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This article was published 25/04/2019 (2727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Apollo Suns EP release

Instrumental jazz-rock band Apollo Suns will celebrate the release of their newest EP, Dawn Offerings, with a pair of shows at the Handsome Daughter this weekend, Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27.

Since the 2017 release of their debut EP, Each Day a Different Sun, the group has toured all over the country, signed with a U.S. booking agent and picked up a West Coast Music Award in 2018 in the Instrumental Artist of the Year category.

Frontman and guitarist Ed Durochers says Dawn Offerings is a more collaborative affair than Apollo Suns’ previous work, which he largely wrote on his own. This time, after having spent so much time on the road together and really learning how to play with each other, other band members, some of whom are classically trained musicians, got in on the compositional action.

But with so many bodies in the studio — sometimes as many as 10 performers, though they typically tour with seven or eight members — Durochers says it was tricky to find a balance of sound and a balance of opinions.

“We had to really focus on what was best for the song. Obviously, we all have parts we love and want to play for, like, 20 minutes, and have fun over this piece of music. But, really it’s about what’s best for the song,” Durochers says.

“And that’s why we hired a producer as well, to make sure Keith (Price) was keeping us in line, making sure that we were doing what was in the best interest of the music and making sure the intention was getting across and that it was focused.”

Sonically, Durochers says Dawn Offerings is all about depth and dynamics.

“We’re instrumental, so we wanted to focus on the conversation and really listening to each other. And then having a five-piece horn section, there was a lot of really heavy melodic phrases going on, so making sure that it wasn’t over indulgent,” Durochers says.

“We always… want to make sure that even though we are instrumental and come from a jazzier — and I use that term very loosely — place, we want to make sure it’s accessible and catchy for people who aren’t heavy connoisseurs of instrumental music — keep it dance-y, keep it groovy and easy to digest.

“There are some nice mellow moments where it’s very open, and there are other moments that are very straight to the point,” he says.

While in the studio, Apollo Suns recorded 12 tracks, though only four will appear on the EP. They are planning to release a full-length record in 2020.

Tickets for either of the EP release shows are $12, available at Into the Music, the Handsome Daughter, at the door or online at Showpass.com. On Friday, Jeremy and the Delicious Hounds and Carter and the Capitals are also on the bill. On Saturday, it’s Lounge FM and Odd Outfit. Music starts at 10 p.m.

— Erin Lebar

 

 

Hidden Winnipeg

Winnipeg’s built history holds many stories and secrets. From the hidden symbols and figures at the Manitoba Legislative Building to the sites of the Winnipeg General Strike to repurposed heritage buildings, there’s an endless amount to be learned about our city and our history through its landmarks and buildings.

Whether you’re architecturally curious or simply looking for a reason to explore Winnipeg on foot, by bike or by wheelchair, a scavenger hunt taking place Saturday, April 27, will offer plenty of insight into Winnipeg’s built history as well as reveal the occasional secret or two about our city.

Presented by the Exchange District BIZ, Downtown BIZ, the Flash Photographic Festival and the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation, the Hidden Winnipeg architectural scavenger hunt begins at Old Market Square at 1 p.m., and will send participants to a wide range of buildings to track down clues, which will lead to more clues, eventually leading back to the beginning.

Registration for the Hidden Winnipeg architectural scavenger hunt costs $6, and can be done through the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation’s website at winnipegarchitecture.ca. Proceeds from the hunt benefit the foundation’s public programming.

— Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson

 

 

WSO — Russian Masters

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performs its final Masterworks concerts of the 2018-19 season this weekend, inviting one of the classical music world’s top improvisers to tackle some of Russia’s most famous classical works.

On Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, pianist Gabriela Montero, who was born in Venezuela but now resides in Barcelona, will join the WSO for performances of the Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Pictures of an Exhibition by Mussogorsky. The music starts at 8 p.m. both evenings.

Montero has performed with symphonies around the world, and is the 2018 winner of Heidelberger Frühling Music Prize, which goes to artists or journalists who make a substantial contribution to bringing classical music to wider audiences.

And the Russian Masters concerts will be led by the WSO’s Russian master, musical director Daniel Raiskin, who is a native of St. Petersburg.

Tickets range in price from $25 to $105 and are available at wso.ca or by calling the WSO’s box office at 204-949-3999.

— Alan Small

 

 

Jo Koy

He’s not exactly a household name, but Jo Koy is the most successful act ever to play Club Regent Event Centre. The Filipino-American standup sold out four shows at the Transcona casino venue in December 2017, his first appearance in Winnipeg.

It’s hardly his first sellout moment — the comedian known for his Netflix special Jo Koy: Live in Seattle and his podcast, The Koy Pond, broke attendance records in Hawaii the same year, with 11 sold-out shows in Honolulu (more than 23,000 tickets).

Koy knows his fanbase — his routine is filled with nods to his Filipino heritage and playful acknowledgment of stereotypes — but his humour is also based on his family, with universal takes on what it’s like to be a dad to a young son and son to a mother with high expectations. He’s far from a clean comic, but something about his cheeky delivery and wide smile helps him dole out his raunchier material with a light touch.

Koy is at Club Regent Event Centre this week for three shows: Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m and 10:30 p.m. Tickets start at $40 and are available at Ticketmaster.ca. There are only single seats available for all three shows.

— Jill Wilson