It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows this show that we’re super excited about new music from Matthew Ryan. He’s definitely one of the most played artists on the show, and for good reason; he writes some of the most powerful, personal, amazing songs we’ve ever heard.
But this time around, there’s even more reason to be excited and to encourage you to buy his new song. He’s got an album coming out later on, but decided to do an early release of a song as a way of benefiting a dear friend of his, John Anderson, who’s nearing the end of his battle with ALS. It’s expensive and extra difficult to have such a debilitating disease in the U.S., so on top of the amazing toll it’s taking on John and his wife on an emotional and personal level, they’re having a hard time making ends meet as well. I can’t imagine how tough that all must be.
With some luck and support, John and his wife won’t have to worry quite so much. Every dollar raised from the sale of the song goes directly to them to help make life a little easier. The song costs $1, but if you can see it in your heart to pay more, you’ll be making things that much better. If you can pay more and encourage others to buy it, well, things just get more amazing all the time.
As with most Matthew Ryan songs, it took me a few listens to really appreciate how amazing the song is. If you don’t love it right away, give it time, and I promise you will. Every listen is an investment you’ll get back many times over.
I hope you’ll check out the song, support as much as you can, and spread the good word.
If you’ve listened to the show at all, you surely know that I am a huge fan (fantatic, really) of The Damnwells. For the past few years, it’s basically been front man Alex Dezen and a supporting cast, but watch this video and try to tell me he needs any help at all. He did, however, just reassemble the original band to record album #5! Once again they are doing the crowd-funding thing, and you can be part of making the magic happen. This one’s guaranteed to be worth the investment!
Check out this stunning new song from Alex. Have some tissues or your favourite hanky ready. This is powerful stuff!
Here’s an advance audio stream of the brand new album from Blue Rodeo!
And how about a new video?:
When award winning director Chris Mills was asked to film a video for the first single from Blue Rodeo’s new album, In Our Nature, he was given the task to come up with something unique that incorporated two of the albums songs, “New Morning Sun” and “Mattawa.” Instead, what he delivered was an extraordinary film that incorporated most of the music from In Our Nature.
“After spending close time with the band, shooting and rehearsing all these great songs,” says Mills, “The idea developed to try to make a video that encapsulated the feel for the ALBUM rather than just the songs. I shared this with the team, and was encouraged to “run with it”.
“Thankfully, the support and resources were in a place to help me expand and evolve the project, and so, we now have a “music video” style project, which condenses two songs and a few of the narrative elements which THEN ties back into a completely separate, (much longer) ALBUM FILM, which uses mood, performance, a bit of imagination, and a mixture of real life and story elements to try to reflect the great spirit of these sessions, and to deliver a “sampler plate” of this well-crafted album.”
“I hope that, like me, this sampler will leave you hungry for more, and help remind people that, although loving music one or two songs at a time is awesome, there are also great rewards that come from the experience of taking part in some of the relationships that a collection of songs have with one another.”
I’m a little bit torn about YouTube. First, I don’t really want to give Google any more money. They’ve got enough. And they own enough stuff, I don’t need to give ’em my content so that they can make money off of it.
Then, there’s the guy who spends an entire, amazing concert waving his cell phone in the air, not paying attention to the show and blocking the view of the people behind him. It’s annoying. Live music used to be about living in the moment. Being at a show allowed you to be part of something that only happened once, and never again. If you missed it, it was gone, and there was no real way to get it back or be a part of something that had already happened.
And then there’s the whole copyright issue… People who make the music and create the art should be allowed to control what happens to it, who sees it, and whether Google gets to earn anything off of it or own it in any way.
Some artists just don’t like having their whole lives online. They don’t want every magical spontaneous moment appear online, because it ruins the surprise for the next audience. Sometimes they want to try out new songs and see a genuine, first reaction. Sometimes they want to pull out something special and have you not expect it. Sometimes they just have a bad day and say stupid stuff, and don’t really want the whole world knowing about it. God knows I do.
It’s a bit of a mess and a sticky situation, but there is some pure joy and unbelievable magic that you can check out by jumping into the YouTube time machine. Some moments preserved for posterity online for those who want to relive them or want to be part of something they missed. I hate missing out on magic, and I hate hearing about things that I couldn’t be a part of.
Some good can come from someone recording something they shouldn’t have. Think of all of the times that police and politicians have been caught saying or doing something terrible, and getting caught because someone happened to have a cell phone recording. Think about the crimes that are solved, the mysteries unravelled, and the people helped and saved by some covert video recording. Sometimes someone’s last moments or words can be passed along to their families and friends, from beyond the grave.
And then there’s the complex issue of allowing us access to things that, officially, we’re not allowed. Such is the case with the late, great Willie P Bennett. I’ve ranted, raved, and gone on long about the criminal injustice of having his music unavailable for sale and his brilliant last album never released, because of the foolishness and selfishness of his family. I can only hope that they mean well, but they’re not doing anyone any favours. Many of us have told them so.
During his life, Willie released 6 amazing, influential, and inspiring albums (as well as one very hard to find compilation.) Enough of us have copies, saw him live, and heard the songs, and continue spreading the word, sharing the music, and hoping that some day, he’ll get the widespread attention that he so deserves. Shortly before he died, Willie recorded a live album at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, which apparently is incredible. I’ve never heard that one (if you know how I can get a copy, I NEED to hear from you!) He also came to Winnipeg and recorded an album with Jaxon Haldane. It’s a rough around the edges solo recording. I would imagine he intended to spruce it up a bit, add some other players, and send it out into the world his way.
Sadly, he never got the chance. The rights to it all went to his estate, controlled by his mother and sister. They, for reasons unknown, closed the door to any release of the old or new material. People close to them visit regularly and plant the seed of hope that the music might come out. They always say that they’re working on it. They’ve got plans. It’ll be out in ****. It never comes, and probably never will.
It breaks my heart and makes me mad. As much as I generally object to piracy, this is one of those cases where I’m really, really glad that someone made some illegal copies and spread them around. I’m so glad that it found its way to me. Since then, I’ve made copies of lots of this stuff myself. If you want to hear it, we can talk. Now, if there were a legal way for you to get it, I’d gladly direct you.
Here: there’s one album available on iTunes. I bet that’s because his family doesn’t know about iTunes. Click here to enjoy. It’s a little overproduced, as a couple of them surely were, but it’s got some all-time classic songs that you need to hear.
And then of course there’s the YouTube Time Machine, where you can go and hear lots of the music and see the man perform live. Today, I stumbled upon a great show where Willie talks extensively about life and songwriting. He also performs some stunning songs. Although it’s not high quality, not officially authorized, and not the same as having him around, it sure is great to see, hear, and enjoy. That’s the magic of YouTube, and the reason why, despite its drawbacks, YouTube is an amazing, essential service. Thanks!
Of course, there’s plenty more magic where that came from. Leave a comment and let me know about any of your favourite trips in the YouTube Time Machine. What else do I need to see? Let me know below!
Calexico has long been one of our favourite live bands; wherever we’ve seen them – The West End, Pyramid, Folk Fest, etc. – they’ve always blown us away. Their albums are always great too, as is the case with their latest, Algiers. This time out, they’ve got a great video to add that visual element.
One of the best albums of 2012 has to be Barchords by Bahamas. Aside from the music, Afie is a very cool dude. Just watch this video and try not to fall in love with the guy and his family. Get yourself some Bahamas. You deserve it: http://bahamasmusic.net/
Of course, when talking about our favourites, the subject has to turn to Christina Martin at some point. Songs that’ll kick you right in the gut and the heart, a stunning voice, and oh, those melodies. Yes, she’s popular ’round these here parts, for sure.
And here’s just a sample of why. Check out this dandy music video and get yourself a copy of one of the best albums of the year, Sleeping with a Stranger.
And, as if that weren’t exciting enough, Christina’s husband/musical partner Dale Murray also released a terrific album this year, and it also has a nifty video!
Well, it’s no secret that we here at Steel Belted Radio love us some Del Barber, but it’s with good reason. This year he signed up with one of our favourite labels, Six Shooter Records, and put out an album that belongs on everyone’s “Best of” list for the year, Headwaters. He was also kind enough to bring his band down to UMFM and play as part of our first Pledge-O-Rama, and we’re super grateful for his support.
The least we can do for him (and you) is to encourage you to check out the fine album and go see the boy in concert some time.
Here’s a taste of the magic that awaits – one of the best songs on the disc/best songs of the year – and a beautiful live video:
Our buddy JP Hoe released a terrific album in 2012, Mannequin, and now there’s an even more amazing music video for a song that’s had some decent play on CBC radio this year.
Check out the video, buy the record, and support JP Hoe!
Last month, TTBTGH & SBR were proud to present Murdoch & Sparrow at Sunset Saloon, and not only was it a terrific show, but the guys were perhaps the nicest folks to ever share their songs in our living room. It was truly a wonderful way to end off a busy year at the Saloon.
Unfortunately, it was such a busy time that many of our regulars couldn’t make the show. Those who were in attendance were quick to snap up copies of the duo’s live album and their respective solo discs, but if you missed out, consider discovering a bit of what you missed out.
Jay Sparrow was also doing a lot of talking on that trip about his new project, Record Mob, which allows fans to be a part of the process of spreading great music by setting up their own online stores and sharing in the promotion and profits. We’re big fans of both of those things ’round here, so we’ve set up a store where you can download great music AND help a cash-strapped radio dork at the same time!
And here’s one to Jay Sparrow’s magnificent solo release, White. It’s a little different, but I promise you, once you get into it, you’ll be glad you did: https://recordmob.com/s/Bi
It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows this show that we’re super excited about new music from Matthew Ryan. He’s definitely one of the most played artists on the show, and for good reason; he writes some of the most powerful, personal, amazing songs we’ve ever heard.
