Laura Barrett Touring with Magnetic Fields this Winter

Earlier this week Justin told you about Laura Barrett's new video for "The Wood Between Worlds." Now there's more good news to share about this emerging Canadian artist... she'll be opening for the Magnetic Fields on a handful of dates in February and March! How exciting. Or, as Laura tweeted yesterday: "!!!!! opening for the Magnetic Fields in Feb and March!!!!! !!!! All I can do is exclaim!!!!"

Laura Barrett is based in Toronto. Her current project has her performing on a variety of kalimbas, a traditional African instrument (more commonly known as the thumb piano) and bass pedals. She often appears solo, but her last album---Victory Garden (Paper Bag Records, 2008)---also featured friends playing flute, bassoon, oboe, violin, and other instruments. Laura's understated charm and sense of humour can make her live shows a mesmerizing experience. Here's hoping Magnetic Fields' audiences sit still and come to love her as many of us here in Canada already do.

Sat 02/06/10 MONTREAL, QC | Corona Theatre
Mon 02/08/10 TORONTO, ON | Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Wed 02/10/10 BOSTON, MA | Wilbur Theatre
Thu 02/11/10 BOSTON, MA | Wilbur Theatre
Thu 03/04/10 MILWAUKEE, WI | Pabst Theatre
Fri 03/05/10 BLOOMINGTON, IN | Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
Sat 03/06/10 ST LOUIS, MO | The Pageant
Sun 03/07/10 CHICAGO, IL | Harris Theatre, Millennium Park
Mon 03/08/10 CHICAGO, IL | Harris Theatre, Millennium Park
Wed 03/10/10 NEW YORK, NY | Town Hall

New Video: Woodhands - CP24

Here's the latest music video from Woodhands. It was made by Jared Sales and features CP24 like coverage of a massive global robot invasion.

City Sonic: Laura Barrett and Martin Tielli at the A.G.O.

Laura Barrett talks about the AGO where she saw the Rheostatics at age 12 for Music Inspired by the Group of Seven with Martin Tielli

NxEW.ca's 2009 Shadow Polaris Short List

We started asking back in May who you thought should win the Polaris Music Prize, We started out with a list of almost 100 artists and asked you to vote. We had a "Long List", narrowed it to 20 and now there are 10. Five of these agree with the real Polaris Short List, five do not. Amanda Ash and Ladysound will be pleased to hear that four of those five are solo albums by women.

Now we'll need you to vote again (see the bottom of this page) but the 2009 NxEW Shadow Polaris Short List goes:

Chad Van Gaalen - Soft Airplane



Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows



Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels



Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs



Laura Barrett -Victory Garden



Jenn Grant - Echoes



Jill Barber - Chances



Joel Plaskett - Three



Julie Doiron - I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day



Timber Timbre - self titled



Keep Voting
(poll closes at midnight on Sept. 20)

CFL Sessions on Tour

Henry Svec is touring the CFL Sessions - a collection of songs written by CFL players in the 70s and re-recorded by Svec with the help of WL Altman, Laura Barrett, Andy Magoffin and Jeseka Hickey. I first told you about the album back in April and since then it has been featured in our podcast a few times and made NxEW.ca's Shadow Polaris Long List. I was on vacation when word of this came in so the shows in London, Guelph and at the Tranzac in Toronto have already happened but there are still a few shows left starting tonight at Mitzi's Sister with Dog is Blue:

* August 10 with Dog is Blue @ Mitzi's Sister, Toronto. 9:00 pm. PWYC.

* August 12 @ Raw Sugar Cafe, Ottawa. 9:00 pm start. PWYC.

* August 16 with Erin Lang @ Le Cagibi, Montreal. 9:00pm. PWYC.

You can still get the album for free (and find out more about the songs and artists) at theCFLSessions.ca

20 Years Later: Everyone Sings Wrench Tuttle

In 1989 Bob Wiseman recorded an album, "In Her Dream: Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle" it was later named by Chart as one of the "Top 100 Canadian Albums of All Time". For the 20th anniversary there is a huge party being planned to celebrate the anniversary and the vinyl re-release of the album by Blocks Recording Club, with an all star cast of Canadian musicians.

Before we get into the details of the future party though we have to, in case you missed it, remember a bit of the history of the album. This wasn't just an album release the way it's done now: release an album - promote the album - tour etc., To start with the first pressing of the album was destroyed by Atlantic Records. The company felt that the song "Rock and Tree", which was about the murder of Salvador Allende and more importantly Pepsi's role in the events was potentially libelous. A new pressing was made without the song.

Rock and Tree


You can now get the whole album, including "Rock and Tree" from the Free Music Archive.

Beyond the politics there was the mysterious songwriter Wrench Tuttle. No one knew who Wrench Tuttle was and Wiseman wasn't telling - though he did occasionally share letters from Tuttle with the media. It was later revealed that Tuttle was Wiseman himself. Because it was 1989, in the days when a relatively unknown artist could still have a hit on Much Music - Bob Wiseman did.

We Got Time - Bob Wiseman



Now in 2009 the faithful are gathering at the Gladstone Hotel On July 30, 2009 at 10 pm to celebrate the album and the limited edition vinyl rerelease by playing the songs of Wrench Tuttle. The faithful in this case include Bob Wiseman and Mary Margeret O’Hara, Final Fantasy, Great Lake Swimmers, Geoff Berner, The Bourban Tabernacle Choir, Hundred Dollars, Picastro, UIC, Don Kerr, Laura Barret, Ajay Mehra, The Phonemes, Kyp Harness, Michael Holt, Michelle McAdorey, Ben Bootsma, Mez, Tom St. Louis, Amy Fritz, Don Christiansen and unnamed special guests. Admission is free!

Feist and Bob Wiseman : Who Am I?

Laura Barrett at Rolly's Garage

It wasn't an official NxNE show but Laura Barrett did a great set at Rolly's Garage in Toronto on Saturday afternoon as part of the Daps Duo / No Shame show. She even brought biscotti for everyone - you may have your favorites from the weekend but how many of them brought you cookies? Also, at one point in the show Rebekah Higgs (who had played earlier with Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees came up and they turned Laura's song Robot Ponies into a duet. More video from Rolly's Garage will be up later but for now ...

Laura Barrett - Wood Between Worlds



Laura Barrett & Rebekah Higgs - Robot Ponies

A New Festival For Your Calendar: Canary Island (Peterborough)

The very first Canary Island music festival kicks off tomorrow and downtown Peterborough, Ontario will be flooded with amazing music. The bands and artists playing the first Canary Island Fest. include Jill Staveley, Weird Weather, Forest City Lovers, Wax Mannequin, Gravity Wave, Peter Project, Mathias Kom, Laura Barrett, Skeletones Four, the Wooden Sky, Charley Glasspool, Jenny Omnichord, Evening Hymns, Shotgun Jimmie, and the D'Urbervilles. The full schedule is below and the Facebook Event Page is here.

schedule:

wednesday, june 3rd:

the gordon best theatre
9:00 p.m.

. jill staveley
. drew smith (of the bicycles)
. flotilla
. culture reject

$10
all ages
__________________________________________________________

thursday, june 4th:

bluestreak records
7:00 p.m.

. weird weather
. kat burns & the forest city lovers

$5
all ages
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the spill coffee bar
9:00 p.m.

esther vincent's new photo exhibit opening

. sean conway
. the kettle black
. wax mannequin

$5
all ages
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the saphire lounge
10:00 p.m.

. dj who
. gravity wave
. peter project

$5
___________________________________________________________

friday, june 5th:

the spill coffee bar
8:00 p.m.

. marie-josee houle
. mathias kom
. j.j. ipsen
. laura barret

$10
all ages

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the montreal house tavern
10:00 p.m.

. j.d. mccallen
. the skeletones four
. the wooden sky

$10
___________________________________________________________

saturday, june 6th:

the sunrise cafe
11 a.m.

. mean mr. jarvis
. charles glasspool

$5 (includes free french-toast breakfast!)
all ages
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the spill coffee bar
2:00 p.m.

. jenny omnichord
. patrick walsh

$5
all ages
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the gordon best theatre
9:00 p.m.

. evening hymns
. knock knock ginger
. shotgun jimmie
. the d'urbervilles

as hosted by the great and magnificent orbax!
$15
all ages

Toronto: Your schedule for June 20 is Now Full

Think you have plans for June 20 - you do! But if it's something other than a full day of great music, scrap what you thought you were doing.

First: sleep in - you're going to be up late.

Second: Breakfast - get some protein and carbs in there, you're going to need the energy.

Third: Head down to Rolly's Garage for 1 - 1:30 for the No Shame + Daps Duo ALL AGES NXNE BBQ + Day Show Extravagnaza! It's the day before fathers day so kids take your dad, dads take your kids! There will be BBQ, Lemonade and "Crazy Art" and there will be bands - six of them.

Ruby Jean and the Thoughful Bees (who Rebekah Higgs is a big fan of) - will kick things off. Sure you can see Ruby Jean at other showcases for NxNE - but none of them are in a garage, with lemonade are they?

Next up, all the way from Sudbury are the Lightmares (who you heard on Episode 4 of our Mixtape podcast. They're spending an entire day away from the Giant Nickel just to make your day a little more musical.

After that it's time for a local legend, the one and only, sexiest musician in Canada Ms. Laura Barrett will be up to do an entire set of covers of her own music!

Next up is 'Swirling Shore' - i know very little about them. Someone told me to google their description, but if you do that, most of the references have to do with weather. Still it's a daps show, I'm sure that Swirling Shore will be somewhere between the Band's Last Waltz concert and a Beatles re-union (with Lennon and Harrison magically being resurrected for the show.)

Next up will be the "Nintendo-punk-rap parrrrty!" of Times Neue Roman - yes, you've heard right, the band is even better than the font!!

Capping off the afternoon will be the buzz band of the Pitter Patter festival Pick A Piper!

Now you've got three hours off, grab a coffee, have a beer with friends, take a nap, grab some dinner, whatever you need to do to get ready for Round 2!

Because starting at 9 (I'm totally guessing) down at the Horseshoe the Radio 3

That NxNE Sat June 20 is the CBC Radio 3 night! Jason Collett, Woodhands, Hot Panda, Lovely Feathers and more!

Because it's a licensed venue the Horseshoe will have beer (you didn't want to start drinking at 1 anyway.)

I don't have the full details for the Radio 3 showcase but the show will feature Jason Collett, Woodhands, Hot Panda and way more and that will take you into the wee hours of the morning after that what you do is up to you. But if you thought you were seeing anything other than seeing bands that day - you were wrong.

Life is Like Canadian Football?

The CFL Sessions story goes like this in the 1970's Canadian Folkorist Staunton R. Livingston recorded songs of CFL players performing original and traditional songs - about football. The recordings were then promptly placed in the national archives where they were lost until 2008. Resident folklorist at the National Archives, Henry Adam Svec then discovered the badly deteriorated tapes and brought them back into the light

They were then rerecorded in sessions at London, Ontario and Sackville, NB and feature guest performances by Andy Magoffin of the Two Minute Miracles (who also produced the London, Ont. session) and Laura Barrett.

A special commemorative CD will be released on August 1, 2009 but you can download it digitally for free, right now at http://www.thecflsessions.ca/songs.html. The CFL Sessions website also has more information about the original and new recordings and the people involved.

Life is Like Canadian Football (drum solo by Andy Magoffin)


Madonna with No Divinity (with Laura Barrett)

London's Oh! Fest is Oh-So-Good

London's Oh! Fest takes place this weekend at multiple live music venues around the city. The festival is put on the by Open House Arts Collectiv, London's own arts collective. Great Canadian acts will be playing all weekend long, including CHRW Local Album of the Year winner, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, who kicked off the festivities last night with a stellar performance we've come to expect from London's folk ambassadors.

Tonight (Saturday May 25) at The Black Shire Pub more exciting Canadian bands are strutting their stuff. New-age disco outfit Lioness highlights the show opened by The Ghost is Dancing and A Horse and His Boy. Lioness combines shopped and screwed disco with experimental synths to put together a sound worth hearing live. Their most popular track, a bona fide club hit, “You're My heart” is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Lioness.

The Ghost is Dancing combines an alt-rock sensibility, with some great hooks. This band is so catchy you'll want to sing along and with the perfectly placed chanting interludes. A mystical quality emanates The Ghost is Dancing's sound that will surely draw the audience into their live set tonight. London's own A Horse and His Boy will open with their ambient sound and distorted lyrics.

Sunday night will also be a can't-miss evening at Chaucer's Pub. Singer-songwriter Laura Barrett headlines alongside The Burning Hell, one of Canada's most intriguing bands at the moment. Justin wrote a full feature on them a while back, be sure to check it out.

See you all at Oh! Fest,

Adam Szymanski

Laura Barrett + Patrick Watson in Quebec City, Montreal & T.O.

Sometimes she's a Hidden Camera, sometimes she's an Adorable but normally she's just Canada's Sexiest Musician (according to the Bucky Awards anyway) Laura Barrett and if you're in Quebec City, Montreal or Toronto (her home town) you're in luck. Laura has added new dates to her tour and for these she's opening for Patrick Watson (who is also pretty good). ;)

In Quebec City at L'Imperial on the 27th of april.

In Montreal at La Tulipe on the 29th AND 30th of april.

then May 2nd... She's back in toronto playing with Patrick Watson at the beautiful Trinity St. Paul.

Laura Barrett & the Phonemes Tour the West in April

Sometimes Hidden Camera and Adorable and the woman recently voted Canada's Sexiest Musician at the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards - Laura Barrett is heading west with her friends the Phonemes who are fresh off of a Wombatty Winter.

The places you need to be are:

8 Apr 2009 Duck Creek Gallery Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
10 Apr 2009 50/50 Collective Victoria, British Columbia
11 Apr 2009 Blim (Prairie Cat Will Be at This One Too) Vancouver, British Columbia
12 Apr 2009 Little Mountain Studios Vancouver, British Columbia
14 Apr 2009 TBA Osoyoos, British Columbia
17 Apr 2009 Broken Jug Calgary, Alberta
18 Apr 2009 The Hydeaway Edmonton, Alberta
19 Apr 2009 All Citizens Bruno, Saskatchewan
20 Apr 2009 Lydia's Loft, Saskatoon
21 Apr 2009 The Exchange Regina, Saskatchewan
22 Apr 2009 Lo Pub Winnipeg, Manitoba
23 Apr 2009 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario

Laura Barrett - Sorting Hat