Ian La Rue on voice/guitars
Matt Magura on percussion/voice/perspective
Mike Petkau on bass guitar/grounded feeling
Andrew Workman on guitar/keyboards/soundscapes/magical intuition
Influences
death cab for cutie, the wooden stars, wintersleep, julie doiron, gentleman reg, greg macpherson, the paperbacks, the weakerthans, hot water music, propagandhi, iron and wine, the down and out...
Sounds Like
"These songs sound like they’re gritting their teeth, trying to contain themselves within a sense of hurried insistence that is cloaked in flowing, acoustic atmospheres." (EXCLAIM!)
"(Bull Days) is the album that, on a cold winter day, you'll pull out to take you through the night and remind yourself what life is all about." (STYLUS)
"Atmospherics play heavily in this musical concoction, as background cafe noise, radio broadcasts and even the sound of hammering nails become as much a part of the songs as his quiet electric and acoustic strummings." (the UPTOWN)
Coming out of Winnipeg's activist community tends to give you a different view on the role of art & music. For Ian La Rue, the inherent questioning of his role in society has fueled a songwriting gold mine -- walking that threadbare line between pop and politics with an unexpected sophistication. Honing a craft steeped in the finest traditions of songwriting -- Joe Strummer, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan & Propagandhi -- La Rue has that rare effortless ability to personalize and simplify the great emotional conflicts of our time in songs that are distinctly modern.
Accordingly, you can find Ian & his new band the Condor running in the circles of Winnipeg's literate songwriting elite. Greg MacPherson, Anthem Red, Propagandhi, The Details and The Paperbacks are the backbones of support and inspiration for Winnipeg music built on intelligence and art. La Rue stands next in line to wave the flag, but offers perhaps the greatest opportunity yet for an artist to fully flesh out a grand vision and powerful statement -- not just lyrically, but with a musical maturity and sense of adventure that speaks to exponential growth from his punk beginnings.
Listening to La Rue is like listening to the ocean. There is a wash of electronic soundscapes that envelopes you before being stripped away and replaced with the rawest of human emotions: love, betrayal, confusion and hope. There is a simplicity and an honesty rarely found in many of today's artists who are more interested in market appeal and copying the latest success story than actually speaking directly to their audience in a new and meaningful way.
Between 2004 and 2007, La Rue self-recorded and self-released two solo albums and toured extensively with The Paperbacks, The Details and Mike Petkau. He has also composed works for short films by Coral Aiken and Rob Hacke, and provided soundtracks for the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers. He has steadily built a committed and dedicated following both at home and throughout Canada. But as many solo rock artists find, a band is needed to more fully convey the power in the message and the music. So Ian enlisted Matthew Magura and Andrew Workman, and Mike Petkau to flesh out his vision and The Condor was born.
Hi Ian the oktars is Jesse my bro, steve and cole we are playing on saturday, plus I put up some new songs on myspace. oh yeah and I think I still have that recording of you in the church somewhere.
Maybe you'd like the evens? have you heard them? they're Ian Mackaye's (from Fugazi) new band, he plays baritone guitar/sings and than there's a drummer that sings as well. They're really cool!
hey man! wooden stars are awesome! i found "the moon" used at music trader the other night and I haven't taken it out of my cd player since! thanks for the suggestion, do you have a favourite cd of theirs that you would suggest?
Hey it's Rob(drummer from Right Through) I just wanted to let you know that your set blew me away. I loved it. And apparently you were trying to get my attention during the set but I couldn't hear you. So I'd love to know what you were trying to tell me. So if you could, respond back.
