In the Dead of Winter Showcase brings the heat

By Sagar Jha, Staff Contributor

First on the bill for the Dead of Winter showcase on Pop Explosion Friday was local talent Acres and Acres, who has been making waves as they tour across Canada with their debut album, “All Nations.” But at the Company House, the group performed only one song from their first album, and the rest were new. Regardless, they created a calm and peaceful tone for the crowd. The band had a very refined folk sound and an excellent stage presence.

Next up was The Wilderness of Manitoba, a band featuring all sorts of string instruments and little percussion. The group used four part harmonies which were enough to give you chills. They played a relatively short set but were absolutely amazing. They sounded just as good, if not better than they do on the record. If Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Bon Iver all made music together, it would sound something like The Wilderness of Manitoba.

The final act of the night that I caught was Christina Martin. She took to the stage with Toronto folk-rock group, Cuff the Duke. Martin and her supporting band performed a relatively quick set that featured her vocal talents accompanied with a relatively generic sound. Even though her sound wasn’t very unique, it was well executed. She also had hilarious stage banter which kept coming back to jokes about dental hygiene. A little odd, but still funny.

The showcase was a preview to the In The Dead of Winter music festival taking part in Jan. 2011. Needless to say it will be amazing, and these three bands will be a must see.