Halifax's The Devil's Half Acre.

Halifax-based The Devil’s Half Acre originally started out as a solo project for frontman Chase Ross, but turned into a full band project almost by accident in 2009.

Since then, the band has released two records. In December, The Devil’s Half Acre’s EP The Town was released, a concept album of sorts based on Ross’s home of Kentville, N.S.

He joins us this week via e-mail to fill us in on the group’s history and what’s coming next …

1. Tell us about how The Devil’s Half Acre formed … from a solo project to a band effort … was it a difficult transition?

The Devil’s Half Acre was at first a name that I used when I played solo. I was pretty inspired by Townes Van Zandt and Neil Young. In the late summer of 2009, my friends in a band called Action/Adventure asked me to play with them at Gus’ Pub for their EP release show. The line-up also included The Numbered Head. I felt like I wouldn’t fit at all, so I recruited a drummer and arranged some songs that I had so they could be played louder, amplified and electric. I also played half of the set on the acoustic guitar. Ultimately that has been the point of The Devil’s Half Acre, to showcase a louder, rock and roll, Neil Young and Crazy Horse type of sound along with my quieter acoustic songs.

2. You must have had clear ideas and goals for yourself when you started the project. Did you have to change anything to make your concept suit a band?

I feel like I’ve had to change more in my solo writing then with the band. With a band, songs seem easier to write, ideas come easier and our writing process has always been open. Nothing is set in stone and there are no set instrument parts in my mind besides the main idea for the song and the lyrics. Once I bring that to my bandmates, it’s a blank canvas for them.

The band has quickly found an identity and sound but with my solo songs I’m constantly trying to figure out what that identity is.

3. What’s it like just trying to get a band going and get your name out here on the east coast?

It’s very competitive, which makes you want to work harder to be as tight as you can and also as memorable as possible. When people leave the venue at the end of a show you want them to be humming along to one of your songs as they go to bed. There is a lot of music for people to hear and as long as you work hard they will hear it. I’ve learned it’s important to stay positive and really believe in what you are doing.

4. New EP came out in December. How did that record come together, and how did you approach it compared to your previous record?

My first record Introducing The Devil’s Half Acre was just a product of that first show I had played with the drummer, half acoustic, half electric.

The new record The Town was the most from-scratch sort of project I have done. I had been writing a lot of songs that I was hoping would end up being a folk/country record. When I sat down with producer Dustin Clarke to show him these songs I could tell that I wasn’t really behind the songs. Something just wasn’t right about them; they just weren’t right for the moment or the mood.

We then plugged in and started jamming. I had some ideas floating in my head, some things I had been reciting to myself over the summer while living back in Kentville. We quickly wrote about three songs before I realized there was a concept about small towns, in particular Kentville. It took three more songs to complete the story.

5. The band just wrapped up an east coast tour … how did that go?

The tour has been great. Myself and Zach Bethune (guitar player) are the only remaining members of the band from the original writing and recording of The Town. We added drummer Sean Skerry and bassist Stan Selig in October. So this was really a trial by fire for all of us. We’re all new to each other and playing together. But I believe that the past six dates that we’ve played have definitely galvanized us.

We played in my hometown of Kentville and that was really special for me. My family and friends really got to see what I’ve been doing and it was just a fun experience for us as a band. We also got to play Tribeca before it closed (my girlfriend told me that Matt Mays was in the front row watching our set. I’m glad I didn’t see him because I would have froze. I’m a big fan).

We also got to hit the road on some longer stretches to Fredericton and Moncton. This past weekend we just played Governors Pub in Sydney to a near capacity crowd and had a great time. I think we as a band are becoming addicted to playing live.

6. East Coast Music Awards are coming up in Moncton in April. Do you guys have any plans to attend or showcase?

Unfortunately I don’t think any of the ECMA activities are in the cards for us this year.

7. What have you been listening to lately?

Lately I’ve been listening to Bill Callahan. My girlfriend gave me his album Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle on vinyl for Christmas. I recommend it. I also have been listening to George Harrison, Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers, Palace Music, John Prine and Daniel Lanois.

8. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?

I’ve learned to just let go and allow the waves to rush over you. After it passes, your ideas, ambition and creativity will remain in front of you, and the trouble, turmoil and consequences will be behind you.

9. What do the next few months hold for The Devil’s Half Acre?

As a band we will be looking for more shows to welcome in the spring, and hopefully another tour to some of those cities that we visited. I hope to make an impression on whoever has seen us play live and I hope to get the new EP into more hands and ears.

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P.E.I.'s Boxer The Horse is set to release its sophomore album.

Prince Edward Island’s Boxer the Horse will release its second album, French Residency, on March 13.

The band – Jeremy Gaudet (guitar/vocals), Andrew Woods (guitar/drums), Isaac Neily (keys/drums) and Christian Ledwell (bass) – released its debut full length, Would You Please, in 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.

They were named the Best New Band of 2010 by CBC Radio 3 — who shortlisted lead single Mary Meets the Pilot for 2010 Song of the Year — and were awarded the Music PEI’s 2011 Rock Recording of the Year. The band has appeared in support of such nationally heralded acts as The New Pornographers, Two Hours Traffic, In-Flight Safety, Dog Day and Hey Rosetta!.

Returning to the studio with producer Alec O’Hanley, Boxer the Horse recently completed their sophomore record French Residency.

The band will be taking French Residency on a national tour and dates will be announced soon.

Former Inbreds member back with solo record

Mike O’Neill, of long-defunct duo The Inbreds, has released Henry, the first single from his forthcoming album Wild Lines, available for free download (here).

Wild Lines is the follow-up to O’Neill’s 2004 album The Owl (Zunior) and will be available on Feb. 28.

Catch O’Neill at the following dates:

Feb. 04 – Fredericton, NB – Shivering Songs Festival
Feb. 29 – Halifax, NS – The Carleton
Mar. 10 – Ottawa, ON – TBA
Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe (CMW)
Mar. 21 – Guelph, ON – Ebar
Mar. 22 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah

Halifax’s Rising Waters to release debut

Roughly four years after forming, Halifax’s Rising Waters will release its debut record with a CD release show on Feb. 17 at Montes Showbar & Grill in Dartmouth, N.S.

Their first full length studio album was recorded in the fall of 2011 with Rob Crewe (Stillwater Studios) and mastered by Don Chapman (DC Productions).

Rising Waters features Richard Schaller (lead vocals, guitar), Keegan Leblanc (guitar), Sheldon Hodder (drums) and Nick Patterson (bass).

More dates are expected to be announced shortly.

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Andrew Sisk (photo by Scott Munn)

Share and Coco et Co. frontman Andrew Sisk will release his debut solo LP, Treelines, on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Treelines was completed in Sisk’s apartment in Montreal with his son Elliott sleeping on his lap during vocal takes and quietly watching him record classical guitar parts. While self-engineered and produced, the album features contributions from members of Wintersleep, Snailhouse and The Two Minute Miracles.

Shivering Songs gears up + free stuff!

The second annual Fredericton-based Shivering Songs Festival is set for Feb. 3-5. Included in the lineup this year are Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters, Micah Blue Smaldone (SubPop) Postdata, Hot Toddy, Catherine MacLellan and many others.

Several shows are planned for throughout the weekend, including the Songwriters and Storytellers Matinee show at the Wilmot Church, with David Myles hosting for a second year. Myles will moderate the Saturday Matinee, which also features David Adams Richards, Catherine Maclellan, Mike O’Neill and Andrew Sisk.

The festival will take place at Wilmot United Church, the Cedar Tree Café, the Capital Bar and the Boyce Farmer’s Market. Passes and tickets are now on sales at Backstreet Records, Picaroon’s Brewtique and online at www.shiveringsongs.com Physical tickets are on sale now in Fredericton at Backstreet Records (384 Queen St.) and Read’s Newsstand (435 King St.).

The fine folks at Shivering Songs have shared a sampler album featuring festival artists, which you can download here. (Click on the blue button part way down the page for quickest download …)

The Just Barelys release album

Halifax’s The Just Barelys are ready to launch their latest record, Mad Bits, on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Stephen Kelly and Eleanor King are The Just Barelys. A two-piece art/pop project, the band has independently recorded and released three albums and a variety of singles since 2001. JB’s home recordings feature King on drums and Kelly on guitar, and incorporate a wide variety of instruments, computer manipulations and home-made noise devices.

Lovestorm releases new video

Moncton-area two-piece Lovestorm, Nina Khosla and Tim Isaac, have released a new video for the title track from their album Overripe. The video was shot last winter in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

Check out the video here:

Moncton bar launches Soirées Cabaret

Moncton bar The Igloo, located at 300 Elmwood Dr., has launched a new French-language concert series.

Called Soirées Cabaret franco de l’Igloo, the series hosts a different Acadian or French act every Wednesday for only $5. For more information on the Soirée cabaret franco de l’Igloo, call the Igloo at (506) 858-9397.

Following is the programming from now until the end of March:

January 25 – Caracol
February 1 – Loup Noir
February 8 – Daniel Goguen
February 15 – Kevin McIntyre
February 22 – Luc Tardif
February 29 – Gabriel Robichaud
March 7 – Mario Lebreton
March 14 – Danny Boudreau
March 21 – Le Bo Band
March 28 – Caroline Savoie et Philippe Desjardins

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Girls Would Kill

Saint John-born, Halifax-based electro group Girls Would Kill released its first full length album Bloodshed last month after recording it between the two cities with producer Colin Crowell.

The two-piece, made up of Adam Higgins and Mary Ferguson, has been touring recently with Audrey & The Agents and has more dates planned for early in the new year.

The band joins us this week to chat about the album and what’s up next …

1. Hey guys, how are things going? What’s the latest with Girls Would Kill?

Adam: Things are good. We’ve just put out our first proper album. It’s called Bloodshed, and we’re working on all the stuff that goes along with that. We’re working on a few videos, a remix and a couple cover tracks to release along with a some singles.

2. The album was released a month or so ago – how does it feel now that you’ve had a chance to step away and reflect on the project you worked on for more than a year?

Adam: Yeah, it came out Nov. 11, and it’s been a huge relief to finally have the songs out of our hands. We spent a ton of time tweaking the songs. A lot changed depending on our live setup and then again through sharing the production duties with Colin, who brought a lot into the fold. We’re really happy with the record and it represents an entire period for the band but at the same time we’re making an effort to have a much more consistent output from the band, year-round.

3. I believe you were based in Saint John but have moved to Halifax. What do you find different about the two cities, and how does that impact the band?

Adam: Saint John and Halifax have a pretty similar feel, I find. Downtown Halifax just doesn’t turn into a ghost town as rapidly as uptown Saint John. The major change for the band is that Halifax is uncharted for the most part. We’ve done a few shows here but in Saint John we’d played everywhere we wanted, and did the shows we wanted. It was time for a change.

4. During the making of the record, Joe Hooley left the band. Was that a major setback?

Mary: In some ways. He had put all his tracks down so that was cool, but losing a third of a band is a setback anytime. He was there from day one, and our live set had to change a lot for our release show. Working as a duo is actually a welcomed new direction, for now. Some album tracks only feature Adam and I to begin with, and limitations always breed creativity.

5. The electronic music scene appears to be growing along the east coast … have you guys found the journey so far difficult or no?

Mary: Most of the last two years we were gradually changing the band’s sound from a guitar/bass/drum machine set up to a heavier dance vibe. What we have now is our own brand of electronic music, and there’s some awesome electro artists/bands in the Maritimes — quick shouts to Blank Banshees (Saint John) Sexwolf (Fredericton) Jenocide (Halifax).

6. What song(s), album(s) or artist(s) have you been listening to lately?

Mary & Adam: Artist: Depeche Mode almost entirely. Early Depeche Mode especially. Song: GVCCI HVCCI – Superlow. Album: Telegram – Bjork.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?

Adam: That Bono uses an SM58 (microphone) in the studio and that rigor mortis leaves the body after a few days.

8. What do the next few months hold for Girls Would Kill?

Mary: We’re going to put out our first music video for Digitl Kid which we are hoping will go completely viral. We’re heading back to Saint John to shoot another video for Safeword, and were going to be releasing a great remix of Zagot, and a couple cover tunes, all of which will be available on our Bandcamp for free downloading.

9. Anything else you’d like to add?

Mary: Just that we’re really hoping your readers take a minute or two and check out the album, our cruise through it at least.

The album is available on our bandcamp at name your own price, so by entering $0.00 the album is yours free!

Adam: It’s also available physically at Taz and Obsolete Records (both in Halifax) for $4.99 as well as free download cards while supplies last. And we’re looking for like-minded bands to gig with.

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Carleton Stone will perform at ECMA Week in April. (Mat Dunlap photo)

The East Coast Music Association has released its list of showcase performers for East Coast Music Week, taking place in Moncton, April 11-15.

The list includes Moncton’s own Motorleague, Backyard Devils, Divorcees and others like Kim Stockwood, Christina Martin, Old Man Luedecke, Roch Voisine, Tim Chaisson and the Morning Fold and many, many more.

Click here for the full list of performers.

Smith celebrates new album on tour

Warner Music Canada recording artist and 2011 Juno Award Winner Meaghan Smith is going on tour to support her new holiday collection, It Snowed.  The tour kicked off in Vancouver last week and passes through Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, before returning her home to Halifax on Dec. 16 (full list of dates below).

It Snowed represents Meaghan Smith’s first project since The Cricket’s Orchestra, which propelled her to winning the 2011 Juno Award for Best New Artist.

Remaining tour dates:

December 5 – Calgary – Ironwood Stage and Grill
December 6 – Hamilton – The Peart Company
December 7 – Toronto – The Rivoli
December 8 – Wakefield – The Black Sheep Inn
December 9 – Montreal – Club Lambi
December 16 – Halifax – St. Matthew’s United Church
December 19 – Fredericton – Charlotte Street Arts Centre

David Myles is Home For Christmas

New Brunswick native David Myles is home for Christmas, just in time for his second annual Singing For Supper tour in support of food banks in New Brunswick. Myles is performing three free shows for the public in Moncton on Monday, Dec. 12, at Champlain Mall; Saint John on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at McAllister Place Mall; and in Fredericton on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at the Regent Mall. All shows take place from 12-1:30 p.m.

Myles will be collecting cash donations and non-perishable food items, on location during the shows.

To help promote the tour, Myles released his own recording of I’ll Be Home For Christmas on Nov. 22; a song made famous by Bing Crosby in 1943. Fun fact: Myles’ great-great-great Aunt Catherine and great-great-great Uncle Patrick were Bing Crosby’s great Aunt Catherine and great Uncle Patrick.

There are two versions of I’ll Be Home For Christmas, one that is slow and one that is uptempo. Both songs were recorded by Charles Austin at the Echo Chamber in Halifax and feature James Hill on ukulele and violin. All proceeds from sales of the digital download will be donated to the Food Banks in New Brunswick.

Plan b launches 2-CD Best of

Moncton bar Plan b Bar & Lounge has officially launched The Best of b, a 2-CD compilation of some of the best acts that once performed on the stage of this bar that was named 2011 Venue of the Year during the last Music New Brunswick Awards.

Plan b opened in June 2009 with the goal of offering live music seven days a week. Since its inception, the bar has welcomed many top Maritime and Canadian music acts. Owner Tracy Petukohv with the help of several local musicians – some of them still working at the club, such as The Divorcees’ Brock Gallant, who books the talents and fellow band member Jay Byrd, who takes care of the restaurant side of the bar – have managed to raise this small watering hole into one of Canada’s most visionary live music venue.

While the place was gaining in popularity, they quickly realized that the equipment they had lacked the power necessary to keep up with the growing number of rock bands now performing at Plan b. In order to raise money to purchase the equipment upgrades, they decided to call upon the many artists that had graced the bar’s stage over the last two years.

The response was quick, with 24 acts from all over donating their works to be featured on the 2-CD compilation. Even before the proper amount of money was raised, Petukhov went ahead and placed the order for the replacement system. They hope to continue selling the CD as they have yet to reach their fundraising goal.

As they move into 2012, they intend on capturing many if not every show that happens at Plan b.

The bar has also launched a new website, www.planbmoncton.com, featuring concert listings, YouTube video page, streaming music and concert podcasts.

Plan b Bar & Lounge is located at 212, St. George Street in downtown Moncton. They are also on Facebook (search Plan B Lounge Moncton). One can reach them also by phone 506-384-2019 or by email planb.bookings@gmail.com

Flowers releases new single Disguise

Moncton-based singer-songwriter Phil Flowers has released Disguise, the first single from his album People People, launched in November of last year. This first solo album earned him three 2011 Music NB Awards: Anglophone Recording, Male Recording Artist, and Rock Recording as well as a nomination in the Emerging Artist category.

Steven Bowers releases new album

Halifax-based Steven Bowers has launched a new album, Beothuk Words. Featuring nine tracks, the album was recorded in Port Howe, N.S. at the home studio of producer Dale Murray (Cuff The Duke, Christina Martin, The Guthries) and singer Christina Martin (who provides harmony vocals throughout, and a duet on the title track). Beothuk Words features a stellar line up of musicians including multi-instrumentalists Kev Corbett and Dale Murray, Keith Mullins (drums, percussion), Fleur Mainville (fiddle), Brian Murray (banjo) and Daniel Ledwell (trumpets).

Regarding the title, Bowers says: “I was wrapping up production and trying to finish two final tracks. I stumbled on an article about the Beothuk, who were native inhabitants of Newfoundland during the time of European colonization in the 15th and 16th centuries. They became extinct as a people in 1829, and subsequently much of their language was lost. That really stuck with me. The title of the record speaks to the lyrical themes of impermanence, seasonal cycles and generations. The album closer (Song for Little You) was written after I found a photograph of my wife as a child. Its sister song and album opener (Song for Grown You) bookend the record, and the lost Beothuk Language, the idea that it came and left so quietly,  was something that seemed to tie all of these ideas together.”

Halifax Pop Explosion accepting submissions

The Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX) is now accepting early bird submissions for its 20th anniversary festival, taking place Oct. 16-20, 2012.

Early bird artist submissions for HPX 2012 are $10, until Feb. 3. Regular submissions are $15 from Feb. 4 to May 21. Artist submissions are managed by Marcato Digital Solutions. For more information on Marcato, visit here: http://marcatodigital.com

For more information, you can visit http://halifaxpopexplosion.com or contact Ashley Moran, event co-ordinator at event@halifaxpopexplosion.com

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Mark Bragg (photo by Adam Penney)

Last month, we told you about Newfoundland’s Mark Bragg, who released his latest album, Your Kiss, in September. Bragg and his band are touring the east coast over the next week, and he joins us today to chat about the new record, tour and more …

1. How are things?

Things are great. Just gearing up for a Maritime tour, really looking forward to that.

2. How is the tour going?

I toured southern Ontario last month and it was a ball. I’m just gearing up now for the Maritimes and I can’t wait, it’s been a while.

3. Are the songs from Your Kiss relatively easy to bring to the stage since they were recorded live off the floor anyway, or do they take on a different form in front of an audience?

They always take on a different form. In fact, since I play with different musicians a lot it’s never the same show twice. I’m flying to Halifax on Friday for a short Maritime tour and I’ll be backed by some musicians who I haven’t even met yet, though they come highly recommended. It’s always a new adventure.

4. It’s not often in rock music that one is described as “bandleader.” I’m not sure if it’s any different than “frontman,” but you really do sound like you’re leading the band on the record, heading up the chaos, as opposed to just singing. Is that a fair statement? How do you see your role, beyond being the songwriter?

It’s a fair statement. In fact this is the first album I didn’t even play a single lick on. I just trusted my band to do their thing. But anyone who’s ever seen one of my band shows knows that I take the role of band leader very seriously. It’s all about bringing the best out of people, both spreading and focusing the energy on stage, things like that. I get a lot of enjoyment out of that. That and performing. It’s very satisfying when it works.

5. Did you approach this album differently than your past work?

Absolutely. I’ve always recorded my albums live off the floor, but this is the first time I really got it right I think. I think it’s partially because we did away with headphones, just set up monitors on the floor just like it was a show in a club, and let all the instruments bleed into the other mics. It’s risky that way because you seriously limit what you can do after the fact, but I think it was completely worth it in the end.

6. You’ve said that sometimes you don’t even know what you’re writing about until a song is compete. A friend of mine once said he doesn’t care “what” someone sings, as long as it sounds good. Do you feel the same way, or is the story important to you?

The story is very important to me, but it’s OK if I come to it in a roundabout way. I start with the sound of words, or sometimes even non-words and jibberish, so yes I’m really working with sounds in the beginning. Well, sounds and images, because as a writer I’m a very visual person. But in the end if it’s not cohesive, then I’ll start re-writing. I might be working on one line for a week. It has to sound great AND present a strong image. That’s the craft for me.

7. What song(s), album(s) or artist(s) have you been listening to lately?

Lately I’ve been loving Randy Newman’s live performance of My Life is Good on youtube. I’m listening to it over and over again. It’s dark, hilarious and great.

8. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?

That there’s no greater pleasure than my daughter shushing me when Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire comes on the car radio. “This is a song about a little girl! Shhhh…”

9. What do you have planned over the next few months?

Lots of touring to promote the new album, and a family honeymoon to Disneyland! I just married my baby’s mama last month.

10. Anything else you’d like to add?

No, would just like to say thanks a lot for the interview!

Check out Mark Bragg at the following dates:

Fri Nov 18 Halifax @ The Seahorse with The Idlers
Sat Nov 19 Moncton @ Plan B with The Stanfields
Sun Nov 20 Liverpool @ Lanes Privateer Inn with Jon McKiel
Wed Nov 23 Charlottetown @ House Concert
Fri Nov 25 Fredericton @ The Capitol with Jon McKiel
Sat Nov 26 Charlottetown @ Hunters with Glory Glory & Wild Domestic

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Saint John, N.B.'s Penny Blacks (Kâté Braydon photo)

Recently we posted news that Saint John, N.B.’s Penny Blacks was releasing its new album, Harbour. It’s the band’s third release, following two earlier EPs.

Starting as an outlet for Hospital Grade’s Jason Ogden to expand his musical horizons and deal with a relationship that fell apart – “I had sort of spectacularly destroyed a very long, important relationship,” he tells East Coast Noise — Penny Blacks turned into a band over time.

Ogden’s bandmates are Dan Chamberlain, Chris Braydon, Ali Leonard, Clinton Charlton, Chuck Teed, and Erin Sharpe. This week, Ogden and drummer Clinton Charlton joins East Coast Noise to chat about the new album and more …

1. Hey guys – how does it feel to have the new album on the streets?

Jason: It feels great! It’s been a long haul getting this thing together, but now that it’s done we’re all pretty ecstatic about it.  The reactions we’ve gotten so far from social media and shows has been great. We’re looking forward to more!

Clinton: Gratifying! Some of these songs have been kicking around as long as the band has been, and to see this album fully realized is so exciting. I’ve been in this band for about five years now and having the album in-hand feels like it validates the group to an extent. I’m really proud to be able to hand someone the disc and know that they’re hearing the songs as we intended for them to be presented. In a way the album makes it feel like we’re just getting started and it’s really rejuvenating.

2. This is the first full length record after two EPs. Did that change the way you approached the album in any way — writing, recording, arrangements?

Jason: As far as the writing goes, it’s pretty much the same process for everything I write: just me and my guitar on the corner of the bed, or on my couch.  That’s how all the songs start. I get it refined to a point where I can play it comfortably solo, maybe play it live a few times  and tweak it a bit more, then take it to the band. At that point, usually Clinton, Chuck and Chris get their hands on it first and add their own things to it. The general structure is usually intact at the end of the process, but along the way, the band finesses dynamics and tweaks the arrangement in subtle ways that I never would have even thought of.

Recording was a bit different for the EPs and the album. The EPs were recorded almost completely in my apartment, and they were more of a solo affair, where I just asked a friend here and there to come in a add a part or two. Harbour was recorded in a few different places, and we had the help of some talented friends in the tracking and mixing. I don’t think we could have finished Harbour even in the time frame we did if we did it all ourselves.

3. Jason, the impetus for you to step out as a solo artist was a deeply personal situation, as I understand it. Was it difficult for you to share the songs in a band environment — to let others in?

Jason: You know, I never, ever found it difficult to share these songs with the band, and I think that it’s mainly because they are my good friends. And even though I had just met some of these folks at the time, I’m not really one to connect with judgmental people or people who obviously have some kind of attitude. And when I started playing these songs out, before the band came into the picture, I was in such a weird, desperate place that I didn’t even think about it. If anything, it’s just becoming difficult now – a few years after – reading about myself online and in the paper about the songs and the shit that went down that lead to me writing them. A few years removed from the situation and the feelings, it can be kind of awkward to see those descriptors, “pain”, “emotion”, “heartbreak,” etc assigned to your name in an article or review or whatever. I mean, what I went through wasn’t anything special or unusual — it’s something that everyone goes through at some point. I just sort of documented it in my case. I guess I find it easier to let people in this way, maybe.

4. Was it therapeutic at all to get your thoughts and feelings out through these songs? Has time and music healed the wounds?

Jason: Yeah, I think it was. I mean, people have been doing this for ages. There’s a reason for it — all these songs about regret, loneliness, heartache. I think it’s a combination of some kind of personal need to expel the demons, and to somehow make it into something universal, something poetic. There’s this sense that if you can say it and present it in such a way that someone else out there finds beauty or something in it — and understands it — that maybe you aren’t so alone. Sounds like a cliché, I know, but that’s the way it is.

I don’t think in my case that the music healed the wounds, but it certainly acted as an anesthetic. Time was the ultimate healer. All the clichés are true.

5. Obviously the style of music and feel of Penny Blacks and Hospital Grade are very different, but do you consciously change your songwriting approach for the two bands?

Jason: Hospital Grade is almost completely collaborative.  Ninety per cent of the music just comes out of us being in a room jamming together. Once we have the essentials of a song, I either write lyrics or dig through my notebooks looking for something that works. This is a hell of a lot of fun, but in general I would say it takes much longer for Hospital Grade to complete a song than Penny Blacks. With Penny Blacks, I can just keep working away on something at home until I feel it’s done. Sometimes I will stay up all night, sometimes I will just hammer away at it for a few days. When I feel that I’ve got something ready to go, generally I’ll play it for Clinton and get his thoughts, then the band will get its teeth into it. Because at that point, the structure — the beginning, middle and end, so to speak — is in place, and the band can get the song up on its feet a lot faster.

6. How does Penny Blacks work — does Jason lead the way, or do you guys approach everything as a unit?

Jason: To elaborate slightly on previous answers — I bring in a structured song, and then let the band do their thing. It’s very rare that anyone does something that doesn’t work. Everyone has great instincts.

Clinton: Penny Blacks is a band, and that’s been a hard sale for us as of late. Jason put out two amazing solo EPs as Penny Blacks, and has played shows under that moniker as well. It’s created some confusion as to what exactly Penny Blacks is, but I think the album will lay all that to rest. Jason writes the songs, and I don’t see that ever changing. But everyone in this band contributes to them. The songs change and morph into something different in the band setting. Some things are exactly as Jason laid them out to us with his initial idea, and others have done complete a 180. With that said, this started as Jason’s project and we absolutely take direction from him, we trust his vision and instinct.

7. What song(s), album(s) or artist(s) have you been listening to lately?

Jason: Been listening to the new A.A. Bondy all week – it’s a great autumn album [just like Harbour ].  Also digging Molly Rankin’s EP, and still spinning Charles Bradley’s album after catching him at Sappyfest.

Clinton: I’ve been listening to Joe Henry’s new record. He’s an amazing songwriter who I admire very much. I’ve been digging the new Wilco and Ryan Adams records as well. I’ve been very interested in ambient music as of late as well. Chris Braydon (Penny Blacks guitarist) and I have plans to do some ambient music in the coming months.

8. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?

Clinton: That people are listening. It’s so hard being a Saint John band to know if there an audience for what you’re doing. We’ve gotten out of the city a bit as of late and the responses have been amazing. We received a lot of support with the album’s release and it’s really encouraging to know that there are people listening. It makes it easier to not get down when you have a poorly attended show. So much of being in a band exists in a bubble.

Jason: Our keyboard player, Dan Chamberlain, taught me the secret to keeping the windshield of my car defogged. I’m sure I have learned more interesting things recently, but I do a lot of driving at night, so hopefully this will keep me alive long enough to learn the next valuable life lesson. (Editor’s note: I had to find out the windshield secret, and Jason was kind enough to share – the key is to get the temperature in the car the same as the temperature outside, he says.)

9. What do the next few months hold for Penny Blacks, Hospital Grade and any other projects you guys might be involved in?

Jason: We’re working our asses off to get Harbour out there — under people’s noses, on merch tables, on radio, on people’s iPods, etc.  We’re working on booking more shows both for the band and for me, solo (visit pennyblacks.ca for dates).

Hospital Grade is finishing up writing a new album — we’ll be playing in Moncton at Plan B on Nov. 12.  Clinton is very near the end of his year-long January Through December songwriting project that you can find at www.januarythroughdecember.com

10. Anything else you’d like to add?

Jason: This has been great! Thanks!

Clinton: Thanks for taking the time to chat to us and for the support. Much appreciated.

Harbour is now available from iTunes, Amazon, CDBABY, Rhapsody and bandcamp. Jason Ogden will play a solo show at Company House in Halifax with Adam Mowery and Laura Peek on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.

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Halifax's The Stogies.

Halifax’s The Stogies released their debut record, a five-song collection of messy, guitar-laden rock n’ roll called No Couth, No Class, No Nothin, in August.

The four-piece made up of Blake Johnston, Dave Driscoll, Sean Carver and Dave Lidstone has been making a name for itself over the last three years, performing throughout the Maritimes and Ontario. The band says it draws inspiration from the Rolling Stones to the White Stripes, and it shows.

Future plans include a slot at Molson Canadian Nova Scotia Music Week 2011 and tours of Ontario and Alberta next year. The band is also starting pre-production for a full length album which should be available in summer 2012.

Stogies’ guitarist Dave Driscoll joins us this week for a chat …

1. Hey guys – how are things?

Things are great. Our first EP No Couth, No Class, No Nothin was released in late August. We made a short trip to Ontario and played some shows in early September and have been hanging out and playing shows around N.S. for the last month or so.

2. Tell us about the band – what were your prior musical adventures and how’d you all meet up?

The band started about three years ago under a different name. Blake, our singer/ guitar player and Sean, his cousin (bass), were starting to play around their home town of Mount Uniacke, N.S.

I found them through a Kijiji ad and we started a band with my friend Brian on drums. Blake and Sean had been looking for a drummer, but not another guitar player (they eventually just accepted me), which is kinda weird because we ended up kicking him out within a month and having to search for a new drummer for quite a while. Eventually we found Seamus Erskine who helped us out in playing shows, recording demos and making a name as the Stogies.

Ultimately, Seamus had bigger ambitions of fronting his own band and left about a year after the band started. We auditioned a long list of drummers and had to borrow them from other bands for a few months until we found Dave Lidstone. Dave was playing in a band called Stone Mary at the time. We noticed he had sort of a Bonham-esque feel so we hatched a plan to steal him. We had tried tons of other great drummers but they just didn’t fit the style of rock we wanted to play.

From that point on we started playing as many shows around N.S., N.B. and P.E.I. as we could. Last summer we started recording the EP and since then, we have managed to drag ourselves to Ontario and back a few times.

3. Did you know going in what kind of sound you were looking for or did it take time to figure that out?

In the beginning we had basically put all of our musical influences on the table and were trying to write songs with a little bit of everything rock, reggae, pop, blues etc. We had kind of a jumbled set list, style-wise. After playing a few shows we started realizing that fast paced rock n’ roll seemed to be our best method of getting the crowds moving. Blake started writing more focused and straight-forward songs, and we got rid of the some of the choppiness in the rhythm section. We were listening to a lot of the Rolling Stones and the Black Crowes at that point and started playing around with open tunings in trying to draw inspiration. Basically, we wrote a lot of songs and tried them out on the road. The weaker ones would eventually fall by the wayside and the stronger songs might have stuck around long enough to get on the EP. Some songs, we’d like and play for a while but then we’d just get tired of them and they would never get recorded. We recorded the EP last summer but took an extremely long time to mix it. It represents us well for that time frame but we’ve written so many more tunes since then. Probably enough for an acoustic record and a separate full-length rock record.

4. There aren’t a whole lot of hard rock bands with a similar sound/vibe as you guys on the east coast. Is that a positive or negative?

We think it’s a positive thing for sure. When I hear the term “hard rock” these days, I immediately think of the modern-rock-completely-bald-flavour-saving-soul-patch kind of crowd. It’s cool if that’s your thing, but we’re far from that. We love classic rock n’ roll and of course some of what was called “alternative” in the ’90s. By no means are we doing something completely new or ground breaking, but one might consider it original or at least refreshing in today’s general popular music context.

5. You’re already gearing up for a full-length record. How’s that going and who are you working with on the project?

It’s still in phase one of a four- or five-stage process, but we feel comfortable and capable to pull off something that will trump our last album. Time is a big reason for our excitement heading into it this time. We’ve been a band for a longer period of time, played a shit-ton of shows since we recorded last and just have more of that original chemistry that brought us together in the first place. Right now we’re in the pre-production phase just trying to get demos of all the possible tunes and figure out some sort of common ground or idea for the group of songs. We’re working with Mike MacDougall (mixed our current EP) in this stage of the process and we’ve recruited Garrett Mason to help produce the record when were ready to lay down the real tracks.

6. What song(s), album(s) or artist(s) have you been listening to lately?

The Tragically Hip, The Sheepdogs, The Stones, Radiohead, Gord Downie, Dwight Yoakam, Townes Van Zandt, Guns n’ Roses, The Kooks, Matt Good, Nirvana, Zeppelin, Tom Waits etc……

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?

When you’re making soup, you can use rice or potatoes to thicken it so it’s more along the lines of a stew. You can also scoop out some of the soup itself and toss it in a blender to add some bulk.

8. Other than working on the next record, will the next few months bring for the band?

We’re showcasing at Nova Scotia Music Week this year and are playing a few shows around the Maritimes to close out the year. We’ll probably hit Ontario again in March and have plans to go Alberta in late-April.

9. Anything else you’d like to add?

Bapabooooie!

The band’s upcoming tour dates include:

Nov 5 – Molson Canadian Nova Scotia Music Week Yarmouth NS
Nov 11 – The Red Herring St. Andrews, NB
Nov 25 – The Red Knight Yarmouth, NS

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Penny Blacks (photo by Dan Culberson)

Saint John, N.B. band Penny Blacks released their debut album, Harbour, this week.

Formed in 2006, the band has released two EPs in its five years and received fantastic reviews in that time.

Penny Blacks began as a solo project for vocalist/songwriter Jason Ogden. Ogden had been hoarding more personal, intimate acoustic songs in his apartment that didn’t fit with his post-punk band Hospital Grade for over a decade. According to a press release, events in his life had suddenly created an overwhelming desire to finally get the songs out of his bedroom and before an audience. For all intents and purposes homeless for a period, Ogden drifted in and out of shows, theatres, and even karaoke bars meeting the friends and musicians that eventually fleshed Penny Blacks out into a seven-piece band.

Harbour took almost a year to complete. Wanting to capture the feel of the streets and atmosphere that lent so much to the writing of the songs, the band holed up first in a great, high-ceilinged loft in a historic building in Saint John’s uptown core to record the bed tracks. They spent a chilled autumn week and a handful of days putting the essentials down on a vintage Fostex reel-to-reel. The overdub sessions began in Hampton, and ultimately found their way to living rooms and basements all over the city and finishing up back at the same loft where it began, just as autumn was beginning to bleed its orange sunlight and chilled air in through the ancient windows again.

Harbour is now available from iTunes, Amazon, CDBABY, Rhapsody and bandcamp.

Penny Blacks upcoming dates:

TUESDAY, NOV. 8 – SAINT JOHN – CALLAHAN’S (JASON OGDEN SOLO)
THURSDAY, NOV. 10 – SAINT JOHN – WATER STREET DINNER THEATRE (OFFICIAL CD LAUNCH)
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16 – HALIFAX N.S. – THE COMPANY HOUSE (JASON OGDEN SOLO)

Meaghan Smith to release It Snowed holiday record

Warner Music Canada recording artist and 2011 Juno Award winner Meaghan Smith has announced the release of her new holiday collection, It Snowed, arriving in stores and at all digital retailers Nov. 1.

The album includes a duet with fellow Haligonian Buck 65 of the holiday classic Baby It’s Cold Outside, which reverses the traditional roles of the singers in the song.  A deluxe It Snowed bundle is available for pre-order now at meaghansmith.com In addition to the CD, the deluxe bundle features an autographed lithograph of the album art, and an exclusive acoustic version of Smith’s original song Christmas Kiss.

When asked why she recorded this holiday album, Meaghan says, “I love December. As soon as January 1st hits, I start counting down the months ‘til it’s December again. People are thinking of each other, buying gifts for one another or just getting together. I want to be a part of the joy in people’s holidays, so I created this collection of some of my favourite holiday songs and some new compositions to share with everyone this season.”

It Snowed is Smith’s first project since The Cricket’s Orchestra, which propelled her to winning the 2011 Juno Award for Best New Artist.

It Snowed track list:

1. Breakable
2. Silver Bells
3. Baby It’s Cold Outside (Featuring Buck 65)
4. It Snowed
5. Christmas Time Is Here
6. Christmas Kiss
7. Drummer Boy
8. Zat U Santa Claus?
9. Silent Night

Gordie Sampson Songcamp Circle hits Yarmouth

On Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5, during Nova Scotia Music Week 2011 in Yarmouth, Music Nova Scotia and SpinCount will host The Gordie Sampson Songcamp Circle, from 5-7 p.m.

The event will be held at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth branch, 341 Main St. Hosted by Steven MacDougall, performers include MacDougall himself, Carleton Stone, Mo Kenney, Molly Thomason, Dylan Guthro, Breagh MacKinnon and Natalie Lynn.

In August 2010, The Gordie Sampson Songcamp was launched in Ingonish, Cape Breton. Songcamp was conceived as a way for Gordie to share some of the experiences and insights he’s gleaned from his years as a successful songwriter with promising young Nova Scotia writers. For four very intense days, Gordie and Steve MacDougall lead co-writing sessions that result in dozens of songs. Songcamp closes with a community concert where songs written during camp are performed for the public. In Aug. 2011, Songcamp celebrated its first birthday with six returning writers from the 2010 sessions and six new writers. The group wrote over 30 songs together.

Jon Mullane releases new video

Halifax-based rock singer/songwriter Jon Mullane has released a new music video for his song The One That Got Away.

The single, from his most recent album Shift. The music video was shot in Halifax, NS, and is a co- production between Halifax film companies Red Star Films and Rattle Snake Films. It was directed by John Rosborough.

Check out the video below:

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Rich Aucoin

Halifax indie rocker Rich Aucoin will release his latest record, We’re All Dying To Live (Sonic Records), on Nov. 1.

Aucoin’s new record is a musical scrapbook compiling more than 500 musicians, friends and fans from across Canada. From St. John’s, NL to Dawson City, YK, Aucoin invited everyone and anyone who wanted to be on the record.

“The record is really about making big life decisions or at least about thinking about those decisions and how to live one’s life,” says Aucoin.

Unlike his debut Personal Publication (2007), an EP that synchs to Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, We’re All Dying To Live is a very public affair.

Jon McKiel hits the road for Tonka War Cloud

We had some news on Jon McKiel’s latest record (released on Oct. 4) a few weeks ago. Since then he has announced tour dates in support of Tonka War Cloud, beginning tomorrow:

Oct 22 – Halifax, NS @ Company House – Afternoon show
Oct 22 – Halifax, NS @ Tribeca – Halifax Pop Explosion – 8 p.m.
Nov 02 – Lethbridge, AB @ Art Space
Nov 03 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City  w / Clinton St. John
Nov 04  – Edmonton, AB @ Meyer Horowitz Theatre w/ Chad VanGaalen
Nov 05 – Calgary, AB @ Central United Church  w/ Chad VanGaalen
Nov 10 – Broad Cove, NS @ Community Hall    w/ Jay Crocker / Paper Beats Scissors
Nov 24 – Moncton, NB @ Plan B
Nov 25 – Fredericton, NB @ The Capital
Nov 26 – Sackville, NB @ Thunder and Lightning
Dec 02 – St John’s, NL @ The Ship w/ Hollerado
Dec 03 – St John’s, NL @ The Shop w/ Hollerado

Rain Over St. Ambrose tours

Yarmouth rock quintet Rain Over St. Ambrose has been touring the east coast the last few weeks, giving fans a preview of their upcoming album, Overton Window (Acadian Embassy, Nov. 1).

Recorded over a weekend at Codapop Studios in Halifax, N.S., the band’s sophomore album will be released in November to coincide with hometown showcases during Nova Scotia Music Week.

The band’s inception started after a family tragedy.  According to a press release, a week after Curtis LeBlanc told his son Cory he’d rather see him be the frontman in a band than stuck behind the drums for the rest of his life, he suffered a heart attack and died.  The next day, Cory LeBlanc (once the drummer for Jon McKiel, Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees and others) packed up his kit and picked up his guitar.
Assembling a band with his brother, Curt, and some of Yarmouth’s best up-and-coming musicians, Cory christened Rain Over St. Ambrose – a testament to the weather on the day of their father’s funeral – and began writing songs.

The band released their first self-titled EP in February, 2011 as a free download via Acadian Embassy and garnered initial praise for its “crunchy guitars, honest lyrics and memorable hooks” (IndieMusicFilter), its “sing-along friendly choruses” (Herohill), and “classic rock patterns [reminiscent of] The Hold Steady” (Round Letters).

In April, Rain Over St. Ambrose were named the winners of DevCom – a development competition for new and up-coming bands in Halifax sponsored by The Seahorse Tavern, SpinCount, Codapop Studios and Ballsy Cancer Society – beating out 12 other bands for a coveted prize pack that included recording time, promotion, and marketing, among other things.

The band’s remaining tour dates include:

Oct. 27 – Moncton, NB – Plan B
Nov. 05 – Yarmouth, NS – Dooly’s (NSMW Showcase)

Mark Bragg supports Your Kiss

St. John’s, N.L.’s Mark Bragg released his third full-length album, Your Kiss, in September via Blue Drop Music/ Fontana North.  After previously touring Canada, Germany and Ireland in support of past releases, Bragg has been touring Canada to spread word of his latest record. Up next month are some east coast dates.

Bragg and his band recorded Your Kiss live off the floor in Stage House Studios in St. Philips, Newfoundland. Everything was recorded in the same room at the same time… bass, drums, guitar, keys, vocals, band backups – everything.

Says Bragg of the live experience, “As a bandleader and vocalist who writes narrative fiction, I have a lot of license about how it’s delivered. Its role-playing, or acting I guess, whatever you want to call it. It doesn’t really feel like acting though, because a rock band on a stage isn’t a contrived environment. It is pounding drums, blaring amps, pumped up musicians, it’s natural. And I’m whoever I’ve written about this time, probably a murderer full of rage and desire or something like that, spitting lyrics into the midst. It’s way too fun.”

Bragg was awarded the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award and the regional winner of the CBC Great Canadian Music Dream.  In 2006, he also won the Music NL Alternative Artist of the Year and was nominated for two ECMA’s for Alternative Album of the Year for both Bear Music and The Restless Kind.

Bragg’s remaining tour dates:

Thu Nov 17 – Charlottetown @ TBA
Fri Nov 18 – Halifax @ The Seahorse
Sat Nov 20 – Moncton @ Plan B

This Ship Tours through to Ontario

The six members of This Ship (formerly The Light Brights) will hit the road next month across the east coast and Ontario, armed with their Light Brights album and a new three-song demo.

Tour dates:

Thurs, Nov. 17th – Plan B, Moncton NB
Sat, Nov. 19th – The Red Herring, St. Andrews, NB
Mon, Nov. 21st – The Spill, Peterborough, Ont with The Details, Kalle Matson
Tues, Nov. 22nd – The Horseshoe, Toronto, Ont
Wed, Nov. 23rd – Slacks, Toronto, Ont with Minus World
Thurs, Nov. 24th – Live Lounge, Ottawa, Ont
Fri, Nov. 25th – The Capital, Fredericton, NB
Sat, Nov. 26th – Baba’s Lounge, Charlottetown, PEI with Oh No, Theodore!
Fri, Dec. 2nd – Gus’s Pub, Halifax, NS – Flight of Fall Music Festival

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