WiL @ Vancouver Fanclub -- 10/16/14

Americana North is a series of shows at Vancouver Fanclub that focuses on "amazing music that fits under the broad 'Americana' description and consisting of Roots, Folk, Bluegrass, Alt Country, Gospel and Blues..!". 
And while I hadn't managed to catch any of their previous shows, with artists like Neil Osbourne and Lindi Ortega, when one of my favourite guitarists to watch live popped up in their lineup, I knew I couldn't miss it.

The openers of the night were Old Mare, from Abbottsford, with a bit of an alt-folk/alt-rock sound. They wore their influences pretty heavily on their sleeves, and while they were all fine musicians, it was not really all that memorable either. A Perfectly Acceptable Opening Band.

It wasn't long after them that Wil took the stage, and I think it was the first time I had seen him with more than just a drummer; in addition to Keith Gallant on drums, they were joined by Lena Birtwistle on keyboard and sometimes backup vocals.
Wil started the show with "Hold Me On", the lead off track from the new album El Paseo, and immediately said that was it, show was over, just one song. But of course, he was joking as he launched into a two-hour set that spanned all the way from the first song he ever wrote, and still a crowd-pleaser, "Both Hands", to more off his new album, like the insanely catchy "Make Make" and "Roam", written for Travel Alberta, which almost gives you the sense of soaring over Albertan landscapes (in a good way).

"Roam" was also the first song of the set where Wil lived up to his "I Break Strings" moniker, breaking a string in the outro. But while that may be one of the things he's known for, it never feels gimmicky -- he even admitted that he doesn't necessarily want to break strings -- just a byproduct from his intense, blurry-handed strumming. (Also, fun fact: his wife Caroline makes jewelry from the recycled broken strings.) And so after changing the string in under a minute, he was back on track, his frantic strumming going to precise picking, and even slide guitar, while emotion poured out of his soulful vocals.

As the main set came to a close, he built in energy and intensity until it all came bursting out on the explosive "Honey Pie", before ending on a slightly calmer note, the slow and heartfelt "Dance With The Devil". And of course he was back for one more, the intense "Look Around", where he snapped not one, but two more strings from his guitar, leaving everyone in the room spent.


It's a testament to his on-stage performance that a singer/songwriter with a guitar and only a couple backing musicians could play for two straight hours, and it never seemed to drag on.


setlist
Hold Me On, Wedding Dress, El Paseo, Oak Tree, Make Make, Both Hands, Morning Sun, Ride, Roam, Brother, Hey Now, If You Want Me To, Here We Go, Honey Pie, Dance With The Devil.
(encore) Look Around.

3am Mixtapes: Episode Fifty Three: Upcoming Albums

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like best of 2006. Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Bands Named Someone and the Somethings.

This week is a pretty straightforward list. Now that we're out of the summer drought, a lot of great music will be coming out in the next little while, so I figured I'd take a listen at some things I am really excited or intrigued by. It's the Top Six Upcoming Albums!

Get excited for:

"My Favourite Faded Fantasy" by Damien Rice
"Make Make" by WIL
"Happy Idiot" by TV On The Radio
"Kintsukuroi" by Hey Rosetta!
"From the Night" by Stars
"PSI" by Lydia Ainsworth

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

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WIL w/ Shaun Verreault @ Railway -- 04/06/14

Two of my favourite guitar players, especially to watch live, are William Mimnaugh and Shaun Verreault. And some of my favourite shows over the last ten years have been when those two shared the stage.
In fact, I first discovered WIL when he opened for Wide Mouth Mason at the Commodore many moons ago, and I've seen the pair do solo acoustic shows together a few times.
They wrapped up a very short, four date mini-tour at the Railway Club, where I've seen both play before, individually.

The Wide Mouth Mason frontman Shaun Verreault started the show going straight from his line check right into the set. He had a little bit of technical issues during the first song, his distortion pedal deciding it didn't feel like working ("that just goes to show, where there's a will, there's a won't") but it hardly phased him as he finished the song, even with electric guitar unamplified at one point. But it was a hurdle that was somewhat fitting with Shaun's "motto" for the brief tour, to try out the new and untested. Relying just on his electric guitar -- no acoustic -- Shaun included a brand new song he had never played before, one written for David Gogo, and he revamped a newer WMM song "The Night Fell", with some help from his looping pedal.
And of course, throughout the entire set he melted faces off with his phenomenal guitar work. Playing slide with his pinky, hands moving over the strings almost faster than you can follow, he is mesmerising to watch. One of the best showcases of his skills was "Catch My Death", a song from his Two Steel Strings solo album, recorded on a train speeding across the country. After a short while he wrapped up the set with a cover of Sam Cooke's oft-covered "Bring It On Home to Me", looking a little sad to be done such a short tour with his friend.

After a bit of a break, WIL took the stage joined only by his drummer Keith Gallant. His acoustic guitar looked like it had taken a beating for fifty years, but was likely not nearly that old, just showing the signs of WIL's intense guitar playing. But even though WIL may be known for his frantic, blurry-handed guitar playing, he's also got an amazing, soulful voice. And not only does he blend those two aspects together perfectly, sometimes it's even on the same song.
Started the set with "Long Kiss Goodnight", he played songs ranging from the brand new "El Paseo" to "Dance With The Devil" from his first album. Highlights included "Hey Now", which gradually built before exploding into chaos at the end, nearly silencing the Railway Club (no easy feat) and the first songs he ever wrote, and still a crowd favourite, "Both Hands". And after about an hour, he wrapped up with "Wedding Dress", but not before promising he would be back for more after a brief intermission, for people to grab a beer (or a cranberry juice and soda).
The second half of the set was a little shorter, taking a request for the incendiary "Honey Pie" and a couple songs he wrote for Alberta, where he grew up; "Ride" written for the Calgary Stampede, and "Roam" written for Travel Alberta.
And of course, it wouldn't be a WIL show without some broken strings. He snapped one during the final song of the set, "Tell You Twice", and after some prompting from the crowd, hopped back on stage for one last one, an incredible instrumental appropriately titled "4 String Song".

I could watch either of these gentlemen play guitar all night, so it's always great seeing the two of them together. And even though they didn't join one another, as they have in past shows, they always seem to bring out the best of each other. In fact, my only complaint of the night wasn't even anything to do with on stage, but rather the overly-excited guy in the crowd who thought he was part of WIL's band, playing the shrill-whistle and the off-beat-clap.

setlist
Long Kiss Goodnight, El Paseo, Hold Me On, Dance With The Devil, Hey Now, Oak Tree, Both Hands, Wedding Dress.
Baby Baby, Honey Pie, Ride, Roam, Tell You Twice.
(encore) 4 String Song.

3am Mixtapes: Episode Twenty Five: Ninth Tracks

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like best female vocalists. Or some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Bands With Unusual Instruments.

This week, we shall take a look at the Top Six Track Nines! "Why," I hear you ask (even though we are using text based communication right now)? Well, the simple answer is "why not?"

This week on the playlist:

"Poor Ol Broken Hearted Me" by The Trews
"Lesage" by The Liptonians
"Agoraphobe" by Ryan Dahle
"I Remember" by Damien Rice
"I Still Remember" by Bloc Party
"Spitfire" by Wil

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

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WiL @ The Cellar -- 10/25/13

From the first time I saw him, opening at the Commodore for Wide Mouth Mason, I've been a fan of Wil Mimnaugh, otherwise known simply as WiL. With his energetic roots-rock sound, he has become one of my favourite guitar players, especially to watch live. So when he came through Vancouver at the Cellar Nightclub, celebrating the release of his first live album, Live at the Ironwood, I sure wasn't going to miss it.

It was an early show, and I got there a little late, missing first opener Connor Roff, and only catching the last couple songs of Jack Mercer. He was on stage alone with a very bluesy sound, and I wish I had caught more of his set.

Then at 9:30 sharp, WiL hit the stage, just him and drummer Kevin Haughton. Launching immediately into "Rain On", he played a nearly hour and a half set that spanned his albums, from old favourites like "Both Hands", which utilizes his raw powerful vocals, and a request from the crowd for "Mama", to a couple brand new songs.

Other highlights included the the powerful emotion of "Wedding Dress" and "Hey Now", where he really let loose at the ending, showing off how amazing of a guitar player he is. Going from wildly strumming so fast his hand is a blur, to intricate finger picking at a moments notice, his playing is as intense as it is mesmerising.

He's also got a great presence on stage; from joking around between songs to sincere gratitude for supporting him, to actual concern for the eardrums of the people standing near the speaker, he came across as very genuine. 

WiL lived up to his "I break strings" moniker, as well. After a few people in the crowd yelled some encouragement to break strings, he promised he would but admitted that it kind of sucks when it does happen -- "like yelling at a passing cyclist to get a flat tire!" -- and sure enough, during the second to last song of the night, he created more fodder for his wife's jewellery (she makes bracelets, earrings, and necklaces from the guitar strings).

Not bothering with the faux encore, WiL played right up until the curfew, wrapping up the set with the crowd (and my) favourite "Honey Pie", just tearing away at the guitar, somehow topping the intensity from the last hour and a half. I've probably seen WiL live a dozen times over the years, and he never fails to impress and amaze me.

setlist
Rain On, Hold Me On, [new song], Wedding Dress, Hey Now, We All, Both Hands, Mama, Oak Tree, Roam, Tell You Twice, Baby Baby, [mystery song], Honey Pie.

Wil @ Media Club -- 12/14/12

It was eight years ago that I went to see Wide Mouth Mason at the Commodore Ballroom, and was transfixed by the opening act, an acoustic roots-rocker who simply went by the name of Wil. I've seen him at least a dozen times since, and I am continually impressed, each time I see him play.

Unfortunately I missed the opening act Ryan McMahon. There were conflicting reports on show times before the night, and I got there thinking I was just in time to see him, but it turns out he had just finished his set. 

It wasn't long after I arrived that Wil took the stage, joined only by Kevin Haughton on drums, at the sold out Media Club, visibly appreciative of the support. You can always tell when an artist is going through the motions thanking the crowd and when they are genuinely touched, and Wil was definitely the latter. His roots-rock sound and rough, soulful voice filled the room, the raw emotion pouring out and his passion for playing immediately apparent, as he candidly hoped for the opportunity to continue playing for many years to come. 

Wil opened the first set of the night with "Rain On" and after a few songs, he went off the setlist and started soliciting requests from the crowd, playing a few older songs, "Mama" and "Dance With The Devil". He also lived up to his "I Break Strings" moniker snapping a string during "Tell You Twice". And as many strings as I've seen him break, he never seems to be trying to do it to live up to a gimmick, but rather just from the sheer intensity of his playing -- his hands are often a blur flying across the body of the guitar. 
And the strings aren't wasted; his wife takes the discarded strings and makes jewelry from them, selling them online and at shows.

After about an hour, Wil ended the first half of the night with a crowd favourite (and mine) "Honey Pie", an incredibly catchy and fast paced, slide guitar driven song. He was back out soon after for the second half of the night, kicking off with the building energy of "Cooder Mountain" and playing a few more songs, including the darker "The Deal" and wrapping up the night with another amazing showcase of his quick hands on the guitar with a song I didn't catch the name of. 

As if it isn't already apparent, Wil is one of my favourite performers to watch live, and as long as he keeps playing shows, I will always be there. 

setlist
Rain On, Gold, Hold Me On, Both Hands, Wedding Dress, Roam, Mama, Dance With The Devil, Tell You Twice, Honey Pie.
Cooder Mountain, Always With Love, Hey Now, The Deal, [mystery song].

Wil @ Electric Owl -- 06/25/12

It's that time of year when the Vancouver International Jazz Festivaltakes over the town. I am planning on a few shows this year, but the first of which is a musician I first saw sever or eight years ago, and was instantly mesmerized by. Wil (full name Wil Mimnaugh) lives up to his website name, ibreakstrings.com, with the habit of breaking strings right off his guitar from the intensity of his strumming. I hadn't had the chance to see live in far too long, so I was more than a little excited for the show.

It was an early show, and first up was Bocephus King, who had an upbeat, bluesy sort of sound. With King on guitar and vocals, joined by Paul Townsend on drums and Robin Layne on percussion, with a variety of shakers and noisemakers, they seemed very natural and fluid, almost as if it was improvised right there, and the way the band meshed was incredible, as they melted genres together flawlessly. 
Part way through the set they were joined by Skye Wallace, with her soft voice helping out with vocals and the set was brought to an end with a song that started soft and built to a great ending, and even featured a bit of flute. 
It was amazing to watch all the songs come together live, and any other night, there is a strong possibility that they would have stolen the show.

Not long after Wil took the stage, just himself, and Kevin Haughton on drums. His fast-hands on the acoustic guitar and rough, soulful voice filled the room and his passion for playing was immediately apparent, as the music seemed to flow out of him effortlessly for the entire set. Clocking in at nearly two hours, Wil played songs spanning the years, from the heart-wrenching "Oak Tree" off his newest album, Heart of Mine, all the way back to the first song he wrote, "Both Hands", switching occasionally from a normal microphone to an old microphone. the "shitty phone call mic" as he called it.
The first broken string of the night came during "Roam", a song written for the Travel Alberta board, and after picking up his backup guitar -- which had a visible arc of wear and tear from how intense he plays -- he broke yet another string a couple songs later. At that point he decided to end the set with one more song, written because of his frequent string breaking that both requires and is titled "4 Strings", an instrumental that was among one of the most impressive displays of guitar playing I have witnessed.
He was set to wrap up the set with that, but was informed he still had more time if he, and the crowd,  wanted; and with an overwhelming response, he got what may have been an actual, legitimate encore -- though only after a short, ten minute break to re-string his guitars.
When he returned he took a few requests, breaking his third and final string of the night with "The Deal", and switching to his backup to end off the set with an older one, "Sweet Rebecca" and finally finishing off the night with the amazing and intense "Honey Pie".

For years, Wil has been one of my favourite guitar players, especially to watch live, and this show did nothing but remind me why. The "breaking strings" thing may seem gimmicky when heard about second hand, but it never feels forces, like he's actively trying to break them, and it only takes watching him perform live once to become a lifelong fan.

And as for the fate of the broken strings, they don't just wind up in the trash. Several years ago Wil's wife Caroline started making jewellery out of the discarded strings, and at the merch booth -- or online -- you can buy bracelets, necklaces and earrings made from broken guitar strings.

setlist
Rain On, Gold, Wedding Dress, Oak Tree, Tell You Twice, Both Hands, Roam, If You Want Me Too, Ride, 4 String.
(encore) The Deal, Baby Baby, Sweet Rebecca, Honey Pie. 

Wil w/ Shaun Verreault @ Media Club -- 11/19/10

I am no stranger to seeing either Wil or Shaun Verreault live, and they're definitely no strangers to each other. I first discovered (and fell in love with, musically) Wil when he opened for Wide Mouth Mason, and I saw a pair of shows at UBC's Pit Pub with the two of them playing acoustically. So when I found out Shaun would be opening for Wil at his show at the Media Club, I was more than a little excited. Like those two previous shows, the two each came out to play acoustic sets. Or as Shaun put it: "Thanks for coming to see two men, naked on stage... holding wood."

Shaun Verreault, who you may know from Wide Mouth Mason, kicked off the night playing a set of his own material. Opening with "Too Much for Too Little", he covered material from both of his solo albums, as well as a brand new one written that day (as per a bet with Wil) and what I think was a new Wide Mouth Mason tune -- he prefaced it by saying the band will be recording, with Gordie Johnson on bass, soon. Verreault is a great storyteller in his songs, and that translates really well to his stage banter. He wove a few tales between songs, including the hilarious story of when he opened for the Beach Boys and had a bit of a verbal altercation with one of the members, who wasn't quite a fan of Shaun's set. He brought the set to an close with "Catch My Death", which was essentially a five minute guitar clinic. I always seem to forget just how incredible a musician Verreault is until I see him live, and he never fails to amaze me. I really hope I get the chance to see him perform again soon, and I really hope that the new Wide Mouth Mason incarnation, with Johnson, plays here soon as well.

And then there was Wil, who lived up to his reputation by breaking at least one, of not two, strings during the set. I've mentioned before how much I absolutely love watching Wil play live, and he was as good as ever. Like Shaun, his set was rather loose and intimate with a good amount of stories and joking between the songs. The size of the Media Club helped for sure, but a couple times he even played a song that was randomly yelled out from the crowd -- both older songs from his first album -- adding to the intimacy. Aside from those, he held up his end of the bet by playing a brand new song called "Angry Dog" and joked (I hope!) that it was so new it would never get played again. "Cooder Mountain" grew to an amazing intensity and "Honey Pie" -- one of my favourite songs -- was just mindblowing, as usual. After closing the set with the tender "Big Life" he came back out for one more, despite the mounting snow. The song was one that he has had for a while, but remains unreleased; I hope that changes soon, as it was quite good.

My only disappointment from the show was that they didn't jam together for the encore. The shows they played together both featured that, but not so much this time. Even if it were just for a song or two, it would have been cool to see. But despite that, both men put on amazing sets, and anyone who has the opportunity to see either one live would be a fool not to take it.

setlist:
Long Kiss Goodnight, Wedding Dress, Mama, Angry Dog, Both Hands, Cooder Mountain, The Deal, Honey Pie, Big Life.
[encore] Shipwreck.

In This Together by Wil

From the moment I first saw Wil hit the stage, years ago, I was drawn in. His live show was just so incredible and energetic that I was an instant fan. But while I enjoyed his first album, Both Hands, it seemed to be missing a little piece of what made him so special live. His next album, By December, was a huge step forward, both in his writing and music, and seemed to capture that live quality. So needless to say, I was more than a little excited for his third album, In This Together, hoping it would be as big a leap as Both Hands was from By December.

"Long Kiss Goodnight" opens the album heartbreakingly, lamenting on a ruined relationship with the music matching the emotions that swing between angry and melancholy. The album picks up from there, though, with "Why Ask Why?" slowly building to an explosive climax and the infectiously catchy & roots-driven "Baby Baby" both taking a more positive (or at least less bleak) look at relationships. "The River" -- a song he's been playing live for years now, so it's great to finally have recorded -- has an upbeat tune that belies the dark lyrics. "Cooder Mountain" is another track that just builds and builds; starting somewhat ominously and then piles on the intensity until the end leaves you breathless.
"If You Want Me Too" brings the mood down slightly, as it sounds like it should be a gloomy song, but is actually quite touching, lyrically. The worst least good song on the album is probably "Way Too Long", which isn't really all that bad, just a little... forgettable, not sticking with you like the rest. That is quickly remedied as "Uh Oh!" bursts forth with energy and enthusiasm, though "The Deal" brings the dark intensity back, with another building song, this time about sacrifice.
The moody and longing "Hold Me Tonight" seems has an optimism to it, when Wil begs "hold me tonight / and everything's going to be all right", a sentiment that leads perfectly into "Together", an aptly named song which gives closure both musically and lyrically, assuring you that "the days ahead get better". The combination of the two songs is an excellent way to bring the album to a close, and is a great counter to the opener.

The first thing I noticed about the album is that it does not have that one song on it that was head and shoulders above the rest, like both previous albums had ("Spitfire" and "Honey Pie"), but it is more evenly good. And while I may have been a little unenthusiastic towards the album, at first, the more I have played it, the more intricacies and nuances I find, to the point where I think it might be his best yet.


Download Baby Baby

Download Cooder Mountain

Download Together

Clicky to exchange monies for music

Wil @ The Biltmore -- 11/14/09

Sometimes when you haven't seen a performer in a while, you build them up in your memory, remember them as being more awesome as they actually are. I was really hoping that was not the case with Wil. There was a two year span, after discovering him when he opened for Wide Mouth Mason, where I saw him at least seven or eight times, with the last time, sadly, being a little over two years ago. He's been back a few times since, less frequently, but I always seemed to have terrible luck when he was here, never able to go or just missing him. Back then, I was adamant about Wil being one of the best live acts going, so I was very excited, if a little trepidatious, to see him again.

First out, though, was The British Columbians, who I had seen earlier this year when opening for the double bill of Arkells & The Waking Eyes. My opinion of them hasn't really changed much since then. They were Perfectly Acceptable Music; nothing all that great, but nothing terrible by any means. Their sound is kind of a.... country-metal, if that makes sense, heavy on the blues riffs. There wasn't much variety, though. The whole set sounded like one long song. They still had limited stage presence as well, with the stage falling silent a few times between songs while they set up for the next.

Then not too long after, it was time for Wil. As many times as I've seen him now, I am still amazed how his guitar does not burst into flames mid-show. The guy plays with an unparallelled intensity that, on many occasions, leads to broken strings -- which his wife then turns into jewelry. He was pretty much as amazing as I remembered, hitting the stage with just himself and drummer Jason Cook. They were minimal in numbers but absolutely enormous in sound. There've been a lot of places calling him "Canada's best kept secret" and I completely agree with that, as well as him being one of Canada's best live musicians. The only reason more people don't adore this man is simply because they haven't seen him live.
The set focused mostly on his last album, though he threw in a few new songs, including The River, which is a song that he's played live for years and is finally going to be on the upcoming album (January). The new songs were pretty good and made me all the more excited for the upcoming album. They even handed out a card which directed people to a website to download three demo's from the new album.
The new songs seemed a bit slower, but with most of the older songs, especially Big Life, Both Hands and Always With Love were played with pure energy and with his hand strumming the guitar so fast that most times it was a blur.
The highlight of the set, as hard as it would be to pick, would have to be near the end when he did Honey Pie. He goes absolutely insane in the song, and it had everyone clapping along, and doing a call-and-answer chorus of ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh's. Few times before have I seen the crowd at the Biltmore going as crazy. The one thing that disappointed me, though, is that he was light on songs from his first album, Both Hands -- by which I mean he didn't play Spitfire. In some of his early shows he would start and end the set with that song, so maybe it's just run its course.

By the end, all of my pre-show fears about me remembering him more legendary than he actually was were horseapples. If ever you have the opportunity to see this man live, I couldn't recommend it more.

setlist:
Don't Let me Down, Big Life, Wedding Dress, The River, Baby Baby (?), Long Kiss Goodnight, Both Hands, If You Want Me To Know, Always With Love, Dance With The Devil, Tell You Twice, Honey Pie, By December.