Lonesome Cosmonaut

2011 has been a spotty year for music, with few real highlights and a lot of releases that I had much higher hopes for. The one disc that’s been getting steady play at LC headquarters since it came out in June has been Doug Hoyer’s breakout record Walks With The Tender and Growing Night.

Hoyer, associated with the Old Ugly outfit out of Edmonton, has managed to evolve from standard guitar-and-drums rock into a fuller electronic sound that has turned his songs into otherworldly pop confection. Seriously, this record is a delight from the beginning to end, with songs about the joys of bicycles and cheap pineapples, why not to get a tattoo, and chasing the Northern Lights. While Walks didn’t chart nationally, I have no doubt that if he can pull of another record of this calibre, Hoyer will be a CBC 3 darling in no time.

Runner-ups this year include the Black Keys’ El Camino, one of their stronger releases, as well as Rich Aucoin’s We’re All Dying to Live.

I was able to catch up with Doug Hoyer after the July 18, 2011 show at Local Library in Calgary. He’ll be back in town August 24, 2011 at Broken City. Interview is below, as well as a previously unseen video of Doug playing ukulele!

Joe Gurba‘s shows in Calgary have yet to disappoint (even in old and ugly places like the defunct Comrad Sound), and tonight was no different. Playing at the Local Library (the all-ages venue operating out of the Central United Church on 7th Ave.), The Joe rocked the young crowd along with cohort Doug Hoyer, whose latest album Walks with the Tender & Growing Night is already generating buzz and excitement.

After the opening bands (Free Nude Celebs and I Live Strong, You Live Strong), Hoyer started the night off channeling David Byrne, playing ukelele ditties clad in a white jacket, easing into the songs from his new record. He made the most of the poor lighting in Local Library, and had everyone swaying along to the music.

The Joe came out super strong with “You’re Cool,” opting for a more lyrical performance as the venue wasn’t lending itself to dancing. A bloody nose kept him from crowd-surfing, and was soon bleeding badly enough he had to cut the set short, but not before he blasted out “Klondike Days” to a pitch-black room full of fans singing along.

The Joe and Doug Hoyer will be back in Calgary on the return leg of their 7-week tour, playing at Broken City on August 24th, 2011.
I managed to get interviews with Joe and Doug after the show – give them a listen!