CJTR’s Radiothon Returns

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91.3 FM CJTR will soon be soon be entering its 15th year of existence. It’s hard to imagine –– not that it’s been that long, but that they haven’t always been here. Regina’s community radio station is an institution, so entrenched in the city’s local culture that’s hard to imagine a Queen City without them.

Their annual Radiothon is one of the best ways for you, the listener, to make sure that keeps being the case. This year, CJTR is asking for donations from September 25 to October 2, and you can donate right now to make sure they keep broadcasting more vital, locally produced content.

At the end of it all, you can come out to celebrate a big week of fundraising at the Exchange. The Radiothon Wind-Up Concert is happening here Friday, October 2 and will feature performances from the Bystanders, the Brian Templeton Trio, and the Royal Red Brigade. The all ages and licensed event is free to attend, and they will be accepting donations at the door. Go to the Facebook event for more information.

Friendship and Music with Scarlett Jane

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The story of Scarlett Jane isn’t just the tale of a musical act, but a pair of friends whose compatibility runs deep. Cindy Doire and Andrea Ramolo met as a pair of Toronto-based singer-songwriters, quickly striking up a friendship.

“We’d go months without seeing each other,” Doire said recently to the Ottawa Citizen. “She would go on these epic tours, and I was doing a lot of French touring, going to Quebec and Europe. Finally, we though, ‘Why don’t we go on these together so we can spend time together?’”

That was when their musical partnership really blossomed, leading eventually to the creation of Scarlett Jane. Together, they’ve quickly released a pair of albums, 2014’s Stranger and this year’s self-titled album, full of their considered, charming song work and the interesting interplay of voices and playing between Doire and Ramolo.

Scarlett Jane are in the Club on Thursday, October 1. Doors at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $10 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

Recently Announced: Taggart and Torrens’ Comedy and Canadianity

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Jonathan Torrens (Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D, Wipeout Canada) and Jeremy Taggart (Our Lady Peace, TSN 1050, Jay and Dan Podcast) are taking their popular TAGGART & TORRENS podcast on the road, coming through the Exchange in Regina on November 18.

Dubbed the “Comedy & Canadianity Tour”, every live show will be a combo of podcast favourites (Poem Sayin, Hit the Post, Callin Pranks) and games specifically tailored to each geographical destination (Saskatunes). “Bahds” will not only get to see the show, they’ll get to be the show by volunteering to play along in their seats and on the stage.

“We’ve road-tested TnT Live with great success,” says Torrens. “Every time it’s been equal parts hilarious and heart-warming. People have such great affection for this country –– and you never know what special guests might show up!”

Since January, Taggart and Torrens has exploded into the homes and hearts of Canadians, with 750,000 downloads on iTunes. Throw in another 250k listens on Soundcloud and it’s proof –– Canucks from coast to coast to coast are falling for Jonathan and Jeremy’s cocktail of tales from the road and silly party games. Mostly they’re responding to the fiercely proud patriotism and nostalgic bent of TnT, something “The Bahds” have branded #canadianity.

“I can’t wait to criss-cross this country and meet all the bahds”, says Taggart. “Everywhere we go now people want to reminisce about a certain TV show from our childhood or a forgotten band from the 70’s.”

Consistently in the top five comedy podcasts in Canada (often at #1) and almost always in the top 10 overall , Taggart and Torrens is at the forefront of a new sensation that’s sweeping the nation like a curling broom: #CANADIANITY.

Taggart and Torrens Comedy and Canadianity Tour is in the Exchange on Wednesday, November 18. Advance tickets are available at Vintage Vinyl and online at TicketEdge. All ages and licensed.

Revocation’s History Worth Celebrating

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You know that you have a history worth celebrating when there’s the demand to circle back and rerelease one of your old albums. Boston, MA’s Revocation is in that position now.

The band’s origins run back to 2000 when they started out under a different name. A few years later, they started up as Revocation, self-releasing Empire of the Obscene in 2008.
That’s the record they’re getting the opportunity to rerelease now, with their current label Metal Blade Records.

It’s an opportunity for the group to reappraise its roots, an interesting situation for a band who’ve always managed to keep their style of metal fresh. Listening to their most recent, 2014’s Deathless, you hear just that, a group in touch with the endless complexity and skill of technical metal as well as the intensity of death metal.

Revocation are in the Exchange on Friday, September 25 with Cannabis Corpse, Archspire, and Black Fast. Advance tickets are $20 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

Recently Announced: Cryptopsy and We Hunt Buffalo

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This fall, it feels like every week in the Exchange and the Club might bring our new favourite act or show. Recently, we got to add two more to the rapidly growing list of concerts happening on our stages.

Zandra Productions presents Cryptopsy in the Exchange on Sunday, October 11. The veteran Montreal, QC death metal group is joined by Regina metal heads Digital Doomzday, Planet Eater, and Kelevra.

The New West Concert Series presents We Hunt Buffalo in the Club on Monday, October 19. The Vancouver, B.C. grimy rock band released their new, Jesse Gander-produced album, Living Ghosts, this month on New Damage Records.

For more information on these and other shows coming up in the Exchange and the Club, check out the Events section of our website.

Checking In With Faith Healer’s Troubles

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Faith Healer’s latest album, Cosmic Troubles, is a debut of sorts. Released earlier this year on Mint Records, it’s Edmonton, AB resident Jessica Jalbert’s first album under the name, though she’s been recording and performing for years before that.

The album marks something of a departure for Jalbert. She recorded the album with fellow Mint Records artist Renny Wilson, while they were both working at the same record store. It fills out her garage-pop sound, making it a full sonic experience.

“I guess I wanted to focus on that, and used the band that I had to my full potential,” she told Vue Weekly. “I’m able to play around with the sound that they’re capable of: lots of guitar solos, lots of little synth runs that I wouldn’t normally have in a song, and stuff like that. Lots of tambourine.”

Faith Healer are opening for Chad VanGaalen and the Bleach Wipes in the Exchange on Thursday, September 24. Doors at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. $20 at the door. All ages and licensed.

Chad VanGaalen Introduces the Bleach Wipes

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Chad VanGaalen has been a strange and vital part of the Canadian musical landscape for over a decade now. The Calgary, AB artist’s work for Flemish Eye, Sub Pop, and others shows what kind of clever reinventions are needed to keep indie-rock and folk music vital, with some divergences into electronic music.

The last time he did this one his own was with 2014’s Shrink Dust, an album that pushed against his usual sound. On this coming tour, though, he’ll have some help bringing those songs and others to the live setting. Ryan Bourne and Chris Dadge are joining him as his new backing band, the Bleach Wipes.

If their first show together is any indication, they’re all a good fit for each other. Rating the evening an eight out of a possible 10, Exclaim! said the group’s first public show earlier this September was “a dynamic performance” and “a reinvigoration of VanGaalen’s sound.”

Chad VanGaalen and the Bleach Wipes are in the Exchange on Thursday, September 24 with Faith Healer. . Doors at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. $20 at the door. All ages and licensed.

The Agonist Are Always Moving Forward

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The members of the Agonist had a unique opportunity to celebrate their roots. The group started in Montreal, QC in 2004 with vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. In 2014, she left the group to be the lead for Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. The rest of the Agonist didn’t stand still –– they quickly found Vicky Psarakis, a singer from the States who’d prove her abilities in a series of YouTube videos. This year, they all got to have a reunion of sorts, as the Agonist and Arch Enemy all played together for a night of the Heavy Montreal festival this past August.

Even in such a short period of time, the group had something new to bring to the table. The group never spent a moment sitting on their hands since bringing in Psarakis, quickly recording and releasing their fourth album, Eye of Providence, in 2015. The record builds on their melodic death metal sound they’d been establishing for years, even as Psarakis lends a new, vital quality to what the band does.

The Agonist are in the Exchange on Thursday, September 17 with Between Now and Then and FPG. Doors at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

One-Stop Vintage and Handmade with the Prairie Flea

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There’s a vibrant scene for people selling vintage and handmade goods in Saskatchewan right now. If you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll see them doing pop-up shops in odd places or setting up tents at local festivals.

You won’t need to be on the hunt on Sunday, September 13, as they’ll be in one spot for you. The Prairie Flea is a one-day event being thrown by the Saskatchewan Vintage Collective, bringing together sellers of these kinds of goods for one wild day in the Exchange.

Who all will be there? Sellers include 33rd Street Market, Badbad Vintage, Better Off Duds, Davidson Kinder Surprises, the Dress Form, Duo Plant Studio, Engauged, the Flourshoppe, Hat Farm, Hiddenstitch, MidMod Vintage, Swish and Craft, and T +A Vinyl and Fashion.

The Prairie Flea is happening Sunday, September 13 in the Exchange. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the event runs until 6 p.m. Admission is free. All ages and licensed. Go to the event’s page on our website for more information.

Herb and the Humans’ Direct Garage Rock

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When Herb Exner played drums, he was a monster, playing big and aggressive and always on time. He was the powerful foundation to the Hot Blood Bombers’ rhythm section back in the day, before that legendary Regina trio disbanded.

These days, they’re all onto their own things. Dave Schneider’s in the Delta Throats, Shane Grass is out in Vancouver with Nervous Talk, all among groups. For Exner’s part, he’s stepped out from behind his kit to front Herb and the Humans.

Together with Gino Gimabattista and Avery Strong, Exner’s crafted some fine garage rock. The three form the kind of direct rock and roll group where everything’s essential and direct, something that’ll no doubt be reflected in the self-titled album they’re releasing at an upcoming Exchange show.

Herb and the Humans play the Exchange on Friday, September 11 with the Royal Red Brigade and Black Thunder. $10 at the door. All ages and licensed. Go to the event’s page on our website for more information.