Windigo

Fresh off the January release of their self-titled album, Calgary’s Windigo were a force to be reckoned with on Saturday night. Blending elements of rock and psychedelia, few bands rivaled the pure sonic force of Windigo’s performance. An integral part of Calgary’s indie rock revival, Windigo were ruthlessly entertaining. - The Gauntlet

Forget about common structures or any cliché to define this work easily. Each Windigo song only follows its own inner movements. You may feel, at some parts, as in the middle of a spiritual orgy between Beck, The Cranberries, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, but at the very beginning of the LP you have to admit that you never have heard something like this before. The diversity of their styles, tones and intentions, match beautifully, with distorted guitars that contrast the melodic soft voices. A deep bass that makes you float into the beat of a drum that jumps from jazz to funk, from rock to grunge and beyond.

“The Great Beyond” is the ultimate high level of simplicity, the marvelous tip of a volcano that slowly baths you in fire. “Lost in You” is a deep sacred scream that truly honors that dynamo called “Love”. “Stargazer” makes you feel like a particle of a dancing universe, floating in a Greek Chorus performed by two voices — that could be the Moon and the Sun, the darkness and the light, the Yin and the Yang or life and death — that sing their love to each other in a cosmic point-counterpoint.

Windigo seems to be open to experimentation. “The Hurricane,” an amazing song with a fun beat, comic but poetic lyrics and harmonic guitars, begins with: “Wait! I can’t decide, should I go right or should I go wrong”. They are not afraid to travel, to try new sounds, to play around and to go beyond. But you can notice how each song has been carefully thought out, felt and worked in detail, as a diamond in which nothing is superfluous or missing. As Da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Beatroute

CALGARY — Windigo, formed in 2011, is a four-piece indie psych-pop band made up of Calgary’s own skilled sweethearts: Anthony Kameka (guitar and vocals), Jen Severtson (bass and vocals), Mitch Cooper (drums), and Barry Mason (guitar). More sparkling and seasoned than the first, their second self-titled album is a foolproof way to melt away the iciest of winter blues. The hardworking, high-spirited group enjoys long walks on the beach, plenty of beer and shimmying their way into your previously empty heart, as a listen will instantly have you find. Windigo’s playful sounds will “romance you into a bubble bath” come January 22nd.

Since the last self-titled release, Windigo’s internal changes seem to have coalesced their sound into deeply congenial and gratifying territory, where each member cultivates the space to showcase what they can do. When asked what their creative process looks like, Cooper and Kameka answer, quite in synch, that they live together and play around a lot. “Of course the work transforms as we put it forward to everyone, but we play quite a bit with informal ways of writing music. Whenever we’re together we get to write music and see where it goes. Kameka is so guitar savvy, he makes it easy,” says Cooper. This instinctive work ethic genuinely thrives in the midst of such a close-knit group. The long-time friends shine with ample amounts of love both for music and each other.

Honeyed and soft-spoken, Severtson plays up her divinely sweet voice with many lifting inflections on Windigo, and most remarkably in a song called “The Great Beyond.” Is it any wonder that she maintains a pillow fort nicknamed the “Sultan’s Tent” as a permanent fixture in her home? Attuned to Kameka’s resonant, complementary and soothing vocals, most songs feature both of their telling voices. Outside of their pleasing harmonies, the band’s success is also related to other skilled contributions. “Jen is incredibly organized and keeps us on track. She does so much in that sense for us. She has a whole accordion folder, and on top of everything she also does our posters,” Kameka marvels.

Reborn within The Dreammachine, Windigo redefines their sound with a new full-length album. Photo: Unfolding Creative Photography
Reborn within The Dreammachine, Windigo redefines their sound with a new full-length album.
Photo: Unfolding Creative Photography
Windigo tells a tale of complementary unity, with Severtson revelling in the fact that Cooper is the complete opposite of her. “I love that he’s zany and sporadic! He’s fantastic at picking things up fast. He’s even good at Chinese yo-yo! Really, he’s a wizard,” she says with a laugh. Windigo has definitely grown in the last few months and years, Severtson continues, “We needed the experiences we’ve had to get here. We’re definitely more decisive now, and we have a clearer understanding when it comes to what kind of venues and line-ups we thrive with.”

Cooper, Severtson, and Kameka all agree that their favourite thing about newest band addition Barry Mason is how he enters a room, always accompanied by a big and sweet, “HELLO!” Mason is all sun and candor, and much like Windigo as a whole, his presence bounds with élan. He along with most of his band mates teach music professionally, which demonstrates how heavily anchored in melody and harmony they are, and how they manage to syndicate so many different styles to create the auditory equivalent of a silken crème brûlée.

Any way you slice it, money matters if you want to make music, and the whole band agrees that balancing full-time jobs is necessary for them to keep their operation afloat. Though “being financially independent is the dream and the goal, a well-supported Kickstarter heavily subsidized this new album,” remarks Kameka. “There’s no way we could have made Windigo without it.”

As for the parenthetical aspects of their album, a lot of their concepts are just as wistful as their dreamy sound. “In the cover photo that Sebastian Buzzalino [a BeatRoute contributor] took, we were all sitting around what is called The Dreammachine, which was invented as the first visual art piece to be viewed with the eyes closed,” Severtson describes. “It’s a large cylinder with specific holes cut into it that spins on a record player with a light bulb hanging into the top. When your eyes are closed and you are facing it, it creates visual stimuli. We were introduced to it on our tour when we drove out to play POP Montreal, and we just decided it would be a cool piece to include in the album somehow.” She continues, “A lot of the song lyrics were written on that tour, so we wanted to include elements that spoke to the creation of those songs.” And so Windigo makes its way from hearts to homes along with a fresh new year. - Beatroute

There’s a sense of exasperation in Calgary’s indie music community. People who had been heavily involved with the music scene have grown tired; some have given up, not paying attention to the new, emerging bands coming into the fold—many of whom are bringing something unique to the table. But bands like Windigo are bringing a clean, youthful, and upbeat energy as an inadvertent attempt to revitalize a musical climate that’s grown jaded and old. But on May 12, Windigo released “Disco,” an upbeat indie-pop track rife with riffs with the intent—like its name—to get people dancing. Their sound, reminiscent of early alt-rock stalwarts such as the Strokes, Limblifter, and Hot Hot Heat, is refreshing, especially for Calgary’s musical landscape that some consider oversaturated with punk, hardcore, and thrash.

In 2013, they released their first LP Retrospectrum, an indie-rock album with a heavy influence on garage. Six months later, they released an acoustic EP titled Rhombus, stylized in the fashion of wistful, solemn folk and Canadiana. With Anthony Kameka’s (guitar/vocals) high-baritone and Jen Severtson’s (bass/vocals) soft, smooth jazz-like crooning almost like younger incarnation of Norah Jones, they compliment each other’s vocals nicely. Though they’ve been touring extensively throughout Calgary and Vancouver, I managed to catch up with Windigo a few hours before their show. The venue, Wurst, a German beer hall, might not have been the best environment to play a show—having only hosted acoustic performances beforehand. They were still excited. “We’ve been in worse,” says Kameka. “We had this show in Toronto where there was barely any space for us. It was a comedy venue, but we made it work”

A few years back they too found Calgary’s music scene to be lacking, especially for the kind of music they offered. “Back then there wasn’t really much for us, or even for bands like us,” says Severtson. “The music that we played didn’t really have a place here.” “I used to be really bummed out with the scene here; there was a point that I didn’t go to any shows,” says Kameka. “Bands like 36?, Samantha Savage Smith, and a lot of others are helping break from the usual thing. Kids are coming out. Shows are a plenty. It’s really going well for the indie-rock scene in Calgary.”

With all these new, emerging bands looking to make their mark within Calgary’s revitalized musical climate, Windigo doesn’t see it as competition. Rather, they see a community of artists that feed off—and compliment—one another through collaboration. “Competition has a place in music, but at a certain level you’re only being negative, really,” admonishes Mason. “We just try to make things that sound good,” says drummer Mitch Cooper. “If other people think it sounds good then all the better.” Initially formed in 2011, Windigo was certainly different than it is now. Undergoing a few lineup changes over the course four years, their music, although still catchy, upbeat, and spirited has become a lot more refined—a maturation of sorts.

What Cooper and Mason, the newer members, bring to the table is something that Severtson says Windigo had lacked the first few years of its incarnation: synergy. “It was a lot harder for us to make music in the early Windigo days,” she says. “We didn’t really have that sort of connection. But now, [with Barry and Mitch] it’s definitely a lot easier; we can write songs no problem.” “Although I like a lot of obscure stuff, I got a lot of inspiration from the Beatles, and the way they layer and harmonize their vocals and instruments,” says Mason. With the Disco EP, he says the release will be something different, although similar to Retrospectrum albeit “a lot more danceable, fun, complex, and great to groove to.” Their lively, energetic stage presence was an aspect they were really looking to convey in Disco. Kameka says they wouldn’t have been able to do so without the help of producer Lorrie Mattheson. “It’s really hard to find a guy that’s so dedicated to conveying that sort of energy,” he says. “He wasn’t just there to press record, he really helped us make the album what it is.” “I think for anyone who’s gone to our shows and started to enjoy [our newer material], they’re going to be pleasantly surprised on how they’re presented on the Disco,” says Severtson. “We love it, so I think they will too.”

Nikki Celis is a journalist based in Calgary. Follow him on Twiter - @CelisNikki - Noisey (Music by Vice)

For Fans of: Bombay Bicycle Club, Vampire Weekend, The Kills, Alvvays, Arctic Monkeys, Born Ruffians


Written by Willow Grier

Let’s be honest Calgarians. Our city is pretty freaking awesome. A melting pot of insanely talented musicians, artists, and overall impassioned and active humans, pushing the envelope and creating a vibrant feeling of LIFE within our community. With that being said, Windigo is at the very top of the list of those people who are crafting this brilliantly shining atmosphere. One of the hardest working bands in Calgary, and one of the most unique sounding, their catchy, cleverly conceived beats will have you dancing until you drop, and feeling elated, inspired, and above all alive.

Disco is the first single off The Disco EP which will be released June 12, 2015. The song is a prime example of the infectious, sprightly rhythms and magnetic shared vocal approach that works so well in this project. Anthony Kameka opens the track with his throaty, pleasantly laid back vocals, then beautifully juxtaposed against Jen Severtson’s dreamy, honey sweet, and otherworldly stylings in the chorus. Both guitars play against each other with a frenzied, electric excitement, eventually culminating in a rock ready solo reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys. Finishing off with a utopian sunrise-gazing sort of come-down, the track spans a multitude of emotions over its brief but beaming length.

IMVERYAPE excitedly awaits the full release of The Disco EP, and any future endeavours from these blossoming Calgarian minds. - IMVERYAPE

Strumming his guitar on stage in front of an audience of unimpressed metalheads, Anthony Kameka was feeling somewhat under appreciated.

It was one of Kameka’s first shows with his new band Windigo, and the group’s melodic indie pop sound wasn’t exactly winning over the crowd, who had come to see Montreal death metal act, Dark Century, at the now-defunct Distillery.

“I’ve kind of blocked it out of my mind,” says Kameka, wincing slightly.


“The crowd didn’t know how to react to this band standing in front of them singing about love and stuff.”

That was three years ago and since then the band has generally had better luck with landing on bills that are, well, more suited to their well-crafted, catchy songs.

“A lot of it has to do with networking your way in,” says bass player and vocalist Jen Severtson. “At first it’s hard to start establishing those relationships, but it gets easier over time. It’s kind of like a big spider web. Everybody knows each other in the music scene.”

Formed in late 2011, Windigo is rounded out by guitarist Barry Mason and drummer Mitch Cooper.

Windigo plays the Nickle Theatre at Mount Royal University on Saturday with Locomotive Ghost and at Broken City on April 9. - Metro News Calgary

Q & A

How would you describe your music?

Psychedelic pop with a dance-friendly attitude.

What is your greatest moment as a band (so far)?

Hands down, we have never had more fun in our lives than we did while we were on tour.

One band you’re looking most forward to seeing at Real Love Summer Fest?

Oh man, it’s hard to chose just one! We are definitely pumped to see Somebody language & the way it feels. Ben was the first person we met in Winnipeg, and he has been a good friend ever since.

Where else people can see you this summer/fall?

We are going to be doing a lot of shows this summer in B.C. and Alberta. Our final plans are still to be determined, but we hope to release a full-length album in the fall/winter and will be touring to accompany that release.

Tickets and passes

Full Real Love Summer Fest passes, available at Music Trader on Osborne, Ship & Plough in Gimli, and at www.ticketscene.com, cost $30 and include camping. Individual day passes are available at the gate or online for $20 and do not include camping.

For more information and the complete schedule visit Real Love Winnipeg.

— RYAN BOWMAN, MyToba.ca
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Tags: Gimli, manitoba, music, real love summer fest, windigo
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Ryan Bowman
Authored by: Ryan Bowman
http://www.ryanjbowman.com

Ryan is a content manager and regular contributor with MyToba. He's a lover of reading, writing, travel, coffee, cats, the Habs and a bunch of other random stuff.
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Calgary progressive pop band Windigo have released a new EP, Live at CJSW. Recorded live at the CJSW station, the EP contains live-on-air songs, an interview with band, as well as an interview with directors of the charitable organization Zackariah and the Non-Profits, whom the band played a benefit concert for back in September. Take a listen to the new EP below!
Windigo formed in early 2011, and is comprised of Anthony Kameka, Jen Severtson, Barry Mason, and Mitchell Cooper. - The Permanent Rain Press

Welcome to Cowtown. Welcome to Urbansprawlia. Welcome to New Texas. Welcome to the gateway to the Rockies. The home of the Flames. Welcome to the core of the two-tier health care argument. The mecca of Canadian rich and poor divide. Welcome to the good, the bad, and the ugly of my home. Welcome to Calgary.

It is the envy of many, and the butt end of jokes for some. It is a city plagued by stereotypes: some based on truths, some not. Yes, many Calgarians drive pick-up trucks (and quite aggressively) even when they don’t need them. Yes, this is a politically conservative town (Alberta even has its own version of the Tea Party movement – the Wildrose Party). But Calgary isn’t a city dominated by gun-totting, god-fearing, FUBAR-haircutted meatheads. Even for a liberal, non-profit working (I have no ties to oil and gas, nor does any of my family), vegetarian devil like myself, I wholeheartedly enjoy my city and its people. Like any other town, it has its share of d-bags (you can tell them by the dangling testicles on their trucks), but most are great. Ideological differences aside, and despite the gargantuan sprawl, I like life in my city.

Furthermore, the still-looming impression that Calgary is a cowboy town, and therefore not welcoming to those who aren’t, happens to be one of those false stereotypes. Those who wear cowboy boots and hats outside of Stampede are most likely from out of town. And best of all for an audiophile like myself, the image of Calgary as a country music town is becoming less and less of a reality (no disrespect to country music, just not my thing).

In fact, sometime in the new millennium, Calgary began being recognized as an exporter of critically recognized independent artists (I would argue it began in 2004 with the release of Chad VanGaalen’s Infiniheart). And ever since, this city has been making its mark on the pages of Pitchfork, the top concerts, and the earphones of thousands upon thousands of fans. VanGaalen, Women, Azeda Booth, Tegan and Sara, and BRAIDS have captured the imagination of international critics and fans alike, furthering the city from its Wrangler roots (no disrespect to Wrangler, those jeans are built to last). Even more impressive is the sheer talent coming from bands yet to explode internationally, of which I am happy to share on a regular basis.

So to celebrate the ten years of musical genius coming out of Calgary, from Infiniheart to today, I thought I would highlight, in order, my twenty favourite songs. Of course, like all of my lists I had a “one song per artist” rule to keep it diverse. On top of that, I added the rule that the artist had to have lived a large portion of their life in Calgary, hence the lack of Feist. And a warning, this list will contain a large number of songs from 2013 and 2014, as a great deal of the Calgarian music I love, for one reason or another, has come out over the past two years.

Without any further ado, here are IMVERYAPE’s twenty favourite Calgary songs of the past ten years…

#19 WINDIGO – NIGHTCRAWLER (2013)

There is something undoubtedly alluring about the voice of Jennifer Severtson. Her Joni Mitchell-esque, singer/songwriter delivery is warming, and marries best to melancholy acoustics. Nightcrawler is the finest example of this. - IMVERYAPE

A young band from Canada is bound to go through some changes in its lifespan--much like that beloved awkward conversation every adolescent has with their parent and or guardian--at some point.

Though, as parents will inevitably spin it, this change is supposed to be good.

Windigo from Calgary, AB is in the midst of these changes. The band is about to come out on the other side of said changes, but still not there yet and truth be told, they're not sure if they ever will be. We have been fortunate enough to catch them at an interesting time; after having released The Rhombus EP in August of 2013, which they deem to be an EP about "imperfections and love," they admit that the EP, while indicative of the band at that time, it acts more as an interim.

The sound of the record is more straight-ahead folk and since technically any release a band puts out is "their sound," that EP specifically speaks to a transitional time they were going through, what with member changes and all, that for their next release, they're sticking to what they know best: Canadian indie rock.

BTR had a chat with three-fourths of the band: Anthony Kameka, Jen Severtson, and Mitch Cooper as they were just finishing up booking a fall tour to Montreal.

The one-fourth of the band not present during the interview is the illustrious Barry Mason whom Severtson dubs as the "mysteriously, very handsome guitar player" of the band, which bodes well for him as he just joined about a month ago. This is perhaps the biggest shift the band has experienced in recent history.

As mentioned before, they're finally starting to solidify some consistency after "those magic changes," as Kameka says.

"I think recently we've established each member more," he continues. "Like, I don't think Mitch is replaceable at all or Barry or Jen so I think this is it."

To be fair though, no band would go on the record with the Discovery Corner podcast on BTR to say that any one of the members was replaceable but still, the fact that they're strong in their convictions about this new guy is a good sign. Now that the band has its solidified "core," they say that they've been able to hammer out an identity made up of "musical differences that really stand out."

This prompts Severtson to compliment the individual members of the band saying Cooper's drumming, "brings an aspect that is... unusual."

"I've never heard a drummer play how you [addressing Cooper] along with Barry's 'own psychedelic flavor on everything'."

Three of the members also live together in Calgary, which they believe helps out with the creative process.

"There's sort of no limit to when we can just go downstairs into the jam space and work on something if we want to. If one or two of us is home we can work little things out before the four of us meet to jam so that's been super helpful," says Severtson.

The band speaks of this ESP-like connection they have with each other in regard to writing songs. As they all live with each other, Windigo songs often come from messing around with equipment and Cooper says one such song was him and Kameka "screwing around with a loop pedal and wrote an entire song that way."

Despite only having been around for two and a half years, Severtson says she "can tell when Anthony's thinking about changing a part or when Mitch wants to make things heavier or less intense." They say that this heightened awareness has grown since the beginning with Severtson and Kameka, as well as a separate permutation of Cooper and Severtson in another band "three or four years ago."

Say what you want about the existence of ESP, but it really must cut down the time for band meetings. When Kameka was starting the band initially, he knew he wanted to have a female vocalist working with him after having spent a lot of time previously in pop-punk bands, generally a "boy's club." He says that a previous member, Chris, brought Severtson to Kameka's attention saying, "Yeah, this is the girl. She loves these bands that you love."

"I heard her voice and I knew right away, 'Wow, okay. That's the one.' It was just definitely just her musical background. I was still discovering what Windigo would be and who I was so I didn't really have a vision at the beginning. I just knew I needed a female vocalist. She's done exactly what I wanted and way more," says Kameka on how Severtson set the precedent of "a female vocalist."

The way Kameka and Severtson split the vocal duties is more of a case-by-case basis instead of arbitrarily picking a number of songs each should sing on. Kameka says they "share the role" even to the degree where they are singing to each other where the words "intermingle." Severtson says, however, that they don't consciously try to split songs down the middle but instead go by what "we're feeling at the time."

If you were to peruse Windigo's catalogue, you might think that Retrospectrum was their most recent record as it offers a full-band instrumentation and would be the album that "sums up" the band, as it were. However, their most recent is The Rhombus EP as well as Live Off the Floor EP, the former of which is a stripped-down acoustic EP and the other is, well, live. This almost seems anachronistic to how it usually goes with a band's trajectory but not for Windigo. It was all circumstance.

Kameka says that the EP was released in a time when they were between drummers so their singular thought was, "Hey, you know what? We have a bunch of these acoustic songs, let's do an album." Instead, the next album will be "more like Retrospectrum as far as it being indie-rock."

"It's strange. Our band has gone through a lot of transitions since Retrospectrum. We've gone through three guitarists and two drummers and our sound has changed a lot since then. One of our guitarists went off to Japan and then it was left to me, Anthony, and our other guitarist Chris. We pretty much changed our entire sound while he was away, writing, and we were also looking for another drummer at the same time. I think probably the most reflective thing that we have out right now is the Live Off the Floor EP that we just put out but even now with Barry joining the band, everything is changing again so the next album is going to be completely different from Rhombus and Retrospectrum," says Severtson.

Some things are meant to stay the same, others are defined by change. Windigo seem to embody the latter, where the only constant is change. - Break Thru Radio

One lady for three men, that is Windigo. Vocalist Jen drags the audience in with her delivery and leaves them dancing, smiling, and simply blissful. The perfect baroque indie-pop band for all of your summertime shenanigans.

Dreamy melodies and psychedelic summer vibes take you to somewhere warm and far away. Windigo is a four piece indie rock band founded deep in the garages and basements of suburban Calgary Alberta. Layering warm sun soaked guitar tones into soundscapes driven by progressive rhythms, the group cleverly crafts a diverse yet collectivized sound. - Pop Montreal

In terms of raw musical talent, Windigo had to be my favourite band of the night. The songs were all incredibly tight and Jen Severton has absolutely tremendous pipes. I look forward to catching another set when they return to Toronto: - The Urban Hermit CMW

Songs von folgenden Artists sind beim Canadian Day zu hören! Enjoy the Sound!






36? - A.C. Newman - Aidan Knight - Alanis Morissette - Amy Millan - Apostle Of Hustle - Arcade Fire - Arkells - Aroara - Austra - Barzin - Basia Bulat - Bedouin Soundclash - Bishop Morocco - Black Mountain - Blessed Feathers - Born Gold - Born Ruffians - Brendan Canning - Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning - Bruce Peninsula - Caracol - Chad VanGaalen - Chilly Gonzales - Christine Fellows - Chromeo - City & Colour - City of Glass - Cœur de Pirate - Cold Specks - Colleen Green - Crissi Cochrane - Crystal Castles - Cuff The Duke - Dan Mangan - Dark Mean - Diamond Bones - Doug Hoyer - Eamon Mcgrath - Eight And A Half - Elephant Stone - Erin Lang - Esther Grey - Esthero - Fast Romantics - Final Fantasy - Fitness Club Fiasco - Forest City Lovers - Forêt - Fur Trade - Gold & Youth - Graham Wright - Grimes - Groenland - Half Moon Run - Handsome Furs - Hannah Georgas - Hayden - Hey Ocean! - Hey Rosetta! - HIGHS - Hollerado - Hot Panda - Imaginary Cities - Immaculate Machine - Indie and more - Indieandmore - Islands - Jane's Party - Japandroids - Jason Collett - Jean Leloup - Jeff Beadle - Jenn Grant - Jeremy Fisher - JF Robitaille - Joel Plaskett Emergency - Jon Samuel - Jordan Klassen - July Talk - Kalle Mattson - Karkwa - KASHKA - Kevin Drew - Kid Koala - Land Of Talk - Language Arts - Les Jupes - Lightning Dust - Ludo Pin - Luke Lalonde - Majical Cloudz - Malajube - Melissa Auf Der Maur - Mélissa Laveaux - Memoryhouse - Metric - Miracle Fortress - Moon King - Moonface - Mother Mother - Neko Case - Ought - Our Lady Peace - Owen Pallett - Paper Beat Scissors - Paper Lions - Papermaps - Parlovr - Pick A Piper - Pif Paf Hangover - Pink Mountaintops - Plants And Animals - Rachel Zeffira - Rae Spoon - Rah Rah - Raine Maida - Red Mass - Reuben and the Dark - Royal Canoe - Royal Tusk - Said the Whale - Sam Roberts Band - Sea Oleena - Siskiyou - Snowblink - SOLIDS - Stars - Stella Ella Ola - Still Life Still - Suncapades - Sunset Rubdown - Suuns - Swan Lake - Teenage Kicks - Tegan And Sara - Ten Sleep - Texture & Light - The Belle Game - The Besnard Lakes - The Burning Hell - The Constantines - The Corner - The Courtneys - The Crackling - The Danks - The Darcys - The Dears - The Elwins - The Gertrudes - The Hidden Cameras - The High Dials - The Medicine Hat - The Most Serene Republic - The New Pornographers - The Pack A.D. - The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Stills - The Tragically Hip - The Weakerthans - The Wet Secrets - The Zolas - Timber Timbre - Tokyo Police Club - Trust - Valery Gore - Van Damsel - Wake Owl - We Are The City - We are Wolves - Whitehorse - Wild Night - Windigo - Wintersleep - Wolf Parade - Woodpigeon - Young Galaxy - Young Liars - Young Rival - Your Favorite Enemies - Yukon Blonde - Zeus - i am radio

Den Abgang bereiten wir euch in dieser Woche mit ganz klassischem Folk aus Nashville. Gitarren, Geigen, einen übermäßig langen Bart und noch viel mehr haben The Apache Relay zu bieten. “Amercian Nomad” beinhaltet wirklich alles was ein Folksong benötigt. Er baut eine solche atemberaubende Stimmung auf, dass wir vollkommen vergessen, dass es mal Bands wie Mumford & Sons gab. Damit wünschen wir euch eine wundervolle Zeit und bis nächste Woche, euer Soundkartell!


Translation:
We remain in Canada in the fourth largest town of the country, in Calgary. From there is the Indie-Rock band Windigo. This band is widely unknown, but this must change quickly. The album 'Retrospectrum' is now more than a year old and it contains 10 very amazing Indie songs. Fantastic duet vocals, intertwined progressive guitars and a flavour of the Canadian open spaces resonate in the song 'Sleep on words'. - mucbook

For Fans of: Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell, The Swell Season, early Coldplay, Laura Marling, Joanna Newsom,

You must forgive me, I have not learned well from past mistakes. Last December I wrote about what a shame it was that stellar Calgarian band Windigo flew under IMVERYAPE’s radar. I attempted to right the wrong by highlighting the incredible Chasing Rainbows from the 2013 album Retrospectrum. However, while doing that, I failed to delve deeper into their catalogue, allowing their brilliant eight song follow up to Retrospectrum entitled The Rhombus EP (released only six months after, in August 2013) to similarly slip under my radar.

It wasn’t until a few days ago, when the band announced the release of their “Live off the Floor” recordings from Elvius Studio (captured on video by IMVERYAPE here), that I would first listen to The Rhombus EP. But no matter how late, I am thankful I got to experience it. The undeniable talent of the Albertan artists shines in this collection. The low key acoustic tracks that comprise the EP flow with such calming elation and satisfying melancholy due to the band’s skilled guitar work and the magnetic vocals of Jen Severtson and Anthony Kameka.

IMVERYAPE favourites Nightcrawler and (Be)auty work as prime examples of this. Nightcrawler brings to mind somber Joni Mitchell, or perhaps Joanna Newsom or Markéta Irglová with Severtson’s lower register delivery and the haunting instrumental. A sole guitar strums forward to frame her voice, occasionally accompanied by a wonderfully unsettling banjo. The result is dark and captivating. (Be)auty, on the other hand, is a softer, sweeter version of melancholy. With the pronounced sound of fingers sliding down the neck of a guitar (reminiscent of Elliott Smith’s No Name #3), and gorgeous finger-picking, it creates a hushed and serene atmosphere. Kameka’s Iron & Wine delivery gives the song a sunny daydream aesthetic, floating along peacefully. Intelligently, the band introduces a complimenting backbeat two and a half minutes in, bringing a refreshingly jaunty quality for a moment before being whistled away into the sunset. It is a tranquil musical experience.

And both tracks, and in fact the entire EP, is simply more proof of why this band should not be missed. Windigo is very much a band to be found. So if any reader happens to know of a Windigo song I may not have heard, but most definitely needs covering, let me know. I don’t want any more of their genius to wait a year to reach IMVERYAPE. - ImveryApe

Calgary’s Windigo flew under IMVERYAPE’s radar in 2013, and that is quite a shame. After only today hearing the album Retrospectrum in completion, I quickly realized it was a strong offering that could stand alongside the top 2013 releases of their peers (Landfork’s Nights at the Kashmir Burlesk, SAvK’s Love Letters and Hate Mail). Laced with a nineties lo-fi rock aesthetic, two dynamic vocalists, and some impressive song-writing chops, Windigo created an album rich with indie gems.

Favourite of which is Chasing Rainbows, a track that perfectly highlights the subtle intricacies of the instrumentals and the versatile vocals of bassist Jen Severtson. Two electric guitars and a bass serpentine around each other in a calming and soothing blanket of stringed sounds, while the percussions offer a well-chosen soft and steady roll forward. It is a deceivingly minimal sound, which is actually quite beautiful in its ornateness, a clear marking of a mature band who know the delicacies involved in providing a layered and successful song. Severtson waves back and forth seamlessly between the reserved vibrato of Joni Mitchell, and the pushed and energized delivery of lead women like The Belle Game’s Andrea Lo, making the song swell with emotion. With Severtson acting as the glowing heart of Chasing Rainbows, and the choruses catchy guitar lick acting as the hook keeping us close, it forms an engaging and warming song that shines in an album of already full of great music. - Im Very Ape

Every once in a while a band takes you completely by surprise; you hear of them through some coincidence or another, and you can't believe you've never listened to them before. Such was the case with Windigo, and their recently released album Retrospectrum.

This five-piece Calgary band is indie pop at its finest. They range from soft, emotional ballads such as "Same As Before" to the upbeat, summer-rock vibe of "Acadia" while still maintaining a distinct, not to mention enjoyable, sound. The former uses minimalistic instrumentation and a slightly haunting duet to convey a melancholy tone, while the latter utilizes a rapid snare beat, synth, and electric guitar to give the song a light-hearted momentum.
Windigo is still fairly new and unknown, and there is a roughness to their sound and their recordings that makes this evident. However, this does not take away from the music, and may even add to the strong character their music expresses. Three different vocalists are used alternately (and occasionally for harmony) which gives the album a pleasant variety, and allows the voice to match the song in each case.

There is something about these tracks that gets into your head. "Chasing Rainbows" stuck with me for days after listening. There was not a single track on this album that I did not enjoy, even after listening four or five times. My absolute favourite track, though, is the opener, "Sundials", which has an incredibly catchy guitar riff, excellent harmonies, and creative, fun lyrics.
My advice is to head over to Windigo's bandcamp page, where you can stream all of Retrospectrum for free, and give them a try. I have little doubt that you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. This will be a band to follow, and I have very high hopes for their future work.

- Aaron Swanbergson
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- National Music Centre Aaron Swanbergson

With the US getting all this attention from the ‘America! F**k Yeah!’ lists, it’s only fair that the somewhat overlooked country and neighbour of Canada got a look in. Covering nearly 10 million square kilometres, Canada contains a myriad of unsigned and indie acts; from the hip hop of big cities like Toronto, to the folk from the small towns of BC. Here is the list of 50 of the best and most talented independent/unsigned acts in Canada… - Independent Music news

BIG, LOCAL / July 11, 2013
BIG Q&A: WINDIGO

One of our favourite discoveries of the summer thus far, local gems Windigo play tomorrow morning at BIG. They are pure rock’n'roll darlings who make songs worthy of hitting that repeat button. We chatted with Jen Severtson of Windigo about the summer and what they are doing to help with flood relief programs.
- Standard Issue

Acadia a short music video by windigo - YouTube

Colourless
a music video by windigo
- YouTube

Retrospectrum is a new release from Windigo (Calgary AB) It is Esper Records 6th release and we are very happy to share it with you! The official release date is February 22nd..... read more http://esperrecords.com/ - Esper Records

Windigo’s fuzzy and sunshine-y blend of indie pop creates an interesting and sophisticated contrast to their eerie folkloric name. Jen Severtson (bass and vox) and Anthony Kameka (vox and guitar) are keen to bring their new, youthful sound to Calgary with the rest of their band members — a sound which mimics not only their eagerness to play live but, also, their creative originality in a genre that has been so dominated by acts like Ra Ra Riot, Said The Whale and We Are The City..... Read more http://beatroute.ca/2013/02/11/windigo/ - Beatroute Magazine

Fresh off the January release of their self-titled album, Calgary’s Windigo were a force to be reckoned with on Saturday night. Blending elements of rock and psychedelia, few bands rivaled the pure sonic force of Windigo’s performance. An integral part of Calgary’s indie rock revival, Windigo were ruthlessly entertaining. - The Gauntlet

Fresh off the January release of their self-titled album, Calgary’s Windigo were a force to be reckoned with on Saturday night. Blending elements of rock and psychedelia, few bands rivaled the pure sonic force of Windigo’s performance. An integral part of Calgary’s indie rock revival, Windigo were ruthlessly entertaining. - The Gauntlet