Alexis Normand with Burnstick
2023-09-21 20:00 - 22:30 (America/Winnipeg) | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Alexis Normand with Burnstick – Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 8:00pm

Alexis Normand’s music in French and English has been recognized across Canada to critical acclaim. Drawing inspiration from the infinite horizons of her Saskatchewan home, she explores the dualities of a francophone identity on anglophone soil. Formerly of the internationally-touring trio, Rosie & the Riveters, Alexis now uses her velvety voice as the centerpiece of a candid approach to the contemporary folk world that suits her so well.
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Burnstick’s folk music is brimming with the kind of chemistry that could only come from a husband and wife. Nadia, a Francophone-Métis singer-songwriter, and Jason, a Plains-Cree guitarist, blend their voices to push the boundaries of contemporary folk music as they weave together the unique sounds of Weissenborns with intriguing vocal harmonies. Their witty banter and delightful stories create magic as they command the stage with their telling performances.

Elijah Woods
2023-10-02 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Elijah Woods at the West End Cultural Centre – Monday, October 2, 2023 at 8:00pm

With each new release, multi-Platinum, 4x JUNO-nominated pop singer-songwriter and producer elijah woods delivers endless reminders that there are layers to his artistry that even he has yet to discover. woods’ instantly catchy melodies, tongue-in-cheek lyricism, and signature production (from the comforts of his home studio) all point to reasons why he’s spent over 35 weeks on Billboard’s Canadian Emerging Artist chart, remaining inside the Top 5 for 20 weeks including five consecutive weeks in the Top 3. His debut solo single ‘lights’ hit #8 at Top 40 and AC radio in Canada and was recently certified Canadian Gold. His 2021 debut solo EP look what i made highlights woods’ incandescent pop vibe and includes ‘lights’ and previously released singles ‘someone new’ and ‘first night’ featuring JUNO Award winning pop songstress JESSIA.
woods’ 1.1M TikTok followers enthusiastically encourage his clever ability to showcase a different perspective on a previously recorded hit; his early 2022 release ‘fingers crossed’ served as a response track to Lauren Spencer Smith’s Platinum-certified viral smash of the same name, with woods’ version surpassing 7.7M streams and rising. His latest single, the uniquely robust neon summer bop ‘ilu’ continues to drive his momentum, currently climbing the radio charts and garnering international attention across DSPs.
Most recently, woods confirmed (without a doubt) his ability to reach and connect with audiences, captivating crowds of over 20K fans at his first ever hometown show at Ottawa Bluesfest. Perched on the cusp of worldwide buzz with huge, kaleidoscopic music that vividly distills his talents as a songwriter, musician, and overall entertainer, woods is set to drop the feel-good summer anthem “everything everywhere always” on August 19, 2022.

Jordan Klassen & David Vertesi
2023-10-11 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Jordan Klassen & David Vertesti at the West End Cultural Centre – Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 8:00pm

When Jordan Klassen set out to write his sixth full-length record, Glossolalia, he tapped into a new creative well. In the midst of recording the record, he found himself continuing to write, coming away from the process with two distinct yet complementary bodies of work. Marginalia now rounds out the collection from this period. The Vancouver based singer-songwriter and producer composed Glossolalia mostly with guitar, creating a subtly blossoming record that perhaps nailed his “fairy folk for troubled times” approach better than ever before. The arrangements on Glossolalia were reduced to the bare essentials to support Klassen’s voice with minimal production. While troubles are not a thing of the past, times are now different, and thus, Marginalia is the other side of the musical coin. It is smoother, fuller, and more elegant than its predecessor.
Marginalia is about the edges of life, away from what is in the mainstream. Technically it is a writer’s term; where we make notes and write insights in the margins of a page. There may be footnotes or annotations, doodles and drawings, but the marginalia allows us to see things with a new understanding, and to make connections that may have gone unnoticed. Marginalia often comes from a stream of consciousness, where we uncover things that aren’t in the direct line of sight. They are what we see by the light of the moon rather than in direct sunlight; inspirations that may have come from the same place in our minds, but with a contrasting feel to them, like a photo negative.
In folklore, the moon is supernatural, affecting humans with its gravitational pull, causing magical transformations, and being blamed for peculiar behaviours. Similarly, Jordan wrestled with this album, creatively, directionally, and internally, questioning its purpose and direction. It has strong metaphysical overtones as a result. Interestingly, the record does not present as disjointed or as having sprung from a place of self doubt. Lead single “Cocoon” highlights this metaphor where Jordan states, “If love is a madness, then I am howling at the moon”. However, he’s not carried away by this legend, as he then counters and assures himself, “You’ve got facts, but I’ve got songs that sweep me away to where I am never wrong”.
While not “folky”, Marginalia is poetic like its sister record, but more melodic and less stripped down than what Klassen has produced before. From the contemplative opener “You Yourself”, which pulls lines from an orthodox prayer, to the emotional closer “Vanya”, a song written as a gift to his sister during a season of hardship, Jordan Klassen once again has impressively demonstrated his ability to evoke an incredibly deep poetic auditory experience. Songs primarily are led from piano with sweeping orchestral arrangements. Diverse keyboard tones are used to move songs forward while also setting an emotional atmosphere, perhaps best expressed in “Old Flame”. Klassen writes about his sobering awareness that he has spent “Half my existence pushed out on a ledge”, as he acknowledges the persistence of his own mental battles. One can easily visualize the songwriter recognizing the emotional power of memories, like a bad relationship that still has power over him even as he tries to break free. “Live Another Life” also expresses the emotional struggle with intrusive thoughts that haunt the songwriter and tells a different narrative where “All the conversations (are) never true”.
In the same vein as the sun-moon metaphor, Marginalia is at times a mirror of Glossolalia. “Casey” is the name song counterpart and companion piece to the penultimate track of the latter, “Niko”. Whereas “Niko” is tongue-in-cheek, addressed to a specific person, “Casey” implores a being outside of the situation to step forward, in a divine intervention. The tracks “Greener Hills” and “King of the Empire” also reflect the theme that everything apart from the spiritual is ultimately a heartbreaking and futile pursuit, insufficient to satisfy the longings of the soul. In a similar way, “Overstep” addresses the human need for connection. We became used to social isolation and accustomed to what once was considered strange for us. Thus we need to push ourselves and each other to “overstep” our bounds.
Marginalia draws itself towards a close with “Where Else Would I Go?”, which lifts the listeners’ spirits after all the emotional jousting of the record’s course. He acknowledges that “The push and pull have taken their toll”. It was written as Klassen saw many of his friends become disillusioned, and leave their faith. He realizes that this is something he could never do, and is reassured that the spiritual realm forms the foundation of his existence, like the divine is “tattooed on my soul”. And so what once was perhaps obscure in the margins is now replaced by an epiphany that “the ink’s getting clearer and what I can read is surprising”. Jordan Klassen’s ultimate message is that what feels intangible can be revealed by peering into the marginalia. The sacred is manifested all around us, “in touch and taste and smell”, there for us to discover if we look for it.

Still Crazy: The Music of Paul Simon
2023-10-13 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Still Crazy: The Music of Paul Simon – Friday, October 13, 2023 @ 8:00pm

Still Crazy: The Music of Paul Simon, a flagship concert experience from Retrospective Productions, featuring nine world class musicians paying homage to one of the most celebrated American songwriters.
Still Crazy is a powerhouse retrospective on the life, career, and music of Paul Simon. The show draws heavily on the most acclaimed era of his career, from his self-titled album, Paul Simon in 1972 through to 1990 with The Rhythm of the Saints, however it doesn’t fail to include fan favourites from his seminal work as a part of the Hall of Fame folk-duo, Simon and Garfunkel. Whether a long-time fan or a first time listener, there is truly something here for everyone. The dyanmics of the show range from whisper-quiet, intimate moments, where the band breaks down to only voice and accoustic guitar, and climb all the way to the full-out, horn section-led dance anthems from the hit album, Graceland.
The show was thoughtfully curated and carefully arranged by up-and-coming producer, Aaron Shorr. Shorr is a life-long fan of Paul Simon and the creation of this show was truly a labour of love. “This is music that has been with me since I was a young kid… When I was in high school I got my driver’s license and I had a copy of the Simon and Garfunkel Concert in Central Park. I listened to it in the car, over and over, I must have worn the tape out. Later on I got really into the record Still Crazy After All These Years. It became a record that I listened to constantly. I listened to it when I got my heart broken, listened to it when I got my bell rung… It became one of those albums that I could turn to, like a magic pill. Albums like that become your friends.”
The orchestrations and the approach to the music capture that same respect and reverence. There are subtle turns and re-imaginings, but all are deeply influenced by a tremendous amount of research. In preparation for the show, Aaron poured through every album Paul Simon had ever been a part of, including all the live recordings he could find, from official concerts to bootlegs. He read and re-read every article, book, interview, and biography. Finally, to cap it off, Aaron flew to New York to attend the very last stops on Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour. The penultimate at Madison Square Gardens and the very last tour date of his career in Flushing, Queens, in the very same neighbourhood that Paul was born and raised.
With Paul Simon’s retirement from from the road in September of 2018, the curtain falls on one of the most illustrious recording and touring careers in modern music. Still Crazy: The Music of Paul Simon, is poised to grab the torch and carry his legacy onwards.

Ken Yates with Jadea Kelly
2023-10-15 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Ken Yates with Jadea Kelly at the West End Cultural Centre – October 15 at 8:00pm

Channeling pain into beauty, Ken Yates’ fourth album is a breathtaking triumph of the human spirit. The cool-hued Cerulean captures the artist’s intimate reckoning as he grieved his dying mother, giving listeners a vivid window into the rollercoaster of intense thoughts and emotions that accompany such a personal, yet universal experience. The result is a transcendent record that surges with tightly held energy and intimate moments. The listener hears the artist growing in real time, moving towards a space of acceptance and peace as he himself moved to the country, began therapy, and wrote the songs he needed to hear.
Cerulean may be born from grief, but it is not musically grieving: its surefooted and softly radiant arrangements shine with the quiet hope of a soul put through the wringer. “This is the first time that I’ve made a record where I feel like the songs were going to be written whether I wanted to release an album or not,” Yates explains. “I was writing because I needed to. I never would have described songwriting as a cathartic process in the past; it was just something I liked to do.”
With three albums under his belt, the Ontario born songwriter spent the past decade establishing himself as a talented folk artist with a penchant for thoughtful lyrics and evocative melodies. He won two Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2017, and supported Passenger on both the European and North American legs of his recent tour.
Nonetheless, Cerulean feels like a hard reset on Yates’ art and artistry. Reuniting with producer Jim Bryson, the album firmly steps into indie folk and alternative territories – he cites Big Thief, Andy Shauf, and The War On Drugs as a few of his inspirations. Thematically, this is Yates at his most honest and raw. “The record begins with a tone of paranoia facing the daily fear of what the world is becoming,” he explains. “As the album progresses, the songs begin to look more and more inward. Moving through the anxiety and bitterness I was feeling. Still, there’s a lot of positivity in it. Maybe I was trying to take a step back to remind myself of all the good things and the full spectrum of color in my life. My wife and I moved out of our apartment in Toronto to the country, got a dog, and found a bigger space where I was able to make a little musical corner for myself. I started seeing a therapist too. That, along with working on this record, helped pull me out of the foggy bitterness I was in.”
“Reflecting back now, I can almost hear myself processing what I was going through in real time, to the point where even the track listing was obvious– an accurate timeline of the feelings and emotions I was dealing with”.
Cerulean opens with “The Big One (ft. Kathleen Edwards),” an achingly poignant song that starts, quite poetically, at the end. “A friend kept talking about The Big One, a high-magnitude earthquake expected to strike the Pacific Northwest. In the last couple of years it feels like we have all developed a slight doomsday mentality, myself included; feeling like the world might be ending. Of course, we’re not really sure how, so that song is reckoning with the ‘armageddon’, and a realization of how trivial a lot of our personal relationships or conflicts can be when we are staring face-to-face with the end. The only thing to do is ride out your last few moments with the people you love.”
Yates dives deeper into himself as Cerulean progresses, searching for meaning in the world and working through everything from insomnia, denial, and nihilism, to hope and appreciation. The artist envelops himself in a blanket of plaintive, somber introspection on “Best of the Broken Things,” a comforting ballad in which he gives a pep talk to his own reflection.
An album standout, he paints a portrait of relatable restlessness on “Don’t Mean to Wake You” (ft. Stephanie Lambring), a warm and driving folk rock reverie. Yates finds himself lost in a pool of thoughts that gnaw at him so much that he has to turn over and wake his partner. It’s as much an attempt to save himself from himself, as it is a gentle cry for help.
The dynamic and driving “Honest Light” similarly finds him reassuring himself, this time from within. “My wife always refers to golden hour as ‘honest light’, when the light illuminates all the dust on your floor and the crumbs on your counter”, Yates explains. “I had the line, ‘life is like a cheap wine, it don’t get any better with time.’ I merged the title and line together as sort of this acceptance that things are not alright, but you’ll be alright.”
This mature recognition of life’s imperfection proves the lifeblood of Cerulean, and every time Yates seems to be on the verge of sinking, he swims – held afloat not only by his own inner strength, but also by his community. Cerulean is a group effort, with features from singer/songwriter contemporaries including Kathleen Edwards, Stephanie Lambring, Katie Pruitt, and more.
“Although these songs were born in a period of isolation, it turned out to be my most collaborative album yet. There are full band arrangements on every song, and a few of my favourite artists lended their voices, which really brought this record to life”.
After forty minutes spent exploring a world of vulnerable depths and soaring sonics, Cerulean closes in a moment of tranquility. “The final song, ‘Cerulean’, is about searching for balance – an equilibrium. We move through this endless colour wheel of emotions every day, but you have to find those small moments of peace and acceptance, and reassure yourself, ‘I’m okay.’
Yates’ mother Beverley passed away in August 2021.
“I’m strangely in a better headspace now than I was a year ago when she was still with us,” he admits. “I may owe that to taking a hard look at myself through the lens of these songs”.
Now that he’s on the other side, Yates says this album proved a transformative experience – allowing him to grow, while giving him some much-needed resolution to the past few years.
“I feel more open than ever, at peace with where I am as an artist,” he reflects. “This is the first time I’ve had a real personal story I wanted to tell. It does feel like I’ve had a moment to reset my life, and now I can start to share that with the rest of the world.”
Loss is a shared human experience. Through Cerulean, Ken Yates not only puts the full scope of his own healing process on display, but he also reminds us that we’re not alone in our pain – and that with time, we may just find our way to acceptance.

Carefree Highway: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot
2023-10-20 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Carefree Highway: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot – Friday, October 20, 2023 at 8:00pm

Like a lot of Canadian musicians, I grew up in awe of Lightfoot’s catalog of songs. He fully deserves his place in the list of the world’s top singer-songwriters. He made common themes universal without losing a Canadian sensibility. He could make straightforward narratives about shipwrecks and railroads universal. His love songs are often tinged with loss and regret. Some of them are deceptively simple, but contain subtleties that reward repeat listening. His significance to me is similar to the Group of Seven, in allowing us to look at our country with a fresh perspective. If you go deep into the catalog there are some some incredible gems that often didn’t make it to radio. We’re going to celebrate some of those alongside the better-known hits. And we’re going to bring our own ideas and versions to the party. Lightfoot’s work is ready for fresh interpretations from younger musicians and new audiences.

Matt Foster
2023-10-28 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Matt Foster at the West End Cultural Centre – Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 8pm

Matt Foster’s True Needs must be heard to be believed.
The album has been described as a masterful sonic paradox, a quiet storm both stunning and profound, managing somehow an under-the-covers intimacy that is also inexplicably vast and without horizon, full of space and hushed subtleties
Matt’s live band is a tour de force, an acte majeur of intimacy, speaking their own language, bodies and music both stirring the room, and casting a deep reverie in the crowd. The hurdy gurdy in particular, in the hands of Quintin Bart, is compelling beyond words. It becomes acoustic medieval synth, evoking an eerie timelessness. Every creak and groan of the show makes for theatrical, cinematic experience. This one’s not to be missed!
Expect to be transported, expect the cinematic, expect music and visuals like a balm and poultice for anxiety and loneliness. Expect to and walk out, having truly gathered and come together.

Drag Story Hour
2023-10-29 14:00 - 15:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Drag Story Hour presented by the West End Cultural Centre
starring Feather Talia, Satina Loren

Feather Talia is a two spirit Indigiqueer Drag Queen who had started drag in Regina Sk, but now resides in Winnipeg Manitoba. She is the pride of Muskowekwan First Nation, and represents her culture within her performances and makeup skills. Feather Talia is heavily involved with groups such as the “Sunshine Bunch”, which is a group of drag artist who reside in the home of the Sunshine House and is a big part of “The Bannock Babes”. Since moving to Winnipeg, Feather has been given the title: Indigiqueer drag Comedian. When Feather is performing, She is here to bring you some sass, yet outrageously funny entertainment! She will either have you gagged with her stunts or your guts hurting from laughter!

Satina Loren is one of Winnipeg’s most celebrated drag queens, being the recipient of prestigious awards and titles, including Miss Club 200 and Winnipeg’s Next Drag Superstar. Taking inspiration from fairytales, old Hollywood starlets and fantasy, her calendars and shows have raised thousands of dollars for local LGBT charities. As Empress 15 of Winnipeg and as one of the House of Gold Diamonds Divas, she’s no stranger to throwing and promoting a great party! One thing to remember is: she’s not bad, she’s just drawn that way.
I﻿deal for children aged 3-10
T﻿o purchase tickets, select “Get Tickets” and enter the Password/Promo Code you have received from either the West End Cultural Centre or one of our local partners into the “Promo Code” box.

Sound of Unity 2.0
2023-11-11 19:00 - 23:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Sounds of Unity 2.0 – Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 7:00pm

Sound of Unity is a call for arms that hopes to unite the Filipino rock scene after years of division. Guided by a belief that music should bring us together and form community this is the first of many shows showcasing Filipino talent at the WECC Stage.
The WECC has partnered with the Waterfront Collective Creators to bring four fantastic Filipino bands to our stage. A small portion of the incredible music being made in the Filipino community in Manitoba, today. Lets hear it for unity!

Connie Kaldor with Aleksi Campagne
2023-11-12 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Connie Kaldor at the West End Cultural Centre – Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 8:00pm

Connie Kaldor—singer-songwriter, entertainer, TV personality, and women’s music pioneer—is celebrating 45 years in show business this year with her upcoming 18th recording, titled Keep Going! She began her career in folk music as part of the Canadian wave alongside artists like Stan Rogers and Valdy. Armed with her enormous stage presence, her unforgettable melodies, and her emotional depth as a songwriter, Connie became a headline act on the festival circuit. Her extensive touring has earned her a loyal fan-base that extends far beyond the traditional boundaries of folk and the Boston Globe has described her as, “a masterful performer, wildly funny one moment, deeply personal the next.” A three-time Juno Award winner, Connie is a member of the Order of Canada, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recipient, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina, and is the first songwriter to receive a Western Literature Association Award of Merit.
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Aleksi Campagne is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition. When playing live, Aleksi floors audiences by singing while bowing his violin and leading his four-piece band. His original music blends folk song writing with an edgy, multi-layered sound resulting from his unique combination of voice, violin and looping-effect pedals. In a full-page spread in the Montreal Gazette, Brennan Kelly described him as “not just a folksinger with a guitar!”
He is now ready to launch his highly anticipated debut album titled For the Giving is set to launch in July 2023. The first single Won’t be Scared will launch on July 10th in English and in French. This single was selected as the only Canadian finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters (with finals to be held in person on May 26th and 27th in Texas). Thematically, this next single embodies the broader themes of the album that is about all the firsts of growing up–from first loves to first moves, the first steps of your career and even first breakups.
This album features 10 songs, but 20 tracks—each of the 10 songs are fully translated to offer a full English and a full french version (on two discs in one sleeve). To create the album, Aleksi received both a Canada Council Grant and a FACTOR Grant to fully fund the recording and its production. He then received an additional CALQ grant to create a video version of the album. This album will be launched in both audio and video formats this summer where he will debut it on a Canada-wide tour, hitting festivals like the Canmore Folk Festival, Springtide Folk Festival, the Live from the Rock Festival, Bear Creek Folk Festival, and Islands Folk Festival.
Although this will be his first full-length album, Aleksi is not new to the stage. At five years old, he began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon, Connie Kaldor. At 19, Aleksi moved to Paris to study under jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood. At 21, Aleksi became the only student to have ever been accepted into the classical violin, the jazz violin and the jazz voice performance programs at McGill University. And, by 25, Aleksi had graced the lineups of some of Canada’ most beloved folk festivals—including the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Regina Folk Festival, and the Northern Lights Festival, among others.

Old Man Luedecke with special guest James Culleton
2023-11-16 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Old Man Luedecke with special guest James Culleton – Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 8:00pm

Easy Money picks up where Old Man Luedecke’s award winning, and most successful release to date, Domestic Eccentric (2015), leaves off: four years farther down the road, dreaming about his ship coming in, still a parent but now grappling with the newness of middle age, dad jokes, love for an abiding partner, the death of a parent, along with some calypso-feeling local Nova Scotia history thrown in for good measure.
Composition and recording were both begun at the Banff Centre’s songwriter-in-residence program. It was there that Luedecke met the album’s producer Howard Bilerman of Montreal’s famed Hotel2Tango studio where the album was eventually recorded. The two hit it off when Luedecke composed “Easy Money” on the tracking floor on the first day of the program. Desperate for something worthy to use in his recording time, Luedecke channeled a traditional Christmas number he knew from a Harry Belafonte record and sang largely improvised verses into a winning tune that is sure to be a modern classic: “Oh yes I need it, Oh yes I want it, I dream about easy, I dream about Easy money.” Don’t we all.

Hayden with Chloë Doucet
2023-11-22 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Hayden at the West End Cultural Centre – Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 8:00pm

HAYDEN
F﻿or over 25 years, Hayden has been making music on his own terms and on his own schedule. The Polaris Prize and Juno nominee has produced, engineered, and mixed most of his records at home, creating a world of his own, exploring themes ranging from love lost and found to bear maulings and home invasions. Hayden recently released East Coast, the first song from his long anticipated 9th full length album expected in early 2023. He is also the co-founder of Dream Serenade, an annual benefit concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall for children with developmental and physical disabilities and their families, established in 2014.
CHLOË DOUCET
Knee-deep in the 21st Century, when autotune has overridden the wail of the wah-wah pedal and the tactile splendor of a 45 has been replaced by the non-entity of a digital streaming service, Toronto-based singer- songwriter Chloë Doucet seems to have been hand- selected by the ghost of George Harrison to reinvigorate the classic notion of guitar-driven rock & roll. While what we now refer to as “classic rock” tends to feel plodding and steeped in nostalgia, Doucet’s incandescent vocals, scrappy guitar riffs and meditative, often whimsical lyrics look toward a fresh & rebellious future while simultaneously paying homage to her beloved lo-fi past.
An ardent Beatles lover since early childhood, Doucet’s love for the guitar feels like more of a journey than a choice. After cutting her teeth as a member of the cleverly- named garage rock duo Side Hustle, she has since found her niche as a subtle yet powerful solo artist a la Harry Nilsson or Carole King; through recent collaborations with members of Toronto’s Zeus, Chloë remains entirely in control of her own vision. Hers are sparkling, contemplative melodies, corduroy-textured & saturated in shades of butterscotch & goldenrod, the kind of songs meant to be listened to on headphones in moments of late summer solitude. Her new single, “Stormy Blue,” is no exception, pairing an addictively sunshiney melody with her trademark lyrical introspection. “Music is like magic,” Chloë says herself— a magic that her uncanny, understated ability to capture manages to elude time or place, instead defining a moment that is entirely her own.

Those Guys - Under The Mistletoe
2023-12-02 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Those Guys: Under The Mistletoe – Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 8:00pm

Made up of nine performers who represent a cross-section of the Winnipeg music and theatre community, Those Guys have built a reputation for dynamic, feel-good performances since 2009. Their repertoire, which ranges from The Nylons to Justin Timberlake (and everything in between), features complex (often original) musical arrangements performed without a single instrument. In 2012, Those Guys released their first studio recording, “That Album”. Their follow-up EP, “LIVE!”, was released in December 2014, followed by a holiday album, “This Christmas”, in 2015. Their most recent album, “At Home”, comprised entirely of covers of songs by Manitoba artists, was released in February 2020.
“The guys take on one of my all time favorite artists here. Great job! …they really got it goin’ on and I’m so proud of you all!” -Jerry Lawson (of The Persuasions and Jerry Lawson & the Talk of the Town)
“To see ‘Those Guys’ live is to love them. They’re brilliant. I had no idea I was into a cappella until they came along… make people happy.” -Ace Burpee, host of 103.1 Virgin Radio’s Ace Burpee Show (from Ace Burpee’s 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans 2012)

The Small Glories - Songs for a Winter's Night
2023-12-08 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
The Small Glories at the West End Cultural Centre – Friday, December 8, 2023 at 8:00pm

Roots powerhouse duo The Small Glories are Cara Luft & JD Edwards, a musical tour-de-force partnership planted on the Canadian Prairies. With a stage banter striking a unique balance between slapstick and sermon, these veteran singer-songwriters have a way of making time disappear, rooms shrink, and audiences feel as though they are right there on the stage with the band. On record, Luft and Edwards take the musical synergy honed from hundreds of shows together, and expand it into a new soundscape amplified by pounding drums and other textural embellishments which only reinforce the magic of their innate chemistry — a chemistry labeled the “Lennon-McCartney syndrome,” by Americana UK, writing, “Some things just work together… to witness a performance by The Small Glories is a rare opportunity to experience that indefinable quality that creates perfection.” Luft and Edwards duplicate and reinforce each others’ many strengths and yet allow their distinct personalities to shine through, resulting in a live show that is as heartwarming as it is hilarious, as finger-picking proficient as it is relatable, and as Canadian as, well… it’s very Canadian. But that hasn’t stopped ‘em from winning over audiences from Nashville to the Australian Outback. The duo won “Artist of the Year” at the International Folk Awards in New Orleans 2020, with their highly anticipated sophomore album “Assiniboine & The Red” garnering 3 Canadian Folk Music Awards, a JUNO Award nomination, Critics’ Choice for ‘Album of the Year’ in Penguin Eggs Magazine, and captured the #1 Folk/Roots album spot on the national earshot! radio charts.

Red Moon Road - Simple Kind of Christmas
2023-12-16 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Red Moon Road: Simple Kind Of Christmas – Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 8:00pm

Born in a storm on a wild Canadian lake, Red Moon Road has come into their own on trails between coasts and journeys overseas. From living rooms to folk fest stages, the trio has performed more than 1000 shows since 2012. Evolving from acoustic folk roots, their sound currently integrates Sheena’s powerful vocals with lush pop harmonies and nuanced arrangements that combine percussion, banjo, slide guitar, and synths.
Following the chart-topping Sorrows and Glories, their Polaris long-listed sophomore album, Red Moon Road marks a return with the upcoming single, Say It Again, an anthem poised to call out the soulless rhetoric of gaslighters in positions of power.

Vocals, Percussion, keys / Sheena Rattai
Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin / Daniel Jordan
Vocals, Mandolin, Banjo, Lap Steel, Keys & Synths / Daniel Péloquin-Hopfner

Winterruption Ticket Pack (four shows for the price of three)
2024-01-26 19:00 - 22:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Attend all four WECC shows at the cost of only three shows.

For a limited time, get tickets to all four WECC Winterruption shows for the price of only three shows. Regular price would be $100 + service fees, but now get all four shows for only $75 + service fees.
Friday, January 26th – Meule with Rayannah Saturday, January 27th – Sunny War with Bicycle Face Saturday, January 28th – Waahli with guests Sunday, January 29th – Making Movies with El Leon & The Strangers
Limited tickets available

Meule w/ Rayannah
2024-01-26 20:00 - 23:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Winterruption 2024 featuring Meule – Friday, January 26, 2024 at 8:00pm

Meule is made of modular synths, a guitar, two drums and all this by three musicians crossed at the bend of other Touraine bands (Thé Vanille, C4DILL4C, Lehmanns Brothers…). Their music is carried by repetitive and saturated grooves a la CAN, sequencers and electronic atmospheres reminiscent of Tangerine Dream and the German kraut softs bands of the 70s. Closer to us in time, one is also reminded of Animal Collective in the ode of a post-modern psychedelia, like Mario Kart on a nutella climb on a full moon night. A kaleidoscopic and intense music, cut into six hypnotic tracks on this first record.

Waahli
2024-01-27 20:00 - 22:30 | Bulldog Event Centre, 1374 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, R2W 3T8, Canada
Winterruption 2024 featuring Waahli – Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 8:00pm at the Bulldog Event Centre

***NEW DATE***
Saturday, January 27, 2024
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Waahli is a Montreal artist born of Haitian parents. Raised in a family where music is omnipresent, he is immersed by the traditional Haitian melodies with artists such as Tabou Combo, Coupé Cloué or Manno Charlemagne. He learned to play the guitar on his own. In spite of a great influence of Haitian music, it is with Hip-Hop that he develops his own style.
In 2004, Waahli co-founded Nomadic Massive, a mythical hip hop group in Montreal. Still active, the group has just completed a new EP recorded during a tour in South America. At the same time, Waahli felt the need to develop a solo project. In 2018, he released his very first album ”Black Soap” followed in 2020 by the EP ”Soap Opera”.
Performed in English, French and Haitian Creole, these songs are a fusion of catchy rhythms at the crossroads of rap and Afro-beat and are a true tribute to Haitian culture.On September 30, 2022, Waahli returned with “Soap Box”, a reflection of his newfound intimacy during his confinement. He signs an even more personal and committed album, paying a vibrant tribute to his Haitian roots. The 11 tracks, co-produced with Boogat & Lou Piensa from Nomadic Massive are an amalgam of instrumentals, live vocals and percussion influenced by Haitian and African sounds. The opening song “Machann” is a subtle and moving mix of traditional Haitian songs combined with Waahli’s incisive tone.With “Soap Box”, he collaborates with Clerel on an upbeat and danceable track in which he salutes his Afro-descendant heritage.
The song “Te revoir” created with the complicity of the singer Malika Tirolien is a heady love ode, ranked for several weeks among the 50 most listened to tracks on CBC Music. Also, Waahli is an organic soap maker!
With its ancestral rhythms and his sharp words, Waahli’s innovative hip-hop takes us to the four corners of the world.

Sunny War
2024-01-27 20:00 - 23:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Winterruption 2024 featuring Sunny War – Saturday, January 27, 2023 at 8:00pm

“…her right thumb plunks the bass part while her forefinger upstrokes notes and chords, leaving the other three fingers unused. A banjo technique, it’s also used by acoustic blues guitarists. Her fingers are long and strong – Robert Johnson hands – in jarring contrast to the waif they’re attached to. The walking bass line sounds like a hammer striking piano keys in perfect meter, while the fills are dynamic flurries – like cluster bombs. I haven’t heard a young guitarist this dexterous and ass-kicking in eons.” – Michael Simmons, L.A Weekly

“I feel like there are two sides of me,” says the Nashville-based singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso known as Sunny War. “One of them is very self-destructive, and the other is trying to work with that other half to keep things balanced.” That’s the central conflict on her fourth album, the eclectic and innovative Anarchist Gospel, which documents a time when it looked like the self-destructive side might win out. “Everybody is a beast just tryin g their hardest to be good. That’s what it is to be human. You’re not really good or bad. You’re just trying to stay in the middle of those two things all the time, and you’re probably doing a shitty job of it. That’s okay, because we’re all just monsters.”
Extreme emotions can make that battle all the more perilous, yet from such trials Sunny has crafted a set of songs that draw on a range of ideas and styles, as though she’s marshaling all her forces to get her ideas across: ecstatic gospel, dusty country blues, thoughtful folk, rip-roaring rock and roll, even avant garde studio experiments (like the collage of voices that closes “Shelter and Storm”). She melds them together into a powerful statement of survival, revealing a probing songwriter who indulges no comforting platitudes and a highly innovative guitarist who deploys spidery riffs throughout every song.
It’s a style she’s been honing for most of her life, at least since she took her first guitar lessons and fell in love with music. “When I was a kid, I was obsessed with AC/DC, and I loved dramatic ‘80s guitar bands like Motley Crüe. Later, I was obsessed with Bad Brains, the Minutemen, and X.” True to the punk ethos, her first punk band, the Anus Kings, made music with whatever they had at hand, and what they had at hand were acoustic guitars. That made them stand out among other Los Angeles groups at the time, and today Sunny is the rare roots artist who covers Ween and can drop a Crass reference into a song (as she does on “Whole”). “I don’t really make music with a traditional roots audience in mind. I like weird music, outsider music, like Daniel Johnston and Roky Erickson.”
Even as she was developing a guitar style that married acoustic punk to country blues, those two sides of Sunny were already at odds. As a teenager, she began drinking heavily, which led to her dropping out of school. She played punk shows, stole and chugged bottles of vodka, and quickly became addicted to heroin and meth. For money she busked along the boardwalks in Venice Beach, recording an album to sell out of her guitar case and letting that self-destructive side win most of the battles. But “the body can’t handle both heroin and meth,” she explains. “When you’re young, it’s hard to gauge that you’re killing yourself.” A series of seizures landed her in a sober living facility in Compton, so emaciated that she could only wear children’s pajamas.
Music remained a lifeline, and she fell in with a crew at Hen House Studios in Venice, where over the years she made a series of albums and EPs, including 2018’s With the Sun and 2021’s Simple Syrup. Twelve years after she kicked meth and heroin, Sunny is remarkably candid about this time in her life. “Everyone I loved died before they reached 25. They OD’ed or killed themselves. We were just kids who didn’t have anyone looking out for us. You’re not supposed to know so much about death at such a young age. Maybe that’s why I write a lot about not taking shit for granted, because it always feels like something’s about to happen.”
Building on those hard-won triumphs of previous albums, Anarchist Gospel documents a moment when Sunny had finally gained the upper hand on her self-destructive side, only to watch that stability crumble. “I went through a breakup,” she says of the album’s genesis, “and I was still staying in the apartment that my partner and I had lived in. I had to finish the lease. I was really depressed and drinking a lot. I felt so isolated from everybody I knew. I didn’t have the energy to do anything. It felt like the world was ending. Then I got Covid.” Sunny admits she contemplated suicide, but instead she wrote a song, “I Got No Fight,” a muted, measured gospel number on which she sings that title like a battered mantra. It’s a moment of almost unbearable honesty, although fortunately she did find the fight in herself. “I was just having a tantrum really. A lot of my songs are just tantrums. But I did feel better after writing it.”
Once her lease in Los Angeles ended, Sunny moved to Nashville, where she was born and where she lived until she was twelve years old. Among the items she packed were demos for several new songs of heartache and hard-won hope. “I think the album is split between being a breakup album and being somehow uplifting.” She booked sessions at the Bomb Shelter to work with producer Andrija Tokic (Hurray for the Riff Raff, Alabama Shakes, the Deslondes). “I already liked a lot of the records that Andrija had made. As far as new stuff goes, a lot of my favorite albums were produced by him, so I thought we’d be a good match.”
Working with a small backing band, they captured a raw energy in these songs, although one instrument gradually dominated the music as they proceeded: her own voice and the voices of others trying to stay between good and bad. Most of these songs are call-and-responses with a small choir that includes Allison Russell, Jim James, Dave Rawlings, and Chris Pierce (her partner in the duo War & Pierce). Acting as the angels and devils on her shoulders, they alternately challenge her self-accusations or sympathize with her worries. “There’s so much singing on here. I didn’t plan for that, but I really like it. That’s why I thought it would be cool to call the album Anarchist Gospel, because of the choirs on these songs.”
Music assuaged her heartache and confusion, even the songs she didn’t write. Despite its title, her reimagining of Dionne Farris’s “Hopeless” is perhaps the album’s most hopeful moment: “I cried just a little too long,” she sings. “Now it’s time for me to move on.” On the sadder end of the spectrum is her cover of Ween’s “Baby Bitch”; showcasing her sly sense of humor, it’s a playfully melancholy kiss-off that features a choir of kids singing along as she tells an ex, “I’m better now, please fuck off.” It’s funny, but uneasily so: a joke that reveals something bleaker. “It’s such a great breakup song! You’re out there somewhere and run into your ex with their new partner. But you know who they really are. You know they’re being a bitch. There aren’t many songs that get to that kind of experience without turning it into a joke.”
As the sessions wound down and the mixing process started, Sunny got the worst news imaginable. “My brother called me and told me I should come to Chattanooga. My dad was in the hospital, and he wasn’t going to make it. I called Andrija and told him I had to cancel the session and catch a Greyhound. Instead, he insisted on giving me a ride. He drove me down to see my dad. I barely knew this guy, and he was doing this incredible thing for me. I don’t know too many other producers who could navigate that kind of situation.” That simple act of kindness helped her endure that astounding loss, even as the grieving process threw these songs into even sharper relief.
Because it promises not healing but resilience and perseverance, because it doesn’t take shit for granted, Anarchist Gospel holds up under such intense emotional pressure, acknowledging the pain of living while searching for something that lies just beyond ourselves, some sense of balance between the bad and the good. “This album represents such a crazy period in my life, between the breakup and the move to Nashville and my dad dying. But now I feel like the worst parts are over. What I learned, I think, is that the best thing to do is just to feel everything and deal with it. Just feel everything.”

French Class w/ Bicycle Face and Octopus Tea
2024-01-28 14:00 - 17:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
WINTERRUPTIONWPG 2024 presents French Class with Bicycle Face and Octopus Tea – Sunday, January 28th at 2:00pm

French Class is an electronic dance pop project led by Megumi Kimata, a beat maker based in Winnipeg. A festival favourite, French Class makes you want to put on fresh sneakers, grab your friends and get on the dance floor. Megumi works in collaboration with Tiana Garcia on vocals. Their new single “Dance!” is out now!

Making Movies w/ El Leon & The Strangers
2024-01-28 20:00 - 23:00 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Winterruption 2024 featuring Making Movies – Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 8:00pm

Siembra y llegará. As Making Movies delivers its fourth album, XOPA, the Kansas City band proves true the maxim which, in English, is like an encouraging version of “reap what you sow.” Meant to inspire its recipient to push forward, the phrase is chanted on the LP’s multi-movement epic, “La Primera Radio” — but it’s exemplary, too, of Making Movies’ musical odyssey.
This is a band that makes American music with an asterisk: because Making Movies’ sound encompasses the entirety of the Americas, not solely the country inarguably centered in mainstream everything. It’s through this broader perspective that Making Movies crunches classic rock into Latin American rhythms — African-derived percussion and styles like rumba, merengue, mambo and cumbia — in a way that feels oddly familiar, yet delivers the invigorating chills of hearing something singularly special.
Each member — Enrique Chi, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter; his brother Diego Chi, bassist and experimental vocalist; percussionist Juan-Carlos Chaurand; and Duncan Burnett, newly incorporated into the band on drums — is enthusiastically committed to music history, to uncovering connections between genres and cultures both their own and otherwise. They’re all lifelong musicians too, hailing from disparate yet similar backgrounds — parents that cherished music, fathers that kickstarted cultural movements, families in which gospel is critical to their very existence.
“The goal is to create music that includes every bit of our individual identities,” Enrique says. “Music is our way to find a deeper understanding of our own stories. It’s a healing of sorts.”
But none of this earned understanding precludes the group’s perpetual evolving. Enrique Chi, lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, is compelled to share knowledge, but like any sincere historian, though, he also listens. It’s impossible to know everything; in musical lore and its future there is still so much yet to be uncovered.
The band’s collective yearning for exploration has attracted a nexus of connections, many of them legendary players, like Steve Berlin of iconic rock band Los Lobos, a recurring collaborator and steadfast champion of the band. An approach from beloved Panamanian musician Rubén Blades led to joint songs like “No te Calles” and “Cómo Perdonar.” Making Movies has also created with indie-folk band Hurray for the Riff Raff, trumpeter Asdru Sierra of Ozomatli, Puerto Rican salsero Frankie Negrón, and all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache. On the heels of Making Movies’ 2019 album ameri’kana, the band worked on an eponymous documentary series, through which they connected with the legendary organist Reverend Charles Hodges, an soul music pioneer who played alongside Al Green, and fellow Memphis, Tennessee, musicians the Sensational Barnes Brothers.
Making Movies creates music that is undoubtedly pedagogical, yet inarguably kinetic. And their live shows, despite the precision with which they perform, are not lacking in dynamism. Every time they perform, they are wholly present, feeling every original groove with the same rush of as when they first found it.

Diaspora
2024-03-19 18:30 - 21:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
A Special Presentation as part of the Architecture and Design Film Festival: a film screening, panel and fundraiser for Ukraine

“This eye-catching indie treat falls somewhere between love letter to a disappearing neighbourhood, delirious ode to diasporic alienation and yearning, and a darkly comic trip into the absurd. Think Lynch or Jarmusch, if they’d been raised on the Polish delis, Turkish shishkebobs and wheelies nights in the ‘Peg’s North End. Every shot is fantastic and feels weirdly alive.” — Stir B.C.
Arriving in Winnipeg’s North End in search of a better, safer life, young Ukrainian immigrant Eva finds a city filled with rundown, outdated establishments and a disproportional number of other, culturally diverse immigrants all too in search for a new life; each desperately holding onto their own language and culture, creating a neighbourhood of comedic miscommunication, growing apathy and oft painful alienation.
Filmed amongst the fading architecture of Winnipeg’s North End and Downtown core and performed in 25 different languages, DIASPORA seeks to uncover the heartbreaking struggles and absurdity tied to arriving in a new land. Ukrainian newcomer Yuliia Ghuzva, winner of the Best Actor Award at the 2023 Gimli Film Festival, delivers an unflinching, stellar performance in this wholly unique feature film that is a love letter to a disappearing Winnipeg.
Winner of the Best Feature Film at the Ukrainian Dream Film Festival, Best Feature Film and Best Producer at the International Motion Picture Awards, Winner of Best Actor at the Gimli Film Festival, Winner of Best Cinematography at the Wallachia International Film Festival and nominee for Best Main Title Theme Music at the Canadian Screen Music Awards; DIASPORA has screened across Canada and internationally including in war torn Ukraine.
Winnipeg filmmaker Deco Dawson, known for his bold, cinematic stylings and love for Winnipeg, has won the Best Short Film Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival twice, The Mayor’s Arts Award, the Winnipeg Film Group Hothouse Award, and has been host to retrospectives of his work worldwide. Dawson continues to blur the lines between narrative, experimental and documentary, crweating thought proviking, stirring cinema for over 20 years. Dawson most recently collaborated with Winnipeg’s Rusalka Dancers, designing the projections for their 60th Anniversary Gala Concert.

Daniel Champagne
2024-04-27 20:00 - 22:30 | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B1Z8, Canada
Daniel Champagne at the West End Cultural Centre – Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 8:00pm

Daniel Champagne lives and breathes live music. The Australian virtuoso has been described as “the finest guitar player of this generation”, “a leading light in acoustic music” and “a performer that must be seen to be believed” and from March to June 2024, music lovers across Canada will be treated to an intimate live experience not to be missed.
Growing up in the Bega Valley, on the Far South Coast of New South Wales Australia, the story goes that the young singer-songwriter and one of a kind guitar virtuoso first picked up his instrument of choice as a 5-year-old following in the footsteps of a musical father. He began writing songs at 12, training classically throughout his teens and performing wherever he could, honing his craft and developing the dynamite live show that he is renowned for today. At 18 he finished school, turned professional and hit the road without looking back.
The following 15 years have seen him independently release 7 studio albums, tour relentlessly around the globe, play some of the biggest festivals under the sun and share stages with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel, INXS, John Butler, Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco, Judy Collins and Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Playing upwards of 250 shows a year, Daniel is passionate about spreading live music around the world and on the back of a sold out 2022 tour tour, his return trip will include 56 shows from Vancouver Island all the way out to Newfoundland!
