--Six Shooter Bullets --
Nov. 2008, Vol. 05, No. 09
longer than a legend, larger than a fact
Hi there! In this issue:
Nick Hornby discovers Luke Doucet
Six Shooter releases AMELIA CURRAN's War Brides
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE's Incredible Shrinking Tour
LUKE DOUCET heads out on arena tour with James Blunt
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN readies to rock QC/ON/NY
ROYAL WOOD announces Mod Club show + other dates
Elliott BROOD + NQ ARBUCKLE team up for more dates
DAVE BIDINI extends Cameron House residency
JUDE COOMBE photography show raises money for New Orleans
DAVE BIDINI examines the Toronto Maple Leafs at Harbourfront
MELISSA McCLELLAND appears on new Blue Rodeo release
Canadian Folk Music Awards nominates LUKE DOUCET, JUSTIN RUTLEDGE, and NQ ARBUCKLE
Hamilton Music Awards nominates LUKE DOUCET
ROYAL WOOD Movie Screening
Berlin/Edmonton/New York wrap up: Six Shooter rocks the festival circuit
Tour dates
Do you ever wish you just knew everything instinctively? I'm not really even talking about wishing that I knew what a snow cone tastes like on Mars (like, who cares?). The other day I bought this tub of ground-up lemongrass with chilis in it, and I thought "oh yeah, I'm gonna be a Thai master chef in no time", and then when I fried up my tofu with some shallots and dumped a bunch of that stuff on there, it was like eating a bowl full of sawdust. Tasty sawdust mind you, but it really drove home the point that I don’t know everything.
NICK HORNBY'S HIGH FIDELITY TO LUKE DOUCET
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 we’re 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.
SIX SHOOTER RELEASES AMELIA CURRAN'S WAR BRIDES
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.
NOVEMBER IS TOUR HEAVEN
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.
DAVE BIDINI CURATES MAPLE LEAFS ART SHOW
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.
MELISSA McCLELLAND + BLUE RODEO
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.
LUKE DOUCET ROCKS THE HAMILTON MUSIC AWARDS
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.
ROYAL WOOD MOVIE SCREENING
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!!!
SIX SHOOTER ROCKS THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
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!
TOUR DATES
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE
WATERLOO, ON: Starlight, Nov 12 w/ Jenn Grant
HAMILTON, ON: Casbah, Nov 13 w/ Jenn Grant
KINGSTON, ON: Living Room, Nov 14 w/ Jenn Grant
WINNIPEG, MB: Park Theatre, Nov 18 w/ Jenn Grant
VANCOUVER, BC: The Biltmore, Nov 19 w/ Jenn Grant
CALGARY, AB: The Marquee, Nov 20 w/ Jenn Grant
EDMONTON, AB: Convocation Hall, Nov 22 w/ Jenn Grant
GUELPH, ON: E-Bar, Nov 26
PETERBOROUGH, ON: Montreal House, Nov 27
TORONTO, ON: Horseshoe, Nov 28 w/ Warped 45s and Paso Mino
TORONTO, ON: Hugh's Room, Nov 29 w/ Joel Stewart
TORONTO, ON: Dakota Tavern, Nov 30 w/ The Beauties
TORONTO, ON: Cameron House, Dec 1 w/ Bryan Arcand
TORONTO, ON: Not My Dog, Dec 2 w/ Josh Cockerill
LONDON, UK: WhatÕs CookinÕ, Dec 7
SHEFFIELD, UK: The Grapes, Dec 8
DUBLIN, IRELAND: The Ruby Sessions, Dec 9
EDINBURGH, UK: Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Dec 11 w/ Lucy Kaplansky
NEWCASTLE, UK: Side CafŽ, Dec 12
TWYFORD, UK: Dec 13 SOLD OUT
TWICKENHAM, UK: Twickenham Folk Club (Cabbage Patch Pub), Dec 14
ROYAL WOOD
CALGARY, AB: Knox United Church, Nov 14 w/ Jill Barber
ST ALBERT, AB: Arden Theatre, Nov 15 w/ Jill Barber
REGINA, SK: The Exchange, Nov 18 w/ Jill Barber
WINNIPEG, MB: Park Theatre, Nov 19 w/ Jill Barber
SARNIA, ON: Sarnia Library Auditorium, Nov 23
TORONTO, ON: The Mod Club, Dec 5 w/ Amelia Curran
MONTREAL, QC: Petit Campus, Dec 11
WAKEFIELD, QC: Blacksheep Inn, Dec 13
PORT DOVER, ON: Lighthouse Festival Theatre, Jan 24
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN
QUEBEC CITY, PQ: Le Cercle, Nov 20 w/ Hey Rosetta
MONTREAL, PQ: La Tulipe, Nov 21 w/ Hey Rosetta
OTTAWA, ON: Bronson Centre, Nov 22 w/ Hey Rosetta
LONDON, ON: The Music Hall, Nov 25 w/ Hey Rosetta
BUFFALO, NY: Town Ballroom, Nov 26 w/ Hey Rosetta
TORONTO, ON: Massey Hall, Nov 28 w/ Hey Rosetta
BELLEVILLE, ON: Empire Theatre, Dec 2
NEW YORK, NY: Joe's Pub, Dec 5
LUKE DOUCET
VANCOUVER, BC: General Motors Place, Nov 17 w/ James Blunt
EDMONTON,AB: Rexall Place, Nov 19 w/ James Blunt
CALGARY, AB: Pengrowth Saddledome, Nov 20 w/ James Blunt
GRANDE PRAIRE, AB: Canada Games Arena, Nov 21 w/ James Blunt
SASKATOON,SK: Credit Union Centre, Nov 23 w/ James Blunt
WINNIPEG, MB: MTS Centre, Nov 24 w/ James Blunt
TORONTO, ON: Air Canada Centre, Nov 27 w/ James Blunt
MONTREAL, PQ: Bell Centre, Nov 28 w/ James Blunt
OTTAWA, ON: Scotiabank Centre, Nov 29 w/ James Blunt
QUEBEC, PQ: Collisee, Nov 30 w/ James Blunt
HALIFAX, NS: Metro Centre, Dec 2 w/ James Blunt
SAINT JOHN, NB: Harbour Station, Dec 3 w/ James Blunt
DAVE BIDINI
TORONTO, ON: The Cameron House, Tuesdays in November 7pm
JENN GRANT
WATERLOO, ON: Starlight, Nov 12 w/ Justin Rutledge
HAMILTON, ON: Casbah, Nov 13 w/ Justin Rutledge
KINGSTON, ON: Living Room, Nov 14 w/ Justin Rutledge
WINNIPEG, MB: Park Theatre, Nov 18 w/ Justin Rutledge
VANCOUVER, BC: The Biltmore, Nov 19 w/ Justin Rutledge
CALGARY, AB: The Marquee, Nov 20 w/ Justin Rutledge
EDMONTON, AB: Convocation Hall, Nov 22 w/ Justin Rutledge
TORONTO, ON: Rivoli, Dec 11 w/ Danny Michel
TORONTO, ON: Rivoli, Dec 12 w/ Danny Michel
TORONTO, ON: Rivoli, Dec 13 w/ Danny Michel
LONDON, ON: London Music Club, Dec 17 w/ Danny Michel
WAKEFIELD, QC: Blacksheep Inn, Dec 19 w/ Danny Michel
WAKEFIELD, QC: Blacksheep Inn, Dec 20 w/ Danny Michel
AMELIA CURRAN
LONDON, ON: London Music Club, Dec 3, w/ Royal Wood
TORONTO, ON: The Mod Club, Dec 5 w/ Royal Wood
OTTAWA, ON (Wakefield, QC): The Blacksheep Inn, Dec 13, w/ Royal Wood
ELLIOTT BROOD
GUELPH, ON: Club Vinyl, Nov 11 w/ NQ Arbuckle
PETERBOROUGH, ON: The Montreal House, Nov 14 w/ NQ Arbuckle
HAMILTON, ON: Casbah, Nov 15
OTTAWA, ON: Capital Music Hall, Nov 20 w/ NQ Arbuckle
KINGSTON, ON: The Grad Club, Nov 21 w/ NQ Arbuckle
LONDON, ON: Call The Office, Nov 22 w/ NQ Arbuckle
SEATTLE, WA: The Tractor Tavern, Dec 3
PORTLAND, OR: The Doug Fir, Dec 4
VANCOUVER, BC: Transmission Festival, Dec 5
KELOWNA, BC: Habitat, Dec 7
NQ ARBUCKLE
GUELPH, ON: Club Vinyl, Nov 11 w/ Elliott BROOD
PETERBOROUGH, ON: The Montreal House, Nov 14 w/ Elliott BROOD
OTTAWA, ON: Capital Music Hall, Nov 20 w/ Elliott BROOD
KINGSTON, ON: The Grad Club, Nov 21 w/ Elliott BROOD
LONDON, ON: Call The Office, Nov 22 w/ Elliott BROOD
THE WET SECRETS
CALGARY, AB: Marquee Room, Nov 29
WHITEY HOUSTON
CALGARY, AB: Hifi Club, Dec 6
FORD PIER
VANCOUVER, BC: Anza Club, Nov 15 w/ Darkest of the Hillside Thickets & Owl Drugs
JASON PLUMB
BIGGAR, SK: Biggar Community Hall, Jan 24
SAN SERAC
PARIS, FR: Social Club, Nov 14 w/ Digitalism
NEW YORK, NY: Cake Shop, Nov 19 w/ Wilderness
BROOKLYN, NY: Union Pool, Nov 20 w/ Wilderness
PROVIDENCE, RI: Narwhal Arms, Nov 21 w/ Wilderness
BALTIMORE, MD: Floristree Space, Nov 22 w/ Wilderness
PITTSBURGH, PA: Brillobox, Nov 23 w/ Wilderness
CLEVELAND, OH: Beachland Tavern, Nov 24 w/ Wilderness
CHICAGO, IL: Schubas, Nov 25 w/ Wilderness
BLOOMINGTON, IN: Jake's, Nov 26 w/ Wilderness
ASHEVILLE, NC: Harvest Records, Nov 29 w/ Wilderness
ATLANTA, GA: The Earl, Nov 30 w/ Wilderness
BIRMINGHAM, AL: The BottleTree, Dec 1 w/ Wilderness
HOUSTON, TX: The Mink, Dec 3 w/ Wilderness
AUSTIN, TX: Emo's, Dec 4 w/ Wilderness
TUCSON, AZ: Solar Cultre, Dec 6 w/ Wilderness
SAN DIEGO, CA: Casbah, Dec 8 w/ Wilderness
SANTA CRUZ, CA: The Crepe Place, Dec 10 w/ Wilderness
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Bottom Of The Hill, Dec 11 w/ Wilderness
Kewl! Kewl! Kewl!
Six Shooter Party Squadron
Title track: From "Scattered and Small", track 1 from Amelia Curran's album, "War Brides."
Six Shooter Records
Box 98038, 970 Queen St. E.
Toronto, ON M4M 1J0
416-465-2459
http://www.sixshooterrecords.com
Life is too short to listen to shitty music.