Tannis Slimmon w/Lewis Melville
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Live at Sunset Saloon (house concert, Westwood, Winnipeg)
8:00
Suggested donation $15-20
All are welcome (bring the kids, friends, family, people off the street, whatever) As usual, you can bring a beverage of your choice or food to share if you wish, but we’ll have plenty of both on hand, so feel free to save yourself the trouble and just enjoy whatever’s on hand!
RSVP & questions, see the comment box below!

When I first got the album “Oak Lake,” by Tannis Slimmon over a decade ago, I didn’t immediately recognize the name either. A quick glance at her bio showed me that I did, indeed, know her work. She has contributed to over 75 albums over the course of her distinguished career, including many of my all-time favourites, including Willie P Bennett‘s “Heartstrings” album, and Rheostatics “Whale Music,” (which I’ll go to my grave defending as one of the greatest Canadian albums of all time.) She was part of a renowned trio called The Bird Sisters for a long time, as well as Benji and other groups, but since then, has quietly carved out a remarkable career on her own ever since. She’s won awards, played the big festivals (including The Winnipeg Folk Festival,) travelled the world (including a memorable and inspiring trip to Africa in 2004, where she was part of a documentary called “Road To Baleya,” by Bay Waymen,) and connected with and inspired musicians all over.

And as if her experience and talents weren’t enough, she’s usually accompanied by her partner Lewis Melville. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you must not spend as much time as I do reading Canadian album liner notes. Lewis is the heart and soul of a very fertile music community in Guelph, Ontario. He was a big part of DROG records in the 90s, a label which put out a LOT of great albums. He was also the mastermind behind some amazing compilations like “Truck Songs,” “Food Songs,” “Songs for Peace,” and my my personal favourite, “Sixty Second Songs,” which compiled 88 songs by 88 different artists/groups all doing songs that are less than a minute on 2 CDs. It’s as weird and wonderful as you might expect. Click here to read about his project The Williams, which put to music the writings of Shakespeare. There is also a great discography and bio at the site. He is a brilliant musician, an insightful songwriter, and one of the most creative and intelligent people I’ve ever met. I had the great fortune of staying at his house years ago, and it truly did feel like I was spending time at Yoda’s house.

Together, these two make for a powerful musical force. They’re also a couple of the most kind, generous, decent spirits I’ve ever run across. You won’t leave this show without a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and a lift to your spirit – guaranteed! I’ve been asking Tannis to do a house concert for years, and I’m really excited that the stars have finally aligned. Please join me in welcoming these two amazing musicians and people into our home and our community of music lovers.

Listen to Tannis here (click on “Albums” then there’s a player for each.)

Clearly, there isn’t nearly enough quality video online of these two. Let’s change that!

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