On the cold Friday night of March 3rd -the same date as the release of Taylor Janzen's debut studio album, I Live In Patterns was released- Taylor hosted an album release show at The Good Will Social Club. The show marked Taylor's first show in Winnipeg since she braced the Burton Cummings Theatre stage on tour with Half Moon Run in January 2020 and her first headline show in her hometown since February 2019, so what a virtuous way to celebrate such a milestone by being able to make an extravagant return to a Winnipeg stage by doing a massive sold out album release show for her long-anticipated debut album.
Fold Paper. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
A few fellow Canadian artists joined Taylor, the newly launched post-punk/indie rock band Fold Paper and folk artist Cassidy Mann. Shortly after the start time of 9 p.m., Fold Paper made their way to the stage and burned through seven of their songs. Foldpaper is a post-punk project from the Manitobian musician Chell Osuntade, known locally for performing bass with JayWood and Julien's Daughter. The band is only a couple of shows in since launching, but they have the potential to blow up fast. The band played a brilliant thirty-minute set that breezed on by leaving me wanting more, and the band warmed up the Winnipeg audience. Fold Paper will be dropping a new single, "Medical Jargon," out on March 22, 2023. Be sure to watch out for it.
Cassidy Mann. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
Second up to hit the stage was fellow Manitobian folk artist Cassidy Mann and her band. Continuing to warm up the Winnipeg audience, as soon as the clock struck 10 p.m., Cassidy Mann and her band braced the stage of The Good Will and performed a stellar set of tunes that included her latest single, "Everblue," along with "Election Night," and other tracks off her EP, If It's Not Forever (2022). Once more, the audience was very open-minded to her music, hearing or seeing her in the past, and she achieved her job of getting the ebullient energy riled up in the people standing and sitting around the entire bar. It was noticeable Cassidy's set primed the Winnipeg audience for Taylor Janzen to hit the stage.
Taylor Janzen. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
After Cassidy Mann's excellent set, it was time for the musical act everyone came to see, the rising indie singer-songwriter Taylor Janzen. As Taylor and her band braced the stage, the audience erupted in cheer, and the crowd's excitement grew until the first note was struck to start the set. Taylor opened with the opening number off of I Live In Patterns "Sunday Mornings," and the crowd appeared beyond lively. She followed it up with songs like "Push It Down," "Fingers Crossed," and "Devotion." Taylor then welcomed Cassidy Mann back to the stage to help perform the album's title track, "I Live In Patterns," before a little hiccup with her guitar halted the show briefly. After some time fiddling around with cables and other equipment around the stage, a major crisis was adverted, and the rest of Taylor's set went on without a hitch. As the set progressed, Taylor notably played every song off of I Live In Patterns besides the track "Patience." Additionally, she played her 2019 single "What I Do..." The main set ended, and the audience wanted more. The chants for more from Taylor grew and grew. As a short amount of time passed, Taylor and her band returned to the stage and performed another two songs for the sold-out crowd. First up, Taylor and her band offered up a cover of Avril Lavigne's 2002 mega-hit "Complicated," which set the audience off with a major sing-along. Taylor then followed it with the night-closing tune of "New Mercies," off her 2019 EP, Shouting Matches. Be sure to stream I Live In Patterns, out now on all major music streaming services.
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