Episode #389 Sunday, May 1, 2011

It’s May Day and the eve of our big election, and being timely as we are, we have to commemorate those. We’ve also got some great new music and some upcoming shows to preview, as well as a tribute to the glory of the Drive-By Truckers.

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

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Elliott BROOD – Northern Air – CDN

Matthew Ryan – Watch your Step – May Day

Matthew Ryan – Chrome – May Day

Harry Manx – Only Then Will Your House Be Blessed – Wise and Otherwise – CDN

Patty Griffin – Making Pies – 1000 Kisses

Lucinda Williams – Blessed (Kitchen Tapes version) – Blessed

 

2:30 – 3:00 pm

 

Eva Cassidy – Wayfaring Stranger – Simply Eva

Eliza Gilkyson – Roses at the End of Time – Roses at the End of Time

Carrie Elkin – The Things that We’re Afraid of – Call It my Garden

Samantha Crain – We Are the Same – You (Understood)

Ray Wylie Hubbard – Whoop and Holler – A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C)

The Beauties – Without You – The Beauties – CDN

 

3:00 – 3:30 pm

 

Drive-By Truckers – Tornadoes – The Dirty South

Drive-By Truckers – Space City – A Blessing and a Curse

Drive-By Truckers – Easy on Yourself – A Blessing and a Curse

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Alabama Pines – Here We Rest

Blaze Foley – Election Day – Cold, Cold World

Todd Snider – Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, America – Live: The Storyteller

Martyn Joseph – Liberal Backslider – Don’t Talk About Love Vol. 2

 

3:30 – 4:00 pm

 

Martyn Joseph – Call It Democracy – Run to Cover

Spirit of the West – D For Democracy (Scour The House) – Spirituality: 1983-2008 – The Consummate Compendium (Book 1) – CDN

Rheostatics – These Days Are Good For the Canadian Conservative Youth Party Alliance – Night of the Shooting Stars – CDN

Carolyn Mark w/Amy Honey – Rocket Piano Man – Just Married: An Album Of Duets – CDN

Brandi Carlile – Sixty Years On – Brandi Carlile

Old Man Luedecke – Lass Vicious – My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs

Episode #388 Sunday, April 24, 2011

It’s Easter Sunday, and time to celebrate food, family, and Jesus, and we’ve got all of our bases covered on today’s show with some timely tunes. Carter’s along for the ride, which always makes things a little more fun. We’ve also got some new (and new again) music, as well as some great upcoming shows to preview!

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

 

2:00pm – 2:30pm

 

Tom Waits – Chocolate Jesus – Mule Variations

John Prine – Jesus the Missing Years – Missing Years

Rheostatics – Jesus Was once a Teenager Too – Introducing Happiness – CDN

Jim White – If Jesus Drove A Motor Home – Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See

Clem Snide – Jews for Jesus Blues – End of Love

 

2;30 – 3:00

 

Jeremy Fisher – Lemon Meringue Pie – Let It Shine – CDN

Craig Cardiff – Making Pies – Mothers & Daughters – CDN
Old Man Luedecke – Joy of Cooking – Hinterland – CDN
Middle Brother – Middle Brother – Middle Brother

Deer Tick – Houston, TX – Born on Flag Day

Del Barber – Believe Me, Believe Me – Live at the Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago 2011 – CDN – WPG

Greg Brown – Freak Flag – Freak Flag

Dave Alvin – Harlan County Line – single

 

3:00 – 3:30 pm

 

Mike Plume Band – Dimaggio – Fools for the Radio (2010) – CDN

Mike Plume Band – Tennessee – Fools for the Radio (2010) – CDN

Steve Earle – God Is God – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive

Romi Mayes – Ball and Chain – Lucky Tonight – CDN – WPG

 

3:30 – 4:00 pm

 

Scott Nolan – Swing Low – single – CDN – WPG

Scott Nolan – Bad Liver/Broken Heart – Receiver/Reflector – CDN – WPG

Scott Nolan Band – Rosie – No Bourbon and Bad Radio – CDN – WPG

Scott Nolan – This Time – Postcards – CDN – WPG
Fish & Bird – Effigy – Every Whisper Is A Shout Across The Void – CDN

Geoff Berner – I Kind of Hate Songs with Ambiguous Lyrics – Victory Party – CDN

JP Riemans & The Bar Flies – Indian Girl – Redneck Lullaby – CDN

Dan Mangan – Robots – Nice, Nice, Very Nice – CDN

Winnipeg Music All-Star Team

Winnipeg is full of great musicians (as many towns are, I suppose), but there’s something interesting about our music scene – everyone gets along so damn well. There’s no competition in this town, we all seem to be one big happy family. The clearest evidence I have is that there are a bunch of great musicians who seem to play with just about everybody, all the time. I don’t know how they do it, but I seem to see them in many different incarnations, and they’re amazing, no matter what they’re doing. These aren’t necessarily the “best” players in town (although they’re all amazing), they just seem to be the most in-demand (and for good reason).

In the spirit of recognizing some great players who, it seems, nobody can live without, I present to you my Winnipeg Music All-Star Team:

Joanna Miller – drums & vocals
Gilles Fournier – bass
Damon Mitchell – guitar & vocals
Chris Carmichael – guitar
Bill Western – Pedal Steel
Jaxon Haldane – banjo & vocals
Joanne Rodriguez? Andrina Turenne? – lead vocals
John Scoles – bullhorn

or something like that. Who did I miss? Who would make your all-star team (whether you’re from Winnipeg or elsewhere). Leave a comment!

TTBTGH Open House – June 5!

For quite some time now, UMFM has been undergoing some much-needed renovations. It was time to get rid of the old gear from 1972 and leap into the modern age. Our studios got a much needed makeover, and we’ve added some nifty new features.

Now, we’d love to show you the results! Starting Sunday, June 5, 2011, UMFM is hosting its first Open House event, where you are invited to come down and take a tour of the place where all of the magic happens. You’ll get to meet your favourite show hosts and see how we put the shows together.

And, since it kicks off on a Sunday, Tell the Band to Go Home will get things going in grand style. We can’t give away all of our secrets yet (mostly because they haven’t been confirmed), but we’re working on having some great prizes, super snacks, and talented special guests!

We couldn’t do it without you! Plan to come on down and say hi and take it all in. You can even bring in your own requests, dedications, or whatever you think the show is missing. You’re more than welcome to play a song, say hi to your mom, or just tell me how great I am on-air. I’m serious about most of that.

Drop me an email at tellthebandtogohome at gmail dot com if you want to discuss it further, or, just mark it on your calendar and get on down to the UMFM open house, starting June 5!

Chris Carmichael live @ Sunset Saloon – June 18!

It’s been a long time since we’ve swung open the doors at the Sunset Saloon, but we were waiting for just the right act and just the right occasion to get back in the house concert hosting game. I’m super excited that it seems we’ve found a whole lot of both.
Tell the Band to Go Home and Steel Belted Radio are very excited to present:

Live at Sunset Saloon
Saturday, June 18, 2011, 8pm ish
$15ish (whatever you think is fair is fine)

Over the past couple of years, we at the Sunset Saloon have been lucky enough to have some great friends from across Canada swing through these parts, who just happened to have nowhere to play, so they were kind enough to set up in my living room and entertain friends and neighbours alike. We never really set out to “book” house concerts, they just kind of happened. But, for one reason or another, it hasn’t worked out for quite a while. So, rather than try to convince someone to come from elsewhere to serenade us, we started to look a little closer to home. Seems so obvious, doesn’t it? After all, Winnipeg has an amazing music scene chock full of great talent. And, even though Del Barber still refuses to play my house (we love him anyway), we’ve landed ourselves a pretty stellar talent for our big pre-Fathers’ Day spectacular.

You might not know Chris Carmichael’s name, and you likely don’t know his amazing solo work as well as you should, but you’ve certainly heard his work with his famous friends. He’s appeared on 23 or so albums by now! Our music scene is rich with talent, but if there’s one true MVP that nobody can live without, it’s gotta be Chopper Carmichael. As one of the city’s most in-demand musicians, he’s played his powerful electric guitar and bashed the drums behind just about everyone in town. Working quietly in the shadows, he built a reputation as one of this city’s (if not the country’s) most talented sidemen. But it wasn’t until 2009 that he finally stepped out of the shadows and released his own self-titled CD. Let me tell you friends, it was worth the wait.

Carmichael is clearly raised on classic blues and a heaping helping of Neil Young (he leads the “house band” at Times Change(d)’s annual Neilfest celebration), but he’s developed a wonderfully original style of his own. True to his reputation, there’s nothing flashy or flamboyant about his disc, it’s just one of the most solidly entertaining and amazing roots-rock CDs to come out of this town. It’s a wonderful disc, and one that should have made him a star in his own right.

But Chris is a family man, a quiet guy, and an unassuming character who is perfectly happy with whatever opportunity he has to play. He hasn’t taken the leap to tour and put himself out there as a solo artist, so it’s kind of a rare treat to get to see and hear him in solo mode, doing his own wonderful songs, as well as the many, many amazing covers that he can pull out any time.

This, friends, promises to be a stellar evening of entertainment. As if that weren’t reason enough, June 19th is Father’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a great dad who happens to make great music.

As usual, admission is kind of up to you. We suggest $15, but you’ll clearly see that he deserves $20. If $10 sounds about right for you, well, we can live with that. Just come, eat, drink, enjoy, and be prepared to be amazed. We’re family friendly, pet-free, and we welcome all comers.

As usual, we’ll have a solid spread of snacks and beverages to enjoy, but feel free to bring whatever you might like to enjoy for yourself or share. And, once again, Jaine has promised a special one-night-only homemade ice cream flavour in honour of our guest! The reviews for the ice cream have been as great as they have been for the amazing talent we’ve had performing, so whether you’re a music or ice cream aficianado, this is the place to be!
We always appreciate it if you book your seat in advance (it greatly reduces the “will anyone show up?” anxiety), so drop me a line and let me know if you can come or if you have any questions.

I really look forward to seeing you again on June 18! Please email me (tellthebandtogohome at gmail dot com) if you want to come or if you’ve got questions or just to say hi!

FAR #141

Artist: Album (Label) *JR

 

AoM: Middle Brother: Middle Brother (Partisan) *JR

2. Romi Mayes: Lucky Tonight (self)

3. Fish & Bird: Every Whisper Is a Shout across the Void (Fiddle Head)

4. Eva Cassidy: Simply Eva (Blix Street)

5. Carlos del Junco & The Blues Mongrels: Mongrel Mash (Big Reed)

6. Bobby Long: A Winter Tale (ATO)

WFF Wish List

So The Winnipeg Folk Festival added Lucinda Williams, which is cool, I guess, but if that’s the last of the “big” names to be announced, all I can do is yawn. Now, don’t get me wrong, I live for the Winnipeg Folk Festival and would go even if there wasn’t anybody new to see, but thinking back on the many, many great artists who I’ve had the great fortune to discover there, I have to believe that there’s more out there than what we’re seeing this year.

I know that our AD works hard, and it’s easy to program a festival from the comfort of your couch, so, for your unrealistic pleasure, here’s a short list of the many artists who would all be MUCH cooler than just about anything at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival (except Chuck Prophet, whom you can see in some dude’s living room, which will be much cooler than the festival, anyway…)

Where are they: (aka why the hell not?)
The Lowest of the Low (not at ANY Canadian Folk Festivals? Time for a new booking agent!)
NQ Arbuckle (playing Trout Forest)
Drive-By Truckers
Rodney Crowell
Sunparlour Players
The Beauties
Patty Griffin
The Damnwells
James McMurtry
Christina Martin
Brandi Carlile (playing Edmonton)
Middle Brother (or even just Deer Tick would do)
The Head & The Heart (playing Calgary)
Gurf Morlix & the Blaze Foley tribute/movie
Paul Kelly
Robbie Fulks
Jesse Malin
Madison Violet
The Wooden Sky
The Tallest Man on Earth
Shannon Lyon
Matthew Ryan
Mumford & Sons
Shannon McNally
Band of Horses
Hatcher-Briggs
Wintersleep
Griffin House
Brian MacMillan
Lynn Miles
Jack Marks
Jeremy Messersmith
Kim Richey
Jon Dee Graham
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
Bill Chambers
Ponderosa
Ray Lamontagne
Dave McCann (for Jaine)
Ryan Adams
Dave Alvin
Bobby Bare Jr.
Lucero
Barney Bentall & The Grand Cariboo Opry (how cool would that be?)
Bobby Long
Bon Iver
Sarah Borges
Buck 65
Peter Case
The Cave Singers
Cory Chisel
Joshua Cockerill
Rose Cousins
Will Kimbrough/Daddy
The Decemberists
Radney Foster
Jeffrey Foucault
Eilen Jewell
Chris Knight
Old 97’s
Old Crow Medicine Show
Ox
Phosphorescent
Richmond Fontaine
Romantica
Bob Schneider
Langhorne Slim
Slobberbone
Frank Turner
Washboard Hank

 

Welcome back any time:
Elliott BROOD
The Sadies
Del Barber
Jimmy LaFave
Lyle Lovett
Oh Susanna
David Francey
Nick Lowe
Nathan
Jesse DeNatale
Buddy Miller
Alejandro Escovedo
Calexico
CR Avery
Guy Clark (playing Edmonton)
Todd Snider
The Gourds (yeah, right!)
The Handsome Family
Skydiggers
Jim White

Still wishing, still hoping:
Tom Waits
Gillian Welch (playing Vancouver)
Robbie Robertson
Bruce Springsteen (for Stu)
Leonard Cohen
Kris Kristofferson
Paul Westerberg

And, just to prove that I’m some idiot making unrealistic requests from the comfort of my living room, I present: Only in my dreams – can’t wait for the big Folk Fest in the sky:
Willie P Bennett
John Bottomley
Townes Van Zandt
Johnny Cash
Gram Parsons
Blaze Foley
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Billy Cowsill
Paul Quarrington
Lee Hazlewood

It could be worse, we could have to sit through:
Neil Young solo, playing Le Noise crap
Bob Dylan
Crash Test Dummies

What’s on your wish list? Got any thoughts on my insane ramblings? Please leave a comment!

April 24, 2011

It’s Easter Sunday, so we’re celebrating with the family (Carter came along to co-host) and playing songs about the two things that Easter is all about (Jesus and food.) We’ve also got some great new music, new again music, and previews of some great upcoming shows.

playlist
part 1
part 2

Episode #387 Sunday, April 17, 2011

It’s Record Store Day/Damnwells weekend, so we’re out of town and lovin’ it, but not to worry, we’ve got your usual Sunday goodness pre-recorded for your listening pleasure. We got off to a start with some Tom Waits songs, for no real reason, before settling in for a good long set of rockin’ good tunes. We also preview a few great upcoming shows including the Japan benefit featuring Keri Latimer, Greg Macpherson, and Ridley Bent, as well as the CD release for the new album by Matt Epp, and next week’s return of an old friend.

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

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Romi Mayes and The Temporarily Employed – Ordinary Sunday – The Living Room Sessions – CDN – WPG

Tom Waits – 9th & Hennepin – Rain Dogs

Tom Waits – Come on up to the House – Mule Variations

Neko Case – Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis – New Coat of Paint — Waits Tribute

Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles – Blind Love – Female Tribute To Tom Waits – Vol.2

Shawn Colvin – Get Out Of This House – A Few Small Repairs

Lucinda Williams – Right in Time – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

 

2:30 – 3:00 pm

 

Rodney Crowell – Earthbound – Fate’s Right Hand

Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – Sometimes It Comes Easy – Let’s Frolic Again – CDN

Ron Sexsmith – Hard Bargain – Retriever – CDN

Ron Sexsmith – Wishing Wells – Retriever – CDN

Nick Lowe – Cruel to Be Kind – Labour of Lust

Patrick Park – Here We Are – Everyone’s in Everyone

 

3:00 – 3:30 pm

 

Keri Latimer – Mountain Road – CBC Radio 2’s Song Quest: Road Songs – CDN – WPG

Greg Macpherson – Wide Turn – Maintenance – CDN – WPG

RIdley Bent – Arlington – Buckles & Boots – CDN – WPG

Nathan – Gasoline – Jimson Weed – CDN – WPG

Ridley Bent – Suicidewinder – Blam – CDN – WPG

Greg Macpherson – First Class – Mr. Invitation – CDN – WPG

 

3:30 – 4:00 pm

 

Matt Epp – Cover Me – Safe or Free – CDN – WPG

Matt Epp – She’s High Water – Orphan Horse – CDN – WPG

Matt Epp – You’ll Find Me Alone – You’ll Find Me Alone – CDN – WPG

Dan Walsh – Smokomotive – Virtuoso – CDN

Brock Zeman – Greasy Skillet Boys – Live @ The Acoustic Grill – CDN

Abigail Lapell – Beautiful – Great Survivor – CDN

John Bottomley – Winter Gone – The Healing Dream – CDN

The Damnwells & Harper Blynn

After several long years of superfandom, I finally got the opportunity to see The Damnwells live. The band, these days, consists primarily of singer/songwriter/guitarist/god Alex Dezen, and rather than assembling a band himself, he went out and hired himself a great live band, Harper Blynn, to open the shows and back him up as the Damnwells. We made the trek to see the show at The Hub in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and then at the 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis.

download Harper Blynn’s set – April 16, 2011 – Cedar Falls (started a bit late, because it took a few songs to realize how awesome they were)

download The Damnwells set – April 16, 2011 – Cedar Falls

download Harper Blynn’s set – April 17, 2011 – Minneapolis

download The Damnwells set – April 17, 2011 – Minneapolis

 

Cedar Falls videos:

She Goes Around:

Golden Days:

Minneapolis videos:

I Am a Leaver:

hilarious intro to the last song of the show and the tour:

I Will Keep the Bad Things from You: