Supercrawl Presents The OBGMs at Mills Hardware Jan 18, 2025
Supercrawl Presents
THE OBGMs
with Bad Waitress and Burner
“This is rock music that hits differently. It’s Kurt Cobain shit. It’s Jimi Hendrix shit. It’s the Steve Jobs of this rock shit.” That’s vocalist/guitarist Densil McFarlane talking about his band the OBGMs and their Polaris-shortlisted 2021 album, The Ends. If he sounds like a man who doesn’t lack confidence, that’s because he doesn’t. “The whole album is about not being bashful and just going out and getting it,” he says. “A lot of people who do music sink into self-deprecation, but we’re comfortable telling people how we feel about ourselves—good and bad—and the good is: I don’t think there’s a band that does what we do on a record.” If there’s something crucial beyond the music, it’s that the OBGMs—rounded out by drummer Colanthony Humphrey and bassist Joseph Brosnan—aren’t your typical rock band. “This is a black-fronted punk band, and that’s really important,” McFarlane says. “Rock n’ roll is mostly white suburban kids—that’s what gets promoted. But we are black and we out here. I was inspired to make rock music when I saw a black guy onstage, and if someone sees that in us, I hope it will inspire a new generation to go after this.” Behind his confidence, the title The Ends reflects a dark period in McFarlane’s life—one that almost ended the band. Back in February of 2018, at the end of the OBGMs (that’s The oOoh Baby Gimme Mores) last tour, McFarlane was ready to pull the plug on the whole operation. “I thought it was over,” he says. “I thought me and music was over. My life wasn’t very good at the time, people around me were dying, and everything I was making sucked. I thought it was a sign that I needed to do something else.” After a six-month hiatus and a whole lot of soul-searching, McFarlane started writing again. “I basically had a conversation with myself and found that the reasons I was making music were wrong and upside-down,” he says. “I was making it to fit a certain mold, but it lacked truth. It lacked honesty. That’s why it wasn’t able to come out the way I wanted it to. So I changed my strategy on songwriting. I started talking about things that were more relevant to me and more relevant to my community—and just talking about how I actually feel in words that are not compromising.” That pivotal attitude shift resulted in a completely different approach than the one McFarlane took in writing the OBGMs’ self-titled 2017 debut. “I approached this one in the darkness and alone,” he says with a laugh. “The last album was an album built on compromise. The thought process was other people first as opposed to ourselves. So this time I was just thinking about me and us—the team—and how we do this. That’s the biggest change between the approaches: I stopped thinking about other people.” Self-assurance restored, McFarlane rehearsed the songs with his bandmates before hitting Dream House Studios in their hometown of Toronto with Grammy and JUNO award-winning producer Dave Schiffman (Trash Talk, PUP, Rage Against The Machine). Those sessions resulted in The Ends, released in October 2020 on Black Box. Given the current state of the world, opinions will surely vary. Not that McFarlane cares one way or the other. “You can love us or hate us,” he says. “I’m aiming for that. We’d prefer the love—we’re full of love—but I’d rather you hate me than feel indifference.” New album SORRY, IT’S OVER will be released on October 22, 2024.
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Bad Waitress’ antsy art punk revels in fits of fury and ego. It spits in your face and winks, ferocious and playful. The Toronto-based four-piece play like they’re conspiring or casting a spell, each member wielding a different power, howls and erratic drum fills and fiery riffs fueling one another. That improvisation spirit doesn’t stop at their music. Katelyn Molgard, Nicole Cain, Kali-Ann Butala, and Moon finish each other’s sentences. Their conversations flow like free jazz. When asked to describe Bad Waitress’ sound, they agree on one word: conviction. The path that led them together follows a similar rhythm. Kali (vocals & guitar) and Moon (drums) started jamming as The Nude Dogs back in 2014. Katelyn (vocals & guitar) joined two years later, and by 2018, the trio would release their Party Bangers EP under the name Bad Waitress. Bad Waitress’ debut full-length album, 2021’s No Taste, finds strength in mood swings, from upbeat “groovin down the street” songs like “Strawberry Milkshake” to “I’m gonna fucking punch everyone” songs like “Lacerate,” as Nicole puts it. “It’s good to listen to when you’re walking alone at night. I get really anxious, but I feel powerful when I listen to this album, like I’m fucking untouchable. It’s basically a self-defense album.” Traces of Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Stooges can be heard throughout No Taste. The band also cite jazz as an inspiration. Moon’s background playing improv jazz, blues and swing makes it an essential force, at the core of Bad Waitress’ music and collaborative process.
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Toronto “noise quartet” Burner objectively presents one of the best live sets in the province. Captivating and frantic, the empowering live performances of front-person Deshaun Molloy mesh seamlessly with the incredible musicianship, providing a sonic backdrop that will surely send your senses directly to the late ’90s. One of the hardest working bands in Ontario, Burner has shared the stage with bands like Show Me The Body, The Armed, Metz and Little Junior, amongst a host of others. The band’s debut LP Become Nothing is out now.
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Supercrawl Presents Owen Pallett at Mills Hardware Feb 7, 2025
Supercrawl Presents
OWEN PALLETT
with guest Merival
Owen Pallett is one of Canada’s most prolific composers and collaborators. As a solo artist, Owen has released a string of critically praised solo recordings, winning the Polaris Music Prize in 2006. Their most recent album, Island, was released in 2020 on Secret City Records and Domino Recording Co. As a chamber music composer, Owen has been commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bang On A Can, and The Barbican, among many others. Most recently, Owen worked in collaboration with Lido Pimienta in creating a new work for the New York City Ballet, “skytohold”. As a producer and arranger, Owen has worked with Frank Ocean, Caribou, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The National, Taylor Swift, R.E.M., Wolf Alice, Fucked Up, Keane, Pet Shop Boys, Christine And The Queens, Titus Andronicus, Julia Jacklin, The Last Shadow Puppets, Duran Duran, Banks, Snow Patrol, The Weather Station, Sigur Rós, Linkin Park. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sharon Van Etten, The Mountain Goats, Beirut, Lana Del Rey, Superchunk, and many, many more. Owen won an Album Of The Year Grammy for their collaborative work on Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. Owen also works extensively as a film and TV composer, having worked with directors M Blash, Matt Wolf, Mary Nighy, Anton Corbijn and Jerrod Carmichael. Owen won an Emmy for their work on Solve Sundsbo’s Fourteen Actors Acting, and was nominated for an Academy Award for their work on the original score of Spike Jonze’s Her. Owen currently resides in Toronto.
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Canadian singer-songwriter Merival writes searching songs out of deeply personal tension. Heartache, dysfunction, and interpersonal growth inform her introspective lyrics; philosophical musings are carried by her deceptively involved musical arrangements. Vulnerability is the name of her game, by turns light-hearted and heavy. After the indie success of her EP Lovers in 2016 and notable collaborations on Izzard’s “Secret Garden” and Swim Good Now’s “Since U Asked”, Merival released her first full length, Lesson, in 2019. “Lesson” was rated #7 on Dominionated’s Favourite Fifty of 2019. In performance, the honesty of Merival’s powerful voice transfixes audiences and brings them into a new space filled with personal journies and arcane musical exploration. She has appeared at Riverfest Elora and POP Montreal and has opened for artists such as Tim Baker, Yves Jarvis and Daniela Andrade. Merival’s most recent EP Either Side was released in April 2020 and was described by Cups n Cakes Network as “complex, captivating songwriting.”
Supercrawl Presents Martha Wainwright at Bridgeworks Mar 21, 2025
Supercrawl Presents
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
20th Anniversary Tour
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Supercrawl Lineups: 16 Years of Dazzling Music
ONE FESTIVAL. SIXTEEN SEASONS. HUNDREDS OF PERFORMERS
Since 2009, Supercrawl has hosted a vibrant range of compelling and contemporary musical talent. Whether through the signature on-street festival weekend, partnered presentations, club series, or ticketed events, Supercrawl consistently showcases the best of local live music alongside national and international artists.
The kaleidoscopic roster of Supercrawl alumni runs into the high hundreds and includes A Tribe Called Red, The Acorn, Jeremie Albino, Allegories, Altameda, The Altobeelays, Alvvays, Matt Andersen, Antibalas, The Anti-Queens, Arkells, Art Pop Ensemble, A Side B Side, Ascot Royals, Astral Witch, Athanase, Rich Aucoin, Averages, Kee Avil, Avrha, Aysanabee, Backbiters, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bad Dates, Bad Waitress, Bahamas, Tim Baker, Adam Baldwin, The Bandicoots, Tynomi Banks, The Barettas, James Barker Band, Basement Revolver, Bathing, BB Guns, The Beaches, Sarah Beatty, The Be Sharps, Beef Boys, Beelays, Begonia, Beliefs, Belle Game, Bend It Like Beck, Ridley Bent, The Beverleys, Big Fir, Big Wreck, Bile Sister, Bill and the Art Crawlers, Billy Moon, Billy Talent, Everett Bird, Rae Billing & Crybaby, Black Baron, Black Collar Union, Black Rhino Riot, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Blandlord, Blind Mule, Blunt Chunks, Bocce,
Bonjay, Boo Seeka, Kate Boothman, Born in the Eighties, Born Ruffians, Jessie Bower, Bowjia, Boy & Bear, Boy Golden, Boyhood, Boys and Girls Club, Charles Bradley, Bravestation, Breeze, Broken Social Scene, Bros, The Bros. Landreth, Brott Opera, Bruce Peninsula, Brusque Twins, Jennifer Budd, Buddah Abusah, Basia Bulat, Katie Bulley, Thomas Cade, Cadence Weapon, Ben Caplan, Caribou, Carmen on Tap, Carpenteers, Casper Skulls, Jennifer Castle, Catl, Caveboy, Century Palm, Change of Heart, Nuela Charles, Tanika Charles & the Wonderfuls, Evelyn Charlotte-Joe, Chastity, Chelsea Light Moving, Rita Chiarelli, Paul Chin, Choir! Choir! Choir!, Choose Up, Chore, Nicole Christian, City and the Sea, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs, Laura Cole, Colour Film, Comet Control, Command Sisters, The Commissionaires, Cootes Paradise,
Charlotte Cornfield, Coszmos Quartette, Cowlick, Coy Haste, William Crighton, Cross Dog, The Crowleys, Crrotting, Crystal Journey, Customaries, Aron D’Alesio, Danko Jones, The Danks, Dead Tired, Dear Rouge, Dearly Beloved, The Dears, Death From Above 1979, Matthew de Zoete, Diamond Rings, Digging Roots, The Dill, Dilly Dally. Dinner Belles, Dinosaur Bones, The Diodes, Dirty Frigs, The Dirty Nil, Discography DJs, Dizzy, Dizzy Spells, DJ Basco, DJ Ollie, DJ Spinn, Doldrums, Doobie Freaks, Don Vail, Doomsquad, Dr. Draw, Kevin Drew, Ducats, Dwayne Gretzky, Earth Wind and Choir, The East Pointers, Eccodek, Dan Edmonds, Egyptrixx, Eight and a Half, Electroluminescent, Elk, Ellevator, Elliott Brood, Joel Elliot and Thin Lines, Ellis, John Ellison, The Elwins, Emay, Engine Empire, Eschaton, Espanola, Essen, Etiquette, Explosions In The Sky, Julie Fader, Fake Palms, Fame Cartel,
Family of Things, Fast Romantics, Fateh, Michael Feuerstack, Fionn, Jeremy Fisher, Jeremy Fisher Junior, Five Alarm Funk, The Flatliners, Flesh Rag, Fontine, Norman Foote, Four Tet, Pete Fowler, The Franklin Electric, Fresh Snow, Danielle Fricke, Friendly Rich, Frog Eyes, Fruiti, Fry Truck, F—-d Up, The Fuddles, Evangeline Gentle, Hannah Georgas, The Gertrudes, Get Off the Cop, Tim Gibbons,The Goddamn Goddamns, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Golden Feather, Good Luck Shop, Sarah Good, Goodnight Sunrise, Great Lake Swimmers, The Great Machine, Jacques Greene, Jeremy Greenspan, JG Ballad, Grey Lands, Greys, Grey\\Water, Groove Machine, GUH, Guilty Pleasure, Hachey the Mouthpeace, Jordan Haller, The Halluci Nation, Hamilton Children Choir, Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra,
Hamilton Suzuki School of Music, Hamilton Youth Steel Orchestra, Handsome Sultan, Haolin Munk, Harlan Pepper, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, Harrison, Harrow Fair, Haters, Ron Hawkins and The Do Good Assassins, Hayden, Piper Hayes, HEALTH, The Heartbroken, Hello Harvard, Matt Henderson, The Darcy Hepner Jazz Orchestra, The HiCats, Tim Hicks, Rebekah Higgs, High Kites, High Note Ramblers, Lacey Hill, Hollerado, Matt Holubowski, Holy Data, Hotel Mira, How to Dress Well, HSY, Humans, Huren, Ikonica, Illitry, Iskwé, Island People, Jambassadors, Jamie xx, Jaunt, Jess and Tay, BA Johnston, Jon and Roy, Julianna Jones, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Julie & the Wrong Guys, Junior Boys, K’naan, Kaïa Kater, Mia Kelly, Harrison Kennedy, The Kents, Shawn Kerr, Kestrels, kid YEARS, Kiesza, The Killjoys,
King Park, Kingdom Shore, Shawnee Kish, Taylor Knox, Kode9, Komodo, Kotek, Chantal Kreviazuk, KROY, Pierre Kwenders, L-Spex, Joey Landreth, Ryan Langdon, Language Arts, Daniel Lanois, Jessy Lanza, Lava Dolls, Bettye LaVette, Mikhail Laxton, Ada Lea, Alyssa LeClair, Lee Harvey Osmond, The Legendary Turnstylez, Hamilton Leithauser, Hubert Lenoir, Mattie Leon, Le Ren, Les Trois Accords, Letters to Lions, Terra Lightfoot, Lightmares, Lights, Lindy, Little Junior, Live How You Live, Kellie Loder, Lone Rhu, Lonely Parade, LOONY, Lost In The Trees, Loviet, DJ Donna Lovejoy, Lowell, Sarah Lowes, LTtheMonk, Luckystickz, Luella, Luna Li, Corb Lund, Olivia Lunny, Catherine MacLellan, Raine Maida, Dan Mangan, Shanika Maria, J Mascis, Mayor McCA, Eamon McGrath, McMaster Cybernetic Orchestra, Ryan McNally, The Marble Index, Melissa Marchese,
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, Matt Mays, Matthew Runaway, Mean Old Hammer,The Medicine Hat, Megative, Melted Faces, METZ, Mexican Slang, Haviah Mighty, Mississippi Bends, Modern Space, Ariane Moffatt, Mokomakai, MonkeyJunk, Monowhales, Monster Truck, Jacob Moon, Moon King, MOONRIIVR, Motel Raphaël, Motëm, Mother Leads, Mother Tareka & the Rebel Funktion, Mount Farewell, Mountain of Wolves, Muffled Suitcase, Benjamin Muñoz, MVLL CRIMES, My Brightest Diamond, My Son The Hurricane, Mystery Machine, Nailbiter, The National, The National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Nautiluss, nêhiyawak, Angela Nethersole, Sarah Neufeld, New Friends, New Hands, Nezqwik, Willie Nile, Not Of, Nyssa, Mimi O’Bonsawin, Jesse O’Brien, Chris Oday, Odonis Odonis, Of Gentlemen & Cowards, Oh Susanna, Ohbijou, Ohmme,
Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, OMBIIGIZI, Opera Hamilton, Operators, Lindi Ortega, Osito, The Pack AD, Paley & Francis, Owen Pallett, Pandaléon, Peter Pankhurst, Gabrielle Papillon, Brant Parker, Partner, Passion Pit, Fred Penner, Paula Perri, Sandro Perri, Persons, Pet Sun, Peter Dreams, Petra Glynt, Pick A Piper, Lido Pimienta, Pineapple Girls, The Pistolettes, Plants and Animals, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Pleasure Craft, Poesy, Poor Nameless Boy, Postdata, Keegan Powell, Neeraj Prem, Kelly Prescott, PS I Love You, Pucumber Sasssquatch Family Band, Pumps, Queen Cee, Rah Rah, Rarity, Reader, The Reason, The Recklaws, The Redhill Valleys, Lee Reed, Repartee, The Rest, Revive The Rose, Rexford Drive, Amanda Rheaume, Rhythm Express, Rise Carmine, River Tiber, Sam Roberts Band, Ben Rogers, Neena Rose, Shealagh Rose,
Sean Rowe, Royal Canoe, Royal Castles, Royal Seas, Rules,Run Maggie Run, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Serena Ryder, The Sadies, Said the Whale, Buffy Sainte-Marie, John K. Samson, Sandman Viper Command, Scattered Clouds, Scratcha DVA,Sensei, Several Futures, Sha Bang Bang, Shad, Shade, Sharon and Bram, Andy Shauf, Annie Shaw, Jamie Shea & The Gentle Reminders, The Sheepdogs, Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens, Shout Out Out Out Out, SIANspheric, Simon and The Alexanders, Mike Simonetti, Simply Saucer, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Single Mothers, SINS, Skiffs, Skirt Check, Alfie Smith, C.A Smith, Smoothie Lou, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Snowblink, So Young, Ben Somer, The Sorority, John Southworth, Speedy Ortiz, Spoon, Spruce Invaders, Ginger St. James, Alex St. Kitts, Stars, Status/Non-Status,
The Strangers, The Stinkbugs, Steve Strongman, The Strumbellas, The Sugarman 3, Sun K,Sunshine Makers, Suuns,Superstar Crush, Adrian Sutherland, Tomi Swick, Tallies, Tanya Tagaq, Rory Taillon, Theo Tams, Tarantula X, Julian Taylor,Teenage Head, Texas King, Ian Thomas, Thought Beneath Film, 3:1, Timber Timbre, Michelle Titian, To Our Divide,Tongue Fu, Too Many Zooz, The Trews, Trickbag, TRP.P, ttwwrrss, TUNS, Turkey Rhubarb, Turnstylez, TV Freaks, Jeff Tweedy, Twin Within, Uncle Harry & The Kickstands, Vallens, Heather Valley, The Vanishers, The Vaudevillian, Menno Versteeg, Vierance, Viet Cong, Vilivant, Suzie Vinnick, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Walrus, Ruby Waters, Willie Watson, Wax Mannequin, Weaves, Bry Webb, Sam Weber, Weekend Riot Club, White Cowbell Oklahoma, White Crowleys, Whitehorse, Wild Domestic, JJ Wilde,
Charlotte Day Wilson, Roslyn Witter, Steven Wilson, Thompson Wilson, Wintersleep, Wish, Witherow & Wynands, Womb, Wooly Mantis, Donovan Woods, Hawksley Workman, Max Wray, WTCHS, X Ambassadors, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, Yassin + Sean Terrio, Lori Yates & the Drugstore Cowboys, Yo La Tengo, Young Galaxy, Young Rival, Yukon Blonde, Zeus, The Zilis, The Zolas, ZONES and Zoon. That expansive talent roll will grow longer still with the release of details around the 17th annual edition of Supercrawl in June 2025.
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TOP TO BOTTOM: Antibalas at Supercrawl 2014; Arkells at Supercrawl 2014; Broken Social Scene at Supercrawl 2018; Fateh at Supercrawl 2019; iskwē at Supercrawl 2018; Sharon Jones at Supercrawl 2015; Lido Pimienta at Supercrawl 2022; The Sorority at Supercrawl 2019; Spoon at Supercrawl 2014; Tanya Tagaq at Supercrawl 2017; Yo La Tengo at Supercrawl 2013
Video shot on location at Supercrawl 2019 by Thrillhouse Studios
Massive Thanks!
Massive thanks to everyone who came out for Supercrawl 2024. You made the festival’s 16th anniversary especially sweet and proved beyond question that Hamilton is a creative, dynamic, welcoming community.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Supercrawl real: To our volunteers, staff, artists, vendors, and everyone who dug deep, filled their art with love, and worked incredibly hard to make this festival special. To the residents and merchants of our amazing neighbourhood for their generous hospitality. And, of course, thank you to the festival-goers of all ages — more than 285,000 — who came from far and wide and embraced all of it.
Mark your calendars for the next edition of Supercrawl, returning to James North September 12-14, 2025!
Supercrawl Presents Godspeed You! Black Emperor Nov 4 at Bridgeworks
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR
GA Standing • Licensed/All-Ages • $50 (+SC/HST) Advance
Montréal producer Kee Avil combines guitar, voice, and electronic production to forge deconstructed songs informed by a distinctive amalgam of post-industrial, avant-pop, glitch, minimalist, and experimental folk sensibilities. On Spine, her sophomore album, Kee Avil strips back her heavily textured compositions, opening up a much rawer sound. This is urgent music that reflects the precarity of modern life, as well as the jarring mixture of electronic and real-world interactions that have become the fabric of our day-to-day experiences. There’s a hypnotic somnambulance to it all, using the repetition and fracturing of melodic phrases interwoven with delicate electronics to create curious and persistent hooks. While not a concept album, themes of time’s passage, remembrance, and decay crop up across multiple tracks. Within a minimalist framework, the juxtaposition of beauty and discomfort that is key to the Kee Avil sound stands out in skin-prickling relief.
29 Sep 2024 • London UK • Troxy
30 Sep 2024 • Glasgow, UK • Barrowlands
01 Oct 2024 • Manchester UK • Ritz
02 Oct 2024 • Bristol UK • Marble Factory
03 Oct 2024 • Coventry UK • The Empire
04 Oct 2024 • Tourcoing FR • Le Grand Mix
05 Oct 2024 • Esch-Alzette LU • Kufa
06 Oct 2024 • Paris FR • Le Trianon
08 Oct 2024 • Nantes FR • Stereolux
09 Oct 2024 • Nancy FR • L’Autre Canal (Jazz Pulsation Festival)
10 Oct 2024 • Zürich CH • Volkshaus
11 Oct 2024 • Lausanne CH • Les Docks
12 Oct 2024 • Frankfurt DE • Zoom
14 Oct 2024 • Berlin DE • Huxleys
15 Oct 2024 • Amsterdam NE • Paradiso
16 Oct 2024 • Brussels BE • AB
18 Oct 2024 • Athens GR • Floyd
05 Nov 2024 • Toronto ON • The Concert Hall
06 Nov 2024 • London ON • London Music Hall
07 Nov 2024 • Grand Rapids MI • Elevation
08 Nov 2024 • Chicago IL • The Salt Shed
09 Nov 2024 • St Paul MN • Palace Theater
11 Nov 2024 • Lawrence KS • Liberty Hall
12 Nov 2024 • Fayetteville AR • George’s Majestic Lounge
13 Nov 2024 • Nashville TN • The Basement East
14 Nov 2024 • Knoxville TN • Bijou Theater
15 Nov 2024 • Atlanta GA • The Masquerade
16 Nov 2024 • Charleston SC • The Music Farm
17 Nov 2024 • Saxapahaw NC • Haw River Ballroom
19 Nov 2024 • Washington DC • 9:30 Club
21 Nov 2024 • Brooklyn NY • Pioneerworks
22 Nov 2024 • Norwalk CT • District Music Hall
23 Nov 2024 • Boston MA • Roadrunner
24 Nov 2024 • Philadelphia PA • Union Transfer
Supercrawl Presents JJ Wilde Nov 8 at Bridgeworks
JJ WILDE
GA Standing 19+ • $30 (+SC/HST) Advance
Chart-topping tour de force JJ Wilde has been on an incredible journey since the release of her debut album Ruthless in 2020. With over 36 million global streams and prominent playlist placement on digital platforms, Wilde continues to captivate a diverse global audience, consistently establishing herself as a dominant voice in the rock music scene. Wilde etched her name in the history books as the first female artist to simultaneously hit #1 on all three Canadian rock charts with her debut SOCAN Award winning single “The Rush,” holding the slot for 10 weeks concurrently in addition to spending a whopping 21 weeks atop the Rock Big Picture chart. She quickly followed with two more back-to-back #1’s: “Best Boy,” an unapologetic anthem challenging societal norms for women, and her hit “Mercy,” a modern rock powerhouse weaving a tale of revenge. Her reign as Canada’s Queen of Rock n’ Roll didn’t end there; in 2021 Wilde took home the JUNO Award for Rock Album of the Year for her album Ruthless (2020), becoming the first woman to do so since Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill in 1996. Wilde has shared the stage with a veritable who’s-who of acclaimed acts including Incubus, Jimmy Eat World, Pearl Jam, The Glorious Sons, Scorpions, Kiss and more, and her magnetic stage presence at renowned festivals worldwide, including Bottle Rock, Firefly, Nova Rock, and Hyde Park with Pearl Jam, have solidified her reputation as a captivating live performer. Now, Wilde embarks on her next chapter, poised to release the first taste of her most powerful and personal collection of songs to date with the May 2024 EP Best Of Me (Part 1).
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The Vancouver folk-pop duo Fionn have spent most of the last year working on their new record I Might Start Smoking. This new record is a full-circle record for Fionn, revisiting the sound and spirit of their heralded first releases; however, their path to this point has been anything but predictable. After all, the duo only dropped their self-titled debut in 2018, though they’ve been quite prolific since, developing a song writing palette in a few years that even career artists would kill for. Their latest finds the sisters leaning on their Celtic roots and limiting their palette with organic instrumentation. It’s still catchy as hell, relying on musicianship, song writing acumen, and authenticity for hooks instead of high-tech tools. Fionn have been making their way back onstage after the pandemic’s forced hiatus and will surely return to pushing musical boundaries with subsequent recordings. For now though, this album revisits the pure, undiluted creative prowess that propelled them to fame in the first place.
Supercrawl Presents Andy Shauf Oct 4 at Bridgeworks
ANDY SHAUF
GA Standing 19+ • $35 (+SC/HST) Advance
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Hailed as “a gifted storyteller” (NPR Music) for 2016’s The Party and 2020’s The Neon Skyline, Andy Shauf writes albums that unfold like short fiction, full of colorful characters, fine details and a rich emotional depth. With his 2023 album Norm, however, Shauf has slyly deconstructed and reshaped the style for which he’s been celebrated, elevating his songwriting with intricate layers and perspectives, challenging himself to find a new direction. Under the guise of an intoxicating collection of jazz-inflected romantic ballads, his storytelling has become decidedly more oblique, hinting at ominous situations and dark motivations. Shauf had planned to be touring around The Neon Skyline but, like many of us in the early days of the pandemic, he spent a lot of time alone instead. He sequestered himself in his garage studio, self-producing and playing every instrument on Norm, a collection of more conventional songs written predominantly on guitar, piano and synths. The latter was essential to creating the more spacious and tactile sounds he sought. Shauf’s goals were uncomplicated: create something melody-driven rather than chord-driven, and make it modern. Shauf recruited Neal Pogue (Tyler, the Creator, Janelle Monae, Outkast), a prodigious shaper of genre-and-time-defying tracks, to mix the album, further building on the gently levitating, synth-laden atmospherics. After gaining indie notoriety with The Party and a Polaris Music Prize nomination, performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS This Morning: Saturday, and praise from the likes of Pitchfork, ESQUIRE, NPR Music, Stereogum, The Atlantic and beyond for The Neon Skyline, Shauf has left the realm of things he’s known on his third album, pivoting away from the semi-autobiographical, and pushing himself to grow as a songwriter in an entirely different way. With Norm, he recreated his idea of a concept album, and also made it about faith and fatalism. But Shauf has realized he doesn’t need to moralize. He’s assigned that task to us, the listeners. At once narrators and investigators, we fill in the blanks.
Supercrawl Presents Too Many Zooz Sept 21 at Bridgeworks
Supercrawl Presents
GA Standing 19+ • $30 (+SC/HST) advance
Self-described “Brass House” trio Too Many Zooz make manically kinetic instrumental music that combines avant-garde jazz, EDM, punk rock, and sundryother traditions into their own distinctive brand of high-energy dance music. A viral sensation since theyfirst emerged as New York subway buskers in 2013, Too Many Zooz have evolved into a globally recognized phenomenon who tour often and produce YouTube videos that have garnered millions of views. Formed in 2013 in New York City, Too Many Zooz features thet alents of baritone saxophonist Leo “Leo P” Pellegrino, trumpeter Matt “Doe” Muirhead, and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks. Pellegrino and Muirhead initially met while students at the Manhattan School of Music where they studied jazz. They eventually joined forces with percussionist Parks, whom Pellegrino had played with in a separate busking outfit. They began playing live at various New York subway stations and quickly attracted crowds with their aggressive instrumental sound and Pellegrino’s ability to dance and hype the audience like a DJ while playing. In 2014, a video of the band went viral and helped set the stage for the group’s meteoric rise. In 2016, the trio released their debut full-length album, Subway Gawdz, which featured guest spots from Kreayshawn, Armani White, members of Galactic, and Beats Antique. That same year they were featured on Beyonce’s Lemonade album, and performed with Beyonce and The Dixie Chicks at the 50th Annual CMA Awards. Over the course of the next several years, Too Many Zooz continued to release EPs and singles–including ZombiEP (2019), a concept album about a fictional band playing a music festival during a zombie outbreak, plus collaborations and remixes with The Floozies, Beats Antique, Spencer Ludwig, Moon Hooch, Dot Cromwell, Nitty Scott, Lester London, and RoRo. All of that set the stage for the band’s 2024 sophomore album Retail Therapy–a 13-song chronicle of auditory subway cinema that features appearances from Moon Hooch, Thumpasaurus, Lucky Chops, and Too Many T’s.
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Jason Leech is a keyboardist, producer, and writer based out of Louisville, KY. He has been studying, performing, and teaching music for most of his life and performs piano and synths over a variety of electronic beats. Jason’s approach to performing is to change the way people experience pianos and electronic music. In 2014, Jason began experimenting with his own style of music by playing the piano over his original remixes of his favorite EDM songs. Combining all of what made him feel alive, Jason recorded and uploaded his performances, which immediately received positive feedback from fans and the original artists who created the music he remixed. His videos have been uploaded by artists such as Excision, Zeds Dead GRiZ, Big Gigantic Rezz, RL Grime, NGHTMRE, ILLENIUM, Alison Wonderland, Clozee, and many more of his influential peers. Since he debuted his live EDM keyboard set in 2017 Jason has opened for GRiZ, Galantis, Big Gigantic, CloZee and more on stages as big as Red Rocks Amphitheater, along with festivals like Electric Forest, Hulaween, Envision, Summer Camp, and hundreds more.
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Supercrawl Reveals 2024 Festival Lineup
Supercrawl organizers have unveiled the festival lineup for the 2024 free festival weekend, taking place September 13-15, 2024 along James Street North in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, made possible by presenting sponsor TD Bank Group (TD).
Supercrawl’s schedule and festival map will be released in the last week of August.
Musical performers at Supercrawl 2024 (in alphabetical order) will include Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy, The Anti-Queens, A Side B Side, Rich Aucoin, Bend It Like Beck, Born In The Eighties, Boys and Girls Club, Colour Film, Charlotte Cornfield, Danko Jones, The Dears, Elliott Brood, Ellis, Explosions in the Sky, Golden Feather, Hamilton Children’s Choir, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Hamilton Superstars (featuring Steve Strongman, Dawn Tyler Watson, Roly Platt, Alfie Smith, Joel Parisien, Colin Lapsley, and Dave King), Haters, iskwē, Jambassadors, Kaïa Kater, Mia Kelly, Kellie Loder, Matthew Runaway, MonkeyJunk, MOONRIIVR, My Son the Hurricane, Peter Dreams, Rise Carmine, Royal Castles, The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Sadies, Jamie Shea & the Gentle Reminders, Superstar Crush, The Wild High, Yassin + Sean Terrio, and Zeus.
Supercrawl will host an interactive residency from globally acclaimed Squonk, who made their festival debut in 2022 to popular acclaim. The Pittsburgh-based post-industrial art rock performance troupe will be presenting their new production Brouhaha, an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation.
In addition, the festival will feature:
• visual art installations from Arts For All, BecauseDesignMatters, Nathan Eugene Carson, Clear Eyes Collective, Cesar C. Cordoba, Frenly, Anthony Haley, Koe Design, Leafton Labs, Little Dada and the Boys, Chrix Morix, Open Window Artist Talks, and Stylo Starr;
• fashion showcases from Amici, Ashes, The Better Days Club, Certitude by K, Dope Chief, The Eye Of Faith, HeyHey & Co., Kandy Intimates, Mooncraft Market, The Muses, RoyalTeeP33, sariKNOTsari, Steel City Slither, Supercrawl Cosplay Showcase, Theatrix Costume House, and True Hamiltonian;
• dance from Defining Movement Dance, Garba Groovers, Omega Dance, RXD, Schiehallion Dancers, and Tocani;
• theatre from Catherine Allen & Tarah Ahmad, Emerson Arts, Make Art Theatre, and Carly Pokoradi.
• author talks and spoken word from Gary Barwin, Raymond Beauchemin, Gloria Blizzard, Lana Button, Kate Cayley, Steacy Easton, Dustin Galer, Ai Jiang, David Neil Lee, George Matuvi, Paige Maylott, Lishai Peel, Deepa Rajagopalan, Aimee Reid, Jessica Rose, Nicola Ross, Nicholas Ruddock, Jamie Tennant, Brent van Staalduinen, Anuja Varghese, A.G.A. Wilmot, and Nicola Winstanley;
• plus Hamilton Pro Wrestling, James North Yoga, The Local Invitational Skate Competition, MovementOM, and Sapphyre Poison Drag Xtravaganza.
Supercrawl will also offer dozens of food trucks, scores of craft vendors, plus a Family Zone packed with creative options for children and youth. Announcements on all three will follow shortly.
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Supercrawl is Hamilton’s premier multi-arts festival, fusing new and independent music with art installations, fashion, performance, literature, theatre, and artisanal craft. Supercrawl’s diverse multidisciplinary program of sound, performance, visual and media arts is staged along a pedestrian-only creative corridor in the heart of downtown.
A not-for-profit arts organization, Supercrawl is committed to honouring, showcasing and celebrating all varieties of creative work, positioning local and emerging artists alongside significant provincial, national and international peers. The festival fosters and promotes arts and culture as well as the myriad benefits they provide.
Founded in 2009, Supercrawl has successfully evolved from a modest arts-based single-day occurrence to a multi-day event with national/international profile and attendance. The festival has gone from a one-day celebration on a single block to a weekend-long experience encompassing over two kilometres of downtown streets, with attendance growing steadily from 3,000 to over 275,000 in that time. In addition to its namesake free festival weekend, Supercrawl Productions also produces ticketed concerts and events throughout the year.
Supercrawl was shortlisted for a 2019 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year and 2017 Canadian Tourism Award for Event of the Year. The festival received the 2015 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year and has been repeatedly recognized as one of Festival and Events Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals/Events (2015-2020, 2023-2024). In 2019, Supercrawl’s Family Zone programming earned a Festivals & Events Ontario Achievement Award for Best Youth Initiative.
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Supercrawl’s schedule and festival map will be released in the last week of August.
