photo of Jason Collett at the Grad Club on 26 November 2005 by Tamingnoise.

Imagine this: you are sitting in a field on a beautiful summer day, perhaps leaning back on a blanket. There are a few hundred people, hair tussled from a gorgeous ferry ride, along with kids and dogs. It is relaxed and relaxing. You have a cold beer in your hand because being ghettoized in a “beer tent” is for lame festivals. In the late afternoon/early evening, following on from Plants & Animals (whom I talked about last week), Jason Collett takes the stage. Sounds like a rather excellent way to spend a day, eh? It isn’t fantasy, folks, ’cause that and more is what is in store for you at the Wolfe Island Music Fest - which is just a shade over two weeks away. Are you getting excited? You should be.

Collett is one of the bigger names on the bill this year. I’m used to seeing him up-close and personal at ye olde Grad Club so it will be interesting to see him on a bigger stage. As he is no stranger to the festival (or any other) stage, I am sure he’s going to knock it out of the park.

Here are some upcoming tour dates (and see Collett’s website for full dates):

July 26th, Guelph - Hillside Festival
August 6th, Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts
August 7th, New York - Bowery Ballroom
August 9th, Wolfe Island, ON - Wolfe Island Music Festival

And, because it is what I do, here is the fantastic set from March in Kingston as part of the tour promoting his newest album Here’s To Being Here. He played a ton of new stuff, all the old favourites, and, as has become expected, was very warm and personable in his interactions with the crowd. Where the last time featured Collett+guitar, this time around he had a full band in tow and, as a result, this show was quite a bit more rocking. I think you will agree that it was a great evening. Enjoy.

Jason Collett, Grad Club, Kingston, 1 March 2008

1. Roll On Oblivion
2. wonderful place (talk)
3. Fire
4. We All Lose One Another
5. here’s to being in Kingston (talk)
6. Through the Night These Days
7. song for Henry Miller (talk)
8. Henry’s Song
9. Brownie Hawkeye
10. you’re doing sexy? (talk)
11. Hangover Days
12. bar band (talk)
13. Parry Sound
14. this song is for you, Kingston (talk)
15. No Redemption Song
16. Charlyn, Angel of Kensington
17. Out of Time
18. Pink Night
19. I like that part (talk)
20. Sorry Lori
21. scissor kicks (talk)
22. Waiting for the World
23. Pavement Puddle Stars
24. thanks (talk)
25. Not Over You
26. These Are The Days
27. Papercut Hearts
28. um (talk)
29. I’ll Bring the Sun

(and a bunch more live JC stuff can be found here)

Collett goodies - here. WIMF tickets - here. Go. Buy.

Howdy folks. We are just four short weeks away until the small town of Marysville on Wolfe Island (not to be confused with the other Marysville, which is located  just east of Belleville) is invaded with some of the best bands around as the Wolfe Island Music Fest rocks and rolls for two days of awesomeness. Last year, my first, was stellar. With another great lineup, this year should be no different. Need a reminder of who is going to be there? ok, here it is:
August 8th (8:30pm)
The Town Hall Hootenanny featuring Carolyn Mark, Jenny Whiteley, Joey Wright, Luther Wright and friends and The Abrams Brothers.
August 8th (10:30)
Flying V Productions showcase at The General Wolfe Hotel
The Handsome Furs with special guests Magic Jordan
August 9th (1pm start)
Featuring (in reverse order):
Wintersleep
Cadence Weapon
Land of Talk
Jason Collett
Plants and Animals
Tony Scherr
The Acorn
The D’Urbervilles [note: it was announced yesterday that The D'Urbs had to cancel due to illness. Ruby Coast has been added to the lineup]
Music Maul
P.S. I love you!

As I did last year, I’m going to feature a few of the bands that are going to be playing at the festival. I have seen most of the bands on the list - regular b(oot)log readers will note that a number of the bands that will be at WIMF have been featured here before -  and I can tell you from first hand experience that the quality of acts that will be at the festival is pretty hard to beat. I haven’t seen Cadence Weapon yet and I think seeing him is what I am most anticipating this year. But I am really looking forward to pretty much all the acts especially this week’s feature:

(photo by Fireflyvt, at Divan Orange, Montreal, 17 Nov. 2007)

Montreal’s Plants and Animals. They blew me away in October when they opened for Elliot Brood (who have a new album out!) and The Acorn (also at WIMF) and, when they came back as headliners they were even better. On their second visit they were promoting their amazing full-length “Parc Avenue” and with a longer set they were allowed to stretch their legs a bit, not having to worry that much about time constraints which might otherwise lessen the impact of their longer songs. This show was certainly one of the best so far this year that I’ve seen. They sounded great and put on an all-round fantastic show. As before, they never allowed their songs to get away from them, reeling in the jams at the perfect moments, while keeping things loose and natural. I have a feeling they are going to absolutely slay on the festival stage.

If you are unable to see Plants & Animals at WIMF I feel sorry for you, but you might be able to see them elsewhere as they are playing all sorts of festivals this summer. Check their myspace for full listings

16 July - La Telephone Rouge, Sherbrooke, Quebec
18-19 July - Folk on the Rocks Festival, Yellowknife
25-26 July - Hillside Music Festival, Guelph
3 Aug - Osheaga Festival (Parc Jean Drapeau), Montreal
4 Aug - Central Park Summerstage (with the National),     New York
9 Aug - Wolfe Island Musicfest, Marysville, Wolfe Island (just a ferry ride from Kingston)
13 Aug - Whistler Village Mainstage, Whistler, BC
17 Aug - Salmon Arm Festival,Salmon Arm, British Columbia
29 Aug - Espace 400 - La Grande Scene, Quebec City

Plants & Animals, The Grad Club, Kingston, 8 March 2008

1. Mercy
2. how about this thing (talk)
3. Good Friend
4. Faerie Dance
5. next selection (talk)
6. À l’orée des bois
7. nice muscles (talk)
8. Feedback in the Field
9. snowy evening (talk)
10. Lola Who?
11. big thanks to Paul (talk)
12. New Kind of Love
13. just can’t do it (talk)
14. Guru
15. encore (talk)
16. Early In The Morning
17. autoharp (talk)
18. Bye Bye Bye

For some more live P&A, you can check out my recording of their October ‘07 set which is is still up.

You can buybuybuy the amazing, and Polaris Prize shortlisted,  “Parc Avenue” along with their ep “With/Avec”, and rad shirts here.

And get your WIMF tickets through MapleMusic.

photo from the show by Rebecca Carter at Relix.

Lean in close. Sam Beam speaks in whispers and gentle strums so you have to give him your full attention. Iron & Wine is perfect for these humid summer nights. The music evokes mangrove, cicada, condensation on your drink leaving a dark ring on the table, & rocking chairs on a back porch. Beam delivers dark, beautiful, and poetic lyrics with assurance. It is not as sparse as it used to be but it remains as gorgeous as ever.

I was quite excited to see Iron & Wine when I was in Boston last year. Unfortunately the once majestic, now slightly rundown, Orpheum has an amazing history but poor sound (which apparently is well known to locals but I expected much, much more from such a storied venue). Couple that with no A/C to speak of during a late-September heat wave and rather uncomfortable chairs, seeing the show that evening - at the end of what was already frustrating day conferencing  - left much to be desired. But none of this was the bands’ fault. They played (what should have been) a great set, drawing heavily from the fantastic and then recently released new album “The Shepard’s Dog” with forrays into the I&W back catalogue (but sadly no “Naked as We Came” which I would have loved to hear) and during the moments when the sound wasn’t total shit (ie when you could hear the vocals, and the violin, and the drums - seriously how do the drums which work for 2/3rds of the show suddenly get lost?) it was pretty spectacular - hinting at what a great show it could have been. They are touring Europe in August and are in western Canada in early October. Check out full dates here and try to see Beam and his magnificent beard live for yourself.

I hope my American friends had a wonderful 4th of July weekend (and I hope my non-American friends had an equally wonderful non-holiday weekend). Next week, I think, I will begin my countdown to Wolfe Island Music Fest 2008. Woot!

Iron & Wine, The Orpheum, Boston, 27 September 2007

* House By the Sea
* Sodom, South Georgia
* Carousel
* Upward Over The Mountain
* Jezebel

Buy the excellent Shepherd’s Dog (as well as clothes, other albums & various other goodies) and you can also purchase live Iron & Wine from PlayedLastNight (and you can Cook with Sam here! well, get to see him talk about his favourite recipe).

photo by Jenny Charlton, taken at at the Alex P. Keaton in London, ON, from the Entire Cities FB album.

Well my friends, it is time for the Skeleton Park Music Festival. It starts tonight and there is an action packed lineup of great bands from near and far - over twenty acts in all - in addition to children’s activities, dancers, artisans and more. With two evening events leading up to the full day extravaganza on Saturday at McBurney (aka “Skeleton”) Park I have no doubt it is going to be a helluva time.

One of the bands that I am most looking forward to seeing is Entire Cities. I’ve seen them a few times now and they never never less that fantastic. There is a palpable energy on stage which is shared by the crowd, as is always seen while shouting out that memorable chorus on “Dancing with my Brother”, they are engaging and energizing. Both live and on cds, they dish up the raucous (ie “Dancing”; the unreleased “Chain-Link Fence”) balanced with the sweet and tender (Coffee; the absolutely stunning “Waiting”). On their recently released full-length “Deep River,” they’ve captured the best aspects of the live show but, through the excellent production, the subtleties of the vocal and the many, many instruments (accordion, flute, singing saw, banjo, guitar, horns, furious drums etc etc) are not lost.

Be sure to come out and see Entire Cities for yourself at the SPMF (its free!) and for those readers in Toronto they will be playing Sneaky Dee’s with Hot Panda and Wordburglar on June 29th (part of the Wavelength Music Series). Below is my recording of their set at The Artel in February where they played a fantastic show with the Rural Alberta Advantage.

Entire Cities, The Artel, Kingston, 16 February 2008

1. Sunshine
2. tiny place (talk)
3. Cop Song
4. fundraiser (talk)
5. Dancing With My Brother
6. special people (talk)
7. Chain-Link Fence
8. didn’t sleep for three days (talk)
9. Dream Logic (Zombie Song)
10. recorded a couple of times (talk)
11. Coffee
12. kind of a punk rock song (talk)
13. EntireCities-16Feb08-13 [title?]
14. next song (talk)
15. Hat on the Bed
16. pre-release (talk)
17. Talkers
18. Accountant’s Dream
19. stolen from the RAA (talk)
20. Barns of Reefer

Get yourself “Deep River” at select stores (Made 4 You, Kingston; Soundscapes, Toronto(? according to AKA not soundscapes, you’ll have to check for yourself)) and online at Zunior.

photo

Howdy from the east coast, folks. This is gonna be a short one but a good, nay great, one. The Ghost Bees are from Halifax but they sound like they are from a place far away both geographically and temporally. They are not from around these parts, you might say, but that’s ok, because while they are not what anyone might expect they are truly wonderful. Wondrous even. Hearing them on record and, especially, live, they are mesmerizing. The sing delicate yet powerful songs. They strum and pluck and sing so very very beautifully. Otherworldly harmonies tell tales of fortune telling, pogroms, births, Pol Pot, Goethe, and more and more and more, all in the span of seven songs. Romy and Sari Lightman were kind enough to visit Kingston as part of the Apple Crisp Music Series at the end of April and share their songs with us. I have two for you plus one of their wonderful stories. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. They are in the West Coast of the US and Canada and then off through the prairies so check them out if they stop by your town.

Ghost Bees, Apple Crisp Music Series, Queen St. United Church, Kingston, 29 April 2008

* Sinai
* an exciting day today (talk)
* Tear Tassle Ogre Heart

Buy Tasseomancy. Buy it for yourself, you deserve it. Get one for a friend too, they will thank you.

photos by Miles from Nowhere taken at the Grad Club, 4 November 2006 (you can find my recording of that great show here).

Word on the street is that Jon-Rae and the River are no more, which is unfortunate because as a unit, they had a really great vibe. I was lucky enough to catch them playing at the Grad Club twice and in both instances you could feel the passion and energy dripping off each member of the band. On stage, belting their songs out, it was the very definition of rock ‘n roll. However, illness and excess, or so the story goes, took their toll and not too long after the last time I saw them, the band broke up and Jon-Rae Fletcher moved to Kelowna. He’s apparently been working on new material (you can download an unreleased song called “I Cannot Dance” from his myspace) and has hit the road in a series of solo shows including TONIGHT in Kingston as part of the Apple Crisp Music Series at the Queen St. United Church (7pm start. go eat apple crisp it is freakin’ amazing) along with PS I Love You who are celebrating the release of their/his new cd.

You can also check out Jon-Rae in:
6 June - Montreal, with Alphababy
7 June - Ottawa, with Entire Cities, Alex R. Newmanand Rich Aucoin (this awesome bill is brought to you by I{heart}Music. Go here for details).

Get out and see Jon-Rae if you can. I have no doubt his solo performance will be just as great as his shows with the River. Here is my recording of the JR&theR show from last March. I felt at the time that the band was a little looser (um…drunker?) than the previous show, but they nevertheless rocked the socks off of all in attendance. Enjoy.

Jon-Rae and the River, Grad Club, Kingston, 9 March 2007

1. Eastern Migration
2. All That I Had
3. good to have it here (talk)
4. when i die (title?)
5. bless her heart (talk)
6. JonRae&River-9March2007-06 [i forget the name of this song - i'll find it and update]
7. Two Hands
8. duct tape (talk)
9. Fuck Me
10. boys from St. Thomas (talk)
11. Best of My Time
12. Ghostsong
13. When You Come Knockin’
14. turn it up (talk)
15. Nothing To Do
16. wore me out (talk)
17. Hard In The City
18. we’re out of here (talk)
19. Downtown
20. one more (talk)
21. Just One More
22. encore break (talk)
23. Roll
24. our last song (talk)
25. Fourteen Years

Jon-Rae knows what you need (to buy): its his record.

Great Lake Swimmers photo by DoneWaiting, taken at HighFive, Columbus, OH, 7 April 2006

The last time I talked about Old Man Leudecke I was featuring Great Lake Swimmers, who were coming through town the next day and the last Time Tony Dekker came to the Grad Club he was accompanied by Julie Fader who will also be opening for and playing with Dekker when Great Lake Swimmers return on Wednesday, May 28th (I don’t know why but I find this repetition interesting). Its an early show (9pm) and as incentive for you to get there (very) early they will be a McAuslan Brewery Beer Tasting (only $5) starting at 7. That is my kinda double-bill.

Because I’m feeling a little lazy - and because I think it is still accurate (and because I imagine everyone skips the text entirely and goes for the mp3s so won’t notice anyway) - I’m going to recycle what I said before about GLS. “[The] sound is extraordinary. It is subtle but affecting. The atmosphere created evokes indistinct memories, faces faded with time, and the specters of events that are all but forgotten. Great Lake Swimmers are melancholic but are not bleak. With their musicianship they draw you closer, where Tony Dekker’s exquisitely crafted lyrics ensnare you. They will haunt you for day after hearing them.” Not to shabby for a hack, eh?

Other than the Grad Club show, GLS don’t have much in the way of tour dates until the festival season kicks off in July. The one exception is the The Blue Review, June 19, 2008 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto where they will be playing with Sarah Harmer, Serena Ryder, Hawksley Workman, Danny Michel and special guests to help raise awareness and funds for the Blue Marble Music Fund. I have no doubt that its going to be a fantastic show and I have my tickets. To get yours, and for more info on the concert and the charity click here.

I haven’t seen Great Lake Swimmers live yet so, as with last time (the links are still active so go there to get more great live GLS) I am going to post a few songs which were provided by the generous, the wonderful, the always surprising, entertaining, and enlightening CBC (my new favourite show, in case you’re wondering is The Age of Persuasion. Check it out. It’s rad). These are just my three favourites from the show and you can find the full set at CBCRadio3. Enjoy.

Great Lake Swimmers, Dawson City Music Festival, Dawson City, 12 July 2007

* Various Stages
* Moving Pictures, Silent Films
* Your Rocky Spine

You can get even more live Great Lake Swimmers courtesy of Nettwerk who are sharing a Live EP (recorded at the Church of the Redeemer in Toronto). While you’re there, you can buy GLS’ albums or you can get them from Zunior (digital) and/or Weewerk.

photo courtesy of The Artel.

Man-oh-man am I behind on this. TONIGHT, May 21st, Old Man Luedecke is going to be at the Grad Club and you should go see him. It’s an Apple Crisp show celebrating the release of The Gertrudes‘ new record and a Skeleton Park Music Festival fundraiser (no word on the 2008 line-up for this yet but as soon as i know i’ll let you know) and it should be a really great time.

In addition to being totally banjo-rific, OML is an endearing performer - charming, witty, tells great stories - and his songs alternate between rollicking fun and tender ballads and they all have really great lyrics over intricately picked banjo. What more could you want? He’s recently released an excellent new album entitled “Proof of Love” which I highly recommend. The title track has been stuck in my head for days now and I’m perfectly happy to let it go ’round and ’round up there. When OML visited town in March of ‘07 he previewed a bunch of songs off his then-unreleased album and played a bunch from his (also highly recommended) record “Hinterland”. I have below a few songs from that night for you to sample. I had some issues with my mic so there is a bit of hiss but i don’t think it is too detrimental to the overall effect. I hope you like these songs (I really, really do) and I hope you see you out at the Grad Club tonight. He’s playing a ton more dates pretty much everywhere so click here to find out where else you can see him.

Old Man Luedecke, The Artel, Kingston, 16 March 2007

* I Quit My Job

* At the Airport

* Ain’t Goin’ My Way

* Proof Of Love

* The Drawing Near

* Joy of Cooking

* Rocky Mountain Belle (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott cover)

Get your self Old Man Luedecke’s albums through Black Hen (or follow the links to Zunior to get it digitally).

Photo from 9 April 2008 at the Phoenix by Chromewaves. For some great photos of the night I’m talking about, also by Frank, click here.

One of my favourite albums of last year was the New Pornographers‘ Challengers. I don’t get why so many people were so down on this record - so what if it’s not as poppy as their previous work - there are a ton of great moments on it and overall I think it is a fantastic album that was terribly underrated by most. Just my opinion; you can disagree if you like.  I don’t travel too far to see many bands (what with all the greatness that is on my doorstep and all) but I made the trek to Toronto in October to see the full band take the stage. The first time I saw NP live, when they opened for Belle & Sebastian, it was less than ideal to say the very least (shitty sound, shitty crowd, we got there late missing half the show) so I was really hoping for something great from this show. And, by and large, I was really happy with what I got this time around. As others who reviewed the show in a timely fashion have stated, the band seemed rather detached for the most part and there were some odd rather moments filled with awkward silence (apparently it was better when they rolled through Toronto again in April). While they didn’t offer much in the way of banter they made up for it in the music. They effortlessly tore through a huge set (24 songs) of new songs and old favourites, making the performance of perfect pop seem like it was the easiest thing in the world to pull off. I am glad to have made the trip for the pleasure of seeing Neko and Dan up there even if it wasn’t the OMFGBestShowEvah!, although I can still see the words “NEW PORNOGRAPHERS” when I close my eyes from the million-watt strong light sign that was their back drop. Yikes that was intense.

Here are a few selections from the show. My recording didn’t turn out as well one might like (sounds rather hollow - i guess i’m not used to taping in venue that size and didn’t have my settings right? i dunno) so I recommend you get yourself the Executive Edition of Challengers and snap up the “Live from the Future” bonus disc or get the Live! cd from a year or so ago. If you like what you hear and want the rest let me know. If there is some interest I might be persuaded to post the full thing. I hope you enjoy even it the recording isn’t perfect.

The New Pornographers, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, 21 October 2007

* Myriad Harbour

* Challengers

* The Laws Have Changed

* Testament to Youth In Verse

* Unguided

* The Bleeding Heart Show

* Streets of Fire

* Letter from an Occupant

Pick up Challengers and the Live! cd and shirts and stuff from the NP Store.

the gorgeous show poster is by Benjamin Nelson.

I don’t know how this escaped the attention of my Show Listing editor (that’s going to be one fired webmonkey, that’s all I have to say) but what is undoubtedly going to be the most raucous, amazing, bewildering, sweaty, dancey show of the year is happening this Saturday. Woodhands, joined by Magic Jordan, are going to invade The Artel on Saturday, May 10th, and if you have any sense you will get yourself there (and get there early ’cause space is limited).

I’ve been listening to Woodhands’ new album “Heart Attack” a great deal lately and it is filled top to bottom with stompers. While the lead track Dancer is an absolute stunner - with its sultry female vocals juxtaposed with the gritty shouted lead - and has been pretty much on repeat at my place for the past couple of weeks, the entire album is excellent. Dan Werb rocks the keytar like his life depended on it and Paul Banwatt proves very well might be the best drummer around. The beats are hefty, the synth riffs energizing, the vocals swing from melodic to gritty. I know we’re prone to hyperbole here on the interwebs, but I think stating that “Heart Attack” is going to be one of the albums of the year is a pretty safe bet.
This show is going to be HOTTTTTTT.

(and i’m going to be out of town. fuck.)

Here are a few tracks to so you can get your dance on tonight before you get it on tommorrow:

* Dancer
* Be Back Soon

Be sure to pick up the album through Paper Bag and/or Zunior.

And you can get a Magic Jordan track on the Friends of Skeleton Park album which is superb. Its out on Apple Crisp Records and can be bought around town.