I’ve always been a strong supporter of local talent. With the invasion of so many international acts each day, it’s quite comforting and nice to see an artist floating around your very own backyard. That is why I have (finally) decided to start my own series of posts, highlighting Canada’s hidden gems. No, not Broken Social Scene or The Arcade Fire – any band who's performed on a late night talk show or have received press for supporting Obama (YES) does not fit in this category. We’re talking about acts that you may have never heard of! Hiding in the bushes of Alberta or Manitoba! Why I am doing this now, you may ask. Well, it’s quite simple – just a sudden surge of Canadian artists that I’ve been looking up via MySpace and various other blogs and websites recently, mixed in with a large dose of procrastination. I’ve been meaning to do this, but as per usual, laziness gets to me like a disease – a very frequent one. To start off this lovely series, I shall introduce Halifax’s Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts.
Funny how Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts describe their sound as “Indie/Pop/Black Metal” when this band’s music evokes all sunshines and ponies to me. Yes, I get that most artists don’t take that part of their MySpace page seriously but it was still an interesting observation nonetheless. I originally stumbled upon Peek’s page in a chain reaction of clicks, starting with Let’s Get Baked’s MySpace page. I was merely taking a look at the radio station’s long list of guest chefs when I saw the band’s photo on the station’s “Top Friends” list. Out of curiosity, as the photo looked quite adorable (and often, that’s enough to catch my eye), I clicked on their MySpace page. And the rest is self-explanatory I guess…I mean history, the rest is history.
My initial reaction to “Stand Right There” was that it was a catchy little tune and indeed offered an indie-pop sound. Peek’s voice is quite comparable to many others (Julie Doiron, Laura Barrett, etc) but in a unique sense but also makes it hard to pick out from a crowd at times. The melodies were cute and hooky, as mentioned and overall, offered a lot of potential. From what I’ve gathered from their site, they released an LP entitled, From The Photographs last April and toured extensively around eastern Canada for a bit, in support of said album.
Information about the band at this moment is unclear, but I am left very curious and am very anxious to look for From The Photographs at my local shops. There are three upcoming shows for the trio in Halifax, but hopefully they plan to return to Toronto soon for some more shows. All in all thus far, they’ve definitely won over my heart. I can deal without the strange cat obsession though.
Funny how Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts describe their sound as “Indie/Pop/Black Metal” when this band’s music evokes all sunshines and ponies to me. Yes, I get that most artists don’t take that part of their MySpace page seriously but it was still an interesting observation nonetheless. I originally stumbled upon Peek’s page in a chain reaction of clicks, starting with Let’s Get Baked’s MySpace page. I was merely taking a look at the radio station’s long list of guest chefs when I saw the band’s photo on the station’s “Top Friends” list. Out of curiosity, as the photo looked quite adorable (and often, that’s enough to catch my eye), I clicked on their MySpace page. And the rest is self-explanatory I guess…I mean history, the rest is history.
My initial reaction to “Stand Right There” was that it was a catchy little tune and indeed offered an indie-pop sound. Peek’s voice is quite comparable to many others (Julie Doiron, Laura Barrett, etc) but in a unique sense but also makes it hard to pick out from a crowd at times. The melodies were cute and hooky, as mentioned and overall, offered a lot of potential. From what I’ve gathered from their site, they released an LP entitled, From The Photographs last April and toured extensively around eastern Canada for a bit, in support of said album.
Information about the band at this moment is unclear, but I am left very curious and am very anxious to look for From The Photographs at my local shops. There are three upcoming shows for the trio in Halifax, but hopefully they plan to return to Toronto soon for some more shows. All in all thus far, they’ve definitely won over my heart. I can deal without the strange cat obsession though.
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/laurapeek
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