Recently, I celebrated an important anniversary, the anniversary of the day I fell in love. It was the day that I first met someone who would change my life and infatuate my dreams, someone who gave me hope and joy, someone who I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with. It was love at first sight, and the love is as strong and passionate as ever. It was a magical moment for me, and one I’ll never forget. Sure, we’ve had our ups and our downs, but I’ve remained devoted and always proud of the one I adore. Ahhhhh, young love.

You see, two years ago this April, I first saw Del Barber (what did you think I was talking about?) He surprised me opening up for Old Man Luedecke at the Folk Exchange, a place where there aren’t typically opening acts. (Check out some photos on Facebook) There certainly can’t be many opening acts as surprising and wonderful as ol’ Del. He’s got this charming quirky way about him, and a bunch of songs that should rightfully come from someone older and more world-weary than him. I’m old and bitter and jaded, it’s true, but every once in a while I see someone who’s so damn good, and so damn promising that I feel right about the world again. Del’s got it all.

We cheered along as Del released THE BEST ALBUM IN THE WORLD in 2010. We’ve seen him at concerts and festivals across the land (well, from Chicago to Edmonton, anyway…), all along looking forward to his “big break,” which would prove to the world that which I already know, Del Barber = SUPERSTAR. I’ve done my best to weasel my way in to Del’s inner circle, in an effort to hitch a ride on a shooting star. I’ve offered to let his parents, the amazing Jean and Boyd, adopt me. I’ve had ’em over to my house. I visited the bathroom where Del wrote some of the greatest songs EVER. I even risked life and limb AND got the worst case of food poisoning of my life in order to see him. I’m devoted (frighteningly so), but love’ll do that to ya.

And it’s all led to this. The release of Del’s new album, “Headwaters.” After winning some Western Canadian Music Awards and getting nominated for a Juno, as well as winning hearts across the land, Del’s hit the big time, with a world-class producer, some “professional” players on the CD, and now, a contract with one of this country’s (if not the world’s) coolest indie-labels, Six Shooter Records (home to folks like Amelia Curran, Luke Doucet, The Deep Dark Woods, Justin Rutledge, and NQ Arbuckle. Nice company, indeed.) Best of all, the album is yet another (seemingly impossible) huge leap forward in terms of writing, playing, and overall quality. I’ve never seen leaps and bounds such as these in such a short time.

OK, I know I’m gushing again, and the lawyers are drawing up the restraining order as we speak, but I’m honest and passionate (I think some of you know this about me…). Del’s the real deal, and this album should, if anything is right and fair about this world, make him a REALLY BIG DEAL to a LOT of people. You can pre-order it and hear some new songs online now by visiting www.delbarber.com.

The stuff that’s not online hasn’t been heard by very many people yet (Del, Rob Waddell is mad at you about that…) But you will have your chance to be among the first when Tell the Band to Go Home presents the WORLD PREMIERE of Del’s new CD, this Sunday! Del will visit us to chat live and perform, as well as allow us to be the FIRST anywhere to broadcast songs from “Headwaters.” Believe me, oh, believe me, this CD is amazing. Tune in for yourself, and you’ll hear what I mean.

Local boy Del Barber is about to release a new disc called “Headwaters” on Six Shooter Records in May. Tell the Band to Go Home will be the first place to hear the new album and all of the news about the record deal, special guests on the album, and more, when Del drops by the studio on Sunday to chat.

Don’t miss this one!

This Sunday on Tell the Band to Go Home, we have one of those special interviews that you won’t want to miss. I’ve interviewed some pretty notable folks on the show, but this is probably THE most intimidating interview I’ve ever done… James McMurtry returns to Winnipeg for the first time in 19 years on Oct. 1, and I’m so excited that I went and requested an interview, thinking that it was highly unlikely that he’d want to talk to a schmoe like me. After all, the guy doesn’t do many interviews, and he’s known for being a pretty tough customer. Hopefully I can soften him up or out-curmudgeon him and get some good radio out of it.

If you’re not familiar, McMurtry is one of those Texas songwriting legends that we are so inspired by. He comes by writing naturally, after all, his pappy is legendary novelist/screenwriter Larry McMurtry, who’s written such notable titles as Terms of Endearment, Lonesome Dove, and Brokeback Mountain. Since his 1989 John Mellencamp produced debut, James has built a reputation as one of America’s most respected songwriters. He’s feisty, political, and powerful. I risked life & limb, driving all the way to Chicago in January to see him twice, when he performed solo and acoustic at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music. I was amazed by what a powerful guitar player he is, and the solo show allowed his lyrics to really shine through. Just days after I got back, he announced another string of shows, including a full-band show in Minneapolis in April. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see him with a band, so I headed down and saw one of the most rockin’ shows I’ve ever seen. I brought home some souvenirs, and shared them on the website: http://tellthebandtogohome.com/2011/04/09/james-mcmurtry-in-minneapolis/.

I can’t believe that he and his amazing band, The Heartless Bastards, are coming to our town on Oct. 1. I also can’t believe that I get to talk to him first, this Sunday. Get your tickets now for the concert, and make sure you’re close to the radio or our live Internet stream this Sunday!

And, in case you haven’t heard, a little less intimidating and even closer to home, I’m very pleased to welcome a wonderful singer/songwriter into my home on October 21, when Jory Nash returns to Winnipeg after an 8 year absence. Jory is a super-talented, wonderfully melodic and entertaining writer with 6 renowned albums under his belt. He regularly sells out Toronto’s hallowed Hugh’s Room (their version of the West End Cultural Centre) and has performed at concerts and festivals around North America. Sadly, he hasn’t visited Winnipeg since he came to visit The Wailin’ Jennys during the recording of their first album in 2003!

As if the music weren’t exciting enough, Jaine has once again promised to make some of her legendary homemade ice cream in honour of our guest. This time, we’ll be serving Heavenly Nash, for one night only. You get a sample just for coming out, and that alone is reason enough to join us.

We’re still hoping for some of our regulars to make their reservations, but we’d love to see some new folks out as well. Check out the full details on our website: http://tellthebandtogohome.com/2011/08/24/jory-nash-live-sunset-saloon-fri-oct-21/. Drop me a line if you can come or if you have any questions. Invite your friends, because we’d love this to be a real success.

Thanks, now I’d better go do some advance research for an interview, for a change… Hope to hear from you soon!

Jeff

Join me for:

McMurtry has indeed been known to run in the same circles as ol’ FJE, so we must enact the Fred Clause, which states that if for some reason an artist is too full of himself to talk to me, we don’t blame him, and we don’t make any excuses for him We do offer a money-back guarantee, so if you aren’t completely satisfied with what we pull off to fill the time, you get your entry fee back.

It seems like a while since Tell the Band to Go Home has been on the air live, because it HAS been a long time, and, sadly, we’ve got one more pre-recorded show to go this week, but it’ll be a doozy! We’re fresh off the plane from Edmonton where we once again took in The Edmonton Folk Festival, and it turned out to be probably my favourite year for that trip. Lots of fun was had, and you’ll hear about it this week on the show! We’ve got new music (including a highly anticipated new disc which isn’t in stores yet…) and many tales to tell. Plus, once again, we managed to convince the folks at the festival that we were a serious media outlet, and they let us interview some rock stars, including Lissie (who is amazing and wonderful and sweet and will be a huge star, mark my words), The Secret Sisters (ditto for what I said about Lissie), and my new favourite band of all, Deer Tick. There are some fun moments in those chats, so don’t miss them! Plus, my biggest coup of the weekend… we’ll hear a few words from UNDOUBTEDLY one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Even Stu Reid will be impressed by this one…

Of course we’ll be pre-recorded because all good-hearted folks will be taking in the most fun and relaxing weekend of the summer, The Trout Forest Music Festival. Trust me folks, it’s a ton of fun and the most laid-back and affordable festival you’ll find anywhere. Check out the lineup and details for yourself: http://www.troutfest.com/.

But, if we haven’t convinced you enough, we have managed to convince the two most exciting performers at this year’s festival to join us LIVE on Steel Belted Radio this Thursday! That’s right, live, in-studio conversation, performances, and chaos courtesy of Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle! Those two are not to be missed on the radio or in person, so tune in to Steel Belted Radio, Thursday, 6:30 – 8 on UMFM, then get down to the Times Change(d) that evening for what is sure to be a show-of-the-year candidate, and then pack up the car and head to Ear Falls on Friday for more fun and hilarity. It’s going to be a great time, I assure you.

Over the next few days I’ll try to get some photos and stories up from the Edmonton festival, and then the Tell the Band to Go Home podcast for this week will be up for you to download and listen to in the car on the way to and/or from the Trout Fest this weekend. I guess I’d better get moving on some of that!

Thanks, as always!

Thanks to everyone who listened to and contributed to our 400th episode a couple of weeks back. Milestones like that get me a little curious and have me yearning to look back at what we’ve done and played over the years. We talked about some highlights during the 400th show (available for download now! ), but now, we want to look at the bigger picture, so once again, we dusted off the abacus and decided to crunch some numbers. We’re no mathematical geniuses, for sure, but we’ve come up with a very interesting list of our most commonly played artists, songs, and albums over the course of 400 episodes ( or so… more info on that to come…). Some of the big names and songs should come as no surprise, but a few of them had me scratching my head.

Did you know that:
only 7 artists have been played more than 100 times on the show, and that two of them are local?
that the #1 most played artists has 30 more plays than the #2 artist?
the song we’ve played most on the show has been played 26 times, but that the #2 spot was only played 19 times?
I managed to get away with playing the Rheostatics 55 times on a singer/songwriter show? (more than Lucinda Williams, Serena Ryder, The Damnwells, and The Lowest of the Low, among many others)
I like nerdy stats like that?

Again, these fabulous facts might not surprise you one bit (especially that last one), but they might be interesting. I had fun torturing Jaine and asking her to guess who made the top of the lists (she did pretty well), and I’d love to share the torture. If you want to get in on the fun, send me an email or leave a comment on the website or on Facebook, and we’ll give away some prizes this week. Off the top of my head (actually, on the top of the stack on my desk), I have a copy of the wonderful new record by Catherine MacLellan (who’s been played 31 times so far…) to give away, and it’s one of this year’s finest. I’ll see what else I can dig up to give away, so get in on the fun and email, post, or give us a call tomorrow.

Also! Our old pal Stu from CKUW and I have been talking about doing some kind of promo flyer for a long time, and finally, at long last, it’s here. We worked together to create this thing (actually, he did all of the work and i just bugged him and bugged him and bugged him to get the damn thing done) and we’ve got some real spiffy copies to distribute. They’re pretty impressive, and well worth the wait. It’s got program listings for shows on UMFM and CKUW that you might like, and it’s a nifty little keepsake for nerdy dorks like me. You can check it out on the website now, or pick one up at your favourite store or music venue soon, or just let me know you want one and I’ll make sure one gets put aside for you. They’re fancy and expensive, so who knows when or if we’ll print them again, so get ’em while they’re available and listen to some great music on the radio!

We’re working on much more to come, but that’s all the news that’s fit to print for now. Any feedback or support is always appreciated!

Tell the Band to Go Home is about to turn 400 (although we’ve been told that we don’t look a day over 325). After almost 9 full years, we’ve reached our 400th episode, and we’re feeling pretty proud of that. Who knew that we’d still be around almost 10 years later, bigger and better than ever (or so we think.)

What should we do to celebrate this occasion? Is it even as monumental as we’d like to believe? Should we do some kind of “best of” show? Some kind of retrospective? Show history? Shout outs to the people who made it all possible? Should we just do the best damn show we can, just like we do every other week? What?

Send us an email (tellthebandtogohome at gmail dot com) or leave a comment here or on Facebook if you’ve got memories, suggestions, or anything else to add!

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 t…he 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!

• Great prizes! CDs galore, merchandise, concert tickets, including a pair of tickets to see Meaghan Smith & Del Barber at WECC on June 9!
  
• Treats. Cake? Candy? Good stuff.
• I’m going to try to convince Carter to come down with animal questions and jokes ready to go. Who knows, if he’s in a good enough mood, maybe even Jeremy can come! Jaine? Lucy? Elysha? We’ll try! Who knows, maybe even T-Bar will come that week!
• I’m publicly calling on Ron and Dean to come down and say hi. Folks hear you call in and hear us talk about you, now it’s time to come and show your face!
• Special live performances! We’ll be calling on our musical friends in hopes that they’ll come and strum a few for you! It’s super cool to be part of such an intimate audience when amazing music happens. Come see!
• Plan a set! Remember the TTBTGH Invitational Events? We haven’t done one of those in a while, but it’s time. What happens at those is that we open up the airwaves for YOU to take over the show and hear the music we’re missing and tell us some stories we haven’t heard! I learned a lot from past guest hosts like Oly, Dom, Jenny, Stu, and more. Share your knowledge and passion!

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.

Mark it on your calendar and get on down to the UMFM open house, starting June 5! Check back here for updates on special guests appearing, prize lists, tempting treats, and more. As we confirm them, we’ll post it here first!

email us if you have questions, requests, suggestions, want to plan part of the show, or just want to come down: tellthebandtogohome at gmail dot com

Check out the Facebook Event page

U of M parking map (please note, parking in front of the station on Chancellor’s Circle is NOT FREE anymore, although there are plenty of free lots available on the weekend