May 2009 Archives

If there is one thing that can be said about the fans of Atlanta's Butch Walker it's that we are a dedicated bunch. Any fans of Walker will gladly preach to anybody who will listen about how brilliant and clever of a pop/power-pop songwriter Walker is.

His latest record Sycamore Meadows was released in November 2008 on independent label Original Signal Recordings, his first for the label after having recorded two criminally under-promoted records for Sony Music.

Walker is far from being a solitary man by striking out on his own to seek better fortune that what could be offered by a major label. This new path he ventured down led him to create the website www.therecordbusinessisfucked.com (which currently redirects visitors to Walker's primary website) which according to many wouldn't be all that far removed from the truth.

So does Walker truly believe the music business is that messed up?

"I mean it playfully but it is positively said as well. I think that the way bands and musicians are doing things now is more do-it-yourself then it's ever been and I'm pretty excited about that," he says. "The control is being taken away from people who really don't know what they are doing or what to do with artists nowadays. And incidentally, the quality of music coming out is shooting through the roof; people are getting the opportunity to hear stuff that would have never had the chance to be heard otherwise. The kids finally have a choice of what they want to hear; they can seek it out for themselves and are taking that power back instead of being told what to listen to by some old dude in a suit."

If there is one fact that becomes immediately clear in my conversation with Walker, not only is he extremely humble but he also makes it known that he is in this business for the long haul. Although he has yet to really strike gold as a musician, he has built a more than respectable name for himself as a producer. In the past five years, Walker has found much success producing artists as diverse as Katy Perry, Pink, Hot Hot Heat and Avril Lavigne.

This success in producing artists no doubt helps Walker pay the bills and allows him the opportunity to pursue his own musical career in his free time. Walker has experienced a degree of success as a musician; his previous band Marvelous 3 had a minor hit with their 1998 song "Freak Of The Week" however while speaking to Walker, it becomes evident that he is striving for longevity rather than just 15 minutes of fame:

"When you look at bands like The Flaming Lips or Radiohead, bands that haven't had a 'hit' on radio and video for quite some time but continue to build their fan base regardless, that's what I am hoping to achieve," he admits. "I think I'm in a good position but nowhere near as popular as either of those bands. I am very satisfied with the dedicated fans I have; I take a lot of comfort knowing I will have fans out at my shows at almost any city I visit."

Walker's profile as a musician is indeed continuing to rise. This past February, he made his national TV debut on the Ellen DeGeneres show, performing his latest single "Here Comes The"¦" with his good pal Pink. Walker says that he doesn't know of anybody who would dare turn down such a huge opportunity for exposure and remarked that the inevitable sales bump that happened the week after his appearance was a nice little perk as well.

The past few years haven't been a complete walk in the park for Walker though. In November of 2007, wildfires in the State of California destroyed Walker's home (which was located on Sycamore Meadows), taking with it his possessions, years of memorabilia and master recordings that cannot be replaced. But even in the face of this adversity, Walker hasn't let his previous misfortune drive him away from the state:

"I'm still out at the beach in California," Walker confirms. "It is so peaceful, I love it. I live in the country in a shack with a bunch of surfer guys who don't ask me too many questions about my day job. Plus there is a recording studio in Santa Monica which I just took over and am really excited about the opportunity to make more music."

Walker is slated to perform some West Coast US dates and will soon after be heading to Japan and Australia where Sycamore Meadows will soon be released. And apparently, he plans to put his newly purchased studio to good use as well.

"I'm going to start making a new record at the start of June and am hoping to have it completed and released for the big American tour that we will likely undertake in the fall," Walker says.

"Lucky for me, I'm not too in demand at the moment so I can work on my own schedule."

Hopefully Walker's good luck in producing successful songs starts to shift over to his own music career before long. He is really one of this decade's best kept pop musical treasures that will leave you wondering why he isn't a huge rock star by now.

Sycamore Meadows is in stores now and is also available online at most major retailers like Amazon.com and iTunes.

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In stores now is a wonderful 14-track compilation entitled Atlantic Voices. Released by Warner Music Canada, the compilation features some of the Atlantic region's finest female singers and songwriters, including Moncton's Julie Doiron, Meaghan Smith and Catherine MacLellan. 

Overseeing the compilation is John Poirier, the Atlantic Regional Manager for Warner Music. Poirier is far from a novice in the business; he has put his good ear for music to great use in the past, having also overseen the Atlantic Standards Series released earlier this decade. The two Atlantic Standards volumes of music that have been released to date focused on more traditional east coast music with bands like The Barra MacNeils, Great Big Sea and The Rankins among many others. Atlantic Voices isn't rooted so much in tradition as it serves to simply give some great songs broader exposure.

In addition to having selected the artists for Atlantic Voices, Poirier also sequenced the record as well as serving as the project's art director.

"Atlantic Voices was created in order to expose the incredible diversity of musical talent originating from Atlantic Canada," Poirier explains. "Every one of these songs can stand up to anything offered by other artists in the rest of the country; every single track on the record is stellar."

Atlantic Voices contains a broad cross-section of music, from Sherry Ryan's organ-guitar classic "Leave The Lights On" through Ruth Minnikin's melodic song "Depend On This", there is something sure to please everyone on this record. And it will also show that the east coast has a vibrant singer-songwriter contingent to show off to the rest of the country.

Jenn Grant, whose track "Sailing By Silverships" is featured on the record, is also responsible for the Atlantic Voices cover artwork. She agrees with Poirier's above statement and adds:

"The record is a great celebration of East Coast music and songwriters. A lot of my good friends are featured on the record and it's a lot of fun for all of us to be brought together like this."

Grant then took the opportunity to explain the inspiration behind the cover art:

"Around the time I was working on the artwork for Atlantic Voices, I had been doing some carving with wood, so I decided to try that again for this project. I wanted the face to project a symbol of power and beauty while I wanted to be sure to include water as one of the representations of living on the east coast.

"Rebecca Kraatz designed the cover artwork for Joel Plaskett's Ashtray Rock CD, which I really loved, and it served as an indirect inspiration on this work of mine, as well."

Christina Martin, whose track "Two Hearts" is on the disc, takes the importance of the compilation a step further saying, "I think it's an honour to be on the compilation with these women. It is always a challenge to get your music out to people and Atlantic Voices serves as a great opportunity to get our music out to more people.

"These types of compilations also allow us to reach other markets that we might not have been able to otherwise reach."

Martin acknowledges that breaking out of any music scene can be a tough go for anybody however seeing some of her friends making a full-time go of it inspired her to leave her full-time job and pursue music as well.

"I was really inspired by Rose Cousins; to see her make the move, quit her job and turn to music full-time was great. That inspired me," Martin admits. "I had been playing music for years and never thought it possible to do it full time. But then I started seeing others like Jill Barber make it happen for themselves and figured that there was no reason why I couldn't do it too!"

Indeed there is a bevy of talent waiting to be discovered as well as those needing your support. So pick yourself up a copy of Atlantic Voices and tune yourself into some amazing homegrown talent.

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On his previous records, folk-rocker Ben Harper has always provided equal parts of rock n roll balanced with more introspective moments. For his latest record, he has teamed up with a new backing band and on their joint "debut", they run through 11 tracks steeped in ballsy bluesy rock n roll with their guitars exploring volume levels of 10 and up. Shimmer and Shine, the record's first single and video illustrates this quite capably, as do other tracks like Why Must You Always Dress In Black and Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart). Wisely, even Harper realizes that the balance between the loud and the not so loud he has found on previous records plays a crucial role in defining who he is and with that, songs like The Word Suicide and Faithfully Remain are important catalysts in helping Harper achieve that balance on White Lies For Dark Times. 

This is a fantastic record that should show appeal to established Harper fans while it might also bring some new recruits on board.

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After being bowled over by Things Fall Apart, I'm left to wonder what the hell was my problem with their debut? It's all in the past, Novaks. Please accept my sincere apologies.

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43 year-old Raul Malo is one of the best vocalists in any genre. His vocals are soulful, romantic and are deeply rooted in the crooner world of vocalists such as Roy Orbison. Perhaps best known as the vocalist from pop-country group The Mavericks, Lucky One is Malo's latest solo effort and to an extent is his first solo record to return him to the country-inspired roots which The Mavericks struck gold with. Hello Again, Something Tells Me and Lonely Heart sound as though they could comfortably fit in among The Mavericks catalogue, especially the latter song that bears a playful resemblance to The Mavericks mega-hit All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.

Malo has embraced different genres on his solo work to date and on Lucky One, he sounds completely natural and at home on every one of these 12 tracks.

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California punk rockers Strung Out are headed to Moncton to play the only New Brunswick date on their current Canadian tour. The show is slated to go down at Moncton's on Tuesday, June 2 at the Manhattan Bar and Grill.

In a 2007 interview with website Skratch Magazine, Strung Out vocalist Jason Cruz had expressed doubt over the future of the punk band continuing in the face of "emo" music having "sucked what it could from the scene". But the group has indeed soldiered on and remains one of Fat Wreck Chords most popular groups to date.

Also appearing at the show is California's Death By Stereo, This Is A Standoff as well as Moncton band Bomarc.

Death By Stereo has a new record (Death Is My Only Friend) being released on July 7. The group's most recent effort was a 2007 live record (Death Alive) on New York's ReIgnition Records. Prior to making their live record, the group released three records on legendary punk label Epitaph.

Calgary's This Is A Standoff rose from the ashes of punk band Belvedere and have two records to their discography: 2007's Be Excited and this year's Be Disappointed.

Moncton punk/hardcore band Bomarc has put the finishing touches on their debut CD, recorded in Moncton with engineer Ross Cole. If all goes according to the band's plan, the disc should see the light of day this summer.

Tickets for the show are available at Read's Newsstand on Main Street as well as online at www.ticketpro.ca. Advance tickets are $19.99 each; on the day of the show, they will run you $25 each. The Strung Out show is restricted to those 19 years of age and older. Those attending will want to note that this is an early bar show, with the doors scheduled to open at 7:00 p.m. that evening.

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Hi all. Thanks for checking out my site.

I've contributed the articles and reviews posted on this site to [here] Magazine, published in Moncton, NB, Canada. I have been doing quite a bit of writing as of late and figured it was time to gather all my writings on one site.

I've got excellent interviews that will be posted / run in the next few weeks including Butch Walker, Matt Mays, Rhett Miller, Bif Naked and more.

Check back often for updates!

Send any questions, concerns or comments to ken.kelley [at] rogers.com.

 

On this newest record, renowned R&B pianist Allain Toussiant shifts into jazz mode, covering off songs from greats such as Duke Ellington (Daydream and Solitude), Theolonius Monk (Bright Mississippi) and Django Reinhardt (Blue Drag). This 12 track record is virtually instrumental, save for the bluesy Long Long Journey where Toussaint takes lead vocals. As far as jazz records go, it doesn't get a whole lot better than this. Toussaint compiles a nice mix of the upbeat and the more relaxed standards that might betray what you'd expect to hear on a jazz record made by a 71-year-old musician.

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Although 1989's Paul's Boutique is revered and holds an elite status among fans of the Beastie Boys, it was Check Your Head from 1992 that would thrust the band back into the mainstream in a positive way. What I love about this record is that the band no longer seemed content to rely solely upon sampled beats and songs; there is still a generous amount of these tracks though and great ones at that: Pass The Mic, Jimmy James and So What'cha Want all helped the Beasties establish a new bar for themselves while also proving successful on the charts. Helping set this record apart from previous efforts was also the fact that the band undertook playing their instruments on many of these songs, ranging from the fuzzed-out rock of Gratitude to the hardcore inspiration behind Time For Livin'.

The remastered edition of this record contains a second disc of 16 songs, with a mish-mash of throwaway tracks and keepers. In the good column we have a couple of remix variations on Pass The Mic, The Skills To Pay The Bills as well as the comical Boomin' Granny. The throwaway tracks are just those: filler and nothing that I would consider to be essential listening.

In my opinion, Check Your Head should be required listening to all rap and hip-hop fans. It remains a solid record from start to finish, even almost 20 years later.

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The long-awaited debut record from Moncton band The Motorleague has finally reached consumers greedy hands. Black Noise is packed to the rim with 10 energetic rawk n roll tracks with the pace barely dropping below relentless and verging on punishing. And as fast and powerful as their songs are, they retain melodic qualities throughout that will have you singing along in earnest. Just try NOT to sing along to likeable first single Hymn For The Newly Departed, Fossils and The Ones You Left Behind.

Please consult your doctor prior to consuming The Motorleague's fantastic new record, especially if you are taking any heart medication. Otherwise, let 'er rip.

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Chicago heavy metal band Disturbed are headed to the Maritimes for their inaugural visit next week with shows slated for Moncton and Halifax. Brought together by a common love for classic heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, they have gone on to sell over nine million record thanks to hits like "Down With The Sickness", "Stricken" and their cover of Genesis track "Land Of Confusion".

If there is one genre of music that has had staying power over the past 20 years, it would be heavy metal. Regardless of musical fads that weave their way in and out of public consciousness, bands like Slipknot, Metallica and Disturbed can be counted upon to head straight to the top of the charts whenever a new record hits stores.

Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan is proud of this fact, stating:

"There is a fan base that has always been there for heavy metal and I think that's a big reason behind its staying power," he begins. "Metal fans are always looking for something with substance; the music is like therapy for them, it's like a release.

As a band, we stay true to what we do and don't second guess ourselves. I think what has really helped our career is the fact we love to play live and try to incorporate the crowd as much as we can in our live show."

On the band's website, Disturbed have launched "The Bootleg Series", where three to five days after they perform in any given city, fans are given the opportunity to purchase the concert which they attended.

"Rather than have our fans have to settle for subpar quality audio recordings, we wanted to offer a degree of quality control over the product and this allows us to do that," Donegan explains. "We wanted to give our fans something to remember the shows by."

To date, Donegan says the bootleg series is audio-only but admits that the band has started giving thoughts to releasing a video retrospective which would incorporate footage from the road among other features.

"We have a couple of videographers with us on the road and we have been trying to record as many shows as we can. Right now, we have a lot of video footage that we plan on using to help document the first 10 years of the band.

"This tour has been great so far, it's been a very good run. The downturn in the economy is hitting everyone though," Donegan concedes, stating that their shows in some of the US markets have been better than others. "With the Music As A Weapon tour, we're trying to put together a festival environment type of tour to help give people more value for their dollar."

The Music As A Weapon tour, which also features Killswitch Engage and Lacuna Coil among others, is wrapping up dates in the US prior to Disturbed hitting Canadian shores.

Joining the band for their shows in Canada are All That Remains (whom Donegan said he is 'dying to see'), Skindred, as well as Vancouver's Art of Dying.

Indeed, if there is one thing Disturbed know well, it is life on the road. A quick glance of the tour date archive on their website at www.disturbed1.com shows the word "break" doesn't exist in their lexicon. By the time the group wraps up this leg of their tour at the start of July in Europe, they will have been on the road for well over two months.

"We come home on the Fourth of July," Donegan starts, "and for the first time in a long time, we are going to get to enjoy some of the summer at home."

Disturbed's break might last one whole month until August, when Donegan says he expects that they will re-group and begin the writing process for a new record.

"Our drummer Mike Wengren and his wife are expecting a baby in November. I would like to have a good head start on writing new material before Mike becomes a Dad and that brutal Chicago winter sets in," he says. "I expect recording our new record will start sometime in January 2010."

If history has taught us anything, that still to be recorded Disturbed record will find a home near the top of the charts upon release and can be expected to be followed by the group's endless touring schedule. After speaking with Donegan though, you know they wouldn't want it any other way.

Disturbed along with their special guests will be performing at the Moncton Coliseum on Friday May 29. Tickets for the show are available from the Moncton Coliseum Box Office at (506) 857-4100 and online at http://tickets.moncton.ca

Back in 1998, life really couldn't have been much better for the members of the Texan power-pop band Fastball. After an indifferent reception to their 1996 debut record, their 1998 sophomore album All The Pain Money Can Buy launched them onto the charts in a big way. Their hits "The Way", "Fire Escape" and "Out of My Head", helped the group sell over a million copies of that second record before they would be unfairly banished to "Where are they now?" status with their follow-up efforts.

Truth be told, Fastball don't really have a dud record in their arsenal of five studio records. While some bands veer from their original vision and make their arty record or their noisy record or what have you, Fastball have always stood by what got them to where they were: creating witty, irresistible pop songs in the retro vein of The Beatles while still appealing to fans of modern power-pop groups like Fountains of Wayne.

Luckily for their fans, the group has re-emerged with a terrific new record (Little White Lies) and a new outlook on a business that can jade even the most seasoned veterans.

Little White Lies is the band's first studio record in five years. According to Fastball guitarist and vocalist Miles Zuniga, it was a much-needed break for all concerned:

"After Keep Your Wig On (the group's 2004 record), the band wasn't in the best of places," Zuniga starts. "Our label at the time wasn't helping matters; there were some issues with our management plus we had some stuff to work out between us in the band. We knew that we were going to have to look at restructuring ourselves so to speak and at the time, we weren't ready to do it. But for the sake of the band, we agreed to walk away from Fastball for a period of time and let the dust settle."

So what did Zuniga do to fill his unexpected downtime?

"I ended up playing in bands with some other people which ended up making me appreciate my colleagues in Fastball a lot more. I had fun but realized that a lot of people aren't as dedicated as the guys in this band and I'm very fortunate to have that."

One noted change with Fastball's latest record is the fact that it is an independent release for the group after having recorded records for both Disney-owned Hollywood Records and noted independent label Rykodisc. Does the band feel liberated to have cut ties with labels as many of their peers are also choosing this route over signing with major labels?

"Being in control is a great thing," Zuniga acknowledges. "There are some downsides, the major one being that we have fewer resources available at our fingertips "" we've got to work a little harder for them, that's all. That being said, just because you're on a big label doesn't mean you get to use their all of their resources though. It's all based on sales so if you've got a lot happening for your band, the more doors that open within the label for you."

Zuniga is quick to point out that in terms of stability, their tenure at Hollywood Records was the most stable the band had experienced:

"A lot of people within the music industry are always on the lookout for better opportunities so you tend to have a lot of personnel change-over and that can affect the promotional efforts behind your record as well," he says. "One reason we had parted ways with Hollywood was because our A&R man had left the label and encouraged us to head over to Rykodisc with him. We thought he was a cool guy and we felt as though Ryko would have our backs, much like Hollywood did but soon after we had handed our record in, a number of things had changed internally at Ryko. The label ended up getting a new President and although no one would necessarily say it, the feeling was that the 'new' Rykodisc President hadn't signed us so the support for Keep Your Wig On wasn't there from the get-go."

It's not all bad news for the band though. One positive aspect that has developed within the group over their past two records is that the songwriting process has become more collaborative. In the past, each member claimed credit for what they brought to the band in terms of songs. Zuniga acknowledged that although Fastball hadn't experienced any adverse feelings towards one another over who racked up the most hits, the potential for negative feelings working their way into a group over an issue like this is very real.

So with one 1-million selling record to their credit, does Zuniga concern himself with reaching that apex again with Fastball?

" ... I think it is a pipe dream to think we'll be huge again. I think if you've got the right marketing behind you, you can sell anything; it doesn't necessarily make it good though.

"The reality of the situation is that we've been away from people's minds for the past five years so all we can do is take it one day at a time. We're content with that for the time being."

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With a compelling mix of heavy metal, thrash metal and some progressive tendencies throughout, Atlanta's Mastodon delivers seven impeccably tight tracks on their latest record.

The ease with which they change tempos through songs like Oblivion and Quintessence speaks volumes about the expert musicianship contained within the band.

Equally impressive is the straight ahead metal of Divinations and the title track.

The future of heavy metal is right here, folks.

Don't pass up the opportunity to hear what will undoubtedly be one of the year's finest heavy metal moments.

1997's OK Computer would see Radiohead break from their Brit-Pop beginnings and give them even greater exposure on the world stage.

The record was Radiohead's most diverse and experimental to date, with the band crafting complex songs on Paranoid Andr oid while creating haunting melodies on Climbing Up The Walls and Lucky. Let Down and Karma Police were two of the only songs on the record featuring hints of their musical past while Electioneering showed a rarely seen heavier side of the group.

OK Computer still stands as one of their best records to date and has been made better by the inclusion of 15 bonus songs or B-Sides taken from the various CD singles released from the record.

There are two different remixes of Climbing Up The Walls included (the one by Fila Brazillia has a minimalist reggae slant to it, but it works) as well as three live tracks taken from a BBC Radio session in May 1997, almost two months prior to the release of OK Computer.

Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2) starts as a simple guitar ballad before breaking into a more bombastic second part; Palo Alto is pushed by highly charged guitars while incorporating aspects of electronica throughout.

The DVD included in this set is perhaps the most scarcely populated of the three Radiohead reissues, containing the three videos from the record (Paranoid Android, Karma Police and the nerve-wracking No Surprises) as well as three tracks recorded on the Later With Jools Holland show at the end of May 1997.

OK Computer remains one of my favourite records of all time to this day. If you haven't already sampled this outstanding record for yourself, this collector's edition is sure to satisfy your curiosity and prove to be a more than worthy investment to already existing fans of the band.

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Ahhh, the dreaded sophomore record. Bands either fail to deliver anything substantial under the pressure or rise to the occasion triumphantly.

The 21 tracks appearing on the second disc of this set come from a variety of sources: The disc starts with the My Iron Lung EP (which was released in Canada prior to The Bends) before heading into a beautiful spread of lives tracks and B-sides including the fantastic trip-hop inspired Talk Show Host as well as acoustic versions of Fake Plastic Trees and Street Spirit.

The DVD included in this collector's edition features the five videos released to promote the record (including a US an a UK version of High and Dry). There are eight tracks taken from a May 1994 performance at the Astoria in London as well as a collection of various entertainment show appearances such as Top Of The Pops and Later, with Jools Holland.

With The Bends, Radiohead were starting to realize that music had no boundaries which they couldn't touch; a musical revelation that would be expanded even further upon with 1997's OK Computer record which will be featured next week.

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With a staggering 49 songs spread over two discs, all phases of Brit pop-rocker and new waver Nick Lowe's career are covered off extremely well here.

From his rock 'n roll beginnings in Brinsley Schwarz with (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding and So It Goes, the compilation momentarily kicks into high gear with the high-energy punk of Heart Of The City.

What is arguably his biggest hit, 1980's Cruel To Be Kind is featured here along side I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll) and more recent low-key songs such as Homewrecker, The Beast In Me and Lonesome Reverie.

Lowe's time with Dave Edmunds in the band Rockpile is represented by two tracks, When I Write The Book and the decidedly rockabilly Play That Fast Thing (One More Time) while the one-off project of Little Village (Lowe's collaboration with John Hiatt and Ry Cooder) is represented by the song Fool Who Knows.

While some best of collections skip certain eras of an artist's career, this is THE definitive collection from one of England's best exports of the past century. Check it out.

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 With her group Nickle Creek on hiatus, what better opportunity for Sara Watkins to step out from their shadow and make a solo record? Combining songs from the catalogues of Jimmie Rodgers, John Hartford, Jon Brion and Tom Waits along side original material, Watkins's record maintains a distinct bluegrass/country feel even when she tackles the non-country songs.

Watkins performs with a certain understated elegance on slower songs like Waits' Pony, original track All This Time and Same Mistakes, but ramps up the tempo on tracks like Jimmie Rodgers's Any Old Time and instrumental track Jefferson.

If Watkins plays her cards right and gets the promotion she deserves, she could be the heiress to Allison Krauss's bluegrass throne.

Time will tell.

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Moncton outlaw country band The Divorcees return with their sophomore record and another set of fantastic songs.

In my opinion, it is somewhat appropriate that the group takes on AC/DC track Shoot To Thrill as, like the Australian rock band, The Divorcees are all about no-frills music albeit in the country genre as opposed to rock 'n roll.

Their approach remains in the classic country style of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and others, allowing this influence to shine through on Letter On The Window, Born Ready and Lights Of Town.

Angela Deveaux duets with the band on After The Storm Is Gone, a song that is bound to be one of country music's best ballads of the year.

Last Of The Free Men is a solid sophomore record from these good ol' New Brunswick boys.

I highly recommend checking this out.

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MySpace Canada, together with Corus Entertainment's ExploreMusic website are giving Canadian musicians a chance to be discovered with their new Found On Myspace monthly contest.

We'll get into the contest itself in a moment but first, here's some perspective on the parties making it happen.

ExploreMusic (www.exploremusic.com) offers visitors to their website the opportunity to discover new music while also offering them a chance to catch up on the latest music news and opinions from around the world.

The site was founded a year ago by Alan Cross, best known to music enthusiasts as the man behind the syndicated radio program The Ongoing History of New Music.

That program has been wildly successful since its launch in 1993 on Toronto's CFNY radio station (now known as The Edge).

To date, the program has spawned four books and has seen more than 500 one-hour episodes of the program produced, making the feature one of the longest-running radio programs in North America.

ExploreMusic's parent company Corus is no stranger to the media business themselves. They are a veritable Canadian media giant and owner of TV channels such as YTV, Treehouse and CMT as well as owning radio stations from coast to coast.

Myspace is a social networking site that is among the most popular in the world. Users of the service can post personal profiles, create user groups and post blogs and photos while also allowing bands the opportunity to promote their music.

Under this newly launched joint venture between the two sites, musicians are invited to send submissions through Myspace Radio at www.myspace.com/radio.

After a submission window of two weeks, the field of submissions will be narrowed down to five finalists, which are then voted upon by Myspace Canada members.

Those bands lucky enough to reach this final stage of the contest then receive counsel and tips on how to engage their fans and build fan support.

Once the voting stage has wrapped up and Myspace has tallied the votes, the winner then receives a showcase on the ExploreMusic website on the first Thursday of every month.

While it used to be that record labels had the power to make and break artists, some of that power has now shifted to those making the music.

Former major label artists like Nine Inch Nails are opting to self-release their product, with physical distribution being handled through major independent channels.

This arrangement allows the group to release new product as often as they want, as opposed to having to schedule release within a larger umbrella of potential competition for record company promotional dollars.

Perhaps not surprisingly, personnel at record labels and publishing companies are using the Internet and Myspace specifically to discover new talent.

"Myspace is my primary source for checking out bands, whether I am just out 'looking' at bands or if a band wants to send me their demo," confirms Jodie Ferneyhough, managing director of Universal Music Publishing Canada.

Ferneyhough is a seasoned veteran of the Canadian Music business.

It was more than 15 years ago that he started his career in band management before moving on to a position with peerMusic that ultimately led him to his current role.

As recently as the early to mid 1990s, bands would have had no other choice but to communicate their band updates via a series of potentially harassing phone calls, faxes and (gasp!) snail mail.

Times have certainly changed in the past couple of decades, but all for the better of course:

"Myspace allows me to hear what your band is doing, see your videos, get an idea who your fan base is, get a bio on the group, and see what kind of touring you are doing," Ferneyhough says of the obvious benefit and importance of bands having an online presence.

So if you think your band has what it takes to rise to the top, register your group at www.myspace.com/radio today!

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Moncton punk rock band The Motorleague has been growing their fan base in New Brunswick and throughout the Maritimes based on the strength of their live show and their melodic, high-energy songs.

The group is getting ready to celebrate the release of their first full-length record Black Noise, which hits stores nationwide May 19.

For their brand-new record, The Motorleague find themselves associated with Fredericton's Forward Music Group.

Although they were intending to release the record independently, Forward stepped up to the plate and offered to lend the band their expertise to make sure maximum listeners will be exposed to the group. "It's fantastic because it feels like we have a team working on the record and pushing the record on our behalf," says vocalist/guitarist Don Levandier.

"The label has a library of resources and contacts that we wouldn't have had access to. Plus, having our record associated to a label will help it be taken more seriously by those who don't know the group.

"Going with Forward seemed like the most logical way to help bring the band to the next level."

With distribution through indie distribution powerhouse Sonic Unyon in Hamilton, Ont., not only will this be The Motorleague's first full-length release but it will also be the first national release for the group.

Forward is home to many other New Brunswick bands, but The Motorleague's record sees the label moving away from the perception it being jam-band oriented.

Guitarist Nathan Jones concurs, stating: "I think our record is definitely outside of the Forward norm to date in terms of expanding the diversity of the genres on their label.

"I think that James (Boyle, label owner) doesn't want Forward to be pigeon-holed into a certain type of band or sound."

Black Noise was recorded in June 2008 in Toronto at the famed Chemical Sound studio where others such as Death From Above 1979 and The Weakerthans made records before them.

Ian Blurton, current front man for Canadian rock band C'mon, oversaw the proceedings in the role of producer.

Although The Motorleague and C'mon have shared many concert stages in the past, this was the first instance where the group had a chance to work with Blurton in a different capacity.

"Ian had us try a number of things on this record that were different from what we were used to," says Levandier.

Asked to elaborate, Levandier said Blurton eliminated him doubling his vocal tracks while also adding other instruments like the trumpet on Hymn For The Newly Departed to help flush out the sound.

"I wasn't a fan of the trumpet in the beginning," admits Levandier, "but the more and more I heard it, the more I got used to it. Now, I can't picture it not being in the song."

In addition to having a new record to release, the group also has a video for their song Hymn For The Newly Departed being shown on the night of their CD release at the Paramount Lounge.

The video was shot at the neighboring Manhattan Bar and Grill one Sunday afternoon in March.

Moncton video company The Postman, which normally does work for the CBC and Radio-Canada, shot the video and this marks the company's first foray into the field of music videos.

"It was a long day," recalls Jones. "We went in at 9 a.m. and walked out of there at 9:30 that night. The extras in the video were at the bar for over eight hours and we ended up shooting footage for six and a half of those hours."

"We were lucky enough to have 50 of our friends come down and hang out for the day for nothing more than pizza," rejoins Levandier.

"They simply came just to hang out and see everything go down. It was incredible."

With music channels playing fewer and fewer music videos with each passing day, some might argue that investing time and even the smallest amount of money into one is like flushing money down the drain.

"We realize that stations like Muchmusic don't seem to play much in the way of music videos anymore but we will submit it to them nonetheless," says Jones.

"What do we have to lose?"

Levandier jumps in to complete the thought:

"YouTube is the dominant format for videos these days; iTunes is selling music videos; people post videos on Facebook.

"There are so many other outlets which can be just as effective and give the band exposure that if Muchmusic don't pick up the video for rotation, it's not going to be a big defeat or anything."

"I think that people will be surprised when they see the final cut," agrees Jones.

"From what I've seen, it looks really cool."

With a brand new record and video in the can, the next logical question for the band would be what kind of touring and promotional efforts they are going to put into the record.

"We are aiming to tour as much as possible without having to quit our jobs," says Levandier, which echoes the reality faced by many bands throughout the country.

"Our expectations for the record are realistic though; Forward would love us to go across Canada and I would love to do it. I'm also really interested in trying to get the band to Europe for a tour."

"That's another definite perk coming from our relationship with Forward," says Jones.

"They have artists who have toured where we would like to find ourselves touring . . . that brings their contacts (to our) shows.

"We are also very lucky in that we have had other bands like White Cowbell Oklahoma and The Real Mckenzies tell us that if we plan on heading to Europe, they have recommendations they can pass along to us in terms of clubs to play and clubs to avoid. We're incredibly lucky to have such great people to rely upon."

Fans of The Motorleague will have two chances to help them celebrate the release of Black Noise on Friday May 8: The first show is an early, all-ages affair to be held at Moncton's Aberdeen Cultural Centre on Botsford Street with a start-time of 6 p.m.

The second show that night is a licensed show at the Paramount Lounge on Main Street in Moncton.

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After criss-crossing Canada a whopping four times over 18 months starting in 2006, Moncton honky-tonkers The Divorcees are all set to launch their stellar new record Last Of The Free Men on May 5.

 

The group has their CD release party scheduled for May 1 at the Oxygen Club in Moncton as well shows planned on May 8 in Fredericton at the Capital Bar and a May 21 show in Saint John at 3 Mile's Club Monte Carlo.

The group "" singer guitarist Alex Madsen, guitarists Danny Roy and J Byrd, bassist Denis "Turtle" Arsenault and drummer Brock Gallant "" won the 2008 East Coast Music Award for Country Album Of The Year.

This was no small feat for the group, considering they were up against East Coast heavyweights like George Canyon and Jimmy Rankin, among others.

Gallant said that the band started pre-production for their new record in Moncton.

Producer Josh Finlayson (The Skydiggers) flew in to the city to help them fine-tune their songs prior to hitting the studio.

"The demo sessions with Josh went extremely well; we ended up only having to do two second-takes on all of the demos," Gallant says.

Once the band got into The Tragically Hip's Bathouse Studios to make the actual record, the group was faced with a case of the 'red-light scaries.'

Things started getting a little tense when the group found they were having trouble translating the easy-going nature of their demos to the final product.

By day two, though, it was a much more relaxed situation with Gallant giving credit to Finlayson for bringing the group together.

"Josh had an incredible calming effect on us," Gallant admits.

"He kept us focused through the duration of recording and what was cool is that he made one-on-one time with each band member to discuss their roles and parts. He was truly the perfect producer to keep us from tripping over our own feet."

With their sleeping accommodations located just upstairs from where they recorded, the group pulled their new record together in a mere 14 days.

According to Gallant, getting away to Kingston, Ontario allowed the band to focus solely on the task of making a new record.

"We had discussed recording in Halifax and traveling back and forth to Moncton every once in awhile for breaks but we ultimately decided that getting out of the Maritimes was a must so that we could be totally immersed in the record and not have those outside distractions."

And according to Gallant, Paul Langlois, one of the guitarists from the Hip, was very accommodating in helping make sure the band had the right instruments to suit the recording.

"He totally didn't hesitate about going into his band's collection of guitars and basses and having us try all kinds of different instruments until we found the right sound, depending on what suited the song. He was fantastic!"

So it's safe to say that the band had a pleasurable experience making their latest record.

But one area that Gallant admits the band is currently struggling with is the 'country' label bestowed upon them.

"As a band, we believe what we are playing is country music but to others, it's almost as though we exist amongst the underbelly of country," he starts.

"It's one big reason why we tend to label ourselves as 'hardcore honky-tonk'. There are such negative connotations with the country genre outside of the genre itself; we don't know how comfortable we are being labeled as country music.

"At many of our shows, we get approached by someone who says that they don't like country music but that they like us, which we take as a compliment.

"In our live show, we try to build that relationship with the audience and sometimes the show ends up being more of a rock show than anything else. The country tag ends up being kind of a dirty word."

Tying directly into the band's feeling alienated from the country music genre is one unusual instance the group found themselves in on a recent tour stop in Calgary.

The bar the group played that was steeped in country history and even included a saddle from Gene Autry amongst the memorabilia.

Over two nights, the band played to more than 2,000 people but when it came time to book a return visit, the club told them that they wouldn't be able to have them back.

"Some members of the club management felt that the group's brand of country wasn't accessible enough for their crowd," says Gallant.

"Where we didn't fall back on modern country and cover some modern 'hits', they decided it was in their best interests to cut ties with the band for the future."

As I picked my jaw up off the floor after him having shared that story, Brock and I discussed how modern country radio and TV ignores those responsible for the genre itself.

I've long lamented that true country talent like Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson couldn't get arrested by country media outlets these days.

This perhaps explains the fact that these artists are finding homes among non-typical country music labels and are more likely to receive airplay from Americana radio than anywhere else. It is a fact that is not lost on Gallant.

"Joel Stewart at CMT Canada has been a great help to the band although he makes no qualms in stating that he doesn't know where The Divorcees fit in among other CMT artists," he says.

If you were to sit down and watch CMT for a solid hour during the run of the day, chances are you would see very little of what I would consider to be true country music, at least in the same vein as The Divorcees.

Modern country music is more akin to light rock than anything else, although there are some obvious exceptions, as singer Alex Madsen notes.

"Here in Canada I would say artists like Tim Hus and Corb Lund set a great standard," he says, "as does Romi Mayes, Ryan Cook, and others involved with the grassroots Canadiana movement. In the United States, there are artists like Dale Watson, who are simply fantastic, as is Hayes Carll.

"Jamey Johnson has made a huge impact in the US country business, being an outlaw who has managed to cross over into the mainstream market. Marty Stuart is a great preserver of all things country, too; I hold him in high regard."

The best that the band can hope for at this point in their careers is to keep fighting the good fight and to win fans over one at a time.

"Is it gratifying that Trace Adkins stood up in front of 60,000 people and said 'I like what The Divorcees are about'? Incredibly so," Gallant notes with pride.

"Does it help that a few writers from The Times & Transcript felt that we had one of the best performances of the day at the 2007 Tim Mcgraw-Faith Hill show at Magnetic Hill? Of course it does. It helps to validate what we are doing as a band and there is no one prouder than ourselves, no matter what the future may bring."

On Friday May 1, The Divorcees will officially launch their new album Last Of The Free Men at Oxygen Nightclub, Westmorland St in Moncton.

Their special guest for the show is Samantha Robichaud.

Advance tickets are $10 and are available at The Manhattan Bar and Grill. Tickets will also be available at the door at a cost of $12.50.

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The springtime tends to be one of the most fruitful times of year for new music arriving in stores.

Below are some of my choice picks that I'm looking forward to in the next few months; I hope you find something here that appeals to you as well! (Release dates are subject to change).

April

Tinted Windows - S/T - Having members of Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins and Hanson join together into one group sounds like a marvelous idea to me. Their debut release stands to be the best piece of power pop unleashed on the world in recent times. www.tintedwindowsmusic.com (April 21)

Bob Dylan - "Together Through Life" - The latest studio offering from 'the man' is his 33rd studio record and is reportedly steeped in the sound of classic Sun and Chess Recordings. Dylan has had a pretty good streak of studio records in the past decade; here's hoping that streak continues. www.bobdylan.com (April 28)

The Disciplines - "Smoking Kills" - The latest band from Ken Stringfellow (The Posies/REM) is equal parts garage rock and pop and certain to satisfy the cravings of fans from both genres and everything in between. www.thedisciplines.com (April 28)

Heaven and Hell - "The Devil You Know" - Black Sabbath alumni Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ronnie James Dio team up with drummer Vinny Appice under a different moniker than the historic Sabbath one, but rest assured that the music stands to be as heavy as ever. www.heavenandhelllive.com (April 28)

May

Ben Harper and The Relentless 7 - "White Lies For Dark Times" - Ben Harper leaves The Innocent Criminals behind but judging by the video of Shimmer and Shine posted at www.relentless7.com, his new band The Relentless 7 can stand on their own quite capably. Rock music is clearly the order of the day here; fans of Harper's folksy moments might want to take heed before rushing out to buy this. (May 5)

The Divorcees - "Last Of The Free Men" - Expect another dose of good ol' fashion country music from one of Moncton's best outlaw country bands. The Skydiggers' Josh Finlayson was in the producer's chair for The Divorcees sophomore record, a pairing which has The Toronto Star buzzing about the record weeks before it is even in stores. www.thedivorcees.com (May 5)

Steve Earle - "Townes" - Earle once said "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that!" Townes is Earle's tribute to his friend and mentor. Van Zandt passed away on New Year's Day, 1997 but during the 52 years he was on this earth, he wrote the Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson hit Poncho and Lefty and had his songs covered by Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith. www.steveearle.com (May 12)

Iron & Wine - "Around The Well" - Sam Beam has been making gorgeous, soulful and simple songs for years now and on Around The Well he has assembled a double-disc set of out-of-print and previously unreleased material. www.ironandwine.com (May 19)

The Motorleague - "Black Noise" - With the legendary Ian Blurton behind the boards, expect some glorious, anthemic rawk songs from Moncton's The Motorleague. These songs will also be responsible for kicking your ass. You've been warned. www.themotorleague.ca (May 19)

June

Elvis Costello - "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane" - Recorded with T. Bone Burnett in a lightning-fast three days, the newest record from Costello is his first rooted in acoustic music since his 1986 masterpiece King Of America. www.elviscostello.com (June 2)

Rhett Miller - S/T - The singer/guitarist from the Old 97's unleashes his latest solo record which reportedly was made in some trying times, including the death of his grandmother, lend darker than usual tones to Miller's folk pop. www.rhettmiller.com (June 9)

The Dead Weather - "Horehound" - As if Jack White doesn't already have his plate full with The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, he adds a third group to his resume. White's fascination with sludgingly heavy guitar-rock continues, with few arguments from me. www.thedeadweather.com (June 9)

Pete Yorn - "Back and Forth" - The release of the Pete Yorn's latest sure-bet collection of rock and roll songs is timed to coincide with his opening slot on a handful of dates on Coldplay's North American tour. Hopefully the masses that will see him at these shows will catch on to one of the decade's best-kept secret talents and give him the fame he so sorely deserves. www.peteyorn.com (June 23)

Levon Helm - "Electric Dirt" - The drummer from legendary group The Band returns with his second record in the past three years. The follow-up to rootsy Dirt Farmer is noted on his site as "painting a broader musical canvas by incorporating gospel, blues and soul into a wide range of original songs and eclectic cover songs."(www.levonhelm.com) (June 30)

Halifax native Joel Plaskett's music career is building momentum with each successive release.

His 2007 record Ashtray Rock garnered him a remarkable six East Coast Music Awards and was also in the running for the annual Canadian Polaris Music Prize.

He is out promoting a new record (the recently released Three) which is sure to bring him even more success.

The first time I made contact via phone with Plaskett for this article I had the misfortune of waking him up although, he said his alarm had sounded at the exact same time I called.

Even though he sounded a tad groggy, Plaskett did his best to make me not feel guilty about having stirred him from sleep.

"I just need 15 minutes," he said. "Can you call me back?"

How could I possibly say no to such a nice guy?

I first met Joel Plaskett in the early 1990s when our respective bands were slugging it out in the trenches (a term I use loosely) of the Maritime Music Scene.

Basking in the glow brought to the region by bands like Sloan and Eric's Trip, our bands might have chosen different musical paths but we identified with each other if only because we were all essentially the same age.

But more on Plaskett's history in just one moment.

A short 15 minutes later, I reach Plaskett again and began an insightful and delightful 45-minute conversation with one of the East Coast's best talents.

Joel Plaskett together with Rob Benvie and Ian McGettigan formed pre-high school group Nabisco Fonzie.

They then changed their band name to The Hoods before deciding on the name Thrush Hermit in 1991.

For a band who played their first show at the Shearwater Yacht Club for a pizza, they would go on to share the stage with bands like Urge Overkill, Guided By Voices and Redd Kross, as well as being mentored by Halifax compatriots Sloan while also scoring a major label deal with Elektra Records.

After releasing their triumphant Clayton Park record in 1999, the band called it quits at the top of their game, much to the disappointment of fans everywhere.

"Rob had decided that he didn't want to do it anymore but there was also a divide in terms of the direction of the band, which was changing," Plaskett says of the split.

"If I look back on the situation now, I could have seen it coming but after Rob made his decision, Ian and I more or less decided that it should be the end of Thrush Hermit if Rob wasn't involved since it was the three of us who started the band."

Deciding to pack it in when fans feel a band is really coming into their own is quite the courageous decision. Did Plaskett ever feel worried about what the future would bring?

"I definitely remember thinking 'This is a drag, where do I go from here?'" Plaskett starts . . . before qualifying that he had already started amassing songs for his solo work.

Plaskett's debut solo effort In Need Of Medical Attention was actually completed prior to his group's final record coming out.

"We all had musical interests outside of Thursh Hermit," Plaskett continues, "and it wasn't an acrimonious split by any means. Looking back upon it now, the music is almost less important than the experience and all that we learned."

Indeed, there were fond memories for Plaskett from his days with Thrush Hermit but one can't discount that it must have also helped shape exactly what he wanted from his solo career.

"Absolutely, Thrush Hermit helped me define what I wanted the next time around and that was to front a band as a singer instead of being one quarter of a bigger unit," he says.

"Being part of a democracy was cool but I realized that I wanted to be in control. That being said, I love the collaboration aspect of my work with The Emergency (who serve as Plaskett's backing band); we felt like a band right away so it's like the best-case scenario all around."

For those who have not had the good fortune to see Joel Plaskett perform live, he is one of the Maritimes' most charismatic front men. The girls love him and there is no shortage of musicians who would kill to be him.

This natural charm combined with the killer pop songs he pens make for a potentially lethal combination.

While he had a core audience from the beginning of his solo career, his fan base grew exponentially after his song Nowhere With You became a Top 10 hit at Adult Contemporary Radio, as well as being prominently featured in a Zellers commercial.

It all builds a seemingly perfect storm of publicity for Three, his newest and most ambitious record to date comprised of three CDs of nine songs each.

You read that right. In a day and age where the single is king and the album format is dying a painful death, Plaskett delivers 27 songs with nary a stinker among them; a remarkable feat for any musician.

What is even more remarkable is that Plaskett had originally worked on 33 songs for the record, leaving fans to wonder when they will have the fortune of hearing those 'missing' six songs?

"I actually only have the bed tracks for three of those six songs," Plaskett says. "The other three are fully completed and were originally going to be included on the record but I ended up cutting them off to help avoid some repetition and tighten the record up some."

The tracks appearing on Three were recorded by Plaskett himself in his home studio and although the members who comprise the Emergency appear throughout the record, this is by-and-large a Joel Plaskett record as opposed to a Joel Plaskett Emergency album.

Helping give Three its homey, intimate appeal is fellow Haligonian Rose Cousins, Brooklyn native Ana Egge and Plaskett's father Bill, a longtime musician himself.

All three musicians will be accompanying Plaskett at his upcoming shows in New Brunswick as well as the shows in Western Canada.

So in other words, longtime Plaskett fans attending his upcoming shows will be treated to a low-key but intimate performance of both new material and nuggets from his past.

"For these shows, I'm going to be doing a two-set acoustic show and along with my material, we're going to be incorporating some of Ana's and Rose's songs," Plaskett tells me.

So with his stock rising across the country, do the Maritimes have to concern themselves with losing Plaskett to a big city like Toronto or Vancouver?

Not too likely, according to the musician.

"I like the Maritimes because it's familiar, low key and relatively affordable," he says. "In Dartmouth, I can turn music off, zone out and get away from it if I need to, which isn't so easy to do in a big city like Toronto.

"I like the fact there's a music industry here but it's a lot less present in everyday life; even the most commercial musical artists on this end of the country give off a vibe that they're playing music because they want to and not solely for chasing fame.

"As big as Halifax is, it is still a small-town feeling out here and it's easy to see when people's intentions are wrong."

Level headed, polite and grounded; there is no doubt that no matter how successful Plaskett is with his music, he is a Maritimer through and through.

Joel Plaskett will be performing at The Fredericton Playhouse April 22; at Saint John's Imperial Theatre April 23 and at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton April 24. Ticket information is available from each specific venue.

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Halifax musician Meaghan Smith is living a dream.

While many musicians can only dream of being able to carve a living out of making music, the past few years have been kind to her and helped enable her to do pursue this as a full-time option.

She has also spent a fair amount of time touring and will be performing at the Moncton Coliseum as the opening act for KD Lang on Friday, April 17. 

Smith's most recent release is The Cricket's Quartet, a four-song EP/DVD combination package that hit store shelves on April 7 a few months after its online release.

The EP is merely a tease of greater things to come from Smith.

Reaching back to the 1930s and '40s era of music, Smith's voice is truly captivating whether singing ballads such as Drifted Apart and I Know or tackling the big band sound on If You Asked Me.

Smith explained the reason behind the formerly online-exclusive release:

"Ultimately, I wanted to have something to sell and to tour behind. I'm relatively unknown and I wanted to have a good way to introduce myself to people.

"I'm also an animator and wanted the DVD included for the visual aspect and interpretation of my songs. By releasing the video and music package together, I thought it would help give fans a little more insight into who I am."

Shortly after having her song 5 More Minutes placed in the TV show Grey's Anatomy, Smith signed a major label record deal with Sire Records out of the United States.

With many artists choosing to go the "indie" route these days, Smith didn't take her decision to sign with a major label lightly, stating:

"I had considered going out on my own but when I started hearing from labels and what they could do for me, I had to consider it as an option.

Signing with a major label isn't for everybody but for the amount of people I want to reach, I want to be established and can't really do that on my own," Smith says.

"I need a label that can invest money and time in me but that also have people that can work my record and help me make my career and what I want it to be.

"There is no question that Sire has contacts that I wouldn't have access to otherwise. Record labels are slowly changing with the times and I think now more than ever, labels are realizing that artists are an investment and are being really careful with who they sign and are looking for longevity out of the artists they are signing."

Given her fantastic music, business smarts, level head and dynamic personality, Smith should have no trouble finding staying power amongst the masses.

Meaghan Smith will be the opening act for KD Lang at her stop at the Moncton Coliseum on Friday April 17. Information on the show can be obtained by calling the Coliseum at (506) 857-4100; online at www.monctoncoliseum.com. Tickets may be purchased online at tickets.moncton.ca.

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Let's get things straight right off the bat: Rising Canadian country music group One More Girl is actually comprised of two girls, not one.

 

But don't be fooled by the relatively young ages of band members and siblings 19-year-old Carly McKillip and Britt McKillip, 18.

When the girls checked in with me, they were a half-hour late reaching me by phone. Could this be a sign of success getting to their heads?

Hardly. I did my best to feign anger when Carly called to check in; she immediately apologized for the tardy phone call:

"We're driving to Regina and the cellular coverage isn't the best."

Okay, that sounds like a plausible excuse.

With my 'anger' dissipated, Carly laughed when I told her that if our line was unexpectedly disconnected, I would just make up the remainder of the interview and run that for the article on the group.

The fact she's a good sport with this scores her many make-up points for the late phone call. Nice play, McKillip.

Even before the McKillip girls were born, they were bound to have music running through their veins. The McKillip siblings' father is Tom, a musician and producer who has been in the business for more than 30 years backing artists like Lisa Brokop and Tom Jackson.

So it would seem natural for his offspring to become involved in music but before the girls would find their way in the music world they would take a brief detour into acting.

"Essentially, we started singing as soon as we could talk," Carly explains. "But acting kind of fell into our laps.

"We had a babysitter who was an actress herself that got us hooked up with an agent who is still our agent today."

Carly admits that their parents were obviously not looking to get the girls into acting at such a young age (Carly was four years old, her sister three) however their early start no doubt helped pave the way for some of their more recent acting endeavors.

Britt appeared in the critically acclaimed show Dead Like Me while Carly has most recently appeared in the CTV series Alice, I Think.

On the music side of the equation, things aren't looking too shabby for the group, either.

They currently find themselves in the opening slot on 20 dates with fellow Canuck Johnny Reid, which will see the group travel from Alberta right through to the Maritimes.

And on top of that, the girls have an upcoming release of their debut record Big Sky on May 26 to look forward to. It's certainly a lot for the duo to look forward to.

"Part of me wished that our record was going to be in stores for the dates with Johnny that we are doing now," Carly said.

"But we made the decision to hold off the release date and I'm happy we did so now. It gives us the opportunity to create a little more of a buzz around the record's release."

The sisters have already released one single from Big Sky (I Can Love Anyone) and are getting ready to have their second single Misery Loves Company serviced to radio and to video outlets like CMT soon.

So what does the future hold for the group once the dates with Johnny Reid wrap up?

"We are hoping for a busy summer with a lot of festival dates," said Britt. "Things seem to be getting busier for us all the time so that's definitely a positive sign. Our schedule is filling up rather nicely."

Don't miss your chance to catch One More Girl when they perform as the opening act for Johnny Reid at the Moncton Coliseum on April 22 and at Saint John's Harbour Station on April 23.

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With a career that spans an amazing 25 years, Alberta-born KD Lang shows no signs of slowing down. The release of her most recent album Watershed (her tenth studio record) will bring her to the Moncton Coliseum for a show on Friday April 17.

Having released her debut in 1984, Lang's first few records saw the artist recording with boundless energy and flirting with various styles including honky-tonk, classic country and rockabilly before turning towards more adult-contemporary music in the 90's.

With eight Juno Awards to her credit, her first Juno was awarded to her in 1985 for "Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year".

Although her career was steadily building momentum with each release, it would be 1992's Ingénue that would finally help Lang join the ranks of international success. Her single Constant Craving helped propel the record up to the Number 18 spot on the Billboard Charts while the song would also put a Grammy award on her mantle for Best Female Pop Performance.

Lang is actually a four-time Grammy Award recipient; aside from the aforementioned award, she received one of the prestigious trophies for her collaboration with Roy Orbison on his classic track Crying while in 1989, she would be awarded the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Her most recent Grammy win stems from her 2003 collaboration with jazz vocal legend Tony Bennett.

When I had the opportunity to speak with Lang, she was checking in from Los Angeles. Although Lang has made her home in the States for years now, she still maintains a home in Canada as well as her Canadian citizenship. Lang opens the interview with a joke:

"I'm bi-citizen!" she laughs.

With her dual-citizenship, Lang has the unique viewpoints of an American living in the US as well as that of a Canadian having the opportunity to observe how things are unfolding in the US:

"A lot of people have placed a lot of hope in President Obama," Lang starts. "People know that his election is actually bringing hope for humanity in general. His election definitely represents progress for us but the atmosphere here now [referring to the US] is getting increasingly depressed. Even though the current recession is global, it was initiated here. But there is a positive spin to it: I think this has forced a lot of people to reset their priorities and ultimately get reconnected with what's truly important to them."

Even with such a long and distinguished career, Watershed marked a first for KD Lang as it is the first record where she has assumed the role of record producer while continuing to have a hand in writing each of the eleven songs on the record. Although previous records such as 1997's "Drag" have focused on one particular concept, Lang shies away from cornering herself into one specific concept or sound on her latest effort. If anything, listeners are getting a little bit of everything that they could expect from the artist including country, jazz and the adult-contemporary sound which has brought her the fame and fortune she so sorely deserves.

Indeed, the music business of the 21st century differs greatly from that in which Lang threw herself into in the 80's. When Lang was starting to make inroads within the industry, video was king and would be the dominant format by which artists were made and broken over the next two decades. But with record label purse strings getting tighter and tighter by the minute and with many music channels choosing to broadcast reality TV and other non-music video programming, Lang doesn't lament the video format going the way of the dodo:

"I actually stopped doing videos with my All You Can Eat record in 1995. Videos are so outrageously expensive to make and as the artist, you're expected to shoulder 50% of the cost of the video. The return just isn't worth it for an artist like me. I think my fans are going to appreciate a full-length show like my Live In London DVD [which Lang recorded with the BBC Orchestra] instead of seeing snippets of me on TV."

And while many artists are fleeing major labels in search of their own piece of the music pie, Lang has remained with Warner Music and it's subsidiaries since her 1987 album Angel With A Lariat. Her 2004 record Hymns of the 49th Parallel (Lang's tribute to Canadian singer-songwriters such as Neil Young and Ron Sexsmith) was her first for the Nonesuch label, a company which keeps Lang under the Warner Music umbrella. The label is certainly becoming "the place to be" amongst many musicians, with artists as diverse as Wilco, Emmylou Harris, The Black Keys and Randy Newman calling the label home. Although Warner Music owns Nonesuch, Lang clarifies that it is run as an independent arm, separate from the Warner hierarchy.

"Moving to Nonesuch was a big shift for me artistically," Lang explains. "The label is based entirely on music and art; I really couldn't ask for a better place for my music. I think the feeling behind that has a lot to do with Bob Hurwitz, who is running the label. He's a music guy, not a money guy and while I know the bottom line matters so that the label remains profitable, it's such a legitimate place to be as a musician. Nonesuch has zero interest in pairing their artists up with hit makers and tinkering with getting the right mix of a song on the final cut of the record. The label's passion is obvious and it's a refreshing place to be."

Not one to shy away from technology, Lang is positively enthusiastic about the current state of the music business:

"I have never seen the music world so vibrant and so exciting," the excitement palpable in her voice. "Myspace, Facebook and all these various internet radio stations and having access to all this new music is completely stimulating and empowering. I'm finding and discovering artists and musicians for myself now instead of being told what to buy."

With so many bands and musicians getting their fifteen minutes of fame but little else from their career, it is certainly refreshing that artists like KD Lang can count upon career longevity based upon talent and not having to rely upon gimmicks and marketing to leave their lasting impression upon the world.

KD Lang will be appearing in concert on Friday April 17 at the Moncton Coliseum. Opening the show will be Haligonian Meaghan Smith. Tickets for the show are available by phone at (506) 857-4100 or online at http://tickets.moncton.ca. Floor tickets are $79.00 each while seating in the bowl goes for $69.00 a piece. Both ticket prices include taxes and all service fees.

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Halifax-born alternative-country artist Luke Doucet is returning to the Maritimes for a slew of shows including two New Brunswick dates in Saint John and Sackville. The artist has been busy touring behind his fourth solo record, the excellent Blood's Too Rich, released last year on Toronto label Six Shooter Records.

 

In addition to a burgeoning solo career, Doucet also wears the hats of producer, lending his expertise to other artists such as wife Melissa McLelland as well as label-mate NQ Arbuckle. And when time permits, Doucet counts himself as a member of Sarah McLachlan's backing band, with whom he has performed on and off for the past 15 years.

Doucet is currently on tour throughout Canada with Amelia Curran. The duo started their tour just a couple of weeks after Doucet returned from performing on the fifth annual Barenaked Ladies "Ships and Dip" Cruise. For those who might not be aware of the event, the BNL essentially overtake a cruise ship for five days, invite some of their favourite musicians and bands along with the paying general public and good, clean mayhem ensues. Doucet concurs, saying:

"The cruise was great! I was initially a little concerned about being trapped in a floating casino but I quickly realized the benefits of being able to see Sloan and The Weakerthans daily for a week." Although he spends a good amount of time in Canada, Doucet's music is spreading across the globe and has seen "Blood's Too Rich" earn accolades from UK Newspaper The Independent as well as from author Nick Hornby who penned the novels High Fidelity and About A Boy.

Doucet clarifies the difference between the two continents by saying: "I have toured extensively in both the USA and various European countries. Incidentally, I find it easier to connect with audiences in Europe than in America but that may be simply because there are so many groups making 'American' music in the US that we are seen as more unique in Europe," he concludes.

In the early part of 2008, Doucet had the good fortune of coming to the attention of British singer James Blunt, for whom they opened a Toronto show. Blunt was so taken with the group that he invited Doucet and his band The White Falcon to open his cross-country tour late last year.

"The tour with James Blunt was great," Doucet starts. "He was a total gentleman to us and that tour gave us the opportunity to play for a lot of people who had never heard our music before. That is the most one can hope for as an opening act." Even though the promotional cycle for "Blood's Too Rich" may be winding down, the artist has no lack of activities on his calendar to keep him busy:

"When this tour is done, I am immediately heading out on tour in support of my wife's new album, which I produced. So we'll get to head across Canada one more time. Following that, we are heading to Europe for a month in May. Then once that is wrapped up, I'm recording a new album with Sloan's Andrew Scott as the producer." For some reason, even though a significant amount of free time may elude Luke Doucet for the next year, you can't help but get the impression that he wouldn't want it any other way.

Luke Doucet will be appearing at The Blue Olive in Saint John on Friday, April 3 and at George's Roadhouse in Sackville on Saturday, April 4.

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Building on the success of her 2006 record If Your Memory Serves You Well, Ontario singer-songwriter Serena Ryder is returning to the Maritimes in March for a show in Saint John. Her most recent effort is the full-length Is It OK, released last November via EMI Music Canada and has already attained Gold status in Canada for 40,000 copies sold.

In addition to having landed one of her songs on ABC's Private Practice, Ryder was awarded the 2008 Juno Award winner for New Artist Of The Year. She walks a musical line somewhere between Alanis Morisette's confessional rock 'n' roll and the more adult contemporary sounds of fellow Canuck Jann Arden.

Ryder has spent the past month on tour in the U.S., where Is It OK will see a physical release in the spring via Atlantic Records. When Ryder recently checked in from New Hampshire, the excitement in the affable Ryder's voice was apparent.

"I've been playing solo acoustic shows here in the States and they've been going great. The response and the audiences have been amazing,"she says. "I like the format of the solo shows; there's a lot of flexibility that allows me to change the set list up if I wanted to. Plus these kinds of shows are a great way to meet people and establish a closer rapport with them. That being said though, I'm really looking forward to getting my band backing me again," she says with a laugh.

After having experienced heartache and heartbreak in the time leading up to and the recording of her new record, it's only in the lyrics that you'll find these emotions shining through. Musically, Ryder sounds energetic and full of life and seems grateful that listeners would see (and hear) beyond the sorrowful lyrics.

"I'm so glad people are picking up the excitement in the music itself. All in all, making the record was a very cathartic experience. When I was recording, it was being done with excitement and I'm glad listeners can hear that coming through and not just focusing on the lyrics that are a little sad. I truly felt like I was finally inside my own skin and for the first time, I felt like I wasn't trying to run away from how I was feeling." In a day and age where pop artists are as disposable as this week's trash, the fact that success has greeted Ryder so early in her career isn't lost on the artist. Instead of aiming for 15 minutes of fame, Ryder is clearly in this for the long haul and is intent on building her career brick by brick to help ensure longevity.

"The fact my record is gold already is just insane," Ryder enthuses. "And I think I can continue to be successful by building that rapport with the audience through my live shows. In my opinion, it's all about building that direct connection with people; it's the most important thing to me and I think it plays a big part in selling records as well. Fans respect you for sharing your message in the most honest way possible."

Luckily, Ryder will have plenty on her plate in the upcoming year to keep her busy. Aside from the aforementioned upcoming release of her record in the U.S., Ryder plans on continuing to travel throughout Canada and the U.S. during summer's busy music festival season prior to embarking for the U.K. in the fall.

As successful as Ryder has already been in her career, her attitude remains humble to say the least and this is always a refreshing trait to hear in an artist. Wrapping up her interview, Ryder comments: "I feel 100 per cent blessed to be where I'm at and be able to live my passion. A lot of people have to do a lot of things they don't want to do everyday and I don't believe that anybody should have to do that."

Serena Ryder will be performing at The Blue Olive in Saint John on Thursday, March 19. If you don't already have tickets, listening to her records will have to do as the show is sold-out as of press time.

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