Paper Bag 7th Anniversary 7 Year Itch Album (Free Covers Album)

Paper Bag records is celebrating their 7th Anniversary with the release of the Seven Year Itch an album of 12 cover songs by Paper Bag artists that you can download for free. On the album are:

CFCF - How Bizarre (OMC cover)
Winter Gloves - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover)
Woodhands - Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant cover)
Sally Shapiro - Dying in Africa (Nicolas Makelberge cover)
You Say Party! We Say Die! - Falling Out (Rikk Agnew cover)
Josh Reichmann - Daniel (Bat For Lashes cover)
Laura Barrett - Gamma Ray (Beck cover)
Rock Plaza Central - I Want You (Bob Dylan cover)
The Acorn - Strange Animal (Gowan cover)
Little Girls - Heinz (Artery cover)
Slim Twig - Behold A Lady (Outkast cover)
Under Byen - Du er min øjesten (Peter Malberg cover)

Download It Here

Summerworks Festival: Sunparlour Players w/ Josh Reichmann Oracle Band @ the Theatre Centre. Aug. 14. 2009

... man I shouldn't have had so much to drink the other night...

The Josh Reichmann Oracle Band, which, last night at least, was Josh Reichmann (presumably) and a back-up (interpretive) dancer wasn't exactly what I was expecting as an opener for the SPP. Reichmann sang over his electro-beats backing track and, I think in a different, clubbier, context it would've been pretty cool. In the theatre setting opening for the Sunparlour Players, something was off. That said, I certainly think that there's something there, and I'm making a mental note to investigate JROB further...

The Sunparlour Players who followed - very quickly, I might add, so kudos to the show organizers - were pretty spectacular. This is probably not news to people that are familiar with the band, their music, and their live show. Their set consisted of a mix of their old (Hymns for the Happy) and their new (Wave North) material, and culminated with an encore performance of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", which is always a good time.

This is probably the 6 or 7th time I've seen the SPP in their various incarnations, and, while I see a fair number of shows, I've seen them more than I've seen any other musical act (except for my buddy Donny, new album coming!). That, I think, is in part a location thing (they often play in places close to where I have lived), but the other part is that they are probably the best live act around (in the city of Toronto). I keep tabs on when/where they're playing shows, and I make it out to them, because they're fun, energetic, and the character in Andrew Penner's voice live really brings the songs from the record to life.

I'm kind of curious where they go from here... they've got a pretty loyal following here in TO, but, with all of the uncertainty in the music industry its hard to see how they're going to make a living (unless they somehow strike it rich with their mustard recipe). Although, really, you could say that about virtually every band that I write about, and not everyone puts on a live show like they do...

Hear some audio and see some photos from the show at the Burgeoning Metropolis blog.

A very cool video...