streets
* Las Calles
(Independent)
During the sixties,
great East LA and
Bay-area bands like
Santana and War sketched
the blueprint for LFR …
Latin Funk Rock. Now,
Santa Lucia LFR is
reviving that sensation
on the streets of
Vancouver. The earmarks
of percussive rhythm,
driving horns and wicked
guitar licks can also be
heard on their debut
release called ‘The
Streets – Las Calles’.
It takes courage to open
a new market to the
music you believe in.
Santa Lucia LFR found
their motivation in the
words, “La verdad es de
los valientes” or “The
truth belongs to the
brave ones.” The band is
introducing Canadians to
the Latin Funk Rock
sounds that have already
blown up States-side and
all over Central and
South America. And, by
opening shows for
established acts like
Ozomatli, they’re
helping spark mainstream
interest in rock en
Espanol north of the
forty-ninth. Visit
www.santaluciamusic.com
and have a listen to ‘Lupita’.
Malajube
– Trompe l’Oeil (Dare To
Care Records)
While the issue of
Quebec’s sovereignty may
be open to endless
debate, there’s no
argument that musically,
the province moves to
the beat of its own,
distinct drum. In
Montreal, Francophone
and Anglo artists of all
musical stripes are
building a vital scene
that’s opening ears and
breaking the language
barrier. Malajube is a
French-Canadian
five-piece who are
finding plenty of
English-speaking fans
all across Canada and
the US for their smart
and catchy brand of
pop-rock. In light of
all the awards and
accolades they’ve been
receiving, Malajube may
just have released one
of the best Canadian
albums of the year,
produced by Martin
Pelland from another
terrific Montreal
pop/rock band, The
Dears. The catch is …
Trompe l’Oeil or ‘Trick
Of The Eye’ is a French
language album, which
begs the question, “Can
the international
language of music help
find a solution to the
age-old debate between
English and French
Canada? Stay tuned and
check out this new disc
from Malajube.
Edgar
Muenala – A Mystical
Journey (NativoSound)
One of the world’s most
evocative musical
instruments is the
flauta de pan or wooden
windpipes. Its haunting
tones instantly
transport the listener
to the rarified air of
the Andes Mountains.
Edgar Muenala is a
native of Otavalo, a
market town, two hours
north of Ecuador’s
capital city of Quito.
Today, Edgar makes his
music in the shadow of
the Coast Mountains, as
a talented member of
Vancouver’s world music
community. His new DVD
called The Mystical
Journey bridges the
Andes with contemporary
North America and beyond
to the Far East.
The Asian influence
Vancouver enjoys as a
port city on the Pacific
Rim proved inspirational
to Muenala when he moved
here from Ecuador.
Already accomplished in
the traditional
instruments and styles
of Andean music, he
began to experiment with
Chinese melodies and
modern electronics. This
unique fusion comes to
life on The Mystical
Journey which combines
live music and dance
performance with
travelogue images. It’s
a flowing passage from
the mystery of the Incas
to the meditations of
the Far East. As the
founder and director of
‘Nativo Sound and
Studio’, one of Edgar
Muenala’s ambitions to
make his website a
meeting place for
musicians around the
world. Pay him a visit
at
www.nativosite.com.
Gaelic
Storm – Live In Chicago
(Roar)
Gaelic Storm found each
other at O’Brien’s Irish
Pub in Santa Monica.
That was 1996. A year
later, they were cast as
the steerage band in the
epic film, Titanic, and
they’ve been playing
over a hundred and
twenty dates a year ever
since, taking their
careers from the big
screen to the big stage.
But, a good part of
their live appeal goes
right back to those days
in the pub … it’s in
their ability to spin a
good yarn and get
everyone to sing along.
A new DVD called ‘Live
In Chicago’ captures
their ability to turn
even the biggest room
into a kitchen party.
It’s serves up a good
cross-section of their
‘raise your voice and
raise your glass’
contemporary Celtic and
global fusions. The
audio and visuals are
first rate and singer,
Pat Murphy entertains
with more malarkey
between tracks, telling
tall tales about
impossible rogues and
ramblers. Some
high-stepping Irish
dancers add even more
energy to the
performances on this
DVD.
