Morning Throwback: before UFC, real men wrestled on Oriental rugs

9:49 am

Before the animalistic UFC, there was this: men wrestling on an Oriental rug in the middle of a field, wearing penny loafers. Ah, yes, judging by this 1905 pic of a match from the Toronto archive, it seems wrestling was a true gentlemen's sport: lucky audience members tucked into a picnic basket while other men were free to lounge in the grass, demurely peering at the match.

The wrestler on top was obviously a spot monkey, but clearly, those theatrics didn’t bother the audience — early 20th-century wrestling seemed to draw larger crowds than the Russian Revolution. Take that, UFC 129.

Meet a Comedy Troupe: Falcon Powder

12:19 pm

Falcon Powder may sound like a dry, bird-like substance used in some ancient ritual, but it is actually a Canadian Comedy Award-nominated sketch troupe that promises to “blow the socks off your mind’s feet while punching your heart in the face.” We chatted with member Scott Montgomery about secret inspirations, being the “best of the fest” and finding Buffalo airport.

How did your troupe come about?
Between 1974 and 1977 three Canadian couples living in separate provinces, and who (I might add) knew nothing of one another, procreated, thus literally laying the seeds that would one day become Falcon Powder.

What does Falcon Powder mean, anyway?
The ancients spoke of a rare substance that granted insight — to all those brave enough to coat themselves in it — into the true nature reality, as if seeing it from above like a soaring raptor. The name of that magical substance has long since been forgotten, and anyway it’s got nothing to do with Falcon Powder, which Kurt [Smeaton] thought up at a bar.

What can people expect from seeing your show?
I’d love to say “expect to be surprised,” but if you tell someone to expect a surprise it kind of neutralizes the element of surprise, so I definitely won’t say that. What I will say is this: collectively, we’ve been at this a long time, and we really love performing together. Unfortunately, we don’t get to do it as much as we’d like because, though we all work in showbiz full time, Falcon Powder in and of itself is not our “job,” so when we get the opportunity, we give it everything we’ve got. That’s probably not a very cool answer, but there you have it.

What’s your biggest achievement so far?
Finding the Buffalo airport. Too late, alas. Beyond that, getting nominated for the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Sketch Troupe in 2011 was pretty keen. Being the first local troupe named Best of the Fest at the Toronto Sketch Festival back in 2010 was great, then to win it two years in a row was both unexpected and quite an honour. But, yeah, probably the Buffalo airport thing, we really collaborated on that one.

You’ve played in a variety of sketch fests. What was the most memorable moment?
They say comedy festivals are like the ’60s: if you can remember them, you weren’t really there. Actually, no one says that. Well I do I guess, right now, but I don’t really mean it. Frankly, I remember every moment we’ve ever been on stage like it happened five minutes ago. I do not, however, remember the question.

What do you love most about sketch comedy?
Oh, the piles of money, the respect and admiration of bankers, lawyers and captains of industry, speedboat rides down the French Riviera, giraffe fights…. Who could choose?

Where do you find your inspiration for your sketches?
Our inspiration is our secret ingredient. In fact, it’s so secret even we don’t know it.

Who would you love to perform with?
Honestly, I think we’d all like to have the time to perform with each other more.

What’s next on your agenda?
Well, we’ve got the Best of the Fest Encore shows this week in Toronto, then we’re heading down to the Los Angeles Comedy Festival. After that, the sky’s the limit, because if history teaches anything it’s that going to Los Angeles always leads to triumph and fame…right?

The details

Year established: 2007ish
Cast members: Jim Annan, Kurt Smeaton, Scott Montgomery
Influences: “Well, we all like The Marx Brothers a lot.”
Catch them at: The Best of the Fest Encore Weekend (The Second City, 51 Mercer Street, 416-343-0011. April 12, 10:30 p.m. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave., 416-915-6747. April 13, 9:30 p.m.)

Morning throwback: Toronto has never had an easy ride when it comes to transit

8:00 am

Talk about road rage. Back in 1908, there weren't the thousands of cars on the road that there are now, but they did have mud. Lots of mud.

And once your wagon got stuck, like this one on Ashdale Avenue, you were stuck there for ages. Bosses would get angry, deadlines got missed and workloads piled up. Sometimes it got so bad that people would have to abandon their wagons in the middle of the street and walk. In the mud.

Thirty-five years of the Blue Jays: the highs and lows

11:41 am

The Toronto Blue Jays first arrived on the scene as the local boys of summer on a decidedly un-summery day at Exhibition Stadium 35 years ago on April 7, 1977. Five pennants, two World Series championships and a new building later and the Blue Jays are, indisputably, Canada’s team.

This season, the Jays have got off to a good start against Cleveland and it seems the franchise is again on the rise and looking to make a return to the glory days. Even though they didn’t exactly make the splash that some had hoped by landing a marquee talent to pair with slugger Jose Bautista and a rapidly emerging supporting cast, general manager Alex Anthopoulos has them on the right path towards contending.

But while things may be looking good right now, it’s been an up-and-down 35 years for the club. Here are five of the highest highs and five of the lowest lows that have happened both on the field and off it.

Flying high

1977: Jays win their first game

The Toronto Blue Jays’ MLB existence started in a very Canadian way: with a snowstorm. The grounds of Exhibition Stadium were covered in the white stuff immediately before Toronto took to the field for the first time ever to face the Chicago White Sox. They would beat the Sox 9-5. It would be one of just of 54 victories in their 1977 season, but the Jays had arrived.

1985: The first pennant

The Jays announced their status as serious contenders on the rise with the 99-win 1985 campaign which saw them secure their first ever division-winner's pennant. While the season would end in disappointment as George Brett would lead his Kansas City Royals back from the brink to a seven-game American League Championship Series triumph en route to their only World Series, it signalled the Jays were ready to make their mark.

1992: The title heads north

History was made in 1992, when the World Series trophy left the United States for the first time ever. Jays fans hung on with baited breath as Mike Timlin’s throw to Carter at first base beat out Braves speedster Otis Nixon by the narrowest of margins.

1993: Touch 'em all, Joe

Any Jays fan worth their salt can recreate in their mind the moment when the Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series. Down 6-5 at the bottom of the ninth, two on, one out, Mitch Williams on the mound, Joe Carter at the plate. They can picture the ball soaring out and clearing the left-field fence as the capacity crowd at the SkyDome explodes and Carter leaps up with an emphatic fist pump as he rounds first base. Only Toronto and Pittsburg have ever won the World Series with a home run.

1989: The Dome opens

For fans today that see it only as a vast, impersonal, charmless concrete box that rarely holds even half its capacity, it’s tough to remember that the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) originally opened as an architectural marvel featuring the first ever fully motorized retractable roof. The building officially opened with a special, star-studded gala on July 3, 1989, and it first housed Blue Jays baseball two days later, with Toronto falling 5-3 to Milwaukee.

Crashing and burning

1970s: Failure to launch

The Jays began as what's politely called an "expansion franchise." During its first three MLB seasons, the club lost no fewer than 102 games each year and never finished with a winning percentage above .366. By the end of the 70s, Toronto had won 166 games … but lost 318.

1987: The collapse

Those who remember ’87 can still feel the sting of heading into a season-ending three-game series against Detroit while holding a one-game lead in American League East over the rival Tigers (the East then had seven teams in what was a four-division league). Despite the one-game advantage, plus what had been a 2.5-game edge just days earlier, the Jays were swept and saw their pennant hopes come to a bitter end.

1992: The Upside Down Flag

The Blue Jays’ appearance in the second game of the 1992 World Series got off to an awkward start when the U.S. Marine Corps somehow managed to end up flying the Canadian flag upside down during the national anthem. Apparently, America’s pastime just wasn’t ready for another country to come in an spoil its fun.

Late '90s to early 2000s: The Steroid Era

The aftermath of the Steroid Era was a tough time for the Jays. Toronto had no fewer than seven players on the infamous Mitchell Report.

2006: Sinking feelings

The 2006 season was the Jays’ most successful campaign since 1998, but ironically, it still fell short of expectations. While the 87-win campaign looks good out of context, it was a disappointment for those who had become excited by a club that had ambitiously added high-priced, veteran talent (Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay, B.J. Ryan) to an already-solid core (Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill) in hopes of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox. When it became clear that they still weren’t on par with the AL East superpowers, signs of clubhouse dissent began to show. Pitcher Ted Lilly and manager John Gibbons nearly got into a scuffle, but the ugliest and most public spat came when Shea Hillenbrand wrote "The Ship is Sinking" on the clubhouse whiteboard.

Tony Aspler’s Weekly Wine Pick: Senorio del Aguila Gran Reserva

11:30 am

A mature blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Cabernet. We don’t often see wines of this vintage at the LCBO and certainly not at this price. Dense purple in colour, this Spanish wine has an oaky, red-berry and cedar nose, but it still retains its youthful spicy, red-cherry flavour thanks to its lively acidity.
Food match: rack of lamb or roasted chicken.

$19.95 (Vintages #269530).

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards. He can be heard on 680News.

First Draught: Beaver River, the new IPA from Beau’s

3:37 pm

Beau’s All-Natural Brewing Company puts out a seasonal beer every three months, and this spring they’ve released an India Pale Ale that they’re calling the Beaver River I.P.Eh?

Historically speaking, the IPA style was developed during the British occupation of India. It contained more hoppy bitterness and alcohol to help keep each British soldier’s ration of six daily pints fresh.

With the resurgence of craft brewing, the IPA was one of the first styles to be adapted to citrusy-tasting North American strains of hops. Beaver River is billed as a cross between the newer American-style Pale Ale and the traditional British one with its yeastier, sweeter malt flavour.

Steve Beauchesne, one of the brewery’s owners and co-founders, describes the process as “taking the base of a British IPA but introducing some American influence to it without making it an American IPA.”

Where does it land between the two? Beauchesne thinks most people find it’s closer to the British style.

To me, in the glass, this beer has the dark amber colour of a well-used penny. Rather than the juicy zest of some IPAs, the taste is of grapefruit pith and earthy cedar resin. Appropriately for the season, these darker, woodsy flavours remind me of the cottage after it has been closed for the winter.

The citrusy sharpness means it will pair well with the assertive, spicy foods that I tend to crave as the weather alternates between chilly and warm.

True to the style’s boozy form, this beer comes in at 5.6 per cent alcohol and a hoppy 60 IBUs. It’s also worth noting that all ingredients are organic and the beer is unfiltered.

Currently, Beaver River is still available in 600 ml bottles for $4.35 at LCBOs (242701) in all parts of Toronto. It can be found on tap at The Cloak and Dagger, Grapefruit Moon, Rebel House and the Chef’s House at George Brown College.

As well as selling from their brewery, Beau’s is pioneering a home delivery option for Ottawa residents. The operation is run in partnership with a local charity called Operation Come Home.

When David isn't busy drinking beer for his articles here, he writes about food and drink for Toronto's online publications including his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on beer and life in general follow him on Twitter.

Guerrilla artist Deadboy brings his graffiti to the gallery

3:36 pm

Toronto street artist Deadboy is stepping out of the shadows for his first-ever art show and sale, which opens at Ossington's Don't Tell Mama Gallery today. In recent months, the artist, who wears a skull mask to conceal his identity from the media, has become known for his comic stencils of Mayor Rob Ford, who he recently painted as Humpty Dumpty about to fall off the wall. We caught up with Deadboy to talk about Banksy, copping flak from the graffiti community and why he counts the Toronto police among his fans.

Your show is called “Under the Influence.” What are you under the influence of?
After the year I’ve had, it’s been pretty awesome having my work on blogs and a recent documentary. It’s attracted a lot of attention, but some of it has been negative. People have said, “Oh, he’s doing Banksy” or “Oh, he’s doing this,” but no, I’m just doing. It just so happens that I use stencils and that I’m a fan of Bansky, but he’s not the only one doing stencils. There are lots of people doing stencils out there around the world and they’re all kind of unique and that’s the challenge, finding your own kind of look.

How does a graffiti artist get his work in a gallery? Did they come to you?
Anything that has happened to me in terms of media or documentaries has come to me. I haven’t really reached out because I’m just concerned about my work right now and developing. The gallery approached me and when I heard that Spud [another Toronto street artist] was having his show there — I’m a huge Spud fan — I was so happy. That the same gallery approached me and to have to next show, right after him, I feel so privileged.

What’s going to be in the show? Are they new pieces or works brought in from the street?
I have 26 pieces in the show. A few are remixes of stuff I’ve done on the street or of previous collections, but the majority of the images I have in the show are new. “Under the Influence” doesn't just mean booze or anything like that, it’s about my influences over the past year, that have gotten me to where I am, I believe. There are a lot of shout-outs to classical artists and also a lot of social political stuff that I had to get off my chest. All my Ford work is going to be in the show — to be honest I’m kind of excited to see all of it up on one wall. There are one or two that might be controversial. I just want to see if anyone reacts badly.

You’re known for wearing a skull mask around the media. Do you paint in it, too?
No, I’ve had three or four encounters with people who have been like “Oh, are you Deadboy?” and I’m just like, “Yeah, you caught me.” It becomes a really cool interaction.

Being the “stencil artist of Toronto” with some media notoriety, my stuff gets covered up pretty quickly.

Why Deadboy?
I’m a melancholy kind of guy, I can’t deny that. Everyone else has names that are really flashy and I needed a name that captured me a little bit more personally. I find it catches people of guard a little bit because of the use of “dead,” and I like that too.

I'm not graffiti artist, but aren’t stencils disapproved of in the graffiti community? Do you get any flak for using them?
People are so focused on keeping things pure, but art evolves. Every master that I’ve been influenced by, from Michelangelo to Andy Warhol, have all broken away from the norm, and they were all called crazy. So the fact that I get a lot of harsh replies from the old schoolers, or that I don’t get too much respect right now, I understand that, it’s cool. But I’m not trying to do what they’re doing.

What makes a wall eligible to be given the Deadboy treatment?
There are parts of town that are meant for street art. I like hitting those places because that’s where people tend to gravitate with their cameras. I’m a fan too, so if I’m bored I’ll go walk around and see what’s new and document it. Everyone’s doing that right now. I think that’s where the city is missing the point. They have to see that there’s a demographic that’s doing this. There’s a whole bunch of independent tours doing the alleys and contacting me for information.

Graffiti Alley (Image: Flickr; Josh McConnell)

Have you ever painted in Graffiti Alley?
I have a few pieces there, but being the “stencil artist of Toronto” with some media notoriety, my stuff gets covered up pretty quickly. I did a Ford piece right before Christmas and it lasted maybe four hours. I just keep putting my stuff higher so it’s harder to get to.

Have you ever been caught or booked for vandalism?
Nope. I’ve had one bad incident but the rest have been positive. I even had a cop say he liked my work when I was doing something illegal.

Is there a moral code when it comes to graffiti art?
Yeah, I mean, I have some stuff in the show that’s going to be thought of as controversial, but I didn’t put this stuff in the street because I realize it’s a public place and there are sensitive topics. I’m kind of democratic about my imagery when I put it out there. I want people to appreciate it. I want to beautify the ugliness that I pass by on a daily basis that the city doesn’t care about. So that’s my objective, beautification.

Is there a time of day that you go out making your art?
Going out in the middle of the day is best for me because people don’t expect you to be out then.

What’s next?
All I want to do is get to Europe. That’s what this is really about. I just want to be doing this bigger and bigger. To take this beyond Toronto. The free art movement has really taken off in France and Germany, and Bristol, of course, because of Banksy. Out there, they’re a lot more open to mixed-media street art. A lot of my idols, like [graphic designer] Shepard Fairey, they’ve travelled the world and just produced art. That’s the dream for me.

Will we see you at your show?
I’m not sure yet. I’ve worked a lot of shows and I’ve seen all the hobnobbing and the schmoozing. I’m a bit of a loner. Crowds tend to make me nervous. This show is really important to me so I might come and say that to the people who turn up. If I do, the mask will be there. Or I may just pop in and people wouldn’t know, which is awesome.

Don’t Tell Mama Gallery, 108 Ossington St. To April 30.

Emporium by I Miss You: the new place to shop for your Victorian accessories

1:04 pm

Emporium by I Miss You, the latest vintage offering on Ossington, has opened up in the space formerly occupied by Philip Sparks’ pop-up shop. The tiny store is the doing of Julie Yoo, owner of next-door’s I Miss You Vintage. Prior to opening her boutique — which serves up a combo of vintage and designer consignment pieces — Yoo was in the antiques business for 15 years. With Emporium, she is returning to her roots and opening a store that specializes in Victorian-era and Art Deco fashion, accessories and design.

The emporium carries pieces like lockets ($199) and old-style ambrotype images (from $95) that date from as early as the American Civil War, and Yoo says that the collection has been amassed slowly over the years. There are, however, a few exceptions to the rule: a pair of seemingly Victorian booties is, in fact contemporary ($40). Yoo points out another set — complete with buttoned spats — but notes that finding a pair of modern ankles to fit genuine Victorian shoes is a rather impossible feat.

True antique clothing is becoming increasingly difficult to find at all — let alone in good condition. At present, much of the store is devoted to accessories, as many of the garments were snapped up immediately after it opened last month.

There is, though, a selection of clothing available. In the window, a men’s wool jacket from a morning suit is draped over a mannequin; rounding out the set is a vest and a pair of pinstriped trousers, both of which are hidden in the back ($149).

For the ladies, a Victorian velvet bodice features a row of steel buttons down the front, and lace peeks out from under the collar and cuffs ($325). Additionally, we found a Victorian marabou and ostrich cape perched in the corner ($225) and a delicate Edwardian camisole spun from white lace and silk ($40).

Standout accessories included a pair of antique glove stretchers ($40) and an amber-coloured Art Deco necklace crafted from Czechoslovakian glass. La pièce de résistance? A turquoise Navajo squash-blossom necklace that’s a personal piece of Yoo’s — the price for that is available only on request.

Emporium by I Miss You, 63 Ossington Ave., 416-916-7021.

Morning Throwback: let’s face it — Toronto children have never been good at making art

8:00 am

Come springtime, kids in the ‘30s created dioramas for their parents. As you can see, their art “skills” sucked just as bad then as they do now. We’re guessing this is the Mad Hatter’s tea party from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. What is the Mad Hatter trying to do, limbo under the table? And the last time we checked, there was only one Alice, not two. Nice try, kiddies, but no A for effort here.

What’s a nice kid from the suburbs doing in a show like this?

4:56 pm

The Drowsy Chaperone started out as a Toronto Fringe Festival show then took Broadway by storm. Although North Yorker Aaron Berg’s saga The Underbelly Diaries is a far cry from Bob Martin’s cheery tale, it’s sure to shake up New York City.

I’ve watched this show evolve over the past five years — from a late-night workshop at Yuk Yuk’s to a successful fringe show to a mini-tour in California to the New York Fringe and finally to this three-week run on Theatre Row, off-Broadway.

Berg is a stand-up comic who made the move to the Big Apple a year ago. His material is personal, confessional, confrontational and scabrous. It’s not for the fainthearted, but he brings down the house every time. He would have liked to stay in his hometown, but his act is too rough-hewn for Just for Laughs or Comedy Now. But if you like performance artists such as Eric Bogosian or Danny Hoch or John Leguiziamo, then Berg’s your guy.

He grew up in a prominent Jewish family but refused to let his advantaged background get in the way. His show recounts his Rabelaisian tale of a life deliberately gone off the rails as he dabbles in bodybuilding, steroid abuse, male stripping, sex addiction and more. It’s hardly the stuff a nice Jewish boy from the suburbs with a philosophy degree encounters, and this accounts for the show’s — as well as Berg’s — charms. The production includes portions of his stand-up act but allows Berg to stretch out the narrative, play a variety of characters and include some touching moments — all accompanied by a very funny slide show that keeps the play moving at a fast clip.

My favourite character is Tommy Zeus, a self-deluded ’80s reject who represents male strippers and defines the term “tacky” in both literal and figurative ways. I love the scene Berg creates about bringing home his Maritimer stripper girlfriend to Friday night dinner at his parents’ house, with him playing all the parts. And there are few scenes I’ve ever seen that are more touching than Berg dancing for a lonely gay man dying of AIDS, just longing to be touched.

Berg has been in 10-hour rehearsals for weeks with Toronto director Dwight McPhee. I’ve worn many hats in the comedy business, but now I can proudly add “Broadway producer” to my resumé, helping Berg out with his show (OK, “off-Broadway producer”).

Finding the theatre was the easy part — there are hundreds of venues in Manhattan. Getting people to come may be harder because, as I mentioned, there are hundreds of venues in Manhattan. There’s a big potential audience in NYC, but lots and lots of competition. No one ever has uttered the words “I’m bored” in that city.

It’s hard to define my role in all of this. I’ve been giving notes and guidance on The Underbelly Diaries since its inception and helped Berg find the venue and negotiate the contract with the theatre. Sometimes I’m simply a cheerleader, there for the late-night calls of an artist in conflict, reassuring him that the show is great and so is he. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t believe it to be true.

But I’m not the only one. Berg just inked a deal with Toronto’s Timshel Productions, to star in a feature film based on the play. Berg appears to be on his way.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

This Long Weekend in Toronto: Easter at Toronto Zoo, a bunny-themed pillow fight, sweet treats at Kensington Market and more

4:42 pm

We know Wednesday afternoon seems a little early to be making weekend plans, but it’s a short working week. With Friday off, the weekend is almost upon us — which makes it completely okay to ditch that spreadsheet and use your office time to plan what to do with those three days off. Here, we present five of the city’s finest Easter offerings for your consideration.

Annual Easter “Eggstravaganza” at the Toronto Zoo

Easter takes over the Toronto Zoo this weekend. Families can walk along the zoo’s “Spring Trail” and visit some of their favourite animals as well as take part in Easter-themed activities. Also, keep an ear out for the Easter keeper talk and be a part of the Beary-Bunny Easter Parade, featuring the zoo’s mascot Explorer Bear, all dressed up in his best bunny gear.
Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Ave., 416-392-5929. April 6-9.

Toronto Pillow Fight

What better way to spend Easter weekend than smacking a complete stranger with a pillow? This year’s theme is bunnies and eggs, so grab your ears and fluffy tail and make your way down to Yonge-Dundas Square for a pillow fight of epic proportions.
Young-Dundas Square. April 7, 8 p.m.

Mariposa Easter Brunch Cruise

How about a family meal aboard the Mariposa Belle? Along with buffet-style brunch, guests will be able to enjoy a beautiful view of the harbourfront on the two-hour cruise. And if all that time with the family gets too much, there’s also a full cash bar.
Mariposa Cruises, April 8, 11:30 a.m. $49 adult, $25 children four to 12, free under four years.

Toronto Beaches Lions Annual Easter Parade

This non-denominational celebration brings together over 45,000 guests on Queen Street between Neville Park and Woodbine Avenue to enjoy the floats, chocolates and meet the Easter Bunny.
Neville Park, April 8, 2 p.m.

Kensington Market Sweets Tour

Though this tour takes place every weekend, what could be more appropriate on Easter Sunday than a walk filled with cream eggs, colourful cupcakes and chocolate bunnies? The guided tour will feature a history of candy, a visit to five sweet shops, samples and discounts from certain stores.
Butterfly Bakery, 492 Dundas St. W. April 8, 11:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. $30 adult, $10 child. Must book online 24 hours in advance.

Band of the Week: The Deep Dark Woods

4:21 pm

Seven years in, The Deep Dark Woods are quickly becoming one of the pre-eminent roots music groups in the country. Fresh off the release of their fourth album, The Place I Left Behind, which garnered the band their first Juno Award nomination, The Deep Dark Woods are heading into Toronto for a show at The Great Hall on Friday, April 6. We caught up with organist Geoff Hilhorst to get the scoop on what the band’s been up to in recent weeks.

The album garnered the band its first Juno Award nomination. I’m assuming you were in Ottawa for the festivities?
Yeah, we lost. Thanks for reminding me.

Oh….
[Laughs]. Yeah we were there, and in fine form. We were in Ottawa from Friday until Monday morning and we had a fantastic time. The whole experience was really great. And I still feel just as good having been nominated, to be honest with you. But it was nerve wracking when they were announcing the winner, I won’t lie to you.

Listening to some of this stuff for the first time, one might get the impression that you guys are a pretty sad lot. What would you say to dispute this claim?
I wouldn’t, I would not dispute that. Some of the best music out there should hurt a little bit to leave some sort of an impression on you. Besides, if you’re happy and you hear a sad song, you’re even more happy because you’re not that person in the song.

So you’re doing a service for people?
From my own personal experience listening to old blues songs, even some of the best country, often the ones that hurt — the ones on the melancholy side that have that sad element — are the best. It is just a particular era of songwriting that certainly isn’t in the mainstream and that’s fine with us. As Ryan [singer and chief songwriter Ryan Boldt] would put it, the weepers are the ones that get you.

The band produced the new record itself. How did that process affect and change the sound of this album compared to previous efforts?
Well, we wanted to do it ourselves because we’ve always been after a specific sound. We like using all kinds of vintage reverbs and stuff like that. In our experience with producers in the past, they tended to run things a little more tried and true. We decided the best way to get the sound we were after was to produce the record on our own and have the freedom to try whatever we wanted with nobody, you know, saying that might be better this way or that way.

Your album was released internationally by the legendary Sugar Hill Records (Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Nickel Creek et al). That must have made you guys very happy with the company on that label, am I right?
We are super excited to be with Sugar Hill, absolutely — they just released the album in Europe.

Is there a large fan base for roots music in Europe?
There really is, and we almost got the feeling that being Canadian lent itself to the fan base we generated. I think there’s a lot of people following Canadian music in particular, at least where we were. And the crowds there, for the most part — and especially in Holland — were real listening crowds. You could hear a pin drop in some of the venues — that was very refreshing.

So what can we expect at your show on Friday?
Fun. It is going to be a blast. We’ll have Kendal Carson, the fiddle player, playing with us that night, and Old Man Luedecke, who also played on the record. It’ll be the first time playing together since the recording with them, and we’re really looking forward to it. We’re just going to do what we do and go as hard as we can.

The Deep Dark Woods are:
Ryan Boldt – vocals, guitar
Lucas Goetz – drums
Geoff Hilhorst –organ
Chris Mason – bass, vocals
Burke Barlow – lead guitar

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