On Thursday, May 5th, Ritual Nightclub will be hosting an atmospheric evening with Royal Canoe, Hannah Epperson, and High Waters.
Winnipeg’s Royal Canoe is a band that seems to truly be doing whatever it wants. Drawing from a deep well of sounds and influences, the band approaches the standard pop formula from seemingly any angle they can find, infusing funk, soul, rock, hip hop, and pretty much anything else you can think of into their wall of sound.
The band’s bio describes their live set as being loaded with “falsettos, guitars, effects pedals, drums, bass, tambourines, shakers, and a six-keyboard superweapon.” Their use of multiple vocals and dreamscape-inducing synths make for an incredible sense of atmosphere. It’s the kind of music you get wrapped up in and just zone out on.
Speaking of atmosphere, Hannah Epperson of Vancouver, BC will be with them, laying out her extremely unique brand of ambient, orchestral noise. There’s something about her sound that is simultaneously classy and sophisticated, yet messy and chaotic. It’s modern meets archaic.
While listening to her track “Methyl Red” on Bandcamp, I had a hard time picturing a crowd that is witnessing her performance doing anything other than standing totally still, breathing shallow so as not to disturb the fragile environment her violin and effects have created.
High Waters, a self-proclaimed art rock band from Ottawa, will be opening the night. While listening to the first track “Up to the Sea” off of their latest release, Goodnight Mara, I was immediately struck with how the folky, rooted part of their sound mixed and blended well with a rock, and sometimes experimental aesthetic. A use of acoustic guitars with electrics always makes for an interesting feel, and in the case of High Waters, it allows them to stretch their sound as far as it can go.
The doors open at Ritual at 8pm with the show beginning at 8:45pm, ($12 entry). It’s sure to be a fantastic night of spatial and ambient rock/pop music