--Six Shooter Bullets --
Mar. 2010, Vol. 07, No. 02
the lights make early widows of nights
Six Shooter about to release two great new albums: Justin Rutledge, The Beauties
Amelia Curran Juno Award nomination (& NQ Arbuckle, too)
Hawksley Workman tours Canada, Europe, and more
Shout Out Out Out Out European voyage
Lilith Fair confirms Melissa McClelland in this summer's line up
Royal Wood adds second Glenn Gould show, lands David Gray tour
Christine Fellows collaborates again with Shary Boyle
Martin Tielli art exhibit
Vinyl releases: Hawksley Workman, Jenn Grant, Luke Doucet, and Rheostatics
SXSW RECAP
Tour dates
Y'know, I like the way granola tastes, and I like granola conceptually (aside from maybe its association with knit beanies and hacky sacks, two things I generally do not ride for), but man is granola a pain to eat, especially in a hurry! All that chewing! It takes forever, and leaves you with a sore jaw*! No breakfast is worth that!
(*that’s what she said)
ANNOUNCING NEW ALBUMS BY JUSTIN RUTLEDGE; THE BEAUTIES
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 NOMINATED FOR A 2010 JUNO AWARD
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.
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN ON TOUR
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 EUROPEAN TOUR
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.
- 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.
MELISSA McCLELLAND CONFIRMED ON LILITH FAIR
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 - check out the tour dates section for more information.
ROYAL WOOD READY FOR TAKE-OFF
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!!!!
CHRISTINE FELLOWS + SHARY BOYLE in TORONTO
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.
MARTIN TIELLI ART EXHIBIT
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!
SIX SHOOTER VINYL
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.
SXSW RECAP
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.
TOUR DATES
AMELIA CURRAN
04.10.10 - Port Hawkesbury NS - Shannon Studio w/ Rose Cousins
04.13.10 - St John's NFLD - Ruckus on the Edge, Delta Hotel
04.16.10 - St John's NFLD - Martini Bar
04.22.10 - Canmore AB - Communitea Cafe w/ Rose Cousins
04.24.10 - Edmonton AB - The Haven w/ Rose Cousins
04.25.10 - Calgary AB - Ironwood w/ Rose Cousins
04.27.10 - Saskatoon SK - Lydia's w/ Rose Cousins
04.29.10 - Winnipeg MB - Park Theatre w/ Rose Cousins
04.30.10 - Victoria BC - Orange Hall w/ Rose Cousins
05.01.10 - Vancouver BC - Media Club, EARLY SHOW w/ Rose Cousins
05.02.10 - Gibson's BC - Bart's Hall w/ Rose Cousins
05.16.10 - Doylestown PA - Puck w/ Justin Rutledge
05.20.10 - York SC - The Sylvia Theatre w/ Justin Rutledge
05.21.10 - Columbia SC - UU Coffeehouse w/ Justin Rutledge
05.19.10 - Charlotte NC - Evening Muse w/ Justin Rutledge
05.26.10 - Boston MA - Club Passim
05.29.10 - Montreal PQ - The Green Room w/ Justin Rutledge
THE BEAUTIES
05.29.10 - TORONTO ON - the Horseshoe Tavern
CHRISTINE FELLOWS
04.10.10 - TORONTO ON - new performance collaboration w/ Shary Boyle will premiere at Images Festival
St. Anne's Anglican Church, 270 Gladstone, Toronto. Images Festival
05.07.10 - Winnipeg MB - Nuna(now): Iceland/Canada Art Convergence - West End Cultural Centre www.nunanow.com.
05.08.10 - Gimli MB - Nuna(now) Festival: Iceland/Canada Art Convergence - Johnson Hall www.nunanow.com.
ELLIOTT BROOD
04.15.10 - London ON - Call The Office
04.16.10 - Buffalo NY - Mohawk Place, April 16
04.17.10 - Cleveland OH - Grog Shop, April 17
07.16.10 - Dawson YT - Dawson City Music Festival
07.17.10 - Dawson YT - Dawson City Music Festival
07.18.10 - Dawson YT - Dawson City Music Festival
07.23.10 - Bengough SK - Gateway Music Festival
07.24.10 - Bengough SK - Gateway Music Festival
07.25.10 - Bengough SK - Gateway Music Festival\
09.10.10 - Dorset - End of the Road Festival
09.11.10 - Dorset - End of the Road Festival
09.12.10 - Dorset - End of the Road Festival
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN
04.07.10 - SAINT JOHN NB - The Blue Olive
04.08.10 - FREDERICTON NB - Playhouse Theatre
04.09.10 - HALIFAX NS - Rebecca Cohn Theatre
04.10.10 - ST. JOHN'S NL - Holy Heart Auditorium
04.12.10 - CHARLOTTETOWN PEI - The Guild
04.13.10 - CHARLOTTETOWN PEI - The Guild
04.15.10 - QUEBEC CITY QC - Le Cercle
04.16.10 - MONTREAL QC - La Tulipe
04.17.10 - OTTAWA ON - Bronson Centre
04.20.10 - ST. CATHARINES ON - Centre for the Arts
04.21.10 - LONDON ON - Music Hall
04.24.10 - TORONTO ON - Massey Hall
05.11.10 - MULHOUSE FR - Le Noumatrouff
05.12.10 - PARIS FR - La Maroquinerie
05.15.10 - LONDON UK - Borderline
05.18.10 - AMSTERDAM NE - Paradiso
05.20.10 - BERLIN DE - Privat Club
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE
05.08.10 - Toronto ON - Lee's Palace
05.16.10 - Doylestown PA - Puck w/ Amelia Curran
05.20.10 - York SC - The Sylvia Theatre w/ Amelia Curran
05.21.10 - Columbia SC - UU Coffeehouse w/ Amelia Curran
05.19.10 - Charlotte NC - Evening Muse w/ Amelia Curran
05.25.10 - Wakefield PQ - The Blacksheep Inn
05.26.10 - Wakefield PQ - The Blacksheep Inn
05.29.10 - Montreal PQ - The Green Room w/ Amelia Curran
KEVIN HEARN
02.25.10 - TORONTO ON - Painted Lady 9:30 pm
LUKE DOUCET
05.01.10 - BRAGG CREEK AB - Bragg Creek Centre
05.08.10 - BAYFIELD ON - Town Hall
MELISSA McCLELLAND
04.16.10 - HAMILTON ON - The Studio / Hamilton Place
04.17.10 - BAYFIELD ON - Old Town Hall
NQ ARBUCKLE
04.09.10 - Rosseau ON - Rosseau Memorial Community Centre
04.17.10 - St John's NL - In-store at Fred's Records
04.17.10 - St John's NL - Trapper JohnÕs Pub 11pm-1am
05.08.10 - St Catherines ON - Merchant Ale House
ROYAL WOOD
04.01.10 - TORONTO ON - Glenn Gould Studio
04.10.10 - TORONTO ON - Glenn Gould Studio - 2nd show added!
04.12.10 - VICTORIA BC - Royal Theatre w/David Gray
04.14.10 - VANCOUVER BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre w/David Gray
04.16.10 - EDMONTON AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium w/David Gray
04.17.10 - CALGARY AB - Jack Singer Concert Hall w/David Gray
04.18.10 - SASKATOON SK - TCU Place w/David Gray
04.19.10 - WINNIPEG MB - Centennial Concert Hall w/David Gray
04.20.10 - STRATFORD ON - Foster's Inn w/David Gray
04.22.10 - HAMILTON ON - Hamilton Place Theatre w/David Gray
04.23.10 - OTTAWA ON - National Arts Centre - Southam Hall w/David Gray
04.25.10 - KITCHENER ON - Centre in the Square w/David Gray
04.26.10 - MONTREAL PQ - St. Denis Theatre w/David Gray
04.28.10 - HALIFAX NS - Halifax Metro Centre w/David Gray
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT
04.08.10 - Utrecht - Tivelli Di Helling
04.09.10 - Amsterdam - SuperRauw / Melkweg
04.11.10 - Liverpool - Korova
04.12.10 - Glasgow - Captains Rest
04.13.10 - York - Fibbers
04.14.10 - London - Barfly Camden
04.15.10 - London - Yo Yo / Notting Hill Arts Centre
04.16.10 - Paris - Scopitone
05.01.10 - LAKE LOUISE AB - Whiskyjack Deck (base of the mountain)
Bon Soir!
Siiiiiiiiiix Shoooooooterrrrrrrr!!!!
Title track: From Islands, track 3 of Justin Rutledge's new album, The Early Widows, to be released May 4, 2010.
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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.