Column For Sound Ideas

CFSI Music Chart for 21 Feb 2012

2012-02-21T19:45:00.001-08:00

Artist	Album	Record Label
CUFF THE DUKE	MORNING COMES	PAPER BAG
BAHAMAS	BARCHORDS	BRUSHFIRE RECORDS
JOHN K. SAMSON	PROVINCIAL	ANTI-
PHARIS & JASON ROMERO	A PASSING GLIMPSE	LULA
WHITEHORSE	WHITEHORSE	SIX SHOOTER
THE WEATHER STATION	ALL OF IT WAS MINE	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
THE DEEP DARK WOODS	THE PLACE I LEFT BEHIND	SIX SHOOTER / SUGAR HILL
ANDREW SISK	TREELINES	SELF
IVAN ROSENBERG & THE FOGGY HOGTOWN BOYS	THE HOGTOWN SESSIONS	INDIE
THE ONCE	ROW UPON ROW OF THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW	BOREALIS
OLD MAN LUEDECKE & LAKE OF STEW	SING ALL ABOUT IT	SELF
BRY WEBB	PROVIDER	IDEE FIXE
KATHLEEN EDWARDS	VOYAGEUR	ZOE
THE CROOKED BROTHERS	LAWRENCE, WHERE'S YOUR KNIFE	TRANSISTOR 66
BARR BROTHERS	BARR BROTHERS	SECRET CITY
JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS	VINTAGE UNIQUE	CORVUS
BRUCE PENINSULA	OPEN FLAMES	HAND DRAWN DRACULA
DANIEL ROMANO	SLEEP BENEATH THE WILLOW	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
ELLIOTT BROOD	DAYS INTO YEARS	PAPER BAG RECORDS
KATYA CHOROVER	BIG BIG LOVE	HEARTH MUSIC
COREY ISENOR	THE HUNTING PARTY	SELF
COWBOY JUNKIES	SING IN MY MEADOW - NOMAD SERIES VOLUME 3	LATENT
CATHERINE MACLELLAN	SILHOUETTE	TRUE NORTH
FRED EAGLESMITH	6 VOLTS	A MAJOR LABEL
JACKSTRAW	SUNDAY NEVER COMES	INDIE

CFSI Music Chart for 14 Feb 2012

2012-02-14T09:49:00.001-08:00

Artist	Album	Label
JOHN K. SAMSON	PROVINCIAL	ANTI-
WHITEHORSE	WHITEHORSE	SIX SHOOTER
CUFF THE DUKE	MORNING COMES	PAPER BAG
BAHAMAS	BARCHORDS	BRUSHFIRE RECORDS
THE WEATHER STATION	ALL OF IT WAS MINE	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
THE DEEP DARK WOODS	THE PLACE I LEFT BEHIND	SIX SHOOTER / SUGAR HILL
ANDREW SISK	TREELINES	SELF
IVAN ROSENBERG & THE FOGGY HOGTOWN BOYS	THE HOGTOWN SESSIONS	INDIE
THE ONCE	ROW UPON ROW OF THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW	BOREALIS
BRY WEBB	PROVIDER	IDEE FIXE
PHARIS & JASON ROMERO	A PASSING GLIMPSE	LULA
OLD MAN LUEDECKE & LAKE OF STEW	SING ALL ABOUT IT	SELF
JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS	VINTAGE UNIQUE	CORVUS
BRUCE PENINSULA	OPEN FLAMES	HAND DRAWN DRACULA
KATHLEEN EDWARDS	VOYAGEUR	ZOE
DANIEL ROMANO	SLEEP BENEATH THE WILLOW	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
THE CROOKED BROTHERS	LAWRENCE, WHERE'S YOUR KNIFE	TRANSISTOR 66
COREY ISENOR	THE HUNTING PARTY	SELF
CATHERINE MACLELLAN	SILHOUETTE	TRUE NORTH
BARR BROTHERS	BARR BROTHERS	SECRET CITY
COWBOY JUNKIES	SING IN MY MEADOW - NOMAD SERIES VOLUME 3	LATENT
FRED EAGLESMITH	6 VOLTS	A MAJOR LABEL
MADISON VIOLET	THE GOOD IN GOODBYE	TRUE NORTH
ELLIOTT BROOD	DAYS INTO YEARS	PAPER BAG RECORDS
KATYA CHOROVER	BIG BIG LOVE	HEARTH MUSIC

CFSI Music Chart for 7 Feb 2012

2012-02-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

*Artist*	*Album*	*Label*
JOHN K. SAMSON	PROVINCIAL	ANTI-
BAHAMAS	BARCHORDS	BRUSHFIRE RECORDS
CUFF THE DUKE	MORNING COMES	PAPER BAG
WHITEHORSE	WHITEHORSE	SIX SHOOTER
THE WEATHER STATION	ALL OF IT WAS MINE	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
THE DEEP DARK WOODS	THE PLACE I LEFT BEHIND	SIX SHOOTER / SUGAR HILL
JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS	VINTAGE UNIQUE	CORVUS
BRY WEBB	PROVIDER	IDEE FIXE
KATHLEEN EDWARDS	VOYAGEUR	ZOE
BRUCE PENINSULA	OPEN FLAMES	HAND DRAWN DRACULA
CATHERINE MACLELLAN	SILHOUETTE	TRUE NORTH
OLD MAN LUEDECKE & LAKE OF STEW	SING ALL ABOUT IT	SELF
BARR BROTHERS	BARR BROTHERS	SECRET CITY
COWBOY JUNKIES	SING IN MY MEADOW - NOMAD SERIES VOLUME 3	LATENT
MADISON VIOLET	THE GOOD IN GOODBYE	TRUE NORTH
ANDREW SISK	TREELINES	SELF-RELEASED
COREY ISENOR	THE HUNTING PARTY	SELF
DANIEL ROMANO	SLEEP BENEATH THE WILLOW	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
FRED EAGLESMITH	6 VOLTS	A MAJOR LABEL
THE CROOKED BROTHERS	LAWRENCE, WHERE'S YOUR KNIFE	TRANSISTOR 66

CFSI Music Chart for 31 Jan 2012

2012-01-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

Artist	Album	Label
JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS	VINTAGE UNIQUE	CORVUS
JOHN K. SAMSON	PROVINCIAL	ANTI-
WHITEHORSE	WHITEHORSE	SIX SHOOTER
THE DEEP DARK WOODS	THE PLACE I LEFT BEHIND	SIX SHOOTER / SUGAR HILL
BRY WEBB	PROVIDER	IDEE FIXE
KATHLEEN EDWARDS	VOYAGEUR	ZOE
COWBOY JUNKIES	SING IN MY MEADOW - NOMAD SERIES VOLUME 3	LATENT
THE WEATHER STATION	ALL OF IT WAS MINE	YOU'VE CHANGED RECORDS
CATHERINE MACLELLAN	SILHOUETTE	TRUE NORTH
OLD MAN LUEDECKE & LAKE OF STEW	SING ALL ABOUT IT	SELF
BARR BROTHERS	BARR BROTHERS	SECRET CITY
COREY ISENOR	THE HUNTING PARTY	SELF
MADISON VIOLET	THE GOOD IN GOODBYE	TRUE NORTH
BAHAMAS	BARCHORDS	BRUSHFIRE RECORDS
BRUCE PENINSULA	OPEN FLAMES	HAND DRAWN DRACULA

CFSI Music Chart for 24 Jan 2012

2012-01-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Artist	Album	Label
WHITEHORSE	WHITEHORSE	SIX SHOOTER
BRY WEBB	PROVIDER	IDEE FIXE
OLD MAN LUEDECKE & LAKE OF STEW	SING ALL ABOUT IT	SELF-RELEASED
KATHLEEN EDWARDS	VOYAGEUR	ZOE
JOHN K. SAMSON	PROVINCIAL	ANTI-
THE DEEP DARK WOODS	THE PLACE I LEFT BEHIND	SIX SHOOTER / SUGAR HILL
JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS	VINTAGE UNIQUE	CORVUS
COREY ISENOR	THE HUNTING PARTY	SELF-RELEASED
CATHERINE MACLELLAN	SILHOUETTE	TRUE NORTH
FISH & BIRD	EVERY WHISPER IS A SHOUT ACROSS THE VOID	FIDDLE HEAD RECORDS

The Provincial Archive - Maybe We Could Be Holy

2010-09-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Provincial Archive

Maybe We Could Be Holy

(Bedrooms & Basements)

The Provincial Archive is an indie-folk project based in Edmonton, AB. With a penchant for arrangement and an ever-growing collection of instruments, The Provincial Archive writes music to document the details of all our unsung stories. Their sophomore effort, Maybe We Could Be Holy(Forthcoming, 2010), takes its cues from the far-reaching corners of pop traditions. It is a dense counterpoint to the sparse production of their debut material (Nameless Places, 2009) and an artistic departure from a group of musicians eager for growth. The Provincial Archive is securing a place at the front of a long line of folk musicians and experimentalists, bridging gaps between folk-pop, electronica, rock and roll and even bluegrass: get ready to hear banjos, upright bass, and synthesizers together at long last. This is something fresh.

Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden - Jasmine

2010-06-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden
Jasmine
(ECM)

Jarrett and Haden back together again! Thirty three years after the break-up of Keith Jarrett's great 'American quartet', the pianist and bassist Charlie Haden reunited for an album of standards, played with deep feeling. The programme on "Jasmine" includes such classic songs as "Body And Soul", "For All We Know", "Where Can I Go Without You", "Don't Ever Leave Me" and more. Intimate, spontaneous and warm, the album, recorded at Jarrett's home, has affinities, in its unaffected directness, with Keith's "The Melody At Night With You". Jarrett and Haden play the music and nothing but the music - as only they can. As Keith Jarrett says in his liner notes: "This is spontaneous music made on the spot without any preparation save our dedication throughout our lives that we won't accept a substitute... These are great love songs played by players who are trying, mostly, to keep the message intact."

Old Man Luedecke's My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs

2010-06-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Old Man Luedecke
My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs
(Black Hen)

The banjo tends to be one of those instruments people love or hate but maybe that is because their only reference to the instrument is the creepy Deliverance movie. I find it hard to believe that anyone who has heard the banjo played by Old Man Luedecke. For the first time I heard 'I quit my Job ' from the album Hinterlands I was enamoured. Showing the skills of a long lasting musician Luedecke continues to build on his craft with each record as displayed with the 2009 Juno Award for his album Proof of Love.

Now moving into new territory Luedecke employs a full band for the studio work on My Hands are on Fire. With Steve Dawson once again assuming production duties, Leudecke employed the talent of Keith Lowe (Fiona Apple, Bill Frisell) on bass, John Raham (Be Good Tanyas, Po’ Girl) on drums, and Grammy award-winning bluegrass legend, Tim O’Brien (Hot Rize, Steve Earle) on fiddle mandolin and vocals laid down the tracks for the eleven new songs that make up the album.

The results truly build on what was laid down before and are well worth a listen. Old Man Luedecke once again proves that he is an original. Intense, committed and blessed with a purity that can’t be faked, Old Man Luedecke is the real thing. Honouring, but not trapped by tradition, ‘My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs’ is music for the ages. Keep your ears open for when this old man comes rolling into your town.

Hey Marseilles' To Travels & Trunks

2010-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Marseilles
To Travels & Trunks
Fuzed Music

To Travels & Trunks will become your newest travel companion this summer. With adventure in its sights and youthful angst to spare, the debut record from Seattle’s Hey Marseilles is a shoe in when we all sit back in a few months time and think about 2010’s standout pop album. Musically, Hey Marseilles has it all - guitars, accordion, viola, cello, trumpet, and so forth - and each instrument plays an essential part in the stories that unfold throughout each song. If the album’s title track serves as a mere introduction to the record, then “Rio” & “Calabasas” will wrap around you and become a new best friend.

Born Ruffians' Say It

2010-06-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Born Ruffians
Say It
(Warp Records)

I was a huge fan of Born Ruffians debut album, Red Yellow and Blue, and they are not disappointing me with their second LP, Say It. Recorded over a two week period, Say It displays a band who is growing into their sound and is in it for the long haul. With bombastic percussion, echoing guitars, galloping bass lines and even an unexpected but pleasant saxophone, Say It, presents itself as a very mature album, further amplifying the band’s unique voice and sound. I'm really enjoying Sole Brother and The Ballad of Moose Bruce.

New Canadian jazz tracks

2010-06-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have added some new songs which we receive via the EJazz Network, which each week supplies us with samples from new Canadian jazz releases. Some of these samples are appropriate for our library, some not. Look in the "CANCON/Jazz" folder for new songs from Dave Restivo, Ted Quinlan, Airborne, Erin Hunt, Daniel Smith, Andrew Neu, Ian Carey, Mark Eisenmen, Lauren Margison & Bireli Lagrene

Colin Linden's From The Water

2010-05-31T11:42:00.001-07:00

Colin Linden is a genuine renaissance man of roots music. He’s a singer and songwriter of great skill, an in-demand and prolific record producer ( Bruce Cockburn, Tom Wilson, Colin James), a sideman to the stars as guitarist for the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and, for the past decade, a member of the highly successful trio, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. His multi-faceted talents coalesce in truly compelling fashion on From The Water.

From The Water can be viewed as an homage of sorts. Colin’s long-time musical collaborator and closest friend, legendary keyboardist Richard Bell, passed away in 2007, and his spirit is omnipresent here. The dynamic duo played on over 100 albums together (more than 40 of them Linden productions), including records by The Band, Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Colin James.

“We had such a giant, gaping hole in our hearts, our lives and our music,” says Colin of his departed comrade. “Instead of trying to replace the irreplaceable, we all just tried to play more like Richard. We tried to incorporate his irreverence, his spirit, and his incredible musicality. I surrendered a lot to the emotion and you hope that lets you dig deeper. You are not so self-conscious in what you are doing. We all just tried to get better than we’ve been.”

That determination paid off, as the depths of their grief clearly lifted Linden and his band up to greater musical heights on From The Water. The disc features his ace team of long-time musical accomplices, bassist Johnny Dymond, drummers Bryan Owings and Gary Craig (who doubled as associate producer), and keyboardist John Whynot, who also recorded the album. Guests include harmonica virtuoso Paul Reddick and the famed Memphis Horns, featuring Wayne Jackson.

This stellar cast proved the ideal accompanists for a collection of, in Colin’s words, “some of the grooviest, funkiest and most soulful songs I could have written and recorded.” The central focus throughout remains the potent combination of Linden’s gritty and emotionally eloquent vocals, typically fluent and resonant guitar work, and songs saturated with gravitas, grace, and heart-rending soul.

From The Water was recorded in studios in both Nashville and Canada. “The spirit of the record had more to do with the people than the place this time,” says Linden. “Much of what you hear is off the floor, with the basic band, then I spent a lot of time working on the little details.”

Some notable co-writers contributed to these songs. “Trouble Only Comes in 3s” was written with Richard Bell while he was in hospital. “To take our minds off what was going on, I told Richard it was time to finish the song,” recalls Colin. “I bought my guitar and notebook to the hospital one day, and we knocked it off. That song was born by the idea of Richard and I impersonating Peter Lorre in singing ‘It Should Have Been Me’ by Ray Charles.”

Linden co-wrote two songs with his wife, novelist Janice Powers. “Smoke Em All” is about Bell (“tough like Chuvalo, with Ray Charles soul”), while slow blues ballad “Sinking Down Slow” was spawned by a lyric written by Powers for her new novel. One of Nashville’s top songwriters Gary Nicholson aka Whitey Johnson co-wrote two numbers with his good pal Colin, “The Price You Pay” and the gentle and haunting closing cut, “God Will Always Remember Your Prayers.”

Intriguingly, three songs here, “Devilment,” the poetic and poignant “John Lennon In New Orleans,” and “It’s Later Than You Think,” surfaced last year on Paul Reddick’s acclaimed album, Sugar Bird. Colin produced and wrote or co-wrote all the numbers on that record, and these convincing reworkings prove that a good song can work with different treatments.

The title track was written by Linden in the wake of Katrina. “My wife kept having dreams about floods,” he explains. “So many people who love music have a deep connection with New Orleans, and we were terrified by what went on there, the natural and the man-made disasters.”

The imagery of water washes over much of this album. “Fundamentally, I feel that, in this period of time, in so many lives, there was a lot of water, a lot of tears shed,” Linden explains. “But you can also view water as a place you get baptized in. No matter how crazy and chaotic and heart-breaking this time has been in history, I’m an optimist that we are coming out from the water.”

With From The Water, Colin Linden has crafted a compelling work that will leave the listener feeling spiritually cleansed and musically reinvigorated.

The John Henrys' White Linen

2010-05-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

The John Henrys take their name from the John Henry of popular folklore, who has been immortalized in dozens of traditional folk songs. As the story goes, John Henry was a giant who labored laying railway tracks and digging tunnels. He challenged the first steam powered drilling machine to a race to determine what was stronger - man or machine. His superhuman effort won him the race, after which he immediately died of exhaustion.

The John Henrys but the same effort into the creation of there music which results in a sound that is un-definable. They draw from a potpourri of influences and styles that blend into something that is part alt-country, part Americana, part jam band and part rock n roll.

Compared to likes of Neil Young, The Band and Tom Petty, The John Henrys have developed a reputation for tight musicianship, original arrangements and well crafted song writing. Band members Rey Sabatin (lead vocals / guitarist), Steve Tatone (keyboards), Doug Gouthro (guitar), Daryl Quinlan (bass) and Geoff Ward (drums) all contribute to the songwriting and production, and a deep appreciation for vintage instruments and analog recording that is heard through their music.

'White Linen', the band's third album and their first made with the luxury of a decent recording budget and support of an independent label, Canada's Linus Entertainment - home to Gordon Lightfoot, Ashley MacIsaac, and Downchild. The band took their time, recording the album over 7 months, putting down 17 songs, paring it down to a tight eleven, sequencing the album as if the band were releasing it only on vinyl, with Side A reflecting the influence of the city, and side B's songs reflecting stories from the country.

A characteristic of The John Henrys music is the topical songwriting, exploring themes from traditional story-telling, to pain and betrayal, and just moving through life. The album closer 'Patriot', is about a battle between 250 American revolutionaries who called themselves the Patriot Hunters, and the 38th regiment of the British Infantry in 1838 beside a windmill - now a lighthouse - located in Prescott, Ontario. 'Little One', is taken from a simple daily phrase "at the end of the day" and 'Hit The Floor' is a nod to dirty 70's AM radio rock. 'Cold Chill' inspired by the traditional ballad "The Banks of the Ohio", is a modern take on the traditional murder ballad. 'Dawson City' an earlier arrangement appeared on their first and now discontinued album, is about leaving the far Northern mining town after a soured relationship.

The John Henrys are far from succumbing to exhaustion and have shown how man working with machine can produce an amazing work of art.

Downchild's I Need A Hat

2010-05-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

Forty years on, Downchild remains a blues force, true to itself and without equal.

For just about every waking moment of the four decades since he formed the Downchild Blues Band – Canada’s best known and best loved blues outfit – Donnie Walsh has been living the dream that changed his life back in the early 1960s, when someone dropped a Jimmy Reed album onto the turntable at his girlfriend’s 16th birthday party in suburban North Toronto.

It’s a moment Walsh – he also answers to his “given” name, Mr. Downchild, taken from a song by Sonny Boy Williamson II – says he will never forget. “That was it. I was hooked. I never wanted to play anything else.”

He drove his girlfriend crazy learning Reed’s lip-splitting harmonica technique, then James Cotton’s. He locked himself away from the world while he picked apart Muddy Waters’ and Albert King’s guitar licks, reconstructing them in his own inimitable style on a beat-up electric guitar. And when he did venture out, it was to one of Toronto’s legendary blues dives to catch his heroes Luther Allison, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, all of them regular visitors in those days to Walsh’s hometown, Canada’s blues capital.

Walsh was a good student. He is recognized around the world as both a blues harp virtuoso with few equals, and an unusually expressive guitarist.

He wasn’t the only one, of course. They say Toronto’s built on the blues, but all across Canada the blues, particularly jump-style and Chicago blues that used to blast across the border from radio stations in northern U.S., is a basic, shared language.

Singer Chuck Jackson, tenor sax player Pat Carey, drummer Mike Fitzpatrick, bassist Gary Kendall, and pianist/organist Michael Fonfara – Walsh’s compadres in Downchild for the past decade and a half, and, he says, the “best musicians I’ve ever played with” – were soaking up the blues in their teenage years as well, in different parts of the country.

Their shared dedication has served them well. And with the release of their 16th album, I Need A Hat, October 6th, 2009, on the Canadian independent label Linus Entertainment, Donnie Walsh and his buddies are celebrating their collective longevity big time.

Comprising a new batch of Walsh originals – edgier, darker, more caustically humorous than ever before – I Need A Hat boasts a cluster of stellar guests. Dan Aykroyd – a long-time friend and admirer of Downchild – on harmonica, second-generation Canadian blues-rocker Colin James and Nashville-based Canadian roots music veteran Colin Linden on guitars, and Stax Records legend Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns on trumpet, all make muscular and eloquent contributions to the album.

During the past 40 years and against all odds, Walsh and his band mates have won countless music industry awards, including a Juno (Canada’s Grammy) for “Best Roots and Traditional Album” in 1991. They also received a Juno Award nomination in 2005 for “Blues Album of The Year” for their album “Come On In.” In 2007 Downchild was named “Entertainer of The Year” at the annual Maple Blues Awards (the Canadian equivalent of a W.C. Handy Award).

With more than 80 great musicians on the payroll during its long life, Downchild is a robust road beast, having racked up thousands of performances at concert halls, fairgrounds, saloons and roadhouses in every corner of the continent.

The inspiration for Aykroyd’s and the late John Belushi’s fabulous creation, The Blues Brothers – they recorded Downchild’s “Shotgun Blues” and Walsh’s “(I Got Everything I Need) Almost”, the latter shortlisted as one of Canada’s Essential Songs in a survey conducted by the Toronto Star in 2007 – Downchild is an institution in their homeland, and revered by blues fans around the world.

Bassist Gary Kendall hears something old and something new each time he listens to I Need A Hat. “The more I play it, the more I get it,” he says. “This is vintage Downchild – straight up blues, no frills, no R&B, nothing slick. But Donnie’s doing something new with his lyrics, commenting on what’s happening in the world, reaching out to people who’ve lost their jobs and are facing hard times. That’s different. His songs are usually much more personal.”

About the reasons for Downchild’s success, Walsh is succinct and unequivocal. “Every member of this band is well equipped to do what each of us wants and needs. Downchild has always been bigger than the sum of its parts, and I can’t really explain why. But I do know that after 40 years doing this, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

Cowboy Junkies Renmin Park The Nomad Series Vol 1

2010-05-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Cowboy Junkies have been plying their craft for 25 years. When the band released The Trinity Sessions in 1988 they gained critical acclaim for their alt-country sound. The band is based around the haunting vocals of Margo Timmins backed up by her brothers Michael, on guitar, and Peter, on drums along with Alan Anton on bass.

Now, with the release of Renmin Park, Cowboy Junkies are beginning their most ambitious period yet. Inspired by a three-month stay that Michael and his family spent in China—which he describes as "an other-worldly experience"— Renmin Park is the first of four releases planned over the next 18 months, collectively titled "The Nomad Series."

"Our problem isn't a dearth of ideas, but rather a surplus," says Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. "For the first time, we are completely free of any recording contracts and obligations. We find ourselves writing and recording more than we have in years, our studio feels more and more like home, and the band now has twenty-five years under the hood and is sounding so darn good."

"Renmin Park a fictional love story about two people whose two worlds will forever keep them apart," says the guitarist. "It’s a thank-you letter to an obscure city and the people who opened up their lives to five very strange strangers. It’s a document about a bewilderingly complex culture that is, once again, experiencing a massive upheaval."

This album will soon be followed by Demons, on which Cowboy Junkies will cover the songs of their late friend Vic Chesnutt, who passed away in December 2009. "His catalogue is so deep and, for the most part, so overlooked," says Michael. "It will be a labor of love." The final two volumes of the Nomad Series will be titled Sing in My Meadow, the contents of which are still being discussed, and The Wilderness, a full album of new songs, some of which ("Angel In The Wilderness," "Fairytale," "The Confession of Georgie E") the band has already introduced on stage. The band’s recently revamped website will play an important role in the Nomad Series by taking fans inside the creative process. Timmins adds that the band will be blogging about the series from the inception to conclusion of each album and will be posting demos, works in progress, rough mixes and the occasional aborted effort.

After all four volumes are released, plans call for a book that will delve into the character, nature, and inspiration behind each of the albums. It will be published by Whale and Star, the publishing house of the band's friend Enrique Martinez Celaya, a Cuban-American artist whose "Nomad" paintings helped inspire the series.

Michael sums up the band's motivation for taking on such a massive project quite simply. "The main reason for wanting to do it," he says, "is that, as we steam through our twenty-fifth year, we feel that we have the energy and inspiration to pull it off."

If the quality of this release is any indication of what will come over the next 18 months then The Cowboy Junkies will have reached their Silver Anniversary in style.

Salif Keita's La Différence

2010-05-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Salif Keita's latest album, La Différence, was produced around the year end of 2009. The work is dedicated to the struggle of the world albino community (victims of human sacrifice), for which Keita has been crusading all his life. In one of the album's tracks, the singer calls others to understand that "difference" does not mean "bad" and to show love and compassion towards albinos like everyone else:"I am black/ my skin is white/ so I am white and my blood is black [albino]/... I love that because it is a difference that's beautiful..", "some of us are beautiful some are not/some are black some are white/all that difference was on purpose.. for us to complete each other/let everyone gets his love and dignity/the world will be beautiful."

La Différence is unique in that for the first time Keita has clearly and boldly combined different melodic influences to produce a highly original musical feel, with a wide range of appeal. The album was recorded between Bamako, Beirut, Paris, and Los Angeles. This unique musical feel is reinforced by soulful pitches in the track "Samigna" emanating from the trumpet of the Libanese great jazzman, Ibrahim Maaluf.

La Difference won Keita one of the biggest musical awards of his career: the Best World Music 2010 at the Victoires de la musique. Listen to some of the music at http://www.myspace.com/salifkeitamusic

Music Library additions - Apr 26

2010-04-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Canadian reggae group Messenjah's excellent 1996 album "Rock You High" is now loaded into SAM folder "CANCON/Worldbeat. It's difficult finding quality Canadian reggae and this group based out of Toronto delivers the goods. Messenjah performed twice on Vancouver Island - 1990 and 1995 at the "Reggae On The Island" festivals in Nanaimo & Ladysmith resectively. Their 'roots' style of reggae reminds one of groups such as Aswad, Steel Pulse, or The In Crowd.

Cuff The Duke's Way Down Here

2010-04-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Cuff the Duke
Way Down Here
(Ernest Jenning Record Co.)

Having spent several years carving their teeth on the road with the likes of The Sadies, Sloan, Hayden, The Weakerthans, Calexico and Nick Cave, Toronto's Cuff the Duke are poised to make the jump from indie- scene-darlings to bona-fide Canadian music icons. Their new album, Way Down Here was co-produced by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor at his beautiful barn studio in rural Ontario and features the band's most mature, captivating and impressive collection of songs to date.

Cuff the Duke started out in Oshawa before making the move to Toronto in 2002. Their debut album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage was released on Three Gut Records, at the time one of the most exciting indie- labels in Canada. Their second and third albums, Cuff the Duke and Sidelines and the City respectively, were both released on Hardwood Records alongside label mates Basia Bulat and Hayden.

www.cufftheduke.ca

Delicate by Martha & The Muffins

2010-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Delicate by Martha & The Muffins

by CFSI Music Mangler David L Gordon

This album was released on February 2, 2010 on their own label Muffin Music. It was Martha and the Muffins' first body of new material in 18 years. I guess they are old wave now but Martha & The Muffins started out (along with bands like The Parachute Club and Teenage Head) as part of Canada's New Wave scene way back in the 1980's. I really enjoy Mark Gane's guitar, always have. Martha Johnson is a wonderful singer and together they make beautiful music. Some songs on Delicate rock, others gently unfold. This is a very strong release. This great Canadian band has matured in a way we can all be very proud of.

Martha and The Muffins are mostly remembered for their one huge recorded-in-England hit Echo Beach, but I always loved This Is The Ice-Age, especially the guitar break on Women Around The World At Work. The new album Delicate arrived at CFSI a few weeks ago, and I have already played two cuts from it on the Two Daves Show. Guess what? Dave Roland said he likes them. Yep, he said he liked some “New Wave” music. Mess is the intended single, but I recommend the album opener Drive even more. There are lots of other songs suitable for radio play on this disc, so I think checking the entire cd out would probably be a good idea if you are looking for something cool modern and catchy to play on the air.

For more information and to listen to a track click here.

2010-04-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ten Essential Canadian Blues Records

By David L Gordon...The CFSI Music Mangler

I know it is a bit of a general overview, but here is a list of ten Canadian records which stand the test of time, and bear multiple plays. It is by no means scientific, or anything other than my own idiosycratic view. Many cuts from these important albums are currently in SAM, and certainly anything by these artists that is gets a big thumbs up from me.

McKenna Mendelson Blues – McKenna Mendelson Mainline

Recorded a year before their famous recorded-in-a-single-day-in-London-UK album “Stink” this grittier and harsher-in-tone forerunner actually out smokes its more famous sibling. There is zero polish and plenty of joyous emotion on this Paragon recording that may surprise fans of their more well-known stuff, and Mainline really hits the sweet-spot on this one. There are no dogs here.

The Powder Blues – Uncut

Every tune on this record is a barnburner. This is the classic version of The Powder Blues Band, featuring both of the Lavin brothers and David Woodward. This band is slick tight and totally committed. There are plenty of hits here: Buzzard Luck, Personal Manager, Hear That Guitar Ring and Doin’ It Right. Are just few. It was recorded in 1979 and was pressed by Blue Wave Records, their own self-financed label.

Dutch Mason – Wish Me Luck

Dutch’s best album, and he has a few really good ones too. He is at his creative peak, and it is 1979. After all, this Nova Scotia native was the Prime Minister of the blues, and he played longer, harder, and toured more widely than almost anybody else whoever picked up a guitar, or a harmonica. Dutch was a truly great guy. This is his finest studio achievement. It’s an album of cover tunes, but he owns them now. Some tunes are in SAM, but I think we need it all loaded in.

Downchild Blues Band – Bootleg

One of the greatest things to ever emerge out of Toronto. Once again we find David Woodward on board as well, so syncronistically speaking there is a BC/TO connection here. I remember watching these guys grind out this very music in a very skanky watering hole called Forbes Tavern, a dingey joint where we would guzzle 25-cent glasses of beer. Ah …those were the days ay?

King Biscuit Boy – Mouth Of Steel

With his Crowbar days long behind him King Biscuit Boy (aka Richard Newell) re-emerged after a long absence to create this Stony Plain Records 1984 masterpiece. The musicians backing him are equally talented to this harmonica wizard. The album has an urgent edginess that suggests that Newell intended to prove himself, after a ten-year absence from the scene. He did. On board we have Stan Szelest and Jack Dekeyzer. the instrumental Necromonica (in SAM) by itself is worth considering for play on your show.

The Fundamentals – Cadillac Boots

Humour, skill, and teamwork make this very cool offering from these North Bay Ontario natives the satisfying release that it is. Nonetheless, they abide by the old adage “Don’t quit your day job”. There are some really great tunes here like Hiding In Shadows, and much of the songs are loaded into SAM's Cancon Blues folder. Nobody can duplicate the Albert Collins sound quite like the guitarist “Dogmeat Jake. He’s a postman in the daytime you see. I like this CD from beginning to end; it is a pleasant surprise.

Michael Pickett – Blues Money

This Juno award winner has a very strong sound and varied song selection. Pickett is a proficient songwriter and a damn fine harp player. He was an original member of Whiskey Howl, and was in the trenches a long time before Blues Money got the award, and he finally got the recognition he deserves. Okay, maybe he isn't the greatest thing to ever come out of Toronto,but he sure sounds good anyway. Keyboard kings Richard Bell and Doug Riley both put in appearances.

The Phantoms – Raw

These Ottawa bad boys have had one truly great blues recording, and this is it... mostly due to the presence of harp player Jerome Godbout. He is a damn fine vocalist too. Raw is just what the title tells you, but there is a slight psychedelic tinge to it. It’s a fun recording and their spin on Little Walter’s Mellow Down Easy (in SAM) is absolutely manic in its restrained intensity. It sounds best when it’s turned up, so just ignore the banging on the wall from the production studio and enjoy!

Morgan Davis Band – Live

Morgan is one of those few super-skilled blues men who can sing about anything in their life and sound convincing. Rosalie is about his baby girl and it’s a real hoot, funny. Davis' cheeky style of blues is not easy too do,yet he makes it work night after night. His take on Robert Johnson is about as good as it gets. This gem of a disc was recorded at Grossman’s Tavern, a place that certainly lives up to its moniker’s true meaning.

Carlos Del Junco – Just Your Fool – Live

This is the most pleasant and relaxing recording on this list and I do believe it received a Juno as well. If it didn’t it should have, Carlos is a genius. This cd was also recorded at Grossman’s. You will find most of it in SAM. I can almost smell the bathroom from here. You can always tell how good of a night they are having by the amount of urine flowing out the front door onto Spadina Avenue. We really need a place like that on Salt Spring dontcha' think?

Caribou's Swim

2010-04-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

The electronica album Swim by Canadian artist Caribou has been added to our music library. Caribou is Dan Snaith and Swim is his first album of new material since 2007's Polaris Music Prize-winning Andorra. You can download a remix of the first single "Odessa" here.

The First Post

2010-04-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating about this for months. Dave came up with the idea for the title and I've heard form many programmers that they do not know what music is in our digital library. This will hopefully be the place where you can find it all. Also visiting my show website will help for new CANCON http://www.homegameradio.com
That's it for now.