TTBTGH/SBR Interview guests, 2011

Looking back at the year, we had some pretty amazing guests, as usual. All of them are available as downloadable podcasts on the Downloads Page, or at the iTunes feed. Check out the ones you missed or revisit some favourites!

Let us know which was your favourite? Which was a bomb? Who should we try to get next year?

Here’s the rough list (so far):

Jan 13 – Steel Belted – Romi Mayes & Jason Nowicki
Feb 3 – Steel Belted – Tom Wilson (phoner)
Feb 24 – Steel Belted – Trevor Strong (Arrogant Worms) (phoner)
March 3 – Steel Belted – Mae Moore (phoner)
March 20 – Martyn Joseph (phoner)
March 27 – Del Barber (phoner)
April 3 – Catherine MacLellan (w/Del Barber)
April 10 – Taylor Ashton (Fish & Bird)
April 28 – Steel Belted – Geoff Berner (phoner)
May 22 – Paul MacLeod (phoner)
May 29 – Oh Susanna (phoner)
June 5 – Del Barber, Ron from Lockport (UMFM Open House)
June 30 – Steel Belted – The Warped 45s
Aug. 11 – Steel Belted – NQ Arbuckle & Carolyn Mark
Aug. 14 – Edmonton Folk Fest (Deer Tick, Lissie, Secret Sisters)
Aug. 28 – Fish & Bird
Sept. 15 – Romi Mayes
Sept. 22 – Steel Belted – Lindy
Sept. 25 – James McMurtry
Sept. 29 – Steel Belted – Jesse Dee & Jacquie B., Bull Kelp
Oct. 2 – Ramblin’ Dan Frechette
Oct. 9 – David Francey (phoner)
Nov. 24 – Steel Belted – Jeffrey Hatcher
Dec. 8 – Steel Belted – JD Edwards
Dec. 11 – Scott Nolan & Joanna Miller

Proud to be among the .5% (Support LIVE MUSIC!)

Two big events tonight, and I’m sure they were both amazing, but I can only speak to one.

Our Winnipeg Jets took on the best team in the league, and won. That’s something, and I’m sure it was an exciting game to watch. Truth be told, I would have loved to be there, I’m sure. Tim Shorten should get some kind of medal for giving up rink-side seats. I bet nobody missed Tim at the game, but I sure was happy to see him (and his lovely wife Erin) at the Park Theatre, instead. There’s never any doubt that all 15,000 seats will be full at every single Jets game for the next 3-5 years (at least.) And folks will pay anywhere from $75-250 PER SEAT to go.

But how come it is that in this great city, we can’t find 100 people willing to pay $10 to see Scott Nolan & Joanna Miller record a live album (not to mention the rare solo, piano performance by Scott’s Leaderhouse bandmate Matthew Budaloski)?

I’m not a math teacher (thank God, although the way things have been going for me at school, you never know what’s next), but I can do the math on this one. Less than 1% of the folks dishing out to see the Jets went to that show. Hell, it was closer to .5%, and there was a big guest list (I’m actually quite pleased that I wasn’t on it.)

How much does the shittiest, most bench-warming player on the Jets make? I know the stars make millions, but I gotta bet that the guy who carries the hockey bags makes more than Scott Nolan. I’m absolutely certain that he makes more than Joanna Miller. But for my money, Scott and Jo are worth so much more. Sure, the Jets do dazzle and there’s nothing like being in that rabid crowd at a game, but there’s nothing like great live music, either.

Scott and Jo are out there working their asses off night after night for less than the Jets office staff make. Think Mark Chipman ever camped his RV van in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and was happy about it? Nope. Scott and Jo do, and with pride.

I don’t really even know the point of the rant anymore, except that it ain’t fair that a couple of folks who have brought so much joy into my ears and heart over the years don’t even register on the radar of the vast majority of those 15,000 some folks at the arena tonight. None of the Jets would ever take the time to honestly thank you for your support. Sure, they do the public appearances (when contractually obligated), but “thank you” is just a line they’ve learned to dish out. Are any of them really grateful for your support?

I know musicians are. Why? Because they’re real people too. They know what it’s like to work for a living and what it’s like to have to decide between buying groceries and a night of entertainment. It’s actually quite funny to me when musicians thank me (directly or as part of a crowd) for the support. I can’t even begin to explain how much these songs and these talented people have brought to my life. How many times I’ve escaped or dreamed or been inspired by a song. How much it means to me when someone with amazing talent knows my name or takes the time to chat with me. You want to thank me for that? Nah. THANK YOU.

I wish that there were more people who appreciated real, down-to-earth, talented, inspiring musicians. I’m not perfect; I get lazy sometimes and don’t go to shows or don’t show my support when I could. But I get it. I’m grateful. And I’ll keep doing what I can so that great people can continue to make great music. Since you took the time to read this, I bet you will too.

Hope to see you at a show some time.

Episode #422 Sunday, December 11, 2011

Today we’re big on gifts & guests, as we get in the holiday spirit by giving away CDs & tickets aplenty, and we welcome Scott Nolan & Joanna Miller, who are set to record a new live album on Tuesday, and who released one of this year’s best local albums, Montgomery Eldorado.

The Wooden Sky – Christmas All Over Again – Ho Ho Ho Canada III – CDN
The Wooden Sky – Take Me Out – City of Light EP – CDN
Gretchen Peters w/ Rodney Crowell – Dark Angel – Hello Cruel World
Jeffrey Foucault – Everybody’s Famous – Horse Latitudes
Jeffrey Foucault – Real Love – single
Nikki Lane – Hard Livin’ – Walk of Shame

2:30 – 3:00 pm

Kate Reid – Captain Cupcake & The Cambie Hotel – Doing It for the Chicks – CDN
The Burning Hell – My Name Is Mathias – Flux Capacitor – CDN
The Magnificent 7s – Needle in the Hay – All Kinds of Mean – CDN – WPG
The Magnificent 7s – Blue and Feelin’ – All Kinds of Mean – CDN – WPG
The JD Edwards Band – Roads and Roads – Roads and Roads – CDN – WPG
Fish & Bird – Winnipeg – Every Whisper Is a Shout Across the Void – CDN
Romi Mayes – Ball & Chain – Lucky Tonight – CDN – WPG
Del Barber – Believe Me Believe Me – Live at the Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago 2011 – CDN – WPG

3:00 – 3:30 pm

Hayes Carll – Grateful for Christmas – 45 RPM single
John Prine – Christmas in Prison – A John Prine Christmas
Mary Gauthier – Christmas in Paradise – Live On The Air 1998 – 2004
Merle Haggard – If We Make It Through December – Live At Billy Bob’s Texas: Motorcycle Cowboy
Scott Nolan – Drive Day – Montgomery Eldorado – CDN – WPG

3:30 – 4:00 pm

Scott Nolan – Ain’t that Just What You Get – live performance – CDN – WPG
Scott Nolan – Curls and Curves – live performance – CDN – WPG
Scott Nolan – Halloween in NYC – live performance – CDN – WPG
Scott Nolan – Montgomery Eldorado – Montgomery Eldorado – CDN – WPG

December 11 on TTBTGH

Greetings, friends!

It’s been a while since I dropped you a line, so I thought I’d say hi and tell you what’s going on in the world behind the scenes at Tell the Band to Go Home. Since we kicked off last week’s show with How to Make Gravy, it’s officially the holiday season, so we’ll be pulling out some non-crappy, oddball holiday favourites in the next few weeks. If you’re looking for the coolest, most oddball music of the year, you never need to look any further than our old pal Stu’s annual Christmas compilation: http://twangtrust.ca/pages/xmas11.html

And speaking of compilations, I’m thinking about the 10th annual best-of-the-year compilation. There were plenty of great albums and songs released this year, and it seems stupid to quit spreading the good word now, so we’ll be putting something together soon (I hope.) There was some thought about not doing it this year, we’ve got no time, no money, no printer, no cover-art ideas, blah blah, but it’s fun, so I’ll figure something out. If you have any favourites from the year, help me to whittle down the list and let me know what I should be considering. Oh, and if you happen to want to help design a cover or something, there’s no money in it for you, and very little glory, but the job is available… I’m hoping to have something available, at least digitally, in the next couple of weeks, with physical copies hopefully ready over the holidays. Stay tuned.

The one compilation that’s never hard to put together is the Live on UMFM collection, which is looking pretty great this year, because we’ve had some pretty swell in-studio guests. Today on the show, we’ll add one more stellar artist, as our old buddy Scott Nolan is hoping to drop by and play us some songs and encourage you to go to the Park Theatre on Tuesday, where he’ll be recording a new live album! Scott’s always great, but this sounds like an extra special night, including a super rare solo appearance by his old Leaderhouse band mate (and the guy who sat beside me in High School Science class,) Matt Budaloski. That should be super great.

And, I do believe that Scott’s going to give away some tickets, so get your dialing fingers ready. As if that weren’t enough, we have some more tickets to give away to the CD release for the fine new record by The JD Edwards Band! That show goes down Saturday night at the West End, and I know I’m really looking forward to it, so I’d encourage you to call in and win tickets to that, or get your own (they’re only $10!) I’ll try to dig up some more CDs to give away, or whatever else is cluttering up my extra-cluttered basement. All we ask in return is that you give a donation to Winnipeg Harvest when you pick up your prize. We’ve got a donation bin at the station which, between you and me, could use a little help, so drop by some time, or, for an extra generous donation (or some tasty treats for me…), I’ll be glad to drop a prize off to you. I still remember long ago driving for what seemed like days, trying to find Zenon & Melissa’s house waaaaaayyy out in Transcona for the first time. That worked out great, so if you want the convenience of home delivery, we can arrange that for you.

That’s all the news that’s fit to email, so we’ll sign off. Hope things are going well for you & yours. Hopefully we’ll meet up for some festive fun one of these days.

All the best,

JR

Join me for:
Tell the Band to Go Home
Sundays, 2-4 pm central
www.tellthebandtogohome.com
Steel Belted Radio
Thursdays, 6:30 – 8 pm central
www.steelbeltedradio.com

CJUM 101.5 UMFM
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.umfm.com

Even though it’s the holidays and we’re trying to be positive, we have to remind you of the FJE clause, which states that if an artist decides that I’m the nastiest guy he’s ever met, he may decide to stiff me on an interview from time to time. I don’t think that’s the case with this week’s guest, but he did get mad at me once for saying bad stuff about Neil Young, so you never know.

Steel Belted Radio, December 8, 2011

It’s been a great year for Winnipeg music, but there’s another great disc yet to come, with the release of Roads and Roads by The JD Edwards Band. JD drops by to chat about the new disc and the upcoming CD release show. We’ve got plenty of other great local music, including previews of upcoming exciting shows by The Magnificent 7s, Scott Nolan, and The New Meanies. And, we drop a couple of new holiday classics.

playlist
[download id=”79″] (JD Edwards)
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Episode #421 Sunday, December 4, 2011

Lots to celebrate today, including some great new music, some exciting upcoming shows, the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and the official start of the holiday favourites.

Artist – Song title – Album Title – CDN=Canadian – WPG=Winnipeg artist

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Paul Kelly – How to Make Gravy – Songs From The South: The Best Of Paul Kelly Vol 1 85-97
Kathleen Edwards – Empty Threat – Voyageur – CDN
Spirit of the West – Bulembu – single – CDN
The JD Edwards Band – This House Will Stand – Roads and Roads – CDN – WPG
Matthew Ryan – Hey Kid – I Recall Standing as though Nothing Could Fall
Imelda May – Mayhem – Mayhem

2:30 – 3:00 pm

Nikki Lane – Walk of Shame – Walk of Shame
Nikki Lane – Gone Gone Gone – Walk of Shame
A.A. Bondy – Surfer King – Believers
Virgin Forest – South Beach – Joy Atrophy
Matthew Mayfield – Fix You
Great Aunt Ida – Your Window – Nuclearize Me – CDN
Jon Gant & His Band – Hold On – A Rough Start to the Night – CDN
James McMurtry – Cold Dog Soup – This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark (This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark)

3:00 – 3:30 pm

Robert Earl Keen – Merry Christmas from the Family – Merry Christmas from the Family
JP Hoe – Shopping Mall Santa – Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Songs – CDN – WPG
Meaghan Smith – Zat U Santa Claus – It Snowed – CDN
Meaghan Smith – Christmas Kiss – It Snowed – CDN
Meaghan Smith – I Know – The Cricket’s Orchestra – CDN

3:30 – 4:00 pm

Ruth Moody – Cold Outside – The Garden – CDN – WPG
The Wailin’ Jennys – Swing Low Sail High – Bright Morning Stars – CDN – WPG
Mae Moore – Folklore – Folklore – CDN
David Myles – I Don’t Want to Know – Live at the Carleton – CDN
Ron Hynes – Love and Hunger – Stealing Genius – CDN

November 27, 2011

We don’t really get excited about sports around here very often, but today the Bombers are playing for the Grey Cup, and they can use all the help they can get. With that in mind, we send out a set of Blue & Gold songs that will hopefully help the boys win the big game. There are a couple of shows this week that we’re excited about, including the return of our pal Andy Sheppard and his new project Find the Others, and the legendary Gordon Lightfoot!

playlist
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[download id=”76″]

Episode #420 Sunday, November 27, 2011

We don’t really get excited about sports around here very often, but today the Bombers are playing for the Grey Cup, and they can use all the help they can get. With that in mind, we send out a set of Blue & Gold songs that will hopefully help the boys win the big game. There are a couple of shows this week that we’re excited about, including the return of our pal Andy Sheppard and his new project Find the Others, and the legendary Gordon Lightfoot!

Artist – Song title – Album Title – CDN=Canadian – WPG=Winnipeg artist

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Nathan – You Win – Key Principles – CDN – WPG
Lucinda Williams – Blue – Essence
Jenny Whiteley – Heart of Gold – Dear – CDN
Steve Earle – Even When I’m Blue – Copperhead Road
Ricky Young – Fade to Gold – Learn to Steal
Slaid Cleaves – I Feel the Blues Moving In – Broke Down

2:30 – 3:00 pm

The Blue Shadows – Field of Gold – Lucky to Me – CDN
The Blue Shadows – A Little Bit Lonesome, A Little Bit Blue – On the Floor of Heaven – CDN
Scott Nolan – Guns, Guns, Guns – Canadian Amplifier: Official Bootleg Series Vol.2 – CDN – WPG
Brock Zeman – Until It Bleeds – Me Then You – CDN
Steven Bowers – Song for Grown You – Beothuk Words – CDN
The JD Edwards Band – Going Down to Mexico – Roads and Roads – CDN – WPG

3:00 – 3:30 pm

Find the Others – I Like You – Find the Others – CDN
Find the Others – Farewell to Winter – Find the Others – CDN
Andy Sheppard – King Mzi – Andy Sheppard – CDN
Stan Rogers – Forty-Five Years – Fogerty’s Cove – CDN
Gordon Lightfoot – Beautiful – Gord’s Gold – CDN
Gordon Lightfoot – Song for a Winter’s Night – Gord’s Gold – CDN

3:30 – 4:00

Johnny Cash – If You Could Read My Mind – American V: A Hundred Highways
Bill Bourne – For Lovin’ Me – Boon Tang – CDN
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings – Summer Side of Life – Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot – CDN
Jimmy Lafave – Oklahoma Hills – Trail
Jimmy Lafave – Home Sweet Oklahoma – Road Novel
Bruce Springsteen – My Oklahoma Home – We Shall Overcome; The Seeger Sessions; American Land Edition

Steel Belted Radio – Nov. 24, 2011

Live in the studio, we’re once again joined by one of Winnipeg’s finest songwriters, Jeffrey Hatcher, who chats about Hatcher-Briggs and The Blue Shadows, and debuts his new song about Billy Cowsill, and much more!

playlist
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