Atomic Don and the Black Sunrise Made up of pieces of The Angry Dragons, Microdot and Pop Crimes, Atomic Don crawled out of a pile of radioactive goo last Halloween to deliver 5000 roentgens of heavy pop straight to your central nervous system.
Blunderspublik A typical 'spublik song begins at an organ or guitar, and is then translated into binary code, sculpted, mutated and organized into complex structures and textual narratives. The end result is a dense architectural soundfield that respects musical confines while moving outside their borders.
Bog River Whether they draw a stomp from your foot or a tear from your eye, Bog River will make you feel as good about music as they do. They combine the old with the new with their haunting harmonies and lyrics, diverse instrumentals and wide range of influences -- including bluegrass, gospel, Dixieland and contemporary folk.
Departures Departures have been steadily building and subsequently destroying good will for the past two years. Since crawling from the basements of teenage angst, the group has emerged as a five-headed beast of brooding, angular, pop music blooming with distortion and enough fuzz to fill your wanting ears.
The Girth An eclectic lounge-punk party sandwich of a band served in a light béchamel sauce. The Girth are increasingly improvisational, persistently suggestive and thickly coated in hooks, puns and scary voices.
Gold n’Grams If longevity is key, then Gold'N'Grams should be the first name uttered when unlocking any conversation about the storied renaissance of 'electro' that unfolded at the beginning of the 21st century. Well versed in both techno and house conversation, Gold N' Grams true strength comes from his eclectic background that touched on all things from Bmore, breakbeat, to ghetto and hip hop.
Jamall Knight Through vinyl and CDJs, Jamall Knight has been in the scene for 4 years. Having opened for many big names, he recently took a break to focus on the Sweatbox series of underground parties, playing Motown, Detroit techno, and real house. This artistic blend is sure to jam all night.
Jonnie Vaude and the Villains Joyfully spontaneous Jonnie Vaude and the Villains will trap you in its combination of fun country rhythms and vaudevillian rock 'n' roll show.
The Lytics The Lytics have become legends for their memorable live shows, addictive melodies and perfect cadence. Not since the appearance of The Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief has a rap crew emerged with such a dynamic combination of lyrical ability, flow and melody. The Lytics' joyful sound is definitively “sick music.”
Mahogany Frog With the use of myriad keyboards (both analogue and digital), feedback-ridden guitars, fuzz-bass and walls of electronic samples, the group creates a tube-saturated, highly overdriven jazz-rock -- usually performed at extremely high decibels and with an enormous amount of energy.
The Mystics The Mystics were born from a love of rock 'n' roll, a passion for its history and a desire to play it while people drink and shake their asses. The love child of Reuben Todd and Colin McTavish, the current lineup (including drummer Stefan Kroeker) was solidified a little over a year ago.
Narwhal Strike One of Winnipeg's best new young bands, Narwhal Strike connects post-rock to its alt-rock roots and ends up with a mix between Modest Mouse and Explosions In The Sky.They show maturity in the amount of space and resonance they're willing to explore, allowing each part of the song to be fully absorbed.
Pip Skid Pip Skid is one of Winnipegs most prolific rappers with a humorous/political edge.
Pop Crimes “Imagine all your favourite guitar openings, interludes and harmonies: that’s pretty much Pop Crimes.” - Victoria King, Stylus Magazine. This quartet's crisp tones and pedal-heavy guitars take no prisoners -- once the music starts pounding, it rarely pauses for a breath. The songs flirt between catchy pop hooks and ethereal noise, with every riff providing a manic beauty in the face of chaos.
Rebel Yell “With beats catchier than herpes and rhymes just as infectious, one would need a serious musical barrier to not get into this." - Jared Story, Uptown Magazine. It's true -- Rebel Yell makes the greatest punkster, hip-hop party music you've ever heard.
Rock Lake Motorhead meets Georgia Satellites.
Slow Dancers Glacial-paced, spacious, and beautiful -- Slow Dancers play music of gradual acquaintance; music of purpose and thought; music which fetters the restless spirit of rock and roll, strips her of her mercurial dress, reveals her bare, examinable, sullied only by our searching eyes.
Soft Core givya watcha want, givya watcha need—post-punk, riotgrrrl, acid-lounge, surf n hardcore ramped up by mounds of speed. Fronted with titillating dicktion, performance artist Lasha Mowchun COMMANDS attention, and providing the licks, David Dobbs (Vampires, Absent Sound) and Taylor Burgess (TwoTails, Digitall) are holding down the rear.
Spirit Children Spirit Children's goal is to make you cry more than you've ever cried before and bring you into a crippling depression from which you will never recover.
This Hisses Fronted by a chilling femme fatale who commands the stage, This Hisses spellbinds crowds with the refreshing power of their dynamic live show and blisteringly loud, yet hauntingly pretty, Surf Noir sound.
Tim Hoover Known by many as DJ Co-op, Tim Hoover has stepped back from the DJ booth to create a forward-thinking collection of music which straddles the line between DJ mix and instrumental album. Drawing samples and inspiration from a handful of both well-known and obscure tracks, Hoover seamlessly blends sounds into haunting electronic compositions.
Ultra Mega With a sound somewhere in the vast space between Pavement and the Wu-Tang Clan, Ultra Mega has been playing its homespun brand of rock to growing audiences (and paying homage to the lanky, sweaty, fist-pumping creeps in the back streets of Winnipeg) since 2006.
Vela Brought up on post-rock and progressive metal, Vela emerges as a band producing bewitching soundscapes and melodies with the power and excitement of a live performance. The music feeds on energy and emotion, drawing the listener in with clear musical structures and colourful tones.
Veridians Winnipeg's favourite post-rock band, Veridians (formerly Amuse), is a powerhouse of instrumental rock music whose intricately woven climaxes and valleys will leave your head spinning.
West Broadway Hip Hop Orchestra West Broadway Hip Hop Orchestra is a ten piece rap collective featuring your favourite local nerds, members of Salinas, bike polo players and ex members of Les Jupes. Five MCs and five musicians and nothing but good times.
Zoppa Zoppa is a songwriter. Zoppa is a band. Zoppa is a week at home, and Zoppa is a party. Zoppa is brothers jamming. Zoppa is new friends making music. Zoppa is whatever you want it to be, because Zoppa is here for you. Search:
Big Fun is an annual festival showcasing multiple genres of music and art in venues throughout Winnipeg. Big Fun will run January 24-27, 2013!