Oh! Canada presents:: The Wilderness Of Manitoba

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These days we seem to be bombarded with a more or less constant stream of new bands, shows, movies, junkfood and beard grooming kits. Sometimes it gets too much and it is all to easy to get cynical about those who run about championing things as the greatest this or that since, er…the last one. Yet, every now and then something or someone gets through the cracks, rises above the general morass and makes you sit and take stock, even for just a few minutes. From the moment I hit play on The Wilderness of Manitoba‘s latest EP ‘Hymns of Love and Spirits’ I knew I was hooked. There’s a stark understated beauty to it’s 8 tracks, which combine perfectly executed four part harmonies intertwinned with muted banjos, solitary cello and subtle fingerpicked parts. There’s a clear homage to the ‘classics’: Joni, Neil and CSNY but the heavily reverbed guitars and slow pace also call to mind slowcore lynchpins Red House Painters and, to an extent Neil Halsted’s Mojave 3.

We were lucky enough to catch up with the band earlier this week to find out a little bit more about who they are and how the EP came about:

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should?
It’s haunting, yearning and sweet AND we really love making this music.

How did the band come in to being? And where did the name come from?
Last October, Will and Scott were writing a batch of new songs that had no home. In the spirit of the shows and bands that were coming through Delaware House, they found themselves with songs – acoustic based, minimalist and full of vocal layers – that would become the foundation of the new project. Melissa, who had played at the House and who was a friend, was asked to join Will and Scott for a few shows that had been set up and from there Stefan joined shortly after to fill in some holes with his voice, and instrumental talents. Once the four voices were in place, and song-writing duties became less about two, and more about four, the band began to fly.

The name was inspired by an art installation called “Wildflowers of Manitoba” and morphed into “The Wilderness of Manitoba” one night while Scott and Will were throwing around cool sounding band names and it stuck. Even though none of us are from Manitoba, it seems like the kind of place where our music would feel at home – somewhere in the frozen forests with lots of creatures running around.

What Inspires you? It seems from both the band name and the name of your other band (Provincial Parks) that nature is a pretty big influence?
It’s true, nature is a big part of what influences us – staying close to it is important. It’s also about feeling through the music and not over-thinking things too much.

Is it true that one of your mom’s wrote one of the songs on the record?
Yes, Will’s mom, Wendy Blackburn, wrote the song Evening. Will had wanted to do the song and when the rest of us were presented with it, we really loved the sound. Stef reworked it a little to suit our four voices and it’s a song that we hold really close to our hearts. We included Wendy’s original 1960′s version on our EP as a bonus track.

What is the most memorable gig you have played, and what can we expect of your live show? Any plans to come over to the UK?
The two most memorable shows for us, so far, were the opening slot at The Rural Alberta Advantage’s CD release in July and the release of our own EP in the barn at Delaware House. Both shows were packed but had totally different vibes. The RAA release was buzzing with excited fans which lent a lot of energy to our set and our own release was a laid back affair with many of our close friends quietly stuffed into a small barn in the August heat.

As for coming to the UK, we hope to play the Great Escape in May which should open things up in terms of overseas touring – we’re definitely keen on the idea!

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?
Well, in Canada, we can have pretty brutal winters and even when you dress warmly and deal with it, and maybe even enjoy tobogganing, drinking hot chocolate and sitting by the fire, watching the snow fall silently outside, we LOVE summer. A lot of our free time in the summer was spent outside in the sunshine, biking, sitting and playing in parks or even just hanging out in the backyard with close friends. So since we’re moving out of summer now, it’ll give us more time to reflect and work on recording the next album!

If you could have played on or written any song, what would it be?
Although we all kind of wish that we’d written Helplessly Hoping by CSNY, we have different answers for this -

Stefan: Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright by Bob Dylan, I’m often found playing this song around the band house.

Scott: I don’t really care about the song, I just wish I was in Neil Young’s band Crazy Horse… Seriously, I would play ANY instrument to be in that band.

Melissa: I’m going to say Cactus Tree by Joni but I’m sure there are other songs by people like Patty Griffin or Townes Van Zandt that I would be equally happy to have written.

Will: is away right now so we’re going to say that Will would be happy to be on the cover of ANY Joni Mitchell album. No but really, we think she’s amazing.

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
The theme is Halloween! Since it’s coming up on October 31st, here are some spooky songs to listen to:

1. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
2. Demon Host – Timber Timbre
3. Night of the Vampire – 13th Floor Elevators
4. Sons & Daughters of Hungry Ghosts – Wolf Parade
5. Weighty Ghost – Wintersleep

One Canadian band we should listen to (that isn’t your band)?
Hands down, we all think that you should start listening to Leif Vollebekk. He’s better than the best grilled cheese sandwich you’ve ever eaten and more.

‘Bluebirds’ from Hymns of Love and Spirits will feature on Oh! Canada 6, due 30th October