Fish & Bird... Across Canada in a Veggie Oil Van

April 2 @ 8:00pm: Cafe Deux Soliels, Vancouver, BC
April 3 @ 9:00pm: Fort St. Cafe, Victoria, BC w/ Far West
April 4 @ 7:30pm: Victoria Folk Club, Victoria, BC
April 7 @ 7:30pm: The Dream Cafe, Penticton, BC
April 8 @ 8:00pm: Jogas Cafe, Grand Forks, BC
April 9 @ 9:00pm: Velvet Underground, Nelson, BC
April 10 & 11 @ 8:00pm: Auditorium Hotel, Nanton, AB
April 12 @ 9:00pm: Henotic Lounge, Lethbridge, AB
April 14 @ 7:30pm: Mortlach Concert Series, Mortlach, SK
April 15 @ 8:00pm: Brandon Folk Music & Art Festival Studio, Brandon, MB
April 16 @ 7:30pm: Solid Grounds Cafe, Lorette, MB
April 17 @ 10:00pm: Times Changed High & Lonesome Club, Winnipeg, MB
April 18 @ 8:00pm: House Concert, Falcon Lake, MB
April 19 @ 9:00pm: The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
April 21 @ 8:00pm: Urban Cafe, North Bay, ON
April 22: Venue TBA, Toronto, ON
April 23 @ 8:00pm: Grumpy's Bar, Montreal, QC
April 25 @ 8:00pm: Divant Orange, Montreal, QC w/ David Simard
April 27 @ 8:00pm: The Spill, Peterborough, ON w/ David Simard
April 29 @ 8:00pm: House Concert, Guelph, ON
April 30 @ 9:00pm: The Local, Toronto, ON
May 1 @ 7:30pm: Little Montreal, Sudbury, ON
May 5 @ 9:00pm: Bushwakkers Tavern, Regina, SK
May 6 @ 10:00pm: Lydia's, Saskatoon, SK
May 7 @ 9:00pm: Track's Pub, Olds, AB
May 9 @ 8:00pm: Ironwood Stage & Grill, Calgary, AB w/ Oh My Darling!
May 12 @ 8:00pm: Art We Are Gallery, Kamloops, BC w/ Texting Mackenzie
May 20 @ 10:00pm: Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC w/ The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
May 21 @ 8:00pm: Moby's, Salt Spring Island, BC w/ The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
May 22 @ 8:00pm: Centennial Square, Victoria, BC w/ The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra !!FREE SHOW!!

Burst Into Flower this spring with Fish & Bird!

Fish & Bird are hitting the road once again! These travelers of the highways are reaching far and wide across the country this spring, rousing audiences everywhere they go in their veggie-oil fueled Delica Van. Songwriter and banjo player Taylor Ashton (Winnipeg) and fiddler Adam Iredale-Gray (Victoria) are joined by guitarist Ryan Boeur (Vancouver) and upright bassist Zoe Guigeno (Toronto), rounding out an already irresistable sound with top notch players from across Canada. Don't miss Fish & Bird in your neck of the woods this spring!

Fish & Bird's relationship with folk music is a little complicated. Their love for old-time and folk traditions comes from deep in their hearts, but that profound respect doesn't stop them from showing the genre a little abuse. At the core of Fish & Bird is a partnership between virtuosic multi-instrumentalist Adam Iredale-Gray and singer/songwriter Taylor Ashton, and their musical education stems from playing such diverse styles as Irish music, jazz, garage rock, musical theatre, and old-time. Fish & Bird layer these styles into their traditional roots and stay fresh and unique through their desire to create new and exciting music utilizing all these various influences.

Their self recorded, self-produced, and self-titled debut EP, was released in 2007, to attentive audiences across Canada. Their latest recording, also self produced, recorded and packaged, the full-length "Left Brain Blues", is a more mature and developed exploration of what happens when the pair's musical influences collide. In just under an hour, it takes the folk genre for a wild ride through eastern influences, pop rock and traditional roots, while remaining cohesive. It showcases Taylor Ashton's agile voice, which ranges from a deep bass to a very sturdy falsetto, and the pair's creative arrangements, as well as a full cast of well known guest musicians.

A live Fish & Bird show comes in many shapes and sizes; from a duo to a five piece full band, and all sorts of configurations between, even switching up instruments among themselves. They have played hundreds of shows, toured the length of the country four times and played loads of close to home shows. They've garnered attention from the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and heard themselves on CBC and college/community radio stations across Canada. From the fundraiser for the upcoming 2011 Folk Festival in Victoria, to house concerts, sold out nightclubs and back rooms of cafes, what keeps them getting back on stage night after night is a passion to perform their unique brand of art folk for as many people as they can get to listen. Are you listening?



"There is something about Left Brain Blues that carves a path right to your core in the most intimate way." ~ Nancy Vivolo, VictoryMusic.org

Fish & Bird's WEBSITE
Fish & Bird on MYSPACE
Fish & Bird on TWITTER
Fish & Bird on YOUTUBE
Fish & Bird on CD BABY
Left Brain Blues REVIEW on VictoryMusic.org

Free Classical Music in Montreal This Weekend

Are you looking for an inexpensive introduction to classical music on this warm January weekend in Montreal? If you look around, you can find many alternatives to the expensive symphony concerts in many Canadian cities.
For example, I found two good choices for this weekend in Montreal. Go forth, and enjoy the music:

• On Saturday January 16th at 7:30 PM, the Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal; étudiants en direction d'orchestre gives a free concert at the Salle Claude-Champagne: 200 Vincent-d'Indy (métro Édouard-Montpetit). http://www.musique.umontreal.ca/
  
  
• And on Sunday January 17th at 2:30 PM, at St. John's Lutheran Church 3594 Jeanne-Mance (corner Prince-Arthur) for a freewill offering, you can see:
  Serenata at St. John's Ted Baskin, Alexa Zirbel, oboe; Josée Marchand, English horn; Susan Pulliam, Sara Bohl Pistolesi, violin; Michael Krausse, viola; Donald Pistolesi, celloBeethoven: String Quartet, op.18 #4; Wranitzky: Trio for 2 oboes and English horn; Triebensee: Variations on a Theme by Haydn
  

Add a comment if you went to either of these concerts, or if you want to see more free classical recommendations.

The Beatdown sign to Stomp Records and announce tour in support of Spring full length release

Jamming news for ska and reggae fans, Montreal's The Beatdown (ex-One Night Band members) have signed with Stomp Records (Johnstones, Saint Alvia, Creepshow) and will be releasing their debut album in April 2010.

Previous project "One Night Band" is currently on a break, but singer/guitarist Alex Giguere has been keeping busy. Joining forces with Giguere is ONB bass player Pascal Lesieur, ex-drummer Nicolas Fizzano and friend Jovanny Savoie they are The Beatdown. Expect pure reggae, ska with soul, and a punk edge.

The four-piece spent the fall recording in Montreal at Indygene Studios and frontman Giguère, who's worked with bands such as The Planet Smashers, Staylefish, One Night Band, and RDC, produced the forthcoming record. The 12 tracks that make up the full-length features well-known musicians including Larry Love and Patty (One Night Band) and Josh Fuhrman (the Kingpins).

The Beatdown will be spending most of their time on the road, playing their contagious reggae/ska with new and old fans alike. The Beatdown will be hitting the road in January across Quebec and Ontario before heading over to Europe for a month-long tour. In their short time together as a band, The Beatdown have already played at the Montreal International Reggae Festival, Montreal Ska Festival, Ottawa Ska Fest, Festival du bout du monde in Gaspé and has backed Jamaican singer Vernon Maytone and toured with The Johnstones, The Slackers, U-Roy, and Green Room Rockers, just to name a few. So fans of indie music and ska/reggae, will probably dig the unique sounds of The Beatdown.

DOWNLOAD/STREAM tracks from the forthcoming LP:
"Get Ready" - http://drop.io/thebeatdown_preview
"One Night" - http://drop.io/thebeatdown_preview2

TOUR DATES
January 18th @ Université de Trois Rivieres, Trois-Rivieres w/ Planet Smashers
January 21st @ Kathedral, Toronto
January 22nd @ GTA, TBC
January 28th @ Petit Campus, Montreal
January 29th @ L'Agitée, Quebec w/ Subb
January 30th @ Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa
January 30th @ Chez Maurice, St-Lazare
February 5th @ Cégep Lionel Groulx, Ste-Thérèse

LINKS
http://www.myspace.com/jointhebeatdown
http://stomprecords.com

Christmas Groove (and more) with the Christine Jensen Quartet

Highly talented saxophonist and tour-de-force composer Christine Jensen will be playing with her jazz quartet tomorrow and Saturday, at the Upstairs Jazz, here in Montreal.

The band will be playing some of Christine’s own compositions along with some revamped and revisited holiday classics. Featuring:

Christine Jensen - sax
Steve Amirault - piano
Fraser Hollins - bass
Dave Laing - drums

Christine Jensen has quickly earned a national and then an international reputation as an important new voice in jazz, both for her dynamic, agile playing as well as her smart, prize winning compositions. Proudly Canadian, Christine is a darling of CBC radio and Radio-Canada’s Espace-Musique, where her music, especially her live concerts, can frequently be heard. She also regularly performs and records with her sister, jazz trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. Jensen performs and records regularly with her sister Ingrid

For more info on Christine Jensen, please check out her Website and Myspace page.

Details: Friday, Dec. 11^th, and Saturday, Dec. 12^th, at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill in Montreal.
Sets are at 20:30 / 22:15 / 0:00. Entrance is $15 / $10 / Free.

You can [iks]perience it this Friday, for Free!

Those of you who’ve recently entertained any thoughts along the lines of, “Hey, I wonder what happened to [iks]? Damn, that was a good band!” then rejoice; they are making a return... although technically, they never left.
And if that name doesn't mean anything to you, then allow me to indoctrinate you to the idea that [iks] is synonymous with “ingeniously good music”. I’ll present more details next week about the band’s history and planned direction, including highlights from a discussion with its two founders, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay and Sylvain Pohu, but for the moment, as I assume that too many of you are unfamiliar with this band, I’d like to take the opportunity to simply introduce you to the idea that is [iks]. Why? Because these days the truly intelligent and original music is all too easily obscured in a stormy sea of vapid beats and riffs... and anyone who is serious about good music should at least take the time to discover this independent venture.

Crudely categorized—a label for the sake of labels—[iks] is a Montreal based contemporary jazz band. But that’s what I love so much about this band, their ability to transcend genre through originality despite an albeit classifiable approach; for clearly it is jazz, but not entirely for the standard reasons. The sense of freedom inherent to jazz is all there, their compositions acting merely as frameworks for the heartfelt communication that is about to unfold, effortlessly told with remarkable insight in a language that combines various styles and melodic influences, transporting listeners into recognizable musicscapes in truly unique ways; yet the minute you think you've put your finger on it, a transformation has already taken place, exploded, coalesced new styles and rhythms that carry you into another dimension; this, from song to song, and album to album.
But unlike what you may expect, they don’t sound anything like chaos! It’s smart music with a soul, not intellectualized noise.

These guys, each well-trained and capable musicians, really truly absolutely are making music purely and simply for the sake of expressing themselves... musically. It’s creation born out of a need to create, not out of false expectations, and you can feel it! The group is actually guided by that all ever important mix of raw passion and reined talent propelled by an honest curiosity to explore new grounds in various ways—the hallmark of genius—as much in regards to structure and style as in their live integration of new technological wizardry. More importantly, their organic, improvisational approach to music-making does not compromise the purity and integrity of individual creativity – it is always present as a reflection of the moment. Therefore, their music is sometimes crude, occasionally awkward, but it is always brilliantly honest. Because of this, called upon to describe [iks] using one quick “sound bite”, that phrase would have to be: Rebellion without the angst. In one word: Art.

And that’s what’s so invigorating about [iks]; it’s a uniting concept and creative force rather than a simple, interchangeable band name. For this reason, [iks] has maintained a rare freshness with each of its seven albums, approaching each project as an opportunity to innovate new mean’s of capturing the group’s “moment”—with all of the metaphysical implications—by relying on the collective knowledge gained up to that point to express the shared emotive state that dominates at that period in their lives. As such, [iks] is a vision and an approach to music, free of all the marketing and other trappings that currently plagues the music industry; it is subjectivity thick-n-through, without any hints of corporate objectivity. This is what makes those inevitable, reality-imposed changes in members the band has had to endure incredibly palatable rather than detrimental. The per project approach frees new members from having to be imitators of their predecessor; it allows and adapts to each player’s individual dexterity and versatility as musicians, as opposed to mere band members, and their ability to communicate that individuality... as a whole. Yet the [iks] concept is so well-defined and understood amongst the musicians involved in each project that the band manages to pull off what so very few seem to achieve – a unique and identifiable sound. Hence, every project truly is a new iksperience.

But do not leave this piece hypnotized by my words, expecting grandiose music that will awaken your soul to divine-like glimpses shaking you to the very core. This can only lead to disappointment. However, what you should retain is the possibility that your aural senses will be thrust on a brand new musical journey, providing you’ve got the patience and willingness to listen whilst letting go of your pre-conceived notions about style and personal tastes. After all, isn’t “the discovery” one of the key elements that makes music so appealing?

Go. Discover. And I’ll provide the details next week.

[iks] is available on the Ora music label. Check out their website http://www.iksperience.com/

For those of you in or around Montreal:

Finally, after an extended break, they are materialising on stage! but with one major change; Pierre Alexandre Tremblay is no longer there. Co-founder Sylvain Pohu, who in my opinion is a shamefully overlooked guitarist, is now alone at the helm, but well surrounded with a familiar cast of like-minded folks.

They are playing this Friday, December 11^th, at la Chapelle historique du bon pasteur in Montreal. [iks] will perform with flutist/composer Cléo Palacio-Quintin. The event is FREE.

Band members are:

Sylvain Pohu - guitar and laptop
Philippe Brault - bass and laptop
Nicolas Boucher - piano
Sébastien Arcand-Tourigny - sax
Joao Catalao - drums

Here’s is an auditory and visual treat from the band’s “African” period:

courir pour rien

[iks] | MySpace Music Videos

Classical Guitar Gala - Featuring Canada's Best

For those of you who will be in the Montreal area tomorrow evening (Friday, November 20), might I suggest a fresh and engaging outing of guitar music. And this isn't your usual rock/punk/grunge/pop/mixture-of-all-these-genres, or experimental, electrically charged, break all bounds type of music... Expect an evening of music where structure reigns supreme and where mastery depends on phrasing and a control of nuances, not on noise and speed... Good and honest, well-crafted compositions that do the soul good.
I'm proposing a classical guitar concert, with none other than the Trio Alla Grande and Patrick Kearney.

Trio Alla Grande is comprised of Rémi Barrette, Julien Bisaillon, and Bruno Roussel; three of the best young classical guitarists to emerge from the Outaouais region. Taking the prim-and-proper out of the Canadian Classical music scene, and drawing from various influences ranging from South American rhythms to impressionism, they offer an original contemporary, and energetic repertoire that is sure to be pleasing to both die-hard classicists and uninitiated newbies alike.
Joining into this wonderful complicity with equal passion and enthusiasm is Patrick Kearney, one of Canada's most distinguished, prominent classical guitarist who has been heralded as a breathless revelation by both critics and listeners. He has won countless prizes and honours, and is the founder of the Lachine International Guitar Festival and Competition.
If you're not familiar with these fellows or the genre, why not do yourself a favour by stepping out of your usual sphere of musical experiences and taking advantage of this opportunity to acquaint yourself with understated but pure talent.

Ticket are currently on sale at Le Milieu and can be purchased at the door before the concert; cost is $20 and $15 for students. The performance begins at 20:00 and is expected to run until 01:00. Enjoy.


Le Milieu, 6545 Durocher, suite 200 (corner of Beaubien)

What you should be listening to, to start your day...

...is the new Fun And Laughter EP from Montreal's Land Of Talk.

There are currently starting their west coast tour, and then hitting the east coast, but the only Canadian dates are in Vancouver on November 7th, and Montreal on the 12th.

Check out their page on Saddle Creek for some tour dates, and info on how to pick up the limited edition CD version of the EP with screen printed art designed by the band.

Nevado Records' Yukon Blonde & Leif Vollebek in Toronto tonight

Yukon Blonde will be playing one of their last shows here out east after a long tour supporting the release of their new E.P. 'Everything In Everyway'.
Be sure to catch them in your town as they make the trek back to B.C.


Joining them tonight only will be Leif Vollebekk from Montreal, who is the latest addition to the Nevado Records family.

The show tonight in Toronto is at The Sound Academy and is pay what you can. doors at 9 p.m.

Leif Vollebekk on Myspace

Yukon Blonde on Myspace

photos: Alex Cairncross