Someone in the Dine Alone camp just threw this up – thought I’d share. I was pretty excited to hear how the Classified/Joel Plaskett collaboration would work out, and it wasn’t a disappointment, but my love for Shad might give this one the edge. In any case, we have a great piece on artist collaboration coming up in a future issue of CM, and this kinds of fits the bill as a little teaser.
What an anthem – couldn’t help but post this. The song (and video, I suppose) carry such a strong message of unity and harmony. I’m into it.
Flip Flop And Fly is a live concert/documentary film that celebrates the 40-year career of Donnie Walsh and his Downchild Blues Band, finally bringing some much-deserved mainstream attention to these icons of Canadian (and international) blues. These guys have been credited with influencing some of Canada’s finest players of past and present, including Jeff Healey, Colin James, and even Amanda Marshall. Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brother himself) has even said that "There would be no Blues Brothers if it wasn’t for Downchild." And we wouldn’t have one of the funniest car chase scenes of all time if it wasn’t for The Blues Brothers, so by my logic…
Narrated by Aykroyd and featuring special guests like James Cotton, Coin James, and Wayne Jackson of The Memphis Horns, viewers will be treated to Downchild hits both new and old alongside live footage of the band’s sold-out 40th Anniversary Performance last fall at Toronto’s Massey Hall. The film premieres on December 4, 2010 – have a look if you can.
I was just sent word that Ian Thornley is reuniting with guitarist Brian Doherty, the other original co-founding member of Big Wreck, for an upcoming Canadian jaunt. Word has it each performance will bridge Thornley’s solo material with Big Wreck’s back catalogue for a tour that will likely have a few Big Shiny ’90s fans in great spirits. I remember sitting in front of MuchMusic for hours on end, making mix tapes by running the audio from the TV through our old tape deck. (Growing up in a small town means not a lot of great new rock on the radio.) "That Song" made it on to quite a few of those tapes. Unfortunately, there aren’t any east coast dates, but those of you out west and in Ontario will have the opportunity to revisit one of the great eras of mainstream Canadian rock. Dates below.
11.20 – Brandon, MB – The 40/Trail West Inn
11.22 – Winnipeg, MB – Canad Inn
11.23 – Saskatoon, SK – Tequila
11.24 – Red Deer, AB – Lotus Night Club
11.25 – Calgary, AB – Whiskey
11.26 – Edmonton, AB – Grey Cup Festival
11.27 – Grande Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred
So it turns out iTunes‘ big announcement was that The Beatles’ entire catalogue (actually, more than their entire catalogue, as there are some exclusive live tracks, too) is now available through the digital music retailer. I was hoping for some kind of technological game changer, so this is a bit of a letdown. I mean seriously, who’s excited for The Beatles’ catalogue that doesn’t already own The Beatles’ catalogue? The guys over at Buddyhead had a pretty good commentary on it awhile ago, but I can’t find it.
Ah well. What’s been keeping you folks busy? I had the chance to visit Tony’s Music Box in Fredericton last weekend and had an absolute blast. Those guys know how to take care of musicians. We stuck around the city that night and had some great times – good beer, good music (though we didn’t stay at the bar long enough to catch Alert The Medic or Andy Brown despite paying cover), good times. More on that to come…
We’re sad to report on the loss of Jim Clench, bassist with April Whine and Bachman Turner Overdrive, who passed away today in Montreal after fighting Stage 4 lung cancer. April Wine’s Myles Goodwyn posted the following:
He was a hell of a bass player and possessed one of the most unique voices in rock. I had the pleasure of writing songs with him in the 70`s , although my most-liked songs of his, he penned alone… "Oowatanite," "Cat`s Claw," and my personal fave, "You Opened Up My Eyes." Jim was one of the smartest, funniest and most giving persons I ever met. When Jim passed on, he left a lot of friends and fans saddened. His illness was sudden, and a surprise to myself and to the other members of April Wine. I`m sorry that I didn’t have a chance to personally say goodbye. Perhaps we`ll get the chance to say hello again some day… and write some more tunes together. Rest in peace Jimmy.
One of our favourite contributors (to both Canadian Musician and, lately, our blog) is Vivian Clement, who’s just posted her latest music video on YouTube. The video is for the song "Half," and was filmed in Europe, with spots from Barcelona, Athens, and Rome. Have a look and listen, and visit www.vivianclement.com for more information.
This is a bit outside the usual kind of thing I like to post here, but I found it interesting for a few reasons. Not only do I absolutely love Propagandhi, but I also find their opinions on the music business (at least those that I’ve seen published) to be quite down-to-Earth and straightforward, this being no exception. Since our friends at Smallman have chosen to close up shop (cheers to one of the best indie labels Canada has ever seen), the Prop guys are looking for someone to help them get their next album out. Here’s a quick snippet of what front man Chris Hannah recently posted:
"We’ve had enthusiastic, but vague inquiries from a few labels and we really appreciate that. But we’re not looking for vague. We’re not looking for nebulous "what do you guys want?" inquiries. We’re looking for a strong, specific, enthusiastic offer that lays out in detail what your organization will do for us in exchange for releasing what will certainly be our wildest record yet.
What do you think? A transparent and honest post? Desperate? I’m not sure, but God, I hope someone does the right thing and picks these guys up. Supporting Caste was a monster.
Canadian Musician Associated Sites