Newfoundland rockers The Novaks, who I haven’t heard anything about in quite some time, have popped back up on the radar. The band played some shows at the recent East Coast Music Awards and a few other dates the last few months.
The band, now a three-piece, is preparing its latest album, Things Fall Apart, which will be released on May 26. The first single, “There Goes The Night,” was delivered to radio this week.
The members of the trio are Mick Davis (guitar/vocals) Mark Neary (bass/vocals), and Elliot Dicks (drums). There’s no word at this point what former guitarist Chuck Tucker is up to these days.
However, guesting on the new album is member of The Faces, Ian McLagan.
I should have more on the new album and revamped band in a few weeks.
Joseph Edgar releases new album
Over two years after the release of oh ma ma, Moncton’s Joseph Edgar has released his third album “Y’a un train qui s’en vient…” (There is a train a-comin’). The 11-track CD hit stores today.
The Acadian singer-songwriter and former lead singer of the now-defunct band Zero˚ Celsius recorded the album over the last year with producer Marc “Chops” Arsenault, bassist for Les Païens (members of the group also appear on the album).
Edgar says in a press release that this record has finally fulfilled his desire to make an album “reach as close as possible the energy and strength of the live show with a sound experience that can only be explored in the studio.”
In addition to the other members of Les Païens (Jean Surette, Denis Surette and Sébastien Michaud), other musicians that participated on the album are Isabelle Thériault, Chris Colepaugh, Carey Beck and Lisa LeBlanc.
In mid-May, Joseph Edgar will travel across the Maritimes to promote the album with his “Tournée du tounerre” with Les Païens. During his stop at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton on May 23rd, Oumou Soumare, Georgette LeBlanc, Isabelle Thériault, Lisa LeBlanc and Brian Coughlan will also be added to the show. Joseph Edgar will be in Montreal early June.
Tour information can be found on Edgar’s myspace page.
1755 reunites for a tour
Speaking of New Brunswick Francophone artists, perhaps the most legendary of them all, 1755, will tour across villages and towns in the province, plus a few shows in Québec and PEI, from May to October.
The tour, entitled Celebrate 2009, will mark New Brunswick’s 225th anniversary, the Acadian flag’s 125th anniversary and the 40th year of existence of New Brunswick’s Official Language Act. This tour occurs exactly 25 years after the group’s last major tour called “100 pour 200” celebrating the Acadian flag’s 100th anniversary and the province’s 200th.
This tour is not only 1755’s tour – many other artists were invited by the band to open the shows including George Belliveau, Tradition, La Virée, Fayo, Lisa LeBlanc, Melanie Morgan, Jean-François Breau, Kevin McIntyre, Steve Poirier, Grand Dérangement and more.
Here are the east coast dates:
- Saturday, May 16 – Dieppe w/Fayo / George Belliveau
- Saturday, June 6 – Balmoral w/Kevin McIntyre / La Virée
- Thursday, June 11 – Fredericton w/Les Divorcees / Neon Highway
- Saturday, June 20 – Miramichi w/Lisa LeBlanc / Darcy Mazerolle
- Saturday, June 27 – Lamèque w/George Belliveau / A Race Called Man
- Saturday, July 4 – Richibouctou w/ Suroît
- Saturday, July 11 – Petit Rocher w/Jean-François Breau / Acadia
- Saturday, July 18 – Neguac w/Tradition / Fayo
- Saturday, July 25 – Shediac w/Jean-François Breau / George Belliveau / Shirley Albert
- Saturday, Aug. 1 – Dalhousie w/George Belliveau / KeroZen
- Saturday, Aug. 8 – Charlottetown, PEI w/Roddey Romero / Steve Poirier
- Friday, Aug. 14 – Dieppe w/Cayouche / Dominique Dupuis
- Saturday, Aug. 15 – Caraquet w/La Virée
- Friday, Aug. 21 – Tracadie-Sheila w/Waylon Thibodeau / Hert LeBlanc / Cayouche
- Saturday, Sept. 5 – Cap-Pelé w/George Belliveau / Melanie Morgan
- Saturday, Oct. 10 – Kedgwick
- Saturday, Oct. 24 – Grand Fall
A Saint John date is also being planned.
ISC announces 2008 Winners
The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) announced its 2008 winners recently. In its seventh year, ISC received over 15,500 songs from amateur and professional songwriters from 100 countries worldwide. In all, ISC bestows prizes on 62 winners, awarding more than $150,000 in cash and prizes.
Atlantic Canadian artists honoured include:
First Place Winner – Folk / Singer-Songwriter – “Davey Jones” by Gordie Sampson (co-written Michael Logan)
Honourable Mention – Country – “Cowboy’s Dream” by Dave Gunning (co-written George Canyon)
Honourable Mention – Folk / Singer-Songwriter - “Bees In Jars” by Steven Bowers
Honourable Mention – Gospel / Christian – “My Divine” by Geoff Fifield, Tim Fifield, Jordan Allen, Nathan Elliot-Doucet (The Contact)
Honourable Mention – Instrumental – “DD’s Blues” by Duane Andrews and “The New Tune Makers of 2007” by Troy MacGillivray
For a complete list of 2008 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, see here.
ECMA is now on Twitter
Follow more east coast music news by checking out the East Coast Music Awards on Twitter. See here for more.
