Winhara

I was inspired today by the deep and thoughtful preachings of Ke$ha’s song “Dinosaur”

“Dinosaur”

[Chorus:]
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
O-L-D M-A-N
Your just an old man
Hitting on me what?
You need a cat scan

[Verse 1:]
Old man, why are you starrin’ at me, mack on me and my friends?
It’s kinda a creepy
You should be prowling around the Old folk’s home
Come on dude!
Leave us alone

At first we thought that it was kind of ill when
We saw that you were like a billion
And still out tryin’ to make a killin’
Get back to the museum

[Chorus:]
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
O-L-D M-A-N
Your just an old man
Hitting on me what?
You need a cat scan

Hey dinosaur, baby you’re pre-historic
Hey dinosaur, that’s what you are HA
Hey carnivore, you want my meat I know it
Hey dinosaur, that’s what you are HA
Yea, you’re pretty old

[Verse 2:]
Not long til’ your a senior citizen
And you can strut around with that sexy tank of oxygen
Honey your toupee is fallin’ to your left side
Get up and go bro!
Oh wait your fossilized HA!

Then you offered me a martini
Walk away with your hips with in sinking
Then you say, Honey wanna come with me
I’m about to barf seriously

[Chorus:]
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R
You are a dinosaur
O-L-D M-A-N
Your just an old man
Hitting on me what?
You need a cat scan

Hey dinosaur
baby, you’re prehistoric
Hey dinosaur
That’s what you are HA!
Hey carnivore
you want my meat, I know it
Hey dinosaur
That’s what you are HA!

Hey dinosaur baby,
you’re prehistoric
Hey dinosaur
That’s what you are HA!
Hey carnivore
you want my meat, I know it
Hey dinosaur
That’s what you are HA!

D-I-N-O-S-A
You are a dinosaur
D-I-N-O-S-A
That’s what you are HA!
D-I-N-O-S-A
You are a dinosaur
D-I-N-O-S-A
That’s what you are HA!

Her album Animal is hilarious…I just hope that’s what she was going for cause…well…wow!

Along with writing and recording “the beta collection” we’re also drawing up blueprints for a new live show – literally. Dan has already produced at least six different stage plots for us to discuss / try out. We’ve also been discussing lighting setups and other great visual ideas to add to our show. We’ve been away from the live stage for a while now and I can tell the three of us are overly eager to get back at it – but before we do we want to ensure that we are bring out 100% possible best to the stage. And we’re drawing on our long list of past concert experiences for guidance.
After attending the recent Muse concert (which was amazing) Dan and I started a discussion about our favourite concerts of all time – and what made them so. In the end we both were of the understanding that all the smoke and lights and visuals were nice, but it was the showmanship and songs that held our attention long after the concert was over. He spoke vividly of a Pearl Jam concert in a tiny hockey rink in small town Ontario where the band played past curfew and Eddie Vedder “threw his heart on the stage and stomped on it – like here you go, this is rock and roll.” And the Coldplay performance during their Rush of Blood to the Head tour when Chris Martin held so many thousands captive with his every word and movement.
I recalled Silverchair’s Diorama tour, still my favourite concert to date, in which everything, sounds, lights, performers, worked as one to create and amazing sonic and visual spectacle. And of a young upstart band called Say Anything I witnessed play a total of FOUR songs and fell in love. They weren’t even listed on the bill and had just released their debut “say anything…is a real boy”(which if you don’t own it run out and buy it NOW NOW NOW) but were the best band of the night. They had no flashy stage set up or props, but commanded attention, even when falling on patch chords, and had more than enough energy to light the city of Montreal for weeks after that night.
It was the interaction between the crowd and the band on those nights that made them what they were – not the pyrotechnic effects. Sure we’re working on lights and other on stage set ups, but mostly we’re working on our show to ensure that we can create that amazing connection between everyone, every time we hit the stage, with great energy and great music.

In 2008 we released an album entitled Hold Back Light Show.  We want to know which of these songs are your favourites so that we can make sure to keep them in the live set!  Thanks for taking the time give us some feedback!

These songs can be streamed on our MySpace page.

Hold Back Light Show is available on iTunes.

I love music DVD’s. Correction. I love some music DVD’s. I enjoy the interesting content you get that you can’t get at a concert.  It seems like bands and artists are so hit and miss when it comes to making a good DVD.  It’s easy isn’t it??  Just make it interesting!!!!

I bought the Kings of Leon: Live at the O2 London, England DVD.  I loved the last two albums.  A lot of people loved the last one.  As for the DVD…well it’s ok.  I mean it’s just a live show.  They don’t do anything crazy.  It’s no more advanced or interesting than my Police DVD I bought that is just concert footage from Atlanta way back in 1983 during the Synchronicity Tour.  In fact Sting has the upper hand in the stage banter catagory as  the Kings lead singer Caleb Followill came off a bit arrogant.

Muse had a DVD included with there album and it was essentially just concert footage. The difference is Muse incorporates robots, giant satellites, confetti and a cover song.  They also shot the DVD with more than 3 or 4 cameras!  This was also just an accent to the album as it came packaged with it…unlike Kings of Leon.

Some of the best DVD’s I’ve seen have come from Pearl Jam, Coldplay and Keith Urban.  These DVD’s had behind the scenes footage and intimate moments that were amazing and it offered a real sense of connection to the artists.  It is always great to hear interviews or see bloopers or just nice candid moments.  It allows you to really sink your teeth into the product, which is ultimately the artist…not the music.

My favorite DVD is actually a movie and an album.  The Last Waltz by The Band is one of the best music moments of all time. It’s also better than most of the DVD’s that come out these days and it was shot 30 years ago.  It has live footage, interview footage, candid footage, staged footage and if you watch it enough times you’ll see the bloopers like Neil Young struggling to find the key, Eric Clapton’s guitar strap letting go halfway through a solo and a drunk Van Morrison doing high kicks.

What are some of your favorite music DVD’s????

Tom Thomson's famous painting The Jack Pine. Oil on canvas. 1916.

It’s the stuff of Canadian legend.  Artist and avid outdoorsman, Tom Thomson, paddles out into Canoe Lake just as he has done countless times before.  This time he disappears.  After days of searching, his body – bloated and bruised – surfaces.  It doesn’t make any sense.

More on the extraordinary story after these extras we’ve put together for you.

_________________________

Official Version:

Download the full studio version of Tom Thomson at www.winhara.com.

Additional Blog:

After researching the painter’s mysterious death I had to see the locations for myself.  Click here to read about my solo trip on Canoe Lake along with pictures of Tom Thomson’s Algonquin park (including the cairn and totem pole that are now standing at his favourite camping spot).

Behind the scenes video:

Acoustic version:

Lyrics:

While the official coroner’s report claims that Thomson’s death was accidental there are many conspiracy theories – and for good reason.  Tom was a strong swimmer and experienced outdoorsman, he even had a license to guide in Algonquin.  It seems quite unlikely that he just fell out of his canoe and drowned on a clear day.  In addition he had a bruise on his temple and there was a piece of fishing line wrapped around his ankle no less than seventeen times!  There also wasn’t any water in his lungs, an indication that he died before he drowned.  These facts, and many others, have raised questions surrounding his death.

Tom was just entering his prime as a painter and was starting to get recognition for his work.  He grew up in Owen Sound but had moved to Toronto to pursue his career.  He spent his summers in Algonquin park doing small oil sketches that he would transfer into larger works at his studio in the section of Toronto now known as Rosedale.

The best site I found for research is Death On A Painted Lake if you’d like to do some of your own digging.  For a more entertaining read you can check out ‘Canoe Lake‘ by Roy MacGregor.

Go to winhara.com

Although I had done many trips in Algonquin Park I had never been to Canoe Lake.  When I started penning lyrics for this song I started feeling like I wouldn’t really be able to finish them until I had seen the places I was writing about – Joe Lake Dam, Winnie Trainor’s Cottage, where Mowat Lodge had been, where they found Thomson’s canoe, and also where they found his body.

So in late October (2009) I rented a canoe from The Portage Store and paddled north, much like Tom did 92 years previously.

I stopped for lunch at the site I wanted to see most – where Thomson’s favourite camp site had been (see 15 on the map).  After his death, a cairn and totem pole had been constructed there.  I ate my lunch while reading the commemorations and looking at the view of Canoe Lake (directly below).  I could see why Thomson loved this spot so much.

The southward view of Canoe Lake from Tom Thomson's favourite camp site.

Below are the cairn and totem pole erected on the site in memory of Thomson:

After lunch, I portaged past the Joe Lake Dam (13 on the map) where Thomson was going to do some fishing on the day he disappeared.

Canoe Lake was used for logging in that time and one of the theories is that a submerged log or stump overturned his canoe.  I got an eerie feeling after a barely submerged stump nearly ripped the bottom out of my own canoe.  I didn’t see it coming and passed it within inches.

I spent the night there on Joe Lake, made friends with a fox (below), and spent most of my night trying to stay as warm as possible.  (Being late in the fall, the temperature was dipping well below zero at night).

My fox friend named "Boots."

In the morning I had the most beautiful paddle back south. Thick mist hung just above the water’s surface while frost covered every little twig. Everything was white.

The sun was burning through the fog as I portaged back into Canoe Lake but there wasn’t a single ripple on the water as I passed by the spot where they found his body eight days after he disappeared (2 on the map) and the place where they found his canoe floating without its pilot (16 on the map).

Although it was only a quick overnight trip, I accomplished the main thing I set out to do: to make sure that my lyrics held authenticity.  Tracing Thomson’s steps and having seen first hand the lake he loved so much, lets me sing this story with confidence.

My campsite at sundown on Joe Lake.

Back to: extras.

Go to: winhara.com.

Winhara in mid Hugh-hazing about to hit up Toronto's Resevoir Lounge

Last weekend we took our best friend and bass player of over 5 years out for his exit hazing.

Hugh dropped the bomb on us as soon as we had all regrouped from New Years. He told us that while he loved making music, for many reasons (all of which make complete sense), he is moving on. I can’t say we weren’t shocked. The four of us sat around our kitchen table in complete silence until Steve said “I feel like you guys are listening to me chew.”

It is one of many massive changes that has happened in the last month, and while we’re sad to have Hugh leave, we are extremely excited for what is coming up.

So what is coming up?

• A new website is live right now.  Go to winhara.com to check it out.
• A new album that we’re going to give to you while we write it!  (More on that later, make sure you sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of this post to get updates).
• We’re putting the finishing touches on the first song, Tom Thomson, which will be available for download next week.  (Again see winhara.com).

Needless to say, Kent, Prevost and I are going to continue fighting the good fight.  We won’t be getting a new bass player – the dynamic wouldn’t be right and we don’t have money to hire someone.  So how are we going to play live?  We’ve done it once already and let’s just say we get pretty creative with samplers and trading instruments!

We’re about to head up to Kent’s cabin, nestled into the woods beside the Muskoka River, for a focused four day writing session.  One thing’s for sure… moving forward won’t be the same, but we absolutely wish Hugh all the best with his future endeavors.

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I feel as though being a stunt double or a special effects man for movies would take much of the “ooh and awww” out seeing a movie – simply because you know what is happening to really create the moment where a helicopter is ninja kicked in half by the hero.

Unfortunately I have the same feeling with music now. As a youngster (i.e. 16) I was living at concert venues and summer festivals. I just loved being surrounded by the music and being “this close” at the front of the stage to people doing what I only dreamed of. Everything seemed larger than life. But as time passed and I became more aware of things happening on and off stage in the music industry I was less and less impressed. That and a lot of music started to suck…

Anyway, what I am getting at is that there are very few bands that I get excited about when I hear an album is coming out or that they are going on tour. One such band is Brooklyn based White Rabbits. Although I don’t know everything and anything about this band, I do know that from what I have heard and seen (thanks YouTube) I love everything they do. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I realized they would be playing Toronto on October 24. And then I realized the bad news…WE were playing on October 24. What made it even more painful was that they were playing a venue on the same street as us…two doors down.

As the date grew closer I was joking with many people that I was simply going to run next door, watch the concert and sneak back in to our show before anyone was the wiser – which was totally undoable of course. Then this led to joking about both bands loading their gear in at the same because the venues were so close together and getting a chance to bump into them that way. It was all so LOL.

All these thoughts had for the most part left my mind by the day of the show, as I was more focused on our own show that evening. However, as we were beginning to unload our gear into the venue, what should come around the corner but a big white cargo van with a trailer that proceeded to stop two doors down. After our gear was unloaded (and much teasing from the other guys) I finally worked up the courage to go talk to them. Now, I have met my fair share of famous hockey players and musicians in my time and for the most part have kept things cool – but for some reason – mostly my unbridled love for the band, I was more like a 12 year old girl meeting the Jonas Brothers on this day. I came around the corner of the venue, saw the guys all standing around the van having a smoke and just started rambling at mach speed…

”Ummm yeah. Hi, my name is Stephen.” – extends for hand shake.

(Steve from the WR introduces himself as ‘also Steve’)

“Yeah anyway what time are guys on tonight because I REALLY wanted to see the show.”

(I think 11pm)

“Ahhh see cause I am also in a band that is playing tonight two doors down and…”

(Oh what band is that?)

“Winhara”

(Sorry?)

“Winhara, we’re a local band…anyway, that sucks cause I really like you guys and we have you at work on the mixed CD…”

(Sorry?)

“Oh, I also work retail and yeah they are a small Canadian company and it is usually just Britney Spears so when you guys came on I was all like (voice cracks) ‘Ohhhh no way this is on here!”

(Well that’s cool)

“Yeah, well and OH! I saw your performance on Letterman, man that was SWEET!”

(Oh well thanks, thanks a lot)

“Oh, sorry I realize I am rambling, I don’t usually get nervous when meeting people but… (trailing off)…you guys are really good”

(Oh no worries man, we are just dudes)

“Yeah but you are good!”

(Well thanks, anyway maybe cut your set short tonight so you can make it…haha)

“Yeah they don’t really need a drummer…acoustic set tonight boys…anyway, thanks, thanks – extends for hand shake again – and it was super cool to meet you guys, later!”

….And then I ran away…Didn’t leave a business card, didn’t try and pump up the band or mention our “after party”…Nope, I just ran away.

For a moment, I was a 12 year old girl.

P.

You can barely walk through it, but we're getting things done. (click to enlarge)

I will be the first to admit it.  I like it when things are neat, organized, logical.  But there is a sense of finality to organization.  You clean up.  You say “There, I’m done”.  And then you go watch TV.  Progress, I have learned, is varying levels of chaos.  The same can be said for Creativity.  Now maybe this is not universally applicable.  I am quite certain that my university lab instructors would disagree.  But I can tell you that our ‘band room’ has been in a state of barely navigable flux for the last month and we have written more songs, come up with more creative and ambitions ideas and learned and programmed more MIDI than we have in ages.  If you are trying to make the song lyrics look pretty instead of just getting them down, you’re missing the point.

August has been, and will continue to be a crazy crazy month.  We are not playing any shows until September, but are busier than ever working on the set, live show, writing and all sorts of thing I don’t want to tell you about.  Just come to a show in September.  I promise it will be worth it.

H.

In life we all have good days and bad days. It can be affected by weather, like a rainy sunday afternoon will leave you bummed out and feeling like shit.  Sometimes your feelings can be the direct result of a change in your day to day life such as a new apartment or a vacation somewhere warm.  Sometimes you will hear a song that takes you back to when it meant everything to you and you’ll have a little three minute flashback of the “good old days”. Your feelings and emotions might not be what guide you down the long term path of life but they sure as hell fuel the tank that moves you on a day to day basis.

Some people go through life trying to enjoy every moment and appreciate what they have.  Bad times are often softened with good family, kind friends and lots of distraction. Some people go through life sad or angry and often pointing out the obvious flaws in our messed up world, only elongating the down time.  Many of us are both of these people and we’re just trying to make sure that we steady the wings on this f$#%ed-up plane so that we don’t fly off into the atmosphere or crash into the ocean.

Writing music is not one of my favorite things to do.  I enjoy the end result of writing a song and I even enjoy moments of putting a song together.  For the most part writing a song can be mentally and emotionally draining, that is if you’re working hard on it. Where your head is at when you’re creating and assembling a song usually directly effects what you’re doing with the song and where you want to take it.  Writing a song with another person or a group of people is really a helpful way to bounce ideas around and reassure each other about vocal melody, drum beat, key changes, song structure and all the rest of it. The downfall to writing with other people is pride.  Good constructive songwriting comes from working together, knowing how to approach suggesting change to the song and knowing how to accept change to the song. Pride enters the picture when one person is unwilling to change something or they want something done there way.  Good songwriting chemistry is hard to find…overly proud songwriters are not hard to find.

Some say music is art but what’s art if the artist is the only one who wants it?  If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear, does it make a sound???  If a shitty song is written and no one listens to it, is it really art???