Record of the Week Club

labour of love celebrates Winnipeg diversity

By Sarah Kitteringham

The act of incorporating a variety of musicians into one cohesive project is more than a labour of logistics: it’s a labour of love.

For guitarist, bassist, producer, recorder, engineer and label owner Mike Petkau, this exact act unfolded over a period of 16 weeks when he brought together 48 musicians from diverse backgrounds for an ambitious project which showcases the underground (and under-appreciated) Winnipeg music community.

“There are a lot of artists doing (experimental and indie music) here, but not a lot of official support, so I wanted to celebrate the more adventurous musicians in Winnipeg and help raise those profiles,” explains Petkau. True to his word, the Les Jupes/The Liptonians/Ian La Rue & The Condor member revived his own Head In The Sand Records label and has since released the 16-song compilation, Record of the Week Club.

Every Wednesday for four months, Petkau joined three musicians for an evening-long recording session. By morning, the song was posted online. Since its release in July, tracks from the disc have been nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award and a Bucky Award.

“It became evident right away that we all just had to fool around and figure something out because the clock was ticking,” says Jesse Warkentin, a member of Mahogany Frog, who laid down piano, guitar, Farfisa and Moog riffs to help create the subdued and sweet “Royal Canadian Lovers School.” The multi-instrumentalist created the song with Jay Churko of Chords of Canada and Ken Gregory, a sound artist who, until the track was recorded, apparently hadn’t been heard singing since 1989. “So it came out of me coming up with the main riff of the song and then we asked Jay Churko if he had any lyrics because he was playing drum melodies over my riffs and he finally pulled out the old poetry book and that created the bridge of the song.”

Most tracks were created in a similar fashion.

“The best thing about it was that he wasn’t telling any of us who we were going to be playing with so that we couldn’t prepare in advance, mentally or creatively, what we would bring to the table,” explains bassist and guitarist Ethan Osland, who created “Something is Kind of Amiss” with taiko drummer Phoebe Man and pianist/lyricist/vocalist Ann Walton.

“It’s, musically, a really diverse track,” he continues. “Having to jam with Phoebe for quite awhile to figure out where she was coming from was rhythmically the biggest challenge of the evening because the taiko metres aren’t the same as rock or pop metres so the feels are totally different and in different times.” Though it was a challenge, it resulted in the most smoky, danceable and sexy track of the disc.

As each song was an experiment onto itself, each came with a unique challenge of incorporating the musical styles that accompanied it appropriately.

“We sat back and wondered where are we going to take my throat singing into making the song, so I just started telling everyone all the places I’ve lived in my short life and naming all the unique communities,” explains Nikki Komaksiutiksak, the Inuit throat singer behind the compilation’s most recognizable song. The sweet, electronic laden “Keewatin Arctic” also features Weakerthans guitarist John K. Samson and Blunderspublik (Curtis Walker). It runs the listener through a lesson in Northern geography while Komaksiutiksak croons in Inuktitut, a language of Inuit descent that she is “happy to be who I am.”

Thankfully, the project is also making its listeners happy. The first 1000 physical copies have sold out, tracks have been downloaded worldwide and Petkau is itching to do it all over again.

“I actually have some ideas in the frying pan for wanting to take it coast to coast,” says Petkau. “Funnily, I do think there is something going on (in Calgary) right now. Everyone knows about Toronto and Montreal, but there are lots of great bands and cool stuff happening in Calgary. I think it’s overshadowed by the whole nation being frustrated with the politics of Calgary, but I think the music is really interesting, creative and original.”