I sifted through a few submissions today and declined about four or five groups based mostly on their lyrical content, or lack thereof, rather. As a songwriter, the difference between hiding behind poorly-constructed metaphors and creating phrases that strike from the bone and come right from the heart is like night and day. There’s poetry in the day to day and honest simplicity will always trump complicated purple prose. That’s why Connor McGuire is our Band You’ve Never Heard of Band of the Day.

British Columbia singer/songwriter Connor McGuire’s songs take a road traveled by the likes of Mason Jennings and Jason Collett , built around acoustic instruments, peppered with non-obtrusive arrangements of mandolins, strings, horns, organs and electric guitar. His lyrical couplets follow ideas to their full conclusion (see “The End of the Line”), blending axioms and blunt moments into a seemless earnestness. You can purchase his album Different After Dawn here.

One thing, though: When will musicians and photographers stop being so infatuated with photos taken by brick walls and/or train tracks? It’s a prerequisite new jack move and it is quite possibly the most boring convention in rock journalism. PLEASE MAKE IT STOP. Connor, you’ve been warned. Wheat fields are out, too.

I’ve just spent the better part of an hour eating soup and watching Nardwuar the Human Serviette confound, impress and annoy his interview subjects. That man is one hell of a Vancouverite. Best known for putting his interviewees on the spot with the most obsessively-researched, obscure questions, Nardwuar has been a staple on Canada’s MuchMusic television. He also fronts a band, The Evaporators.
I just got done listening to The Evaporators’ latest album, Gassy Jack and Other Tales, and let me tell you, the enthusiasm that Nard displays while interviewing his subjects is just as contagious on record. Basically, the album amounts to a British Columbia / Vancouver history lesson set to sugar-spun punk rock music. Only don’t expect the kind of history included in most text books - this is all obscurities, from esoteric figures and places, to references to random Canadian rocker stage banter. Plus, with members of The New Pornographers and Canned Hamm (the latter being one of my favorite live bands ever) the music is….pretty good. Sorry, it’s hard to actually focus on the music when imagining a flailing, overexcited Nardwuar fronting a punk rock band.

So yeah, I’ve spent about an hour with Nardwuar today. I think my favorite interview of his is Nardwuar Vs. James Brown:

Part 2 over here. Have a good brunch.