Brendan Canning brings something for all of us

“I would definitely have to work for a professional league. I don’t think I could handle the dinky lower leagues without that thrill of a hardcore audience.”
Taken out of context, the quote reads like a statement on Brendan Canning’s life. Showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, the Broken Social Scene cofounder shares the same enthusiastic opinion toward playing music as he does with the daydream of becoming a professional soccer commentator.
All fantasies aside, however, Canning has been a busy man for the last 10 years since the creation of the Canadian indie powerhouse that is Broken Social Scene. After releasing four full-length albums with the group, Canning and fellow founder Kevin Drew have each released his own solo album of sorts under the moniker of Broken Social Scene Presents … In reality, the introductory style title of each album has less to do with public recognition of the Broken Social Scene name and more to do with giving credit where credit is due.
“When you look at the list of musicians that appears on both albums, it is clear that Broken Social Scene is a huge part of both of our lives. In any case, I don’t feel like it’s a solo album any more than a record on which I just happen to sing and have the majority of the songwriting credit,” Canning explained.
Something for All of Us …, the condensed title of the album, finds Canning stepping into the role of frontman as he works through a revolving list of musical styles (with the help of some special friends). From the instrumental beauty of numbers such as “All the Best Wooden Toys Come from Germany,” to the single-worthy guitars of “Hit the Wall,” Something for All of Us … is an obvious testament to the “quirks” of the recording process. For the energetic man that Canning is, the months spent working on the album lent time to have a number of creative lulls brought on by “overthinking and deconstructing.” All in all, the album works through these supposed setbacks, striving less for the appeals of an all-electric or all-acoustic album than for the notion of a well-rounded package.
Following in the pattern of the previous tour, the current outing is a celebration of the July release of Broken Social Scene Presents … Brendan Canning’s Something for All of Us …. While the show will highlight Canning’s release in particular, the available cast of Social-ites will not shy from playing numbers from the Broken Social Scene back catalog as well. The tour finds Canning joined by the likes of Kevin Drew, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, (also known as The Apostle of Hustle), Charles Spearin, Leon Kingstone and Sam Goldberg, as well as Land of Talk lead vocalist (and tour opener) Elizabeth Powell filling in as the role of female vocalist.
Regardless of what name you wish to call them, be sure to catch Canning and crew on Sunday, Oct. 19 when they bring their collective energy to Foellinger Auditorium.

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