Hey all,
A quick note just to say I’m waiting for the Internet to be hooked up at home. Should have a good-sized update by week’s end.
In the meantime, check out the new logo courtesy of my wonderful girlfriend, Shelley McKiel. Special thanks to Don Levandier for his help in messing with the site design. More to come on that front soon …
Cheers,
Eric
Hey all,
We’re in the middle of a big move this week (bought a house), so I won’t be able to do the usual Friday update. By mid-week I plan on having at least one big update though, so check back!
Cheers and have a great weekend,
Eric
Veteran East Coast musicians Isaac & Blewett (Tim Isaac, Jim Blewett) have revived their summer concert series in Harvey, N.B. once again. Each summer, the boys bring in talented artists from the East Coast and beyond to perform in a beautiful little venue nestled in a gorgeous part of the countryside along the coast near
This weekend, Isaac & Blewett’s sometime partners in crime Hot Toddy join them for a show in Harvey Hall. Of course, both bands have collaborated in the past, most notably with their 2005 live album Live at the Black Box.
I can’t stress enough how cool these shows are. I was only able to catch one last summer, Stacey Earle (Steve’s sister) and her husband Mark Stuart, along with Isaac & Blewett. It was a great show in the most intimate sort of venue.
Typically, Isaac & Blewett will warm up the crowd for the main act, and at the end of the show both groups will perform together.
This Sunday, July 20, Isaac & Blewett and Hot Toddy will perform at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. Your best bet might be to contact I&B through their website for ticket info.
Harvey Hall is a 120-year-old community hall located at 29 Mary’s
Memramcook, N.B.-based violinist Dominique Dupuis, 21, has just released her third album, a blend of Acadian, Celtic and contemporary music. It’s been a long time coming. Dupuis’ last album was released six years ago. The album features 13 “sets” made up of about 30 songs, 10 of which Dupuis wrote herself.
The musicians on the disc are all Moncton-based performers – Stephen LeBlanc from Tracy Starr on guitar; Mathieu Léger on bass; Rémi Arsenaut on guitar and bass; and Danny Bourgeois on drums and percussion.
The album was co-produced by Dupuis, Bourgeois and Arsenault. It was recorded at Bourgeois’ Pumpk’n Patch Studio in Riverview.
Dupuis has a busy summer ahead of her. She’ll be opening for world-renowned Loreena McKennitt on Aug. 1 in
Bourrasque, is distributed by Distribution Plages and is now available on their website, www.plages.net
OK, not really. But, Halifax-based Jon Mullane (not to be confused with In-Flight Safety’s John Mullane) has a new single, “Make You Move,” that has been picked up by NBC for their Summer Olympics promos. The spots will air during the late night shows The Tonight Show, Conan and Carson starting in mid-July.
It’s quite the step for an East Coast-based performer.
“Make You Move” is from Mullane’s album The Source, which was released last October through Fontana North/Universal Music
The East Coast Music Association has announced a call for submissions for its second series of Canadian Music. East Coast Style promotional CDs.
Distributed to 2,000 international and Canadian delegates, these promotional CDs will be used to market and promote Atlantic Canadian artists at upcoming domestic and international music industry conferences such as ECMA 2009, Canadian Music Week, North American Folk Alliance and more) and will be distributed to print, media, radio, buyers, music industry representatives and film and television music supervisors.
It’s a good chance to get your tunes into the hands of those who might be able to helpm you out. Complete submission details are available on the ECMA website.
A little more on Dave Marsh’s new CD, The True Love Rules (which comes out Tuesday, July 29): Marsh will perform a CD release show at Alderney Landing In Dartmouth, N.S. on Friday, Aug 1. The show will also feature performances from Old Man Luedecke and The Joel Plaskett Emergency, of which Marsh is a member.
The show is open to all ages. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets for those under 19 are $16.95 and $22.60 for those over 19. Tickets are available at all Ticketpro outlets or by visiting here.
Some cool news from the folks at Warner Music
The countdown is on for the 9th Annual Evolve Music and Awareness Festival The East Coast summer music staple will take place over the weekend of July 25-27, set in Antigonish, N.S.
Evolve is a grassroots festival that has grown to become a showcase for music, environmental issues and a celebration of the beauty that is uniquely Maritime.
From festival mainstays like Slowcoaster, Grand Theft Bus and the Gratefully Deadicated Soundsystem, to the return of That One Guy, and
When the sun goes down, DJs perform.
Other bands scheduled this year include DJ Mark Farina, Battles, The Jimmy Swift Band, Skratch Bastid and many more.
Passes are $120 in advance and $135 at the gate. For all ticket info, vendor locations and more, visit the festival’s website.
Plenty more news and notes on this warm but cloudy Friday in the Moncton area. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far.
Eric
(Teresa Ennis/photo courtesy teresaennis.ca)
Nova Scotia folkster Teresa Ennis has been adding dates to her summer touring schedule in support of her solo album, Space. Ennis (originally from St. John’s, NL) is best known for her work with her siblings in The Ennis Sisters, but she put out a solo disc last fall when the Sisters took a break. You can listen to the album on her website.
New Brunswick blues guitarist Matt Andersen has released his new disc, Somewhere in Between, on Busted Flat Records recently. I’ll never forget seeing him at the East Coast Music Awards in 2006 (I think it was). He played a tune on the ECMA pre-show and received a standing ovation for a fantastic performance, and at that point, Andersen wasn’t a very well known name.
Andersen’s disc can be purchased on his label’s website. For the rest of the year, he is expected to tour from coast to coast, so keep your eyes and ears open for a date near you.
The 15th annual Gobblefest is seeking talent for the Cape Breton-based event, scheduled Oct. 9-12. Shows will take place in various locations throughout the regional municipality.
Gobblefest (that’s got to be the coolest festival name, by the way) features all genres of independent music, so it’s all fair game. Applications for the event are only being excepted via e-mail at gobblefest15@gmail.com
Here’s what you’ll need:
- a link to their online EPK including at least one mp3 recording (MySpace, Sonicbids, Pure Volume all acceptable)
- 2 reliable e-mail addresses and 1 reliable phone number to contact the band
- dates available (Oct. 9, 10, 11, 12)
- all-ages or bar preference and whether all band members are over 19 years of age
- additional links to band website (if applicable)
- hi-res band photo and 25-word band bio (if not available on EPK or website)
Deadline for applications is: Aug. 16, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. ADT
Whatever your opinion of music in the ‘80s (and personally, I’m a huge fan of a lot of it), there’s no question it’s a decade many people remember fondly (hair spray and spandex aside). So for that reason, Saint John will be hosting ‘80s-styled festival Pop Goes The City Aug. 21-23.
Featuring Charlottetown rockers Haywire, The Box, Blue Peter and The Spoons, the event should be a fun event for anyone who remembers the decade or those curious about what all the fuss was about. Check the festival website for info and tickets and so on.
Usually we reserve this space for East Coast bands only, but we should spread some love for bands making the venture out this way as well. This month, Ideal Lovers from Montreal, The DGB from Lindsay, Ont and Crash Parellel from Toronto are all headed our way.
Ideal Lovers bring their blues pop sound to the East Coast in support of their new EP Shake Schmake! The band has made a name for itself in its hometown performing with Plants and Animals, Angela Desvaux, Vic Chesnutt and others.
Also heading our way is rockers The DGB (formerly known as The Daniel Greer Band. They’re touring in support of their latest disc This Ain’t No Acronym, a collection of four of their EPs on one record.
The band is hitting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with a few spots normally ignored by bands, so it’s nice to see their doing a more extensive tour.
Sony/BMG recruits Crash Parallel are touring our way in support of their 11-track album World We Know. The band (Tim Edwards, Danny Saitua, Gary Rugala, John Vitellaro) are in the midst of a cross-country jaunt.
Check out all three band’s myspace pages to see if they’ll be landing in your towns in the next while.
An old buddy of mine and fellow journalist who now lives in Calgary, Alta. saw Nova Scotia’s own The Trews at the Calgary Stampede last weekend. He sent in a review of the band’s show …
The Trews @ the Calgary Stampede, – July 5,2008
It’s billed as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, but the Calgary Stampede is more than a celebration of rodeo skills, Cowboyography and beef. The annual event is the Alberta city’s chance to showcase its cultural diversity and live music plays as much a means to that end as cotton candy or chuckwagon races.
When The Trews took to the outdoor Coca-Cola Stage on Saturday night for a free concert, a sun-baked audience was waiting to party hard, prairie style. And while said audience sported more cowboy hats than in every episode of Bonanza combined, the lads from Antigonish weren’t about to ride off into the sunset accompanied by a harmonica’s mournful wail just yet. Instead, The Trews burst out of the gate and took the party from the bunkhouse to the kitchen, Maritime style.
Opening with “I’m Not Ready To Go,” followed by “So She’s Leaving,” the band hit full stride in seconds, forcing a handful of crowd surfers to form instantly, many able to stay afloat for the mandatory eight seconds a bull rider requires. Others didn’t fare as well, as one participant went down faster than an extra vying for a role on Brokeback Mountain, prompting lead vocalist/guitarist Colin MacDonald to plead for compassion.
“Be careful, be gentle with him,” MacDonald urged the outstretched mass of arms. “He’s a child.”
With plenty of tartan shorts and an occasional Alexander Keith’s T-shirt visible in the crowd, the band gave a neighbourly nod to its Atlantic Canadian roots via a rousing version of “I Can’t Stop Laughing,” co-written by Newfoundland legend Ron Hynes. “Paranoid Freak,” another cut from the band’s latest album No Time For Later, came next, followed by vintage Trews’ tunes “Tired of Waiting,” “Confessions” and “Yearning.”
“This is the 27th time we’ve played the Calgary Stampede,” shouted MacDonald. His obvious exaggeration did, however, carry a faint ring of truth, as Trews music is essentially a retooled hybrid of timeless Who, Faces and Rolling Stones riffs. The band acknowledged as much by working the latter’s “Gimme Shelter” into “Fleeting Trust.”
With nary one strong wind blowing, let alone four, MacDonald later thanked the audience for staying around through the muggy night, noting the nearby diversions of concession stands and midway rides.
“We’re as least as much fun as the Ferris wheel,” he offered.
The Trews closed the regular set with a 12-minute rendition of “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” and finished up with a three-song encore, including “Hold Me In Your Arms.” On this evening, the new blended seamlessly with the old as The Trews won over the West, burning its own brand of rock and roll into the fabric of Stampede folklore. Anyone hearing otherwise got a bum steer.
- Ian Scott for East Coast Noise. Scott is a former New Brunswick journalist, music writer and radio personality now living in Calgary.
A little later than planned, but here’s the latest update on some East Coast music releases, festivals and some opportunities for East Coast talent.
Dartmouth, N.S.-based metal label Diminished Fifth Records has done more in a short period of time for a handful of East Coast metal bands than anyone would likely have expected.
By releasing and promoting heavily several East Coast metal releases (from bands like The Orchid’s Curse, Iron Giant and Gallactus), the label run by Josh Hogan has raised the profile of an often underground genre quite a bit.
The latest announcement from the D5R guys is a huge one – the label has struck up a distribution deal with the United Kingdom’s Code 7 Distribution. What this means is the heaviest of heavy bands on the East Coast will now have their music in Great Britain and Ireland.
By next month, the label’s latest releases Gallactus – Nine Mile Woods and Iron Giant – Creator of Scars will be available in HMV stores (retail and online) as well as through
Code 7’s official website www.code7music.com and on such sites as Amazon.uk and Play.com.
In more Diminished Fifth Records news, the label is planning for the second installment of it’s The Music of Artisanship & War series, a compilation of East Coast metal tunes.
The Music of Artisanship & War: Volume II is expected to be released this fall to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the label’s first release.
But of course, the compilation is going to need tunes. D5R is seeking heavy rock and metal bands on the East Coast who would like to be considered for the new compilation.
If your band is interested in submitting a tune for the release, there is a form to complete online here.
Deadline for submissions is July 31 though, so act quickly. D5R reminds everyone submitting to carefully read all the guidelines and the disclaimer as well. All fields on the form must be complete.
Questions or concerns can be directed to: info@diminishedfifthrecords.com
Another compilation of Atlantic Canadian tunes is on the way soon. Moncton music collective the TBA Collective is planning the release of Tunage Moncton 2 on Saturday, July 19. A free, all-ages outdoor concert will be held at 5 p.m. at the outdoor pavilion next to the Moncton Fire Department on Assomption Blvd. Another show will be held the following evening at The Manhattan bar.
Both shows feature bands who appear on the compilation, including Alex Madsen (The Divorcees), Secret Agent, Morse Code Alphabet, Tempting Tragedy, King Ruckus, The Umph, The Shortfused, Underleaf and several more.
“The music coming out of Moncton right now is so vast. I wanted to expose people to that with this compilation,” says event organizer and creator of Tunage Moncton, Jonah Hache.
Tunage Moncton 2 will be for sale at both events and is only $10. It will also be available in Moncton at Frank’s Music, Live Wire Music Emporium and Spin-It Records.
The TBA Collective bands (including several Moncton bands) will have copies of the Tunage Moncton 2 compilation for sale at all of its shows throughout eastern Canada.
“If someone buys Tunage as a fan of one of our artists and becomes a fan of another artist on the disc then the entire project is a success,” says Hache.
Several East Coast bands have albums on the way in the next month or two, so here’s some info on each:
MARDEEN - Critically acclaimed Halifax rock act Mardeen will celebrate the release of their debut LP, Read Less Minds (Aporia Records) tonight (Friday, July 4) at The Seahorse Tavern in Halifax.
Recorded by Halifax indie-rock veteran Charles Austin (The Superfriendz, Buck 65), the album follows Mardeen’s EP Friends Don’t Love (2005).
DAVE MARSH – Veteran East Coast musician Dave Marsh, known for his work with The Superfriendz and The Joel Plaskett Emergency, will release his debut solo album, The True Love Rules, on Tuesday, July 29.
It is the first release on Plaskett’s new label, New Scotland Records, and it will be distributed in Canada by Fontana North. Plaskett even produced the record, which was recorded last year in Halifax, Dartmouth and Sydney, Australia. Guesting on the album are Plaskett, The SuperFriendz and Tim Brennan along with Cool Blue Halo’s Paul Boudreau and Peter Elkas.
SOUR GRAPES – Longtime Moncton punk band will finally release their latest effort, Punk Rock Blues, on July 25 at The Paramount in Moncton. The release has been a long time coming, but if the tunes on the four-piece’s myspace page are any indication, it’ll be well worth the wait. Sour Grapes is made up of Steph Twisted, Pak Twisted, Mike Bourque and Marco Rocca. Rocca and Pak’s other group, The Nuclear, should be releasing its long-awaited debut soon as well.
Secret Agent and Nothing To No One will Sour Grapes’ Moncton show on July 25.
JOSIAH BARTNETT – Barnett, a member of several Moncton bands, recently released his latest solo effort, Drum Fun. It is only available through Barnett or at Spin-It Records in Moncton, but it’s a steal at only $5 for 13 tracks. Sample some tunes on Barnett’s myspace page.
MIR – I mentioned this quite a while ago, but Halifax pop rock band Mir’s latest effort OK2GO! is coming down the pipe soon. The band continues to release songs from the record every week (18 songs over 18 weeks) leading up to the album’s release on Tuesday, Sept. 16. “Change” is the lates tune released on the band’s website. The previous tracks can be heard and purchased online as well.
Music festival Sappyfest has released its complete 2008 schedule, which can be viewed here.
The festival, which takes place between August 1-3 in Sackville, N.B., has also recently added the premieres of documentaries 6015 and Eric’s Trip: 1990-1996 (as well as a performance from the band) to its line-up.
SappyFest is an independent music festival produced by Sappy Records in partnership with the Ok.Quoi?! Contemporary Arts Festival, Struts Gallery and Faucet Media Arts Centre.
Acts confirmed to perform at Sappyfest include: 100 Dollars, The Acorn, Adam & The Amethysts, Attack In Black, B.A. Johnston, Laura Barrett, The Burning Hell, Bruce Peninsula, Calm Down It’s Monday, Chad Van Gaalen, Colonial Quarrels, Dog Day, Julie Doiron, Eric’s Trip, Ghost Bees, Old Man Luedecke, Share, Shotgun Jimmie, Snailhouse, The Stance, Stolen Minks, The Superfantastics, Thesis, Think About Life, Wax Mannequin, West Ave, Wet Nose Hero, Rick White, Woolly Leaves and many more.
Passes and tickets for Sappyfest are available at all participating Ticketpro Outlets or by going here.
Summersonic, an outdoor music festival presented by Sonic Concerts of Halifax, takes place Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20. In addition to huge names like City and Colour, Stars, Tokyo Police Club and The Weakerthans, the event features East Coast talent such as In-Flight Safety, Rebekah Higgs, Wintersleep and Hey Rosetta!
Ticket information is available at all Ticketpro outlets and online at the festival’s website.
Summersonic is open to all ages with a licensed area for those over the age of 19. Gates open daily at 2 p.m. and the show starts at 4 p.m.
The 4th Annual Canadian Music Cafe is taking place between September 9-11 in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival. Submissions for the event will be accepted online at Sonicbids starting July 8, so any bands interested should keep that in mind.
A friend recently pointed me in the direction of Head Case Radio. The station encourages independent musicians to upload songs which I’m told they’ll actually play. The site is free to listen to and participate in. Perhaps a good place for bands to submit tracks to and for music fans to discover new sounds.