Veil of Maya’s New Album a Tribute to Female Characters

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By the time Veil of Maya released their latest, Matriarch, in May 2015, the Chicago, IL deathcore had already put out four albums in their ten-plus years as a band. At that point, finding inspiration for the next record can be difficult. If you’re wondering where Veil of Maya found theirs, look no further than the title of the album.

Guitarist Marc Okubo told Loudwire that “this time around I was interested in writing for female characters that I liked in movies and TV shows or comics that I was reading. I decided to keep all of the song titles I came up with which were female names and I thought that Matriarch would be an appropriate title to sum up a powerful female figure.”

The record isn’t just thematically rich, though. It’s a departure for the group in more ways than one, the first being the introduction of new vocalist Lukas Magyar. It’s also a tweak on the genres they’ve worked in to date. The album’s a new chapter for the band, one sure to excite fans.

Veil of Maya are in the Exchange on Saturday, June 13 with Revocation, Gift Giver, and Entheos. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $25 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, and online at TicketEdge. V.I.P. tickets are available online through Sound Rink. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

Library Voices Are Worth Keeping an Eye On

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When do we get to hear the new Library Voices album? It’s not that they’ve starved us for material; they just released their seven-song EP Dear John last year. If you listened to that record, and you were at all familiar with the output of the Regina group to date, you’d know how much of an exciting departure it was.

Previously, they were dealing in sweet, energetic indie-pop. They didn’t toss that aside completely for Dear John, but they did show they were willing to bring in even more influences, from psych to rock to surf. Dear John’s a step in a new direction for the band.

So the question is, what’s the new record sound like? We know it’s coming. The best way to get a taste is to come out and hear the stuff live.

Library Voices are in the Exchange on Wednesday, June 17 opening for Limblifter. Advance tickets are $20 plus service charges and are available at Vintage Vinyl and online at TicketEdge. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

Into Eternity Can’t Quit

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Into Eternity have keen observers the world over, but nowhere more so than in their home of Regina. From the outside, it can seem like their activity ebbs and flows. Live shows come up. New material and band members come out every so often.

What anyone watching can be sure of, though, is that this is a band that’s sticking around, in whatever form, in whatever way. These sure hands in the metal scene have been around the block, a journey that’s taken them around the world and led them to playing with such greats as Megadeth and Dream Theater. It’s also carried through a series of albums capturing their progressive death metal, such as 2008’s The Incurable Tragedy.

With new material on the way, this all means they’re back, and they’ll keep coming back again and again.

Into Eternity are in the Exchange on Friday, June 5 with Bloodline and Kelevra. 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.

What Kind of Metal Do Aborted Play?

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You may look at the name Aborted and say, “Sure, that’s metal. I get that. But just what kind of metal is it?” Vocalist Sven de Caluwe was talking about the band’s eight album, The Necrotic Manifesto, and can probably give you a good idea of what you’re in for.

“The album is our own take on the sordid tales of the Necronomicon,” he says, “the ‘book of the dead’, of corpse drowned in a sauce of gore and fun covered with a good old 80s slasher vibe.”

That’s probably all you need to know going into this show. If you come around, you’ll see these Belgian metal veterans bringing heavy, occult sounds that blend death metal with grindcore to wear down audiences everywhere.

Aborted are in the Exchange on Sunday, May 31 with Fit for an Autopsy, Archspire, and Dark Sermon. Doors at 7:30 p.m. 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.

SaskRoots Night Brings Out Our Province’s Bluegrass and Folk

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GrassRoots Regina are real torchbearers for folk and roots music in the Queen City. For years, they’ve been presenting traditional and up-and-coming acts from Canada and the world, putting on dozens and dozens of shows. Concerts like the upcoming SaskRoots Night, happening Saturday, May 30 in the Exchange, give them the opportunity to showcase roots music from our own province.

The acts playing are diverse while still falling into GrassRoots’ territory. The evening will see performances from bluegrass trio In with the Old, husband-and-wife duo the Grid Pickers, and folk duo the Great Plains.

The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $15 in advance at Back and Beyond, Traditions Gallery, and Vintage Vinyl or $20 at the door. Like all shows in the Exchange and the Club, it is all ages and licensed. For more information, go to GrassRoots Regina’s website.

Did You Check Out Great Lake Swimmers?

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Last night, Tuesday, May 26, the Regina Folk Festival Concert Series had Great Lake Swimmers in the Exchange with the Weather Station. Judging from reactions online, people had a great time.

If you’re looking for more music from the RFF, you’re in luck –– the fest itself is just around the corner. From August 7 to 9, they’re bringing artists like Sinead O’Connor, Vance Joy, Blue Rodeo, the Sheepdogs, and Jenny Lewis to Victoria Park. For the complete lineup and ticket information, go to their website.

Reverend Horton Heat Can’t Stop

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How do people age? Some slow down, some get self-consciously “mature”. Jim Heath, the Rev of Reverend Horton Heat, has been at it for over thirty years and he’s not up for any of that.

Take a listen to the appropriately titled Rev, the act’s 11th album and first on Victory Records, and you’ll hear that they’re still as sharp as ever. The man and his band have a way of finding humour in the little things, of picking out true-to-life details and not treating them with some oppressive seriousness.

That’s without mentioning the music. The Rev and his band still cut straight to the quick of it with every song, laying down rockabilly that’s quick and loud and hits hard every time.

Reverend Horton Heat is in the Exchange on Thursday, May 28 with Nekromantix and the Brains. Doors at 8 p.m. Show at 8:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $27.50 plus service charges and are available at X-Ray Records and online at TicketEdge. Tickets available at the door barring a sell-out. All ages and licensed.

620 CKRM’s Proudly Saskatchewan Showcase Comes to the Exchange

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For decades, 620 CKRM has been exposing Southern Saskatchewan to the best country talents out there. With the Proudly Saskatchewan Showcase, they’ve been looking for the emerging artists of tomorrow right here in our own province.

This year, the weekly run-offs will be held in the Exchange on May 24, 31, and June 7. The shows are all matinees, with doors opening at 1:30 p.m. and the show starting at 2:30 p.m. Winners from these days will go on to play a showcase at the Casino Regina Show Lounge on Saturday, July 4.

Artists could win prizes including cash, recording time, and more. The top three artists get to perform on the main stage at the 2015 Craven Country Jamboree. Details on the competition are up at 620 CKRM’s website.

Recently Announced!

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It’s been a busy few weeks for show announcements! The Exchange and the Club are going to be hopping through May and June, so here are some of the big, get-your-tickets-now shows we can tell you about.

– Zandra Productions and South Saskatchewan Music Productions present Aborted in the Exchange on Sunday, May 31 with Fit for an Autopsy, Archspire, and Dark Sermon.

– Zandra Productions presents Veil of Maya’s Matriarch Tour in the Exchange on Saturday, June 13 with Revocation, Gift Giver, and Entheos.
– Limblifter are in the Exchange on Wednesday, June 17 with Library Voices.

– Rawk Entertainment presents Swervedriver in the Exchange on Saturday, June 20 with Shitty Dream.

– Zandra Productions presents Goatwhore in the Exchange on Wednesday, June 24 with Black Breath, Ringworm, and Theories.

Along with all those concerts, the Cultural Exchange has a new show to add to its New West Concert Series. In addition to Zerbin and the Gay Nineties, who are playing in the Exchange on May 20, we’re pleased to be hosting Vancouver, B.C. folk-rock act the River and the Road with guests in the Club on Thursday, May 21.

For details on these and other upcoming shows in the Exchange and the Club, go to the Events section of our website.

Zerbin Continue on Wide-Ranging Path

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Indie-rock group Zerbin’s new album, Darling, just came out, but reviews are already coming in.

“Irresistible pop melodies launch the band’s brightly polished sound into fresh territory,” Dusty Organ wrote of Darling. “Fun and upbeat in all the right ways, Zerbin are proving they are ready to move onto bigger and better things.”

Variety can sometimes cover up weakness, but that’s far from the case for Zerbin. The Edmonton, AB trio –– multi-instrumentalists Jason Zerbin and Peter Mol, along with Duran Ritz –– work in influences that can be grand and sweeping or grounded. The group can do it all, and are going to keep doing it all.

Zerbin are in the Exchange on Wednesday, May 20 with the Gay Nineties. Doors at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $10 and are available at Vintage Vinyl. $10 at the door. All ages and licensed.