Six Shooter Records' Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet tie the musical knot with the debut of their new band, Whitehorse, marrying their talent and chemistry on stage as a smoldering duo. They already tied the knot in the smoochy way in real life, so this makes perfect sense! This kind of touring-musical-lovebirds dealio definitely reminds me of a classic Johnny and June type scenario, but without all the stuff in the movie where you are like "wow, Johnny is being such a dick to that other girl"... maybe Luke and Melissa are actually closer to the duo Laid Back and their hit song 'White Horse' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8j2ej5jqQw ), although I do realize two German dudes making proto-techno might be a little off the mark for this project. WhitehorseΥs debut recording will be released on August 30. See a fun preview for Whitehorse here:
Whitehorse are givin' 'er straight outta the gates, and will be playing a bunch of dates in the fall in Ontario, Quebec, and the USA. Also just announced is their Feb 24 concert at Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto. The last time we put a show on sale via the peeps at Massey Hall, it sold out almost instantly, so get your tickets right away. The public on-sale date is Aug 15 at http://roythomson.com.
The live show is really going to trample your turtle. Luke and Melissa have been working hard at it, and if you live in (or are willing to travel to Hamilton or Waterloo), you can participate in the process. They will be performing five "live rehearsals" at the Jane Bond and the Casbah. No cover charge, renegade punk stylez.
Pre-orders for the new Whitehorse recording are up for sale now.
Praise for The Place I Left Behind, the new album from The Deep Dark Woods, is streaming in from coast to coast, kind of like a very long stream that spans coast to coast... a river if you will, but "rivering in from coast to coast" sounds weird. For a band identified for their "Saskatchewanness," with this new record The Deep Dark Woods have impressed far beyond their prairie origins (not to say "Saskatchewannitude" isn't impressive on its own), with slam dunk reviews swishing from every corner (assuming the hoops are set up in the corners of the proverbial music-press B-Ball court, y'know).
I think HeroHill nailed it with this little quote: "The Place I Left Behind exceeds even the highest of expectations and remarkably pays tribute to the sound that defines our country's musical heritage without sounding dated. There's a sadness that runs throughout the 13-song affair but the uplifting harmonies and warm organ work act as the perfect counterpoint. Basically, it's the type of record that ignores seasons and trends, for the simpler and much loftier ambition of timelessness." Yeppers, that's whazzup.
After a month of festival dates, the band will embark on a national tour, bringing them to many locales across the country, which, if you want me to break down our industry jargon for ya, is why we call it a national tour (see tour dates). Meanwhile, check out this little video we made (thanks to the guys at Plan 9 Films for their help):
The title Rumble, Shake and Tumble effectively captures Wagons' rowdy roots-rock style, a Red, White and Blue palette of rock 'n' roll, country, cabaret, psychedelia and soul. That's the Australian Red, White, and Blue of course!
Rumble, Shake and Tumble, out August 16, bursts forth with massive open chord riffing in the Tom Petty-ish "Downlow." The swampy stompy of "I Blew It" then gives way to the dark country epic "Love is Burning" (better get that checked out fellas, pretty sure your love ain't supposed to burn). Wagons' gentler side shines in the cuss-laced-yet-tender "Moon Into Sun" and heartbreaking ballad "My Daydreams," which settles somewhere between Neil Young and Roy Orbison, and still rules even though it isn't quite as cuss-laced (I have to admit, I love a good cuss lacin'). There's a special place in Six Shooter's heart for second to last track "Life's Too Short" - a feel better ditty that sums it all up while steering clear of self-help terrain. Inspired by American icons old and new, and bearing Cormac McCarthy's harrowing Western gothic fingerprint, the record holds unexpected twists, turns and moods, punctuated throughout by Henry Wagons' grunts and snarls (and sangin' of course!).
See the video for "I Blew It" here :
See the video using live footage of "Willie Nelson" here:
And don't miss out on their Canadian tour dates:
VANCOUVER, BC: Railway Club, September 4
TORONTO, ON: Horseshoe Tavern, September 6
OTTAWA, ON: Zaphod's, September 7
Y'know, I would definitely say that I have a pretty well non-existent sweet tooth. I am one of those assholes who says things like "this is good cake... it's not too sweeeeeet", and my idea of a midnight snack is a bit of spicey lime pickle and brie on a water cracker. That being said, I totally just craved, and subsequently smashed, a big bowl of soy ice cream with Nutella on it! I still know how to partaaaaaaay!
Hot off the busiest day in Beauties history, one that started with two Hillside shows...first with the Beauties' current touring mate Serena Ryder and then with Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew, and ending with five more sets at the band's home base, Toronto's Dakota Tavern... The Beauties fiiiinally pack up for their western Canadian debut this August. This has nothing to do with my eating habits, or dessert cravings, but I thought I'd keep you in the loop anyway, since I try to keep my Twitter account free of boring-ass food posts. Check below for the deets on The Beauties upcoming tour dates, and no deets on how I made a Saskatoon berry pie for the first time the other day.
For those in Western Canada who have yet to experience The Beauties' legendarily lively shows, here's a recap of that jam-packed Hillside day, courtesy of Spinner.
You may have noticed at the end of the Whitehorse segment of this newsletter above, that I am now replacing the phrase "blow your mind" with "trample your turtle" in my day-to-day lexicon. Ok, maybe you didn't notice until now, and you are about to scroll back up and re-read that part. Either way, this is big news. I like this new phrase for a few reasons, please allow me to run 'em down for you:
1. I like the visual I get of my brain being a turtle. Kind of like in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon (the turtle part of TMNT just hit me now, ignore that part), where that bad dude Krang sits inside a robot body, only, of course, in this case it's a cute wrinkly turtle buddy, and he's inside my head, and he's always smiling with his cute little turtle mouth.
2. I like how this expression can also be used for frustration or displeasure. Ie. "you know what really tramples my turtle?! TRAFFIC!!"
3. Trampled By Turtles are totally a mind blowing (or rather turtle trampling) band, so alluding to them every time one's turtle is trampled JUST MAKES SENSE.
For example, 3000 lucky Newport Folk Festival goers recently had their collective turtles completely trampled by Trampled By Turtles. Standing ovations (or "standing Os" as I like to call 'em) and sing-alongs led to a rare festival stage encore, where TxT delivered their take on the Pixies "Where Is My Mind," which, while I'm sure it was intended as a rhetorical question, can easily be answered with "your turtle-y Pixie mind was just trampled!"
Hot off his acting debut in the Michael Ondaatje play based on his novel, Divisidero, and a more recent turn on an episode of Degrassi High (OMGGGGGGG), Justin Rutledge returns to the stage to star currently in the Canadian performance debut of Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice, a modern retelling of the ancient myth of Orpheus - from the dead bride's point of view. Justin will be playing the dead bride... Just kidding, he will be playing the hunky Greek dude in the toga. Eurydice plays Aug 4-13 at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (15 Ryerson Ave, Toronto). Tickets are $15, available at 416.504.7529 or http://www.artsboxoffice.ca.
Torontonians can stop by The Gate 403 (403 Roncesvalles Avenue) to check out recent art works by Martin Tielli. There might even be a catalogue available to purchase works, like last time.
If you're interested, let me know, shauna@sixshooterrecords.com.
We're proud to announce that The Deep Dark Woods will release their third full-length record, The Place I Left Behind, on August 2, 2011 on Six Shooter Records. Yayee! A follow-up to 2009's deep dark dirge, the award-winning Winter Hours, the new album is the band's first self-produced project. The Place I Left Behind is a fine collection of songcraft that offers murder ballads alongside scrappy rockers, lovesick hymnals and slow-dance waltzes that preserve the shadowy corners of folk music traditions. Based in Saskatchewan, the Deep Dark Woods sport a varying degree of unshaven faces planted on top of the shoulders of: Burke Barlow, Ryan Boldt, Lucas Goetz, Geoff Hilhorst, and Chris Mason. The album comes out the week they hit the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
More hot fun for Six Shooter Records this summertime, with new additions to the roster from here, there and even other hemispheres. Rolling in from Melbourne, Australia is Wagons, a band with a wild-eyed, audience-taunting frontman (ie. a regular Australian), Henry Wagons, and an instrument-swapping set of musicians who keep the shows just on this side of sanity. Wagons blew everyone away at CMW + SXSW (their first full-band appearance at both festivals), and Six Shooter signed up to release their brand new record, Rumble, Shake and Tumble on August 16, 2011. We are told that this disc will spin in the opposite direction from our other releases, due to it's other-hemispherocity. WagonsΥ full back catalogue will also be available from Six Shooter in digital form. A simultaneous US release of the album will drop via Thirty Tigers (the label, not some Vegas show involving 30 tigers).
Much ado has been made of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting our fair country, a visit covered by no fewer than 1300 media types, and lemme tell ya, that ain't nothing! Shakespeare joke! Humour fit for Royals! Our very own Jenn Grant slammed back some royal jelly shots, donned her Royal Elastics sneakers, and had the honour and pleasure of performing for William and Kate! Plus she got to meet them, and apparently had to dodge a blitzkrieg! We asked Jenn about this, and hereΥs what she had to say:
"Hello everyone! Well, as you know, I just got back from my rendezvous with the Royal Couple. I did not get to smell Prince William, I just got to look at him. Although I think if I smelled him, he would have smelled pretty good. The tabloids have not done him justice. He's just a prince. A charmer in every way. He told me I was "Too Talented". Yes, Six Shooter, you can add that to my website.
"And Kate, my goodness. She is fit as a fiddle. I don't know what work out program she's in but she's looking good and I'd love to join her!
"Right before the Jenny G band and I played for them, there were many gunshots fired, and many fighter jets flying just overhead! It was a wild time. Thank goodness we got our getcha goods together and rocked the town. And yes, I believe Kate and I have a psychic connection because our outfits matched, twice. All in all it was a day and night to remember. All hail the Queen!"
Follow us pon di Twitter @SixShooterR if you want to see pictures taken of Jenn meeting the Royals.
We were very pleased when we found out that the one kabillion jurors for the Polaris Long List have included two Six Shooter albums in the mix: "Honeymoon Punch" by Jenn Grant, and "Steel City Trawler" by Luke Doucet & the White Falcon. Yay, us! When I first saw the list, I was so excited that I texted Luke Doucet a lil' message along the lines of "OMG Polaris Long List! YGG! IMHO u Rock! ROTFLOL!", and I was kind of offended when he didn't even reply! Has Polaris Long List fame already gone to Luke's forever-young blonde head?! I was so disheartened that I didn't even bother texting Jenn Grant (that, and I don't have her digits). Anyway, this is our last chance to brag about our Polaris goodness, because they are announcing the short list imminently. Maybe even today. So say three cheers for us while the going is good!
Don't miss Luke and his awesome band the White Falcon this summer! It has just occurred to me that Luke should probably dress up as Falco for Halloween this year. Mostly because my mind works on Cockney logic, and Falco sounds kind of like Falcon to me, and every time I read the name of LukeΥs band, ΤRock Me AmadeusΥ gets stuck in my head. ThatΥs a pretty sweet tune, so I donΥt mind. In addition to a number of exciting festival plays, El Dee and the Double You Eff are also performing at a number of clubs. Notably in Wakefield, Edmonton, and Calgary. Details below, and tix for most shows available at www.sixshooterrecords.com.
With just a few festivals under our belt, there is already lots to report, what with Jenn Grant meeting the Royals (as reported above, they are both very fancy, and apparently quite fitΙ in the athletic sense, not the British, "whoa that bird is FIT" sense), Sarah McLachlan joining the White FalconΥs set at the Burlington Sound of Music festival (although we do wish Sarah had worn shredded, acid washed jeans to match with the White Falcon's rockin' intensity), and Shout Out Out Out Out proving that they can still pull off that whole "youthful zest" thing by playing the Boonstock Festival in Gibbons, AB with a 3 AM set time!!
The summer is still young, however, and there is much, much more festival action coming up. Since Trampled by Turtle's release of Palomino on May 10, 2011, the black-and-bluegrass quintet logged a sold-out CD Release Show in Vancouver and will soon be on stages at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and Ottawa Blues Fest, all of which adds up to a decidedly non-shabby way to introduce themselves to us friendly Canadians. Also this coming weekend in Winnipeg, watch for Melissa McClelland, who in addition to playing her own mainstage concert set (weΥre hoping for hella pyrotechnics), will be joining Blue Rodeo for their live presentation of the album, "Five Days in July", which may actually take 5 days, so bring a tent, saltines, and some bottled water.
Across the Lakes, we have the Beauties and Amelia Curran both performing at the Mariposa Folk Festival. We'll all be there, working on our suntans and drinking from our environmentally friendly cups (made from empty poutine containers salvaged from under my car seat). We hope to see you out there, too... check out the Six Shooter Records + Management festival schedule this summer, and start planning your roadtrips:
JULY
July 6-9: Winnipeg Folk Festival (Melissa McClelland, Trampled by Turtles)
July 8-10: Mariposa, Orillia, ON (The Beauties, Amelia Curran)
July 9-10: Blissfest, Harbor Springs, MI (The Good Lovelies)
July 15-16: World Festival, Grass Valley, CA (The Good Lovelies)
July 16: Ottawa Bluesfest (The Beauties Π July 16, Trampled by Turtles - July 14)
July 15-17: Folk on the Rocks, Yellowknife, NWT (Luke Doucet & The White Falcon, The Deep Dark Woods)
July 15-17: Dawson City Music Festival (Shout Out Out Out Out, Amelia Curran)
July 15-16: Stewart Park Festival (Jenn Grant, NQ Arbuckle)
July 17: River and Sky Π Sudbury (Jenn Grant)
July 24: Hillside, Guelph, ON (The Beauties w/Serena Ryder + w/Kevin Drew)
July 29: Battery Park, NYC (The Beauties)
July 30 Π Aug 1: Canmore Folk Festival ((The Good Lovelies, Melissa McClelland + Luke Doucet)
AUGUST
August 4-7: Edmonton Folk Music Festival (Amelia Curran, The Deep Dark Woods)
August 5: Wolfe Island (near Kingston), ON (Jenn Grant)
August 5-8: Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, St. John's (The Good Lovelies)
August 12 Π River Valley, Woodstock, NB (Jenn Grant)
August 12-14: Trout Forest Music Festival, Ear Falls, ON (NQ Arbuckle, The Deep Dark Woods)
August 13: FredRock, Fredericton, NB (The Beauties w/Serena Ryder)
August 13: Burnaby Roots & Blues Festival (Luke Doucet & The White Falcon)
August 19: Salmon Arm (Justin Rutledge)
August 19-21: Summerfolk Festival, Owen Sound, ON (The Good Lovelies)
August 20-21: Harvest Sun Music Festival, Kelwood, MB (The Deep Dark Woods)
August 24: Pacific National Ex, Vancouver (The Beauties w/Serena Ryder)
August 26-28: Eaglewood Folk Festival, Pefferlaw, ON (Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland)
August 27: Wood Mountain Folk Festival, Wood Mountain, SK (The Deep Dark Woods)
SEPTEMBER
September 2-4: Shelter Valley Festival, Grafton, ON (Luke Doucet & The White Falcon)
Jenn Grant continues to tour steadily following the release of her deservingly celebrated album Honeymoon Punch. After wishing CBC Halifax's Information Morning a happy birthday (Yo! HBD!), Jenn will jetset around the country to perform at NXNE, two Ontario shows with Jim Bryson, Sled Island in Calgary, club dates in Vancouver, Victoria, and, well, a bunch more. Jenn is buuuusy! She is also playing a number of festivals this summer, such as the new River & Sky Festival in Sudbury, Wolfe Island, River Valley Arts Festival in New Brunswick. oh yeah, and she's also playing Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Canada Day for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (who I actually prefer to refer to as the Baron and Baroness of Carrickfergus)! Hopefully they bring that kid who made the poopy face in all of their wedding photos, I love a good internet meme!
Apparently chives are supposed to be annual, one time only type joints, but I'll be damned if those suckers don't just come back every year once you plant 'em. Ol' Luke Doucet is totally the chive in the vast garden of festival season. He just keeps coming back for more, and, uh he goes well with baked potatoes (sorry, I didn't really think through the chive analogy). What I'm getting at though, is Luke Doucet is a perennial festival favourite and this summer is no different. With his rocking' rock band, The White Falcon, in tow, Luke kicks it off this Saturday at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival, and then over to the Harbourfront Amphitheatre (now called the WestJet stage, by mere coincidence that has nothing to do with the airline WestJet other than them paying a speculated buttload of money to rename it, maybe) on Canada Day. Other festivals Luke is going to jam include Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife, NWT, Canmore Folk Festival, Burnaby Roots & Blues Festival, Eaglewood Folk Festival, and capping off the summer with a rocking set at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival on Labour Day weekend. Holy festivoli! He will also be playing select club dates, including Wakefield, Calgary, and Edmonton (home of the longest stretch of public parkland in North America, which will be lovely for a running enthusiast such as Luke). Yay summer!
Melissa McClelland is majorly hella thrilled to be playing the Winnipeg Folk Festival, kicking things off on a bill with Blue Rodeo and the Jayhawks. Maybe after the show, they can go to that bar where you throw a rubber chicken into a bucket - does that place still exist? Winnipeggers? For the remainder of the summer, Melissa will balance her time between Sarah McLachlan and Friends shows, Luke Doucet & the White Falcon shows, her own festival slots (Canmore Folk Festival, Eaglewood Folk Festival), running through sprinklers while eating a creamsicle, and eating half of a watermelon, then wearing the empty rind as a hat while she eats the second half. Yay summer!
News flash! Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland will also be playing a duo show at the Glenn "don't rename me WestJet" Gould Theatre on September 21. Frazey Ford of the Be Good Tanyas rounds out the bill, and choreography will be non-existent (a plus in my mind). It's going to be an amazing show - tickets go on sale on Thursday at www.roythomson.com
Melissa isn't the only Six Shooter Artist to grace the Winnipeg Folk Festival stages. Our newest member of "the team" (that's what we call our team), Trampled by Turtles, who hail from Duluth, MN, is making their Canadian festival debut by lighting a proverbial fire (playing) under the proverbial asses (to a crowd) at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Ottawa Bluesfest. These guys rip it like a magic kiss, don't sleep! Also check out the scores of American festivals they are playing (Telluride, Newport, etc.) -- see tour dates.
I know very, very little about sports, but I do know that if you play three games in a row it's a triple header, if you score three goals it's a hat-trick, and if you are super far away from the basket you get three points (hmmm, I may actually be a sports genius). The Beauties will qualify for all of these three/sports related accolades after this fiasco of a day (July 24th): Hillside Festival features Serena Ryder (awesome) and Kevin Drew (awesome), both who are using the Beauties as their back up band (aaaawwwwweeesoooome). When our dudes finish their set with Serena, they won't even need to pack up their gear... they can simply walk it over to the Island Stage (walking with gear! Fun!) and start rocking with Kevin. Then the whole gang will pack up and head back to Toronto, where they'll do a late night set, their third of the day, at the Dakota Tavern. We feel this day alone merits a nomination for the Hardest Working Band in Canada, aka HWBIC (but we rarely go for the acronym, 'cause it looks like the name of a bank or something). You can check out full sets by the Beauties at Mariposa and Ottawa Bluesfest this summer, as well on a few dates opening for the Drive By Truckers this week (yay them!!)!!! Check below for gory deets.
The Beauties aren't the only ones to be sharing the stage with the Drive By Truckers this week... ha ha ha, PSYCH! NQ Arbuckle also gets a chance to rock with their hallowed heroes this Saturday in Ottawa. Meanwhile, I'll be rocking out with a hallowed hero sandwich at home! Just kidding, I don't even know what a hero sandwich is really! Is it some kind of sub? Who can say?! Following that, NQ Arbuckle will be flinging themselves to Canadian destinations far and wide, including Huntsville (a ville known for its hunts), Wakefield (a field known for its wake), Winnipeg (a peg known for its wienies LOL), and Ear Falls (what?! I can't hear you!).
Our favourite Juno winner (aside from BIEBS), Amelia Curran, will be gracing many folk festival stages this summer, including the classic Mariposa Folk Festival, the raucous Dawson City Music Fesival (I'm going to be at that one too! Hey Amelia, let's paaartyyy!), the lovely Mission Folk Festival, and the massive Edmonton Folk Music Festival (hot tip: when they close the festival with 'Four Strong Winds', sing "strong foreskins" instead, and you'll get major larfs).
Justin Rutledge and guest Jadea Kelly will be playing Hugh's Room on July 13. Get your tickets now! British Columbians will be able to check out Justin at the Salmon Arm festival. True story, whenever someone says Salmon Arm, I picture a big ol' floppy salmon arm, and I can't help but wave my arm around and go "blubblblbblbl"! See tour dates below.
We have no shows to announce, unfortunately, but Martin does want to let you know that he has some of his stunning paintings and illustrations for sale. Limited time offers are available until the end of June. As far as I know, the Canada Post strike hasn't hit Email yet, so fire one of those cyber jernts off to shauna@sixshooterrecords.com for a catalogue if you're interested in copping a Tielli original!
Our synthesizer loving Edmontonian pals Shout Out Out Out Out have been reclusively working on new material for the past little while, and will apparently have a new EP ready sometime this year! Vague, but exciting news! I'm sure you will be able to check out some of the new songs at their upcoming festival shows at Boonstock (Gibbons, AB), and the Dawson City Music Festival, where the Shoutset will be performing as well as hosting a workshop to de-mystify what all those blinking lights and knobs do on their massive mountain of electronic gear.
After a successful debut last year, Six Shooter is pleased to bring back the Music Meeting to NXNE, which we've organized in cooperation with The Ministry of Tourism and Culture and CIMA. "FM USA - The Music Meeting" is a live event panel that features five US music directors from across the country. Simulating a radio music meeting, unreleased and new songs submitted from emerging and established artists will be played for the audience and panelists, and the songs will be given a score in real time. Each song will be discussed by the panelists like they would at a real radio station music meeting (except with less demoralizing cackles, CD throwing, and cursing). The Music Meeting panel will take place Thursday, June 16 @ The Hyatt (370 King St. W.), starting at 3:30 in the Regency Room. You have to be a NXNE delegate to attend.
I do hope you like us, we like you! If you "Like" like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SixShooterRecords), we'll give you some free tunes. Visit us often... we'll keep changing up the song(s). Deal? If we meet you IRL, and you are way more uggers than your profile pic, we won't even pretend like we donΥt know you or anything! Plus, free tunes! Where else are you gonna find that on the internet?!
Six Shooter Records welcomes Palomino to the stable... get it? Horse joke! Palomino is the new album by Duluth's Trampled by Turtles, and it will be released on Six Shooter on May 10, 2011!
Trampled By Turtles is Dave Simonett (vocals, guitar), Tim Saxhaug (bass, vocals), Dave Carroll (banjo, vocals), Erik Berry (mandolin, vocals) and Ryan Young (fiddle). Lemme tell ya, these guys can really rip. Some of the songs on Palomino are so insanely fast that it makes the Finnish heavy metal bands I saw last month sound like the Cocteau Twins. My initial reaction on hearing Palomino was something along the lines of "More like Trampled By Freakin' Gazelles brah"! Their 'eve chunes are a hybrid of classic songwriting, bluegrass and folk - or as they put it, North Country & Mid-Western Blue-collar 'grass with a fistful of gunpowder. On top of the absolutely blazing mandolin and banjo fervor sits a poignant, seductive desolation that calls to mind contemporaries Avett Brothers, Blitzen Trapper and Elliott BROOD. Produced by lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Dave Simonett, Palomino leads off with a pair of plaintive, up-tempo (like, really uptempo) ballads. Wait So Long offers gorgeous, high lonesome harmonies by bassist Tim Saxhaug and banjoist Dave Carroll, as well as a video seen by nearly 700,000 youtube viewers. Check it out here and help 'em hit a milli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjdkc14-zwQ
Trampled By Turtles is also known for their runaway train performances, frenzied ever-accelerating sets that have made their name across America. At this year's SXSW, the band grabbed attention from NPR, American Songwriter and Esquire Magazine. The Minnesotans brought their "raucous stomp" to Coachella, and are also confirmed to play the renowned Newport Folk Music Festival this summer. Quoth Atlanta rapper T.I., "big shit poplin'" (although, I'm not entirely sure that he was referring to Trampled By Turtles, but it still applies). Palomino, which topped the Billboard Bluegrass chart in 2010, is the band's fifth studio recording, and first released in Canada. Six Shooter is very proud to be bringing Palomino to the land of the endless Harper (we're proud of the Palomino part, not the Harper part, just to be clear).
Vancouver folks are the first to get a taste of the Turtle at their upcoming show at the Media Club on May 14. Other upcoming Canadian festivals include Winnipeg Folk Festival and Ottawa Bluesfest.
Those living in the nation's capital can get a taste of what Toronto's Sunday-nighters have been loving for ages now. Starting tomorrow, The Beauties will perform a weekly Thursday night residency at the Elmdale Tavern for the month of May. Clearly, the Beauties have a real thing for residencies, having just done a Residency at Piano's in NYC as well. So, Ottawanians, grab yourself a few slices of pizza with gravy on it (I have it on good authority that they have this in Ottawa, sounds kinda gross to me), and settle in for the month! DonΥt miss a single Sunday, or else!
In more Beauties' news, check the tour dates section for some dates with one of our fave bands south of the border, the Drive by Truckers. Also check out how they are playing two different slots at Hillside Festival this year, one with Serena Ryder, and the other with Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene.
There are still two shows left in each of the series we are promoting in the cities of Waterloo, London, Hamilton, and Kingston, and we are still offering a bitchin' deal on tix to said shows. Six Shooter run things, thazz riiight:
WATERLOO at the Jane Bond (005 Princess St.)
Amelia Curran - May 9
NQ ARBUCKLE - June 6
Series price: 2 shows for $25
LONDON at the Aeolian Hall (795 Dundas)
Justin Rutledge + Oh Susanna May 5
Luke Doucet & Melissa McClelland - Fri May 19
Series price: 2 shows for $30
HAMILTON at the Pearl Company Theatre (16 Steven St.)
Justin Rutledge + New Country Rehab - May 12
Jenn Grant + Jim Bryson - June 17
Series price: 2 shows for $30
KINGSTON at the Chalmers Church (212 Barrie St.)
Justin Rutledge + Oh Susanna - May 28
Jenn Grant + Jim Bryson - June 28
Series price: 2 shows for $30
All series include a free CD from the participating artist of your choice. A. FREE. CD. LIKE, YO! Good dealskie alert! Tickets available through our website.
Amelia Curran has been a real busy bee lately! She just finished kicking out the jams at a bunch of ECMA performances, she won a Juno Award, and also held it down at JunoFest, co-anchoring, alongside Peter Mansbridge, the TIFF Lightbox presentation of the Leonard Cohen film I'm Your Man. Amelia's song The Mistress off of Hunter, Hunter, has been the recipient of even more accolades, receiving First Prize in the USA Songwriting Competition in the Folk category! Woo, that's what's up! Amelia also recently recorded with Quebec singer-songwriter Caracol for a special CBC series Rendez-Vous, which features collaborations between Anglo and Francophone artists. The Amelia Curran/Caracol performance airs May 12 on CBC Radio 12.
Up next for Amelia is a show at Jane Bond in Waterloo, after which she hops on a plane and heads west for a string of dates with fellow Haligonian Erin Costello. This was very challenging to set up because neither Amelia nor Erin uses email, they both prefer to communicate using the Hali-Fax machine! Haw haw!!! Check tour dates for more details and ticket links. After this tour, Amelia heads straight into the studio to start working on the follow up album to Hunter, Hunter, which I personally really hope is titled Gatherer, Gatherer.
Did you know that in Australia CDs spin in the opposite direction? Fun fact! Or wait, maybe that's toilet water. I guess we'll have to double check on that one with the Good Lovelies, who have just returned from an incredibly successful tour down under, where our girls sold every last CD they brought... including the mistaken shipment where we accidently sent them too many, and the emergency shipment halfway through the tour when they had already run out. Now that the Good Lovelies are back from Oz, they are readying themselves for another debut tour overseas, this time to the UK, where they plan to hold Royal Weddings on every night of the tour, that's gotta be good for CD sales right? Pippa Middleton is totally not on the guestlist for any of the shows though, unless she agrees to wear a potato sack. Check tour dates below
Y'know that part of the day when you've already had two giant mugs of strong black coffee, and you know that you shouldn't cross the line and have one more, but it tastes so good that you get up and stoke the ol' espresso machine that you got used for 20 bucks at Value Village with another hit, and then you are screwed for the rest of the day? Story of my life, bro! I am about to cross that line right now, and clearly I know that I shouldnΥt! What is wrong with me? The rest of my day is gonna suuuuuuck. You know who doesn't have this problem? Luke Doucet, that's who. Luke is a real smarty pants, and hasn't touched that nasty caffeine stuff in years. You would think that this would result in Luke having a permanent case of the Mondays, but nope, he was bright eyed and bushy tailed in Winnipeg on Monday to help the Coalition for Music Education promote "Music Monday". More than 1700 schools across the country learned the song Luke wrote specifically for the campaign, titled Tomorrow is Coming (and if Rebecca Black has taught Luke anything, then I'm guessing the song is about Tuesday). Learn more about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAniw_pdyJw .
Haligonians can check out Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland performing a make-up date (meaning, a show that had to be scheduled and not that they are going to be doing any kissing and making up on stage) at the Company House on May 20. Luke is taking advantage of the fact that he'll be in Halifax that weekend, where he's going to run his second marathon. Go Luke!
I'm kinda dog crazy right now. I just watched a video on the internet of Billie Joe from Green Day jamming' on the piano with his pooch singing, and I just heard Mr. Showbiz Nick Cannon on the ol' satellite radio talking about how his wife (um, that would be Mariah Carey) is hiring a therapist for her multiple dogs to help them deal with the trauma of her being pregnant, and oddly, the snoopy factor was high enough in both cases that neither thing made me want to smash my computer or shoot a laser at the satellite responsible for distracting me with R&B gossip. Good work doggies!
Speaking of smashing, Jenn Grant's "Honeymoon Punch" continues to smash through brick walls like the Kool-Aid Man! Jenn Grant and her excellent band are prairie bound next week, with shows in Calgary, Canmore, the glorious mecca of Edmonton, Regina, and Winnipeg. Dapper Winnipegger Del Barber will be opening these shows. It's gonna be Del-icious! After partying across the perma-winter prairies with Dapper Del, Jenn heads back to her birthplace of Charlottetown to get down in style with all the fine folks rounded up there for the East Coast Music Awards. Even though Honeymoon Punch won't be eligible for ECMAs until next year (sniffle), Jenn is nonetheless nominated for three awards (yayee), including Best Video (for "You'll Go Far"), People's Choice Entertainer of the Year (better have a good speech prepared for that one), and Songwriter of the Year (with Buck 65 for "Paper Airplane"). Jenn is doing three shows, which I'm gonna go ahead and point out is equivalent to one show for each of the awards she is nominated for : one with her full band (which will make for a pretty good video, if it's filmed), one with the Symphony Nova Scotia ( very entertaining), and one as part of the Songwriter's Circle (Buck 65, whazaaaap). More east coast dates in Charlottetown and New Brunswick will take place the following weekend. See tour date deets below for all the deets on the dates, dudes.
If you live in London, Waterloo, Kingston, or Hamilton, then we have some good news for you! We're banging' out a killer concert series all up in yo neighborhoooood! If you live in one of these glorious burghs, or have a luxurious home in all 4 of these glorious burghs, or live somewhere close to one or more of these burghs (I hear there is a slightly larger burgh nearby called friction' TORONTO for instance), this is your chance to see a whole smattering of top notch Six Shooter artists and guests in a delightfully spaced out but regular basis! We are offering a fantastic subscription price that also comes with the album of your choice from a participating artist. If you do the math (which I'm about to do, gimme a sec...), that means hollering at all of the shows in all of the burghs would result in 11 shows and 4 Cds worth of decidedly non-shitty music from us, your Six Shooter pals! Value!
SIX SHOOTER CONCERT SERIES IN WATERLOO @ the Jane Bond (005 Princess St.)
Justin Rutledge- April 11
Amelia Curran - May 9
NQ ARBUCKLE - June 6
Series price: 3 shows for $40 + free CD from participating artist of your choice
SIX SHOOTER CONCERT SERIES IN LONDON @ the Aeolian Hall (795 Dundas)
Christine Fellows + Shotgun Jimmie - Sat April 23
Justin Rutledge + Oh Susanna May 5
Luke Doucet + Melissa McClelland - Fri May 19
Series price: 3 shows for $50 + free CD from participating artist of your choice
SIX SHOOTER CONCERT SERIES IN HAMILTON @ the Pearl Company Theatre (16 Steven St.)
Christine Fellows + Shotgun Jimmie - Thurs April 27
Justin Rutledge + New Country Rehab -- May 12
Jenn Grant + Jim Bryson - June 17
Series price: 3 shows for $50 + free CD from participating artist of your choice
SIX SHOOTER CONCERT SERIES IN KINGSTON @ the Chalmers Church (212 Barrie St.)
Justin Rutledge + Oh Susanna May 28
Jenn Grant + Jim Bryson June 28
Series price: 2 shows for $30 + free CD from participating artist of your choice
It's been a grueling but fun month for our boys, each week making the trek to New York City (that's the grueling part) to slay a crowd of music lovers (that's the fun part). Last week's show inspired an offer to play Battery Park with James Blood Ulmer and the Growlers, which left the fellas growling for blood, lemme tell ya! Who knows what's going to happen tonight (probably, at the very least, more eggplant slices from Rosario's pizza), but we know it's going to be epic, especially since Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew is confirmed as a special guest, as are Lisa Lobsinger and Americana legend Chip Taylor. On top of that, Justin Rutledge's side project, the Early Winters, opens the show. Whoa, that is a stacked bill! See you at Piano's!
Also coming up for the Beauties later in April is the Light of Day show in Pittsburgh... after blowing away a crowd of people in New Jersey, including the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen(!), they've been invited back by the promoters to rock steel town. See tour dates for deets.
With sell-out shows across the country celebrating the release of their new album, "Let the Rain Fall", The Good Lovelies are hosting a triumphant homecoming at the Great Hall in Toronto this Saturday. Please note, the show doesn't actually start until 8:45, not 8:30 as it is listed, so don't you be getting' all rowdy after 15 minutes. We know what a rambunctious lot you Good Lovelies fanatics can be, it's like Bieber fever without the therapeutic Twitter trending release. Anyway, the album (released on their own label) is killer. The rest of the world can enjoy the album starting April 4 (the digital world-wide release date), or buy their copies on May 9 (the physical world-wide release date, except for in the USA, which is May 24, even though we tried to tell 'em that hot tunes know no borders). To celebrate, the Good Lovelies will embark on their first ever tour of Australia in April, followed by their first-ever tour of the UK in May. They will assuredly take note of anomalies in the direction of water flow during toilet flushes between both tours (I have heard no conclusive evidence as to whether or not this phenomenon is a myth, and why would we Google it when the Good Lovelies can give us a first hand account?).
Canada's favourite heartwarming radio storyteller, the CBC's Stuart MacLean, has invited Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet to join the Vinyl Cafe on a series of dates, mostly in the wild unknown of the USA. Just to prove that being a storyteller of this caliber is not easy, here is my attempt: "One day my boy came home with a new puppy, and it ate my whole collection of vintage science magazines and pissed on my best recycled paper cup, but then it started singing along to a Green Day song, and I just couldn't be mad, aw shucks! And now, here is a beautiful song about Hamilton by Melissa and Luke". See?!
This comes on the heels of a 48-date tour with Sarah McLachlan, who invited Melissa and Luke to be her friends and sing some of their own 'eve chunes during the show. Reviews across the board have been stellar, and we want to personally thank Ms. McLachlan for her generosity and graciousness. She is our New Goddess. So far, telling people that Sarah McLachlan is our New Goddess is going really well, people don't think that's a crazy thing to say out loud at all. Really and truly, Sarah is awesome, and she has been super duper awesome to our pals Melissa and Luke. The epic 48 date tour went smashingly, and everyone high-fived gently.
Also coming up for Luke and Melissa are shows in Ontario and a make-up show in Halifax where they will show you how to apply foundation and eyeliner and stuff. Just kidding, the make-up part has nothing to do with make-up. Check tour dates for all the details.
Coulda been the whiskey, or more likely, the tequila (or maaaybe the cookies). All we know is that the month of March is like New Year's Eve every night for the Canadian music industry. Austin is now a blur...we remember fantastic performances by our Femmes Fatales - Christine Fellows, Jenn Grant, Oh Susanna, Kendel Carson, Frazey Ford, and Jen Lane - all in exquisite form. And we once again had the best of times with our friends from XM The Verge, who recorded dozens of bands in our living room, dubbed the Six Shooter House of Sin. Check the first video to be released from this stupendous time (this one where City and Colour sings "Old Man" by Neil Young):
With barely a day to recover from SXSW, we launched right into Juno week in Toronto. Whatever, we are such seasoned vets that we didn't even flinch, we just took it like champs, put our heads down and partied through it. Luke Doucet dazzled the audience at Massey Hall during the Songwriter's Circle, making many new fans (including Randy friction' Bachman!). The Beauties won over the crowd at the Juno Welcome Reception, playing host to a number of nominees who performed covers of Canadian classics throughout the evening...our favourite of course was Justin Rutledge singing Arcade Fire's "Wake Up", our second favourite was Justin Bieber singing Anvil's "Metal On Metal".. just kidding, that didn't happen. We also managed to represent hard at various Juno Fest houses with performances by Justin Rutledge, Elliott BROOD, NQ Arbuckle, The Beauties, and Luke Doucet.
Best of all was Sunday night. Even though we didn't technically win either of our categories (once again, Luke was beaten by Neil Young, but hey, if you're going to let any rapscallion sneak one past ya, it may as well be by the Man Himself), we thought this was the best Juno Awards everrrrrr. The 40th Anniversary medley, on which Justin Rutledge performed with friends Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor, the Sadies, Sarah Harmer, Sarah Slean, Dallas Green, Serena Ryder was, frankly, just amazing. Neil Young's speech inspired, and Arcade Fire's performance slayed (although we were really hoping that they would at least jump a VW minibus through a hoop of fire or something). All this sandwiched between two raucous trips on our ram-packed party bus (which was actually a VW minibus, that we did indeed jump through a hoop of fire with), which delivered our gang of 30 to the red carpet, because we are so damn fancy, and red carpets are totally normal for us. Special thanks to Blue Rodeo, who welcomed us to their now legendary post-Juno party at their amazing studio where we laid down some hot tracks for a new song called "Juno Ballin", where da red carpetz at? (Remix)'.
This sentence right here was written in the evening of International Women's Day! Woo! We are doing our part by upping the estrogen levels in Austin this year at my personal favorite fest blowout, SXSW. Six Shooter is teaming up with our pals at Starfish Entertainment to produce another fantastic Outlaws and Gunslingers event: Les Femmes Fatales, featuring Jenn Grant, Christine Fellows, Oh Susanna, Kendel Carson and Chip Taylor (we know Chip isn't a femme, but he is still hella fatale, so that counts), Frazey Ford, and Jen Lane - Thursday, March 17, Upstairs at Paradise (Canada House, 401 E. 6th St., Austin) from 8 pm to 2 am. Check out our cool Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/event
Jenn Grant is doing the busy bee billion SXSW shows thing this year, and is also performing at the Canada Blast BBQ on Wed, March 16 at Brush Square Park with Buck 65 at about 6:15 pm as well as at the Paperboat Music/Harris Radio party at Betsy's Bar (301 W. 6th St.) at 4:40 on Thurs. March 17.
We are also bracing ourselves for the awesomeness of hosting a long list of Canadian bands at the Six Shooter House of Sin, where XM will be taping mega sessions galore! Tune into XM The Verge (http://www.thevergeonline.com or channel 87) to hear sessions by Jenn Grant, Christine Fellows, Hey Rosetta, City and Colour, Imaginary Cities, Trampled by Turtles, Said the Whale, In-Flight Safety, Great Lake Swimmers, and more. We are gonna smash so many goddamn quiches!
This sentence was written on the anniversary of the death of the Notorious B.I.G., the greatest rapper of all time. In his memory, I am listening to the classic album 'Ready To Die' right now at a very high volume, and that skit with all the sexy noises just came on and I'm suddenly quite uncomfortable thinking that my neighbor might be able to hear it through the floor. Egads. RIP Big Poppa.
We are excited that the Junos are held in Toronto this year, and doubly excited that two of our 2010 releases are nominated for these most giant Canadian awards: Justin Rutledge's "The Early Widows" for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year (solo) and Luke Doucet & The White Falcon's "Steel City Trawler" for Adult Alternative Album of the Year. I gotta say, both of these albums are entirely bitchin', so we look forward to seeing Luke and Justin do a running chest bump with simultaneous high-ten when they (surely) both win! Party time! Being that the Junos are on our home turf this year, AKA stumbling distance, and will assuredly be at all these events partying our faces off:
Songwriter Circle: Luke Doucet has been invited to perform at the Juno Songwriters' Circle at Massey Hall on Wed., March 23 with Sylvia Tyson, Lynn Miles, Royal Wood, and host Johnny Reid. Ticket info here: http://junoawards.ca/40th-anniversary-events/
Junofest: Justin Rutledge plays Fri., March 25 at the Horseshoe Tavern; Elliott BROOD plays Sat., March 26 at the Horseshoe Tavern; NQ Arbuckle plays Lee's Palace on Sat., March 26, as do The Beauties and Friends on the same bill, featuring Luke Doucet and many others. Info here: http://junoawards.ca/40th-anniversary-events/
Juno Film Festival: Amelia Curran joins Peter Mansbridge (wait, wha?!) at the Bell Lightbox to introduce "I'm Your Man," a film about Leonard Cohen on Sat., March 26. Info here: http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiffbelllightbox/.
Juno Awards: the two slabs of glorious glass that we are up for are given out at a really expensive Gala dinner (oooo, we fancy huh?) on the night before the broadcast Awards... but watch for us anyway on the red carpet, where Justin, Luke, and about 20 of our closest friends will spill out of our stretch Hummer Limo bus, poplin' bottles of Alize and flaunting our swagger. We might not be quite famous or Bieber-ish enough to be interviewed by Ben Mulroney, but we plan to get at least a little air time by paying a baby in a taco costume to lead our charge with Paula Deen riding on it's back. Y'know, kinda like this: http://mesoseckcii.tumblr.com
Did any of you see that episode of Gossip Girl with the Sonic Youth cameo? That was pretty wack hey? Oh well, get that paper Thurston, I ain't mad! At least The Beauties are bringing some integrity back to NYC, although I'm sure Blair Waldorf would be appalled by the realness our road worn Canadian pals. The Beauties are holding it down every Thursday night in March with a residency at the NYC mainstay venue Piano's (158 Ludlow)! We've got tons of other bands joining the beautiful Beauties party too, check it:
March 10:
8 PM The Wicked Tomorrow
9 PM The Young Things
10 PM 4onthefloor
11 PM The Beauties
March 17
8 PM The Majorleans
9 PM Brothers
10 PM Corrupt Auto Pilot
11 PM the Beauties
March 24
8 PM Allison Weiss
9 PM The Sheepdogs
10 PM The Winter Sounds
11 PM The Beauties
March 31
8 PM Early Winters
9 PM Blood Feathers
10 PM Anthony D'amato
11 PM The Beauties
Stay tuned on Twitter (@SixShooterR and @thebeautieslive) for details on special guests, of which there are many!
Jenn Grant's Honeymoon Punch keeps on coming back up (I think it was spiked a little too heavily). Since we just can't keep it down, we might as well announce a bunch of dates in Alberta, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg! Woo Prairies! Juno-nominated songwriter Del Barber is joining in to spike the punch even more!
Also, for those in Ontario...Jenn has a few dates coming up this month including the Music Nova Scotia show at the Rivoli during Canadian Music Fest. Check tour dates for more info. I wonder if there is a venue called the Ravioli during Italian Music Fest?? I also wonder if everyone still calls it Italian Music Week?!
Christine Fellows and her touring mate, Shotgun Jimmie, started their tour last week in Winnipeg, with western Canadian dates to follow in March, and Ontario/east coast dates in April. The Georgia Straight in Vancouver recently referred to Christine as a "National Treasure", and frankly, we agree, so make sure you dive into the national ocean and check 'er out!
British Columbian superstar Sarah McLachlan continues her Sarah McLachlan & Friends tour! Sarah is playing the role of Sarah McLachlan, and the role of "& Friends" are being played by OUR friend Melissa McClelland and their friend Butterfly Boucher! Woo! Fwiends!!!
Another great bonus of this tour is all the kids who have been sponsored through Melissa's work with World Vision. 800 people have signed up to help make a difference to the lives of people in Africa and elsewhere through the terrific work that World Vision does. Check out this website here, with photos from Melissa and Luke's recent trip to Uganda to visit their own foster child: http://www.fivedaysinuganda.com
Despite what you might have seen on Portlandia, they are not actually doing any gardening on the tour, although they may smash the odd Sarah McLachlan piata when candy supplies get low. These shows are an awesome intimate way to see Sarah and pals in smaller venues, with songs by all the friends involved, as well as a Q&A segment and hella chill vibes.
Our longtime pal Luke Doucet is also playing in the friendly friend band on this radical tour! On a recent epic pub crawl in Edmonton (true story), I noted to Luke that, given his current hair length and Sarah-tour blazer attire, he is looking a lot like Lawrence Gowan these days (not a diss, we all have our Gowan days). Upon doing further research (ie. a google image search which yielded this gem: http://www.cbc.ca/lawrence-gowan.jpg) , I am ready to concede that Luke really needs to upgrade his blazer to leather if he wants to complete the look.
We are Six Shooter! We loves muzikz! As such, we are presenting a radical concert series in the popular Candain province of Ontario! For those of you who live in London, Kingston, Hamilton, Waterloo....stay tuned! We've got something great cooking!
Get your tickets for Amelia Curran's east coast tour with Melissa Ferrick now! Oh wait, you can't, it's sold out suckas! I believe the appropriate phrase is "Snooze-y Lose-y"!! Oh well, your forward thinking, ticket holding, pals can tell you all about it, and how awesome it was, and how you should have been more on top of your game. So for those of you in western Canada, take note that Amelia is coming to town in May...get your tickets early!
Out of the blue, my email seems to have stopped making a bing noise when I get new messages, and stopped making that cool woosh noise when I send messages! Oooooowee, what up with that? What up with that? Well, I can certainly tell ya something that is completely unrelated, that's for damn sure!
It's been a ram-jammed schedule for Jenn Grant since the release of her fabulous album, "Honeymoon Punch", which dropped on January 11, 2011 (that's 1-11-11, like whoa dude). With appearances on Canada AM, CBC's Q, Belle et Bum, plus a score of radical raving reviews (NNNNs in NOW Magazine and Toronto Star Disc of the Week), Jenn has been as busy as Black Betty (that was a Ram Jam reference, y'know, because I mentioned Jenn's ram-jammed schedule. It's way way funnier when I have to explain it, isn't it?). Check out the fabulous video made for her by her pals in Halifax for the song, "Getcha Good", which, like the song 'Black Betty', is a most memorable alliteration:
After a triumphant album release show in Halifax at the Rebecca Cohn Theatre during the In the Dead of Winter festival (a festival whose name, given my current frame of mind, feels like it's gonna last FOREVER), Jenn and her band hit the road for a whole slew of dates in Ontario, Quebec, and NYC. See the tour dates section below. Note that you can purchase tickets for most of these shows through www.sixshooterrecords.com, the coolest ticket store in ticket land.
We we also pleased to learn that Jenn received three ECMA nominations, even though this fantastic album won't be eligible until next year. For 2011, though, cheer her on for: Fan's Choice Entertainer of the Year, Fan's Choice Video of the Year (You'll Go Far) & SOCAN Songwriter of the Year with Buck 65, for their song, "Paper Airplane."
Before you read the description below, I suggest you go straight to youtube, where Christine Fellows explains the project rather well:
Four nuns traveling by canoe toward an unknown destination, a small-town stenographer crowned beauty queen, a landlocked mermaid, and a reckless runaway with one true wishΡthese are some of the characters that inhabit the songs of Winnipeg singer/songwriter Christine Fellows. Though they drift from swimming pools to frozen lakes, from Venetian canals to inland rivers, all the women in these songs are connectedΡall are femmes de chez nous ("our gals"). Six Shooter Records proudly presents Fellows' fifth and most ambitious solo release to date: Femmes de chez nous (cd) and Reliquary/Reliquaire (dvd), a bilingual studio album and performance film, and a testament to resilience, community and the transformative power of art.
The thirteen-song Femmes de chez nous album was produced by Christine Fellows, recorded by Cam Loeppky at Prairie Recording Co. in Winnipeg, and features longtime collaborators Jason Tait (Bahamas, The Weakerthans) and Leanne Zacharias, along with a host of other remarkable musicians. The packaging features artwork by another longtime collaborator, the award-winning visual artist Shary Boyle, who, along with Zacharias, is featured in the accompanying DVD, Reliquary/Reliquaire.
Reliquary/Reliquaire is the film that captures a rare and moving multidisciplinary performance work produced by Fellows, featuring four female voices, piano, two cellos, overhead projections and film. This extraordinary performance was inspired by and filmed at Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum in Winnipeg, and celebrates Franco-Manitoban history and culture. Songs such as Mlle. Steno are vividly animated by the overhead projections of Shary Boyle, magically infused with historic parade footage, and carried aloft by chorus of female voices. In Flood, 1861, the Grey Nuns row their canoe fearlessly toward the unknown, and FellowsΥ buoyant twist on traditional French Canadian ballad Un canadien errant is accompanied by stunning footage of a vibrant community at its height.
Femmes de chez nous is available now. You can pick it up in stores or on-line, or best of all, at one of the many live shows she has coming up. She is currently on tour with Martin Sexton for a few dates in western Canada, and then she embarks on a full CD release tour with Shotgun Jimmie supporting. See tour dates for the full itinerary.
It's almost here! The Good Lovelies follow up to their Juno Award-winning release will grace record store shelves on February 22 in Canada, and May 9 in the UK. Our darling girls, Caroline, Kerri, and Sue, made studio magic once again with producers Les Cooper and Adam King by lightheartedly sprinkling exquisite harmony dust all over 12 brand new beautiful songs! Tee hee hee! Prance prance! Really though, this is the kind of disc that makes even a hard as nailz dude like Gucci Mane want to get an ice cream cone tattooed on his face (holler at DJ Google if you don't know what I'm talking about... too lazy? Fine: http://tinyurl.com/4d7yfck ). Anyway, you won't want to miss this disc! You can purchase pre-sales through the webstore at www.sixshooterrecords.com.
We'll avoid the "hardest working women in showbiz" cliche, because you never really know what that means (this whole "tv" thing has people's minds in the gutter), but suffice it to say that the Good Lovelies will be touring pretty much non-stop for the next 18 months. That is some truly epic touring bizness, lemme tell ya! After like 18 minutes on the road, I'm about ready to tap out, or at least hit up a Starbucks or a giant lasagna, so kudos to the Good Lovelies for carrying the banner! Check the tour dates section for info on their upcoming shows in Canada, the USA, UK, and Australia, and again, note that you can purchase tickets for many of the Canadian shows through www.sixshooterrecords.com, a very hip and reliable ticket outlet, that serves with a virtual e-smile.
Juno Nomo! Juno Nomo! Fire up the limousine engines, Six Shooter is ready to party up a storm for the 40th annual Juno Awards, who have recognized two of the albums we released last year. Our limousine engines are actually steam powered, and have wooden propellers on top, and crazy looking pipes coming out the back, and our limo driver wears these weird binocular goggle things when he drives, because we are so majorly hella into Steam Punk, which is not a completely idiotic, eye roller of a trend at all. Justin Rutledge was nominated in the Roots & Traditional (solo) Album of the Year for "The Early Widows," produced by Hawksley Workman and full of songs inspired by Michael Ondaatje's novel, Divisidero (more on that in a teeny bit). And hey, speaking of Justin, check out this righteous video he did with his pal Scott Cudmore for the tune "Mrs. Montgomery":
Luke Doucet & The White Falcon was nominated in the Adult Alternative Album of the Year category, which is sweet because all along I've been like "yo Luke, we all know you can appeal to adults like a White Falcon, but where is your hot and spicy alternative Black Falcon side bro?! Let's see you grow some metaphorical feathers bro!". He totally delivered, and now he is potentially going to be awarded a glass shard that he hopefully won't stab himself with while falling onto a big pillow because it is so stressful having to represent the White Falcon as well as the Black Falcon. Know what I'm saying'? As was the case last time Luke was nominated for a Juno Award, he's up against our greatest hero of all time, Neil Young. Also in this category are Sarah Harmer, Justin Nozuka, and Daniel Lanois' new project Black Dub (yeah, we know you can represent the hot and spicy Black Dub, but let's see your technically perfect White Dub!). We're very proud to be in the company of such esteemed company!
And if all this Juno action isn't enough fun on its own, we were also super stoked that our friends, Elliott BROOD, got a Genie Award nomination! Their song, "West End Sky," which appeared in the movie, "Grown Up Movie Star," was nominated for Best Original Song. Go BROOD! And in other Genie news, we'd like to send a shout out to Nick Buzzer Jonathan Goldsmith for his nomination for best Original Score for the movie, "High Life." Oh, and also to Buck 65 and friends in the same category for their work in the "Year of the Carnivore."
We lost count on how many awards Amelia Curran has won with her album, Hunter, Hunter, and it's not because we are sucky at math (believe me, we are total Sudoku champs up in here). Claimed in two provinces (you can do that?!), she racked up a bunch of awards from both Music Newfoundland and Music Nova Scotia, not to mention the ECMAs. Then there were nods from the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the Polaris Prize long list, and of course, the Juno Award for Roots/Trad (solo). Just recently, we discovered that she won the USA Songwriting Competition (Folk category). Call her a croissant, Τcause she be going Continental!
And for those of you who would like a taste of something Amelia has written lately, check out this piece she did for Canadian Interviews: http://ht.ly/3CzB1.
Justin Rutledge has been in rehearsals for eight hours a day all year, gearing up for the Necessary Angel Theatre production of the Michael Ondaatje play adapted from his Governor General's Award-winning novel,"Divisidero." Justin plays the character of "Coop", which was also the name of that guy from Desperate Housewives back when he was way cooler on Twin Peaks! Justin also wrote (and performs) all the music in the play, because acting is, like, SO easy. Directed by Daniel Brooks, the rest of the cast is made up of respected actors Liane Balaban, Maggie Huculak, Tom McCamus, Amy Rutherford, and Aviva Phillip-Muller. It opens at Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Ave) in Toronto on February 8 and runs until Feb 20. For Tickets call 416 - 504 - 7529. If you quote SIX SHOOTER at the box office you receive a $5 discount, but you have to whisper it and give a creepy wink at the same time.
We were pretty stoked when we learned that Luke Doucet was invited to blog on climate change for David Suzuki's website. David friction' Suzuki people! One time I went to see David Suzuki present a film about Sea Otters at the Toronto Zoo, and I was pretty well star struck. That dude is THAT DUDE. Check this out: www.davidsuzuki.org. If there is one thing that Luke believes in, it's ScientologyΙ I mean, Science! He did a bang up job on his blog, which even got reviewed. Check out NOW Magazine's write up on Luke Doucet's writing (omg, I'm writing about someone writing about writing, it's so META!): www.nowtoronto.com
It would seem that Luke's propensity to be an artist who pays attention to what is happening in the world and, not only considers the implications of these happenings, but often writes music that is informed by socio-political leanings, has made him quite an in-demand commentator! Luke was not only cyber-pals with David Suzuki, but also featured twice in two weeks on CBC Television's program The National! Once was regarding the controversial censorship of Dire Straits, and once was about the rise of insomnia amongst Canadians, and how much Luke is losing sleep over the issue (see what I did there?). What a smarty pants!
I absolutely hate that song 'Rockin Robin'. It makes me cringe. Buuuut... Tweetle deetle deet hoo hoo, is our monthly newsletter not enough of a fix for you? Sure it is! But follow us on Twitter anyway (@SixShooterR) for crucial, breaking, up to the minute updates on tours, news clips, releases, sardine sandwiches with onions, complaints about some stupid sports team, next level hash-tagging, @ replies to people nobody knows, Kanye re-tweets, etc.
Next weekend our pals Elliott BROOD and Jenn Grant both hit the open ocean on the 4th edition of the Ships and Dip cruise series, hosted by Barenaked Ladies! Wow, I really want to go on this cruise myself. Maybe I should start one of those Kickstarter campaigns or something. I mean, if some 16 year old indie kid can be like "help me raise $3500 to make a 4-track recording in my bedroom, which I will then make even more lo-fi by reducing the bitrate in my computer until it's borderline unlistenable, and in return, you will receive a limited edition cassette", why can't I be like "yo, I hate winter and I'm hella broke. Gimme bucks so I can write this newsletter on a friction' boat, pleeze"?
In any case, going on a cruise and chilling with a bunch musicians and music fans sounds like a pretty ideal way of living, so if you would like to go (or would like to provide me with funding to go), make haste and go to http://www.shipsanddip.com: to check 'er out!!!
Ask anyone who has tracked Nick Buzz's sporadic activity since the release of the Berlin Cabaret in 2003: Nick Buzz performances are more rare than a limited edition, Kickstarter funded, cassette from Missouri. Truly a prized occurrence. For a packed and devoted house at Lula Lounge, Nick Buzz's reunion on December 9, 2010 was nothing short of a holiday gift, verging on holiday miracle, and undoubtedly spawned many holiday high fives; the band played every song on every album to date alongside new material and a devastating cover of the Jacques Brel classic "If You Go Away". As we say in Toronto, Ho. Lee. Chow. Comprised of Six Shooterererer Martin Tielli and his pal geniuses, Jonathan Goldsmith, Rob Piltch, and Hugh Marsh, Nick Buzz has just announced a series of four shows that will bring fans through from winter to spring thaw (if that ever happens, damn you winter). From February to May, Nick Buzz will appear once a month at Lula Lounge (1585 Dundas St. W., Toronto). This is like the equivalent of getting an entire Tielli subscription series ON TIME! Check tour dates for more info.
In other great news, I have just come up with a fantastic idea for a sitcom featuring talking dogs and either cops or nerds (tbd) hanging out together and shedding a cynical eye on the ridiculously mundane human existence (vs. cool intelligent dog life). It will be called 'Pal Geniuses'. Don't cop my steez pleez.
Available Light Film Festival presents "Stolen from a Hockey Card", featuring six new songs and short films about the Game, curated by Dave Bidini. I do mean the game as in "hockey", not the Los Angeles rapper The Game. Dave did not curate 6 new songs or short films about The Game (rapper), but rather the game (hockey). The line up includes the short films: Here's Hockey (a 1953 NFB doc), Our Barn (from Hazelton, BC), and films being made for this event Ρ The Riverton Rifle, and Elsa Mad Miners Muck Up. Musical performances are by Sarah Harmer, Kim Barlow, Geoff Berner, CR Avery, John K Samson, and Bidiniband. The first show is sold out, but the Available Light Film Festival has added a second show on Friday, Feb 11 at 10pm at the Yukon Arts Centre.
Christine Fellows is also Northern bound! She will be embarking on a tour of Northern Yukon communities in late February, along with John K. Samson, and Whitehorse-based storyteller Nicole Bauberger. The tour, called "Songs and Stories," will visit Pelly, Dawson, Old Crow, Mayo, and Whitehorse from Feb 22-27. Christine Fellows and John K. Samson are the sixth and seventh Dawson City Music Festival Songwriters-in-Residence, a program produced in conjunction with the Klondike Institute of Arts & Culture. In addition to participating in this community tour, the residency allows each world-class songwriter time and space to be inspired by their surroundings, and create new material. Previous Songwriters-in-Residence have volunteered with the Yukon Quest, led instrumental workshops in local daycares, and written songs with Robert Service School's third grade class. In other words, this whole thing is really awesome! See tour dates below for more info.
Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet have been touring constantly with Sarah McLachlan and Friends, performing four songs of Melissa's each night. This might sound strenuous, but it's actually kind of like taking a warm bath night after night. Do not miss this concert when it comes to your town, or Luke will arm wrestle your arm clean off, like in, um, that movie that I can't seem to remember right now. But yeah, it's a stellar show, so don't miss it! L-Do and Melly have a few days off between Sarah's tour dates, so they are taking the opportunity to go the east coast to perform in St. John's and Halifax. The first St. John's date is already sold out, but donΥt fret! A second show has been added, pheeeew. See the tour dates section for all the deetally mageetallies.
For a sneak peek of their duo show (they recently did some dates in the magical state of Texas), check out this footage from an Austin TV station: http://ht.ly/3LoeA.
The Beauties are taking their amazing show that everyone just can't shut up about on the road to New York City, for four weeks in March (10, 17, 24, 31) at the LES staple, Pianos. Each night will feature 2 openers and then 3 sets of Dakota Tavern style sets (which probably only makes sense if you live in Toronto, not NYC, so like, nevermind), complete with a string of special guests. Awesome! Rosario's Pizza is right around the corner too, and they make a ridiculously good post-Beauties-drunken-case-of-the-hungries eggplant slice! How convenient! Stay tuned for more info.
And speaking of USA residencies... Justin Rutledge is also playing for four weeks in March (9, 16, 23, 30) at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles with his side project the Early Winters, which includes his pals Carina Round and Dan Burns! Is it a hotel or a cafe? Who cares, we'll rock it!
This has been an incredible year for touring, and one by one, our artists are coming home to roost, with grand tour finales in various venues around Toronto. Luke Doucet, Jenn Grant, Shout Out Out Out Out, Royal Wood, Amelia Curran, Christine Fellows, Bidiniband, and NQ Arbuckle have all pretty much hung their guitar straps for the year. A couple of our artists are still out there givin'er, though:
TONIGHT! Melissa McClelland rocks Hugh's Room. Get smashed against the rocks (or smashed on several drinks on the rocks) as you are lured in by Melissa's siren like voice, and rock out (pun intended!) to her hot band of mer-people. Sorry, that joke was a little fishy... HAW HAW! Jadea Kelly opens the show.
THURSDAY! Martin Tielli and Nick Buzz play the Lula Lounge. Whaaaa??? Martin is playing a show? It's a Christmas miracle! That's right, folks. We all know that Martin's live shows are not to be missed, especially given that you never know when he's going to play again. So rare in fact, that you could probably sell a description of your concert going experience on Ebay (or Kijiji/Craiggers if you wanna sell local and avoid shipping charges).
SATURDAY! Justin Rutledge reprises his super awesome CD release show with another night's stand at Lee's Palace. Toronto's newest countryish buzz band, The Heartbroken, opens the show and their broken hearts, awwwww.
NEXT WEEK! The Good Lovelies, who have been slaying audiences from coast to coast this fall, are playing their final two Christmas shows at Hugh's Room on Dec 19, which is quite apt given that they are currently promoting their chiefin' Christmas album! The evening show is sold out, so unless you are Santa Claus, youΥll wanna be looking at the tix that are still available for the recently announced matinee (hi Santa!). Also, check tour dates for other Ontario shows.
NEW YEAR'S EVE! Don't miss out on Elliott BROOD at Lee's Palace as they bang their way into 2011. This will be a fantastic opportunity to stunt like a true baller and pop some Cristal in tha clurb! Or, y'know, a bottle of EX will do too.
Shopping shopping shopping!!! We have been inspired by all the bitchin' deals we see on Groupon, so we thought we'd offer one of our own. For two days, starting Thursday, we will be offering 50% off on all items in our webstore (excluding concert tickets). WHA?! At these prices, you can afford to custom order a blinged out Justin Rutledge pendant made from crushed CDs of "shitty music" to which we are vehemently opposed! Go crazy! Check out all the new vinyl we have too, including our brand spankin' new shipment of Luke Doucet's awesome new album on glorious wax. First buyers get signed copies! Plus, if you buy vinyl, you are allowed to refer your listening experience as "rockin' tha ones and twos" in casual conversation (just don't tell anyone we gave you permission to do so pleeze). Watch for your Groupon style missive in your inbox Thursday morning.
We were hella stoked that Luke won three Hamilton Music Awards (including Artist and Album of the Year).... and turns out that the celebratory Luke Doucet fun is just beginning! The Verge has nominated him for both Artist and Album of the Year also. The winners are decided by public vote, so we'd REALLY appreciate your support on this one. Plus, for every vote you don't cast, a baby Wikileak dies, and a Tumblr data cluster fails. It's on you!!! Please click here and vote for Luke: www.thevergeonline.com
The first leg of the Sarah McLachlan and Friends tour was such a slam dunk, that they have decided to go for the three pointer and take the show on the road all over North America in January/February/March! I'm trying to make basketball analogy jokes (seemed appropriate), but I don't really follow that sport... uh, how did I do? "Three pointers" are a thing right? Sarah's Friends are, of course, Melissa McClelland and Butterfly Boucher, and the show features songs from all three artists (aka pointers), taking turns backing each other up (aka full court defence?) on the ol' switcheroo tip. To sweeten the pot, Luke Doucet joins the gang on guitar for the remainder of the dates. Luke's hair is getting reeeaaally long these days, so he should fit right in. It's an incredible show for realz Ρ make sure you holler at 'em when they come to your town. See Tour Dates for more info.
True story: last night I was talking to a friend about a building being torn down in my neighborhood to make room for a parking lot, and their response was "like in that Barenaked Ladies song!!!", and now here I am writing about Barenaked Ladies and their wacky adventures! What a coincky-dink! The world really does work in mysterious ways. Like, who knew that NASA would find aliens in California?! I bet you the Barenaked Ladies did!
To celebrate their evident cosmic connection with the universe, Barenaked Ladies are hosting their fourth cruise in the Caribbean, and this time they've invited Six Shooterers Jenn Grant and Elliott BROOD to take part in all the fun, plus some time Six Shooterer Kevin Hearn and Thinbuckle. Our pal Jason Plumb is going to be there, too! I hope he likes sleeping with the dishwashing staff next to the furnace room, LOL. Just kidding! We have it on good authority (the port authority in fact, seeing as this is a nautical matter), that Jason will be partying up in his own executive stylez suite, working on his tan poolside, with Kevin Hearn and Ed Robertson feeding him grapes. Anyhoo, dates are Feb 6-11, and you can book your cabins here: www.shipsanddip.com.
Our writer/songwriter dream team of Michael Ondaatje and Justin Rutledge who brought us the beautiful song, "Be A Man" are back!!! These dudes are gonna be high five-ing like crazy over their combined genius! Perhaps even high ten-ing! Or doing that cool up-high-now-down-low-super-duper-whirlwind-five popularized by the film Top Gun!
The project worthy of so many slapped hams is summed up nicely in this lil' press release dealie: Necessary Angel Theatre have announced the run dates of "Divisidero: A Performance" at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto from February 8-20, 2011. Michael Ondaatje collaborates with Daniel Brooks to adapt his novel Divisadero - a violent and passionate story exploring themes of memory, identity, love and the grip of the past on the present. An examination of the intimate relationship between the speaker and the listener, and of language's ability to weave a magical spell. Featuring Liane Balaban, Maggie Huculak, Tom McCamus, Amy Rutherford & songs written and performed by Justin Rutledge. Info & tickets here: www.necessaryangel.com.
Ok, I know that the last issue of this newsletter was the official touring edition, but wowzers / gadzooks, all of our artists are still hitting those bricks good and hard!
Luke Doucet, who ran his first marathon in the hilly Dartmoor-Vale of the UK in 4:06, is still on the move. After all this marathon runnin', his calf muscles look kind of like softballs wrapped in hairy pizza dough! He is THAT ripped bro! Even though Luke is now more Running Man than Arnold Schwarzenegger, he is keeping up with his marathon touring schedule too, with a national Canadian tour starting TODAY In Saskatoon! This will be a lot of Canadian fan's first opportunity to hear 'evvy chunes from Luke's amazing new record 'Steel City Trawler' played live! I, for one, am freakin' stoked brah! Luke will be hitting the road with his 100% radical new band, The White Falcon, which includes Darcy Yates from Flash Lightnin', Gregory MacDonald from Sloan, and Taylor Knox from Golden Dogs. They slay! But they donΥt sound like Slayer (who also slay, of course)! Tune in to Q & George Strombo Tonight to catch some televised live action from this killer new band. It won't be a revolution per se, since those will not be televised, but it will be totally chiefin'! If you are all book learned and stuff, you can also read any number of UK Magazines (like Maverick or Q) about how great the album is (or ask me, I'll tell ya how much it rules). The western leg of this tour will be supported by the Sunparlour Players, and the Ontario/Quebec leg of the tour will be supported by The Beauties... both of which are also bands of the total ruling variety!
Justin Rutledge hasn't stopped either since releasing his fantastic new album, The Early Widows. Following a UK tour with labelmate Amelia Curran, and then a super fun western Canadian tour with labelmate Jenn Grant, he now has a whole hoohah of Ontario/Quebec dates coming up, starting TOMORROW in Montreal. He also just ran a marathon in 4:05... in yo face Doucet! J/K bro, chill.
Having wrapped up the recording of her new album (to be released in January!), Jenn Grant is back out on the road for some more dates, figs, and simple grains... oh, and shows too, largely in the east, where she performs in Halifax, Charlottetown, and Fredericton. Then she'll head back to Toronto for her first ever (of many, of course, woooo!) Massey Hall performance, opening for the Barenaked Ladies on Nov 26. If I had a million dollars, I'd say that's pretty darn tootin'! Ugh, sorry, that one even made me roll my eyes.
Christine Fellows and pals John K. Samson (Weakerthans), Leanne Zacharias, Cristina Zacharias, Robert Honstein, and Ed Reifel have created a wonderful collaboration called The Correction Line Ensemble, which they will tour starting Nov 16 in Toronto at the Great Hall (which, lemme tell ya, is a pretty great hall). This group is going to be performing absolutely stunning blends of Chamber Music with a variety of other styles. It's gonna be super cool, these shows are not to be missed.
Royal Wood's tour with west coast darling Hannah Georgas continues after a smashing western Canada run. Seriously they smashed so much stuff on that trip, including breakfast, soundcheck, and mint leaves. Up next are dates in Ontario and Quebec, culminating in one big fat show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on Nov 27.
NQ Arbuckle headlines the Horseshoe Tavern for the first time ever (?!) on December 2. Come and sing along in your growliest whiskey voice while swaying back and forth! One time I saw Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson having a brew at the ol' Horseshoe, maybe that will happen to you too!
Amelia Curran, back from her 2nd UK tour this fall (yep, she was just there twice, this time in Ireland with The Once... see what I did there?), returns to Canada for some Ontario dates. Man, is she ever jet lagged and sick of romantic comedies (but not sick of Zac Efron, that's just impossible). Please note: most of the dates with Rose Cousins have been canceled... please see the Tour Dates section for replacement dates (possibly with Carnation Second Cousins, you'll have to scroll on down to see). And Toronto, get your tickets now for Amelia's Glenn Gould Theatre show soon. It's definitely going to sell out, and you don't want to be tweeting sad face emoticons on the day of the show, do you?
Melissa McClelland kicked off the first leg * of the Sarah McLachlan and Friends tour this week in Dallas, TX. This tour is pretty much a dream come true, where Sarah backs Melissa and the other 'friend', Butterfly Boucher, on four songs from each, with Melissa and Butterfly returning the favour as part of Sarah's band, like good friends do. Fwends! When this tour wraps, Melissa will join her hubbarooney Luke Doucet's band for the second half of his tour, and then present a headline show of her own at Toronto's Hugh's Room on Dec 7. (*Did ya hear the one about ol' Pegleg Petey The Pirate who recently became a big Melissa McClelland fan after seeing the Sarah and Friends Tour? He really fell for her after she kicked off the first leg. HAR HAR HAR!)
The Good Lovelies get holly jolly with their Christmas tour in November and pretty much play every day for a month straight. If you don't already have it, pick up a copy of their Christmas album, which will certainly deck your halls with a slammin' moshpit or roast your chestnuts on an open funeral pyre, or, oh wait, this is their Christmas album, not their Juggalo Christmas Gathering album. Nevermind, grab yr Snuggie and a hot cup of cocoa and take delight in this Christmas delight. New studio album to follow in January, 2011.
Shout Out Out Out Out are also currently on ze tour! The synth obsessed Shoutset celebrated Hallowe'en with a slot at the fantastic Moogfest in Asheville, NC, where they felt right at home with their analog nerdiness. After a tour of the Moog Music factory, and a fantastic show sharing the stage with Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, and Hot Chip, they hopped back in the van and drove to NYC where they played a headlining slot last night at Le Poisson Rouge, and TONIGHT in Brooklyn at Glasslands with Telephoned (Fool's Gold), and DJ Jaques Renault (Runaway/DFA). After the New York shows, Shout Out Out Out Out take their mopey dance party back into Canada for a few Ontario dates (if you don't have tickets for their Toronto show at Wrongbar, get 'em now, it's gonna be rammed!). You can follow their day-to-day hilariously mundane adventures in their daily tour video blogs at www.shoutoutoutoutout.com.
It's not every day you get to reissue your favourite record by your favourite band. Some might say that it is a whale of an occasion (Moby might say this, for instance). We couldn't be more thrilled to offer up the Rheostatics' Whale Music on glorious double vinyl. The package includes a full-length CD and a triple-panel fold-out poster of Martin Tielli's beautiful whale painting. This is precisely why I love vinyl! The large format allows us to make a beautiful product that sounds great, looks great, and is simply something that I want to own. Plus, when I move my hand on it like this, it goes "wicka-wickee-wick-wick-fresshhh." Order Whale Music on vinyl now through our website, or pick one up at one of Dave Bidini's shows. This glorious slab of double wax will be available at retail outlets as of December 7.
The Coalition for Music Education approached Luke Doucet to write their song for Music Monday - the first Monday in May where schools are encouraged to unite in song to make a statement about the importance of music education in our schools. This is a fantastic cause, seeing as how without support for music education, we'd all be listening to a lot of shitty music, which is strongly against our policy over here at Six Shooter HQ. Luke's song, "Tomorrow is Coming", was recorded in Vancouver with Luke's long time buddies Barry Mirochnick & Brian Minato, as well as Chloe Dolores Doucet-Winkelman (awesome daughter is awesome), as well as a children's choir from the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach program. Preview the project:
It makes sense that the Hamilton Music Awards would shower Luke Doucet with a pile of nominations for his album, Steel City Trawler, since the record is largely inspired by and about the city (y'know, like he's trawling Steel City for award nomos!). Luke is nominated for songwriter, male vocalist, male artist, AAA album, guitarist, and album of the year. Sarah Harmer runs a close second (turns out she was born in Burlington) with five noms, and Caribou got a couple, too (when in Canada, Snaith's allegiance is to the mythical land of Dundas). It's gonna be a good time in the Hammer on Nov. 21!
Also, on Nov 20, this time in Luke's other hometown of Winnipeg, there will be a similar evening of handing out glistening hunks of glass at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. As mentioned previously, Six Shooter pulled in 7 nominations between Justin Rutledge (speaking of glistening hunks) and Amelia Curran. And speaking of Amelia, she brought home all 4 awards she was nominated for by Music Newfoundland. Holy Schmoly! Go Amelia! The Six Shooter trophy shelf is gonna be stacked.
We'd also like to send out congratulations to NQ Arbuckle and Carolyn Mark for their collaboration, Let's Just Stay Here, which recently took home the Western Canadian Music Award for Roots Album of the Year.
The Juno Awards celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2011, with Toronto as the host city for what is going to be one helluva party. I'm gonna dress up as Alanis Morrisette in her Juno-hosting naked suit for Hallowe'en to showcase my excitemen... oh wait, Hallowe'en was on Sunday? As part of the celebration, the Junos have corralled some of the local music companies to help them celebrate each of the last four decades. Six Shooter (that's us!!!) and Starfish Entertainment are teaming up to celebrate the 70s, Dine Alone celebrates the 80s, Last Gang celebrates the 90s, and Pheromone/Maple will rock the zeros. We're up first... please join us on December 4 at the Horseshoe Tavern where you might hear songs like "Oh What A Feeling" by Crowbar or "Sweet City Woman" by The Stampeders, we may even throw in a few Fist jams. Stay tuned for news on which from the Six Shooter posse will be there, as well as an exciting slate of special guests. Funsies!
Kicking off our radical touring edition, we reaaaally wanna tell you about Justin Rutledge and Jenn Grant heading out on a western Canadian adventure, starting with a show this Thursday at the WECC in Winnipeg. Double J tour!!! See TOUR DATES for the full itinerary, and note that we've added a second show in the utopian mecca of Edmonton. Be sure to stop by the merch table at these double J shows to stock up on glorious vinyl, as crates of newly minted wax editions of JustinΥs The Early Widows and Jenn's current release, Echoes, will most certainly be in tow and eager to take a ride on your phonograph.
Justin Rutledge has also announced a return to Toronto's Lee's Palace, scheduled for December 11, to follow up his mind-blowing show there in May (dude, my mind was bloooown dude). Oh, and guess what?! Justin is so awesome! Guess what else?! He has been recognized for his awesomeness with 3 nominations for Canadian Folk Music Awards: Contemporary Singer Of The Year, Solo Artist Of The Year, and English Songwriter Of The Year.
Jenn Grant, being the touring machine that she is (not to be confused with a Turing Machine, a theoretical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules), has announced new headline dates in eastern Canada. She has also created an EP, Songs for Siigoun, to be sold off-stage in a limited edition of 500, each with its own hand-painted album art. Whoa! Locals only collectors edition ebay gold steez! The EP will be available digitally as of October 12, 2010, but of course you are gonna want to get in on the exclusive handmade jobber while you can. Songs For Siigoun includes a version of John Denver's Annie's Song, as well as Let's Get Started, a bonfire-warmed hymnal recorded at the edge of Lake Deception, NS, certainly not to be confused with that annoying Black Eyed Peas jock jam. It will be available on both the western and eastern legs of Jenn's touring schedule.
Y'know that Avril Lavigne song where she's all "why does everything have to be so complicaaated"? I'm with ya, Avril! For example, I love cooking, but everyday I deal with such complications as "ok, so the box says I should cook this bucatini (king of pastas) for 11 minutes, but my pot is too small and half of the noodlez stick out of the water, so do I start timing it from when I first dunk, or from when everybody in noodletown is fully submerged? Won't half the noods be either undercooked or overcooked if I time it wrong? What do I do, Avril???" I suppose on the plus side, at least I'm not on tour right now like Royal Wood is, or I'd be dealing with other issues such as "why doesn't Wendy's offer a meatless salad, that's just ridiculous?!".
Royal has indeed started his national Canadian tour last week, braving road food in BC with touring partner Hannah Georgas. Plenty of dates (gotta snack on something, amiright?!) are still ahead, including the beautiful Calgary, AB tomorrow night at the Knox United Church and finishing up in Toronto on Nov 26 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. See TOUR DATES for the full details. Tickets are moving fast at various outlets, including our glorious website. Stop by the merch table to pick up a copy of Royal's excellent new disc, The Waiting. Maybe bring him a home cooked meal too, ok?
Remember that time when Luke Doucet went in for dental surgery, and while he was under the influence of that fancy dentist good-time gas, he had a very realistic dream sequence where he was Britney Spears and reenacted the entire hit me baby one more time video? Oh wait, nevermind, that was GLEE.
In REAL LIFE, Luke Doucet just finished some dates with Blue Rodeo, where not only did he open a lot of the shows, but he was actually IN Blue Rodeo. Yep, Luke was playing the part of Greg Keelor on the last Rodeo tour, covering Greggerz guitar parts, which is almost the same thing as playing the part of Britney Spears while doped up in a dentist's chair, so I'm sure you can understand why I was mistaken. Luke is about to embark on a headline tour of the mystical land known as the UK, starting Oct 19 in Winchester. This comes just two days after Luke will run his first marathon, which seems to be a popular trend among many musicians I know these days. I for one think running a marathon sounds like no fun. Fletch movie marathon, sure, that's fun, but running until I wanna puke? No thanks, not for me! Of course, I applaud Luke and his marathon running musician brethren, that kind of dedication is nutso. Anyone who is Facebook friends with Luke has been well apprised of his training schedule (dude, I totally ran, like, SO FAR today! Almost puked! Etc.), and it is all put to the test on Oct 17 in Dartmoor Vale. Feel free to stand on the side of the road and cheer him on / hand him Dixie cups of "orange drink".
Upon returning from the UK, Luke starts his marathon Canadian national headline tour, with Sunparlour Players in the west and The Beauties supporting in Ontario. This tour will give audiences a chance to check out live renditions of songs from his frickinΥ amazing new disc, Steel City Trawler.
Also check out the new video by Luke Doucet. Shot on a shoestring by rookie video directors Scott Kaija and Ryan Gassi (the creative team behind the Steel City Trawler EPK), "Thinking People" translates the song's restless, staticky buzz to a moving jigsaw puzzle of a day in the life of Luke Doucet. The video captures the energy, simplicity and determination that Luke brings to his songwriting. Head over to Exclaim.ca's Click Hear to see the first video from Steel City Trawler, the "gas-guzzling Lincoln Town Car" of a rock and roll record from The Hammer's new favourite son, Luke Doucet: www.exclaim.ca.
Oh man, I'm listening to my ipod on shuffle as I write this newsletter, and one of my favorite jams everrrr just came on. Betcha can't guess what it is! Here is a hint, the artist's name rhymes with Poo Peed.
Nominations continue to roll in for Hunter, Hunter, Amelia Curran's Juno Award winning album. Music Nova Scotia has recognized Amelia's quietly powerful songwriting with four quietly powerful nominations: Female Recording of the Year, Folk Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and Album of the Year. MNS award winners will be announced November. That's only the start of Amelia's nomination hunter hunting. She has also been nominated for a whole schwackadoodle of Music Newfoundland nominations, including Album Of The Year, Female Artist Of The Year, Folk/Roots Artist Of The Year, and again, SOCAN Songwriter Of The Year! All these on top of the ECMA nominations she got, not to mention being included in the Polaris Prize Long List. Oh, and wait, there's more!!! Amelia has also been nominated for Canadian Folk Music Awards in the categories Contemporary Album Of The Year, Solo Artist Of The Year, and English Songwriter Of The Year! O ya, nbd! I'm no mathematician (pretty close though), but from calculations, that means Amelia is up for approximately one billion awards! Yayee! I would also like to give a special mention to our boy Chewbacca, who has been nominated for the prestigious Wookie Of The Yeaw award (this is my own excellent joke by the way, and IΥve been telling it for years. Could it be that I too am deserving of nominations and accolades for such gangsta wit?).
Amelia's radical masterpizza Hunter, Hunter is out now in the UK and USA. Critics in the UK are going buck wild about this development, with 4 star reviews in mags like Maverick and Unpeeled (named after the late John Peel and known for its tough-to-please writers, who have now been pleased, due to Amelia's awesomeness and award nomination magnetics).
Amelia Curran will tour with Rose Cousins throughout Ontario in November. Amelia's final stop on the tour will be a headline show at Toronto's Glenn Gould Studio on December 4, 2010.
Christine Fellows brings her latest collaborative project to Canadian audiences, called the Correction Line Ensemble. It's a newly formed chamber ensemble involving six highly creative musicians from diverse backgrounds, weaving together an engaging and seamless conversation between classical and modern music: Cristina Zacharias, a Toronto-based violinist who specializes in early music; Leanne Zacharias, a Brandon-based cellist specializing in contemporary music and pedagogy; Ed Reifel, a Toronto-based percussionist of classical and modern music; Robert Honstein, a Brooklyn-based composer from the classical music tradition; John K. Samson (the Weakerthans), and our very own Christine Fellows. Together, these six musicians create and perform arrangements of original repertoire by Honstein, Fellows and Samson, alongside classical repertoire arranged for cello, violin, marimba/percussion, piano, electric guitar and six voices, bridging the gap between musical genres and disciplines. To experience this kind of interaction and movement between genres in one concert is unique. Tickets are now through www.sixshooterrecords.com. See TOUR DATES for the full itinerary.
The Outlaws & Gunslingers luncheon in Nashville where The Beauties kicked out the jams with Oh Susanna, Justin Rutledge, and Chip Taylor was such a success that we're doing it all again in NYC. Chip Taylor (whose writing credits include Wild Thing and Angel of the Morning, oh ya, this dude is SERIOUS) fell in love with The Beauties, as we all have, and invited the band to take part in another luncheon meet (see what I did there?) at the Americana Music in New York festival, with himself, Oh Susanna, and this time with the lovely Kendel Carson (Justin can't make it due to the fact that he will be on tour in Edmonton). The Beauties will also take part in the NYC party time extravaganza known as CMJ, watch for them slamming eggplant slices at Rosario's Pizza after their set (I know that's what I would do). The Tour Dates section below will reveal many details, which will remain a secret in this section in an attempt to build sneaky-time suspense.
The Good Lovelies are burling down the golden highways of progress, criss-crossing Canada like an argyle somethingorather! Sorry, I couldn't think of a better simile, but the point is that The Good Lovelies are criss-crossing all over the place pon di tour, and that's something that argyle does, so you get it, right?! All is currently Good and Lovely on the eastern shores, and soon our heroines jet off to the criminally underrated Canadian prairies and then back to Ontari-ari-o. Check out the Tour Dates below (a highlight section of this touring focused edition of Six Shooter Bullets) for more infoz.
After a summer on the Lilith Fair circuit with Canadian supah dupah star Sarah McLachlan, Melissa will reunite with Sarah and fellow McLachlan band member Butterfly Boucher for an intimate and unique series of shows, on the up close and personal tip. The shows will be two part affairs; the first will feature both Melissa's and Butterfly's own songs, with Sarah joining them on vocals and piano. Um what?! I'm pretty sure that if you look up "kind of a big deal" in the dictionary (or, at least a certain, extremely specific edition of the dictionary... written by me...), having Sarah McLachlan as your backing band is the definition. The second set will have Melissa and Butterfly doing the switcheroo and acting as backing band on Sarah's material. Like whoa! From Music City to the Queen City, the Sarah & Friends tour will showcase this talented and tight-knit trio of songwriter powerhouse pals in theatres across the United States!
After a ginormous tour of Europe, Elliott BROOD made a pit stop visit to Canada's east coast for some shows before heading out again on a big ol' jet airliner to Australia, where their excellent disc, Mountain Meadows, has finally been released in Australia on ABC Records. I for one am admittedly kind of scared of Australia, due to the rumors of a multitude of poisonous critters that live there (spiders, snakes, loudmouth tourists, etc), so I'm glad the BROOD is taking one for the team here. Keep stampin' those feet, and stampin' those passports fellas! Please report back with an assessment of whether or not I will find scorpions and spiders sleeping in my Crocs every morning if I visit OZ. Just kidding, I don't wear Crocs!
It's probably no big secret that Shout Out Out Out Out are major, over-the-top, big time synthesizer nerds. The control voltage obsessed crew is making a pilgrimage to Asheville NC, the home of their fave instrument manufacturer and synthesizer pioneers, Moog Music! Shout Out Out Out Out are thrilled to be performing on Halloween night as part of this year's amazing MoogFest! The festival lineup is insanely strong, with headliners like DEVO, MGMT, and even Van Dyke Parks joining in on the synthesizer fun! Shout Out Out Out Out play alongside Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, and Hot Chip on Oct. 31st at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. The Shoutset are also going to holler at a few shows surrounding MoogFest, with appearances in Winnipeg, NYC and Brooklyn, Toronto, Guelph, and Waterloo. Be sure to check their website, www.shoutoutoutoutout.com, for daily updates and drummer Gravy's trademark boring/hilarious tour diary videos, which offer a very, uh, detailed view into the life of a touring Shout Out.
Shout Out Out Out Out have spent the past few months writing new material, and have assured us that they will be road-testing a couple of their new songs at these upcoming shows! Exciting! Also, be sure to stop by their merch table to grab a copy of their new vinyl 12" of remixes from their Moog soaked album Reintegration Time. The remix single features re-workings of Shout Out Out Out Out tunes by some of their favorite electronic artists, namely: Emperor Machine, Mugwump, and Headman.
Wanna know who is totally freaking out about how awesome Luke Doucet's new album is? Me, that's who! IΥve been bangin' this record on repeat, and it is a bonafide magic kiss of an album. I am very proud of that little munchkin, for making such a fantastic rock and roll album. Well done, Luke! The artwork for Steel City Trawler rules too, with a tactiliciously satisfying embossed cover, and an amazing comic book booklet illustrated by David Collier (www.davidcollier.ca). Of course, I'm not the only one freaking out about Luke's new album. In fact, when Steel City Trawler dropped, the press went so bananas that it was like a scene from 1992 Disney musical Newsies (the only difference being that the press excitement surrounding Luke's record didn't make me want to barf). He landed front-page coverage on the National Post, the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, and biggest of all, the Hamilton Spectator, who ran a ginormous article that spanned three or four pages, and then all of the music writers from those wonderful publications flooded the streets in song and dance. In other words, all of the reviews have been glowing, and they're still popping off strong! Get your copy of Steel City Trawler today, boss!
Luke is going to be rocking his epic jams at a bunch of shows starting tonight in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe. Other USA stops include Nashville, Atlanta, New York, and more. Then he is off to Europe, playing in Blue Rodeo as well as opening a number of the dates, followed by his own headline tour of the UK. We are also excited to announce Luke's Canadian national tour in November. Holy moly, it's gonna be easy as heck to catch Luke in your neighborhood! Tickets go on sale on September 10, and are available on our website.
I'm sure that all of you know by now that our pal Dave Bidini is not only a Canadian music legend (yeah, that's right, we said it), but also a fabulous and accomplished author. He has just dropped a new book, entitled Home And Away, in Search of Dreams at the Homeless World Cup of Soccer. In 2008 Dave Bidini accompanied Homeless Team Canada to the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. As he watches team members play and shares their disappointments, frustrations, joys, and triumphs, he comes to care deeply about the playersΡ45-year-old Billy, who is a former addict; the quick-footed 24-year-old Moroccan immigrant Juventus, who refuses to talk about his past; and most of all, the endearing teenaged Krystal, who carries a photograph of her long-dead mother and dreams of a better life. Bidini gets to know the other teams at the World Cup and describes the games themselves, culminating in the final between Canada and Malawi and a chance for the talented Krystal to join a soccer team in Holland. Bidini also begins to understand what this tournament means to people. He sees firsthand the power of sport to transform the lives of those on the edgeΡhow the decision to play this game can mean the difference between survival or heading down a road of addiction, poverty, or crime. Home and Away offers a powerful look at the poor and dispossessed, from the barrios of Mexico City and the shanties of West Africa to the streets of North America and Europe, and illuminates the renewed meaning that these homeless players find in the beautiful game. It rules, bro.
The book drops on Sept 11, Dave's birthday! Of course, Dave Bidini's literary pursuits continue to exist with his life as rocker dude, and along with his book launches and readings, he is also actively gigging and recording with Bidiniband. Check out the tour dates section for upcoming info about both his musical and literary activities.
While the Toronto International Film Festival will be tickling eyeballs in Toronto (duh), we'll be tickling earholes at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville, TN. We are perpetually stoked to be co-hosting the 4th Annual Outlaws & Gunslingers luncheon/showcase with our lovely pals at Starfish Entertainment. This year, our killer line up includes Justin Rutledge, Oh Susanna, Chip Taylor, and The Beauties. The luncheon is for Americana Music conference delegates (ooooo, exclusiiiive), but anyone and everyone in Nashville is invited to check out The Beauties at The Basement - the set is 10 pm on Thurs., Sept 9, and best believe, they will rock it!
Just before The Beauties head down the highway to rip Nashville a new one, they first treat Toronto record-buyers to a freebie concert at Sonic Boom TONIGHT at 7 pm. Then, upon their triumphant return from the Volunteer State, the Beauties are gonna get all cool-for-back-to-school by blowing the roof off of the Horseshoe Tavern for a full weekend stand of Finder Binders and number 2 pencils on Sept 17 & 18 (although I suppose kids today probably just use the Finder Binder iPad app, and some sort of voice memo pencil thing, the times they are a changing). Simone Felice (of the Felice Brothers) supports both nights, Bidiniband joins in the fun for one night, and Dustin Bentall joins the gang on the other. Kapow!
Just back from Iceland (which, from my view out of an airplane window anyway, is significantly less icy than Greenland, go figure), where Royal Wood shot a second video from his bitchin' album, The Waiting, this time, if I recall, for the song, Do You Recall, Royal barely stops for a minute, just long enough to whip up a batch of instant grits, before heading east to play a few shows for his Hurricane-addled buddies. He returns home just in time to perform a concert at the inaugural Festival Music House, a three-night affair for the glitzy red carpet traipsing folks in town for the Toronto International Film Festival. Then he dashes off to NYC for a show at Googies (upstairs at the Living Room, not to be confused with Yahooies or Alta Visties). Then the real work begins! Come October, in all it's multi-colored leafy glory, Royal hits the bricks with west coast siren Hannah Georgas, with shows from Victoria to Montreal and every stop in between. See TOUR DATES for the full details. Tickets are now on sale at various outlets, including www.sixshooterrecords.com
Christine Fellows is also working it out like a mathematician, with dates penciled in for appearances in Ontario and Manitoba this fall, as well as a play at one of our fave venues, Wakefield QC's Black Sheep Inn. This tour features the Correction Line Ensemble, a 6-piece ensemble featuring piano, cello, violin, electric guitar and marimba/percussion, featuring performances and repertoire by Christine Fellows, John K. Samson (The Weakerthans) and American composer Robert Honstein. Tickets go on sale Sept 24, with full tour announcement coming shortly.
Our Vancouver and Winnipeg friends should also mark their calendars for March, when Christine heads your way for appearances at the similarly abbreviated VECC and WECC respectively. These are the first dates announced for her CD Release tour...stay tuned for more info on her fine new release.
On the heels of a show at Hotel Cafe on Sept 9 with his side project, The Early Winters (I am personally hoping this band name is not prophetic, as I wanna surf tha heat wavez as long as I can), and then an overnight plane to Nashville to play our Outlaws & Gunslingers luncheon, Justin races home to perform some rippin' jams at a concert at the aptly named Junction Arts Festival in his home neighborhood of the Junction in Toronto.
Then it's off to Europe with labelmate Amelia Curran (they are both on a REALLY COOL LABEL btw), both of whose albums are released there this month (Amelia's Hunter, Hunter on Sept 6 and Justin's The Early Widows on Sept 13). They've been getting a ton of airplay on various Americana stations all over the continent, and scores of rave reviews, so y'know, it should totally rule and such when our British friends have a chance to see them live as they tour the UK starting Sept 21.
Justin's national Canadian tour, starting October 14, is now on sale. The western Canadian dates all feature the lovely Jenn Grant, which is of course a killer combination of the highest order!
Amelia Curran heads to beautiful Florida this weekend to play a couple of hot shows, not the least of which is for WMNF, a wonderful radio station who named her album the #1 Album of 2009. Before jetting off to Britain with Justin, Amelia stops at home to play the Company House in Halifax, and something tells me that Company's coming! Lol! Apres ca (bilingual steez), she and her east coast buddy Rose Cousins have just announced a tour of Ontario theatres starting November 16. You'll laugh, you'll cry, etc. Tickets go on sale September 27.
It's no secret that Shout Out Out Out Out love synthesizers, and especially the legendary Moog synthesizers. So stay tuned for an exciting announcement.
In September, Shout Out Out Out Out play a handful of dates in Western Canada, including a few Alberta and BC plays, including appearances at Vancouver's Olio Festival, and Victoria's Rifflandia Festival. They're also heading eastbound in November, after which they holler at their hometown of Edmonton with a show at the Starlite Room as part of AMIA's Untapped Alberta Showcase. Full tour dates and details are below in the tour date dungeon of this newsletter (it's pretty cozy for a dungeon).
Shout Out Out Out Out have recently been immersing themselves in their writing process, and will be showcasing a couple of brand new jamz at these upcoming shows, alongside favorites from their two synth soaked albums.
We have so many tours coming up this fall!!! In addition to the Luke Doucet dates just announced (on sale Sept 10), we also have tickets for concerts by Royal Wood/Hannah Georgas, and Justin Rutledge/Jenn Grant for sale at our radical webstore. While you're there, check out the plethora of great albums and merch available for sale as well. Cut out the middle man and go straight to the source! We certainly don't wanna wane on the wax, so check out new vinyl in stock for Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich and Jenn Grant's Echoes. More coming soon! Go to www.sixshooterrecords.com and click pon di store link mon.
Good Lovelies self-titled Juno winning album is distributed by Warner as of Sept 28, and their Christmas album, "Under The Mistletoe", is a certified icebreaker that will be available as of Oct 5. They have just announced a relentless performance schedule, including a full Christmas tour, throughout Nov/Dec. Bringing mistletoe to the shows does not guarantee that you will get smooches, but it seems realistic to assume that it will probably help if you happen to meet someone at a show who also seeks smooches. Y'know, I had this awesome idea for a Christmas album that I was holding onto for years called Jingle Farts (based on the hit sensation Jingle Cats), that would feature songs like 'Deck The Halls With Dingle Berries', and 'Silent But Deadly Night'. Kinda stupid, I know, but I'm sure I could've made a milli off of novelty stores alone... unfortunately I waited too long and someone else beat me to the pungent punch, I saw an ad for a Jingle Farts album a couple months ago and was crushed. Total bummer (no pun intended), I guess I should have carpe'd the ol' diem hey?
Anytime Hawksley goes into the studio, it seems that he emerges with two albums and a ripping (yet manly) stench. In 2008, he released Between the Beautifuls and Los Manlicious. HeΥs also given us a number of other less-discovered treasures that have been quietly released to fans alongside his major releases... these include Toothless Beauties, Puppy, and When We Were Security Guards. Geez, dude is prolific! 2010 is no different. He released Meat in January, which earned 4-star reviews across the board and a spot on the Polaris Prize Long List. Throughout the hubbub surrounding the release of Meat and the tours of Canada and Europe which accompanied it, he has also been releasing songs from Meat's Euro-pop cousin, Milk. The two were released as a double album in Europe, and both albums are now available separately on vinyl, featuring decidedly lewd artwork by Shout Out Out Out Out's Willie Dieminzz.
Now, finally, we are releasing Milk in Canada on a little format that we like to call the compact disc (it's kind of like a smaller version of a Laser Disc), which hits the stores on August 10. In Milk, the darker dance demons that lurk in Hawksley Workman come to the surface in an album that wraps most of the seven deadly sins in synth-soaked dance pop packages tailor-made for 80s runaways (Wayne Gretzky included). The album features collaborations with Tosha Dash (Candy Coated Killahz), Ali Shaheed Muhammed (A Tribe Called Quest) and Polaris Short Listed artist Shad, who makes a cameo appearance on the track Some People. This Canadian version of Milk also includes the radio singles Not Your Parents' Music (which was also featured in a Virgin Mobile campaign on MuchMusic) and Chemical (which has been added into heavy rotation on Toronto's KISS-FM, as well as a number of other hit stations across the country).
To celebrate the release of Milk, Hawksley will be performing a free concert at the edgiest of all venues, Chapters at Richmond/John St. in Toronto, on August 13 @ 7pm. There are no other Toronto dates announced at this time, so Toronto fans should not miss this!
In addition to the Chapters concert, Ontario fans should also check out Rootstock 2010, which is a songwriter circle at the Jackson Triggs Amphitheatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with Steven Page, Joel Plaskett, and Sarah Slean. It's gonna be rootin' tootin'! Ticket info is listed in the Tour Dates section.
Our latest Hawksley Workman video comes complements of celebrated animator, Chris Hinton. His film Blackfly directed for the NFB in 1991 received a nomination for an Academy Award, as did his film Nibbles, (2003) produced by Acme Filmworks. He has directed many films for the NFB, and we were delighted that he agreed to create an animated video for Hawksley's song, Tokyo Bicycle. The video was debuted on the wonderful CBC Radio 3. Watch it/read about it here - http://radio3.cbc.ca.
Phew! Hawksley Workman? More like Hawksley Busyguy!
Okay, listen up. Luke Doucet's new album 'Steel City Trawler' is so freakin' awesome that it makes me want to pick that lil' guy up on my shoulders, parade him around for awhile, and then take him over to a full length mirror so that he can flash himself. Luke has made a simply stunning rock n' roll record, with all the looseness, swagger, and brilliant songwriting that makes for a classic. We are oh so very excited about this one. It's as if Luke has taken things back to his days playing in Veal, added his overwhelmingly dense experiences of touring, songwriting, and simply living (with all of the good and bad that goes with it), and then further honed the album into its own identity with the help of Sloan's Andrew Scott in the producer's role (as well as the off-the-rails rhythm section role). To top it all off, Luke enlisted legendary comic book artist David Collier to help create a vivid and moving visual representation of the themes and lyrics of the album for the artwork. I am seriously hella stoked on this whole thing.
If you would like a little sneaksy peaksy, check out this teaser behind-the-scenes video (directed by Scott Kaija and Ryan Gassi), which offers insight into the record, from Luke's take on why Hamilton is such an attractive place to settle (hint: it has everything to do with Winnipeg), interviews with Andrew Scott and David Collier, a few shots of Luke's creepy nosferatu fingernails, and intimate acoustic snippets of songs. Hear Some of You Folks, which Luke describes as an experiment in "shared uncomfortable intimacy," Hey Now, which tells a story of unease with announcing one's intentions to the world, and Magpie, a rock-style ballad a la Dust in the Wind, a song that lets the sounds of a city in to create a sense of solid ground in its otherwise atmospheric feel. Watch it here: www.youtube.com
Sometimes I like to pretend that the "lead guitar player" in this video from Winnipeg Public Access TV in 1992 is actually a young Luke: www.youtube.com. I mean, he does rip a pretty serious face melter at about 1:40, and Luke IS from Winnipeg. Could be?
Steel City Trawler will be released on Six Shooter Records on August 31, 2010. I'll try to think of a good drinking game to play while listening to it by then.
Now in its 4th month of release, The Early Widows continues to win the hearts of fans and the 4-stars of the critics alike. I've seen tons of cool quotes that are all "oh mah gawd, this dude is like the sweetest songwritin' dude evaaaaar" (I'm paraphrasing a little). Justin has just announced the western leg of his national tour this fall. Like every touring musician, Justin has to put on his touring pants one western leg at a time... HAW HAW HAW! Labelmate Jenn Grant will join him on the tour, and they will surely discuss such matters as the quality level of their deli trays, the responsiveness of the crowd, how annoying that one guy who talked loudly through the whole set was, and possibly how much it hurt that time when someone in the band threw a radish directly at one of their ears at a gig in Waterloo. Tickets for most shows are available through http://www.sixshooterrecords.com . We are paperless (so no mailing fees... plus itΥs better for the environment) for General Admission shows, and we have an arrangement with the promoter which allows you to enter 15 minutes before other ticket buyers to pick your favourite spot with a smug look on your face. In seated venues we are able to offer the best spots in the house.
No more waiting! Royal Wood has announced a national tour to promote his new album on Maple Music Recordings, The Waiting, which will take him from coast to coast. Hot off the David Gray tour in May, and fresh from a pile of summer festivals, Royal is excited to bring you his full length concert which fully features all the beauty new songs from his acclaimed new record. Indie rock goddess Hannah Georgas joins Royal on most of the dates. See below for all the info. Also watch for a new video from Royal, for the song, Do You Recall, which is going to be filmed in Iceland. Wowsa!
As predicted, The Beauties blew the roof off of the Island Stage at Hillside this year and are rarin' for more. If you don't live in Ontario, and have no idea what Hillside is, it's a bitchin' music festival in Guelph that people love so much that it gives them lyme disease (sometimes). Killin' it at that festival is kind of equivalent to giving all of Ontario a giant high five, kind of like how talking about Hillside and assuming that the entire country (and wherever else this silly newsletter thing is sent) knows what it is, is kind of like that scene in the movie 'Summer School' (one of my faves, btw) where Kirstie Alley is demonstrating to the class that she understands the intricacies of making rude hand gestures. For Toronto based Beauties fans who are pining for the good old Sunday residency gigs, we've got a two night stand lined up for ya, except this time it's Friday and Saturday night, Sept 17/18, at... the Horseshoe Tavern! Psych!
The love affair between the Beauties and Six Shooter continues, and we are stoked to be able to present this killer band in Nashville, TN, on September 9 at the Basement as part of the Americana Music conference. For those of you in attendance, don't miss our annual Outlaws and Gunslingers luncheon co-hosted with Starfish Entertainment, where the Beauties will also rock the noon hour away on Sept 10. Justin Rutledge will also be there! We love him too! We like to have long meetings with him in which we discuss what kind of barstool is the most sturdy when trying to rile up a crowd into some audience participation and such!
CMT also loves The Beauties. Tune in on Aug 30 to watch The Dakota Sessions, one with the Avett Brothers and the other with The Beauties. Check local listings. In other CMT news, they have licensed the song, Fashion Blues by the Beauties as the theme song for their new TV show called the Fashion District, debuting November 10.
The Good Lovelies are headed into the studio this month with producers Les Cooper and Adam King, the winning team that helped them create their Juno Award-winning debut (which, incidentally, will be available in stores for the first time through Warner on September 28). The girls have a very busy fall schedule that will see them gracing Canadian stages from coast to coast. Stay tuned for details. Meanwhile, those living in the same neck of the woods as Midland, ON, can quench their Good Lovelies thirst on Aug 25. See Tour Dates for ticket details.
Did you watch episode 2 of MTV's Jersey Shore?! Did you happen to catch a couple seconds worth of Shout Out Out Out Out's 'Procrastinator's Fight Song' while the girls go shopping?! This is actually the 2nd time that 'Procrastinator's Fight Song' has been featured on the television masterpiece that is Jersey Shore, the first time being in the debut season when the klassy gang of roomies heads to Atlantic city, and Snooki wipes out while dancing on a sofa! This time around, the Jersey Shorers are vacationing in Miami, which is appropriate since we have recently noticed that, according to the reliable statistics provided by Myspace (an appropriate way to check statistics while discussing Jersey Shore) Shout Out Out Out Out have a disproportionately high number of fans located in Florida. Who knew?! WE DID, BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR FINGER ON THE PULSE BRO, AND THAT'S A SITUATION RIGHT THERE! You should check out the Shoutset's website post about their most recent Jersey Shore feature here www.shoutoutoutoutout.com for no reason other than to see a heelarious picture of Mike "The Situation" with synthesizer abs.
Both Melissa McClelland and Amelia Curran are contributing bloggers at the Canadian Interviews Publishing site. Search for them here: www.canadianinterviews.com. And speaking of Amelia, please check below for a schwack of dates and stay tuned for another schwack of dates, to be announced shortly.
In other related news, "blog" is still a very funny word to me. Whenever I hear or read the word blog, I can't stop myself from saying it over and over in my head like "bloggity blogitty blog. Blog blog blog blog blog. Blogger. Bloggertown. Bloggity bloggertown. Baaaalog. Baaaloggers. Blog blog bloggy blogΙ blogger". I also hate the word tastemaker, I find it demeaning to humanity. I bring this up only because the chalkboard-nail-scratching word "tastemaker", is often followed by the hilarious word "blog". Word association! Hey, let's do a contest. Give me your best word association word for the word "blog." We'll send the winner a Six Shooter t-shirt in the colour/size of your choice.
Oh man, do I ever love vinyl. Sure, it is a pain in the ass to move when you have shelves full of black gold (did I really just call records "black gold"? Barf!), but there is certainly something irreplaceable about the experience of buying something so tangible and kinetic, with big artwork and the physical aspect of a needle bumping along in a groove. I'm kind of a bit of a sniffer too, I admit it, and new vinyl just smells so good. Of course, this doe eyed adoration of records means that I am extra stoked to say that we now have a bunch of new vinyl available!
First up, we have a Hawksley Workman 7" of Not Your Parents' Music and Where Do All The Dead Birds Go? These are available exclusively through www.sixshooterrecords.com for the next month, and then will be available in stores. See what we did there? We're totally messin' with the kids' minds man! Usually you find things digitally on the internet first, and then the physical product in the stores after, but we are changing the game here and putting the wax on our website first! Pioneer status bros! We also have Jenn Grant's LP, Echoes, which was fully recorded and mixed on analog equipment at Puck's Farm (vinyl being the next logical step in the direction of warm analog goodness), and Luke Doucet's LP, Blood's Too Rich, available through our webstore in the glorious 12" format. All of our vinyl releases include compact discs inside the package so you can fully enjoy the music any way you want. Or, you know, import that shizz for mobile convenience, bump the wax at home, and use the silver thing as a coaster. Oh you wacky music consumers, always keeping us record makin' types on our toes, and winding up back at the beginning! We love you!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! We've been tootin' on our Vuvuzelas all week after finding out that all three of the records we released in the last year were included on this year's Polaris Prize Long List: Juno Award winner Amelia Curran for Hunter, Hunter (released in September), Hawksley Workman's 4-Star January release, Meat (where we collaborated with Hawksley's own label, Isadora Records), and Justin Rutledge's beautiful work, The Early Widows, released May 4. That is a pretty major slam dunk (or keeping with the theme I started with all the Vuvuzela talk... a major GOOOOOAAAAAAL!). Ain't no suckas reversing our polarity!
Hawksley Workman will be switching from coffee to tea (and subsequently, will be dunking clumps of marmite instead of donuts) for this year's Canada Day celebrations, when he jets off to Trafalgar Square for the annual party abroad. He also plays a club show in London the night before - check the tour dates section way down at the bottom of this newsletter for details, and pick up your tickets here:
BUY TICKETS
It will be a jolly good time, cheerio and toodle pip, innit, etc.
2010 continues to be a crazy year for Hawksley Workman - Chemical, a track from Milk (coming out in August) is all over the KISS FM airwaves here in Toronto, and Not Your Parents' Music has been added to the Zone in Victoria, and is also getting a lot of attention over at Virgin Mobile, where it's the song being used in a new campaign to sell things or services related to Virgin Mobile (one would assume). Also, if you've been sleeping hard, snap out of it, and go check out the claymazing video for Not Your Parents' Music created by Jeremy Fisher. It out-gumbies Gumby! This radical video can be found on the youtubez:
Seattle's trailblazing and totally awesome radio station KEXP (seriously, it is a great station) just put Mr. Justin Rutledge's song Be A Man into rotation. This is big news for The Early Widows, Justin's killer new album which is coming out in the USA on September 21. In anticipation of this release, Justin just wrapped up a tour with Blue Rodeo on the USA west coast. I was going to make a joke about that movie You've Got Mail, but then I realized that I was about to call it Dude, Where's My Mail? which sent me into a bit of a giggle fit, and then I realized that the Seattle one was actually Sleepless In Seattle (like, duh), and the whole thing was ruined. So nevermind, no joke here, move along, no one here but us Starbucks and Nirvanas.
If you want to hear Justin tackle current issues such as "Do We Still Need the Album?" on CBC Radio 3 (another amazing station, of course!), check this out: www.radio3.cbc.ca
Speaking of our friends at KEXP, you should sign up for the KEXP podcast, because The Beauties' song Hearts are Down is going to be included in an upcoming edition. Let's say it again, KEXP is THE AWESOMEZ! We are very pleased that other people agree that the Beauties are simply amazing. The band got four star reviews all over Toronto, with Metro, Now Magazine, Eye Weekly, Toronto Star and National Post giving lots of love to the new guys, as their newspaper boxes got hurled through windows on Queen Street.
Hawksley, Justin, and Beuaties aren't the only ones around here getting some radio action on their new tunes. Luke Doucet's new song, The Ballad of Ian Curtis, has been showing up all over mediabase both sides of the border (dude, all of your mediabase are belong to us), with plays on rock radio here in Canada, Triple A stations south of the border, and satellite play everywhere (even OUTER SPACE). And we're just getting started here! Same deal with Royal Wood, whose song (and hot video for) On Top of Your Love has been getting tons of commercial airplay, too. We are decidedly rather chuffed about this! We never really expect our music to get played beyond CBC, who we love so much we want to marry it and have li'l CBC Shooter babies that we can enroll in French-Immersion preschool and such.
There's a new version of Brake out now! It's a warm summer's night of a song that Melissa re-recorded with help from the Queen of Lilith Fair, Sarah McLachlan. You probably know that Melissa sings and plays in Sarah's band (and will be for the entire run of Lilith Fair), and in this case, Sarah returns the favour by adding piano and vocals to this new version of Melissa's song. Um, that's kind of a big deal, on account of Sarah being the type of classy lady that has sold something like a kajillion records, and has the ability to make girls with angel wing tattoos cry tears of understanding with one meaningful look (even with her eyes closed if she tilts her head back just so), as well as trippy raver dudes totally rave like heck (y'know, with trippy remixes and such), as well as being down with a good fart joke (so I'm told). Sounds like a good pal for Melissa, we approve of this play date. So ride slow homie, pump your brakes, and go pick up Brake. You can buy the song at iTunes. If you waited until now to get your very own copy of Melissa's stunning album Victoria Day, act soon, because Brake is now added to the album as a bonus digital track.
There's a new video too, courtesy of Mavreen David:
It's not so much that Amelia Curran has an upcoming audience with the Queen (yes, THE Queen, not the Lilith Queen, or Queen Street, or the ghost of Freddie Mercury and his pals, or the Edmonton Queen Riverboat, we are talking about Her Royal Highness THE QUEEN), it's that the Queen (same thing) is going to BE Amelia's audience. Wait, what? Not just having an audience, but being the audience... ohhhh, ok, I get it! Elizabeth II and Amelia are going to be bestest friends (hopefully it doesn't end up like this scene from one of my favorite British TV shows, Inbetweeners: www.youtube.com
In addition to performing at the Governor General's Garden Party in honour of the Queen, Amelia is also playing 2 shows at Major's Hill Park in Ottawa on July 1, one in the afternoon at the CBC Singer-Songwriter Circle and the other as a solo performance (8pm).
When Amelia gets back to Toronto for her Hugh's Room show on July 7, she'll be the expert on the subject of "how to meet Her Majesty". Tickets for this show are available at www.sixshooterrecords.com
Six Shooter Management is excited to announce that we're now working with The Good Lovelies! These fine ladies have voices from heaven, and to boot, are freakin' heelarious on stage and off. We love their fantastic tuneage and their giv'r attitude. Their beautiful (self-titled) debut has won them boatloads of fans and even a Juno Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album of the Year (group). The Good Lovelies never stop touring, so youΥll be sure to see them at a city, town, festival and anywhere else all summer long. Check our tour dates.
Ok, holy crap, what?! The one and only Geddy Lee of Canadian legends RUSH has just signed on to produce a film adaptation of Dave Bidini's book Baseballissimo! Even if you are a legendary Rheostatics guy, and acclaimed Canadian writer guy, and guy whose new band is called Bidiniband, because your name is Bidini... it is still a massive deal when one of the dudes from freakin' RUSH wants to make your book into a movie!!! Man, I have a long way to go! Exclaim Mag wrote a good article on this current event, and I really suggest that you go check it out here: www.exclaim.ca
So cool!!!
Alsooooo, Professor Bidini is going be offering up some of his trade secrets, as he will soon be teaching a songwriting course at the University of Toronto. Budding songwriters (or experienced songwriters that wanna meet a guy who is having a movie made out of his writing, by none other than Geddy Lee) can find out about the course by going here: www.utoronto.ca.
Another NXNE, another incredible Outlaws & Gunslingers showcase! Six Shooter and our pals at Starfish Entertainment put together another triple ripple threat set mixing and matching artists like Justin Rutledge, who played with Oh Susanna and Danny Michel, the fair Amelia Curran, who shared the stage with Andy Maize and Royal Wood (best jam session ever!) and to top it all off, a set where Hawksley Workman quaked the earth with Jim Cuddy and Colleen Brown. AND THEN The Beauties played! And Joel Stewart! 5.5 on the rockter scale dude!!! And people wrote about it! Here are a couple links:
We are just days away from the release date of the new Beauties' album, and we are like majorly hella stoked. And so are the newspapers (aka the original gangstas in this iPad bizarro world) - check out articles on the Beauties in the upcoming issues of Now Magazine, Eye Weekly, the Toronto Star, Chart, and Exclaim! Magazine. Just to prove that print media is the bee's knees, grab yourself some Silly Putty, and roll yourself out an analog copy of these wonderful reviews that you can read in a mirror! That's how we made fun in my childhood years, and I turned out okay-ish. This sweet-ass record kicks off with the jauntily snide opening track "Fashion Blues", and then continues on a rollercoaster of emotions/sobriety, from the drunken carousing on "Devil Do" to the raspy and fragile solemnity that echoes in "Heart of Stone". The Beauties handily manage to bash through ten tracks that capture their raw live energy, part 70s era rock, part bluesy strut, that makes your forget that Monday morning is just around the corner, and then makes your forget that it is Monday, and then makes you not care when you realize that it IS Monday. This album is Garfield proof! Lucky music fans in Toronto will be able to catch the Beauties at the Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday, May 29. Supporting acts are Amurrican rockers Marah, and Toronto's own New Country Rehab. It will be a night of epic chiefinosity. Get your tickets at http://www.sixshooterrecords.com. Those residing in London, ON, and Waterloo, ON, will also get first dibs on the live goodness that is the Beauties. Check tour dates. More shows to be added soon!
The David Gray tour is transgressing in a most tubular fashion for Royal - people have been going kookoo bananaz over how awesome he is, snapping up his newest album, "The Waiting", in droves. They might be getting in on the early scoopsies at the shows, but not to worry, the CD is now available in stores across the country. For avid Royal fans in Toronto, we are hosting a media launch for Royal's album on release day, and there are a limited number of VIP packages available (www.maplemusic.com). Or you could try your luck with a contest run by our friends at the awesome blog, NxEW. Go here: www.nxew.ca. Or you can wait until the fall, when Royal plans to putt along across the nation on a national tour... more details to come soon!
The press have raved like never before about Justin Rutledge's new album, "The Early Widows." I would say that a plethora of music journalists seem quite pleased with Justin's handiwork on this one, and were possibly even quite moved by said handiwork, perhaps even to tears (this is speculative, but at the very least imaginable). From the first review that appeared in the blog, Herohill, through to the fine folks at Exclaim, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, all the Canwest papers, and more, the reviews are glowing indeed, proclaiming "The Early Widows" to be Justin's best work to date. Frankly, we love all of Justin's 'eavy chunes, but we will concede that this album is decidedly bitchin'. His sold-out album release party at Lee's Palace knocked our socks off (it's cool, it was laundry day anyway). Lots more dates are in the works - check the tour dates section for more info, and please note the new venue in Montreal.
Justin will be mounting a mighty iron steed (or steel, or whatever a tour van is made of... what, do I look like, some kinda genius?) for a national tour in the fall. Until then, please enjoy Justin on-line:
One of Luminato's most popular events each year is the Canadian Songbook, presented at Massey Hall. This year, the festival honours Bruce Cockburn, who has been giving us great music for 40 years. 40 freakin' years! Did they even have a facebooks or an ipods back then?! With no way to download playlists of trees falling in forests, how did anybody hear? Hawksley Workman was the first on board to pay tribute... fans of Hawksley know what a huge influence Bruce was on him. Six Shooterer and recent Juno winner Amelia Curran is joining in on the much deserved tribute as well. It's going to be a great night. Ticket info and more details can be gleaned here: www.luminato.com.
Check out Hawksley Workman's new video for the song, "Not Your Parents' Music", which is now available through iTunes. What? With all that touring and producing, how did he have time to shoot a video? Well, the truth is, he didn't! HAHAHAHA PSYCH!!! Instead we hired the multi-talented Jeremy Fisher to create a video for him. A walking you-tube meme in his own right, Jeremy created a puppet of Hawksley and made him spazz out. Check the link here: www.youtube.com
"Not Your Parents' Music" will be added to the Canadian version of the album, "Milk", which will be released this summer.
Also available on iTunes is a "clean" (sans swearing) version of "Warhol's Portrait of Gretzky".
In "The Ballad of Ian Curtis", Luke Doucet dissects and reassembles elements of classic 80s Brit rock as requiem and homage to mopey mopester Ian Curtis (Joy Division), while also featuring vocals unexpectedly reminiscent of Curtis' successor, Bernard Summer (New Order). True story, one of my favorite records of ALL TIME is New Order's 'Power, Corruption, and Lies', but I digress, as this has little to do with Luke's radical song about poor ol' Ian Curtis. On this brand spanking new Luke jam, undercurrents of melancholic melody are buoyed by catchy, effortless piano, drum and bass arrangements steered by Canadian rock stalwart Andrew Scott (Sloan). The new track is now streaming at www.lukedoucet.com, and for sale on iTunes and at www.sixshooterrecords.com. And yes, this means we have a new Luke Doucet album coming soon. About time! Man, I am very strongly planted in the "highly anticipating" camp on this one... well, really, I'm also strongly planted in the upper echelons of the Six Shooter pyramid scheme, so I've already been privy to the whole album, but lemme tell ya, it is gonna be worth the wait for the rest of you! Stay tuned! (that's a guitar joke, 'cause Luke is like a total guitar wizard dude).
The Outlaws & Gunslingers team (Six Shooter Records and Starfish Entertainment) is saddling up for another stellar NXNE showcase at Lee's Palace. Last year's show packed a triple punch, with three 'in the round'-style offerings from Six Shooter and Starfish stables. This year is shaping up to be another remarkable night, with the added bonus of a number of musical friends in the mix, including Andy Kim, Simone Felice (Felice Brothers) and Colleen Brown, who will join the Six Shooter/Starfish cast of characters Jim Cuddy, Hawksley Workman, Justin Rutledge, Oh Susanna, Andy Maize, Amelia Curran, Royal Wood and more. Joel Stewart & The Future Hall of Famers will close the night. Ok, lemme add that up... that would make it at least an eleventuple punch! Is eleventuple the right word? I kinda made it up. In any case, a punch made up of so many strong artists will certainly be as potent and delirium inducing as the bizarre cocktails that many graduating high school students will likely ingest at "safe grad" in a field somewhere, chaperoned by the "cool parents", who are still probably, like, SO embarrassing.
THE LINEUP:
8pm - Andy Kim - CD Release Party
9pm - Justin Rutledge, Oh Susanna, Simone Felice
10pm - Andy Maize, Amelia Curran, Royal Wood
11pm - Jim Cuddy, Hawksley Workman, Colleen Brown
12pm - SURPRISE GUEST
1am - Joel Stewart & The Future Hall of Famers
Outlaws & Gunslingers take the stage on Thursday, June 17, 2010 @ Lee's Palace. The midnight slot will feature a surprise guest, to be announced on June 1, 2010. Stay tuned for more details! Admission is free with a NXNE wristband (first come, first served), and tickets will also be available at the door.
Six Shooter and Starfish Entertainment are also going to flex our smarts and highly experienced opinions, on musical hooha and such, at a couple of NXNE panels this year. Get learned good!
NXNE TOWN HALL 2010
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16
SECOND CITY
2-4 PM
Moderator Jake Gold is back with another esteemed panel of industry veterans to take stock of the music business in 2010, covering key issues such as copyright reform, music licensing on the web, the challenges of breaking new acts with smaller marketing budgets, and how in the end, it still all comes down to your relationships.
Moderator: Jake Gold, Management Trust
Panelists:
Stephen Carroll, The Weakerthans
Andrew Cash, Artist/Politician
Shauna de Cartier, President, Six Shooter Records
Grant Dexter, President & CEO, MapleCore Ltd.
Rob Farina, Executive Vice President, Content for Astral Media Radio
Ralph James, President, The Agency Group
Brian Hetherman, VP of Industry Affairs, FACTOR
Mike McCarty, President, Ole Music Publishing
Riley O'Connor, Chairman, Live Nation Canada
Jeffrey Remedios, President, Arts & Crafts
Chip Sutherland, Entertainment Lawyer and Manager (Feist, Sloan)
"FM USA" - The NXNE Music Meeting
Presented by the OMDC
THURSDAY, JUNE 17
HYATT REGENCY - REGENCY C
2:30 - 4 pm
While radio formats in Canada are narrow, and only certain types of music get airplay, the US radio landscape is much more diverse. In particular, AAA and Non-Comm formats are those in which Canadians generally excel in, though ironically, Canada itself has only a handful of stations across the country in this format. Bruce Cockburn, Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, and many more all got their start on radio in the AAA format, and then crossed over to other formats in the USA and eventually onto commercial radio in Canada.
The Music Meeting will offer insight into the inner workings of some of America's most influential radio programs. Learn to pitch more effectively by learning what those at the top of the radio game look for in a song. Listen to new music alongside the experts and hear what works and why.
Moderator: Sean Coakley, Songlines
Panelists:
Rita Houston, WFUV (New York City)
Jim McGuinn, KCMP/The Current (Minneapolis)
Kevin Cole, KEXP (Seattle)
Kim Czornij, WUIN (North Carolina)
Admission to both panels is free with a NXNE delegate badge. Tickets will also be available at the door
Musician, artist and devoted art collector, Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies, showcases works available at AR+SG from leading galleries and independent artists that speak to his collecting interests. The exhibition, which includes HearnΥs own drawings as well as works from his personal collection, provides an intimate look at one of CanadaΥs leading talents. A painting from Martin Tielli will also be featured in the exhibit. Details are:
COLLECTOR'S SERIES
the happy mediums
Guest-Curated by Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies
AGO Art Rental + Sales Gallery
June 11-30
Opening Reception: Friday, June 11, 6 - 9 pm
Live musical performance by Kevin & Friends
The debut of an exciting new series of guest-curated exhibitions by notable personalities passionate about the arts
It's been a buck wild week around here with the release of Justin Rutledge's new album, The Early Widows. The press has been going bananaz! It's left us with no time to eat bananas! Accolade-induced potassium deficiencies abound! Sweet, rave reviews coming in across the country, with swishy four star reviews from the national publications (and that's outta four, not ten!). Yayee! We know that you are going to love Justin's bitchin' new jams, but if you want to listen before you buy, check out some of the new tracks on the Radio 3 website: http://radio3.cbc.ca/ . Be a Man will blow your effin' mind. It makes you want to turn your stereo all the way up to four (out of four of course).
Those of you lucky enough to be in Toronto on Saturday night (May 8th) can check out a full band (doublde drummers and all) presentation of the album at Lee's Palace (hurry up and get tickets, as there are precious few left). Doug Paisley and band opens, as does our Juno Award Winning pal Amelia Curran (more on her below), who opens the show at 9:30... make sure you're on time. Most importantly, bring a donation of a used book to help raise money and awareness for Toronto Public Library literacy programs.
If you aren't in Toronto this weekend, not to worry, there are lots more tour dates to come, with appearances throughout Ontario, in the USA in May with Amelia Curran, in June with Blue Rodeo, and a national tour coming in the fall. Get your Justin fix! Check the tour dates section for more information.
Hawksley Workman wrapped up his Canadian tour on April 24 with a triumphant Massey Hall show. Then without even taking a single day off, he headed into the studio with the brilliant Jeremy Fisher to make what is sure to be an absolutely deadly album. I can say this with some certainty, since I was the one who somehow ended up with the job of moving the gear into the studio. If the girth of the gear is any indication, this album is going to be large and heavy. I hope for all of your sake that you don't have to listen to it while going up several flights of stairs. During my stint on roadie duty, I was privy to the Hawk's inclusion of two timpani drums and a bass drum in the studio setup. Do you have any idea how big a timpani road case is? Five or six people could easily have cocktails in one of those things, which would certainly be more fun than carrying said case. Needless to say, this record is going to sound as great as 2001 space odysseys. Like dude.
Then, again without taking a single day off (clearly there is a reason why he is named Workman), Hawksley goes direct from the studio to Europe, where he will do a whole pile of press and radio, plus bang out some rad dates in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and other fancy places like that. Get your tickets now www.hawksleyworkman.com. Meat/Milk is now available throughout Europe (sold there as a double album).
On June 1, 2010, Toronto's own band of insiders The Beauties will release their debut record on Six Shooter Records. Man, it feels like we've been waiting forevurrrr to be able to say that. The Beauties have been the secret password on the lips of Toronto's secret society of the musically involved (T.S.S.O.T.M.I.) since the beginning of their notoriously raucous Sunday-night residency at The Dakota Tavern, Toronto's inner sanctum of roots rock venues (T.I.S.O.R.R.V.). Produced by Martin Kinack (the sweet dude who also produced Sarah Harmer, Broken Social Scene, Hayden, like whoa dude, nice CV man), The Beauties self-titled debut now puts the band on the national stage. The album, "motivated and energized" by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew, will surprise those who know The Beauties by their live show, and will impress those who haven't yet seen the Sunday spectacle. The Beauties went into the studio for the first time late last fall, and came out with a debut record that puts their best feet forward... straight into ya earholes!
The official celebration of the release takes place at the Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday, May 29. Support acts are USA-based Marah, and Toronto's own New Country Rehab. It's going to be a totally chiefin' night. Get your tickets at www.sixshooterrecords.com.
Hot off the heels of two sold out shows at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, and fresh from the set of his steamy video for On Top of Your Love, Royal jets off to BC next week to get on top of David Gray's love... of national touring. Uh what? Yeah, I mean that Royal is hitting the road with ol' Davey boy! His much awaited disc, aptly called The Waiting, coming out on Maple Music Recordings, will be available for sale at the shows and on-line. The retail street date is June 1st. We'll be doing a press launch at the Gladstone in Toronto that day. There are a very small number of of VIP ticket packages available for this performance. Since you are surely VI, check www.maplemusic.com for the details.
Six Shooter is tickled to have its first Juno Award, brought to us by one of our newest artists, Amelia Curran!!! We've had Juno Nomos before, but this is our first Juno Winno! Amelia might be one of our newest artists, but she has one of the oldest souls, kinda like one of those babies that looks like an old man (except of course, Amelia doesn't look like an old man nor does she act like a wee baby). If you haven't checked out her beautifully penned songs yet, get your copy of Hunter, Hunter. She is a writer of the highest order. Juno what I'm sayin?! Congratulations, Amelia!
Amelia has been traveling western Canada with fellow Maritimer, Rose Cousins, on a sold out tour. She joins the bill of Justin Rutledge's show in Toronto this Saturday, then the two of them are southbound to do a number of USA shows. Booyakasha.
Our analog synth-obsessed Edmontonian pals, Shout Out Out Out Out spent a couple weeks touring the UK and Europe last month, in support of the impending European release of their densely awesome opus Reintegration Time, due to hit shelves on that side of the pond on May 17th. Visit their recently revamped website at www.shoutoutoutoutout.com to view their ongoing series of hilarious tour videos to get an accurate idea of what life on the road with the Shoutset is like. All of their European video blogs are now up on the site. You can even watch Shout Out Out Out Out get stuck in Amsterdam for 5 days due to that total ash-hole of a volcano, Eyjafjallajokull!
The other day I was at a high school talent show thingy (long story), and there was this kid there who was performing that looked EXACTLY like a mini version of Justin Rutledge. It was uncanny. I even asked him if I could take his picture (as proof), and he gave me a really weird look (I thought it would take too long to explain why, but I can see how a stranger asking to take your picture would warrant a weird look). But yeah, I wanted to be like "dude, I know right now you are just in a gymnasium doing a duet with your friend here of some generic top 40 song, but I am taking your photo because one day, in the future, your music will explore the dark and quiet corners of the heart, and then after that, your music will be a work of illumination!".
If Justin Rutledge's previous releases explored the dark and quiet corners of the heart, his new album, The Early Widows, is a work of illumination. From the opening moments of the emphatic Be A Man, doubled drums carry a newfound momentum forward, breaking and intensifying like daybreak. The work came out of a collaboration with Michael Ondaatje, loosely based on his novel, Divisadero. Anchored in Rutledge's meticulously crafted lyrics, the songs swell outwards, buoyed by commanding performances from band members Burke Carroll, Blake Manning, David Baxter, and Bazil Donovan. Producer Hawksley Workman (hey, we know him!!!) expanded the country-style sound with the added energy of second drummer Gary Craig and the explosive vocals of gospel singers (The Faith Choral), offset by whiskery violin, courtesy of Jesse Zubot. The first song will be available for download on April 6. Check www.justinrutledge.com and sixshooterrecords.com for new music, new videos, and, on May 4, the new record. Official release party is Saturday, May 8, at Lee's Palace in Toronto. Tickets available through the Six Shooter website.
Hot on the heels of Justin's new album is the highly anticipated full-length debut by The Beauties, the newest artist to the Six Shooter Records roster. The Beauties were formed in 2006 at a tavern in the west end of Toronto. A Sunday night residency (which was initially intended as an informal jam) soon blossomed into sold out shows, week after week. We are very excited about these guys, man they rule! Darin McConnell and Shawn Creamer share guitar and vocal duties, Jud Ruhl streams the lead guitar while Paul Pfisterer and Derek Downham keep time as the unapologetically killer rhythm section. Longtime collaborator Michael Boguski adds his magic on the keys. The album was produced by Martin Kinack, with extra inspiration from Kevin Drew. Official release party is Saturday, May 29 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Check The Beauties spanking new website for more details: www.thebeauties.ca.
Amelia Curran's Hunter, Hunter (Six Shooter Records) is a contender for Roots and Traditional Solo Album of the Year, and the only Newfoundlander among nominees for 2010 Juno Awards, to be held in St. John's, NL this April. This pretty much makes Amelia the Juno "It" Girl, and so she will maintain a whirlwind schedule that has her performing at Junofest, doing an in-store concert at Fred's Records and Tapes, performing at the Gala Award show, presenting at the televised Juno Awards broadcast, and participating in the Juno Songwriter's Circle. Whew! Good thing we have lots of whiskey stored away for her in our shiny Six Shooter flasks.
Immediately following the Junos, Amelia heads out on tour with Rose Cousins in western Canada and the USA west coast, then with Justin Rutledge through the eastern United States. Check the tour dates section for all the details.
We'd also like to congratulate NQ Arbuckle and Carolyn Mark, whose collaboration, Let's Just Stay Here (Mint Records), was also nominated for a Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (group). We are all going to have such a great time in St. John's, it'll be sick! For those of you joining us there, catch NQ Arbuckle's Junofest show at Trapper John's Museum & Bar on Sat. April 17.
It's been a crazy year so far for Hawksley Workman, who has performed at the Olympics (it was a gold medal performance, believe me!), and all over western Canada, partied with Seth Rogan (that guy is famous!), acted in a musical film about hockey (that sport is popular in Canada!), released an album and video already once this year and readies himself for a second album launch in a few months time (that's two whammies... a double whammy!).
Hawksley is about to embark on the second leg of his national Canadian tour, which will take him to the east coast, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, St. Catharines, London, and ending at Massey Hall in Toronto on April 24. The shows are selling fast so get your tickets now, or live the rest of your life wallowing in regret!
Along the way, Hawksley will also take part in two Q&A sessions, for a chance to get up close with a personal chat (close talkers and mouth breathers welcome). The first is at Fred's Records & Tapes in St. John's on April 11 at 3 pm, and the second is on Record Store Day (April 17 at 2 pm) at CD Warehouse in Ottawa, hosted by Alan Neal. Free to the adoring public.
A short European tour is also coming up, with dates in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, among others. Check the tour date section for full details. Milk and Meat will be released as a double album in Europe, hitting stores on April 10.
Jeremy Fisher is hard at work on a new video for Hawksley's second single, Not Your Parents' Music, which will also be released in April.
Busy guy!!!
p.s. For those of you who missed this on Twitter, listen to Hawksley on NPR's syndicated program, All Things Considered, for an in-depth interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/
Shout Out Out Out Out took most of the winter off to hibernate in their frozen home of Edmonton, but they are now thawed out and ready for all kinds of springtime action! Theyyyyy:
- recently released a new music video for their song Remind Me In Dark Times, and it quickly got added and went to the number one slot on AUX TV (who we love, btw)! You can watch the video here: http://tinyurl.com/yhhgwtt
- redesigned their website to be more interactive and bloggy, so they could update it themselves more often with all kinds of fun stuff like Gravy's hilarious tour diary videos detailing the Shoutset's daily routine of long mundane days of driving in a van across the continent paired with the release of explosive live performances (this is also a great chance to keep on the band's ridiculously large collection of stupid inside jokes and convoluted dialect based on misheard phrases, puns, and words that barely rhyme). Check the new site at www.shoutoutoutoutout.com (you can also follow Shout Out Out Out Out's misadventures on Twitter: www.twitter.com/shoutset
- took a triumphantly successful return trip to Austin for SXSW (see our SXSW re-cap down below).
- aaaaaand, this is a biggie... are preparing to release their Reintegration Time album in the UK and Europe in May! Shout Out Out Out Out will be heading overseas in early April to get things started, playing shows in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Liverpool, York, London, Glasgow, and Paris! Please see the tour dates section below for more infoz.
We are pleased to announce that Melissa McClelland is confirmed as one of the artists on this summer's Lilith Fair. More information on which dates feature Melissa will be available soon, but meanwhile, please check her out at www.lilithfair.com/artists/melissa-mcclelland.
We're also excited that both Melissa and Luke Doucet will be performing in Sarah McLachlan's band (as they have been for the last couple of years), and so will both be on the entire tour, soaking up the positive vibes, swaying by moonlight, and other such lovely things that I expect must be the norm on an entire Lillith Fair tour. They'll probably tell a few fart jokes too, I'm pretty sure that happens on ANY tour. Before the Lillith Fair tour, both Luke and Melissa have upcoming tour dates in the mystical land of Canada Ρ check out the tour dates section for more information.
We are pleased to announce that Six Shooter Management artist Royal Wood is finished his new album! Produced in part by A-list producer Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan), The Waiting will be ready for release in May.... just in time for David Gray's national Canadian tour, for which Royal will be supporting all the dates. Holy moly!
If you are in Toronto, you can see for yourself what all the fuss is about at the Glenn Gould Studio. His first show on April 1st is sold out, so we added a second show on April 10. Don't miss it, 'cause that would be a Royal pain in the ass... HAW HAW!!!!
On April 10, 2010, Images Festival presents The Monkey and the Mermaid. This new collaborative multidisciplinary performance features overhead projections and Super 8 film by Shary Boyle with a live score by Christine Fellows, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Jason Tait. The performance is one night only at the St. Anne's Anglican Church, 270 Gladstone, Toronto. For more info on Images Festival, visit www.imagesfestival.com.
Now that the Subscription Series is finally finished, Martin Tielli has been hard at work preparing for an art exhibit at the Gate 403 (403 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto), featuring work from a multitude of projects, including The Ghost of Danny G., Harmelodia, Thumbelina's One Night Stand, and various Rheostatics items. For those of you not living in Toronto, the images are posted on-line at sixshooterrecords.com, and will be available for purchase through the Six Shooter office (call 416-465-2459 or email shauna@sixshooterrecords.com ) through until end of day on Thursday, April 1. They will then be on display and for sale at the Gate 403 for the month of April. The works, aside from being totally effin' amazing, are priced to sell - aside from the larger paintings, the pieces are between $40 - $480. Join Martin in person at the Gate on Saturday, April 3 from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm for the official opening celebration.
Speaking of art exhibits, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa is presenting an exhibition in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Group of Seven's foundation. The exhibit will include 14 works, and attendees will be provided headphones to listen to the album, Music Inspired by the Group of Seven by the Rheostatics. It runs May 1 - Aug 26, 2010.
Note to subscribers: the artwork for Disc 2 ("Spring") of The Ghost of Danny G. is printed and is on its way out to you now!
Have you ever been in a record store and some normal walks in and chuckles to themselves and says, "Records?! They still make those?! These aren't new are they?! I have a box of these things in my basement somewhere, they're probably worth something, huh?!", and you just wanna strangle them for living under a rock that doesn't rock? Yeah, me too. Luckily we know the truth about the awesomeness of high quality wax and big artwork! If you have somehow managed to neglect your turntable recently, it's time to dust it off! Hawksley Workman has three new vinyl albums available: both new releases, Milk and Meat, plus his debut album, For Him and the Girls. Coming soon are vinyl releases of Jenn Grant's Echoes and Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich. We also have the Rheostatics' Whale Music coming down the pipe, which will be a double album with a tri-fold-out poster of the original Whale Music painting by Martin Tielli. All of our vinyl also includes a free compact disc, so you can bump it in da jeep! They will be available at indie stores, distributed by Outside Music, or through mail-order at www.sixshooterrecords.com.
Well, as usual, we had a great time in Austin, and managed to cram about a hundred weekends into 4 days. Now I have about a hundred head colds crammed into my sinuses. Thanks a lot, partying! Here are a plethora of highlights from our Texan adventure:
-- An army of delegates kicked off their SXSW experience with a new tattoo (of the lick'n'stick decal variety) on their arm depicting our iconic girl on the horse (kewl! Kewl!) and truthsaying slogan, Life is too short to listen to shitty music.
-- Amelia Curran, Justin Rutledge, The Beauties, Melissa McClelland, and Luke Doucet did us proud, tearing up our label showcase to a full room at SOHO on Sixth. Broken Social Scenester Kevin Drew hopped up on stage to perform with the Beauties, and then invited them to perform at both official Broken Social Scene showcases at Stubb's and at the Parish. Beauty!
-- As always, our Afternoon Hootenanny with Mint Records was a hoot (uh, and an "anny"?). Headhunters was packed solid with friends, fans, and bands, slamming shots of tequila and enjoying the sunny Austin weather while it lasted (what the hell happened on Saturday?).
-- We battled the unexpected, and all-too-home-like chilly weather on Saturday by inviting a whole bunch of our friends and colleagues over to the official Six Shooter house for the International Babes of Glory brunch. Nothing says warmth like Quiche and Caesars! Special thanks to XM The Verge for recording all those bands and also for the good laughs.
--Elliott BROOD headlined the No Depression showcase, inviting the whiskey-chuggin' crowd to pound along with wooden spoons and cookie sheets (personally, I was yelling "Me Want Cooookies!!!", 'cause y'know, I like to freestyle it a bit and give things my own flair). The BROOD dudes totally blew the roof off of the famed Continental Club on South Congress, it was a bitchin' fireball of awesome.
-- Legendary comedian Bill Murray was spotted at Shout Out Out Out Out's rammed-to-capacity show at Beauty Bar, and was kind enough to sign Shoutset drummer Gravy's snare drum. Apparently Woody Harrelson also attended the show, which has recently (ie. yesterday) led me to the realization that I somehow think it would be hee-larious to go back in time and suggest that Harrelson's character on Cheers be named Harry instead of Woody. I don't know why exactly, but this idea delights me greatly, to the point that I think it would maybe be my number one time traveling priority. Shout Out Out Out Out was hotly tipped at SXSW this year, and even had Rolling Stone mag tweeting about the excitement of their show at Creekside Lounge for the Shout It Out Loud Music day party.
-- The Toronto Star's music writer, Ben Rayner, named Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland's show at Caswell House as a highlight in the SXSW edition of his Reasons to Live article. Frankly, we agree... they killed it!
-- After SXSW, Luke and Melissa stuck around Texas and played The Mucky Duck (kind of like a Hugh's Room of Houston) on March 23 to a packed house. Apparently Mucky Duck means black swan in Texas speak, which is cool with us because it is funny and it rhymes. Approved. Our Emily Smart stuck around Texas for another solid week, making friends and influencing people in preparation for our Texan Invasion.
-- On a personal note, I very much enjoyed the Soy Chorizo Empanadas from the Mmmpanadas truck stand. Giant mountains of BBQ don't really fit into my personal dietary restrictions, but giant mountains of Soy Chorizo Empanadas certainly do.
There is much to talk about in Hawksley "H-Woww" Workman territory, with his new album, Meat, hitting the streets tomorrow. Meanwhile, we have been steady creepin' on ya with new tracks from the album, and there are now eight bitchin' new jams popping off at www.hawksleyworkman.com - you can stream the songs for free or purchase them right there at his website or through iTunes. Further to his quest for total internet dominance, Hawksley has been going to town on HAWK Radio, now with seven podcasts posted. I wonder if "podcast" is in the dictionary yet? Hmm... http://tinyurl.com/y9p2638 You can listen to Hawksley's glorious podcasts in the 'news' section of www.hawksleyworkman.com, or subscribe to them via iTunes. There is also a heelarious new video out now for Hawksley's stellar jam "We Dance To Yesterday"! Directed by Sean Turrell ("Jealous of Your Cigarette"), Hawksley is cast as a mullet-wearing sidekick in a Japanese game show that features absurdist obstacle courses, dancing deer and a keyboard made of cake.
The track, "We Dance To Yesterday", is available on iTunes and at www.hawksleyworkman.com. The single will be on the album Milk, which is scheduled for track-by-track digital release leading up to a full album release in Spring 2010. Tune in to CTV's Canada AM on January 20th to see Hawksley perform the song live. If you buy Meat at HMV.com and get "We Dance to Yesterday" as a bonus.
Hawksley's first full fledged show of the year will take place in Guelph for the always slammin' Hillside Inside festival on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at the Sleeman Centre in Downtown Guelph. Other artists include Ani DiFranco, the artist formerly known as Final Fantasy, Basia Bulat, Delhi 2 Dublin, the Rural Alberta Advantage, and more. Tickets are available in Guelph at Ground Floor Music (13 Quebec St.), Encore Records (54 Queen St. S.) in Kitchener, and Soundscapes (572 College) in Toronto. Hawksley will also be performing two concerts during the Olympics, one at Whistler Live on February 16 @ 5:40 PM (see www.whistler2010.com) and the other at Richmond Ozone (7191 Granville Ave Minoru Park) on February 17. Both shows are free admission with or without the donation of a bobsled.
The rest of the tour, featuring a full-fledged rock show experience, starts March 5. Due to a ticketing mishap, we have 20 tickets left in our Best Seats allotment for Calgary. Visit the store section of the website (click "store" and "purchase tickets") and snap them up if you want to be one of the 20 hyper elite.
Carrying the Olympic flame for indie rockers, ECMA darling Jenn "Jenny Tha G" Grant will bring her Olympic spirit on the coast-to-coast Cultural Olympiad Tour in partnership with the Vancouver Olympics. The cross-Canada tour will start on January 28 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, make it's way across the country regulating what toppings can appear on hot dogs in the presence of athletes, and end Feburary 15 in Vancouver, just in time for the feats of strength / celebrations to begin. Joining her on tour is Saskatchewan star Jason "Plum-Sauced" Plumb. She will also whistle through Whistler, where she plays February 16 with Hawksley Workman, as part of the whole Olympic thingy. It will undoubtedly be a gold medal performance (sorry, I tried to stop myself on that one).
With no time to spare, Jenn will return to her hometown for a February 19 performance with the entire Halifax Symphony Orchestra at Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. Jenn, along with the symphony and bandmate David Christensen, has been hard at work arranging this truly unique show for months. Jenn will perform songs from her chiefin' albums Orchestra for the Moon and Echoes, backed by more than 30 musicians, including a full string section, flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, bassoon and a timpani. Local friend and fan Rich Terfry (Buck 65) will join the evening as a special guest.
All of this comes on the anniversary of the release of Echoes, for which the East Coast Music Awards have nominated Jenn for three awards. Echoes has garnered nods for Female Solo Recording of the Year, Recording of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR) and Pop Recording of the Year. Jenn is up against labelmate Amelia "Queenie" Curran in the first two categories, and man is Queenie pissed! Well, probably not that pissed, but I imagine saying stuff like that is probably "good for ratings" (whatever that means). During the ECMAs, Jenn will officially perform at an official showcase on Thursday, March 4 at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavillion in Cape Breton. It's official, Tha G is busy!
Martin "T-Bone" Tielli finally delivers! Well, almost. We still have to send out artwork for the final disc, but the rest of Martin Tielli's subscription series has been printed, signed, sealed, and delivered... two days before Christmas. What started out as a project for Martin so that he could continue working in music without going through the rigors of touring ended up taking 6 years to complete. Oopsies! Far from the original intention of delivering home recordings of songs accompanied by simple artwork, albums 3 & 4 of this subscription series have evolved into a two-part series called The Ghost of Danny G. -- "Winter", and "Spring." We are forever indebted to Selina Martin, who took over as producer of the project a couple of years ago, and Chris Peters, who did the final layout of the artwork and so much more (you have no idea, and we're not gonna tell ya, because it would ruin the Chris Peters Mystique, but believe us, she did a lot of cool stuff). A commercial release of this work is on the books for sometime in the future (hopefully less than 6 years, yowza).
Luke "Facemelter" Doucet, Justin "Hunks" Rutledge, and Melissa "Punky" McClelland are all headed to Halifax at the end of this month to perform three separate shows at the burgeoning east coast festival aptly named In the Dead of Winter. I pretty much loathe winter, but I really like Facemelter, Hunks, and Punky, and seeing as that's three against one, my guess is that the sweetness of this show will pound the crappiness of winter right in the kisser.
And, y'know, come to think of it, actually that would be 5 Six Shooterers vs the worst season ever, since both Amelia Curran and Jenn Grant will be making appearances at the Wakefield version of In the Dead of Winter. Have you ever wondered what smelling salts smell like? I have. I bet they smell bad. I really like it in cartoons when somebody smells something really good when they are sleeping, and then in their sleep they start floating through the air all wavey-styles, led along by their sniffy nose. I bet smelling salts wouldn't do that.
2009 was a landmark year for East Coast folkstress Amelia Curran (aka, as noted earlier, Queenie). With the release of Hunter, Hunter, the much anticipated follow-up to War Brides, War Brides (minus one War Brides), Amelia Curran brought it back home and toured like a maniac, including national jaunts with Luke Doucet, Skydiggers, and on her own, as well as her first ever expedition to Europe. The Netherland blog Johnny's Garden named Hunter, Hunter the best album of 2009, even though it has yet to be released abroad (hey, is that cheating the official rules of top ten Olympics?)... and a radio station in Florida also named it the best album of 2009, and it's not released there, either (although we are not about to demand a recount). I would also like to exclaim that Exclaim Magazine's Wood, Wires & Whiskey included the album in their best of the year's worth of folk, roots and traditional recordings. Hunter, Hunter was a national folk, community and college radio success, with a Galaxie Top Spins of 2009 spot (#8) and a CKUA Top 20 (#6). Curran also claimed two spots on Fred's Records Top 5 sellers of 2009 (War Brides is still on it after 3 years, like whoa). Hunter, Hunter was the venerable St. John's retailer's top selling (#1) record last year. Bro, that is a total situation right there.
The album and artist have a total of 4 ECMA nominations, including Female Solo Recording of the Year, FACTOR Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year. Holy geez! Curran also received a nomination for the fledgling Atlantis Prize (Newfoundland's answer to the Polaris, hopefully it doesn't sink, har har) and two Scopies (courtesy of St. John's weekly The Scope) for Best Musician and Best Music to Listen to Quietly. Queenie is killin' it!
Catch Curran on tour in Eastern Canada, or in Vancouver during the Olympics at the Atlantic House Canada. Dates and details below.
The band that brought the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre to life has found a way back to Utah through their debut soundtrack effort for a film that is now headed to the Sundance Film Festival! Yayee, let us dance in the sun! "Grown Up Movie Star", set in Newfoundland, is the debut project by Adriana Maggs. The director initially approached the Brood about using previously released material, but the project was so inherently radical that it grew to also include original demos and instrumentals, as well as background music and sound effects that the band recorded over the summer while on one of many cross-continent tours ("bro, we should totally mic that bro, it sounds sooooo sick bro" etc). "Grown Up Movie Star" debuts at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 21-31, 2010.
Royal "Chips" Wood heats up winter (in yo face once again old man winter!) with a trip overseas to Europe and the UK. He'll charm the Irish first when he plays Dublin and Slane, followed by a stop off in the UK. Later he'll travel to gay Paris for what will surely have a certain je-ne sais quoi to the trip. He's also been hard at work in Canada's French playground of Montreal on his new album with producer Pierre Marchand. Brace yourself, it's going to be a goodie.
After a busy year in 2009 as the writer in residence, Christine "Highball" Fellows is breaking the winter blahs (I see a trend here, that trend being that Winter sucks, and every other season rules) with another triumphant project called, Arc: Six Musicians Map the Current, this one led by bandmate Leanne Zacharias. The show will feature John K Samson (Weakerthans), along with contemporary composer Robert Honstein, violinist Cristina Zacharias (Tafelmusik), symphony percussionist Ed Reifel, and Leanne Zacharias herself. This will be a musical mash up of sorts, featuring composers and symphony people and contemporary songwriters, all performing together on one stage. The ensemble will be performing several times in Manitoba. See tourdates section.
Bidiniband will don the winter parkas and de-ice the locks on the ol' tour van to make a quick jaunt through Ontario. You can catch Dave "beanie" Bidini - maybe sporting a toque in favour of his fedora - in Peterborough with the awesome Burning Hell and in Toronto at the already legendary Dakota Tavern. See tourdates section for details.
Our pals Facemelter and Punky are tired of pounding sourpuss shooters at the nightclub, so they are slowing their roll a bit and taking their show to new levels of chillaxation. First off, Luke and Melissa sit back, don some snuggies and sip a couple lattes while they tape some tunes for the Vinyl Cafe, February 9 at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto. After pre-gaming with Stuart Mclean, they hit the open ocean, on the dream cruise vacation-festival extravaganza known as Cayamo! The Cayamo Cruise leaves Miami on February 21, and cruises to beautiful Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico aboard the Norwegian Dawn. Cruising cruisers will be will be lucky enough to spend their days enjoying performances around the clock from not only Luke and Melissa, but also a bunch of other amazing artists, like gee, I dunno, how about Lyle Lovett, Emmy Lou Harris, John Hiatt, Steve Earl, Brandi Carlile, Robert Earl Keen, and more than a dozen other singer songwriter favorites! Whaaa?! Add that to 5 days of good eatin', swimming pools, spa chillin' and hot tubbin', and it all starts to sound like a significantly decent time.
The inherent radical awesomeness of this whole thing has resulted in there now being less than 60 cabins left for Cayamo 2010, so if you are interested in taking the best vacation everrrr, than we suggest you head over to www.cayamo.com post-haste to reserve your spot!
Supremo singer songwriter/activist Andrew Cash is the federal NDP candidate for the Toronto riding of Davenport. On January 22 (that's this Friday), he is throwing a big ol' fundraiser jamboree for his campaign at the Lula Lounge in Toronto. The night features music by our very own Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge, and The Beauties, as well as a plethora of other fantastic artists such as Skydiggers, Jason Collett , Oh Susanna, Shade, Bob Wiseman and Alejandra Ribera. Come out and see some amazing performances, and help the good guys to win!
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland join Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond, Bob Lanios, Brian Melo, Attack in Black, and others to raise money in support of disaster relief in Haiti. The funds will be distributed via the Canadian Friends of Albert Schweitzer Hospital (which operates out in the mountain region north of the Haitian Capital), OMS Canada, which operates a mission in Cape Haitian and the International Child Care, which operates a hospital in Port-Au-Prince. (The only one left standing I am told). The show is at Hamilton Place - Great Hall, on Sunday, January 31. Tickets will be on sale shortly through Ticketmaster.
Hawksley co-wrote and performed the theme song to the new show "18 to Life", airing on CBC. The series also features a Luke Doucet song,"Keep Her Away from Me" on an upcoming episode. I've always wished that I knew the lyrics to Skid Row's '18 And Life', but for some reason I've never bothered to get past the "18 And Life... somethin' somethin'" stage. I plan to take this as a fresh start and learn every lyric to H-Wowws new TV theme jam.
Oh, and guess what? Shout Out Out Out Out had two songs on the MTV hit reality series Jersey Shore (of which I am quite obviously a fan). Episode 7 has the Jersey Shore gang taking a little trip to Atlantic city where they proceed to argue with each other, drink a lot, and barf a little! The Atlantic City club scene features SO4's 'Procrastinator's fight song' (Snookie wipes out while dancing on top of a sofa while this song is playing, it's golden), and 'Inspiration/Competition', both of their JUNO nominated debut album, 'Not Saying/Just Saying'.
For years in Leslieville in Toronto's east end, Six Shooter Records has held many memorable BackLot BBQs and maintained a retail store that has strived to showcase the best in Canadian independent releases. As of October 20, 2009, we're sad to say that Six Shooter Arts * Records * Gifts will be closing in order for the office to relocate downtown. We need more space to accommodate the growing label and management company, so we will be moving on and moving up, up, up over the bustling corner of Queen St. and Spadina Ave. We've joined a neighbourhood that has long been a hotbed of the best country, roots and blues with the venerable Horseshoe Tavern at the heart of it all.
"I'm thrilled that we have been able to build Six Shooter into the burgeoning company that it has become, though I'm sad to close our little
gem of a store," comments Six Shooter President, Shauna de Cartier. "We're already on the lookout of where to host our NXNE Back Lot BBQ next year. Meanwhile, we are very excited to move into an office big enough to accommodate our growing staff and roster."
Six Shooter Records has worked to build a community of artists and industry that does tradition proud, and with this move, the business side comes closer to Queen St. West's long musical history, where the ghosts of venues and shows past are still in the air and in the songs of our artists today. Our friends at Criminal Records will now be the go-to record store for Six Shooter swag, and you can always buy our fantastic releases, coveted t-shirts and show tickets here on our website.
Hot dog, we have a wiener! Yep. Jenny G. is awesome. She just won Best Female Artist Recording for Echoes last week at the Nova Scotia Music Awards. And she is up for another award with CBC Radio 3, too! Jenn is up for a coveted Bucky Award for Best Video for "You'll Go Far" (which if you haven't seen yet, you can see here. Saying that we love this beautiful video shot on the ice flows of northern Newfoundland would just be tip of the iceberg. Oh and wait, she's also up for the other "visual" Bucky award for best off-stage performance Π "Jenn Grant's Awkward Interviews." Highly recommended if you haven't seen this girl in action! radio3.cbc.ca. You can vote on the Radio 3 website. Polls close on November 29th at midnight: vote. You can catch the newly golden girl as Jenn goes for Gould November 26 at the Glenn Gould Theatre in Toronto. See the tour dates section for the goods on that show and other shows (go figure).
Melissa McClelland and Justin Rutledge have been slaying audiences (figuratively, of course) across the country, and now Toronto is finally going to get some of that face smashing action (again, figuratively) this Saturday night at the Trinity St. Paul Centre. Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm, seating is general admission, so be prepared to stampede at 7! Tickets are available this website - they are $25 each or a bundle of four tickets for $60 (so bring 3 friends!). Ticket sales have been hella brisk...so bundle up and order yours today.
Even the vegetarians loved their first taste of manlicious MEAT on Thursday, when CBC Q featured the World Premiere of the epic first song, "We'll Make Time (Even When There Ain't No Time)" released from Hawksley Workman's new album. The vegetarians were of course smart enough to know that they were simply tasting audio meat with their ear buds, which is totally within the dietary bounds of that wonderful lifestyle. Kind of like if stuffing Tofurkey in your ears sounded like a bitchin' Hawklsey jam. The track was written and recorded in a garage in Malibu, CA with Clif Norrell, famed producer/engineer who has also worked with Jeff Buckley, Weezer, No Doubt and REM, among others. Recording in a garage is especially beneficial, in that if you want to do a toolbox solo, you totally can dude!!!! Wanna drill some holes in the console to give your mix more "air"? The drill is right there on the bench dude!!! Wanna do a lil' tire rotation of the casters on your bass cabinet? I'm sure we have a jack around here somewhere dude!!!!
The aforementioned bitchin' jam, "We'll Make Time (Even When There Ain't No Time)", was released on iTunes on Tuesday. In fact, it's going to be like Christmas (or at least manlishmas... uh...) every Tuesday for the next little while, as we release individual tracks from two new Hawksley Workman studio albums, entitled "Meat" and "Milk." Street date for Meat is January 19, 2010, but for Milk, well, weΥre going to milk it! We'll be skimming the tunes, releasing tracks throughout the next couple of months until you have a homogenized album. Hmmm, I'm not sure that Milk jokes are my strong suit. I need to whip my self into shape until I can come up with the cream of the milk joke crop, or you will be steamed. Amiright?!
The second song to be released is called "The Ground that we Stand on," and will hit the ground, er... iTunes and www.hawksleyworkman.com on December 1. Hawksley will debut the song at CBC's Sounds of the Season fundraising event on December 4. The event supports the Daily Bread Food Bank. Stay tuned for details on more 'evvy chunes.
Tickets are now on sale for Hawksley Workman's Canadian national tour. For where to purchase tickets please go to www.hawksleyworkman.com. He will also be performing at Hillside Inside on February 6, 2009.
Newfoundland's triumphant road warrior, Amelia Curran, has been burning up the miles (or kilometers, as we call them up here in the Canada) since the release of her beautiful album, "Hunter, Hunter," on September 1. After a national headlining tour of Canada, a tour of the UK and Holland (which are pretty much the same thing, except for one has Yorkshire puddings, and the other has poffertjes, and desserts with hilarious names like dikke koek), and a string of dates supporting the awesome Skydiggers (the last of which are in Edmonton and Calgary this weekend), she is headed back home to present a concert at the Cochrane Street United Church on December 10. Our pal Melissa McClelland opens, how awesome!
After a thrilling Alberta-filled tour (no really, we mean it! It was thrilling!), Dave Bidini hits up the opposite end of the country for some Halifax fun. Although I have a very hard time believing the story that Halifax invented donairs, I have no doubt whatsoever that Dave/Bidiniband will rock the Carleton Theatre December 6 & 7. He'll be reading from his books and singing from his latest greatest album, The Land is Wild. Rumoured guests for the evening are Al Tuck, Mike O'Neill, and Ruth Minnikin. "Alright! Who wants to take a book reading solo after the second chorus? Anyone? Anyone? Ok cool, I'll do it!"
You've been to Hollywood...you've seen Royal Wood... he's crossed the ocean for a heart of gold...well, he crossed the border at least (but that doesn't fit in as well with our clever Neil Young reference). Royal put on some spectacular shows last week in LA in between the Canadian coasts. After a full-blown east coast tour with Rose Cousins, Royal set off for California to play the Canadian Consulate, Hotel Cafe, Disney and Sony Pictures, where he got to go back to old-Hollywood roots on the lot! Remember that big chase scene in Pee-Wee's big adventure where he is cruising all over a Hollywood lot and drives a santa sled across the set of a Twisted Sister video shoot? It was totally like that (well, probably totally, I wasn't actually there)! I love that scene! Even with jet lag up the wazoo, Royal ripped Hollywood a new one and stole their hearts! Now on the road for the western part of his Canadian tour with Rose Cousins, Royal has been packing houses non-stop. He's on a roll! Watch out! I mean, watch below in case you can still catch him in a city near you. BOOYAH!
We win so many prizes. Well, at least we get nominated for a lot of prizes. It's looking like we might need a new trophy case. Actually, I think what we really need is some gold office furniture that reflects our stature as award winning superstars (or at least gold plated furniture... or gold spray painted furniture... or somewhat yellowish furniture). In addition to The Beauties winning NOW Magazine's Best of Toronto Award for Best Roots Band, and in addition to Jenn Grant's accolades mentioned above, we have some other major zingers that you might want to know about. Jenn's producer, Jonathan Goldsmith, was nominated by the Canadian Folk Music Awards for Producer of the Year. The CFMA also nominated Wendy McNeill for the Pushing the Boundaries Award and Melissa McClelland for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year. The Hamilton Music Award nominations have come in also...Melissa McClelland is up for so many of them, she even agreed to perform at the ceremony (Hamiltonians can mark December 6 on their calendars). Luke Doucet is up for one as well. Did you know that the Hamilton Music Awards has a category for "Emo/Screamo Recording of the Year"? Not that we're nominated for that one, but I like their moxie in how they've created an award just to give to Alexisonfire. I'm thinking that Melissa should put out a Screamo record next year, so that she can totally dominate. Oh, and NQ Arbuckle was up for some Bucky Awards, namely, "Saskatoon Tonight!" for Best Canadian Song and Best Lyrics ("Officer Down), but didn't make the shortlist. Whaaa??? But Elliott BROOD did make the shortlist for Best Live Act. So go and vote for the BROOD and for Jenn! We love the Bucky awards, they are buck wild!
The Beauties are embodying the true Christmas spirit this December as they rock out for several seasonal shows. They will be traveling to all of their upcoming shows in a one horse open sleigh (or a van, or a few compact cars, or whatever), and drinking many jugs of egg nog on stage. Y'know, the whole concept of egg nog kinda grosses me out, probably because it has the word "egg" in it, and well, I also kinda think milk is gross (except for Hawksley's album Milk, woo!). I'll just go for the spiked egg nog, hold the egg nog. Hard at work in the studio making their debut full length album, The Beauties are also polishing their choirboy voices for a War Child benefit with Serena Ryder on December 7 at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto. Also on the list of nice people theyΥre going to share their musical gifts with is Andy Kim (ooooh, Sugar Sugar), during his two-night Christmas-a-thon at the Mod Club in Toronto. If you aren't there, we are sending you a lump of coal and telling Santa that you don't care about helping War Children.
The Beauties aren't the only ones on the War Child Benefit path this month. Also giving it up for charity is Luke "let's hear it for charitaaaaay" Doucet, whose show is also at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto on December 14 (early show). Emm Gryner opens the show, and opens her heart, awwwww. Tickets are $25 and will be up for sale at www.maplemusic.com.
In addition to the War Child Benefit that Luke Doucet is doing, and Sounds for the Season that Hawksley Workman is doing, there are a few more we want to tell you about. Man, I've totally been in denial about this whole winter thing, but itΥs getting hard to ignore that Christmas cometh. It seems that Justin Rutledge is doing a bunch of holiday jamborees too...he'll be singing with Emm Gryner at the aforementioned War Child benefit on Dec 14; he's also performing a song with Oh Susanna at Hugh's Room on Dec 17; apparently there is something happening with the Foggy Hogtown Boys, but no one seems to know when, and then there is Mia Sheard's Xmas Benefit Concert at the Rivoli on December 18/19. Proceeds go to the Daily Food Bank and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Justin appears only on December 18, as does Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, Dave Bidini, and Hawksley Workman. Deck the halls with boughs of awesome! Doors at 8 pm, show starts at 9pm, and tickets are $18.
We still miss our retail outlet on Queen, but we are trying to get over it by trying to embrace the future (aka the internutz). Why shop in person when you can do it all on-line? We are now carrying Hawksey Workman items and Shout Out Out Out Out t-shirts and vinyl in our store, in order to receive items before Christmas please order by December 6 (international) and December 16 (domestic). We are doing some package deals such as.....
2 CDs and a t-shirt $40
Shout Out Out Out Out triple LP vinyl and + Shout Out Out Out Out t-shirt $40
10 CDs for $100 (go big!)
We are going to have a bunch more holiday specials up on our webstore, so come cyber-visit us. There are also some beautiful Martin Tielli Christmas cards available.
If you're looking for the perfect way to escape the cruel Canadian winter, there are still packages available on the Cayamo Cruise, Feb 21-26. Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland join Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, John Hiatt, and Lyle Lovett on the best Caribbean cruise imaginable, starting in Miami, and hitting Belize and Mexico on the way! What?! That is insano! Someone remind Luke to put on some sunscreen, he burns easily! Check here for details: www.cayamo.com.
Shout Out Out Out Out's "They Tear Down Houses Don't They" was featured in MTV's Styl'd on Sunday night, which I guess makes sense since that song does make reference to the similarity between distressed denim and condominiums, both of which undoubtedly make appearances on that show. And Jenn Grant's "Heartbreaker" was featured in Mercy on NBC on October 21, which makes sense because a "medical drama" about nursing undoubtedly will have a few heartbreak-y moments. Footage from our killer Ottawa show is now up on Youtube, featuring fantastic performances from everyone, and a hilarious (and profane) job of emceeing the night by NQ Arbuckle. Man, Six Shooter has both kinds of tube ("boob" and "you") on lock! Check out www.youtube.com/sixshooterrecords to see all the great stuff we've got going on.
Luke Doucet and his purdy White Falcon Gretsch are on the road with Willy Porter throughout November in the USA. Check out youtube for some amazing (and very educational) guitar lessons. Even the Huffington Post is catching wind (get that one? It's a joke about the huffy-puffy movement of air, duuuude). Check this for some embedded video action (you have to scroll down a bit, but just watch for the little video box that has Luke's flip-a-doodle haircut and a shiny guitar in it). www.huffingtonpost.com. Or better yet, check them all out pon da youtubes: www.youtube.com.
I'm not much of a git-fiddle player, so a lot of that stuff Luke is saying just flies over my head, but y'know, I bet when the Huffington Post embeds my virtuosic newsletter-writing video, it'll fly over his head too! So there! Take that, Mr. Expert-In-His-Field-Doucet!
Everyone at Six Shooter seems to be making like geese (or whatever) and heading west (even the office! See below). Justin Rutledge and Melissa McClelland bring the croon and the swoon across the west on a killer double bill that hits Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg before bringing it back to Ontario later this month. Justin heads out on the road after a three-week stint rehearsing with noted author Michael Ondaatje, theatre director extraordinaire Daniel Brooks, and a group of very fine actors to workshop the eventual stage production based on their collaboration, entitled "When my name was Anna." And guess what, we just heard that Melissa was nominated for some Hamilton Music Awards (Female Artist, Female Vocalist, and Adult Alternative Album), how fun is that? Anyway, this is an awesome double bill you are not going to want to miss.
To all those Albertans reading this...just a little note to say that the masterful guitar player, gifted storyteller, lyricist and celebrated author, Dave Bidini will be out your way at the end of the month. No big deal or anything. Just that Dave started the best band ever - a little band called The Rheostatics! He also launched a lauded solo disc this June with his aptly named Bidiniband (in my head, I like to say Bidini-inininiband, and I won't be offended if you do that too. It's cool, mi intellectual property es su intellectual property, know what I'm sayin'?), called "The Land is Wild", founded the Hoser March, wrote his billionth bitchin' book, saved the Great Lakes, got involved with The Homeless Soccer League, sent his managers flowers (this does not mean that he is a brown noser, but rather a sweet gent), and took his kids trick-or-treating (and checked the apples for razor blades... do creeps still do that, or is Halloween strictly now on some kind of Twilight/Digimon tip these days?). Yeah, he's pretty much the greatest everrrr, but "this is how we like to rock", quoth the Bidini. Bidiniband will be in Edmonton, Calgary and Banff to kick your prairie dwelling asses (or Rocky Mountain dwelling asses, in the case of the Banff-ers) into high gear! It seems like only yesterday that I noticed that Banff now was "street view" available on google maps... oh wait, yeah, that was yesterday. See the details and dates in our tour date section belowski.
Royal Wood is also showing us a thing or two about how to pack a suitcase this month. Make sure you bring enough socks so that you don't have to do laundry until after the tour (it's cool if everything else stinks, but not the socks), and if you have the foresight and patience to roll up all your shirts into lil' jelly-rolls, then you can totally fit more of them into that wheelie bag. Royal started the tour that never ends last week (it's the tour equivalent of the 'it's a small world after all' Disneyland "ride") when he set off for Canada's loverly East Coast to tour with the delightfully aromatic Rose Cousins. We heard that the cheers at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax on Sunday were so loud that they could only be surpassed by the swooning at The Company House on Halloween night when Royal donned his Mad Men costume (he went as an ashtray) and rocked the keys for a benefit show for awesomeness. Handsome and generous and talented, that's what we call a triple whammy (on account of there being three worthwhile whammies involved)! Ahem, anyway, the tour is going smashingly smashing (as Helen likes to say as she sips a crisp pint of bittah). Just as soon as Royal gets used to Atlantic Time, he'll switch up for Pacific when he jets off to LA to play 5 shows in 3 days, while still finding time to slash some waves at Malibu beach. Hang ten brah! Best place to catch him is at The Hotel Cafe on Wednesday, November 11 at 7 pm. Then while you're napping or baking pies, in the shape of your post-show aura, by the dwindling light, Royal will be flying out to Vancouver on November 17 for the start of his Western tour. And because Rose was such a lovely hostess on the Eastern seaboard, Royal will host her during the 10 day haul. Check out tour dates below for all the truly glamorous details, such as the opulent cities, dates and venues.
Amelia Curran is opening for a band we heart big time (like, biiiiig tiiiiime), The Skydiggers, all over the place. Not just Wakefield (this weekend) and Kingston, but Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, too. Would you be remotely surprised if I said that you can see below for details? I didnΥt think so, and that's one of the top 5 reasons why I love you (for the other 4 reasons, send cash). If youΥre anywhere west of EST, check the dates, because the chances are that there will be a Six Shooter in your town soon, and they could probably use a drink.
Only Hawksley could pull off a debut 10 albums deep into his career (which, of course, is already a crazy accomplishment). For Him and the Girls, Hawksley's yodelly, spidery, world war-y, kind of pervy, grand spectacular spectacle of a first release is finally out in the USA. Just in time, too, because those new Volvo owners who went out and bought their fancy new cars after hearing "Safe and Sound" on the teevee need something to put in their stereos other than the Crazy Frog version of Axel F (which is undeniably sweeeet, but doesn't have the same impact without the cutting edge animation). For Him and the Girls was just too good to keep as our own national secret, so Americans can buy it for themselves on November 17, and proceed to bug out and "do the Hawksley".
S04 tours are so much fun, what will all the roadside stops and multi-day long drives, that they thought they'd bring a total stranger on board the big blue van. Well, ok, they didn't make him endure the pain of sitting for hours on end amongst 7 smelly and road worn dudes in the back of a van with no heat, but SPIN Magazine did indeed send one eager fan on the road as the official correspondent of the recently-wrapped Shout Out tour. You can read all about life as a temporary Shoutsetter here: www.spin.com
OH, and if you haven't seen the newest tour diaries on GravyTV, watch them here: www.youtube.com
Jam packed adventures that alternate between the tedium of driving across the nation, the decidedly bizarre, and the totally hilarious, with plenty of "Ziggies" and cutting edge video editing thrown in for good measure! Gravy's tour videos provide a pretty clear picture of what a day in the life of Shout Out Out Out Out entails!
We mooooved!!! Six Shooter Records' glorious new headquarters is up and running. It's so big! It's so downtown! We have chandeliers! Not that we want to brag...but it's pretty spectacular! Yes, there are still boxes everywhere, but we're in! We're still working on sampling all the local lunch options (we're gonna make a heavy food-based dubstep album, it'll blow your miiinds). Send us your suggestions for best sandwich place in the neighbourhood. We'll try them all. At once. As a giant ass dagwood. We'll even lace it with tater chips. Bring it on.
We're learning how to use the interweb! So far we have both Hamster Dance and Friendster FULLY DIALED. We wanna step up our cyber game, so send us your favourite playlists and we'll heart them on the official home of Six Shooter Records on CBC Radio 3's fancy new site (or "web blammo" as the kids undoubtedly call 'em these days). Listen to our first ever playlist of Six Shooter's November touring artists and send us your playlists too (you better put some rap in there... and some grindcore). We can do a sharesies, and it'll make us better friendsies: http://r3.ca/01AN
Breaking news: Elliott BROOD crack the Americana chart in the US! Booyah!!! Mountain Meadows made its Americana debut at #38, completely putting #39 to shame. The band has been touring the pinstripes off their suits all over the south, and their hard work is paying off (and not just in the form of a new "suit look"). The band sauntered into Austin TV while in Texas - check out their live performance here: www.youtube.com. The BROOD is also racking up an impressive press kit (because, y'know, us industry types just love press kits and always look at them to determine the merit of an artist), with killer reviews in the Onion, MOJO and Utne. More dates stateside happen later this month with Heavy Trash.
When she wrote "You'll Go Far", Jenn Grant never imagined that it would actually apply to herself in the making of a new video. Icebergs make for surprisingly elusive prey, but Jenn and director Drew Lightfoot turned a successful expedition to the far reaches of Newfoundland into a stunning new video. Watch it here: http://www.jennscoolnewvideo.com/youllgofar/icebergprey just kidding, the real web blammo is here: www.youtube.com Oh, and by the way, we hear a rumour that Six Shooter hero Bruce Cockburn is going to make a cameo appearance at Jenn's Kingston show this month. Cool! Plus, don't miss Jenn's headline concert in Toronto at the Glenn Gould Theatre. Hott!
You may already have seen the new video from Shout Out Out Out Out with homie Cadence Weapon on MuchMusic's "The Wedge". No? It's also in rotation on AuxTV (who we love by the way! Music videos? For real? You play those?)! If you haven't seen it yet, watch the Shoutset boys set things (and themselves) on fire here: www.youtube.com.
This summer, Justin Rutledge dipped the oars in the waters north of Toronto (that's what she said) to make a new video for the sombre track "The Wire". While cabin + lake + summer usually = fun, this video puts a new spin on a slow spin out of control. So yeah, it's like a new-spin-slow-spin type of vibe, kind of like when you drink waaaay too many crantinis and then ride one of those merry-go-round things in a playground, and the mere thought of sand makes you want to barf for years afterwards... except for it's a video in a lake with oar dipping and such. Director Exan Auyoung shot a beautiful video AND taught Justin how to row ("first lesson Justin, stop calling it PADDLING!!!"). Sadly, the link didnΥt come in soon enough for us to include here, but check our website, twitter, and so on... we'll post it as soon as we have it.
Isn't it satisfying to have something you know to be true in print so that everyone else can read it? I was hella stoked when I finally saw a tabloid report that Demi has saggy knees, I feel like I've been saying that for years, and no one listened! I am now legitimate! Similarly, NOW Magazine recently announced The Beauties as the Best Roots Band in Toronto. The critics have spoken! And this all before they even have an album out. The Beauties head into the studio this month with producer Martin Kinack (Sarah Harmer, Apostle of Hustle, Amy Millan, etc), upon which we have high expectations that they will be reported as being the Best Roots Band in Toronto Who Also Have an Album and Remarkably Taut Knees.
NQ Arbuckle and Carolyn Mark have consummated their long-standing love affair with each other by recording a CD together, entitled Let's Just Stay Here, out now on Mint Records. We think it's weird to lend NQ out to our friends on the west coast...it's sorta like wife swapping, maybe, except at least we didn't have to sleep with any strange men, thank goodness. But the record is out in any case, and it's totally great, of course. We were pleased to see that the CBC Bucky Awards thought so, too, nominating NQ's song Saskatoon Tonight for Best Canadian Song and his ballad, Officer Down for Best Lyrics. NQ & Carolyn were supposed to do more touring in November, but it looks like those dates have gone by the wayside and will be picked up in January. Stay tuned!
The Six Shooter showcase, "Night of the Shooting Stars" crowed wowds in Ottawa on October 16! No wait, other way around... I meant wowed crowds (I've never been good at tongue twisters). It was an amazing night of music. NQ Arbuckle was in fine form as an emcee (more profane than Chris Rock) and we were all thrilled to see the artists up on stage all at once (although, really, was a human pyramid too much to ask?). How could we pick just one highlight when artists like Royal Wood, Bidiniband, Amelia Curran, Justin Rutledge, Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, NQ Arbuckle and The Beauties are in the same line-up? We can't. The whole thing was decidedly highlightatious! Thanks everyone!
Check out some pictures from the event courtesy of the fine people at WGTS: www.wgtsmagazine.com
Amelia Curran's killer new release, "Hunter, Hunter", was launched on September 1 and we want you to hear one of our favourite tracks right away! Here's a link to "The Mistress": listen
Amelia kicked off her national tour in her home town of St. John's, NL. Several Six Shooter staffers made the flight for the show at a packed out Holy Heart of Mary (we later learned that the saucy locals - well, in particular, Amelia's sister, Jennifer - they like to call it the Hearty Hole of Mary) Auditorium for a beautiful show. Amelia was triumphant. And what a band! We love St. John's. We love almost posing for photos while riding cannons, but then chickening out because there is a big cliff thing, and that's scary. We love Cape Spear, we love the journalist who taught us to say Newfoundland (if you wanna blend in with the locals, don't get it twisted, you need to stress the same syllables as you would for the word, 'understand'), and most of all, WE LOVE FRED'S RECORDS & TAPES. We got to meet Fred's brother, Jim, and also the lurvely and passionate Tony Ploughman. He is such a booster of Amelia, he had her album placed in about 8 high profile places, including her own floor-standing rack. We loved it so much, we're gonna do a photo montage.
Amelia is now merrily touring away, and just played a bunch of shows in the east with labelmate Melissa McClelland. Next, Amelia heads to Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and more. Check tour dates for more info.
Amelia and Melissa aren't the only Six Shooter types to hit the east coast of Canada this month. Hawksley Workman and Mr. Lonely are making the beautiful drive up to the Maritimes for some slammin' shows with special guest Jenn Grant. Tickets available through the Six Shooter website.
Oh, and guess what? Our east coast love fest doesn't stop there! Jenn Grant is on the east coaster collabo tip, having just recorded a song with the amazing Buck 65, and while we haven't even heard it yet, we are pretty comfortable stating preemptively that it's a-maziiiing! We love Buck 65. We also love Joel Plaskett, and Jenn just slammed down some hot trax with him too! Love love love.
As they did in Ottawa on Canada Day and at the Edmonton Folk Festival, Luke and Melissa played with Sarah McLachlan at her sold-out fundraiser for the Sarah McLachlan Foundation at Ambleside Park last weekend. The good folks at Nettwerk invited Luke and Melissa to perform a mainstage set right before headliners Sheryl Crow and official ultimate Six Shooter hero (we claimed it first, dibsies, go find your own ultimate hero), Neil Young. Holy shit! The Neilor!!! Somebody give the man a foundation already! Even Kanye West has a foundation, and he's an awards show interrupting weirdo! Anyway, Luke and Melissa killed it, as always. And, the got to meet the Man!
Speaking of Neil Young, Shout Out Out Out Out have been channeling Neil's forgotten electronic crossover album 'Trans' across Canada all summer (one might even say trans-Canada... ha ha?). See what I did there? That was some top shelf segue action, in yo face! The Shoutset hit up Festival D'ete in Quebec City, Ottawa Bluesfest, Evolve Festival in Antogonish, NS, and the Virgin Festival in Calgary. Shout Out Out Out Out will be releasing their debut music video, for their track 'Coming Home', which features guest vocalist Cadence Weapon, very very soon. The six piece electronic monster of a band heads back on the road for a slew of tour dates in October, including their annual stop at the CMJ music marathon in NYC.
We are very pleased to announce a co-headline tour with Melissa McClelland and Justin Rutledge. This Six Shooter dream team will play theatres and churches (AMEN) in western Canada, and then bring the show home with a beautiful night at the Trinity St. Paul Centre in Toronto. I think it would be awesome if we made a tour poster that looks like those old boxing posters, depicting Justin and Melissa glaring at each other with their dukes up. Hey, maybe they could actually box at the shows! Or maybe they could "ultimate fight" or whatever it is that those dudes in the Ed Hardy outfits are into. Yeah, I think that would probably suit the vibe we are going for the best. Bar fight chic is going to be the next big trend once this whole "drop crotch pants" thing dies out. Tickets for the Six Shooter Grudge Match Tour* are on sale at the Six Shooter website... tickets are $25 each or four for $60! We stole this great idea to inspire people to make a party of their night out from the Lefsetz Letter, which we read religiously.
*not actually called the Six Shooter Grudge Match Tour, it's probably just called the Justlin Rutledge and Melissa McClelland tour, or something boring like that.
Our dude Royal has been practicing up his chops for his upcoming shows, getting ready to unleash a virtual onslaught of facemelters which he shall gloriously unveil at two shows with Emm Gryner in Hamilton and Ottawa, respectively (and respectfully). And that's just the beginning. In October/November, he and the lovely Rose Cousins will tour the east and the west, with Royal making a pitstop in Los Angeles in between. You can also catch Royal in Guelph and Bayfield before he heads back to Quebec, where he's been steadily working on a new album. The new songs are true beauties! You know when you are on a ferry ride and you think to yourself, "Self, it would be sweet if I saw a whale on this trip", and then a giant Orca jumps out of the water? That's how good Royal's new songs are, for real.
We are so in love with America these days that we have decided to wear nothing but Star Spangled jammer pants for the rest of the week. We also plan to release as many Six Shooter albums in Amurrrica as we possibly can. in 2009, we started with the dazzling Melissa McClelland's fine release called Victoria Day, and we're following up with the Polaris short-listed album, Mountain Meadows by Elliott BROOD, the beautiful "Echoes" by the beautiful Jenn Grant (whoa, double beautiful!), the perfect "X O K" by our beloved, and of course perfect, NQ Arbuckle, and all-around gem Amelia Curran's Six Shooter debut and all-around gem of an album, "War Brides." Radio stations, blogs, newspapers, magazines, and best of all, golden-eared fans are discovering Six Shooter at every turn. This will be wrapped up in our exquisitely witty new campaign called "This is Canadiana, the wild North of roots music", where we will be running a contest to "win a trip to Canada." What?! That's awesome! We live in Canada, you can totally party with us, and we'll high five while eating poutine and drinking buckets of maple syrup! You can enter to win even if you're not American (but if you are Canadian, you'll just win a trip to wherever you are standing) by going here: www.youfellasleepwatchingadvd.com, and then when you get sick of that (which will likely be pretty fast), going here: www.sixshooterrecords.com/Canadiana
Meanwhile, check the tour dates section for all the awesome USA dates coming up.
Joining in the American Fun (wheee!) is Hawksley Workman, who will release "For Him and the Girls" in the USA this fall. What better way to introduce Hawksley to a new market than by the release of his very first album, which contains a number of his live hits, such as "Tarantulove", "Don't be Crushed", "Paper Shoes", and "Safe and Sound." To celebrate, Hawksley will embark on a short USA tour of key cities in October, which includes New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, and San Francisco, but not that place in Arkansas where the police shot the fire chief over a parking ticket. I mean, Hawksley could probably take 'em, but why stir up trouble?
We are thrilled to be returning to the Americana Music conference in Nashville to talk about all of our great USA releases. We are going to set up a log cabin and have our own Canadiana Music conference! It'll be our own little mini municipality of Crashville, population: Six Shooter... Booyah! To help us celebrate, Amelia Curran and Elliott BROOD will be joining us, each with their own showcase on Friday, Sept 18 at midnight (Amelia at 3rd and Lindsley and Elliott BROOD at the Basement). Unfortunate timing... how are you going to choose which show to see? Someone needs to invent PVR for life!
Outlaws & Gunslingers is also tuning up for a second annual artist showcase/luncheon at The Second Fiddle. This year, get set for another top notch mix of artists from both Six Shooter Records and Starfish Entertainment camps, including Oh Susanna, Luke Doucet and Amelia Curran and Kendel Carson. The songwriters will perform in the round, backed, as always, by a standout rhythm section. The Luncheon takes place on Friday, September 18 at noon. Whenever I hear the word Luncheon, I always think of that luncheon meat "loaf" with the macaroni in it. Gross. Good thing that is not what we're serving up.
And in lieu of trade show margarita mixing, this year Six Shooter Records hit the books for AMA conference inspiration. We've invited Jason Schneider, author of the recently released book "Whispering Pines - The Northern Roots of American Music from Hank Snow to The Band" down to Americana's heartland to participate in the Six Shooter sponsored panel, "That's Canadiana", a discussion of the place of contemporary Canadian artists in the Americana genre, which clearly we are pretty intent on identifying. Joining Jason will be Canadian artists who continue in the fine tradition of artistic and geographic border-crossings - Corb Lund, Oh Susanna and Luke Doucet. The panel takes place at the Convention Centre on Thursday, Sept 17 at 2 pm.
It's kind of starting to hit me that we really do have a metric dinkload of stuff going on right now. In that spirit, Six Shooter Records brings an entire festival's worth of artists to the Capital Music Hall in Ottawa for one night, on one stage. The Night of the Shooting Stars, to be held during this year's OCFF conference in Ottawa, will feature many of Six Shooter's roster, including new additions The Beauties (more on that later),who bring southern rock sounds to new, northern heights. Inspired by the Finale performance on Six Shooter Day at the Ottawa Bluesfest in 2008, all artists will perform together, creating a festival dream workshop and unique experience for Ottawa music fans.
THE LINEUP:
Luke Doucet
Justin Rutledge
NQ Arbuckle
Royal Wood
Melissa McClelland
BidiniBand
Amelia Curran
The Beauties
SIX SHOOTER RECORDS' NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS takes place on Friday,October 16, Capital Music Hall at 9pm. $20 advance tickets available at End Hits (407 Dalhousie St.), Ottawa Folklore Centre (1111 Bank St.), Vertigo Records (193 Rideau St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 613-755-1111.
It seems like months since we've given you a report on the wild world of Christine Fellows! Maybe that's because she has been holed away with her French/English dictionary all summer at Le Musee de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg working on one heck of a show. Through the Winnipeg Arts Council's Public Art Program, Christine was chosen as their artist in residency during which she'd create new work inspired by the Museum, which collects, preserves, researches, and interprets a collection of artifacts that reveal the lives and culture of the Francophone and Metis communities of Manitoba, including a special exhibit about Louis Riel, the "father" of Manitoba. This is a huge and radical undertaking.
La piece de resistance was a weekend of free public performances, titled Reliquary/Reliquaire, a song cycle which she performed live with a 3-piece ensemble, overhead projections and film, in the beautiful chapel. This was a multi-disciplinary collaboration between Christine (vocals, piano), Shary Boyle (overhead projections), Caelum Vatnsdal (film), Leanne Zacharias (cello, vocals), Alex McMaster (cello, vocals), and Lise Bremault (guest vocalist). Holy crap, that sounds stunning. How does Winnipeg get to be so cool?
The Station Coffee House and Gallery presents "The Group of Kevin", which is pretty much what an art show would be titled if they crawled into my brain and poked the "name an art show" nerve. The showing goes down in Brantford, ON, the home town of Lawren Harris (group of 7). Special guest artists Mary Pat Hearn and Yvonne Gallegos join in the fray. The exhibit runs until Sept 23.
On another note, you can catch Kevin as part of the Art of Time Ensemble's Abby Road tribute, at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto on Sept 26 & 27.
Dave has been darting in and out of our lives like the tongue on a creepy lizard (not saying Dave is creepy, just that lizards have particularly dart-y tongues) this summer as he launched his first ever Hoser March, played Hillside Festival, where he rocked amid rivers of mud and a giant thunderstorm, and played Wolfe Island Festival. Because Dave loves the outdoors that much, he's one of the founding members of The Swim Drink Fish Music Club, part of Waterkeepers Canada. This totally cyber online site (www.swimdrinkfishmusic.com) features exclusive tracks from amazing Canadian artists like Dave, Broken Social Scene, Gord Downie & The Sadies, Sarah Harmer and Bruce Cockburn. Not sure where they got the name from, but its aim is to keep our lakes clean, places to swim, fish and drink from... oh, I get it... In between all of his folk festing, Dave has written a 30 song (o ya, nbd, just 30 songs) suite about Lake Ontario, which will be launched this September exclusively on the SDF site. So go to their site and sign up. Your itty bitty contribution goes towards keeping our waters pure and your ears full of beauty music. Maybe you can even get one of those waterproof Walkmans and take a lil' dip in a lake while jamming these 'evvy chunes!
You can catch Bidiniband around Ontario in September...check out the tour dates section.
In an interesting twist on the standard summer festival circuit, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland ventured across the Atlantic for a much-appreciated appearance at South Africa's OppiKoppi Festival this July. Oppikoppi is a very fun word to say, and I suggest you repeat it over and over again, and respond with it whenever someone asks you to do something. A blogger for the South Africa Times newspaper saw Luke and Melissa in action and wrote that the best thing about this year's festival was "very definitely the Canadian husband-and-wife alt.country team, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, who came out of left field and taught us all a lesson in songcraft and unabashed rootsiness." Awwwww, thanks blogger for the South Africa Times newspaper!
After their tour of South Africa, Luke and Melissa went to Uganda to visit their World Vision foster child. Read about it in Melissa's blog here: http://victoriaday.blogspot.com
If I had a foster child, I would hope that it was named David, and I would spend countless nights listening to pop records produced by David Foster, and feeling good about myself.
There is a lot of knob turning going on at Six Shooter Records. Ha ha, that sounded dirty! What we really mean, is that there are a lot of jacks being inserted into sockets... uh, what we really really mean is that Luke Doucet is in the studio producing Rose Cousins' next album right now, and next month he goes back to the studio to finish his own album with Sloan's Andrew Scott. This is especially exciting because, aside from the fact that it's Andrew Freakin' Scott from Sloan, the fact will always remain that I love people with two first names. I wish I knew a dude named Steve Doug, and if I did, I would certainly try to convince Luke to make a record with him. Hawksley Workman (no double first name, but still a pretty cool name) has been toiling for months on his upcoming release(s) with engineer-savant Stew Crookes in the Stewdio. In addition to his own album, Hawksley is also at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio right now producing Justin Rutledge's next album (yay Six Shooter!). Royal Wood has been working hard, too... trucking over to Montreal every chance he gets to work with producer Pierre Marchand and to slam a few delicious mountains of poutine. With all these hot records coming down the pipe, we are going to be able to fry an egg on 2010's proverbial sidewalk. Huh?
Can you even remember a Toronto before The Dakota Tavern? I suppose if you aren't from Toronto, then you probably can... but we can't! The Dakota is basically this badass joint that has become the epicenter for roots related awesomeness in Toronto. For the past 2 years (!), The Beauties have held down a residency at the Dakota, becoming the unofficial patron saints of Sunday night, offering a down home remedy for back to work blues, squeezing every last party drop out of every weekend. Bringing a much needed weekly dose of southern rock to our northern latitudes. This of course meant that we had no choice but to sign them!
Signing The Beauties was an essential move for Six Shooter. They are already a part of our community, collaborating live with any number of our Toronto-based artists, including Justin Rutledge, Luke Doucet, Elliott BROOD, Melissa McClelland, and NQ Arbuckle. Our kinship with this band was instant. They are our brethren. That's right, our brethren. Brethren with Six Shooter, that's what the Beauties are.
The Beauties are undoubtedly going to be an incredible force in the international roots music arena in the years to come Plus, we say beauty all the time, so that works out nicely, doesn't it?
. . . VERY DEFINITELY the Canadian husband-and-wife alt.country team, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, who came out of left field and taught us all a lesson in songcraft and unabashed rootsiness.
Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle announce the release of new album - Havana Winter - out yesterday (in Canada and July 28 in the USA) on Hearn's own label Celery Music. Personally, I can't wait to fill this sucker with peanut butter, throw some raisins on there and chow down on this auditory delight. That was a celery joke by the way, just in case I'm moving too fast for ya. Produced by longtime friend/collaborator Michael Phillip Wojewoda, the album features a plethora of mind blowing guests, including musical luminaries Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Chantal Kreviazuk, and others. The music continues in the progression of Hearn's "planetarium pop" with the use of lush synthesizers (lush as in dense foliage, not as in perpetually drunk) decorating increasingly spacious arrangements. Yep, that's right, both lush and spacious... it's a mind melter! Remember in the Rick Moranis classic Honey I Shrunk The Kids, when the "kids" get "shrunk" and they are walking through a virtual forest made up of blades of grass? That's kind of both lush and spacious, innit? Havana Winter is an old-fashioned headphone album, the kind where it's best to sit back, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in a world of sound where you yourself become a shrunken kid. Songs like "In the Shade" were directly influenced by oldies music and the innocence of the era whereas other songs on the album fall somewhere in between Randy Newman and Stereolab, recorded with a big-screen vision worthy of the Flaming Lips. No matter where you are, Havana Winter will keep you cool, cool, cool in the shade, both in the temperature sense, and in the Snoopy wearing shades sense. Check tour dates below for shows in Canada & USA.
Announced yesterday, Elliott BROOD's album, Mountain Meadows, was named one of the top ten acclaimed albums of the year by Polaris. The jury is comprised of approximately one billion (give or take) music critics from across the country, but we won't hold that against them (ha ha?). The mighty lords of Polaris announce the winner of the $20,000 prize at the awards show on September 21. I sure hope they win, because if they don't, I'm sure they'll be brooding about it for months... get it?! We really loved what Elliott BROOD had to say to Chartattack about their shortlist status, especially as it pertains to partying! Check it: www.chartattack.com/news
Go to www.thevergeonline.com and vote for Six Shooter. Jenn Grant, Luke Doucet, NQ Arbuckle, Hawksley Workman, Elliott BROOD, and the Wet Secrets are all nominated for Artist and/or Album of the year. The winner receives big ol' mega cash bucks, so please vote today so we can all bathe in crisp, colorful, Canadian currency!
XM The Verge always sounds like a dude's name and title to me, y'know like "in today's news: the sovereign state of Cybertopia was conquered by feared astro-guerilla XM THE VERGE, whose flying cheetah sled carried more lazer power than the meek Cybertopians could handle". That kind of vibe.
Volvo have already cast their votes for Artist of the Year... for Hawksley Workman. Volvo ad execs freaked out when they heard Hawksley's classic Safe and Sound so much that they placed the song in their six-month USA TV-campaign of the same name. I love how old Volvo station wagons had those little secret hidden compartments in the back that you could use to smuggle Hawksley Workman merch (or a bag of oranges, or whatever) into the states with. Do the new ones still have those? A little place to keep your Hawksley Cds Safe and Sound?
Oh, victorious day! Melissa McClelland has released her stunning new album Victoria Day in the USA. I believe that this now gives Melissa the distinct honour of being allowed to wear those American flag jammer pants, and get an Eagle tattoo (or a pet Eagle).
Also, albums by NQ Arbuckle, Amelia Curran, Elliott BROOD, and Jenn Grant will be released shortly. Possibly in the USA, and possibly enabling the right to bear jammers.
Justin Rutledge's video for A Penny for the Band, directed by Exan Auyoung is now complete, thus earning the band one penny as per the widely respected "reward system". The video features David Baxter and Bazil Donovan, as well as a cameo by Six Shooter hero, Richard Flohil. Filmed throughout Toronto's west end, including the Cadillac Lounge and on the steps of the Catholic Cathedral on Shaw St., the video paints Parkdale's own blue period. Check it out in person and raise a glass with us on July 15 from 7:00 Π 8:00 pm at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto. Also completed is the Jenn Grant video for Heartbreaker by Ante Kovac. Check out the link here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW8LBwBGUiI
Oh, and get this... both videos feature a blue guitar. What are the odds?! Do you know how many goddamn colours there are out there?!
Another video in the works is Remind Me in Dark Times by Shout Out Out Out Out, the shoot so far has included spinning front man Nik Kozub around on a lazy susan for a couple hours (barf). Their video for Coming Home is rumored to finally be finished, and features a whole lot of fire, but not much brimstone (as far as we can tell, we're not too sure what brimstone is exactly... if it's another word for synthesizers, then forget that last statement).
All of these videos will look ten times more awesome when viewed via yooouuutuuube. Trust me, it's totally rad: www.yooouuutuuube.com
Speaking of Shout Out Out Out Out, our Edmonton pals are getting geared up for a few festival performances over the next month or so. First up they hit the Quebec City Summer Festival, followed by Ottawa Blues Fest, and the Evolve festival in Antigonish. Shout Out Out Out Out were also just announced as part of the lineup for the Calgary stop of the Virgin Festival. Celebration time, come on!
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland are totally going to South Africa, it is going to be AWESOME. One time when I was staying in a hotel, I watched this reality show where a spoiled teenage girl had to go to South Africa and build a house out of poop. It was hee-larious, she was all OMG, and I was all ROTFLOL!!! But in the case of Luke and Melissa, they arenΥt going to be building houses, they are playing the Oppikoppi Festival and a number of club dates.
We teamed up with our best buddies at Starfish Entertainment to present the OUTLAWS & GUNSLINGERS SHOWCASE at Lee's Palace on Thursday, June 19 @ 8pm. We've wrangled a superb lineup of bands and artists to share time on stage, with surprise guests rounding out the night. The lineup includes The Swallows, Jim Cuddy, Royal Wood, Oh Susanna, Kevin Hearn, Jason Plumb, Jenn Grant, Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge, NQ Arbuckle, and Skydiggers. Plus some very special guests who we can't talk about! The 9 songwriters listed will be passionately backed by Blue Rodeo rhythm section Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem. It's going to be a great night -- see attached invite.
No NXNE would be complete without the annual Six Shooter Back Lot BBQ, and we're fixin' to make this year's party a real barn burner. Put on yer justins (cowboy boots, to you city folk) and light a shuck (hurry on over) to the Back Lot behind our store at 1118 Queen Street East. This year's blowout happens Saturday, June 20, 2pm-6pm, again in cahoots with our neighbours Damzels in this Dress and Steamwhistle. Hosted by NQ Arbuckle, other guest spots include performances by Rose Cousins, Royal Wood, Jenn Grant, Michael Rault, Jason Plumb, Victoria Hume, Martin Tielli, Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge, and The Beauties. RSVP to fire@sixshooterrecords.com.
Also on June 20 is the grand opening of Beth Hamill's photography exhibit, Rock Paper Pixels. Beth is a blogger and photographer extraordinaire, and we're proud to showcase these amazing photographs of our favourite artists. The show will be on display until July 12, so if you can't make the BBQ, drop by another time and check it out.
This year, Caitlin Veitch, Emily Smart, Shauna de Cartier, Helen Britton, and Jack Jamieson of Six Shooter as well as Starfish Entertainment's Susan de Cartier joined forces with Gillian Zulauf and Andy MacLean of NXNE to program the Festival Conference... that's right, all the panels, celebrity interviews and workshops. We put on our thinking Stetsons and buckled down to bring panelists and moderators together from across genres, provinces, media and international borders. There is a lot to be excited about, from a stellar list of Town Hall speakers to the first ever NXNE Music Meeting. Scroll below for deets.
THE NXNE TOWN HALL
This year's Town Hall is held at Second City (56 Blue Jays Way) on Thursday, June 18 at 2 pm.
On the one hand, we have sweeping technological changes, a shrinking industry, and an economic downturn; on the other, we have unprecedented opportunity to market our music and our artists on an international scale. We have assembled company heads from all aspects of the industry to discuss how the challenges and opportunities we face are changing the way we do business today and beyond. Guests include:
Denise Donlon, Executive Director, CBC Radio
Jodie Ferneyhough, Managing Director, Universal Music Publishing Canada
Bernie Finkelstein, President, Finkelstein Management; Chairman, CIRPA; Founder, True North Records
Paul Haagenson, President, Canada, West, Live Nation Canada
Mark Jowett, Vice President/Co-Founder, Nettwerk Music Group
Steve Kane, President, Warner Music Canada
Kevin Leflar, President, officialCOMMUNITY
Heather Ostertag, President/CEO, FACTOR
Jack Ross, Senior Vice President, The Agency Group
Chris Sisam, General Manager, Corus Radio Toronto
Chris Taylor, Founder, Taylor Mitsopulos Klein Oballa
Moderator: Jake Gold, CEO/President, The Management Trust
PANELS
Music + Brands. Find out how brands are using music to cross-promote their products and services. What's in it for the brands? What's in it for the bands? Exclaim Magazine's Ian Danzig leads a discussion with reps from Fred Perry, Saatchi & Saatchi/Toyota, Jagermeister, and Red Bull.
The NXNE Music Meeting. Come find out how music decisions are made by some of the most important gatekeepers at radio, television, film and advertising. They [and you] will listen to 10 songs selected from the NXNE Top 60 Tip Sheet and score them for potential on their stations, shows, films or commercials. Host Sean Coakley [Songlines, USA] will moderate and a roving mic will prowl the floor for your input.
From the Margin to the Mainstream. Sometimes our heroes come from the most unlikely places. This is a panel of unique artists and entrepreneurs who will show you how diversity is your competitive advantage and that you CAN take your niche to the mainstream. Polaris Prize founder Steve Jordan interviews the brains and muscle behind Panache Booking, the FUCK YEAH Fest, and Chunklet Magazine.
SOCAN - Breaking the UK with Born Ruffians: A case study of an independent Canadian band and how they have found success across the pond. The UK market can be a tough one to crack. Assembling a tour, getting press and selling a bit of music/merchandise across the pond may seem impossible. BUT - With a little help from a few friends here and abroad you can do it! At this SOCAN event, a panel of experts from the Born Ruffians camp will talk of their experience, both good and bad, in the UK. Learn how to plan and book a UK tour, get your band in the UK press, and how to sell your music and merchandise in the very lucrative and music mad UK market.
New Opportunities In Radio + TV. New indie-friendly radio and TV stations are popping up around the country. Come here to find out how to get broadcast airplay. CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence leads an engaging discussion between Alan Cross of ExploreMusic.com and The Ongoing History of New Music, Raja Khanna of BiteTV/AUX, Steve Parker of the CRTC, Andreanne Sasseville of SIRIUS Satellite Radio CANADA, and Kai Black of CBC Radio 2.
Post Touring Income. At some point, most musicians tire of the road. How can you keep the income flowing when the tour bus wheels stop turning? Find out how to break into writing/performing for commercials, TV, film, games, and more. Songwriter Greg Johnston leads a creative pack of panelists including Lizzie Marcy of TBWA/Chiat/Day, Marco Defelice of Silent Joe, and songwriter/artists Jason Plumb and Ian Lefeuvre.
Beyond MuchMusic. Our artists and industry pros will discuss ideas on how and where to market videos beyond MuchMusic and YouTube. And if youΥve seen too many guitar solos played in a high wind, too many alt-country bands strumming on a train station platform, and too many dance scenes filmed in an alleyway-we also give creative alternatives to the classic music video. Musebox founder Nadine Gelineau talks to Shad K, Tabassum Siddiqui, and Aaron Brophy.
WORKSHOPS [THE ESSENTIAL GOODS]
Media Training. Lights, camera, action! Your new publicist just got you a bunch of interviews w/newspapers, radio, and TV. Learn from real-life examples what to talk about, wear and how to portray yourself/band in the best possible light. This workshop is led by Joanne Setterington and her band of industry experts, including Tonni Maryuma, Josh Ostroff, Sarah Liss, Benjamin Boles, Robert Ostfield, and Johnny Hockin.
Getting The Gig. What to send, how to pitch, and how to behave once you've got the green light. East coast promoter Heather Gibson draws the ins and outs of getting and promoting shows from industry veterans Jeff Cohen, Ralph James, Bernard Kearney, and Julien Paquin.
How to Slay an Audience. This workshop will be hosted by artists who share their experience and answer questions about how to sculpt a show and capture an audience's attention. We want to explore the factors that go into performance decisions like what kind of show, venue or audience it is. Talk about banter! How much is too much? Or too little? How do you direct the audience to your merch without sounding like a carnival barker? The most important - How do you leave an great impression... after all a dull show is definitely worse than a bad one. This workshop is led by Canadian icon Moe Berg.
Record Label DIY. You've made a record and you have no idea what you need to do next to take it to market. We'll show you how by answering: how do you register your songs with SOCAN? What does the AVLA actually do? What are neighbouring rights royalties and how do I get them? How do I get the rights to put a cover song on my album? How do I get digital distribution? Can I go direct to iTunes? What are IRSC codes? Do I need to incorporate my company? How do I get a barcode? You've Changed Records' Jessie Stein consults a panel of experts from ACTRA, SOCAN, AVLA, CMRRA, IODA, and Little Miss Know-It-All.
FACTOR. Nuts and bolts of grant writing. Our friends from FACTOR will be on hand to show you how to build a budget + how to write a marketing plan. This is a hands-on workshop which will go through a recording grant and a touring/showcase grant. This workshop is hosted by FACTOR GM Carolyn Richardson.
Show Me The Money. FACTOR aside, where else can I get my hands on some grant money? Moderator Catharine Bird will walk you through how to access funds from SOCAN, the OAC, Manitoba Film & Music, the Canada Council, and Videofact.
PROMO 101. Learn about writing a good band bio, press releases and press kits, what should be contained in each, and how to use them. We will take you through the do's and donΥts about how to put together a killer package. Hosted by industry vets Richard Flohil and Joanne Setterington.
Free Legal Advice. Come armed with the questions you've always wanted to ask but didn't have the dough to pay for the answers, whether it's what to watch out for in a 360 deal or how to make the most of the synch contract you've been offered for an indie film. Peermusic's Neville Quinlan puts lawyers Stacey Mitsopulos, Glenn Litwak, Gary Adelman, and Michael Cirelli through their paces.
Publishing Basics. Some say this is where the money is, some warn you never to give up your publishing no matter what. And what is a synchronization right, anyway? And should I be sharing my songwriting royalties with my band members? Get a grip on the publishing basics once and for all. Allison Outhit of Outside Music and Exclaim Magazine calls on a panel of experts including reps from Peermusic, EMI Music Publishing, SOCAN, and the CMRRA.
Online Marketing. Today's top blogs and cool sites change faster than ever. Get the latest info on all the top sites and how to make the most of them. Moderator Chris Budd picks the brains of Chris McKee, David Garrison, and iheartmusic.com's Matthew Pollesel.
RIVOLI SESSIONS
Like great live music can bring a crowd to life, so too can great music minds bring life to a panel. NXNE shakes up (& stirs) the conference experience by taking the discussion out of the boardroom and back into the bar.
Music Makes It Reunion. Participants from the highly successful Music Makes It in December 2008 get together to discuss recent developments in the industry and establish new partnerships for Υ09. This event is Invite Only.
Music Supervisor Throwdown. See and hear how the brains of music supervisors work: why do some favour strings for a fight scene when another chooses hard rock? Four, well versed international supervisors will dissect their own choices and defend their tastes in this interactive panel. Moderated by Bob Hunka, the panelists include a number of LA hotshots such as Andrea von Foerster, John Bissell, Josh Marcy, and Laura Webb.
Managers Panel. These managers are getting their bands on the road, into the studio and on your radar. Make no mistake this is not a job for the faint of heart but as the rules of the industry continue to change, the manager is the single most important partner in an artistΥs career. Come and talk with these experts to find out how they are building their bands and their businesses. Moderator Susan de Cartier has assembled a diverse panel of working managers including Melissa Greiner, Ryhna Thompson, Andres Mendoza and Judith Coombe.
INTERVIEWS
Danny Fields interview with Warren Kinsella. Toronto author, musician and commentator Warren Kinsella sits down for an illuminating chat with Danny Fields, who brought the MC5 and The Stooges to Elektra Records, and was co-manager of The Ramones in their early career. Fields and Kinsella will delve into the changing world of artist development. The Ramones, Iggy and The Stooges, the MC5 all had time to develop and grow through a live scene at a time when songs were tried and tested over and over in front of a live audience before being committed to vinyl. No instant downloads. Fans got their information through magazines like Creem and Crawdaddy, and waiting for the next issue was sweet anticipation. In this age of instantaneous media, what are the new advantages for and drawbacks against an artist's career.
Fab 5 Freddy Interviews GZA [Wu-Tang Clan]. Arguably hip-hop's most important group, Wu-Tang Clan founded one of the most recognized posses and brought the New York rap scene to worldwide attention. Explore their rise to fame with founding member GZA as he sits down with American Hip hop historian and former graffiti artist Fab 5 Freddy.
There is nothing we like better than a Six Shooter double bill. Why? Because it instantly makes me think of an abomination of a platypus with two bills featuring three nostrils apiece, and that's just heelarious. Well, no, I don't really think of that, I just kind of wanted to say it to see if it was true (nopers). Double bills generally make me think of drive-in movie theatres, back when they still existed. I feel old now, thanks a lot. Luckily, the truth behind a Six Shooter double bill (at least in this instance), is that it means we get to stumble over to the Mod Club this Friday night after pre-gaming at the Six Shooter store, and heckle not only NQ Arbuckle, but also Justin Rutledge! Oh waitasec, it's an early show! Doors at the perfectly civil hour of 7:00! I guess we'll be post-gaming instead, and likely too shy to heckle. Cool Six Shooter fans already know that Justin also performs in Kingston and Peterborough this weekend (and if you wanna join team cool, you can check tour deets for dates... or the dates for deets, either one works). Also watch for a new video by Justin for his song, A Penny for the Band, which is filming tomorrow at familiar Toronto locales including one of our favorite watering holes, the newly reno'd Cadillac Lounge. Our other favorite watering hole is the El Camino Lounge, which is actually just a broken down Cruck (Trar?) in our back lot. Throw a bean bag chair in there, and that's livin'!
Melissa McClelland has been lighting up audiences across Canada and Europe, and even the sovereign state of Hamilton, but now it's America's turn to get theirs. Americana radio stations in the USA are loving Melissa's new album, with Victoria Day landing in the Top Five Adds last week. "Americana radio stations in the USA" is funny to me btw, perhaps due to my gangsta wit (or my sheer idiocy, hard to tell sometimes). Our USA fans better start making giant signs covered in glitter glue, because they will be able to check Melissa out in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in the next couple of weeks, starting with this Wednesday night with a show at Union Hall in Brooklyn. For those Canucks in the cyber-crowd still pining for Victoria Day, you can check out Melissa on the cover of this week's Ottawa Xpress.
So we've all been mega fans of Dave Bidini and his trend-setting fashion sense in his days as guitarist and singer of our beloved Rheostatics. And we're even more thrilled about all his fantastic feats of creative strength since then. We're talking book writin', theatre production scorin' and Homeless Soccer League documentary makin'! Geez, dude makes me feel like a slacker! His latest effort is his first solo-album, The Land is Wild (Pheromone Recordings) -- a collection of Hoser ballads about cannibalism, lesbian school teachers and dead hockey players, y'know, pretty standard stuff. He'll be parading the new band and the new songs AND YOU down the streets of Toronto as he leads The Hoser March on Saturday, June 6. Catch Bidiniband at Soundscapes (College) at 4 pm and follow the fun from there. The whole thing is free (well, except for the smoking hot show at the Horseshoe) and there will be lots of cool things going on. Be sure to wear your flannel jacket and rubber boots, even if it's sunny! Check it:
The Hoser March
4:30 Soundscapes: Bidiniband performs in-store concert
5:15 She Said Boom: Claudia Day reading
6:00 This Ain't the Rosedale Library: Brian O'Dea reading + Justin Rutledge acoustic solo performance
6:30 Paul's Boutique, OUTSIDE: Gregory Samsung
7:00 Graffiti's: Stephen Stanley + Ron Hawkins
7:30 Scadding Court Park: The Imponderables
8:15 Cameron House: The Billie Hollies and Aurora Brown
9:00 The Horseshoe Tavern: BidiniBand CD Release party w/ Laura Barrett
Since the triumphant release of her sophomore disc, Echoes, this past February-ebruary-bruary-ary-ry, Jenn has been rocking the four star reviews and cover stories (Toronto Star, Ottawa XPress, The Coast), star-studded SXSW shows, sold out east coast dates and a special Grammy-related performance at the Canadian Consulate in LA. She's even turned the heads of the coffee drinking moguls at Starbucks, who featured Jenn as their Pick of the Week. All that's really left on Jenn's to-do list is to dress up like Nosferatu and dance around to Lady Gaga in front of a Criss Angel "Mind Freak" poster (like this: www.youtube.com/watch). Or... maybe instead, Jenn will bridge east to west when she heads on a two week Canadian tour, starting at Ottawa's WestFest, joining Danny Michel in Waterloo, then heading off to Vancouver and finishing up at the Lo Pub in Winnipeg on June 26. The bulk of the western shows are with our good pal Dan Mangan (one of the most fun names to say everrrr). See tourdates below for more info.
Also, Jenn Grant and labelmate Amelia Curran lead a pack of fantastic female singwriters (see what I did there?) who are featured on a new compilation called Atlantic Voices (Warner), which hits the street running on May 26 (todayeeee!).
One of the UK's leading music magazines, Q mag, has included Shout Out Out Out Out in a feature in their June issue. Oh ya, no big deal, they just named SO4 as one of the 10 best new bands ON EARTH. They also used the word "portaloo" in their enthusiastic description of one of Shout Out Out Out Out's SXSW performances, and we're pretty sure means that they are hella stoked.
Just when we thought we couldn't get any more excited about finding ourselves (spiritually and geographically) on Google Maps, the NY Times went and upped the ante by posting a photo of our store on the internutz! IΥm not a great judge of numbers, but IΥll bet that at least a hundred people look at the internet EVERY DAY! This is so huge. Looky:
We'd like to congratulate Soccer Mom Records on the release of Jason Plumb's new album, Wide Open Music: Songs for Saskatchewan, on June 9, 2009. Here, Jason turns the songwriting spotlight on the unsung (well, until now) hero province of Saskatchewan, a Canadian institution of provincial awesomeness that has borne many of our national symbols, from the Mounties to medicare to The Waltons (how convenient!). From Wascana Lake to the humble (yet delicious and plentiful) Saskatoon berry, Jason offers a unique take on geography, fusing personal emotion (such as "happy" and "sad") and experience with environment. Wide Open Music contains re-recordings of Waltons' songs alongside new tracks that have already found a home in Saskatchewan's collective imagination, including a theme song for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, which everyone knows is the coolest Roughriders franchise ever.
The first CD release party is in Jason's home town of Regina on June 13. He then heads east for a bunch of Ontario dates and a couple of slammin' appearances at NXNE and a rousing set at Hugh's Room. See Tour Dates for more info.
We love summer. We especially love summer, because summer means Mojitos. Actually, this year I am declaring summer to be the season of the Pimm's cup, given that I feel strongly about it being officially time for the Pimm's cup to push the Mojito into second place for most refreshing and delicious back yard beverage. Summer is also especially radical due to all of the summer festivals, and as usual, we have a ton of artists playing a ton of great festivals all summer long, possibly wearing Bermuda shorts and giant sunglasses. Amelia Curran kicks off festival season with an appearance at Kerrville Folk Festival on June 7, and lemme tell ya, that is just the beginning. Check out Six Shooter artists all summer long across the country at Evolve (Antigonish, NS), Stan Rogers Folk Festival (Cansos, NS), Mariposa Folk Festival (Orillia, ON), Hillside Festival (Guelph, ON), Northern Lights Festival (Sudbury, ON), Home County Festival (London, ON), Stewart Park Festival (Perth, ON), Ottawa Blues Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Wolfe Island, Windsong, Harbourfront (Toronto, ON), Winnipeg Folk Festival, Gimli Icelandic Festival, Regina Folk Festival, Calgary Folk Festival, Canmore Folk Festival, Folk on the Rocks (Yellowknife), Salmon Arm Festival.... am I forgetting something? Probably. Yes, I did. How could I forget the Oppikoppi Festival who are welcoming Luke and Melissa to South Africa this summer? WHAT?! Oh yeah, I said it. South Africa. Luke and Melissa. In yo' face!!!
Wow, there are so many projects in the works right now, it's hard to contain our excitement! @%#JDKUE&@E%BLABBITYBLOOAAAAH!!!!
Amelia Curran is putting the finishing touches on her next album, to be released September 1 of this year, which we are considering releasing alongside a downloadable onion log (or perhaps an "awesome blossom"). Seriously, though, we are hella stoked about Amelia's next release, which we are predicting to be the folkbuster of the century. Christine Fellows has been writing and recording her heart out, and may emerge from her residency at St. Boniface with two or possibly three new albums, and perhaps a fedora (but don't count on it, not really her steez). Royal Wood Pierre Marchand crafting the most beautiful album ever, as well as the most beautiful smile (awwwwww). And so is Hawksley Workman (on the album tip, not the smile, as there can only be one leader in the smile race, and we already agreed to give that title to Royal, even though Hawksley's smile is pretty bitchin' too), who has been working hard on what might turn out to be two different albums, or at least one album and a birch bark canoe, and then he goes into the studio to produce Justin Rutledge's next album, but not his lovechild, as this is not actually possible (yet). Luke Doucet goes into the studio next month with Andrew Scott from Sloan with the thinly veiled intent to get into a heated one-arm pushup contest while pretending to be "working on an album". NQ Arbuckle has been working furiously with Carolyn Mark to finish their collaborative effort, tentatively titled 'Chef Boy Am I Furious', due out this fall. Oh, and rumour has it that Martin Tielli really is finished his long-awaited box set. No joke necessary. Let's hope we can get it in people's hands before he has to change the date yet again on the cover (from 2003 to 2004 to 2005 to 2006 to 2007 to 2008 to 2009... to 2000abillion).
Let every day be Victoria Day, except for days where you get fined for not shoveling snow off of your sidewalks, or days when you can only name one of Rick Astley's two hits, even though both are on the tip of your tongue (and you usually carry a cheat sheet, but you can't find it in your over-stuffed wallet), or days when you are super stressed out and busy and youΥve had waaay too much coffee so you decide to make tea instead, but then you forget that you have water on the stove and you wind up scorching the bottom of your favorite saucepan (waitasec, who the hell says "saucepan"? That's like saying "chesterfield"). Anyway, let all the sweet days be Victoria Day. Victoria is nice, they have floating homes there! Oh, and guess what?! Our pal Melissa McClelland has returned with her highly anticipated third album, which is coincidentally titled Victoria Day, and her first for Six Shooter Records! Yaaaah! Produced by Luke Doucet (he's this really cool guy, and we totally know him), the album showcases Melissa's songwriting style that is at once both modern and classic, defined by vintage guitar tones (classic), rootsy instrumentation (uh... classic), and above all, the timelessness and beauty of Melissa's celebrated voice (modern!). Released one week ago, the album is already getting rave reviews, although it doesn't seem to be getting many reviews in raves (those candy kids don't know what they're missin'). Melissa takes her band on the road in Ontario and western Canada throughout April, and then to Europe in May. See the ever popular "tour dates" section of this newsletter below for more info.
In fact, you might see Luke and Melissa checking out Hawksley in Paris for a show there at the Boule Noir. That last statement only makes sense if you read the second last sentence in the previous section, otherwise you're black-balled. I'll give you a minute to re-cap just in case...
Ok, so the fantabulous and alliterational Kyrie Kristmanson is joining Hawksley for his dates in Paris, London and Zurich. The mini-tour will bergin (you'll get it in a sec) with a performance at the Bergen Festival in Norway (ayyyy), following a few warm up dates in Ontario. Ya know, get the ol' heart rate up, good excuse to wear leg warmers, that sort of thing.
It's been just over a month since the Canadian release of Reintegration Time, Shout Out Out Out Out's sophomore album, and the synth-obsessed Edmontonians have been busy beavers! The first leg of their album tour took Shout Out Out Out Out on a western US swing, with a wildly successful stop at SXSW in Austin, where the band played 5 shows to packed houses. The first leg of the tour also included stops in SF, LA, Denver, Portland, and Victoria before finishing off by bringing the house down at Juno Fest in Vancouver. From here, Shout Out Out Out Out look ahead to the second leg of their tour, which starts tomorrow and heads across Canada and into the Eastern US, and the release of Reintegration Time in the US on May 5th. This is a milestone for both the band, and our associated label Normals Welcome, as it will be the debut American release for both! Yayee! Stateside press has already caught on to SO4's magic, with features in Billboard, Keyboard Magazine, EQ Magazine, and the cover of CMJ already nailed down. This morning I was so tired that I tried to open the front door of my house with the remote opener key thingy for my car, true story.
Royal's "romantic piano playing and deep, resonant vocal tones" (The Coast) led legions of fans to snap up advance copies of his latest work, The Lost and Found EP, which came out March 24 on Dead Daisy Records. On this new release, Royal's "bitchin' ass ivory tinkling" (unknown source) is accompanied by lush strings (we mean purdy, not perpetually wasted) and swooning imagery (like Brody Jenner with his shirt off, but put into music). This epic jam is titled Lost & Found, and it bridges his last album, A Good Enough Day, and an upcoming full length he's got stored in the cheeks of a squirrelly top notch producer (it makes sense in my head... almost). Royal's gangster wit and smooth talkin' also landed him a spot on Gray's Anatomy, as well as some dates with Serena Ryder, and some recent shining press from CBC and some east coast admirers. Royal is never one to disappoint, so he has opted to postpone his scheduled "Royal's official pizza and Blossom season 1 viewing marathon", and instead book in some gigaroonies, including a spot on Vinyl Cafe, a show at our home-away-from-home, the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, QC, a play at the London Music Club and a sure-to-be-sold out show at Hugh's Room in May. Get your tickets now!
Jenn Grant's rippin' new album, Echoes (not to be confused with any albums by Pink Floyd or The Rapture, or any novels by Danielle Steel, or any cars discontinued by Toyota, only to be replaced by the much cooler Yaris), has captured the hearts of so many across the country, including the organizers of the Green Awards, who have asked Jenn to perform a couple of songs at their gala event on April 23 (good thing she doesn't play the blues... get it? HAW HAW). Man, check out how long that last sentence was, I RULE! Stay tuned for more tour dates with Jenn in May/June.
With a brand new record in hand (tune in next time for more details!), Dave Bidini and his crew are getting ready to hit the road with a number of CD release parties across Ontario. Check the tour dates section for the first round of announced dates.
So, now that the year's-worth-of-weekends-packed-into-four-days insanity that is SXSW is finally making its way out of our livers, it's time to set the sights of our Six Shooters (see what I did there?) on some more great western party action. We are rounding up a bunch of our artists and heading over to beautiful Vancouver, BC for the Canuck institution that is Juno weekend. Check out our stacked dance card:
Hawksley Workman will be holding it down big tiiiiime at the Junos - first as the host of the prestigious Songwriter Circle at the Vancouver Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, March 29 at noon. His guests include Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ndidi Onukwulu (gesundheit!), Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Sarah Slean, and Hedley. Then with barely enough time to change into his red carpet duds (we are trying to convince him to get chameleonic and don a tux that is actually made out of red carpet), Workman will be performing on the televised portion of the awards, leading Great Big Sea and World Music nominee Eccodek in a rousing Led Zeppelin cover. The production details of the televised show are of course top secret, but we are really hoping they do something cool, like shoot Hawksley on stage via pneumatic tube or have all the performers engage in a potato sack race or something.
Junofest is going to be mega bitchin', too. Royal Wood doodles around at Doolins on Friday night at 10 pm, then we'll be running over the Railway Club to holler at some of that memory-wiping Merrydale Cider and catch Jason Plumb at 11 pm, and then at Midnight, since we're gonna want a bit more, Elliott BROOD headlines the CBC Radio 3 sponsored night at the Biltmore. Shout Out Out Out Out plays Richards on Richard's at 9pm on Saturday (with a dj set to follow at the Astoria) and NQ Arbuckle takes the midnight spot at Shark's. To booze can or not to booze can, that is the question.
Juno Cup Hockey is another slam dunk event (slam dunks are in hockey right? I don't score many field goals when it comes to sports terminology), with four Six Shootererererers on the ice: Luke Doucet and Peter Kesper (NQ Arbuckle) in goal, and Mark Sasso (Elliott BROOD) and John Dinsmore (NQ Arbuckle) on the wings. Shout Out Out Out Out's drummer Gravy is hella choked that he isn't on the ice this year, and we are fully expecting him to rush the bench. The event takes place at UBC Arena on Friday, starting at 7:30 pm. Cross check it out! That was a pun, btw.
SXSW is easily one of the wildest festivals in North America, and we like to think that we have it on lock. Austin is always crazy busy for Six Shooter and our artists, and this year was no exception. Check it:
Our label showcase at Velveeta's went off like ants on a log, from the moment our special guest Oh Susanna sang her first note right through to the final ballad by our chipotle voiced favourite, NQ Arbuckle. Jenn Grant and her lovely band serenaded us, Melissa McClelland shot lasers into our psyches, Elliott BROOD bbq'd our ribs, and Luke Doucet tickled the six string like nobody's business... hmm, that description doesn't sound as cool as it actually was, I better try again. Luke Doucet shredded our faces of and sent our cosmic auras to Pluto and back with each hot lick!!!!
Six Shooter once again took over Headhunters for our fourth annual Afternoon Hootenanny. Hosted by NQ Arbuckle, this year's line up included Jenn Grant, Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, Elliott BROOD, The Perpetrators, Bazil Donovan, $100, Slim Twig, and the Wet Secrets. In addition to the many fine bands who played, Shauna "Tequila" de Cartier was there in full force, handing out shots and limes to all the friendly partiers, and drawing pentagrams on the odd VIP. Kewl!
With five shows at SXSW this year, Shout Out Out Out Out left Austin exhausted, but fully triumphant. Their neurotic dance parties kept the packed houses sweaty at the Terrorbird/Force Field day party at Red 7, The Canadian Blast at Brush Square Park, their official showcases presented by AM Only at Karma on Wednesday night, and Beauty Bar Backyard on Friday night, and finally with what wound up being one of the final sets at the Red Bull Moon Tower before it got shut down for a noise complaint (uh, what? Noise complaints at a giant music festival?). Luckily no one fell off the stage this year.
Throughout SXSW, we also fell in love with our South Congress digs, a.k.a. The Six Shooter House of Sins, co-hosted by our good friends at XM The Verge. With 10 or so great bands performing in our house every day, we were in heaven! Cheers to all of our amazing music making pals! And also special thanks to Anne, Ian, Johnny, Jeff, Karen, and all the staff for helping make it great! What the hell was in those cookies? Probably just macadamia nuts or something...
The last day to order signed copies of the Royal Wood EP is on Monday March 23rd 2009.
Anxiously awaiting to start his next full length record, Royal Wood surprises us with "The Lost and Found EP", a recording of mostly voice (lost) and piano (found). This will quench the thirst of homie's fans until the release of his full-length release in 2010 (whoa... the future is nigh). Pre-orders for the EP are available for $10 through the Six Shooter webstore. Order yours now and get a special, pre-release signed copy as soon as they are pressed, which will be in early March. I know what you're thinking... but we're not at all worried in our ability to deliver on this one. Royal works on much different timelines than Martin!
We have been psyching ourselves up for Austin since before Christmas! We are super stoked that the SXSW folks have invited us back to the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St @ Red River) again to host our label showcase. This year, it's on Thursday, March 19, featuring: Jenn Grant (9pm), Melissa McClelland (10pm), Elliott BROOD (11pm), Luke Doucet (midnight), and NQ Arbuckle (1am). Special guest Oh Susanna opens the night at 8 pm.
We are also pleased to announce that the Six Shooter Hootenanny will take place again this year, at Headhunters (720 Red River)...this year on Friday Mar 20 from 2 pm - 5 pm. Along with the regular liquorish (licorice?) whippin' good times, we're sure they'll be heavy doses of tequila doused on new friends. Yeah!
The "flaming" mad-electro-genius gang, Shout Out Out Out Out, are playing four times, including the Terrorbird Party, the Canada Blast party, and two awesome evening showcases. And don't miss the other flamers on parade when the Wet Secrets make their SXSW debut on Thurs @ 9 pm at El Sol y La Luna. See tour dates for full details.
Congratulations to all the Six Shooter artists who were nominated for Junos! Elliott BROOD landed two noms, one for Outstanding Roots Album and another for their fantastic artwork. The BROOD rival their buddies in NQ Arbuckle, also nominated for Outstanding Roots Album. And Hawksley Workman brings in a nomination for his album, Between the Beautifuls (Universal), in the category of Outstanding Adult Alternative Album, OAAA for short (said, Ohhhhh!) The Six Shooter crew is totally pumped to bring the party to Vancouver at the end of March to celebrate in style. Elliott BROOD headline the CBC Radio 3 night at the Biltmore on the Friday night of Junofest, and NQ Arbuckle play Shark's Club on Saturday at midnight. Also hitting Vancouver for Junofest are Shout Out Out Out Out, who play Richards on Richards, Saturday at 9:30 pm. Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Circle at the Vancouver Performing Arts Centre on Sunday afternoon. We're really looking forward to pulling up on the red carpet and having media scramble to figure out who the $@%& we are! More tequila, please.
So, like we were saying, Nik 7 has been far too busy getting covered in goop and getting set on fire to write the newsletter, and therefore will also be too busy to defend himself as we go on a Nik-newsletter-wedgie rampage!
Butt seriously Π Shout Out Out Out Out are set to release their new record, Reintegration Time, which comes out March 3 (and in the US May 5). They kick things off this weekend in their hometown proud, including a second show on Sunday night they just announced because people are so excited. We're even hearing rumours that they'll debut their newly made video for "Coming Home", featuring Cadence Weapon. Nobody will want to miss that!
And if we can talk about absentees, the Top Spot goes to craftmaster Lyle Bell, who spent three weeks crafting exact replicas of their synths for the new video. Pretty amazing stuff. You can check out http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=11141 for some behind the scenes footage (or just go see it in full at the release shows this weekend. Ye'know).
For all the inside scoops on their Canadian and the USA tour dates, including a party pit stop during SXSW, see the dates section below.
Royal Wood is putting the finishing touches on his latest work, entitled The Lost and Found EP, which will be ready in early March. The recording, featuring piano, strings, and Royal's gorgeous vocals, is a gem of an album created to tie fans over until his full-length release in 2010. Pre-sales are just $10 and available through www.sixshooterrecords.com - all buyers will received a signed copy of the CD when it's finished. Dreamy. Royal will have this disc in hand when he hits the road again with Serena Ryder. See tour dates for more details.
We are hopped up to be releasing a new album from Melissa McClelland Ρ her third album and her first for Six Shooter. Entitled Victoria Day, Melissa and husband/producer Luke Doucet masterfully deliver us rebel-rouser guitars in 1950s Hollywood- style infused with a southern-country twang. The songs capture all of the beauty and charm of the girl next door while lacing the punch at the sock hop with home-made moonshine. We know you'll be fall down drunk in love with it and can't wait for you to see Melissa perform these songs live - check out her shows in Ontario with Justin Rutledge and shows out west with Jason Plumb.
It's almost March, and we're still discovering more 2008 year-end goodness. The Semi-Twang blog and playist named Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich as the Number 1 CD of the Year. And Penguin Eggs, the distinguished folkzine, named Justin Rutledge's Man Descending in the Top Ten Critics' Albums of the Year, and named Amelia Curran as the Number 1 Music Discovery of 2008. Yay for us! Top dogs Luke Doucet and Amelia Curran recently met for the first time in Memphis at the Folk Alliance, where Luke played the guitar workshop of his dreams with legends Albert Lee and James Burton. It was one of the highlights of his life as these two greats played on Luke's songs, The Day Rick Danko Died and Emily, Please. He'll take that inspiration on the road with him across the country on a national tour that starts this week.
She's been to Hollywood, she's been to Redwood, she's crossed the ocean with a heart of gold. Since the release of the smashing sophomore, Echoes, Jenn "the total fox" Grant has been leaving a trail of rave reviews in her wake. No longer heartbroken but emerging as a heartbreaker (ref: see gorgeous shots and smart stories from the cover of The Toronto Star's Sunday Arts section, hometown weekly The Coast, and Ottawa's Xpress), Jenn collects the acclaim from coast to coast. With her suitcase bulging, Jenn packed in appearances on CBC News Sunday, Canada AM, XM's Live at The Verge, CBC's Definitely Not the Opera, Q and Drive, while the Six Shooter posse caught up on stories in Exclaim, Metro, The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Sun and Chartattack. After a quick trip to Los Angeles for Grammy Week and a successful round of Ontario/Quebec CD release shows, Jenn has fled the country to tackle the UK press machine before returning to Ontario for a showcase during CMW. We hope the praise here in Canada echoes in the ears of our US compadres before her showcase at SXSW in March.
2009 is the Year of the Woman at Six Shooter, with a new Jenn Grant album already out, and new releases coming from Melissa McClelland and Amelia Curran. Add Six Shooterer Wendy McNeill and special guest Moriarty to the line up, and we've got one smoking hot bill. We are pleased to team up with Exclaim! Magazine to present the Songstresses of Six Shooter during Canadian Music Week at the Reverb on Saturday, March 14.
The Winnipeg Arts Council announced Christine Fellows as their selection for the new Artist-in-Residence public art project at Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum. They write, "As a gifted songwriter, composer, performer and multidisciplinary collaborator, Christine brings artistic integrity, creative energy and boundless curiosity to this exciting project." The goal of the program is to integrate artists and their ideas into City facilities to explore civic resources and history through the creative process. Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum works with a collection of artifacts that reveal the lives and culture of the Francophone and Metis communities of Manitoba, including a special exhibit about Louis Riel. The Museum is housed in the old Grey Nuns' Convent. Built between 1846 and 1851 for the Grey Nuns who arrived in the Red River Colony in 1844, the structure is an outstanding example of Red River frame construction and is in fact the Museum's principal artifact. Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum represents a distinctive and significant part of Manitoban and Canadian history. Christine will begin the residency on February 17 and will work with the collections and with the public at the Museum over a six-month period to create a new artwork.
So those of you who aren't familiar with that term, it's nothing dirty. Really. But who better to explain it than Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli, Selina Martin, Ford Pier and Ryan Granville-MartinThe Five Hold Band. Throughout the tour, they'll be performing songs from their new CD, Five Hole Stories (Zunior). Members of the One Yellow Rabbit Performance Troupe will be performing vignettes from the runaway smash erotic hockey play, The Five Hole Stories. And if that wasn't enough, the evening will begin with The Imponderables performing 20 mins from the new Bidini play, The Night of the Dogs, directeed by Ted Dykstra. It's part of the Passe Murraile Buzz series. See dates below.
Ok, I know that we are already firmly planted in 2009, and all of you are cruising around in flying Deloreans and eating freeze dried ice cream for every meal, but we can't truly say good-bye to 2008 until we brag about what a great year it was in Six Shooter land. The votes have been counted, the lists have been made, and here are a few nuggets for the highlights reel (you'll have to buy the blu-ray version if you wanna see the bloopers reel):
The Independent (national UK newspaper) included Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich in the Best Rock, Folk & Jazz Albums of 2008.
High Fidelity author Nick Hornby picked "Cleveland" from Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich as one of his Top Ten Songs of 2008.
The National Post named Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows as of their Best Albums of the Year.
Toronto Star named Luke Doucet's BloodΥs Too Rich as the#1 Unforgettable Music Moment of 2008.
Exclaim Magazine's Wood, Wires, Whiskey Best of 2008 named four Six Shooter albums in their Top Ten: Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows(#2), Justin Rutledge's Man Descending (#5), Luke Doucet's BloodΥs Too Rich (#7), and NQ Arbuckle's X O K (#10).
Amelia Curran's War Brides hit #9 in the Montreal Gazette's Top 20.
The Hamilton Spectator included Luke Doucet's BloodΥs Too Rich in their Best Of Year End Review.
Winnipeg Free Press writer Rob Williams put Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows in his Top 10.
NQ Arbuckle's X O K got Vue Weekly's Eden Munroe's vote for Album of the Year.
Eye Weekly listed Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows in the#2 spot on writer Adam Radwanski's Top 5.
ChartAttack put Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows as #13 on their Top 20.
Wendy McNeill's A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living was #1 on CKUA's Top 100.
CKUA's Top 100 of 2008 also included Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich (#9) and Justin Rutledge's Man Descending (#32).
The Top Ten "no fences" Albums of 2008 included Luke Doucet's BloodΥs Too Rich in the #4 spot and Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows in the #6 spot, plus an Honourable Mention to NQ Arbuckle's X O K.
The Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel's Top Spins of 2008 included Justin Rutledge's Man Descending (#6) and NQ Arbuckle's X O K (#14).
CKCU-FM's Dick Altavista's Favourite Recordings of 2008 put NQ Arbuckle's X O K in his #2 spot and Justin Rutledge's Man Descending in his #3 spot.
UMFM's Top 101 of 2008 had three Six Shooter albums in their year end list: Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows (#7), Luke Doucet's Blood's Too Rich (#16), and NQ Arbuckle's X O K (#26).
CFRE's David Pendrith put Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows in his Staff Top Tens of 2008.
Fazer.ca's Myles LaCavera named the Hawksley Workman/Hey Rosetta concert at Massey Hall on Nov 28 in his Top 10 Live Shows of 2008, and Nathan Allen named the same show at the London Music Hall on Nov 24 in his list.
And this just in... Exclaim Magazine's Fan Choice Awards just announced Elliott BROOD's Mountain Meadows as the #2 Roots Album of the Year.
All of Canada Canada will be echoing our praises praises when Jenn Grant launches launches her new record, Echoes , on February 3 on Six Shooter ooter ooter Records. Ha ha, get it?! I made some of tha wordz repeat there, like as though I was writing this in a high school locker room in the bottom of the Grand Canyon! Echoes Echoes! Jenn Grant's rippin' new album was recorded at Puck's Farm under the masterful hands of a chicken and a few talking pigs, oh wait, that was something else... this one was man-handled by producer/longtime Six Shooter pal, Jonathan Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn, Martin Tielli). The entire album was made with magnets! Cool hey?! What we mean, for those of you who don't remember the days before records were made entirely by Pokemons, is that Echoes was recorded to glorious tape, in the harmonically rich analog fashion! This of course also means that Jenn officially has what is known in the biz as "street cred". Hats off to the rest of the fantastic team of musicians who helped create this lovely record: Kinley Dowling on violin, Dave Christensen on bass clarinet, Sean MacGillivray on bass guitar, and Gary Craig on drums. As we have diligently documented, hurricane Jenn followed up her critically acclaimed debut, Orchestra for the Moon, with all kinds of bitchin' tours with Great Lake Swimmers, Hayden, The Weakerthans, Martin Tielli, Justin Rutledge and Danny Michel. Somehow in the eye of the storm (see what I did there?), she created this beautiful, classy gem of a record. It's like an Opalmerald, that's how classy we are talkin'.
The lovely Jenn "Grammy" will also be flying the Canadian flag alongside her new tunes when she jetsets all the way to sunny LA the week of Echoes' release. Jenn is one of three artists handpicked to perform for this special Grammy Week showcase on February 5 at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles, set up by our friends at CIRPA and Creative Control. Soon after, she will hit the beach and go for a little jog with Matthew McConaughey. Following that, she will return to Canada to treat fans to a full band extravaganza in Charlottetown, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Tickets for the Toronto show at the Mod Club (which has a 7:30 start time!) are on sale at Soundscapes, Rotate This, Six Shooter Art-Records-Gifts, and also on-line at www.sixshooterrecords.com. Kevin Hearn opens. Holy Moly.
Backstreet's back!!! Man, that rolls off the tongue so much more smoothly than "Shout Out Out Out Out are finally ready to release their sophomore album, titled Reintegration Time." But hey, regardless of linguistic complexity, we think the latter statement is still more exciting! So here, let me say it for real this time... Shout Out Out Out Out are finally ready to release their sophomore album, titled "Reintegration Time"!!!! The new album is a wonderfully dense step forward for the Shoutset, showcasing their constantly growing obsession with analog synthesizers and sad-sack vocoded laments. The 10 track epic of an album clocks in at nearly 70 minutes, and includes appearances from guest vocalists Cadence Weapon and San Serac.
Reintegration Time will be in stores on March 3rd, available on CD as well as vinyl in an amazing triple LP gatefold package.
Man on the move, Hawksley Workman, just returned from a month-long stint in Australia, where he was crowned the champion in several Koala Springs drinking contests, and now he's headed for the less balmy shores of New York City, where he will travel back in time to the days when New York Seltzer was still a popular brand of pseudo-soda. Hawksley plays in NYC TONIGHT at Joe's Pub (7:30)! Yaaaaah! Maybe afterwards he can head over to Canal street and try to hawk some watches (uh... yeah, I know). Next month Hawksley heads west for a select few dates, including a headline slot at the Commodore Ballroom for the Cultural Olympiad with Chad Vangaalen. They will be participating in the sport of vocal acrobatics... HAW HAW!
Immediately following her CD release shows, Jenn "Grammy" Grant and newest Six Shooterer Kevin "Hermy" Hearn team up to play some joint shows in Europe (whoaaa, joint shows brah! Like in Amsterdam duuuude). The UK and Holland welcome our artists with open arms as they take many of these stages for the first time, and consume several Chip Butties each. Europe veterans Elliott BROOD are also headed across the Atlantic, to play with the nether-regions in their pants, oh crap, I meant to say "play some shows in the Netherlands and France". How Embarrassing!
Have you ever promised someone that you would make them a Rap mix tape, and then you get half way through it and you just want it to be so good, with detailed notes on stylistic differences between different regions and eras, and the perfect blend of classic jams and new burners, and then it just becomes overwhelming and it never gets finished and you feel like crap because you promised? Well, lemme just say that it's been a great year for Luke Doucet with all the top shelf touring behind his chiefin' Blood's Too Rich album, and the subsequent tidal waves of rave reviews (aka tidal raves) across the world (except for the places that actually get hit with real tidal waves, because that would be in poor taste). He now gears up for a national headline tour, which will take him from coast to coast. Speaking of which, I have a tomato sitting on my counter that is gearing up for a tour of my sandwich from toast to toast. He (Luke, not my tomato) is pleased to welcome Amelia Curran on tour with him, whose album, War Brides, has also been making waves in the press and with fans. Get your boogie-boards now! And Tickets!
Memphis won't know what hit them. Our beloved Richard Flohil and his awesome comrada in arms, Shawna Cooper, have invited Six Shooter to showcase at their notorious Sweet Beaver Suite at the National Folk Alliance. We're not exactly sure what happens there apart from some great music, but luckily my high-brow level of humor is above making beaver jokes. So uh, oh crap... picante sauce, guitar pickin', whiskey soaked, Elvis!!!! Amelia Curran, Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, and Justin Rutledge all play back-to-back sets on Saturday, February 21, starting at 11 pm.
Luke and Melissa are also playing a show in Nashville on Feb 19 at The Basement (get there early as Melissa's set is at 8:30 pm). While in Dixieland, they'll also shoot a video for Luke's song, First Day (in the new hometown), which was written on his first day in Nashville when he and Melissa were living there for a time. Luke and Melissa have since realized that The Hamiltones is a way funnier band name then The Nashvillains.
The Five Hole Stories, consisting of tales of hockey erotica, was presented for the stage last year in collaboration with One Yellow Rabbit Theatre -- one of Canada's foremost experimental theatre companies. Now they're taking the show on the road. The production features dramatizations of stories in Dave Bidini's book of the same name, and music by the Rheostatics' Five Hole band: Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli, Selina Martin, Ford Pier and Barry Mirochnik. The dates on this run are:
February 16, 2009: Jack Singer Concert Hall, presented by One Yellow Rabbit, Calgary, AB.
February 24: Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, Yukon
February 27: Centrepointe Theatre, Ottawa, ON.
March 3: Grand Theatre, Kingston, ON.
March 4: Centre in the Square, Kitchener, ON.
March 5: Oakville Centre for Performing Arts, Oakville, ON.
March 6: Centre for the Arts at Brock University, St. Catherines, ON.
March 7: Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, Parry Sound, ON.
March 10: Rose Theatre, Brampton, ON.
As the temperature in Winnipeg keeps dwindling below the -24C mark (winter sucks winter sucks winter sucks), Christine Fellows suits up for the Barenaked Ladies Ships 'N' Dips cruise, which will head to warmer waters. On board are shipmates The Mountain Goats, The Weakerthans (no way!), Sloan, Great Big Sea, and scads more escaping the winter blues. Luke Doucet & Melissa McClelland are also on board, playing their own sets as well as accompanying Sarah McLachlan on her shows. And of course, BNL keyboardist and Six Shooter newbie, Kevin Hearn and his band, Thinbuckle, are also playing some sets. Hot times in the sun!
The Wet Secrets' cinematic drummer-cum-filmmaker, Trevor Anderson, is a pretzel of arms & legs after being accepted to Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, The Island. The world premiere of the film will take place sometime between Feb 6 and 18, amidst reams of handsome German men, fine beer and chocolate and a whole lot of ausfart-ing (and quite likely some einfart-ing too). Good luck, Trevor!
this Saturday, January 10 at 10am EST. If you're in Toronto and you would like to be a part of the GO! audience, get your FREE ticket at http://www.cbc.ca. Outside Toronto? Tune in to CBC Radio 1 to hear the show.
We loved opening Exclaim! Magazine's Wood Wires and Whiskey Year in Review and finding four of our releases in the Top Ten! How bitchin' are we? Apparently we are the woodiest, most wired, whiskey soaked gun slingers everrrr. Ten gallon hats off to Elliott BROOD, Justin Rutledge, Luke Doucet, and NQ Arbuckle for helping define the WWW genre (does this mean that we also have the internet going nuts? Yes it does). Cooler still is that this particular roundup puts our fellers in an elite list that also includes some of our fave bands, including Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Calexico, and the Drive by Truckers. I believe the term is "yeeeehaw".
Up against Oliver Shroer, Annabell Chvostek, and two of our brethren, Justin Rutledge and NQ Arbuckle, Luke Doucet walked away with the Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Album of the Year. For his victory dance, Luke took a cue from legendary Edmonton Eskimo Gizmo Williams and did a rippin' backflip. This was followed by a civil handshake for Oliver and Annabell, and a quite rude "In Yo' Face!!!!" to Justin and NQ. A pie-in-the-face retaliation is expected in the new year. What can we do? Brethren will be brethren!
We are mega hella stoked to bring Amelia Curran's beautiful album, War Brides, to the rest of Canada and beyond (watch for its European release in Feb 09), and it is making the expected waves amongst critics across the country. Best believe we are surfing those waves, you should see us "shoot the tube", as we say in the biz. Earning constellations of 4-star reviews, journalists are calling Amelia "Canada's newest great singer-songwriter". Find out more... check out an interview we just did with Amelia at: www.sixshooterrecords.com/six_site/experience/videopod.html , shot by Joanne Tickle.
After a smash show to a near sell-out crowd at Massey Hall a couple of weeks ago, Hawksley Workman takes his Manlicious show to the southern hemisphere where he will rock the mainstages of two of Australia's biggest festivals. This is of course if he can manage to pull himself from the natural wonder of a toilet that flushes backwards and the confusing language barrier of beer being pronounced BEEEAYAH! DonΥt get me started on the whole issue of not being able to find the venue because Hawksley uses the nighttime sky as his only means of navigation ( they have it all wrong Down Under). Assuming these obstacles are overcome, he follows the festival swing up with a string of club and theatre shows. See below for all the details.
(Oh, and as a testament and an apology, Hawksley rocked Massey so hard, he squeezed every last bit of juice out of those gifted vocals chords of his, causing him to have to miss his next two shows, which have since been rescheduled. See below for make-up dates).
Jenn Grant is on her way back to Ontario, this time to play some shows with one of our fave songwriters, Danny Michel. She is traveling by Pegasus, it will be quite a majestic journey indeed. Check them out over three nights at the Rivoli, a sweet night in London, and two great shows at the Blacksheep in Wakefield, one of our fave venues everrr (OK, oops, so we are a bit late in sending this out... but you wouldn't have been able to get tickets for those other shows anyway, because they were sold out!).
Make someone happy this Christmas with the gift of concert tickets. This of course would only kind of make me happy, since I have my heart set on a pig cuddling a dachsund or a hamster eating popcorn on a piano, but for those with less refined taste you can expect big grins for the following big tickets.
Luke Doucet follows up his James Blunt support slot with a headline national tour of his own, starting Feb 24 and running through to the first week of April.
Jenn Grant releases her chiefin' new CD, "Echoes", with a string of shows in all her favourite places (yes, this means that if she doesn't play your town, you aren't her fave. Enjoy that lump of coal!), starting Feb 11 in Charlottetown.
Martin Tielli leads a triple bill of his dearest friends, including BidiniBand and Selina Martin. This show is on Jan 31 for London, ON fans only!
And coming up right away are some hot New Year's Eve shows in Toronto and Edmonton. Check out Elliott BROOD and NQ Arbuckle at Lee's Palace, pop some Cristal, and celebrate!
We are very excited about all the new studio projects we have in the works for 2009. Melissa McClelland puts the finishing touches on her album in January to prepare for an April release. Same with Kevin Hearn. And Dave Bidini unveils his new solo project, Bidiniband, in the spring as well. Justin Rutledge heads north to Huntsville to create his next masterpiece with our own Hawksley Workman in February. Luke Doucet has the entire month of June set aside for recording his next album. Royal Wood and Hawksley Workman are also both going into the studio in 2009. It's going to be a busy, beautiful year.
Torontonians (and visiting lesser global citizens) should make the trek east to visit us at our store (1118 Queen St. E.). We've got a great selection of dirty Santa Claus cards (we so naughty!), great music biographies (I hear that Neil Young joint is a gooder), a fantastic CD selection (we gots a ton of Six Shooter releases! For real!), tons of great gifts (umbrella-ella-ella-ella), and check out our expanding range of Six Shooter shirts in hot new colours (including electric puce!).
Royal Wood will once again be offering a piano lesson to one lucky ticket buyer to the December 5th show at The Mod Club. The winner will also receive sheet music to one of Royal's own songs, handmade and signed by Royal himself.
After a sold-out show at Hugh's Room in August, Royal shared the bench with an excited apprentice at the Gibson Show Room. On a cherry red Baldwin piano, they practiced reading music, playing scales, and finished off the lesson with a newly learned song.
All you have to do for a chance to win a piano lesson with a master (or to win it for someone else - 'tis the season, after all) is buy a ticket to see Royal play at The Mod Club - which you were going to do anyway.
British author Nick Hornby, best known for his novels High Fidelity and About a Boy - both made into major motion pictures - and arguably the biggest music fan in the literary world, has admitted his own fidelity to Luke Doucet. Last week, The New York Times blog ran Hornby's personal playlist for 2008, in which he names "The Comandante", from Luke's album, Blood's Too Rich, as his number three pick of 12 songs. This is totally awesome! See what I mean about not knowing things instinctively? I would have just gone ahead and assumed that dude's number three pick would be Bruce Hornsby & The Range, but no, it's our lil' buddy Luke!
Check out these musically informed kind words:
"Doucet's album "Blood's Too Rich" sounds to me as if it comes straight out of 1977 - not the Ramones/Talking Heads/ Clash take on that year, but the Graham Parker/Dire Straits/Tom Petty version of it. Somehow, punk managed to reinvent rock music too, made it sound fresher and less pompous. Doucet is a terrific guitarist, as fluid and as melodic as Mark Knopfler back in the day; but he's a proper songwriter, too. "The Comandante" has even been accepted as a substitute for Queen, on a good day, and now weΥre approaching the awards season it must stand every chance of picking up the coveted Non-Glads Song of the Summer prize."
You can check out the full article here.
We had heard a lot about Amelia before, and how really, she is the ultimate Six Shooter poster girl, but I guess we were a little slow on the uptake. I guess we better start making those posters stat! Two years after its self-release, we are very proud to stamp our girl-on-the-horse-in-a-hamster-ball on Amelia's beautiful album, "War Brides," featuring ten exquisite songs that are sometimes delicate like a baby shrew's ear, and harsh like a wild dingo's toenail, all at the same time. Amelia sold 7000 copies of this gem off-stage and on consignment throughout the Maritimes, and we are very pleased to bring the album to the rest of Canada and to Europe. Those of you in Toronto are invited to see Amelia open for Royal Wood at the Mod Club on Dec. 5, and tickets are available at www.sixshooterrecords.com.
Six Shooter is also thrilled about our new co-management deal of Amelia with Halifax powerhouse promoter and festival producer, Heather Gibson. Amelia and Heather are so frickin' awesome that we almost can't stand it. Sometimes we have to have little time-outs in the office so that we can compose ourselves and stop yelling "HEATHER AND AMELIA KICK ASS, BUY A NOVELTY GREETING CARD!!!!" at anyone who walks into our store looking for a Luke Doucet toque or whatever.
It's going to be a Six Shooter Bonanza in Toronto at the end of the month while Luke Doucet plays the Air Canada Centre on Nov 27, Hawksley Workman plays Massey Hall on Nov 28, the same day that Justin Rutledge kicks off his Incredible Shrinking Tour. Similar Six Shooter love-ins happen all over the place as our tours collide:
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE'S INCREDIBLE SHRINKING TOUR: Justin takes his band on the road to play the beautiful songs from his new disc, Man Descending, hitting many of our favourite spots in Ontario and western Canada. Jenn Grant opens many of these dates. Starting on November 28, the final leg of the Man Descending tour features five Toronto dates inspired by the shocking sensation of taking a dip in a freezing cold lake, aptly titled the "Incredible Shrinking Tour" - five straight shows at decreasing capacity venues across the city, starting at the Horseshoe Tavern, then moving to Hugh's Room, the Dakota Tavern, the Cameron House, and culminating in a final night at the diminutive Not My Dog, appropriately located in Parkdale.
Bring yourself up to speed on Justin by checking our new interview piece with Justin Rutledge, created by our friend Joanne Tickle: here.
LUKE DOUCET HITS THE ARENA CIRCUIT: Meanwhile, Luke Doucet is preparing himself for a tour of a very different nature as he takes the White Falcon out with our favourite heartthrobby Brit, James Blunt. To put it bluntly, these are big shows. Sorry, I honestly lack the part of the brain that allows me to stop with the bad puns. Gah! Every day is a winding road.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN ROCKS MASSEY + MORE: We were all "Hey Hawksley, get to work man!", so Jesse Zubot, Brad Kilpatrick, Derrick Brady, and Mr. Lonely start rehearsals next week for a spate of upcoming dates in Quebec, Ottawa, London, Buffalo, and our mother church, the one and only Massey Hall. He then jets off to Belleville to work with kids from Dave Reed's class. We are also excited to announce a show in New York City for the first time in ages... tickets to the Dec. 5 show at Joe's Pub are moving very fast, so get yours today here!
IT'S A GOOD ENOUGH DAY FOR A PIANO LESSON WITH ROYAL WOOD: Royal Wood will once again be offering a piano lesson to one lucky ticket buyer to the December 5th show at The Mod Club. The winner will also receive sheet music to one of Royal's own songs, handmade and signed by Royal himself. After a sold-out show at Hugh's Room in August, Royal shared the bench with an excited apprentice at the Gibson Show Room. On a cherry red Baldwin piano, they practiced reading music, playing scales, and finished off the lesson with a newly learned song. All you have to do for a chance to win a piano lesson with a master (or to win it for someone else - 'tis the season, after all) is buy a ticket to see Royal play at The Mod Club - which you were going to do anyway. Get tickets at www.sixshooterrecords.com, doors open at 7 pm. Amelia Curran opens (YAAAAAAH!!! AMELIAAAAA!!!!). Also watch for dates at the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, QC, and in Montreal.
ELLIOTT BROOD + NQ ARBUCKLE: Elliott BROOD is back in these parts, doing some shows here and there, oftentimes joined by their compatriots NQ Arbuckle for some foot-stomping good times. It's crazy, every time that one Elliott dude has a foot-stomping good time, bass notes play! What is the deal with that anyway?!?!
DAVE BIDINI DOES IT ON TUESDAYS: We totally enjoyed seeing our beloved Dave Bidini back in action with his new band, fellow/former Rheostatic Don Kerr, Doug Friesen, and Paul Linklater. BidiniBand is getting road-ready (via a weekly jammed-house residency at the Cameron House on Tuesdays from 7-9, which has been extended through to the end of November) in anticipation of Dave's solo debut, due out in the spring. The group will highlight tracks from their forthcoming "Land is Wild" release as well as new favourites and a selection of Rheo standards. Have we mentioned that the Cameron House makes a mean crantini (if you're rich/girly enough to drink something called a crantini)?
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need people in just about every city to sell merch or hand out flyers and generally be helpful, especially with the upcoming Luke, Hawksley, and Justin tours. Interested folks should please e-mail jack@sixshooterrecords.com. You will be rewarded with so much love.
FROM THE LOWER 9th WARD - A NEW EXHIBIT AT SIX SHOOTER
The ongoing heartbreak of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is in part due to the desperately slow rebuilding process. While public and private projects await resources, citizens of New Orleans live without schools, daycares, community centres, and most importantly, homes. Aid groups and not-for-profit organizations from around the world have joined local forces, and the stories they bring back from the Lower 9th ward remind us that the storm's effects are still day-to-day realities for many residents.
Judith Coombe, our dear friend and colleague from Starfish Entertainment (managers for The Sadies, Blue Rodeo, Skydiggers, Oh Susanna), went to New Orleans last April to assist in the rebuilding of a Head Start Centre in the Lower 9th ward, an experience that changed her life. These photos are from that journey. With this exhibit, Jude hopes to raise both awareness about New Orleans' on-going struggle to rebuild itself after Katrina and funds to furnish the daycare with musical instruments. She will return to New Orleans in the spring of 2009 for another rebuilding trip and to hang out with rapper Lil' Wayne and the Cash Money Posse (that last bit stretches the truth a Lil'). She now knows what it means to miss New Orleans.
Head Start is a Federal program for preschool children from low-income families. The Head Start program is operated by local non-profit organizations in almost every county in the country. Children who attend Head Start participate in a variety of educational activities. They also receive free medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks, and enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in a safe setting. Head Start helps all children succeed. Services are offered to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. Most children in Head Start are between the ages of three and five years old. Services are also available to infants and toddlers in selected sites.
FROM THE LOWER 9th WARD opens on November 13 at Six Shooter Art*Records*Gifts (1118 Queen St. E.) at 7 pm.
Two creations from the fertile imagination of author and former Rheostatics founder Dave Bidini are due to bear fruit on equally disparate fronts. We've already mentioned Tuesdays at the Cameron (see above), and on Friday, November 14th, the Harbourfront Gallery's exhibit, "Blueblood," curated by Dave Bidini and Andrew Hunter, will open to the public. "Blueblood" is an artistic study of the history and psychology of the Toronto Maple Leafs through prose, paintings, mixed media, video and a thrilling new 21 minute audio soundtrack written by acclaimed new music composer Paul Steenheuisen.
Our very own Melissa McClelland was perhaps the only guest musician to appear on "Blue Road," Blue Rodeo's latest release containing a live acoustic set recorded at Massey Hall and a DVD with all kinds of delightful treats. Melissa lends her voice to two tracks, "Know Where You Go" and "Tell Me Your Dream." In usual Blue Rodeo style, the whole package is gorgeous.
SIX SHOOTER HAT TRICK AT CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS
Six Shooter artists dominated the category of Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, with three of our albums nominated in the category: Not like we're surprised, we are some folky dominatrices after all. Justin Rutledge's "Man Descending", Luke Doucet's "Blood's Too Rich", and NQ Arbuckle's "X O K." The fourth annual Canadian Folk Music awards gala will take place on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the Arts & Culture Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland. You can bet there will be some dresses with cowboy boots up in that jawn! Visit canadianfolkmusicawards.ca for more info.
Since buying a house in steel town, Luke celebrates his new 905 area code with four Hamilton Music Award nominations, which are handed out on Sunday, Nov 16 at Hamilton Place. Man, they have awards for everything these days don't they? Luke dukes it out with Fred Eaglesmith and Daniel Lanois for Male Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, stands en guarde against Kathleen Edwards for Adult Alternative Album of the Year, and duels pal Colin Cripps for Guitarist of the Year. Something tells me these duels will be more of a love-in than a glove slapping "I demand satisfaction" type of stand off.
We always love seeing the dreamy hunk machine Royal Wood, especially if it's on the big screen. The First-ever Canadian Independent Concert series produced in HD (whoa! The future!). Series 2 Features: Alex Cuba (Hometown: Artemisa, Cuba/Smithers, British Columbia) featuring special guest Ron Sexsmith shot at Hugh's Room, Toronto, and Royal Wood (Hometown: Lakefield Ontario) shot at the Cameron House, Toronto.
www.cineplex.com has the exact times for each theatre on the list. Search under movie title "Fall HD Concert Series - InDef Sessions Series 2" to find participating theatres. Most showings are at 9.30pm, Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre has two showings at 6:45 pm and 9:30 pm, and all take place November 19. Royal popcorn!!!
Music afficionados from all over the world gathered at the Aufsturz Klub in (ha ha, funny name!!!) Berlin during Popkomm to catch the gorgeous sets of music by Six Shooter artists Jason Plumb, Royal Wood, Melissa McClelland, and Luke Doucet. What a fine night punctuated by pretzels and mayonnaise! So many great people from the UK, Europe, and North America were in attendance, that we have dubbed them the International Babes of Glory (IBOGs for short). Great music, great pals, and good times, kind of like an Ikea ad or the impossible-to-get Christmas special issue of Martha Stuart Living. Next up was Edmonton, where our Six Shooter prez headed straight from Berlin to celebrate the WCMAs in her hometown, waxing on in panels about artist management and how to get the most out of your music conference experience (this included a high five with Normals Welcome exec Jason Troock, who was also on the panel!), and yes, reveling in the delightful company of even more IBOGs.
Congrats to the Weakerthans for picking up three awards, and to Spirit of the West, for their induction into the WCMA Hall of Fame.
In other festival news, Shout Out Out Out Out killed it over at the CMJ music marathon in NYC, playing 3 shows and 1 DJ set over the weekend and showcasing a bunch of new material from their upcoming sophomore album. Have you seen how much gear these guys are bringing out to their shows these days? Imagine setting all that crap up in a 15 minute festival changeover! That's some high impact synthesizer love! The Wet Secrets also rocked CMJ, highly visible around the Lower East Side in their kooky marching band outfits! CMJ was a highlight of their trip, which was plagued by mishaps and dubbed by them as "retourded". Running out of gas, having their vehicle broken into, getting lost in Brooklyn, and occasional barfing punctuated their trip with sad face emoticons. Tighten those chin straps gang, it'll all work out in the end!
Photos by Judith Coombe
Opens Thursday, November 13, 2008
Reception 7-9 pm
Sponsored by Cajun Corner
Six Shooter Art
1118 Queen St. E
t: 416-465-2459
A photographic journal of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, three years after Hurricane Katrina. All proceeds from sale of photos will go to the Head Start program.
The ongoing heartbreak of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is in part due to the desperately slow rebuilding process. While public and private projects await resources, citizens of New Orleans live without schools, daycares, community centres, and most importantly, homes. Aid groups and not-for-profit organizations from around the world have joined local forces, and the stories they bring back from the Lower 9th ward remind us that the storm's effects are still day-to-day realities for many residents.
Judith Coombe is an Artist Manager at Starfish Entertainment in Toronto. In April of 2008 she headed to New Orleans to assist in the rebuilding of a Head Start Centre in the Lower 9th ward, an experience that changed her life. These photos are from that journey. With this exhibit Jude hopes to raise both awareness about New Orleans' on-going struggle to rebuild itself after Katrina and funds to furnish the daycare with musical instruments. She will return to New Orleans in the spring of 2009 for another rebuilding trip.
She now knows what it means to miss New Orleans.
HEAD START
Head Start is a Federal program for preschool children from low-income families. The Head Start program is operated by local non-profit organizations in almost every county in the country. Children who attend Head Start participate in a variety of educational activities. They also receive free medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks, and enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in a safe setting.
Head Start helps all children succeed. Services are offered to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. Most children in Head Start are between the ages of three and five years old. Services are also available to infants and toddlers in selected sites.
We are the kings and queens of touring, trumping all those wimpy deuces and one eyed jacks. Oh my, I need to be shuffled and dealt with (being a card and all). Anywho, this fall is busier than ever for our road hungry artists. Cha-check it:
MARTIN TIELLI: He's back in the saddle, playing horsey on five dates in Ontario this week. You can purchase tickets for all dates at www.sixshooterrecords.com. Jenn Grant grants her presence as the fabu opener. For those of you wondering about the final two discs from the Subscription Series... they will not be ready in time for these dates; however, the over-long wait will be over soon, we swurr. Martin has finished the music and the art, and now the project is in the hands of mix engineer, graphic designer, and manufacturers, who were last seen playing stacker at an undefined Ontario truck stop (thus the extended wait). We expect it to be in your hands by Christmas along with one of those giant candy canes that wind up covered in cat hair before you even get close to finishing it.
LUKE DOUCET AND THE WHITE FALCON: Juno-nomo Luke Doucet's hard-playing, hard-touring efforts have won praise from the hardest-nosed critics (straight up woodpeckers) in Canada and south of the border (by a few feet at least). Luke stepped up to open for James Blunt at the Hummingbird Centre in February in what was a last-minute call to the rock n' roll bullpen, and lemme tell ya, he hummed like a bird! The invitation to return for the entire tour this time around is a testament to Luke's ability to rock like a magic kiss. To put it bluntly, Luke rulez. See what I did there? Check out Luke Doucet and the White Falcon at an arena near you!
LUKE DOUCET & MELISSA McCLELLAND: The Douce and Melly Mc-C are hitting the airways with an upcoming six-week stint in Europe that kicks off with a spot on the Way Out West Festival in Paris, France. Luke and Melissa then join Oh Susanna for a theatre tour in the Netherlands, which isn't to say they are actors (also not saying that they aren't). Stops in Berlin (for Popkomm and pretzels), the UK (for chip-stuffed haddock, hugely popular among English ex-pats) and Italy (for, uh, ravioli?) are also on the itinerary.
ELLIOTT BROOD: is currently on a western Canadian tour of packed houses, many of the dates with labelmates NQ Arbuckle. Check out their tour blog on www.exclaim.ca. The minute they finish in the west, Elliott Brood jump on a plane and head to Europe. They will high-ten post boarding. Check tour dates.
ROYAL WOOD: Royal Wood is also heading to Europe, and will also be playing at Popkomm, the UK (being royalty and all), and some theatres in the Netherlands (not acting / just acting). In November, he heads home to go on some hot dates with the lovely Jill Barber in western Canada and east coast cities. Dinners to be followed by movies.
JENN GRANT: Immediately following the dates with Martin Tielli, Jenn heads east for a lurvely small theatre tour of the east coast, which she will do with her NFLD compadre Amelia Curran. Jenn Grant thinks this whole newsletter thing is KWAZY. Wait Τtil she sees our grooming habits.
CHRISTINE FELLOWS: The brainchild of Christine Fellows, Kim Barlow and Old Man Luedecke, the Pan-Canadian New Folk Ensemble is a 19-date embodiment collaboration within the music community. Hailing from the Yukon, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, they will share the stage with accompanists on violin, cello and percussion, backing each other up through two round-robin sets of brilliant, shimmering arrangements of original songs. See tour dates below. Volunteers needed to help at the merch table! Friends in Windsor, On, Wayne, AB, Atlin, BC, various Yukon locales, Vancouver, BC and Salt Spring Island, BC, can contact caitlin@sixshooterrecords.com if you are able and willing.
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT: are out of the studio and back on the highway, with shows from London to Montreal in late October with brand new labelmates Stereo Image along for the ride. The band will then cross provincial and national borders with additional stops in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and a set of US shows, including an appearance at New York's music frenzy also known as CMJ. From the Windy City to Canada's windiest intersection, Shout Out Out Out Out will once again sniff out their mark on the Midwest. As a warning, the Shoutset boys are now bringing out their most extensive live setup ever, with enough analog synths to make any gear nerd cry.
THE WET SECRETS: After reigning as Edmonton's Sonic 102.9 Band of the Month, discovering a strange effigy of themselves out in B.C., and done with replaying their homemade video for "Get Your Own Apartment" on NME.com, everybody's favorite band of marching-pottymouths are out of the house to take in the fall colours. Kicking it off with two shows in Toronto and Ottawa, with We Are Wolves, The Secrets go solo in Montreal before heading down to New York City to collect indie-rock moustache samples and to dole out their brand of homo-centric guzzzzz rock at their first CMJ Marathon. WeΥll be tracing the blog trail throughout the week. A dish of beer will eat all slugs. I learned this on beautiful Salt Spring Island.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN: Hawksley brings in a full band to rock the tunes from his excellent new album, "Los Manlicious", with tour dates in Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, London, Buffalo, and Toronto's Massey Hall. ItΥs going to be tourlicious. Get it? Hey Rosetta opens most dates.
SONGS FROM THE AVE: Alberta Avenue is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Edmonton, once being the very outskirts of a city that would soon swallow up its neighboring town of Beverly. Now perched on the doorstep of a revitalization project, how do we connect the rich past to the darker present to a brighter future? If these sidewalks could talk, the stories they would tell. If these streets could sing, the songs we would hear. Connecting the past to the present gives people the foundation to envision a better future. Resident songwriters of this neighbourhood, including Scott Peters, Terry Morrison, Chris Wynters, Brent Oliver, Paul Bellows, James Murdoch, White Cats, Captain Tractor, Joe Bird, Dr Blu, and Barry Westerlund, connect tales of long time residents, unsung stories of the harsh streets, and find a way to a future of this vibrant community. Six Shooter Records is pleased to release this compilation album on September 30.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN REMIX: our favourite song, "Fatty Wants to Dance", was remixed by The Paronomasiac (aka Shout Out Out Out Out frontman, Nik 7). Not only is this RMX a certified dancefloor banger, it also reflects The Paronomasiac's high brow sense of humour with its repeated use of the word "ass". Listen here.
LUKE DOUCET SINGLE: With the American election coming up in November, we are releasing Luke Doucet's track, "I Wish I Was American", which will be available digitally in the USA on Oct 4 and in Canada on Oct 14. Hopefully someone south of the border reciprocates with "I Wish I Were Canadian" in time for our own federal election!
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT: After a summer spent in the studio working on the yet untitled, but totally amazing follow-up to "Not Saying/Just Saying", Shout Out Out Out Out are ready to release a new single, "In the End It's Your Friends", on vinyl (and digital download stylez, but we know you are discerning listener who will keep it real and buy the wax), which will be a split 12" with touring pal San Serac. Each artist offers a vastly differing view on the concept of friendship. Available on Oct 21.
STEREO IMAGE: Out today! Our affiliated electronic music label Normals Welcome Records hits you with yet even more straight up fire! Former Junior Boy Johnny Dark and resident disco singer San Serac formed Stereo Image in 2006. The sound? Two-step synth rock where the sheer unreadability of Robert Palmer meets the emotional terror of Robert Owens. "And no sad sack DJ is gonna bring us down".
If you haven't done so already, don't forget to pick up a copy of Wendy McNeill's new album, "A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living", and also Hawksley Workman's album, "Los Manlicious", which was chosen as Disc of the Week by both the National Post and the Globe & Mail. We are killing it, lemme tell you!
LUKE DOUCET: NPR's "All Things Considered" raved about Luke's latest disc, "Blood's Too Rich" last week. Check this out: www.npr.org. Luke Doucet was also seen "rocking out" on CMT, who debuted Luke's performance on the Dakota Sessions last month and continue to have the segment on rotation.
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE: Justin Rutledge is interviewed and has his music featured in "The Book Lady", a documentary about country music legend and pop-culture icon Dolly Parton's campaign for children's literacy. We are definitely down with children's literacy, considering that kids today can't seem to spell anything other than LOL without their spellcheck thingamabobber turned on. The film had its International Premiere at the 28th Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 20 and will air nationally on CBC-Television, Bravo! and Book Television (dates TBA).
ROYAL WOOD: The Ro-yal Πmeo Wood video for "Juliet" will be screened at a Bravo!FACT event as part of 2008 Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in Toronto at the Music Gallery (197 John St.) on Saturday, October 4 from 6:52 pm until sunrise. Going back a few syllables, that was supposed to be a Romeo and Juliet joke, but now that I look at it, Ro-yal- meeeeooowww is pretty funny too. Certainly more feline, although I have no idea if Royal is a cool dog person or a creepy cat lady type of dude, I'll have to ask him someday. The program of 16 Bravo!FACT-funded shorts loops continuously all night. The event is free and open to the public. In other great news, "Royal Wood Live at The Cameron House" will be shown at select Cineplex Theatres across Canada. The Cameron House makes a mean 9-dollar crantini. The series also features the Great Lake Swimmers, Alex Cuba and Joel Plaskett. Check out the trailer at: www.youtube.com.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN: Los Manlicious' first single, "when you gonna flower?", has been released to radio and is already getting play on commercial stations across the country, including Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. Call your local rock station and request it today! Or else!
Maybe it's too much time dialed into CBC Radio 1, but Hawksley Workman is fixated on the next election and how imperative it is that young people get out and vote (can anyone say, "regretting a second term for George Bush?). In an effort to not make the same mistake as our American friends, Hawksley Workman will be making stops at campus radio stations across Ontario to talk election issues and to encourage students to fill ballot boxes across Canada on October 14. There will be interviews, round table discussions and even a live broadcast from The University of Guelph. Seriously, there has been a lot of attention placed on the upcoming US election, but us Canadians can not afford to lose sight of just how important our own federal election is! I have it on good authority that the bad guys even want us all to listen to shitty music! That ain't right!!!! The madness must end!!!!!!
We just got back from a whiskey-soaked weekend in Nashville, TN, where Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, and Justin Rutledge took Music City by storm. Whiskey-soaked. Whiskey-soaked. Whiskey-soaked. The occasion was the Americana Music conference, where we hobnobbed (uh, how do you spell hobnobbery?) with all kinds of radical dudes, like T-Bone Burnett, the BBC's Al Booth and Bob Harris and hit-me-with-your-best-shot Eddie Schwartz. We especially loved the event we co-sponsored with Starfish Entertainment, which had all three of our stars on stage with Jim Cuddy trading songs and high fives, backed ably by hot sauce guru Rich Levesque on bass and Glenn Milchem + Ken Coomer on drums. Incredouble (that's like two incredibles). Shout outs to Caitlin North and Robbie Bowen for all your help and to the staff at the Second Fiddle for being such great hosts. Limp Bizkit is a dumb band, by the way.
POPKOMM HERE WE COME!
There are two things that kind of piss me off these days (yes, only two). Damn it! I already forgot one! Well, the other thing is that kids today call records "vinyls". When and how the hell did this happen?! Oh yeah, the other thing is that when I grew up, "FTW" was always an acronym for "F*ck The World". It was a cool thing to write on your jacket or knuckles or shave into your high op fade or whatever, but nowadays with this stupid internet thing, it supposedly means "for the win". That sucks. They would never let this happen in Berlin, and that is exactly why we'll be packing up the banner again and this time hanging it in glorious Germany for Popkomm. We are pleased to present a label showcase at AUFSTURZ KLUB (Oranienburger Str. 67, 10117 Berlin-Mitte) on October 8 with Jason Plumb (9:30 pm), Royal Wood (10:15pm), Melissa McClelland (11 pm), and Luke Doucet (11:45pm). We will be the ones talking your ear off about how hilarious it is that the parking garages say "ausfahrt" or whatever on them. HA HA, FARTS ARE FUNNY!!!!
We love contests. We also love human rights!!! Six Shooter Records is excited to contribute a Prize Package stuffed with tickets to our most electrifying live shows in Toronto this fall in support of Amnesty International's Small Places initiatives.
Enter your bid to win 2 tickets as well as coveted Six Shooter swag these sure-to-be sold-out shows:
Martin Tielli w/ Jenn Grant - Hugh's Room, September 27
Christine Fellows - The Music Gallery, October 16
Shout Out Out Out Out w/ Stereo Image - Lee's Palace, October 30
Hawksley Workman - Massey Hall, November 28
Six Shooter Records is excited to contribute a Prize Package stuffed with tickets to our most electrifying live shows in Toronto this fall in support of Amnesty International's Small Places initiatives.
Enter your bid to win 2 tickets to each of these sure-to-be sold-out shows:
Martin Tielli w/ Jenn Grant - Hugh's Room, September 27
Christine Fellows - The Music Gallery, October 16
Shout Out Out Out Out w/ Stereo Image - Lee's Palace, October 30
Hawksley Workman - Massey Hall, November 28
We'll also include the following fancy Six Shooter swag:
2 Hawksley Workman "Fatty Says Dance" t-shirts
A CD pack including all participating artists
Other great Six Shooter gifts
The Small Places Tour is Amnesty International's most ambitious global music and human rights project since the Human Rights Now! Tour in 1988, and will feature hundreds of concerts and events around the globe between September 10th and December 10th (Human Rights Day).
The Tour marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ('UDHR').
Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt's famous "small places" speech in 1958, musicians are being asked to raise their voices in song and action in support of Amnesty's UDHR 60 Campaigns which focus on making the promise of universal, indivisible human rights a reality for all.
The Small Places Tour is unique in that artists worldwide can participate to raise funds and awareness by performing benefit concerts, tabling, offering premium-seating packages, or auctioning off meet & greets and other unique fan experiences during their regularly scheduled touring cycle.
Elliott BROOD will be on KEXP 90.3 FM in Seattle. Listen live on September 22, 2008 on WWW.KEXP.ORG @ 6pm EST. The stompin' sounds of Elliott BROOD will be streamed at kexp.org for two weeks after the broadcast, so don't miss it!
Can you believe this whole Bigfoot discovery thing? Like, when did you ever think you'd be turning on CNN just to watch a press conference about Bigfoot. Wait, don't answer that. And then there's also this crazy pink beaked thing that washed up on the beach, and the chupacabra photo, and all this freaky monster crap. Y'know what I think? All the spooky monsters are trying to warn us about the Large Hadron Collider!!! I never thought that I'd actually be scared of getting sucked into a black hole in my lifetime. More on that later. But for now, all I wanna say is that one measly Bigfoot (which is probably just a rubber gorilla suit encased in ice) is nothing compared to three Big Ass record releases, which is exactly what we are fronting in the next month or so! Damn, that's the kind of segue that would make George Dubya wipe out on his Segway!
Throughout his growing 10-album career (with two of those being released this year!), the Juno-award winning Hawksley Workman has bridged gaps between indie-rock to hip-hop, country to anthemic rock to soaring love sonnets. Dude is focused. His new album, Los Manlicious (Universal), recorded a couple of years ago already, was released in Europe earlier this year, and now Canadian fans will finally get to experience this full-on rock extravaganza for themselves. You may not have figured this out unless you are a particularly astute reader, but Manlicious is an amalgamation of the words "man" and "delicious". It's actually a Spanish word that loosely translates as "triple fudge brownie of street-cred studliness". The new Hawksley album is hit after hit and you will love it like a tropical rainstorm (in my head that was a weird "joke" about El Niño, and how it somehow relates to Los Manlicious... uh, get it?). Radio is already starting to pick up on with the opening track, "when you gonna flower?". Our answer? Right frickin' now! Yowza!
Edmonton-born Wendy McNeill is back at the bellows with her new release A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living (September 9). Wendy's music breathes through the accordion, and the result is certainly breathtaking. A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living creates a kingdom ruled by velvet glove and iron fist. Catch our folk noir star across Canada in September. She's gonna have to wear one of those blinky bike lights so that we can see her, that's how noir her folk is, I'm tellin' ya.
Our affiliate electronic label Normals Welcome Records is coming on strong in the coming months as well, starting with a bumpin' release from their new signing, Stereo Image. Stereo Image is made up of Boston based Normals Welcome artist San Serac lending his captivating lyricism and Bowie-esque vocals to the dense electronic craftsmanship of Hamilton based former Junior Boy, Johnny Dark. Their debut collaborative effort is titled S/T, and we don't mean it's called Stereo Image, we mean it is called S/T. Quirky hey?
MORE BITCHIN' TOURS THAN POSSIBLE LHC CATASTROPHES
Ok, really, I am obsessed with this Large Hadron Collider thing. Have you heard about this thing? It seems to have somehow flown under the radar for a lot of people. Basically, there is this giant 27 KM radius atom smasher thing in Cern (near Geneva) whose whole purpose is to try and re-create the Big Bang! Uh, what?! Possible side effects are that, well, it DOES re-create the big bang and the Universe is destroyed, it creates a black hole that sucks the Earth into oblivion, it creates unpredictable invisible matter called "Strangelets" that give us all wobbly salmon arms or something, and a bunch of other equally terrifying cosmic disasters. All these physicists have been working on it for years and their comeback to public horror over the possible badness seems to range from "this kind of shit happens in deep space all the time, so we should be cool" to "ah, whatever, no matter what you won't feel a thing". Greaaaat. The whole shebang gets going when they flip the on-switch on September 10th. Holler at DJ Google and you can find a live webcast to the end of the universe on that day. And hey, since we are counting down our last days of existence, we might as well get in a bus painted with flowers and follow Six Shooter artists on tour straight into the white light! Check out these magma hot tours:
Christine Fellows and the PanCanadian New Folk Ensemble. After summer days spent at both ends of our nation, festival to festival, Christine Fellows takes her own mini-ish festival on the road. She'll collaboratively tour and play with two other amazing Canadian songwriters - the Yukon's folk hero, Kim Barlow and Nova-Scotian storyteller, Old Man Luedecke. The trio will be backed by the finest, multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists, as they take their PanCanadian New Folk Ensemble on the road from Quebec all the way up north to the Yukon. I'm not too good with geography, but that's gotta be like a hunnerd miles at least! A mouthful in itself, catch an earful of the PCNFE in one of the tour date cities below. Don't forget to pack a PCNFE basket and hide it from Yogi Bear! HA HA HA.
Martin Tielli. Is he back? Yes! After a triumphant appearance at the Ottawa Bluesfest as part of the Six Shooter Finale, Martin is ready to hit the stage with a full length set showcasing the best of his solo work, songs from his iconic band, the Rheostatics, and new works featured in the final two discs of his long-awaited subscription series pieces, entitled The Ghost of Danny G, Part 1 & 2. Will these discs be ready in time for the September shows? We sure hope so! (but we've learned to not be definitive about deadlines). East coast chanteuse Jenn Grant joins Martin for five dates in Ontario in September. Check the tour dates section for details.
Elliott BROOD. Unleashing their fantastic new disc to the people of western Canada, Elliott BROOD is tuning up the van (this tour is in C minor boys!) to hit the road in September for another national tour. The BROOD boys invite NQ Arbuckle to join them in SK, AB, and BC. Don't miss it! Then they fly direct to Europe, where they will wow asses there with their kick-audience live show. Oh wait, other way around...
Luke Doucet heads stateside with fellow Winnipeggers, The Duhks, playing a handful of dates with them before heading to his recent stomping ground of Nashville for the Americana Music festival and a Los Angeles show later in September. Just like the BROOD boys, he then flies direct to Europe, where he is playing a festival in Paris called Way Out West, followed by a theatre tour of the Netherlands with Oh Susanna and Melissa McClelland called Americana Treasures. They are hoping to be rewarded with Netherlanda treasures.
Also heading to Europe is Royal Wood, who is playing Ireland, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and France. Guitarist Dean Drouillard accompanies Royal on this whirlwood tour schedule.
While her label mates jet off across the Atlantic, Jenn Grant heads home to play a 10-date theatre tour of the Maritimes. Joining Jenn on tour is poet/songstress and longtime friend, Amelia Curran. The two east coast goddesses will rock you. Halifax claims they invented the donair, but that is just ridiculous.
Hawksley Workman also announces a string of dates in Quebec, Ontario, and NY leading up to a headline performance at Massey Hall in Toronto at the end of November. Tickets are up on sale - get them now or be forever disappointed! The world is going to end on September 10th, and you don't want to be left wishing you had grabbed just one more set of Hawksley tickets!
Stay tuned for more news about tours with Shout Out Out Out Out, Stereo Image, the Wet Secrets, Justin Rutledge, Luke Doucet, and more.
To celebrate the launch of his second album in 2008, Hawksley is throwing a couple of parties in his home town at the Burk's Falls Town Theatre. He welcomes Six Shooter up north, with Justin Rutledge on Aug 21, NQ Arbuckle on Aug 22, and Luke Doucet/Melissa McClelland on Aug 23. There are still a limited number of tickets available at www.sixshooterrecords.com (seating is general admission). We like parties. I wonder if Hawksley is going to have Jello shots at his parties. I hope so. This one time I went to a birthday party where we watched that movie Breakin', and then we all danced our asses off afterwards, inspired by the cool dudes in the movie. I wonder if Hawksley's parties will be like that? I think they probably will, only with Jello shots because we are cool adults now.
Let's go see if Grimey's home (huh? What does that mean?)... we are just thrilled to be going back to the Americana Music festival in Nashville on the Sept 17-20 weekend, this time with three artists performing. Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland share a slot at The Basement on Thursday (Sept 18) at midnight, and Justin Rutledge rocks the Station Inn on Saturday (Sept 20) at 11 pm.
On Friday, Sept 19, Six Shooter teams up with Starfish Entertainment to present Jim Cuddy, Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, and Justin Rutledge in a raucous lunchtime set at the Second Fiddle on Broadway. It's going to be lunchtastic!
We are soooo cool. We have ipods and the internet, and all that cyber crap. Know what else we have? A PODCAST!!! We are so 2011! Next up, I'm going to try and find a bottle of wine that comes with a free one of those little doodads that counts how many steps you take in a day. I'll be a step counting robot with a cyber podcast thingy!
Check out these hella hype "webisodes":
At the Six Shooter Day at the Ottawa Bluesfest, Emily Smart asks friends and artists of Six Shooter, "What do the Blues mean to you?" Check out our first audio podcast. It's got a GREAT story by our revered hero, Mr. Richard Flohil (did he just say penis or pianist?!).
We also invite you to check out some radical footage taken by Caitlin Veitch of our NXNE Back Lot BBQ, which everyone knows is the party of the year (aside from all of the other "party of the years" that we throw at other times of the year. We are party masters and we will party your face off, so don't even try to step party pooper). video podcast Grandiose times!
The Barenaked Ladies now famous Ships and Dip cruise (this is their fifth year) is going to be extra awesome this year with the addition of Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, and Christine Fellows on board to perform this year. Other artist include Great Big Sea, The Weakerthans, The New Odds, Butterfly Boucher, Mike Evin, the Mountain Goats, and Sloan. OMG, this sounds like more fun than a jar of calcium pills! ZING! For more info, go to www.shipsanddip.com.
2008 was Six Shooter's hottest summer on record. Man, we have been having a ball! Kicking things off right was the Six Shooter NXNE Back Lot BBQ. Many thanks to the hundreds who showed up and downed beer, and sangria all day, listening to the beauty sounds of Six Shooter artists and friends.
Six Shooter Day at the Ottawa Bluesfest was a landmark day for all of us. When Mark and Paul invited us to have a day at their awesome festival/stage, we knew it was going to be good... but we were not prepared for just how good. From the moment we arrived in Ottawa, we were welcomed in style by the organizers, who provided a beautiful stage for Christine Fellows, Justin Rutledge, NQ Arbuckle, Luke Doucet, Elliott BROOD, and Martin Tielli. The piece de resistance was without a doubt the Six Shooter Finale, which had a crowd of musicians on stage giving the most electrifying set of music we have ever experienced. It was wicked awesome! In fact it was so wicked awesome, that we had the blogosphere going nuts! Check out the CBC Radio 2 Concert On Demand recording of the event, and a bunch of these bloggy accolades out:
We then made the trek to Guelph, where we had four artists on the stages of Hillside Festival, including Hawksley Workman, Justin Rutledge, Jenn Grant, and Elliott BROOD. Hillside is one of our most treasured festivals ever - we never miss a year. Many thanks to Sam for everything (and I hope your shoulder is all better now). And congratulations to Reuben for not making the tick incident an annual affair!
Then off to Edmonton to take in the grandeur that is the folk festival there. With Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet & the White Falcon, and Royal Wood all in tow, it couldn't have been a better year. What a line up!
2009 is already shaping up to be one of our best years yet, at least that is what we are thinking judging by the projects we have going on in the studio right now. Jenn Grant is working with Jonathan Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn) at Puck's Farm, making a fully analog record (that means she is making a record using magnets! Like in the olden days!). Melissa McClelland is about to go weave some tales at Canterbury Studio with producer Luke Doucet ("okay, what we are gonna do here is drop out the bass... and then when it comes back in it's gonna be huuuuuuge!"), and Royal Wood is heading to Montreal to record some tracks with famed and acclaimed producer, Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan). On the other side of the country, Shout Out Out Out Out have been working hard on their latest masterpiece which has taken 2 months longer than expected so far, resulted in some ridiculous and nerdy studio "video diaries" on their myspace page (www.myspace.com/shoutoutoutoutout), and gone through a good half dozen working titles.
In a different kind of studio, our Shoutset Artists in Residence, Gravy and Jack Wolfskin, are hard at work ruffling feathers with their head turning art. The boys will be busy hanging their art pieces for the Cockfight Artshow, September 19th at Edmonton's Studio E, celebrating 8 years of rocking the art scene in the 780.
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland perform at a Fundraising Concert & Garden Party on August 24 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm in Millgrove, ON in support of Bridges to Community Canada to build houses in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, where over half the population live below the poverty line. Many live in houses made of scrap wood, metal sheets and plastic. Bridges to Community works with local masons and families to build new cinderblock homes, providing them with better protection against flooding, earthquakes and disease. These homes cost only $4,000 to build, but give a family security and dignity that is priceless. To purchase tickets, contact Sadie Bauman, sadie@ic3.ca
We couldn't be more pleased that Mark and Paul from Ottawa Bluesfest invited us to host a Six Shooter Day on the Blacksheep Stage on Saturday, July 5. Like, gimme a break, our own stage for a whole day?! It's going to be a helluva party! We are storming up the 401 (like lil' dust bunnies fleeing from my new Swiffer thingy... I'm sayin', adult power moves this year) in droves for performances by Christine Fellows, Justin Rutledge, NQ Arbuckle, Luke Doucet, and Elliott BROOD. And to top off the day, everyone will join together in a grand finale of good tunes and good times, and slammin' high fives from all of us suits in the audience. The cat is out of the bag (and it's kind of mangy): the Six Shooter Finale will also feature 5-6 songs by our favourite son, Martin Tielli, who will be giving a rare performance of his solo material.
Ottawa isn't the only city to welcome Six Shooter to their fantastic city this summer. In fact, we are totally going to rage at some other festivals in Canada too, even though they didn't give us our own stage for a whole day. They are probably scared of us because we are like level kabillion elves and mages with an entire satchel full of 20 sided dice, and they are just silly level 4 barbarians that are still "learning the game" and always get lost in the ancient maze temple. Know what I'm sayin'?
Oh, you wanna know which festivals we are conquering? Well, this is how I remind youuuuu! That was a Nickelback joke, by the way. Hillside Festival in Guelph (home of lyme ticks, watch yer ankles!) welcomes Hawksley Workman, Elliott BROOD, Jenn Grant and Justin Rutledge. Edmonton Folk Music Festival has invited Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet, and Royal Wood. We also have Justin and Royal playing in Peterborough, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland in London, ON, Luke Doucet in Lyons, CO, Jenn Grant in Vancouver, Wendy McNeill in Calgary, Justin in Dawson City, Christine Fellows at Sappy, Hawksley in Perth.
We've already destroyed a few festivals this summer since our last deeply engaging newsletter, including Elliott BROOD and the Wet Secrets at Sled Island, Hawksley in Burlington and Ottawa (July 1). Shout Out Out Out Out got all modal wit' it at a couple of jazz festivals, joined by Elliott BROOD at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Summer lovin', I'm tellin' ya.
By the way, is it aluminum or tin that gives you Alzheimer's? I can never keep that one straight. Is it cool to just open a can of beans and put it straight on the grill, or am I going to be forgetting that I did that, just because I did that?nale will also feature 5-6 songs by our favourite son, Martin Tielli, who will be giving a rare performance of his solo material.
Journalists have been rubbing their sweaty opinionated paws in glee at the release of new albums by NQ Arbuckle and Elliott BROOD, most notably by Exclaim! Magazine, who put our BROOD boys on the cover of their paper this month. They look extremely dark and mysterious on the cover, but believe me we have actually seen them smile at least twice. Ok, well maybe once, I think the other time was just a suppressed yawn or a banshee howl or something. In any case, regardless of mysterious auras, wild enthusiasm for X O K and Mountain Meadows has been sweeping across the land, with glowstick waving rave reviews in The Globe and Mail, Eye Weekly, Uptown, FFWD, and tons more that we'll totally tell you all about next time that we hang out. We were pleased as a pineapple soaked in Vodka and ready for the grill when we saw Mountain Meadows as one of NOW Magazine's Perlich's Picks, and the Edmonton Sun describes it as "living with both total sparseness and power somewhere between the Pixies and Johnny Cash...5 out of 5." Love for our NQ is similarly high in Alberta, where the Edmonton Sun also gives X O K a 5-Star Review, and Vue Magazine offers up one of our favourite quotes: "X O K plays like a bar fight that's getting dirty because the stakes are so damn high." Edmonton is soooooo cool. We love Edmonton. We think Edmonton should get dark and mysterious photo on the cover of Exclaim!? Magazine. And a "get out of winter free" card.
Now in its third year, the coveted Polaris prize has amped up its fanfare this time around with the announcement of its first-ever Long List... celebrating their 40 favourite albums of the year. We were very pleased that Christine Fellows' fourth disc, "Nevertheless", and Justin Rutledge's third album, "Man Descending" were both included in the Long List. Hopefully they make it as Shawties, so we can by them a drank. Wait a sec, do you people get T-Pain references, or am I wasting my time? Am I polarizing my audience? Wait a sec, do you people get puns or am I wasting my time? Why does everything have to be so complicated? Wait a sec, do you people get Avril Lavigne references or am I wasting my time? Ad nauseum. (wait a sec, do you people speak Latin or am I wasting my time?)....
Luke Doucet's fantastic new record, "Blood's Too Rich," is now available in the USA through Ryko Distribution. Luke is going to celebrate by buying one of those sweet neon guitars with a built in handle cut into the body (you don't even need a CASE maaaaaan!). The party south of the border has just gotten started, with recent appearances on the Joey "not the guy from Friends" Reynolds Show (NYC's most popular late night radio show with a listenership of 4 million people!), the Mitch Album Show, SIRIUS satellite radio, and a ton of blogs plus the USA Today's podcast. Phew! The blood is indeed too rich! It's like an Alberta oilsand thing that makes it so KFC offers bigger signing bonuses to 16 year olds than most major labels offer sweet R&R bands, and they don't even commission on coleslaw tips! Great print reviews are starting to roll in for Lucky Luke as well, including the Pittsburgh Tribune, who raves: "as sly as Doucet is as a lyricist, he's even better musically, falling somewhere between John Hiatt and fellow (pseudo) Canadian Neil Young." I can't tell you how much pleasure it gives me that someone referred to Luke as "sly" in print. Can I also now say that he is foxy? Like Luke "sly fox" Doucet? Our Amurrrrrican friends in Chicago and Detroit can catch Luke live next week. Oh say can we see some more USA dates in September? Yes, yes we can.
We are still recovering from a week of intense good times had by all in Toronto during our hometown festival of NXNE. The jello-shots party started with a performance by our newest addition to the Six Shooter family, the Wet Secrets. This was our first time seeing the Wet Secrets in all their glory, and we were freakin' the frick out with delight in what we saw on the stage. The show got supremely hot when they kicked in with our favourite tune, "Get your own apartment," and we had to use all of our self-restraint to not storm the stage in kitty-cat outfits and dance it up, and then the Horseshoe positively bugged out with the grand finish of "Rock Fantasy." Um, it was a rock fantasy come true. Barf.
Then we raced over to our favourite watering hole (we actually have lots of favourites, but for this scenario we are just naming one), The Dakota Tavern, for the Six Shooter Records showcase starring Melissa McClelland, NQ Arbuckle, and invited guests from South Africa via the UK, Chris Letcher and his band.
We killed it, we always do, but you know that already right?
The next day had us at the Gladstone for a moving performance by Soccer Mom Records' artist and friend, Jason Plumb. We never stop, we are whatever by whatever marathon runners. Next up was a beautiful set from Royal Wood and his lovely band, who captivated the audience and captured the attention of chartattack.com, who later gave him a 100% scorecard, and you can see for yourself at Royal's upcoming Toronto show on Aug 14. The night wrapped up beautifully with a handsome performance by Justin Rutledge at the SIRIUS-sponsored night at the Reverb. Justin is a golden god.
As if this wasn't enough fun fare, we all got up early to get ready for our personal main event, the third annual Six Shooter Records Back Lot BBQ, held in the back yard of our store on Queen St. East. This thing is always straight up buck wild, but this year was even bucker and wilder than ever. Our jam was so packed that even if 'Every Rose Has It's Thorn' had come on, it would have already looked like were all slow dancing in the gym. Many thanks to the artists who made the day such a grand occasion, with fantastic music from NQ Arbuckle, Elliott BROOD, Jason Plumb, Hey Rosetta!, Hawksley Workman, Melissa McClelland, Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge, Oh Susanna, Chris Letcher, Royal Wood, and Dog Bus (a bus for dogs).
Our most "free swag" loving management clients, Shout Out Out Out Out, have spent the last month in the studio recording their follow up album to the Juno Nomo 'Not Saying / Just Saying'!!! This is of course thrilling news, and we are pleased to report that the boys are silly with excitement over how well the studio process is working for them this time around. Alongside another batch of vocoder driven dance numbers about how shitty real life is, there are going to be guest vocalist appearances by the Shoutset's good pal Cadence Weapon and labelmate San Serac.
If you have ever wondered what it is like to be in the studio with Shout Out Out Out Out, or if you are a total nerd that cares about things like analog synthesizers and synching midi beat clock to tha thingamajig, then you should immediately make your way to the band's myspace page where they have been posting a completely mundane and idiotic series of "studio diary" videos! You will surely be enthralled by the level of dementia that occurs after spending hours upon hours listening to extremely loud techno in a tiny underground box. Aaaaaaand, you will be able to preview some of the new material that Edmonton's flagship electronic act have been obsessing over for the past month! Yayeeeeee!
Oh, and also, if anyone feels like delivering a wheelbarrow full of cash so that front man Nik 7 can finally afford to get around to pursuing the recording of the debut album by his "solo" act The Paronomasiac, please do so post haste!
Also in the studio this summer are the amazingtastic Melissa McClelland and Jenn Grant. Collaborating with husband/producer Luke Doucet of Hamilton (a.k.a. Sly Fox) for the third time, Melissa McClelland hits the studio in July. And we are pleased to be working with famed producer Jon Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn, Martin Tielli) again as he readies for a production with Jenn Grant in August. 2009 is going to be a very hot year! We are bringing mesh back! And the shot glass bullet belt / two-six holster as worn by Steve of Beverly Hills 90210! And frozen bananas on a stick! And tandem bikes! Ok! Maybe not tandem bikes! That shit's tacky!
If you're looking for a new way to celebrate our mantra, "Life is too short to listen to shitty music," (thank you, Bobbi Beeson), then you might want to pick up a brand new Six Shooter t-shirt, now available in all manner of fabulous summer colours, including Pomegranate, Galaxy blue, and Dijon. Is anyone else hungry for a pomegranate, blue cheese, and mustard sandwich right about now? We've got new kids shirts in tomato red, too.
Earlier in this newsletter, if you were paying attention, which we know you weren't since you are watching the first season of The Wire while you read this because you are so sick of all your friends talking like drug dealers from Baltimore and going on and on about "character development", we leaked the news that Martin will be performing a short set at the Ottawa Bluesfest during the Six Shooter Finale... but that's not all! Gingerly, we make a hesitant announcement that it looks like the subscription series is probably going to be finished and ready for mail out in September. Convincing hey? But really, we have heard the music, we have seen the paintings, we know that the end is near. And the end is only the beginning... of a beautiful relationship! Awwwwwwww! Get this, we even have some club dates booked in the fall so you can celebrate with Martin at some hella chiefin' live shows. Stay tuned!
OK, first off before we do anything else, even though we really have to pee, and something is burning in the toaster oven, and we forgot to turn off the garden hose after watering the begonias, this definitely comes first... if you live in Toronto and haven't already got your tickets for Justin Rutledge's show tonight at the Trinity St. Paul Centre, go to our website (www.sixshooterrecords.com) and order some now. We didn't invent the internets so that you could just sit around looking at semi-depressing photoshopped Garfield cartoons ya know; our primary goal was to set up a lean mean ticket sellin' machine! Plus, Justin's show is going to be a beautiful night and a packed house, and we really really really don't want you to miss it. Y'see? We really care deeply about YOU, the crazed Rutledge fan with hella backne, and we most definitely have your back. Melissa McClelland starts the night at 8 PM. Beauty.
Then, next, not unlike an Orange Julius, we want to whip you into a frenzy of eggs and Tang (uh... yum?) over the upcoming release of NQ Arbuckle's new album 'X O K'. I think the title is code for "smooching is cool", but that is speculation, since I am only really comfortable with Binary and Morse, and not so much with the Romantic Drunk Guy code.
Can you believe there were three shark attacks in Mexico over the last month? And to think I was worried just because I stepped on something slimy when I was there! What a woild. Anyway, homie's third release is going to blow your mind, it's so good. Tha 'Buckle is the kind of feller that you can meet through a random mutual acquaintance, sit down with, pound a few, and talk about whatever, and even if you don't know the guy well it's going to be interesting and possibly fun (depending on the strength of your stomach lining/liver). Maybe that's why NQ's bandmates John Dinsmore, Mark Kesper and Peter Kesper, and producer Luke Doucet are joined by a kabillion guest artists from across Canuckistan such as red wine enthusiast Carolyn Mark, Spiderman enthusiast Jason Sniderman, Irish Whiskey and Brood enthusiast Jameson Elliott, handsomeness enthusiast Justin Rutledge, boat-docking enthusiast Ford Pier, David Lynch enthusiast Miranda Mullholland, New Zealand enthusiast Chris Church, and Luke Doucet enthusiast Melissa McClelland to collaborate on NQ's best work yet (that being the one about the acceptability of smooches). NQ Arbuckle unveils X O K on Wednesday, June 11 at the Dakota Tavern.
As usual, we have NXNE on lock. We pretty much run the show here in the center of the frickin' universe, so step down sucka. If Toronto was Kanye West, we'd totally make the rest of the country be our band and play in a pit while we did some serious interplanetary partying. Oh wait, we already kinda do that. Six Shooter's effect on NXNE is like a rock n' roll goiter with no iodized salt for miles around. Know what I'm saying? I'm saying check it out:
**The Wet Secrets. From our beloved, perpetual underdog of a creative hotbed, the slightly-mighty 780 (that's Edmonton), comes a secret that's just waiting to get all wet in your ear hole. Not only is it wet and probably needs wiping, it wears a marching band uniform, and it smells oddly like Lyle Bell (Whitey Houston/Shout Out Out Out Out). Lyle's newest band, The Wet Secrets, has all kinds of kooky shit, like two buxom horn players, Donna Ball and Kim Rackel, an organ player with a ridiculously apt name, Doug Organ, and ex-Vertical Struts drummer, Trevor Anderson. We've had our eye on these parading pop-lock-and-rockers for quite some time. After hearing their kitchen-recording, Whale of a Cow, we couldn't help but sign up and suit up (we're talkin' Power Suits Ladeeeeeeez) when it came to distributing their bitchin' Rock Fantasy (May 13, Rodeo Peanut Records). It's an energetic, driving homocentric fuzz rock record with a sense of humour. Drummer Trevor has also racked up the praise as a gay filmmaker with his two recent releases, Rock Pockets (starrring Nik7 of Shout Out Out Out Out in the role of "good sport despite not fulfilling the gay part of the deal"), and "Dinx", featuring bandmate, Lyle Bell as a pole-dancing stripper, and music by Nik 7. I'm not entirely sure of what I'm trying to get at here, but basically what I wanna say is: do not miss Rock Fantasy, live and in person during NXNE. It will be one of the best damn shows of the festival.
Thursday June 12, 10 PM @ the Horseshoe Tavern
**Melissa McClelland. We are pleased to welcome home our newest addition to our roster, Melissa McClelland. Really, it's about time. We have always been impressed by Melissa's spiritedly delicate (is that like a sweet and salty type thingy? Like one of those yogurt pretzel things?) music that comes from an appetite for adventure (and possibly destruction, since that goes so well with appetites of any kind), a flair for heartfelt storytelling (and flair itself) and a voice that is part siren and part outlaw. Y'know what's a funny word to say repeatedly? Spiritedly spiritedly spiritedly spiritedly. Melissa also likes tofu almost as much as me, so she is totally in the cool books. Joined by her band which includes Six Shooter vet (and her own lil' lovercakes) Luke Doucet, Melissa kicks off the official Six Shooter Records NXNE label showcase at our home town bar, The Dakota Tavern.
Thursday June 12, 11 PM @ the Dakota Tavern
**NQ Arbuckle. The night's headliner is no one other than our beloved NQ, who wraps up a two night celebration over the birth of his new CD, X O K. It's gonna be hot. Daddies makin' babies always is.
Thursday June 12, midnight @ the Dakota Tavern
**Chris Letcher. South African Chris Letcher isn't actually associated with Six Shooter but we think he's dope, so we have invited him to close off the night. Don't miss it, Chris won't disappoint. He's from South Africa for chrissakes, what more do you people need?!
Thursday June 12, 1 AM @ the Dakota Tavern
**Jason Plumb. You don't want to miss Soccer Mom recording artist Jason Plumb (The Waltons) in a rare Toronto performance. The deliciously sweet sound of Jason's voice will leave you swooning. For a second there I changed the word "swooning" to "farting" and I totally LOL'd (for real), but then I realized that this was completely inappropriate and changed it back. Crisis averted.
Friday June 13, 11 PM @ The Gladstone
**Royal Wood. Following Jason is another favourite with a voice like movie theatre popcorn with two squirts of "topping". Fresh off the Sarah Slean national tour, Royal Wood and his dreamy band will enchant you like a hurricane.
Our annual Back Lot BBQ is now an annual NXNE tradition. With our co-partiers at XM Satellite Radio, Steamwhistle Brewery, and the girls at Damzels in this Dress, we are going to have more fun this year than ever before! Join host NQ Arbuckle in a stellar line up which includes Chris Letcher, Oh Susanna, Jason Plumb, Hawksley Workman, Justin Rutledge, Elliott Brood, Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, Royal Wood, Hey Rosetta (maybe), and introducing Dog Bus (Danny Michel-produced teenage brother duo who have a bunch of great songs about dogs and buses! Um, I'm pretty sure nothing can really top that). We'll be grilling and drinking and maybe even grilling drinks to see what happens. Usually this fiasco of a party winds up resulting in some of the most ridiculous photos of Six Shooter staff possible. Anyone who captures a photo of Helen with Cheetos up her nose this year wins a prize. RSVP to fire@sixshooterrecords.com.
Saturday, June 14, 2 Π 6 PM, Six Shooter Art-Records-Gifts (1118 Queen St. E.).
When your canvass smells like cigarettes and it's a finely painted, delicately detailed, genius made work of art, it can only be the work of Six Shooter's own Martin Tielli. Six Shooter Gallery is proud to house The Ghost of Danny G, an aptly titled series of paintings and drawings inspired by Martin's painstakingly recorded The Ghost of Danny G record, as part of Tielli Subscription Madness - which is almost done, we promise (HA HA HA... ouch). We'll celebrate Martin's new exhibit NXNE style at our Back Lot BBQ on June 14 (see above).
Elliott BROOD have a brand new record coming out, it's called Mountain Meadows, and it's a summer socker knocker! Since stomping their way into the hearts of music fans with giant metal cleats in the form of their E.P. Tin Type and then with the debut of their full-length and Juno nominated album, Ambassador, which had a neat fold-out thingy in the artwork, Elliott BROOD have been on an unending trek across Canada, the US and Europe. In fact, they have recently arrived home from a two and a half week tour down in Australia where they boxed Kangaroos and got their asses kicked ('Roos are tougher than you think, and they spit out poisonous spiders!!!). Come to think of it, the BROOD have toured Europe so much that they now speak 11 different languages between them, and in the US, the state troopers wave them through over every border crossing.
Of course, on top of all that Carmen Sandiego globetrotting business, Elliott BROOD have driven cross-Canada so many times that they could probably draw you a perfect map of the Trans-Canada (this would be a boring map) and all the tributary highways with their own gas stations and burger joints (and hacky-sack parking lots). Somehow dudes slipped away just long enough during all of the their non-stop touring to piece together a new album out of all places that you didn't feel safe pulling over to take a look at for yourself. It was in those places that they found the origins for their latest release, Mountain Meadows. Along the way, they added those little things you find when you pull over so often you feel as though youΥll never make it home. They found themselves adding the sounds of horns, ladies (hott), pianos, highways and trains. The record is full of legendary shady characters, but they seem less menacing when lit by their sunny neighbours, especially when joined by some ragtime piano. You can find it all in Mountain Meadows. Set it and forget it.
Get your tickets for their release show(s) now through www.sixshooterrecords.com: June 20 & 21 @ the Horseshoe Tavern.
New Yorkers are in for a treat with not one but two upcoming Luke Doucet shows: Monday, June 16 at Union Hall backed by Melissa McClelland, and Thursday, June 19 at Joe's Pub with full band in tow. That's two BIG APPLES folks! Kinda like the ones Luke has in his pants! WHOAAAAAAAA! It's gonna be BANANAS! WHOAAAAAAA!!!!
Calling in from Frankfurt, Germany, the lovely Christine Fellows reports that German beer and chocolate are better than ours, as she suits up for a month long tour with the Weakerthans in Europe. The Winnipeg posse will hit all the hot spots, including The UK, Netherlands and Sweden. The last time C. Fellows made a serious road trip commitment with the Weakerthans was during their US tour this spring, where there last stop was NYC. She returns to the Big Apple to singsong her way on air with NPR's "Fair Game" and WNYC's "Soundcheck". See tour dates for more details.
At the Kanye West show, Rihanna wore this one outfit that totally looked like the android dude from Red Dwarf's face. I think it was probably sexy for dudes who argue about hypotenuses and stuff. Really though, this is why we love the summer. Well ok, it's more because of BBQs and music festivals, of which our artists always hit in full effect! Some are really busy for us, like Hillside in Guelph, who welcomes Hawksley Workman, Elliott BROOD, Jenn Grant and Justin Rutledge. Edmonton Folk Music Festival has invited Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet, and Royal Wood.
We also have Justin and Royal playing in Peterborough, Luke Doucet in London, ON and Rocky Mountain, CO, Jenn Grant in Vancouver, Wendy McNeill in Calgary, Justin in Dawson City, Elliott BROOD and the Wet Secrets at Sled Island, Christine Fellows at Sappy, Hawksley in Burlington, Ottawa (July 1), and Perth. Shout Out Out Out Out is doing a couple of jazz festivals, joined by Elliott BROOD at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival... I'm sure we missed a couple in there, too. The one we are most excited about, though, is the Ottawa Bluesfest, who has hired just about our entire roster, and invited them to play on a special Six Shooter day on the Black Sheep Stage. We are all going to be there, so don't miss out. Join us in the nation's capital on July 5.
If Sarah Harmer, Serena Ryder, Hawksley Workman, Great Lake Swimmers, Danny Michel and loads of special guests were to band together for The Blue Revue, you'd want a ticket, right? Not only would you see a great show but you'd also be supporting a good cause - The Blue Marble Music Fund. The fund was created in honour of friend and music aficionado, Bonnie O'Donnell, who made the best of this crazy business we're in and always showed us the good side. The mission of Blue Marble Fund is to help advance musical education providing funding through scholarships, bursaries and awards to musicians. It all happens Thursday, June 19 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. For more info and tickets, visit www.bluemarblemusicfund.com.
Justin's third album, "Man Descending" hit the streets April 8 and people are like totally freaking out about it. I even saw a kid using a copy of the cd as a tool to open up a fire hydrant so they could rejoice in its greatness while being pummeled by water as powerful as Justin's smokin' tunes. Phew! The kid was pretty good at that whole "freestyle rap" thing too. Itunes made Señor Rutledge's banger, 'Everyone's In Love', their single of the week, and Toronto's Now Magazine just gave it a splendertastic NNNN review. That's what they call stars in the centre of the universe.
We also discovered that the dude in charge of the England Arts Council has a favourite songwriter, and it is none other than our very own Justin Rutledge. We are shocked and amazed that this upper class Brit would have a colonial for his favourite songwriter, and so now we are hoping that one day Justin can become Sir Justin Rutledge, just like Sir Elton John or Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Oh, and for those of you wondering where Justin got the racy title for his CD, we can ask you to please get your mind out of the gutter and know that it was taken from a collection of short stories by Canadian novelist Guy Vanderhaeghe. Vanderhaeghe, delighted by the title Rutledge chose for the CD, returned the compliment by sending the singer signed copies of two of his novels.
The official Toronto CD release party of this fine disc has just been announced for FRIDAY, May 30 at the Trinity St. Paul Centre. Melissa McClelland opens. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at Ticketmaster, Ticketpro, Soundscapes, Rotate This, Six Shooter Records Store (1118 Queen St. East), and www.sixshooterrecords.com.
Y'know what I think of when someone mentions marching band uniforms, moustaches, potty-mouthed sailor talk, and the tuba in the same sentence? Edmonton! More specifically, Edmonton's The Wet Secrets, the latest "best-kept-secret" to leak out of the Northern Alberta talent pool. Like a lot of Edmonton exports, The Wet Secrets boast an impressive "members of" list (Shout Out Out Out Out, Whitey Houston, Whitsundays, Vertical Struts), and song titles that will make your mom blush and CBC Radio 3 hand out awards ("Grow Your Own F*cking Moustache Asshole"). Known locally for such stunts as writing, recording, and releasing homemade Cds within remarkably short periods of time, May 13th will mark the release date of The Wet Secrets first "official" album release! The fully-stunning semi-debut "Rock Fantasy" will be released on the band's own Rodeo Peanut Records (managed by Six Shooter), and then they'll be taking their moustache ride across Canada. See tour dates below!
-- Hawksley Workman embarks on a headlining tour of Europe, with his full band in tow, hitting the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Holland. Hawksley plans to sample pastries in each country and his band will determine which country is the pastry capital of Europe by carefully monitoring the Hawk's facial ticks and changes in mood upon consumption of each morsel. I hate the word morsel, why did I have to write that? Morsel morsel morsel morsel. Speaking of morsels... fans at these shows will be the first to be able to pick up a copy of Hawksley's fantastic new disc, Los Manlicious, which is not yet available in Canada.
-- Longtime pals and collaborators Luke Doucet and Oh Susanna tear up Europe with Rich Levesque and Cam The Super Drummer Man doing double rhythm section duty. Rich and Cam have watched National Lampoon's 'European Vacation' 134 times in anticipation of the trip. They just want make sure that they are fully ready, and besides, it's been a great bonding experience which has helped them feel comfortable being on tour with a pair of longtime pals and collaborators.
-- Jenn Grant heads to the UK/Italy. She was just going to do a few shows here and there, but ended up with a ram-packed schedule with only a few days off. I gotta say that Jenn Grant has really stepped up to the plate with her constant touring. She's like a modern day Natty Gann (although really I can't remember what that movie was about at all other than that there was a journey involved... or was it that Journey did the soundtrack... damn memory!) Check it out below.
-- After a mighty tour of the USA with her hometown Winnipeg pals, The Weakerthans, busting out mega jams and wowing crowds in preparation for the release of her jaw-dropping "Nevertheless" stateside May 6, Christine Fellows returns home to empty her suitcase (she only packed pretzel crumbs) and clean house (pretzel crumbs get everywhere) for the arrival of artist supreme/projector queen Shary Boyle. I havenΥt seen anyone rock an overhead projector like Shary Boyle, she pretty much blows away the competition for me (of course the competition for me so far has consisted mostly of junior high science teachers). The two head off to Regina for a rippin' show at the Dunlop Gallery. Speaking of fine art, Christine might have time to critique some of them purdy pictures while on tour in Europe with, surprise surprise, her best pals... wait for it... The Weakerthans! These dudes loved Christine's music so much that they've invited her along on their month long trek overseas. This will be Christine's first European tour! Watch out for the rhinos Christine, they are EVERYWHERE!!!! See tour dates.
Except Royal & Justin, who are kicking it up in Canada
-- Royal Wood takes his beautiful release, "A Good Enough Day" on the road across Canada, visiting some cities for the first time since its release last year, with the Baroness herself, Sarah Slean, who has a beautiful new album (with a beautiful new single called "Get Home"). This is going to be one beauty tour.
-- Justin Rutledge has developed the ultimate high five technique, even cooler than (I know this sounds impossible) the over-under-high-to-low five popularized in the film Top Gun. In a level of secrecy on par with the Freemasons, Justin has only allowed one other person to be privy to this advanced high five method, and that lucky peer is the one and only Kathleen Edwards. So yeah, they are touring together (of course).
We are very stoked to be presenting Mavreen David's photography show, A Road Less Traveled which has great photos of a historic road - the mother road -- Route 66. The images leave an impression of desertion and emptiness, but allude to a time where the sites and sounds boomed and the route thrived. The series was captured during the making of the music documentary, "Pedal to Steel - Melissa McClelland's Route 66." This is part of Toronto's CONTACT photography festival from May 18 - 25. The artist will be in residence (which means free wine!) on May 22, from 7:00 - 10:00 PM. Join us at 1118 Queen St. East.
So there we were, all crouched under tables and bracing ourselves in doorways in anticipation of the earthquake-tastic accolades that we know are imminent in light of the release of Justin Rutledge's fantastic new album, 'Man Descending', when we get blindsided by the figurative bus of a frickin' Juno Nomo for his previous album for 'The Devil in a Bench in Stanley Park'!!! Dude can't be stopped! Justin took a quick hiatus from his tour with Kathleen Edwards so that he could celebrate by doing the "I'm the king of the world!" arm stretch on top of a mini-bus, like that guy from that movie 'Into The Wild', only we know that Justin would totally have gotten the moose meat cured in time, know what I'm sayin'? Once he finished proving that existentialist point, he went to Calgary to party down for the Juno festivities. After watching label-mate Luke Doucet block some shots on goal in the Juno Cup on April 4 (along with Shoutset's Gravy), Justin and Luke both headed to Palamino for the Six Shooter Records showcase at Junofest. Good times!
Man Descending is out in Canada on April 8, in the USA on May 6 and also in May in Europe.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN FINISHES CANADIAN TOUR; HEADS TO EUROPE
Hawksley Workman finished up his national, sold-out tour recently, which took him coast to coast. Dude is so golden right now, like a freshly polished set of custom grillz. We were sad to say goodbye as his crack band dispersed throughout the country like amoebic dysentery (waitasec, is that the allusion I'm going for?): Jesse Zubot to Vancouver, Mr. Lonely to Toronto (by himself), Dave Christensen to Halifax, and singer Ruth Cassie to Huntsville (population Helen). Good thing they will all rejoin on a tour through Europe, which starts on April 29 and ending when he damn well feels like it. Imagine if Hawksley always walked around like he does in that video for "Jealous Of Your Cigarette" video. That would be funny.
Jenn Grant is going to Europe, too! She will play a residency in London, UK, as well as some dates in Ireland and Italy. Jenn just doesn't stop! Sometimes we have to check to see if she is wearing one of those camel back water bottle backpack thingies full of Red Bull or something. We have put together an exciting scavenger hunt for Jenn to accomplish on her travels (hmm, I guess we better tell her about that...). She must retrieve a bootleg Grime mixtape from London's East End, an Irish Setter from Ireland, and a ceramic napkin holder that looks vaguely like bucatini (the king of pastas) from Italy. Her prize? A Six Shooter shot glass! 'Cause there's no way she already has one of those!
Also headed to Europe is Luke Doucet. Luke Doucet travels around Holland and the UK with Oh Susanna. This will be his first European tour since the release of his fantastic new album, 'BloodΥs Too Rich'. Luke plans to wear Clogs on the Dutch leg of the tour, and a Kappa tracksuit on the British leg, and a "Don't Bug Me, I'm Local" t-shirt the entire time (he might get a few, to cut down on unpleasant odors). Oh Susanna plans to walk a few paces ahead of him. Fans living in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto were treated to fantastic headline shows over the past few days before Luke began jetting across the ocean on his diplomatic mission to unite our new favorite country, Canadeurope. See tour dates.
After a highly successful SXSW, playing all kinds of parties, fiestas and shows, super dame Christine Fellows will open her tickle trunk of special surprises on tour with the Weakerthans throughout the USA. We have a feeling it contains a Piiiinano!!! And some Singy-Sing!!! Speaking of singing, we think the members of the US press will be praising it when Christine's beauty album, "Nevertheless" hits shelves May 6, south of the border. See tour dates or else.
Shout Out Out Out Out take forever to do anything! Like, dudes, get it together! I know there are six billion members in the band and everything, but that's what dude ranches are for! There is good news one the horizon though, Shoutset will soon (as in, within the next month or two) be releasing a new split 12" single with their Normals Welcome Records labelmate San Serac. The single is "Friend" themed, with each artist offering a vastly different take on the soundness of friendship. From there, Shout Out Out Out Out will be entering the studio for the entire month of June to complete their highly, painfully even, anticipated sophomore album. Shout homies have a couple shows lined up in June too, so if you are in Winnipeg or Vancouver, brace yourself for a bunch of new material!
In other Shout news, front guy Nik 7 has been working on a bit of solo material lately, during the non-existent cracks in his hectic schedule, including a handful of tracks for Trevor Anderson's film 'Dinx'. Those tracks have been making the blog circuit of late, so go get your download on! He plans to resurrect himself in the near future with a slew of new material under the name The Paronomasiac.
2008 was our best time at SXSW yet! It was hot, the whiskey was flowing like sun tan lotion, and posi music vibes were dripping off the masses like beads of sweat. We loved meeting all the bands who stopped by to record for XM The Verge at the Six Shooter House of Sin, which was a gorgeous bungalow in Travis Heights just off of South Congress. We served up hella tight brunches that were enough to keep a small Austin egg farm in business for at least a day (we do what we can) to match the wickedly awesome live radio jams happening in the front room. Our Six Shooter/Mint Hootenanny was equally bitchin', with many tequila soaked moments from Six Shooter shot glasses while good tunes blasted all afternoon over the packed house. Our Hootenanny is beginning to feel like a real Austin reunion as we continue to hold it down year after year. It makes us feel like the proud parents of a horribly disfigured multi-limbed party machine baby (this is actually a good thing, trust me).
From there the night triumphed with a mighty (uh, well, mighty-ish... perhaps a bit over-partied) midnight set from Edmonton boys Shout Out Out Out Out at the AM Only / iheartcomix showcase at Beauty Bar. The weekend finale was the entirely glorious Six Shooter Records showcase, which featured set after set of brilliant music from Melissa McClelland, Jenn Grant, Christine Fellows with Shary Boyle, Elliott Brood, Luke Doucet, and NQ Arbuckle. Phew!
Some highlights:
We never did find out what happened to Craig from XM, who spent his night after our Hootenanny in the hospital with a bleeding head. If anyone knows the details of his injury, we are still trying to piece this one together! The last thing we remember was someone shouting "melon fight!!!" and piece of honeydew flying through the air.
Many thanks to Mark and Casey from Elliott Brood, Jay from the Perpetrators, NQ Arbuckle, and Melissa McClelland for stepping up on vocal duties for Luke Doucet, who got laryngitis. The poor guy never learned sign language like the rest of us, so he had to scrawl all of his instructions to his army of understudies onto a used napkin ("dude, sing it with feeeeeling!"), which were usually replied to with the kind of drawing you might find in a backstage band room. We are now considering issuing a Luke Doucet Karaoke DVD, having seen the utter joy erupting from the faces of those who grabbed the mic in Luke's moment of silence.
No one had a better time at SXSW this year than Galaxy Rising Star winner Jenn Grant and her violinist cohort, Kinley Dowling. Seriously, we took a poll and developed a rating system, and no one could touch their fun authority as the two of them donned white dresses, held hands and skipped their way through the streets of Austin, soaking up every minute of fun...it was like that Backstreet Boys video where they are dancing in slow motion in the rain, only uh... yeah, a little different... I guess.
Not sure if this is really a highlight, but damn, did Shout Out Out Out Out's Lyle Bell really fall off the stage during their set... twice? At least the crowd seemed to like that sort of thing!
And finally, for those of you in Toronto, check out Colour is the Keyboard - Group Show @ Whippersnapper Gallery (www.whippersnapper.ca ). This amazing show features visual art, video and sound work, all by musicians, including Buck 65, Andr Ethier, Chad VanGaalen, Dallas Wehrle (Constantines) and our very own Will Zimmerman aka Jack Wolfskin aka Willie Dieminzz (Shout Out Out Out Out). WillΥs drawings are bizarre and awesome! The opening reception was April 4, 2008 (7-11pm), DD/MM/YYYY played the opening reception. The show runs until April 14/08.
We're a bunch of busy little bats, taking Austin by swarm this year (bats do that in Austin, ya know), and getting tangled in your hair. Descending upon SXSW in record numbers, we're totaling a crew in the double digits, hosting XM Radio at our Six Shooter HQ & Rancho del Radio (we're renting a mega party house! Yayee!), co-hosting our annual Hootenanny with Mint Records, and wrangling the musos on 6th Street. Just like Paul Wall, we've got the internet going nutz with word of our Six Shooter Records label showcase, featuring NQ Arbuckle, Elliott Brood, Christine Fellows, Luke Doucet, Jenn Grant, and honorary member, Melissa McClelland. Meanwhile, our boys Shout Out Out Out Out will be rockin' their own house party at Beauty Bar down the street. We are seriously freaking out about the trip to Austin next week, SXSW is always one hell of a great jam!
Thurs Mar 13, 2:00 - 6:00 PM
Six Shooter/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River)
Thurs Mar 13, 11:30 PM
Shout Out Out Out Out @ Beauty Bar
Sat Mar 15, Six Shooter Records label showcase @ the Velveeta Room (6th & Neches):
8:00 Melissa McClelland
9:00 Jenn Grant
10:00 Christine Fellows
11:00 Elliott Brood
12:00 Luke Doucet
1:00 NQ Arbuckle
Our artists are playing a whole wackadoo of shows during this year's festival, so please make sure you scroll down the page a bit and check out the complete appearance schedules of all the other parties and broadcasts our artists are doing in the tour dates below. And in the meantime, you can slam a vicarious tequila with us via youtube: http://www.youtube.com
After finishing her giant load of laundry post touring with Hayden (touring makes everything you wear smell like a hamster cage), The Weakerthans and Great Lake Swimmers, and a weekend at the ECMA's, Halifax songstress Jenn Grant readies herself for CMW + SXSW (she called us up and asked us to book her for any shows that are only made up of consonants). How is she still standing after this insane gigging schedule? Tons and tons of wheat grass shots? An inspirational photo of Garfield hanging out with Rick Hansen to keep her motivated through the day? False promises of a dental plan if she hits 200 shows in a year? I guess we'll never know! The Indie Awards-nominated lady double books the Rivoli to play the Paquin Showcase, Thursday March 6 @ 10 pm, and rocks again at 11 pm Saturday night for the Music Nova Scotia evening. She'll be all go-go, boots'n'all, in Austin the following week. Then she will sleep for a month like the rest of us... or will she? For all the
dance-card moves, see tour dates below.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN sells out shows right, left and centre
HW kicked off his national tour last week in Ottawa, where every seat was sold well in advance. Like, every single seat in Ottawa, not just the show! There were a lot of Ottawanians with sore legs after a couple days of Hawk shows. With similarly packed houses across the country, it's going to be a great tour - especially with the loads of bitchin' new merch accompanying him. The Hawk will be hawking hoodies, t-shirts and slammin' posters, designed by the amazing Chad Vangaalen. Joining Hawksley and Mr. Lonely on tour are Jesse Zubot on violin, Dave Christensen on the bass clarinet (and a score of other instruments), and Ruth Cassie on vocals. Check tour section for when they hit your hometown.
The sun might still rise in the east, but Parkdale's prodigal son returns from the west with a Juno-nomination, a slew of tour dates and a new album. Kicking off his US/Canadian tour with Kathleen Edwards, Justin will also launch his third official and highly anticipated release, "Man Descending" , which hits the streets April 8, just days after his jaunt to Calgary to soak up the Juno madness. We are definitely going to have a whole lot of very long phone meetings with Justin to discuss his awesomeness while other Six Shooter artists wait on hold (sorry gang, that's just the way it is). All touring info-sho' listed in tour section, yo.
LUKE DOUCET is a worker ant that makes the grasshopper look stupid
Since Luke's been a little behind on his blog entries (he's been having trouble taking a photo of himself where his hair swooping just right over one eye while he puts on his sexiest emo pout), we'll fill in the gaps for you. During his week off from the gianormous (that's even bigger than hugemungous!) Blue Rodeo tour, Luke flew to Montreal from Moncton where he rocked his bilingual tongue performing on Belle et Bum (the Letterman of Quebec) and some commercial and college radio stations. He then flew in to Toronto to open for the "Beautiful" (not to mention "super hunky", and "tenderly sensitive") James Blunt. Then flew back to Montreal to surf more media waves. Then made like a long haul driver and turned up in Toronto for his very own CMT special and Canada AM coffee break. Phew! Following which, he pulled double duty playing with Sarah McLachlan at the ACC while almost simultaneously hitting the stage with Blue Rodeo at Massey Hall. (Did we mention that he did all
this with a healing broken thumb? He won't be declaring any thumb wars for awhile). Luke hits the ground running all the way to SXSW and back for his upcoming shows in Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto. On the horizon is a tour of duty in Europe with Oh Susanna and dates in the states in May. And breathe.
CHRISTINE FELLOWS makes road waves with The Weakerthans
The four-star magnet / magnate, Christine Fellows, will be spending the next few Saturday nights on the road with hometown homies, The Weakerthans, as they tour the USA this March and April. Christine takes her "...slyly unpredictable, rarely self-serious, and unabashedly tuneful" music down to SXSW, where she'll party with SPIN Magazine crew in light of their recent 4- Star review. After her own stellar performances during SXSW, including Leanne Zacharias' Tequila Recital, the NXNE/R3 BBQ, XM Radio tapings, Six Shooter's Hootenanny and their official showcase, Christine hops the bus with the Winnipeg rockers, whose dates are listed below. Holy geez, our artists are performing machines! What's next, a hang-gliding tour to Mars????!
We have such a huge crush on country-crooner Kathleen Edwards that instead of sending her flowers for the release of her new album, we're sending her three of our finest songwriters. It's an onslaught of handsome when Royal Wood, Justin Rutledge, and Luke Doucet all take their turn on upcoming concerts with the leading lady. Hopefully she reciprocates and send them back to us un-harmed! We need our daily dose of swoon too! See all tour-mate-dates section.
We won't have ten minutes to recover from SXSW and wham, we are hit with St. Patrick's Day. I donΥt know how our livers will be able to handle even a thimble full of green beer after a week in Austin, but we'll find a way!!! Back at the 4-leafed clover ranch in Toronto, Soccer Mom star Jason Plumb kicks off the day with a performance of his Saskatchewan Roughriders-inspired song, "Paint the Whole World Green" on Canada AM, and caps off the evening with a set at the Horseshoe during Mary Margaret O'Hara's annual shindig. Resident Six Shooter good sport, Reuben, has agreed to wear a Leprechaun outfit for the entire day, and will be speaking in an authentic-ish Irish accent as well. What a great guy!
We're a bunch of busy little bats, taking Austin by swarm this year. Descending upon SXSW in record numbers, we're totaling a crew in the double digits, hosting XM Radio at our Six Shooter HQ & Rancho del Radio, co-hosting our annual Hootenanny with Mint Records, and bringing out the musos on 6th Street. Blogs are a-buzz with word of our Six Shooter Records label showcase, featuring NQ Arbuckle, Elliott Brood, Christine Fellows, Luke Doucet, Jenn Grant, and honorary member, Melissa McClelland. Meanwhile, our boys Shout Out Out Out Out will be rockin' their own house party at Beauty Bar down the street. Full deets below. Check it out:
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT
Why you should check them out: Ok, so their name might be impossible to say while drinking, which you'll want to do lots of when they hit the stage with their electro-funk-rock fusion of dancey good times. Edmonton sextet, Shout Out Out Out Out, are the toast of everyone's party, be it brooklynvegan's Austin mix-up, Fader's CMJ NYC bash, V-Fest's sweat-tent or Spin Magazine's lay-low-lounge. With two drummers, a slew of synths, four nerdy bassists and song titles like, "Chicken Soup for the Fuck You", who wouldn't make it out out out out to their showcase?
* OUR HOT HOUSE Party @ Beauty Bar Patio (617 E 7th St.), WED @ 3.15PM
* BROOKLYN VEGAN Party @ RED 7 (611 E. 7th St.), WED afternoon
* HUNNYPOT Party @ Momo's (618 W 6th St .,# 200), THURS afternoon
* SXSW AM Only Showcase @ Beauty Bar Patio (617 E 7th St.), THURS @ 12:15 AM
LUKE DOUCET & THE WHITE FALCON
Why you should check them out: Because through six degrees of separation, you're already best friends with the guy. He has performed with or shared the stage with all sorts, including Josh Rouse, Sarah McLachlan, James Blunt, Blue Rodeo, M. Ward. He topped Paste Magazine's Top 25 Best Albums of 2006. He's Juno nominated. He's a guitar slinging, heart-aching, dude-rocking, 70's guitar-god incarnate who traded licks with CSNY, Elliott Smith and Brian Setzer in another life. And he's chin bruisingly handsome (as in you'll punch yourself because he's that awesome).
* MIAATV.COM Party @ Mother Egan's (715 W 6th St.), THURS @ 12:45 PM
* SIX SHOOTER/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River), THURS @ 4:40 PM
* XM broadcast from SIX SHOOTER House of Sin, FRI @ 11:40 AM
* BLUE RODEO & FRIENDS Showcase @ Smokin' Music (504 Trinity St.), FRI@ 11PM
* VPRO Public Broadcaster recording @ the Hyatt Townlake Hotel, SAT @ 2 PM
* SXSW Six Shooter Showcase @ the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St.), SAT@ 12AM
CHRISTINE FELLOWS
Why you should check her out: Because folks at places like Spin, Pitchfork, Globe & Mail, Bust and said the gramophone dish out the four star reviews to this leading lady from Winnipeg. She's toured with heavies like The Weakerthans and John Darnielle's Moutain Goats, collaborated with celebrated visual artist Shary Boyle, and much adored choreographer Susie Burpee, and she spins tunes comparable to Vic Chestnutt, Cat Power and Stephin Merritt. (Plus she talks like a sailor.)
* SIX SHOOTER/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River), THURS @ 2:40 PM
* TEQUILA Recital @ Bates Recital Hall, UT campus, FRI @ 2:30-4:00 PM*
* NXNE BBQ @ Caswell House (1404 West Ave.), FRI @ 5:15 PM
* XM broadcast from SIX SHOOTER House of Sin, SAT @ 11:40 AM*
* SXSW Six Shooter Showcase @ the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St.), SAT@ 10:00 PM
*accompanied by Shary Boyle on the projector.
JENN GRANT
Why you should check her out: A pixie-esque, guitar-playing, Stevie Nicks-inspired chanteuse from Halifax who toured with Great Lake Swimmers, The Weakerthans and Hayden with only one album under her belt. She's got a sharp tongue, neat penmanship, a smashing dress collection and is better than the rest because she can drink way more beers than you. Plus she's been legitimately plugged by folks at Harp and Globe & Mail who also super love her debut record, "Orchestra for the Moon."
* XM broadcast from SIX SHOOTER House of Sin, THURS 11:40 AM
* SIX SHOOTER/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River), THURS @ 2:40 PM
* SXSW Six Shooter Showcase @ the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St.), SAT@ 9:00 PM
ELLIOTT BROOD
Why you should check them out: These murder-balladeers are touring juggernauts from Canada. Since the release of their Juno-nominated debut, "Ambassador", this bluegrass-infused trio of punk-rockers crossed Canada seven times , once with Wilco, hit the EU shores on 3 occasions, once to play Paris with Broken Social Scene, and trekked south of the US border with Do Make Say Think. When you hear their death-rattling stories, you'll believe The Ramones are still alive and only play in country bars with instruments they stole from a back-woods porch, suitcase and all.
* SIX SHOOTER/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River), THURS @ 3:20 PM
* XM broadcast from SIX SHOOTER House of Sin, SAT @ NOON
* SXSW Six Shooter Showcase @ the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St.), SAT@ 11:00 PM
NQ ARBUCKLE
Why you should check them out: Country-punk poet NQ Arbuckle "neither drinks to forget nor does he forget to drink" (Globe & Mail). His rough as nails, smooth as sandpaper Tom Waits-esque voice leads you through records that read like old leatherbound books, the kind English playwrights leaf through and leave love notes in. His threadbare love songs and road-worn drinking anthems make for Kristofferson-inspired tracks and punk-rock-Drive By Truckers-be-envious live shows. If you're not raising your glass by the end of his set, you'll be falling down drunk, head over heels with his tunes. Even if you hate country music, NQ Arbuckle's love of the hula-hoop and his charming dance moves with bring out your inner cowgirl.
* SIX SHOOTER/Mint Hootenanny @ Headhunters (720 Red River), THURS @ 5:20 PM
* XM broadcast from SIX SHOOTER House of Sin, FRI @ NOON
* VPRO Public Broadcaster recording @ the Hyatt Townlake Hotel, FRI @ 3 PM
* SXSW Six Shooter Showcase @ the Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St.), SAT@ 1:00 AM
CHECK OUT OUR TEQUILA CAM!
Besides being handy with a shotglass and steady shootin' via handycam, us
Six Shooterites like to celebrate. Our little label is off to Austin, TX
again this year for the infamously party-heavy SXSW, where we'll be
co-hosting a Hootenanny. Woo Hoo! In order to systematically school our
systems and prepare ourselves for the onslaught of liquor, we recently held
an Olympic-sized warm-up event: www.youtube.com/watch
Spread the love! (And, uh, the sometimes gospel of Six Shooter.)
We've been working our man Hawksley (get it???) since his welcomed new record, "Between The Beautifuls" came out on January 29. He arrived back in Canada just days after the official street date, following a tour of Australia, some down time in New Zealand, and an intense recording session in Los Angeles where he laid down a couple of steamy songs with a movie star.
Then Hawk swooped down upon The Hour, MTV Canada, e-Talk, Sounds Like Canada and Canada AM, among others, to talk about his slammin' new disc. If you missed the stunner on any of these programs, you can, better yet, catch him in the flesh (fully clothed flesh) when he hits the tour battlefield in March. See tour dates. We are looking for people to man our merch tables on the tour, so if you're interested, pat yourself on the back for being such a nice person, then contact shauna@sixshooterrecords.com.
Luke "Broken Thumb/The Falc" Doucet is all about national pride. During his 22-date cross-country tour with Canadian mainstays, Blue Rodeo, Luke hit #1 on both the national campus radio charts last week with his chiefin' album "Blood's Too Rich". All this and he broke his thumb trying to stop the proverbial dam of suck from flooding by kicking out some sweet jams!
We love this new record, and we are not alone. Critics are raving (in the celebratory sense not the glowstick sense), including the Toronto Star, who proclaims it a 'landmark' album. Upcoming for Luke are a kabillion more awesometastic rock shows, including a Montreal appearance where he'll practice his second language in front of 600 salivating fans (gross!) when he performs on live TV for Quebec's "Belle et Bum", Saturday February 23. For the early-riser TV fans, Luke beats the sunrise to play Canada AM, Thursday February 28. And then Π more touring, which includes a date at Massey Hall with Blue Rodeo, plus some headline action in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto at the end of the month. See tour dates below. Also, keep your ear to the ice for a listen to his track "Long Haul Drivers" on Hockey Night in Canada.
Ahem, now I will attempt to "Weird Al" some Luke lyrics which denote his current situation...
"If you wanna hear some music, I'm gonna have to strum, but it's hard to play guitar with a broken thumb!"
badump-cha!
Celebrated handsome songwriter and local roots fixture Justin Rutledge was up at the crack of dawn last week downing coffee on camera at the Juno Awards press conference. Justin earned his first nomination for his sophomore album (ie. Firstsies-secondsies), "The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park." He's up for the award alongside Corb Lund, Jill Barber, David Francey & Oh Susanna. Justin teams up with country heroine Kathleen Edwards at the end of March for some US/Canadian tour dates, just ahead of the release of his third album, "Man Descending", due out in April 08. More like, "Man that dude is busy"! See tour dates below duuuuuuuuuuuude.
I dare ya.
Flaunting her new touress prowess, Jenn Grant is making her way cross country this week with folk-crooner Hayden. She's also racked up some reward miles on recent tours with The Weakerthans and Great Lake Swimmers.
Midway through the tour, Jenn hopped on a red-eye to Fredericton to participate in the East Coast Music Awards, where she was nominated for Female Solo Recording of the Year and Folk Record of the Year. She's also been picked as a candidate for an Indie Award during CMW in March.
Royal Wood has got big designs to conquer the high seas as he makes a 15-date tour of Europe this month. Royal's latest release, "A Good Enough Day" was released through Six Shooter/Rounder Europe on February 4.
The Brood boys are heading to Australia to deliver some blood-curdling screams and foot-stomping good times. Australian label ABC Records picked up "Ambassador" (still waiting on "Bambassador" and "Cambasador"), and are releasing the record this spring (or fall, depending on your hemisphere... dude). A slurry of dates are posted below. On their way to Australia, they boys will jet set to Austin with their cowboy boots to play SXSW and gorge themselves on BBQ. Or at least coleslaw and a bun.
