North By East West

Free Download from Said the Whale: In memory of Dan Achen

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:47:00 +0000

On Friday Dan Achen of ’90s alt-rock band Junkhouse and, more recently of Catherine North Studios passed away from a heart attack at the age of 51. Today, Said the Whale, friend's of Achen's posted the following on their website:

"In October 2008, we had the pleasure of spending at day at Catherine North Studios, co-owned and operated by the late Dan Achen. We had first been there a few months prior, recording with our friend Amanda Zelina, and were blown away by the space, so we booked a day in the middle of a hectic tour to record a few songs of our own. Entering the studio with four completely unrehearsed songs and attempting to record them live off the floor is no easy task, especially for a band as road-weary as we were, but Dan made it feel effortless.

One of the first things we ever heard him say was during the first time we met him at the Amanda Zelina session; In response to someone’s query “shouldn’t we lay down a click-track first?”, he promptly replied “No man, just vibe with it”. I remember how freeing it was to hear a producer say something like that, and every time I’ve recorded with a metronome since then I’ve always wondered if Dan would have done it that way.

Having only spent a brief period of time with him, its hard to provide a detailed memoir of his character, but ask anyone who knew him and they’ll tell you how great Dan was and what a pleasure he was to work with. His resume was extensive, and he had great musicians working with him for good reason. Canada has lost a fantastic member of the music community, and alot of people have lost a good friend. Our condolences go out to those who share in this loss.

In memory of Dan, we’d like to share with you the four songs we recorded on that day in October ‘08. You’ll recognize all of the songs from our latest album (and the Magician EP), but the structures of some songs are slightly different than the final versions, as these are songs in their early stages. And yes, that’s Dan at the beginning of the first song who says “a two minute song? This song’s only two minutes long?”
Hey Dan – we added a chorus at the end of the song, so its 2:36 now!
Love,
Said The Whale"

To download the free Catherine North sessions visit saidthewhale.com.

Make Fish Tacos with Carolyn Cooks

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:33:00 +0000

Apparently this is the last "Carolyn Cooks" for now anyway - with Dave Lang of NQ Arbuckle

Library Voices: Tour Dates and Concerts on Demand

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:49:00 +0000

Library Voices have just announced a new round of tour dates to celebrate the release of their new album Denim on Denim. They've also got a show up on CBC Radio 2's Concerts on Demand recorded live at the Exchange in Regina on Feb 12. I don't know how this works in PC land but if you have a Mac and a little program called Flip for Mac you can download the Concerts on Demand shows and stick em on your MP3 player (sweet!).

Go see Libary Voices @

April 09 - Courtenay BC @ Avalanche w/ Yukon Blonde & In-Flight Safety
April 10 - Vancouver BC @ 560 Seymour w/ We Are The City
April 16 - Estevan SK @ ECS
April 17 - Yorkton SK @ The Spot
April 20 - Lethbridge AB @ Henotic
April 21 - Edmonton AB @ Black Dog
April 22 - Canmore AB @ The Canmore Hotel
April 23 - Saskatoon SK @ Amigos
April 24 - Regina SK @ The Exchange
May 01 - Moose Jaw SK @ Library Theatre

Extended Play #7: Do Music Bloggers Have All the Power

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:16:00 +0000

This isn't the first time I've mentioned this but I love Lisa Chritiansen's new CBC Radio 3 podcast extended play. You see, while I spend a great deal of time with music - listening to it, going to shows, thinking about it, writing about it ... - I am not what you'd call a pop culture junkie. I could care less about fashion, I'm not a foodie and likely haven't heard about that new restaurant that you love, that new tv show that everyone's talking about - I probably haven't seen it, and odds are wouldn't like it if I had. I read books, daily. I spend a great deal of time on a few dozen national and international news sites and if you see my walking down the street with headphones on there is a 50/50 chance that I'm listening to music. The other half of the time I'm listening to podcasts from the CBC, NPR, the BBC, How Stuff Works and others on science, technology, politics, history, philosophy, news, film, literature, comedy, etc.,

So, Extended Play's combination of music and the culture that surrounds it - the ideas, philosophies and inner workings of music is a great combo for me.

This weeks show is on music bloggers: how much power they have, whether or not that power is justified, how music blogs compare to traditional media etc.,

You can grab the m4a, mp3 or ogg for that particular episode or just subscribe on itunes (totally worth it).

As for my thoughts on this particular topic:

If the traditional media could really cover music, there would have been no blogs. The reality is that there are too many bands for traditional media to cover them all. In Canada alone I'd estimate that there are 40-50 thousand - even Exclaim doesn't have that kind of time.

I guess one way to think of music blogs is a kind of minor league for music. Music blogs tell you about artists long before most traditional media, most (but not all) of the artists we talk about at NxEW you can still see for a $5-10 cover charge at your local venue. At the same time I was thrilled to see Dan Mangan on CBC television this week.

The reality is that if Dan hadn't been covered by music blogs for the last 2-3 years he likely never would have been on CBC television and being on CBC television now opens him up to a much wider audience. Traditional media coverage is still better, but blogs are now necessary to get to the point where the traditional media is interested (not to mention helping you sell albums, fill seats and pay the bills in the interim.)

In the 80s and 90s there was a music industry and a music press - where big labels pitch their latest offerings to the official media. If you weren't on a major label - forget about the mainstream press. Now we have something of a music ecosystem, with a variety of different parts (fans, bloggers, musicians, media, etc) all playing their role. The big music industry is dying (if the reports I've read are correct EMI lost 1.4 billion last year) and the traditional media is re-defining itself and becoming more responsive to the audience. All in all it's leading to a much better system for most of us, at any rate it's exciting times.

Live Video: Samir Khan (Tusks) on SouthernSouls.ca

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:39:00 +0000

SAMIR KHAN (TUSKS) - Mothers vs. Sons from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

SAMIR KHAN (TUSKS) - A Stranger (To Yourself) from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

Greg Keelor on Canadian Interviews

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Continuing their series on Canadian musicians, Canadian Interviews has a chat with Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor. Recently these have focused on younger, newer artists like the Wooden Sky, Basia Bulat, Wayne Petti, Tim Baker (Hey Rosetta!) and Jenn Grant but Blue Rodeo seem to have enjoyed a bit of a resurgence with their latest album. It may be, in part, because of their recent work with Cuff the Duke's Wayne Petti and Julie Fader (Great Lake Swimmers, Chad Vangaalen, Sarah Harmer, etc). More likely it's because Blue Rodeo's paricular brand of Alt. Country is gaining new fans as bands like the Great Lake Swimmers, Elliott Brood, the Wooden Sky, the Mountains and the Trees, and many other recent bands play with country and roots on various levels.

You can read the Keelor interview here:

CI: Earlier this week the Juno nominations came out. Blue Rodeo was nominated for Group of the Year, and also Cuff the Duke was nominated for the first time for a Juno Award for Way Down Here, which you co-produced and recorded at the home studio. How satisfying is it for you to see those guys get some recognition like that?

GK: Oh, it’s fantastic! I think they’re a great band, a great group of guys. It’s sort of a surprise that they’ve never been nominated for anything before. You know, Blue Rodeo is very lucky in the style of music that we play; we’ve been around so long that we have an audience. In Cuff, the type of music that they play, it’s not the easiest thing to get a bigger, mainstream sort of audience. So it’s very nice that they’re getting some recognition. …

Blue Rodeo play on Diesel Playhouse Roof top from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

Free Tickets: Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton - Go see Postdata, Julie Fader and Clinton St. John

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:44:00 +0000

Postdata is heading to the west for a few days with Julie Fader and Clinton St. John and we've got 4 free sets of tickets to each show

If any of these names aren't immediately familiar to you

Postdata is the side project of Wintersleep's Paul Murphy.

Julie Fader has been called the Polaris secret weapon having played on albums by Chad Van Gaalen, the Great Lake Swimmers, Sarah Harmer and many, many others. She will soon be best known for her solo work.

Clinton St. John is the singer songwriter behind such acts as Cape May and the Pale Air Singers

If you would like to go to any of these shows drop an email to northbyeastwest@gmail.com, give me your full name and let me know which show you'd like to go to. Don't worry you won't be put on a mailing list or anything.

March 18 - Calgary, AB @ The Republik w/ Clinton St. John & Julie Fader
March 19 - Edmonton, AB @ Brixx w/ Clinton St. John & Julie Fader
March 20 - Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club w/ Clinton St. John & Julie Fader (early show)

Postdata - Tobais Grey

Live Video: The Beauties @ the Horseshoe

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:39:00 +0000

The Beauties from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

Toronto roots rockers the Beauties playing at the Horseshoe, March 13, as part of CMW

Via Now

87 Free Tracks from 87 Canadian Artists at SXSW from Canadian Blast

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:17:00 +0000

Thanks to Dan Mangan for the head's up on this: Canada Blast is offering up one free download for each artist playing this year's SXSW. That means 87 free tracks from 87 artists.

They do ask you for a Name, City, Country and email address to get the zip file but if you're up for it go here and get free tracks from - DD/MM/YYYY, Hot Panda, Elliott Brood, Forest City Lovers, Shout Out Out Out Out, Woodhands, Parlovr, Still Life Still, Winter Gloves, Little Girls, Catherine MacLellan, Diamond Rings, Plants and Animals, Think About Life, Grand Analog, Bruce Peninsula, Brasstronaut, the Trews, Dan Mangan, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Timber Timbre, We Are Wolves, Luke Doucet and White Falcon, Yukon Blonde, Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle, The Pack A.D., The Deep Dark Woods, Jill Barber, Hey Rosetta!, Lynn Miles, Zeus, The Lovely Feathers, Jason Collett, Parlour Steps, Jay Sparrow, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Priestess, La Patère Rose, Josh Martinez, The Whitsundays, Holy Fuck, Brian Borcherdt, Radio Radio, Metric, Melissa McClelland , Bonjay, Mantler, Eternia, Hollerado, Two Hours Traffic, Beast, Sex With Strangers, Poirer, the Joys, Bison B.C., Jokers Of The Scene, CFCF, Voivod, the Wordburglar, Delhi 2 Dublin, Amelia Curran, Billy the Kid, Boats, More or Les and Fresh Kils, Sass Jordan, Matthew Good, Jesse Dangerously, Lights, Sally Seltmann, Lullabye Arkestra, Adonis Puentes, Empire ISIS, The Peelies, Silver Starling, Dave Rave, Ora Cogan, Darlings of Chelsea, David Francey, Bastard Child Death Cult, Les Psycho Riders, Felix Cartal, Final Flash, Ruth Moody, Simon Collins, Promise and Black Feelings.

Live Video: Hot Panda at Lee's Palace (Canadian Music Week)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:56:00 +0000

I've loved Hot Panda for a few years now. I made their web site so it should really come as a surprise to no one that I loved Saturday's show at Lee's Palace (my last official show of Canadian Music Week.) That said, every time they come all the way from Edmonton to play I try to be there. It's also the first time I've seen them with new bassist Catherine Hiltz, who is great - she brings huge energy to an already hyperactive band.

One of the odd things though about Hot Panda is that while they do really good live shows it is really difficult to get evidence. I've tried video taping their shows before and the picture, or the sound or both is always off for some reason and I know that I'm not the only one affected by this. A quick scan of YouTube will reveal - almost nothing. For my latest attempt, on Saturday - I'm once again thrilled with neither the sound (which is muted) nor the video (the flood lights pointed directly at the audience make it difficult). Still, rather than risk another 6 months going by before I could make another attempt. I thought I'd share what I had. Hopefully my next attempt, whenever that may be, will come out better.

Oh...and if you happen to be at SXSW catch them at the Mint/Six Shooter Hootenany w/ Shout out Out Out Out, The Pack A.D., etc on March 18 and/or March 19 @ Jamie's Spanish.
March 18- SXSW, Austin,

It's Worth Eight Dollars

1995

Chinatown Bus

We Are The City & Aidan Knight: Reckless Bravery Tour Blog #4

noreply@blogger.com (we are the city) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:06:00 +0000

Quebec Cuisine by Aidan Knight

Devlan Roy and I finally moved in together, just outside of downtown Victoria. We had been talking about being roommates since we were 15 years old, and the summer of 2008 sounded as good a time as any to try it out. I had originally heard about Schwartz’s Deli from Devlan; I had to go. We drove across the St. Lawrence and I put the address into Carmen (our GPS) to take us to the birthplace of “The Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich.” I think I had hyped the sandwich to an uncomfortable plateau of flavour and value to Andy, Cayne and David. In my mind, there might be an arguably better sandwich in Canada, but Schwartz’s is half about the sandwich and half about the experience of dining in the deli. You are herded into a seat, surrounded by young professionals and older gentlemen who’ve been eating “Viande Fumée” nearly every lunch hour since 1928. I’ll be brief: This is a vegetarian’s nightmare. Except for the cornichon.

Before loading in at Le Salon Vert; Cayne, Andy and I walked down to St. Viateur for a real Montreal bagel. We ate poutine in its birthplace, Drummondville, with our friends JF, Sophie, and Kevin. We went back to Schwartz’s and Andy left the video camera there after another incredible sandwich. Good food has that effect on people, it makes you blissed out in the best possible way. If all of our shows got cancelled, I’d still be excited to travel with these friends and eat all these great meals. Devlan and I eventually moved out of 1123 Bay, but I can’t wait to get home and tell him that he was right. Best Sandwich in Canada.

English To French Translations by David Menzel

Being in Quebec has its challenges for me! I love the beauty, I love the history and I love the scenery but I don’t speak French. I don’t speak any French! The four of us don’t really speak the language but Cayne, Andy and Aidan all speak more than me. I’m not jealous but I’m not necessarily happy about it. I don’t understand parking meters, parking tickets, menus, road signs, posters, or people. But that’s okay cause we have Jean Francois! For most of our time in Quebec we have stayed with our good friend J.F. he’s great! He’s been our guide and best friend on this Quebec adventure. I love Quebec and even though I feel like there is a language barrier in many areas for me, it is always a pleasure to be back!

Find our second video blog of this tour here: http://www.aux.tv/newmusic/music-news/we-are-the-city-tour-vlog-2/

Find our first video blog of this tour here: http://www.aux.tv/newmusic/music-news/we-are-the-city-tour-vlog-1/

Find tour blog #3 here: http://www.nxew.ca/2010/03/we-are-city-aidan-knight-reckless_07.html

Find tour blog #2 here: http://www.nxew.ca/2010/03/we-are-city-aidan-knight-reckless.html

Find tour blog #1 here: http://www.nxew.ca/2010/02/we-are-city-aidan-knight-reckless.html

Cop Shades EP Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jadester) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:48:00 +0000

EP Cover, courtesy of the band.

COP SHADES EP Review

by Jade Sperry

COP SHADES are a trio that consists of Remi Cormier (vocals/effects), Colin Muir (bass) and Kyle McDonald (drums) who reside in Moncton NB. They have released their debut EP as a free download on Superbob Records, which is the label home of The Monoxides formed by Ken Kelley. The band pegs their music “stoner/indie/experimental”, and indeed, they are just that. Formed in mid 2009, they introduce a slick fusion of indie, psychedelic, electronic and desert rock to the ears of the listener on this 5 song EP.

The first song “I Shit Ponies” is a classic song that reminds this writer of early Sonic Youth back in the day: echoed vocals, heavy vocal effects, fuzzed out bass and all with a steady beat from the drummer. With no guitars in this band, I find that one element refreshing for a change. “Gentlemen's Concentration Camp” has a deliciously dark and sinister twist of lyrics combined together with the music that is mostly in minor tones which set the song off in a totally different direction than the first song. This shows the band has depth and is versatile in going off in a direction that most bands today don't explore. “Women's Rights” is about a man falling for a beautiful female policewoman. There is high energy in this song, I like the fun in the lyrics, and its a very well mixed song. The drums really go boldly in this song which gives it a consistent groove to work from. “The Sorority” is a good song that is well mixed but lacks construction. The final song is for this writer, a gem. “North Korean Arts Degree” is the best song musically speaking in a long time. Starting with the bass, and with the drums not far behind, it suddenly becomes a punk song that ends in a Chris Cornell-ish scream. Nirvana meets Sonic Youth and Soundgarden head on to end this EP on a very high note.

The band is very busy these days in preparation of going into the studio to record a full length album and also will tour Canada extensively this summer. With two Vancouver shows planned, I will be there with my camera to capture the moment.

Download their EP for FREE at Superbob. And, check out COP SHADES' debut video and tour dates for the summer of 2010 on their MySpace page.

COP SHADES - North Korean Arts Degree (Official Video) from Superbob Records on Vimeo.

In Flight Safety Tour Dates (w/ Said the Whale and Yukon Blonde)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Via Chartattack - in a nice marriage of East Coast and West Coast sounds Halifax's In Flight Safety has announced a series of tour dates across the country with Vancouver's Said the Whale and Yukon Blonde (as well as dates with Heavy Meadows, Corey Isenor and Graham Wright).

See em at:

March 19 Fredericton, NB @ The Capital w/ Heavy Meadows and Corey Isenor
March 20 Truro, NS @ Marigold Centre
March 25 Montreal, QC @ Green Room w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
March 26 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
March 27 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo w/ Said The Wahel, We Are The Take and Graham Wright
March 28 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
March 29 St. Catharines, ON @ The Mansion House w/ Said The Whale
March 30 London, ON @ The Music Hall Lounge w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
March 31 Windsor, ON @ Blind Dog w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
April 1 Peterborough, ON @ Red Dog Tavern w/ Said The Whale and Graham Wright
April 6 Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret w/ Yukon Blonde
April 7 Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar w/ Yukon Blonde
April 9 Courtenay, BC @ Avalanche Bar w/ Yukon Blonde
April 10 Kelowna, BC @ The Habitat w/ Yukon Blonde
April 11 Canmore, AB @ Communitea Cafe w/ Yukon Blonde
April 14 Grand Prairie, AB @ Better Than Fred's w/ Yukon Blonde
April 15 Edmonton, AB @ Haven Social Club w/ Yukon Blonde
April 16 Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Institute Of Technology w/ Yukon Blonde
April 17 Regina, SK @ The Exchange w/ Yukon Blonde
April 20 Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub & Gallery w/ Yukon Blonde
April 21 Thunder Bay, ON @ Jack's w/ Yukon Blonde

Live Video: Aidan Knight - “Jasper” w/ Dan Mangan and Hannah Georgas @ Criminal Records

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:56:00 +0000

Via RoundLetters

New Video: Think About Life - Havin' my Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Via CBC Radio 3

Live Video: Dan Mangan @ Great Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Dan Mangan at CMW from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

Via NOW

Live Video: Timber Timbre at the Great Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Timber Timbre from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

via NOW

Rural Alberta Advantage Interview with CBC

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Sarah Liss of the CBC sat down for an interview with the Rural Alberta Advantage this week during Canadian Music Week:

"Q: You just celebrated your eighth year as a Toronto transplant. Hometowns comes from a place of nostalgia and bittersweet longing for your formative years in Alberta. Now that you've been spending more and more time on the road and away from your current hometown, should we expect the next RAA album to be a similar reflection on Hogtown life?

A: There are all sorts of events that in some way have an impact on where the music is going and what's coming out. For the past while, we've been on the road and away from friends and family so much, and it would be hard for that not to have an effect on the songs, though it might be more hidden. I do think there's definitely some aspect of the music that's transient. We've been playing a cover of the theme song from The Littlest Hobo. It's so funny - that song sort of typifies what it's like to be constantly on the road. I've known the tune since I was a kid, and once I started to play around with it I realized that outside of the kitschy aspect, it really speaks to me.

But with the next record, there will still be some Alberta references and stuff. I see the next Rural Alberta Advantage release as a companion piece to Hometowns. And then from there, we can take a step beyond what we've been doing. But y'know, within the music, there'll always be some reflection of the fact that I'm an Alberta boy. Gordon Lightfoot may be getting on, but his work now is no less Canadian than it ever was - it hasn't lost the stamp of the songs he wrote in his youth."

Read the whole thing here.

Coeur de Pirate, Veda Hille, Library Voices and more this week at Canada Live

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:43:00 +0000

This is the weekly thing where I tell you what's coming up on Canada Live, or rather I pass it along. Every weeknight Canada Live on CBC Radio 2 brings you live concerts recorded all over Canada. Someone at Radio 2 passes the list on to me, and I pass it on to you.

Monday, March 15, 2010
concert 1: James Keelaghan
recorded on the Grassy Knoll at the 2009 Vancouver Island MusicFest
Juno award winning folk singer-songwriter James Keelaghan is at home in front of a microphone, guitar in hand. Born in Calgary, awhile in Vancouver, and really at home in Winnipeg, James Keelaghan is one of Canada's richest musical treasures. His songs tell great stories about ordinary people, living and dead. Canada Live caught up with him on the Grassy Knoll at the Vancouver Island MusicFest in Courtenay, B.C. late on a sunny Saturday afternoon. One of Canada's great folkies, James treated the crowd to new tunes from his latest CD "House of Cards" and he threw in a few of his favourites for good measure.
concert 2: Bow Djangos
recorded at the Ironwood Grill in Calgary
The Bow Djangos are Calgary's ambassadors of gypsy jazz or "manouche.” It's a sound that developed in France in the 1930s with the instrumentation of violin, two guitars and double bass. The Bow Djangos describe themselves as a motley yet noble band of characters with at least a drop of gypsy blood and a colourful past. The show includes music by Django Reinhardt - from whom they take their name and some gypsy favourites.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
concert 1: Coeur de Pirate
recorded at the Theatre Petit Champlain in Quebec City
Coeur de Pirate is the pseudonym of 20-year-old Quebec-based musician Béatrice Martin. Since 2007 she's been composing and performing personal songs that have now found their way onto her debut self-titled album. There is a surprising musical maturity and intensity mainly due to the combination of Béatrice Martin's enchanting voice, and her virtuoso piano playing. Her new CD has been described as both refreshing and fragile. She performs at the beautiful-sounding Theatre Petit Champlain in Quebec City with a band featuring guitarists Renaud Bastien and Emmanuel Ethier with Julie Brunet on keyboards, Joseph Perreault on drums and Alex Gautier on bass.
concert 2: Veda Hille at Vancouver's East Cultch
recorded at the Cultch, aka the Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Veda Hille takes a look back at 17 years of writing great songs, plunders the vault and pulls out some new tunes as well. Veda's joined onstage by some of Vancouver's finest musicians. It's an evening of pure Hille -- the old sounds new again in the hands of Veda and her band. Recorded at the newly re-opened Vancouver East Cultural Centre, otherwise known as "the Cultch."

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 (St. Patrick's Day)
concert 1: Great Big Sea
recorded at Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland
It was St. Paddy's Day weekend 2009 in St. John's when hometown heroes Great Big Sea hit the stage at Mile One Centre. They were nearing the end of their seven-month international tour in support of their latest CD release, Fortune's Favour. The place went wild as Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett and a supporting cast of several thousand crazed Newfoundland republicans ramped up for the best kitchen party on the planet.

Thursday, March 18, 2010
concert 1: Downchild
recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto
The Downchild Blues band started its career in 1969. 40 years later, the band has played thousands of gigs and inspired hundreds of other Canadian blues bands, as well as being known as the band that inspired Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi to form The Blues Brothers. On their 40th Anniversary Downchild pulled out all the stops for a national tour. Canada Live caught up with them at their sold out performance at Massey Hall. The concert features Master of Ceremonies Dan Aykroyd and musical guests Colin Linden, Colin James, Jonas, and the blues legend James Cotton.

Friday, March 19, 2010 - Next! A ten-week series featuring Canada's up-and-coming musicians
concert 1: Library Voices
recorded at The Exchange in Regina
How many pop bands can boast inspiration from sources as eclectic as Tom Waits, Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera and Kurt Vonnegut? Regina's aptly named Library Voices can. The musicians in this 8-piece pop collective are a literary bunch, and their music makes this instantly clear. This doesn't mean it isn't full of great pop hooks, though. You'll be singing along almost instantly to their catchy and clever tunes that are full of great harmonies and rich synthesized sounds. The band formed in 2008 and they've been going full steam ahead since then. SPIN describes them as an "undiscovered band you NEED to hear now, leaning on well-edited art school essentials, from restrained flourishes of unadorned guitars to playful keyboards and cutesy boy-girl vocals." They have also been featured in The New Yorker and won a CBC Radio 3 "Bucky" Award.
concert 2: Alejandra Ribera
This concert is young Toronto singer/songwriter Alejandra Ribera's first big step on the road to the big time. Soon after wrapping up a year's residency at the fabled Cameron House and stealing the show at The Art Of Time's Abbey Road tribute concert, Alejandra sold out two nights at Hugh's Room. That's amazing for a first-timer and tangible proof of the big following she has built among hard-to-please Torontonians. Prepare to be knocked out by Alejandra's multi-coloured voice and powerful songs sizzling with opening-night energy.

CBC Radio 1 broadcast, Fridays at 2:05 PM
Friday, March 19, 2010 on CBC Radio 1
Concert 1: Downchild
recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto
The Downchild Blues band started its career in 1969. 40 years later, the band has played thousands of gigs and inspired hundreds of other Canadian blues bands, as well as being known as the band that inspired Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi to form The Blues Brothers. On their 40th Anniversary Downchild pulled out all the stops for a national tour. Canada Live caught up with them at their sold out performance at Massey Hall. The concert features Master of Ceremonies Dan Aykroyd and musical guests Colin Linden, Colin James, Jonas, and the blues legend James Cotton.

Canada Live podcast, released on Fridays
Friday, March 19, on the Canada Live podcast
Sarah Slean
recorded at the CBC Regina Galleria
Sarah Slean is one of Canada's great creative visionaries. She's been nominated for two Juno awards and two Gemini awards and is a true Renaissance woman in her artistic expression. Trained as a classical pianist, Sarah's performances continue to be informed by that musical sensibility, especially in her collaborations with many of Canada's finest classical orchestras and ensembles. A gifted songwriter, Sarah is also a poet, and books of her poetry have even accompanied album releases. She's also a visual artist. Given her diverse forms of creative expression, it's not surprising her list of influences is equally eclectic including Glenn Gould, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey and even Irving Berlin. This private concert was put together by the Regina Folk Festival as a special thank you to their volunteers in celebration of the organization's 40th anniversary.

minilogues -- Wordburglar

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:57:00 +0000

More at minilogues.com and myspace.com/wordburglar

Forest City Lovers & Elliott Brood launch new web sites

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Both the Forest City Lovers and Elliott Brood launched new web sites over the weekend at the fairly obvious ElliottBrood.com and ForestCityLovers.com. I know that, for bands, it can seem unnecessary - you have a Myspace, a Facebook page (or group), a twitter account, maybe a blog somewhere etc., but for people who are searching out your band it's good to have a centralized home for all of the bands stuff so that people can find you and then connect via whatever method works best for them.

Also (note to Elliott Brood) don't overlook the RSS feed. Although somewhat obscure and not used by as many people, RSS can be an invaluable way to update your fans. An RSS Feed works with an RSS Reader and will automatically let people know every time your site is updated. You can also configure RSS so that it automatically posts to your Myspace, Twitter, Facebook etc., every time you post something to your primary web site.

All of that aside - check out the new sites:

ElliottBrood.com

ForestCityLovers.com

Live Video: Julie Fader, Brian Borcherdt, Postdata at the Music Gallery (CMF 2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:56:00 +0000

One of the shows that I really wanted to make and couldn't at this years CMF / CMW was the Julie Fader, Brian Borcherdt, Postdata show at the Music Gallery. Fortunately someone at Blog TO was there and brought a little bit of it home on video:

Brian Borcherdt - Coyotes feat. Graham Walsh and Randy Lee from Matthew McAndrew on Vimeo.

Postdata - Warning feat. Julie Fader from Matthew McAndrew on Vimeo.

Postdata - Paranoid Clusters from Matthew McAndrew on Vimeo.

For a review of the show and some really nice photos see Blog TO.

CMW Day 5: Born Ruffians, Young Rival, and Parlovr @ The Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (historyjen) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:55:00 +0000

I am surprisingly not overly tired or sore and less enraged than I was a few hours ago. I can thank the awesome Born Ruffians and food at Sneaky Dee's with friends for the latter.

The last day of the festival didn't have too much on offer, but with Born Ruffians playing the Phoenix, there was no question that's where I'd be. I arrived early, happy to get to see the first opener Parlovr, and knew there'd be lots of friends in the crowd. So, good mood. But then "mandatory coat check" signs everywhere. I tried (twice) to ignore them, but the guys at the club weren't having any of it. What the fuck, Phoenix? You want to make more money on a show, you charge more to rent out your space, and I pay more for my ticket. You don't REQUIRE me to give you $2.50 once I show up with NO advance warning. So mad.

Parlovr looked great and sounded pretty good up there, with appropriate banter and tons of energy. I wish I'd seen them perform in a much smaller venue this weekend, but I've seen them do that a couple times already. Next up, Young Rival, whose Beatles'-inspired rock just didn't do it for me. No hate, but no real love from me, either. But it could very well just be my foul mood.

And then Born Ruffians. Once they started---actually, before they started and once the screams from the all-ages audience began---my spirits were instantly lifted. Performing as a four-piece with the addition of Andy Lloyd on keys, tambourine, and guitar, the guys sounded great. I was so bummed about the stupid venue that I was starting to regret coming at all, but for an hour or so, all was forgotten. Luke Lalonde, Mitch DeRosier, Steve Hamelin, and Andy performed a few new songs, plus some old favourites off their 2008 album and 2006 EP. I was reminded again how good lead singer Luke is, and how important bassist Mitch is to the band, both as a musician and an on-stage presence. The girls may scream for Luke, but Mitch knows how to get the crowd revved up. The additional instrumentation blended in well with what we're used to hearing (on the recordings), and I loved-loved the 4-part vocal harmonies the band pulled out a few times. Very impressive.

I'll have a fuller review up on Sticky Magazine (with photos! Of Luke [probably]!) at some point next week. And I'll let you know some of my thoughts on this year's Canadian Music Fest in another future post, too.

the 2010 "Indie" Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:40:00 +0000

Although I can't agree with every award and some of them seem really obvious I have to say that the Indies seem to have a better grasp on what happened last year in Canadian music than most of the various awards with the Great Lake Swimmers, the Arkells, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Alex Cuba, D-sisive, the Constantines, Metric and Joel Plaskett all walking away with major awards.

Favorite Pop Artist/Group – Danny Fernandes
Favorite Live artist or Group -Arkells

Winner Reel:
"Favourite Jazz Artist/Group of the Year” – Sophie Milman
"Favourite Blues Artist/Group of the Year" – Monkey Junk
"Favourite Children’s Artist/Group of the Year" – The Bee's Knees
"Favourite Classical Artist/Group of the Year" –Quartetto Gelato

Astral Media Radio Favorite SINGLE - MarianasTrench: Cross My Heart
Galaxie Rising Stars - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Winner Reel:
"Favourite World Artist/Group of the Year" – Alex Cuba
"Favourite Francophone Artist/Group of the Year" – La Patere Rose
"Favourite Country Artist/Group of the Year" – Johnny Reid
“Favourite Electronic Artist/Group of the Year” – Peaches
“Favourite Urban Artist/Group of the Year” – D-sisive

Favorite Folk Artist/group - Great Lake Swimmers
Favorite Group/Duo of the Year - Constantines

Winner
“International Breakthrough Artist/Group of the Year” – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
“Favourite International Single of the Year” – Phoenix - 1901
"Favourite International Album of the Year" – The XX “The XX”
“FavouriteInternational Solo Artist of the Year” – Neko Case
"Favourite International Group of the Year” – Silversun Pickups

Winner Reel:
“Favourite Rock Artist/Group of the Year” – Die Mannequin
“Favourite Punk/Hardcore Artist/Group of the Year” – Fucked Up
“Favourite Metal Artist/Group of the Year” - Voivod
“CHARTattack Favourite Album of the Year” – Metric “Fantasies”

Favorite solo artist of the year - Joel Plaskett
Favorite Video of the Year -Marianas Trench: Cross My Heart

Live Video: Will Currie and the Country French at Mitzi's Sister for CMW

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Beach) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:51:00 +0000

Thursday, after Forest City Lovers and Hooded Fang at the Drake I headed farther west on Queen to see Will Currie and the Country French at Mitzi's Sister.

I first found Will & Co accidentally on Myspace several years ago - and have been following them since. It seems impossible to me that you can still catch them in places as small as Mitzi's sister. Since early days Will Currie has been favorably compared to people like Elton John, Paul McCartney and Ben Folds (Folds is the one I think is most valid.)

Anyway, the show went a little like this:

John Denver Haircutt

Surprising Me