The Wilderness of Manitoba Kick Off Canadian Tour at Divan Orange

The Wilderness of Manitoba. Will Whitwham (left), Amanda Balsys and Wes McClintock. The Wilderness of Manitoba. Will Whitwham (left), Amanda Balsys and Wes McClintock.

For the second time this year, Montreal is fortunate enough to have the chance to see The Wilderness of Manitoba perform at the much loved venue, Divan Orange. Only this time, Toronto’s much loved folk rockers are bringing with them the sounds of their fourth studio album, Between Colours.

Between Colours. www.thewildernessofmanitoba.com

Between Colours. www.thewildernessofmanitoba.com

Released in September, Between Colours shows off the ever evolving strengths of each band member. It is an exciting album with strong beats, instrumental layers and a catchy vibe. The explosive album features Will Whitwham, Amanda Balsys and Wes McClintock. Between Colours was recorded at Revolution Recording in Toronto with producer Joe Dunphy and guest musicians; Tom Bona, Marito Marques, Howie Beck, Michael Phillip Wojewoda and Alex Lifeson. A fun, upbeat and energetic album, Between Colours is an adventurous exploration of new sounds for the band.

For Amanda Baysys, the album is best described as a challenge and exploration. “What was inspiring was being able to come together with such eclectic backgrounds and musical interests and create something that we all felt acknowledged our ideas but also that these ideas were encouraged and grew as a result of collaboration. Probably the best moment that stands out with all that in mind was the weekend we stayed in Wasaga Beach at a friend’s cottage and just jammed and made little demos for a few days, only stopping to sleep and eat. We were able to develop a lot of what we came up with that weekend into the realised, final album.” Balsys said.

And in time for the release of their new album and Canadian tour, The Wilderness of Manitoba’s latest music video, “Leave Someone” has also been released. Directed by Nathan Boey, he says the clip is about “the void, stillness, and that constant fleeting sensation that exists when someone leaves your life.”

The Wilderness of Manitoba – Leave Someone from Nathan Boey on Vimeo.

“Nathan Boey is so talented. He really was the driving force behind a lot of the creative elements in the video. He spent a lot of time with the song, and asked us about our own extrapolations on the lyrics and he so he then came up with a lot of the ideas. The result of a feeling of sort of detached weariness, a kind of eerieness, too. The kinds of feelings that come up when we talk about loving someone, leaving someone; whether through death or some other departure, there’s always an uncertainty. We feel like Nathan captures those emotions and sentiments really successfully,” Balsys said.

The Wilderness of Manitoba.

The Wilderness of Manitoba.

The best part is, here in Quebec, we are first in line to see The Wilderness of Manitoba perform Between Colours on their Canadian tour. Amanda Balsys tells me her and the team are most excited to be performing in Montreal newt week. “Nous sommes tres hereux! Kicking a tour off in Quebec in the winter seems appropriate for a Canadian tour – we insulate with cheese curds in order to protect us against the prairie elements.”

The Wilderness of Manitoba will perform on December 3 at Divan Orange (4234 Saint Laurent Blvd) at 8 p.m.  $13.