Musician looks for beauty in the darkness
LINDSEY WALKER
When: Friday
Where: Capitol Music Club What: Sometimes I read an album description and I think its creator might be my kindred spirit. Such was the case when I learned a bit about Lindsey Walker’s this desolate bliss (admittedly the grammar nerd in me is upset about a title with no capitalization). Her team describes the record as “a cinematic apocalyptic journey through roots and rock.” As a lover of film and stories about the end of the world, I am intrigued. The Winnipeg-born, Alberta-based musician is taking that “undulating tapestry of dark brooding anthems and sensual hymns” on the road and hits The Cap on Jan. 26.
DIRTY CATFISH BRASS BAND
When: Thursday
Where: The Bassment
What: If you’re like me, you have no hot weather holiday plans this winter. But don’t worry, I’m planning on starting a support group. In the meantime, bands like the Dirty Catfish Brass Band will bring some heat to the city in musical form. This New Orleansinspired collective from Winnipeg returns to the Bassment Thursday. With nine musicians and a slew of unexpected covers (including Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off ), this performance is sure to get the toes tapping.
JAMES BARKER BAND
When: Sunday
Where: O’Brians Event Centre What: A lot of emails I get suggest a band has taken the music scene, the fans, THE WORLD! by storm. I’ve never liked that expression a) because it sounds unpleasant; b) because it’s lazy writing; and c) because I’m pretty worried about climate change. But let’s not hold that against the James Barker Band. The country group has had a good couple of years with singles like Lawn Chair Lazy (haha, that title is almost too country to function) and Chills. Their Game On tour, named for their EP with more than 18 million streams, is now performing in venues across Canada. The James Barker Band led nominations at the CCMA Awards in Saskatoon last September (if you want to talk about something taking me by storm, let’s talk about the crazy wind on the green carpet). Fellow Canadian up-and-comer (and 2017 CCMA female artist of the year) Meghan Patrick is also on the bill. Patrick’s latest single is called Country Music Made Me Do It.