Nova Scotia native Gordie Sampson will celebrate the release of his latest album, Almost Beautiful – out on turtlemusik on Tuesday, July 26 — on Friday, Aug. 12 at Casino Nova Scotia’s Schooner Room. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.
The Grammy Award-winning Sampson wrote and performed the songs on the album with many of his long-time Nashville collaborators. The first single from the album is Hurricane Jane.
From September until May, Sampson lives and writes in Nashville, where he has become an established member Read the rest of this entry »
Revisiting his past while curating his former band’s mammoth eight-disc Thrush Hermit – The Complete Recordings box set last year spurred the multi-talented Joel Plaskett into looking back into the archives again for leftovers from his solo career.
Remarkably, the prolific Plaskett, who has released six solo or Joel Plaskett Emergency records in a decade, including one 27-song album (2009’s Three), was able to find another 20 tracks just sitting around that needed a home.
Last month, he released EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations, a rarities collection that gathers a few previously released cuts with some demos, leftovers and other odds and ends.
“I really just wanted to get those songs out there,” Plaskett told East Coast Noise during a recent interview. “It was a way of really cleaning house and Read the rest of this entry »
Now based on Prince Edward Island, the critically acclaimed Al Tuck got his start in Halifax in the mid-‘90s during the east coast boom of the day. Leading the way, of course, was Sloan, who released Tuck’s first two records via their label, murderrecords.
Tuck has continued to carve out his own musical path over the years. His most recent release Read the rest of this entry »
Originally from Truro, N.S. and now based in Halifax, Scott Nicks has been steadily building his name in the east coast music scene.
Nicks released his a five-song demo recording in late-2006 and followed it up with the full-length, A Song for Tuesday Blues, in 2008. For that recording, Keith Doiron (bass) and Jordan Murphy (drums) were added to The Scott Nicks Band. Brad Lahead of Long, Long, Long also performed on the record.
In December, the band released a new record, Slowly, and recently added guitarist Justin McGrath to the group while Billy Habib Taylor (Tupperware Remix Party) fills in on bass while Doiron is in school.
The group is now focused on touring as much as possible and has shared the stage with the likes of Old Man Luedecke, Mathias Kom and Kim Barlow (Spring Breakup), Hooded Fang, Maylee Todd, Michou, We Are The City, Aidan Knight and others over the years.
The band just got back from a tour of Quebec and Ontario, and Nicks joins us this week for a chat: Read the rest of this entry »
Lots of goodies this week folks, as several east coast bands have released new music videos for their respective singles. Plus, Fredericton, N.B.’s Olympic Symphonium has posted a video of the band performing a new track on a rooftop in Denmark and much more.
Read on …
Eric
Motorleague releases new single, ‘Good Men’
Moncton’s The Motorleague has released a new CD single and video (below) for Good Men, one of the tunes from the band’s next album, Acknowledge, Acknowledge. The album is expected to be released later this year.
Meantime, the single hits stores on June 14, and it boasts two tracks not available anywhere else (including an acoustic version of the band’s most recognized tune, Hymn for the Newly Departed).
And what’s extra cool – the boys are donating a portion of the sales from the single to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
New Neon Highway single at radio
Also coming out of Moncton, Rik Reese & Neon Highway have released a new single to Canadian country radio, All For Me (video following the turn).
Moncton's The BackYard Devils release their debut album tomorrow.
I didn’t know a thing about The BackYard Devils when I accidentally happened upon one of their shows maybe a year ago, but the band was tearing it up in Moncton’s Plan B Lounge.
Playing a mix of bluegrass, folk and country, the band sounded tighter than they probably should have, considering they’d only been together a short time.
The band formed when Erik Arsenault decided to move back to New Brunswick from out west. Brother Remi flew to meet with him for the long drive back, and on the way, they decided to start a band, later recruiting Christien Belliveau and Dillon Robichaud.
The band’s self-titled debut album was recorded over three cold nights in January, with country musician George Belliveau at the helm in his Studio Belivo. Featuring 13 tracks (12 originals along with a Jimmie Rodgers cover), the whole thing was recorded live off the floor with few overdubs.
Tomorrow night, the Moncton-based four-piece launches its debut at The Igloo Beverage Room, 300 Elmwood Dr., Moncton. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. with special guest singer-songwriter Julie Aubé. Entrance for tomorrow’s show at the Igloo is $5 at the door. Copies of the CD will also be on sale for the special price of $10.
Fredericton native David Myles has built a reputation as a great songwriter, blending folk, blues and jazz in recent years (he’s also known for just being a really nice dude), but as great as his albums are, it’s a special treat to see the guy play live where his warmth, charm and showmanship really go front and centre.
So if you haven’t heard already, you’ll be happy to hear that Myles’ new album, Live at the Carleton, was released a month ago. It was recorded over four nights at the Halifax bar/restaurant. Perhaps the coolest part was, Myles and the band – Alan Jeffries on guitar and Kyle Cunjak on bass – didn’t know the gigs were being recorded.
As Myles explained on his website, “… at the end of the four nights, Jonathan Cornwall, the Carleton’s sound man, handed me a memory stick and said ‘here you go, I recorded all four shows!’ Beautiful. What better way to make a live record. No chance to over think things or get extra nervous just cause we knew it was being recorded. We didn’t. We just played, had a blast and, as the sweet result of Jonathan secretly pressing ‘record,’ have a live record that I’m really excited about. I hope you enjoy it.”
We caught up with Myles recently as he was about to hit the road … or, the air, I guess, on a trip overseas for several dates in England … Read the rest of this entry »
Joel Plaskett's latest album is a collection of rare tunes.
In 2009, Joel Plaskett challenged us with a great big three-disc album (titled Three) that still managed to be really, really enjoyable. This time he’s aiming for really, really long titles. On Tuesday, June 14, the Nova Scotia songwriter releases a solo-career spanning collection of rarities, EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations via his own label, New Scotland Records.
Mathias Kom is singer/ukelele player in The Burning Hell.
Newfoundland-based The Burning Hell, led by songwriter/ukulele player Mathias Kom, have released new record Flux Capacitor (weewerk records). A really neat record with a rag-tag mix of sounds and lyrics about the late-‘80s (remember when John Stamos played for the Beach Boys), pirates and beards. Honestly.
The new record was recorded and produced by James Anderson in Newfoundland, mixed by James Anderson in Toronto and mastered by Harris Newman in Montreal. It features Read the rest of this entry »
Singer-songwriter Jill Barber found “her” sound. You might be scratching your head at that statement; after all, she’s on her fourth critically-acclaimed album (Mischievous Moon, released on April 5) and has endeared herself to audiences everywhere she has performed.
But Barber, in an interview last week with East Coast Noise when she was touring Quebec, says she feels she found “my true voice” on her last record, Chances (2008).
“In retrospect, my earlier albums, which I’m really proud of, I feel like they were more experimental,” she says. “Not experimental in genre, but I know Read the rest of this entry »
