I worked a show at Felice Cafe last Saturday night and thought I was going to miss this. But then Bad Buddy shared that their set time was 10:45PM!! And tbh sleep didn’t seem all that important suddenly.
I’m a newer fan after discovering their self-titled 2020 debut album in early 2023. Someone shared an instagram story with ‘Stupid Girl’ playing in the background. It got my attention, so I looked them up and then (true to my nature) I became the most obnoxious person to be around for at least 2 weeks. I was listening to it around the house, in my ears on every dog walk, in the car, and for literally hours on repeat at the cafe. Soon everyone around me knew about Bad Buddy and that is my gift to you.
BAD BUDDY II release party
Soho has a nice elevated stage and really great sound. It was my first time there. I think everyone should wear earplugs to EVERY show but I will say, this venue is known to be particularly loud (as in a couple people made sure to mention it to me before I went) so please be smart and protect your hearing!
I stood right at the front with my friend and my god did I DANCE. They played some of my favourites ever; Hunters, Fine Hunniez (!!! they didn’t play this last time I saw them and omg), mixed in with some new songs. They’ve been sharing the cover of their new album (Bad Buddy II) all over instagram but I haven’t seen a release date, so when I saw it sitting there at the merch booth I figured… they forgot to put it on Tidal. It wouldn’t be the first time I was left out.
BUT NO
It’s a pre-release. One of those you-gotta-be-there things and BITCH, I WAS THERE AND I HAVE IT AND IT’S REALLY DAMN GOOD.
Anyway. Pictures. I had my old Fuji X-H1 with a 23mm f2 lens and yes, I stood in one spot the whole time. Their set had pink lighting and y’all know I like a little challenge:
Friday, February 9th 2024, we got a lil sum sum from London rapper, Little Simz. Another ‘drop’ in her decade-long series of mixtapes, this is DROP 7. And quickly a favorite of mine.
For all the haters, these mixtapes are not for Simbi to push her lyrical limits, they’re not to give us a glimpse into where she’ll take her music next – these are for her to play with sound and expand her musical horizons. Tell me you’re disappointed and I’ll remind you that without experimentation and play, what is an artist? Little Simz is not here to fit inside one little box for you. So, drop it (hehe).
Produced by acclaimed British producer Jakwob, it’s a 7 track EP, not even reaching 15 minutes long. It’s an EP that makes you want to get up from your chair and move, but if you choose to stay seated and pay closer attention, you might just feel like a bad bitch.
Since her 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert reached critical acclaim, Little Simz has been recognized on some big stages. In 2022 she won the Brit Award for Best New Act (with some current nominations for British Album of the Year, British Artist of the Year, and Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act) and a MOBO award for Album of the Year for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (with current nominations for Album of The Year, best Female Act, Best Hip Hop Act, and Video of the Year).
This mixtape really covers the good and the bad parts of that success. She speaks plainly about not feeling the need to prove herself anymore, sipping tea in her warm castle, and understanding the ‘fuss’ around her, but also dives into some of the bad with lines like “gotta keep my circle tight, I’m only rolling with the fewest. Like, I don’t fuck with that boy, he a Judas, Judas (yeah)” in Power. Judas was one of the Twelve Apostles who, notoriously, betrayed Jesus.
Back in the middle of June, someone posted a song on their instagram story to celebrate the release of an EP called… “Middle of June”. I listened, made my boyfriend listen, and then because it was perfectly fun, catchy, and cute – I played it on repeat for my dog while I was out. And y’all know, Cow deserves it.
If you are a femme-fronted band coming out of Edmonton, my dog and I are probably listening to you.
The EP came from a band called Waffelhouse. Their branding is pink and cartoony and their songs feel pink and cartoony. I spent a whole month with all 5 tracks, running not even 20 minutes long, frequently playing them through my coveted kitchen-radio (an honour tbh – not to be taken lightly), and then decided to slide into their DMs. I invited their two lead vocalists, Madi and Caylie G., over for a fun shoot and chat. We talked about the EP, the band’s dynamic, and their dreams for Waffelhouse. The word “slay” was also used a record-number of times in my home and wow, these kids keep me young.
This was only their second interview representing Waffelhouse
And for some reason, I am still insisting that shooting while asking questions is the vibe. It’s not but I can’t help myself – cracking ‘jokes’ while photographing is my security blanket. Caylie is so quick to apologize for the unfortunate situation I’ve put her in, “I don’t know why I’m so awkward and smiley. I don’t know why I can’t figure this out, I’m so sorry.” I tell her to “just relax”, to which she replies, “me? I’ve never relaxed, not once in my life. I do not know peace.” For all my astrology girlies, you must have figured that Caylie is the Pisces Moon and wants you to know, “it’s like… really tough out here.”
Madi recalls the day her, Caylie, and keys player, Ryan, were in the car on their way to grab a coffee between classes
when Caylie blurts out that she wants to start a band. “She said it like it was this abstract thing she could never actually do, but we were like ‘well, why don’t we… do that?’ We were all in a music program, we knew people, we just needed to do it.” There was only one non-negotiable.
The band had to be called Waffelhouse.
“I think Waffelhouse is the coolest band name ever,” says Caylie. “So, here we are,” says Madi. They already had their drummer, Carter, on dial. They had to think a little harder to find the right guitarist, who eventually came to them by luck. “One day me and Caylie met up for lunch, saw him working, and we were like ‘what about Mark?’” Mark agreed, telling them he would play the songs, but had no time or interest in being involved creatively. “It’s hilarious because now, Mark is so in it. He does all of the production and is responsible for a lot of what our sound is,” says Caylie. Their bass player was the last addition, “Connor came to us a little bit later. It kind of worked out so perfectly because he is incredible and fits the vibe so well.
Their songs come together as a group effort.
Usually starting a writing session by going around a circle asking everyone about their weekend. The Toothbrush Song was inspired by a toothbrush that felt gross on Ryan’s teeth and I guess they just started listing off everything that stresses them out. And it’s relatable because everytime I get a headache, I think I’m going to die, too. “Part of what makes our writing process so strong is that we’re all really different as writers.” Caylie uses the 300 page note in her phone as an example for the unhinged kind of writer she is, “I’ll find a crack in the sidewalk and go, ‘oh, that’s a cute crack in the sidewalk.’”
Madi isn’t as quick to share her ideas and seems to play more of a director role when it comes to writing.
“Caylie is the songwriting genius and she can say the same thing in like 18 million different ways. If somebody doesn’t stop her – that could be the whole song. I’m good at redirecting, like ‘let’s move on from that’ or ‘what do we talk about next?’ And Caylie has really high standards. If something doesn’t feel right, she’ll say it doesn’t feel right and we won’t settle.” says Madi.
And it shows. The songs on this EP are so real and simple and obvious. That sounds bad but it’s no easy accomplishment to tell a story with words that fit together so nicely, it almost feels careless. The kind of catchy chorus you can sing along to the second time around.
They’re still figuring out what they want from Waffelhouse, but have realized they can accomplish quite a bit all on their own. They put together a short tour through BC and Alberta this past summer, something they never imagined they could do without a manager and label. “Being in the music industry is odd because you go into it with this perception of how it’s supposed to happen and then it kind of – not derails – but you get there in a different way. Everything we’ve done has been very DIY,” says Caylie. Managers and labels are useful and all, but don’t forget that you and your friends can plan a tour and just… start driving.
They share that Waffelhouse’s next step is probably an album. Madi says they’re still wanting it to feel like pop – enjoyable and pleasant – but Caylie cuts her off and says, “we’re always trying to figure out how weird we can make it before it’s like… unapproachable.”
You can catch them next TONIGHT at Felice Cafe.
They’re hosting a ‘tiny desk’esque PJ party and it’s going to be very cute. Tickets are still available here! Bye.
I drive 3 minutes across my neighborhood and end up at the cuuuutest little green house to hangout at a Roll The Bones band rehearsal. They’re in the basement, and I can hear them as I walk up to meet a guy that looks as lost as me at the front door.
They’re trying out a new guitar player. His name is Joe, he is very polite, and I have no idea if he passed the test that day. We decide they probably can’t hear us so we wait. I’m awkward so I think I talked the whole time.
Finally, Bri opens the door with a corgi at her feet and welcomes us in. The house is just as cute inside!
I’m here because they’re releasing a new single called Daylight “in the next few weeks”, but mostly because I just think they’re cool, and we should talk about them.
So, I’m sweating in their basement
and I realize I forgot my earplugs even after being reminded to bring them! Thankfully, they had some to give me. But if you’re reading this right now – you are not too cool for hearing loss! Please use earplugs! At every show! Hearing protection is hot!!
After playing through a few songs that I recognize, they decide they’re ready to sit and chat for a bit. We go upstairs and, daringly, out the back door. But this is Edmonton. The mosquitos are too much!
We end up sat at the kitchen table and, seriously – who’s house is this? It is actually adorable. Wish I took a picture of them around that table. Missed opportunity.
Roll The Bones started as a duo
with Maxwell Evans singing & playing guitar, and the “best guitarist in the band” on drums, Mark Boer. Meeting how regular people meet – by nerding out over each other’s gear. Mark was not a drummer but says, “someone had to do it,” after they had tried out some actual drummers, but decided they were just giving too much… talent, I suppose. “There’s some truth to that. Roll The Bones is guitar and vocals, it is not a drum band,” says Max.
They were a duo for a while, but then brought in a bass player, and then a second guitar. When recording these singles, it was just the four of them. If you’ve seen them live recently, you know there is a very important piece missing there.
Roll The who? That’s Bri Huot’s band, right?
Bri is the band’s newest member – her first time performing with them being at that same show earlier in the year at Temple. They’re all quick to let me know that she has completely transformed their sound.
She’d been to every show, was dating Mark, and during rehearsals, she was hanging out upstairs. “I was upstairs sewing and singing the songs to myself. I’d just sing all the harmonies,” she says. One day, Mark thought the band could benefit from a rehearsal with her and invited her down to join them. “Bri has great rhythm, she’s a great person to have on your team, and she can harmonize with anyone. And it felt so good,” he says. And let’s be real – those three part harmonies and her energy with that tambourine are the only reason I’m sitting in this kitchen. She doesn’t want to make a big deal of it, but seems proud to sometimes be the one woman on a bill, representing and bringing the fucking energy.
In the recordings
all vocals are sung by Maxwell, and they’re playing to a click track. Click tracks can be restrictive for a band that really favours live performance. “The thing is that Max as a player, is very indecisive with where he wants to take the rhythm. You have to be at his beck and call, always ready to speed it up. Or slow it down. That’s part of our charm and chemistry. I am mostly following him like just a fraction behind to see where he’s gonna go and just help facilitate it. But speeding up and slowing down is just part of our sound,” says Mark.
“Our recordings are good but our live performances are something else,” says Max.
“If people like the recorded versions, they’re going to come to a show and have their face melt off,” says Nash Calvert, their bass player.
I couldn’t agree more and I love that they all felt so passionately about that topic specifically. Their recordings are good because Roll The Bones’ songs are genuinely really good. That said, I can confirm my face did, in fact, melt off and you’d have to see them live to realllyyy understand the essence of Roll The Bones.
Their newest release, ‘Daylight’
is out now, October 9th, 2023. It’s about seeing someone across a crowded room, uncertain about where it could go but they’re gone before anything can truly happen. Inspired not by romantic comedies, but by simply being in many crowded rooms.
Max wrote it and says that it quickly changed into what it is now after playing it through acoustically. “It was initially a lot slower and the chorus was very different. We completely modified the structure of the song together.”
It is another great song from the band, and if you’ve seen them live and appreciated their unique sound, you probably already know it.
What’s the plan for Roll The Bones?
“I think for right now – it’s just continuing the creative growth. We have this album done and, with this lineup, I’d like to get another EP out there. We just want the music out to more people and not staying stagnant. That’s pretty much the goal,” says Max. “I mean, fuck, a little tour would be cool, too!”
An album done? Does anyone know anything about this?
When Bailey Nadeen asked that we meet at the Citadel Theatre in downtown Edmonton back in February – I didn’t think twice about driving my car there, giving myself just a few minutes to park and make my way to the entrance. A mistake. The underground parking downtown is a maze and I’m an anxious driver. After finding my way up & out of the library(?) and giving her a frantic instagram call(??), we finally found each other.
Bailey’s presence is warm and inviting. She speaks softly, but with the confidence of a 23 year old that has been vulnerably creative her whole life. She’s been singing since church choir and starring in musical theatre productions since Elementary school. Her history at the Citadel is obvious as she gets comfortable in the entrance and gently greets the security guard – who quickly lets us know we aren’t allowed to take pictures there, ha.
We were speaking a few days ahead of her releasing a new song( and music video). The track, featuring her friend Sawyer Begg, is called 1964 and is an ode to Simon & Garfunkel, with every line relating to one of their hits. It is her 4th release since 2020.
Tell me about 1964, in your own words. “Ok, I wrote it in the spring of 2021, so 2 years ago now. It started with the feeling of just being stuck. You’re an artist, like ‘this is my craft and I know what I want to do’ and I was sticking to a schedule and just living life – doing my routine, going to work, and It’s like ‘ok, I’m doing everything I’m supposed to, so why do I feel this way?’ Or if I tell anybody about it, they’re like ‘well, why?’”
The bridge, ‘I don’t know how to say I feel sad all the time, ’cause God there are so many who would kill for a life like mine’, says it’s all. We feel guilty for being happy because others suffer. We feel guilty for not being happy because others suffer more. It’s like we are so sure that others will invalidate our feelings, that we make sure to invalidate them first.
But she says the scariest part isn’t even a fear of people resonating with the message. It’s the expectations that come with its release. The battle of staying true to your artistry while also having to promote your artistry in a way that will be seen by the most eyes. “You write the song, and then you get to the point where you’re kind of promoting it as a product. Are you going to make a TikTok video? Are you going to make weird little instagram stories? Once you’re past the point of writing and recording it, it becomes a business move. And then it’s like – what comes next?”
On that day in February, talking about 1964, Bailey casually mentions that she’s thinking of releasing her debut album this year because she “has a whole drive of songs”.
Ha. Okay… no big deal?
Now it’s July 8th and her debut album The Mess You Leave is dropping at midnight tonight (TONIGHT!!!), and 1964 is the opening track. So, of course, you all deserve a follow up:
Tell me about the title, “The Mess You Leave.” The title of the album is a direct line from one of the songs, Golden Girls, which goes: I wish you knew the mess you leave. I wanted to find a title that somehow related to all of the songs on the album. I enjoy self titled pieces of work, but it felt more my style to find a stand alone title for the project.
Is there a general theme to your album? I guess the overall theme is that it is an album about picking up the pieces. The recognition that there is work needing to be done and a mess that needs cleaned up. Life can be a shit show and we are sometimes put into circumstances that feel like a HUGE mess. This can be because of our own actions or the actions of others, however, at the end of the day, there is still work to be done. Regardless of the pain, it is our job to find a way to deal with it and live with it. I think overall, the album revolves around the recognition of that process. One of my favorite quotes is by the poet Rudy Francisco, “sometimes I’m the mess, sometimes I’m the broom. On the hardest days, I have to be both.”
Are there any specific musical inspirations that we can expect to hear on this album? Either lyrically or musically. I grew up with a lot of folk music, so I am sure there are little bits of Joni Mitchell or the Rankin Family (an irish band) throughout the songs. As a young teenager, I listened to Birdy and Phoebe Bridgers on loop so I feel like my habit of going to high harmonies during a chorus is because of that.
What is your favourite song on the album? I really adore the song Elizabeth and it is the one I am most proud of, both lyrically and musically. To me, it’s a happy song. It’s about this woman who feels haunted by her past, in my mind I saw this lady walking through an upstairs hallway with a bunch of little spirits following her. They’re calling out to her to say that they’re there, but she can’t hear them. The song is a direct message to her as if to say: the only bad things that haunt us are what we allow ourselves to be haunted by. I think that everybody has ghosts (both literally and physically), some are good and some are bad. We have the choice of what to focus on and where we want life to go. I think the most personal track on the album is INFP, which gets its name from the personality type that I got on the Psychology “16 Personalities” Quiz. I wrote it after I realized that I had 50 unread text messages on my phone…some from WEEKS ago that I had mentally took note of, but never responded. My thought process is always “well it feels SO AWKWARD to respond now” or “omg what if this person that I don’t know super well asks to hang out and I don’t have the social battery for it or we go out and I have NOTHING to say!”
She invited me to celebrate its (pre-)release along with her friends Sammy Volkov, Jackson Card, The Victors, Dane Bjornson, Sawyer Begg, Jeremy Gutierrez, Riwo, and Bella November on Friday, June 30th, 2023 at Co*Lab.
Here are some photos I took (and as per usual, please do not ask me why I edit everything pink thank you):
That’s something he doesn’t want you to know about him, so I’m here to divulge in his honor.
Sammy Volkov is cool in the kind of way that your grandpa’s best friend is cool. He has charming stories to share and tends to blab on until he loses his place in the conversation (or maybe until I interrupt to remind him to relax his forehead).
I discovered Sammy’s music in early December 2022 when I came across an instagram story sharing the release of his debut album, Be Alright. I’m always curious to hear what’s coming out of our city, so I turned it on while I was washing some dishes.
I am someone that vibes with music before properly listening to it. One of my favorite things is loving a song, wanting to dance to it, and then sitting with it and realizing that the artist is pouring their miserable little heart out. Oops 👯 So, while many of the evocative stories on this album might be suitably filed under “politics” or “heartbreak” or even simply “therapy”, I still found myself swaying to it in my kitchen and even asking my boyfriend, “doesn’t this album just feel good?”
Sammy’s life has so far been quite compelling; he lived in New York to go to school for acting, he lived in Los Angeles to get his ego crushed in acting, and now he’s in Edmonton wearing slutty shirts for Dollhouse.
“There are so many distractions in big cities and for what I want to do, Edmonton is the perfect place for me. I’m open to going wherever it makes sense but for now, this has been like a beautiful incubator where the community is quite insular but not cliquey and they’re very supportive of me. I’ve made lots of good friends and it’s just been great. I love it here.”
Let’s circle back to the ego-crushing – how does one go through that, but then persist on the path of ultimate vulnerability by writing and recording an entire album? “I think what happened was that [in Los Angeles] I was feeling so vulnerable and isolated but I was also meeting a lot of new people and I was feeling very inspired with no distractions – good or bad. So I was going from all of the stimulus of trying to figure out a new city to being alone in my shitty room. It was the perfect way to start writing a lot of music and playing at open mics. I would focus on an artist I loved and then try to write a song like them. It was a great accidental songwriting school. I am really grateful that I had that and most people would not choose that for themselves.”
Sammy’s love of timeless sounds and movies is evident and he’ll happily deep-dive into conversation about music history, but he says he wrote this album to prove to himself that he could do all of these genres and that, in the future, we can look forward to something completely different. “I want it to be sweet and catchy, but dark and creepy. I love that dichotomy and somehow making those things coexist. That’s my goal, artistically.”
Well, that just happens to be my favorite genre. Can’t wait.
What is your writing process like? “A lot of it is preconceived. I can hear the song and arrangement and I always have a lot of reference tracks that I give to the musicians like ‘let’s try to go for this vibe.’ I think that’s really important. There are way too many tools at a producer’s disposal so I think it’s completely essential to have some discipline and really limit what you’re going to work with but then like.. there is still SO much freedom in that. Like if you want to make a record that’s inspired by Al Green or something, that can mean a lot of things. There are a lot of different ways to accomplish that.”
Every form of art is the artist’s take on inspiration. Even if we are all inspired by the exact same thing – we can make it our own if we want to. “The only thing you can control is how you behave and only YOU understand you. You gotta do what you like and you gotta make the stuff you wish you saw and the stuff you wish you heard. And as soon as you’re like ‘ok, this is what I like but I think there’s more of an audience for this’ then you’re diluting that pure approach that only you have.”
Have any little secrets you can share with me about the album that you haven’t talked about yet? “The last song is called Birthday Letter and it’s a pretty special song because I wrote it after a memory of when I was first in New York for an audition. I was watching – it’s kind of embarrassing – but I was watching Terms of Endearment. There’s a scene in the hospital where they’re coming to terms with the fact that they aren’t going home. And I’m in this hotel room having a full on breakdown, fetal position on the floor of this hotel. I realized that it was the first time I was facing the feelings I had about my brother being in the hospital and I hadn’t registered how impactful that time was. It was what inspired that song.”
I hate to think about all of the unconscious memories our brains are holding on to. When will they come for us? 🙂It’s like this fun adult game.
“It was a turning point for me and that’s why I made it the last track of the album because it’s the most personal one. And like.. One of the weirdest ones. And it’s an opening to future weird things.”
And, last question: do you have a favourite music venue in Edmonton? “The Aviary! It feels completely safe and unpretentious. They’re interested in doing what the community wants. The variety there is unparalleled and everyone is always very nice.”
Currently, you can check out Sammy Volkov on tour with his friends all over BC and Alberta. Maybe see you at The Blue Chair in Edmonton on the 15th??
I showed up to Brooklyn Blue’s cute downtown apartment on an especially cold Sunday morning. A few brief Instagram DMs and voila! There I was, standing outside her door with an almond Chai Latte.
There is no space more important than where we live and create. So, when you welcome me into your home, expect me to judge it (read: expect me to find everything cute). Having followed Brooklyn on social media for a while, I already knew what I was walking into. Trinkets. Everywhere!
I did notice a bit of country flare with a painted animal skull and some western inspired artwork, so I had to ask, “What’s with CowgirlBrooklyn? You don’t do country.”
“HAHA! I don’t do country! Do you see how it’s crept into my life, though? All the cowgirl aesthetic,” she says as she points out some art around her bedroom, which she calls her Ikea Palace. “So, it was just a funny joke. Everyone’s like ‘you’re from Alberta, why don’t you do country music?’ and I’m like, ‘I prefer folk and alternative music,’ and then I started playing a little bit more country music in my sets and they were like ‘oh, Cowgirl Brooklyn!’, so I thought I should make it my instagram handle. I thought it was kind of funny.”
Her debut album, Blue Girl, was released in November of 2021. The melodies walk you through stories of love, loss, and a young woman looking for freedom. The perspective throughout the entire album feels spiritual and mature, and she was literally a teenager when she wrote all of them. The standout for me is the opening track, Angel From a Wasteland. “Thank you for asking about this song. It’s one of my songs with the most meaning. Every few lines is a reference of a song on a playlist that an ex boyfriend made for me. I wrote it right after we broke up. It’s a love song to him.” Suddenly it all makes sense, the song is so warm and familiar to me, yet hard to put a finger on. The most obvious reference is Hozier’s Wasteland, Baby!
I loved hearing references to Edmonton in songs like 82nd Avenue, and we talked about the nightmare that is being creative (read: vulnerable) in the same city you went to high school in. “I had people make fun of my music so hard in high school and I never quit, but I got close a few times.”
Kids are mean! I left my hometown long before I figured out that life can be led by imagination. I can’t confidently say that I’d have the courage to be creative around so many expectant eyes. It probably helps that she’s been singing for her whole life, starting lessons at just 5 years old. Some of her first performances were at The Winspear and The Jubilee and she’s had mentors along the way.
She got her first guitar at 10 and was quick to let me know that she “should” be better. And maybe she’s humble, or maybe it’s a good reminder that even people who write and release full albums can sometimes feel like inadequate musicians. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see her sharing the stage with a full band but she says, “when it’s just me and my guitar, it’s so special.” “Now I’m 20 and I’ve built this incredible community of musicians. If I ever need a bass player, I have like 10 people I can call and honestly I feel so blessed. I can just pick up the phone and have a full band instantly. They’re all so supportive.” Edmonton has proven to be such an incredible place to shoot for the stars. You might never know it until you start asking questions and realize your weird neighbour is actually the most incredible guitarist and self-taught producer in his basement studio. “Do you know how many basement studios I’ve been in? Like wow, some of these people belong on a huge stage!”
You can look forward to at least 2 new songs coming from Brooklyn Blue this year. The first is a collaboration with her best friend Tanjeryne, set to be released within the next month or so. “She wrote this song and she just asked me one day randomly if I wanted to come to the studio with her to try something out. I wrote all these harmonies for it and I got a verse!” It’s got more of a house/alternative vibe, which is suited to Tanjeryne’s vibe. I’m excited to hear it.
The second is a collaboration with The Steadies frontman, Earl. “I actually wrote the song with him. We just finished it yesterday but we will probably release that one in the summer because it is a summer tune. It’s called Summer Love.”
And there you have it. My first Dollhouse interview. I love Edmonton. Bye Dollies!
