Canada House Friday: Nova Scotia Music Week presents...

Friday sees Nova Scotia Music Week stepping up to showcase artists from Canada’s East Coast province.

1:00pm Gianna Lauren

For fans of: Mary Timony, Feist, Early Cat Power
Connect: Website | Bandcamp

Although originally from Alberta, in 2009, following a spell in Ottawa, Lauren made the move to Nova Scotia. “I was very inspired by the Atlantic Canadian music scene. It has a lot of depth, diversity, and history. I used to follow the Sloan/Inbreds/North of America scene from afar. I met so many wonderful Nova Scotia musicians over the years. When I was looking for a change of scenery in 2009 I packed my car and moved to Halifax. Because the Atlantic provinces are so isolated from the rest of Canada, musicians really support one another and there is a strong appreciation for the arts in Halifax. I am able to focus on music and draw on a network of amazing hard-working musicians.”

To illustrate the strength of her feeing for this musical community, when we asked Gianna for an artist we should look out for she listed 16: Jennah Barry, Dark for Dark, Kim Harris, Paper Beat Scissors, Nick Everett, The Modern Grass, Alan Jeffries, Monomyth, Walrus, Jon McKiel, Heaven 4 Real, Cousins, Erin Costello, Cyndi Cain, Bill Stevenson, and Gypsophilia.

Gianna’s song “Ghosts” featured on our Oh! Canada 24 compilation last month. The track was taken from her On Personhood EP, which was recorded live off the floor at the House of Miracles with Andy Magoffin (Feist/ The Constantines). Recorded over 5 days, the record is full of warm tones and dreamy melodies, while the delicate arrangements give plenty of space for Lauren’s soothing voice to draw the listener in.

1:45pm Glory Glory

For fans of: Metronomy, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club
Connect: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

The So Long EP was very nearly just that for this Halifax based four piece, as guitarist Adam Warren explains: “We had originally gone into the studio to record the beds for these songs (and 3-4 others) in the summer of 2012 about a month before my daughter Hannah was born, but ended up being frustrated with some of the sounds and performances - we were trying to step up the production level with the new material… but we ran out of money, my wife and I had a new baby, and the tunes ended up on the metaphorical shelf for a year…”

Refreshed, the band returned to the Studio last spring and finished up the 3 tracks that make up the EP. “During this time I was becoming increasingly obsessed with Vampire Weekend’s two big records, and had basically decided that Justin Gerrish (Brooklyn-based producer/mix engineer) was the guy to mix the EP- there was an anxious week or so where most of the other half dozen people we had reached out to had responded saying they would do it, this is how much $$ etc etc and I wasn’t even able to be that excited about it yet… because we still hadn’t heard back from Justin. When he responded saying he thought the music was rad, that he would do it, we were all AMAZE if you know what I mean.”

The resulting EP is a highly polished synth-pop record that ranges from the insistent repetitions and breezy harmonies of “Take My Time” and the slinky, laid back Phoenix-isms of “Indigo Sun” to the choppy beats and guitar-lines of “Everybody Lies.”

2:30pm Jenn Grant

For fans of: Feist, Rose Cousins, Hannah Georgas
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Soundcloud

We introduced Jenn Grant, along with her video for Leonard Cohen cover “Lover, Lover, Lover” last week. While talking to her about the upcoming show at the Great Escape, our conversation turned to the old chestnut the no-holds barred ‘dream festival bill’. Although surprisingly she didn’t choose Leonard Cohen, her dream line-up did include fellow Canada House showcasing artist Hannah Georgas, alongside Damien Jurado, Father John Misty, Rodriguez and Doug Paisley.

Grant’s love of her “colourful and diverse” hometown and its people comes through in her words and her deeds: in 2011 she took to the wintry streets of Halifax for this dance-routine heavy video for “Getcha Good”.