Gt. DANE

see URL - CBC

Here's another tune from Winnipeg's Gt. Dane. Like "The Dowagers," it appears on his Mourning Yer Ghost EP.

Don't let the violent imagery frighten you off — the tune's a pretty beautiful one, featuring gentle acoustic guitar, a humming string section and soft vocals from the guy up there in that photo with, um, all that blood around him. - CHARTattack

For fans of orchestral flourishes, heartbreaking melodies and sexy male vocals, check out Winnipegger Gt Dane and his baroque-pop caravan. Imagine if Owen Pallett had a little gay brother who joined the circus and together with a bunch of adorable circus mice wrote the soundtrack for it. This is some of the warmest, moodiest and most gorgeous music I’ve heard come out of Manitoba, so catch him while he’s here and download his latest EP, Mourning Yer Host, at gtdane.com. - FAB

Gt. Dane's the stage moniker of Dana Moore, who happens to be a member of Winnipeg's All Of Your Friends pop group. He released his Mourning Yer Ghost EP earlier this year, and the short cut "The Dowagers" is on it. The accordion should remind you of Geoff Berner, The Decemberists and Beirut, while the 3/4 waltzy time signature is something else entirely. Perfect for easy summer listening. - ChartATTACK

A Winnipeg band called All Of Your Friends has made their new album, All Of Your Friends Are Dead, available for free download. The quintet have put together a collection worth a listen for any fan of indie…I can’t think of the perfect genre name, so just download the album at www.thecalmbeforethemusic.org/AllofYourFriends. - Explore Music

All Of Your Friends - All Of Your Friends Are Dead

If you want to find some catchy indie pop, it really isn't that hard to find. Bands that do an admirable job of throwing some hooks together with a syrupy sweet vocal are about a dime a dozen these days. In fact, there's so many of them out there, that bands that I would have loved 5 years ago, I often find to be a little bit forgettable now due to the construction of our current indie musical climate. Manitoba's All Of Your Friends will sound like one of those bands if you don't exercise a little bit of patience. Their debut full length is a free download on their site, and it will grab you right away if, like me, you're a sucker for a catchy tune. The first track, masterfully entitled Local Celebrities Gather At The Watering Hole For A (Pre-Show) Dance Party, comes complete with fun boy-girl vocals, happy jumpy keyboards and the always endearing build up effect that will certainly remind you of a variety of other bands, yet still likely intoxicate you anyways. After all, a catchy song is a catchy song. However, the next few songs stick to that same pattern, and admittedly I found that, although my head was bobbing, my mind was starting to wander. This is what made track six such a rewarding payoff for my patience. It is at that moment that AOYF unleash an epic tune entitled A Note To Those Who Dwell On The Coast which, at 8 and a half minutes, shows that, during the first half of the album, the band was really only getting started. The song opens with a smoky, yet creepy vocal with piano accompaniment, before lunging into a bit of a guitar rock distraction that eventually leads to an impressively large sounding conclusion. The rest of the album continues to surprise as it showcases a band that is not as short on ideas as the album's first few cuts might lead us to believe. Like the last song that I mentioned, the entire album also ends on a high, with the last three tracks definitely being the strongest. AOYF may still be in the beginning stages, but they've definitely piqued my interest, and it'll be fascinating to see what other tricks they have up their sleeve for future releases. - It's not the band I hate, it's their fans

All of Your Friends

All of Your Friends Are Dead

Indie-Pop

Sun Rating: 4 out of 5

Some folks say you get what you pay for. They have clearly never met All of Your Friends. The co-ed indie-popsters are giving away their debut CD at the site below -- and it would be cheap at thrice the price. Supposedly an "autobiographical pop anthology of the tribulations and tragedies of becoming and unbecoming a friend," this playfully produced, lushly layered charmer is also an hour-long celebration of the irresistible joys of home-made orch-pop, sweetly swirling vocals and the magic of a jaunty accordion. Make some new best friends.

www.thecalmbeforethemusic.org - Winnipeg SUN

To the outsider looking in, it kind of seems like All Of Your Friends have one giant horseshoe shoved up their proverbial ass.

But that's really only a half-truth. The Winnipeg-based indie collective also happen to be really, really good.

They've barely been together a year, but Dana Moore, Trevor Graumann, Chris Cameron, Vicki Baldwin and Megan Turnbull have gone from fledgling outfit to full-on buzz band with a speed that seems inordinately fast, all things considered. After all, a leaked-on-purpose EP and a fortuitous contest win don't seem like the proper tools one would chart next big thing territory with. But that's exactly what happened, and the quintet are just as incredulous as everyone else.

"We've had a lot of good things happen to us in a short amount of time," says Graumann, who plays guitar.

One of these good things was landing a slot on the Mint Roadshow tour last October, opening for The New Pornographers in Montreal. It was a momentous gig that would later break down some walls for AOYF, who had trouble getting booked at home.

"It was actually through a contest through Exclaim! and CBC Radio 3," Graumann explains. "It said, 'Send in a tune from your band,' so I sent in a tune from my band. We didn't hear anything for a few weeks and didn't really think anything of it.

"When we found out, we had the house going overtime, making buttons, shirts, CDs and covers," adds Cameron.

The Pornos gig translated into high-profile shows with a myriad of Canadian indie rock cool kids, including The Awkward Stage, The Hidden Cameras and Tokyo Police Club.

"That show [opening for the Pornographers] was the opening of the gate," Cameron says. "Now we open for everyone who comes to town."

As it would turn out, taking initiative runs in the band. Just as Graumann got it in his head to submit a song to an online contest, vocalist Turnbull decided to drop off a burned copy of the band's living room-recorded EP to UMFM. Almost accidentally, the record charted on the University Of Manitoba campus station, eventually peaking at #2.

"That was really funny to us," Moore says. "We didn't even know until we heard ourselves on the radio."

In fact, the burned copies [sealed in homemade envelopes] that are circulating around town aren't really EPs at all. Some are, in fact, LPs. When AOYF officially release their debut this year, it will bear a striking similarity to the informally released copies already out there.

"The EP has been an ongoing collection of songs," Cameron explains. "That's kind of a cool theme, too. There are so many different combinations out there."

The DIY EP is certainly a nod to the quintet's work ethic. For AOYF, being an indie band has more to do with playing cast-away instruments and screening T-shirts in their basement than the kind of music they play or the circles they travel in. Perhaps luck is really only a small part of it.

"We appreciate how much work it takes to do this," Moore says. "There are so many bands that go unheard and there are so many bands in the mainstream that just aren't that good."

"Our goal," adds Graumann, "is to get heard." - ChartATTACK

see link - The New Pollution

Sixteen Winnipeg music acts will be going to Toronto to represent the Manitoba music scene at the North by Northeast (NXNE) music festival June 13-19.

This year, the annual industry festival/conference/shmoozefest features performances by over 500 music artists in 40 different downtown venues. Manitoba’s lineup includes acts from multiple genres: indie rock (Les Jupes, The Details, Enjoy Your Pumas, Mise En Scene and Ian La Rue & the Heartbeat City), pop-soul (Imaginary Cities), hip-hop (Magnum K.I. and Abstract Artform), electronica (Goldenboy, Cyclist, Joe Silva and The Seed Organization) and something called surf noir (This Hisses).

Singer-songwriters Greg MacPherson, Ingrid Gatin and Gt. DANE will also be attending the fest.

Manitoba Music will feature MacPherson, This Hisses, the Details, Les Jupes, and Cyclist at its second annual industry association showcase on June 16 at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom.

The chance for artists to shmooze with industry heavies occurs at the 16th annual Manitoba Party on June 17 on the rooftop of the Drake Hotel on Queen Street, co-hosted by Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film and Music. - Winnipeg Free Press

Gt. Dane is the baroque pop project of former All of Your Friends frontman Dane Moore.

The Mourning Yer Host EP was arranged and recorded in an unheated film prop warehouse in downtown Winnipeg this past January.

The music on the effort features backing from members of Les Jupes, SitDown Tracy, and All of Your Friends.

Mourning Yer Host was released via iTunes and on 7-inch on Friday, May 13th.

Listen to “Noah, Let Yer Ark Door Slam,” right-click here to download an MP3 of the track, and click here to check out Gt. Dane’s official site - Explore Music

Gt. DANE @ Bread & Circus

I’m a total sucker for baroque pop, especially the kind that comes with a chilling blend of storytelling and atmospheric vocals, so there really wasn’t a better place to start my Thursday night than at Bread & Circus with Gt. DANE. Gt. DANE is a one man act featuring Dana Moore, formerly of the Winnipeg collective All of Your Friends. Well suited to this venue with the candlelit tables, it immediately becomes clear that Moore could command a much larger room with just his voice, acoustic guitar and booming foot drumming on the stage floor. His act has been described as a “pop-noir murder mystery” and Moore definitely lives up to that intriguing blend. Fans of more radio-friendly sounds might not appreciate the way Moore defies traditional song structures – you’d be hard pressed to find a chorus or a poppy hook in his work, but listeners are rewarded with a nuanced and organic experience that is driven by storytelling and atmosphere. Moore himself was a witty and earnest stage presence, joking with the audience between songs and inviting warmth and laughter into the dark room. Off-stage Moore charmed even further when he refused payment from those wishing to buy his EP, Mourning Yer Host, insisting that the vinyl was a gift to those who had enjoyed his set.

For those who missed out or just want to relive the magic, check out a video made with music from Mourning Yer Host and looped footage from the Prelinger Archive.



Hopeful Monster @ Bread & Circus

I felt it would be pretty tough to follow Gt. DANE but was intrigued as Hopeful Monster’s set up included an electric guitar, a violin and a cello. I have pretty strong feelings about strings in pop music, so I was excited to see what this band had to offer. Unfortunately, their set began with a jarring note and never really left there for me. Through no fault of the band, the piano was not on stage so what I initially thought to be a trio was actually a quartet, with the vocalist offside and essentially invisible from the other side of the room. As the set progressed it felt like the guitarist wasn’t in step with the rest of the band, trying to add a heavier, rock flavour to the chamber pop sound created by the strings and keys. The guitar was much more suited to the song “Summer’s Only Daughter,” where the pedal effects reinforced the haunting themes of the song. At times this felt like it could have been their strongest song, but often the strings overpowered the vocals and keys and in the end I felt that aside from the string section no two band members were on the same page musically.

Royal Bangs @ The Horseshoe

Leaving Bread & Circus I headed down to Queen Street West for the Horseshoe. I knew I wanted to check out PS I Love You and Suuns, but hadn’t heard of the band preceding them so I took my time and lived to regret it. By the time I arrived the room already verging on “uncomfortable but not sold out”, and there was no chance of making it to the front and it was clear to see that Royal Bangs were putting on a highly energetic set. A trio from Knoxville, Tennessee, Royal Bangs offers the kind of blend of experimental indie rock that is guaranteed to keep your head engaged while making your heart beat faster. With use of keyboard distortion, guitar pedals and percussion that brings to mind the most anthemic White Stripes drumlines and strong vocals, they’re hitting almost every note right.

PS I Love You @ The Horsehoe

I’ve been a fan of these guys since I got my hands on Meet Me At The Muster Station last fall and every time I see them live I fall in love with their music all over again. There is something about Saulnier’s signature yelp that just sounds better when you’re standing in a crowd of fellow worshippers. There’s a flip side to that, of course, and that is that a fair few devotees of this band are complete douchebags. You know the guys, the bros who spill their beer down your back midway through the set and whose screaming adoration can turn on a band in a hot second. That hot second arrived when during the first chord of the second song the guitar amp blew. Gear issues can be killer, and for short festival sets this is especially true. For the bros, this was unacceptable. They yelled and cursed as though someone on stage was doing this to thwart them and when the issue was resolved and Saulnier paused long enough to ask the stage manager how much time the band had lost, they didn’t like that either. Of course, once Saulnier stepped back to the mic all was forgiven and PS I Love You powered through a crazy set that had the whole room whipped into a frenzy.

Suuns @ The Horseshoe

Like my fellow reviewer Dan Gorman, before this set the only thing I knew about Suuns was that people on Twitter were upset that they hadn’t gotten a Polaris nod for Zeroes QC, and now I’m mad about it, too. With a combination of pop, post-punk and experimental rock elements that isn’t for the faint of heart, Suuns had the audience captivated from the outset. - Two Way Monologues

For Dana Moore, romance is equal parts science and song-craft.

“Whether it’s music or science I am, for the most part, approaching things in a reductionist way,” he says. “Breaking things apart and putting them back together. It’s a thoughtful process, and I apply that process to music, that scientific approach to deducing things rather than just making statements.

“In some regard it’s romantic to be a scientist but study poison,” he adds. “It seems kind of Shakespearean to me.”

Moore, 27, is the former front man of Winnipeg-based indie rock collective All Your Friends, a band that toured Canada and scored radio play locally in Manitoba and nationally on CBC. They also opened for big-ticket Canadian indie bands such as The New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club and The Hidden Cameras when they passed through The Peg.

After three years they called it quits. Moore moved to Toronto to work toward a PhD in toxicology at the University of Guelph and rechristened his musical persona as Gt Dane, a whispery baroque pop troubadour. Though he spends most of his days researching coldwater fish for Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, he keeps busy after hours mixing a full-length debut album and prepping the release show for his new three-song EP, Mourning Yer Host, at NXNE.

Recorded in a frigid warehouse in Winnipeg this past January with a group of musicians drawn from Winnipeg’s indie scene, including his former band-mates, the EP acts as a languorous, stream-of-consciousness prologue to his forthcoming full-length, All of Your Friends Play Our Plague, Gt Dane, which he promises will be a lot more pop and rock than the slow-burning EP.

“All Of Your Friends was having a good time, but we never sat down and talked about the kind of music we wanted to make,” he says. “When we actually started to apply ourselves, we all kind of realized we wanted to do different things.”

“I approach [music] from a storytelling aspect,” he continues. “I’m more interested in making different song structures that I can draw out different nuances from rather than approach it in a progressive or technically interesting way.”

Dana Moore, aka Gt Dane.
His lyrics ebb and drift in an acoustic ambiance, eschewing choruses, bridges and other hallmarks of traditional pop song structure. Though thoughtful, his songwriting process isn’t always effortful. Most songs, he says, take only an afternoon to write. The problem is finding time to record and mix them around his hectic schedule researching for school.

Moore grew up on a farm in a rural community 35 minutes north of Winnipeg. The son of a farmer and a nurse, he spent a lot of time alone as a child thinking up fun things to do, including teaching himself guitar and piano.

“The only person my age in the general vicinity was my brother, and we aren’t that close in age and we didn’t get along,” he says. “Growing up in a rural place is about knowing how to innovate and entertain yourself. Work with what you got.”

One pop artist he admires is The New Pornographers’ Neko Case for the astute lyrical portraits she paints through her songwriting. “I love her focus on the context and ambiance of songs,” he says. “Almost every lyric has a double meaning and a double entendre that is usually very playful, but dark. I find that really attractive.”

In much the same way that Neko Case’s fans must listen carefully, Moore prefers to keep the meaning of the songs on Mourning Yer Host vague, leaving his listeners to deduce meanings rather than making blunt statements. “It’s that romantic spin on science,” he says.

Gt Dane plays North by Northeast Thurs, June 16, at 8pm, Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta - XTRA