Looking back on the first 10 years of the show, we’ve compiled some totally unscientific and rather unreliable statistics. As best we can figure, these are the most played songs in the show’s 10 year history!
These are the songs that have been played 15 times or more:
Plays
Songs
Artist
Total songs
11792
28
Willie’s Diamond Joe
Willie P Bennett/Blackie & The Rodeo Kings/Romi Mayes/Matt Andersen
20
Home soon (the cherry song)
Oh Susanna/Sarah Harmer
18
How to Make Gravy
Paul Kelly/Rough Shop
17
Light Enough To Travel
Geoff Berner/Be Good Tanyas
16
Huntsville Affair
NQ Arbuckle
16
Step inside this house
Lyle Lovett
16
Waiting Around to Die
Townes Van Zandt/Be Good Tanyas/Lemonheads
14
If I Needed You
Townes Van Zandt/Eivor/etc…
14
Stone
Nathan
14
Sunset chaser
Nathan
13
All My Tears
Julie Miller/Emmylou Harris/Shannon McNally
13
Feel Much Better
Jim Bryson
13
Rosie
Scott Nolan
12
Fleetwood
Jim Bryson
12
In perfect time
Jill Barber
12
Katie
Michael Johnston
12
Let him roll
Guy Clark/Johnny Cash
12
Merry Christmas from the Family
Robert Earl/Mike Plume
12
Mixkin Dancehall Blues
NQ Arbuckle
12
Old Man
Wailin’ Jennys (NO NEIL YOUNG!)
12
Somewhere Else
Jim Bryson/Kathleen Edwards
12
The Lucky Ones
Willie P Bennett/Stephen Fearing
12
The waking hour
David Francey
12
Wide turn
Greg Macpherson
11
49 Tons
Fred Eaglesmith/Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
11
Clay Pigeons
Blaze Foley/Gurf Morlix/John Prine
11
Motel 6
Bros Cosmoline
11
One Voice
Wailin’ Jennys
11
Tecumseh Valley
Townes Van Zandt/Steve Earle/Chris Mills
11
That’s How I Got to Memphis
Tom T Hall/Buddy Miller/Kelly Willis/Solomon Burke
11
Without Piano
Bryson
10
(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding?
Nick Lowe/Steve Earle/Lucy Kaplansky/Elvis Costello
Looking back on the first 10 years of the show, we’ve compiled some totally unscientific and rather unreliable statistics. As best we can figure, these are the most played albums in the show’s 10 year history!
These are the albums that have been played 15 times or more:
Plays
Album
Artist
46
The North Side Benches
Jim Bryson
43
Curious Heart
Michael Johnston
42
Jimson Weed
Nathan
40
40 Days
The Wailin’ Jennys
39
Torn Screen Door
David Francey
38
Matt Mays
Matt Mays
35
Love Songs for the Last 20
Del Barber
33
Hanging the Battle Scarred Pinata
NQ Arbuckle
33
The Here in Review
JP Hoe
32
Step Inside this House
Lyle Lovett
32
The Unavoidable Truth
Reid Jamieson
31
Failer
Kathleen Edwards
30
Two Hearts
Christina Martin
29
Shakespeare My Butt
The Lowest of the Low
29
The Occasionals
Jim Bryson
28
High or Hurtin’
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
28
Key Principles
Nathan
28
Stranger
Nathan
27
The Waking Hour
David Francey
26
Reconstruction Site
The Weakerthans
26
Sweet Somethin’ Steady
Romi Mayes
26
The Last Supper in a Cheap Town
NQ Arbuckle
25
Kings of Love
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
24
Land of Milk & Honey
Eliza Gilkyson
24
Left & Leaving
The Weakerthans
24
Maintenance
Greg Macpherson
24
Tryin’ to Start out Clean
Willie P Bennett
24
XOK
NQ Arbuckle
23
Back to Me
Kathleen Edwards
22
Ambassador
Elliott BROOD
22
BARK
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
22
Dust Bowl Revival
Ox
22
Fate’s Right Hand
Rodney Crowell
22
Tell the band to go home
Paul MacLeod
22
The Last Supper in a Cheap Town
NQ Arbuckle
21
Far End of Summer
David Francey
21
No Bourbon & Bad Radio
Scott Nolan
21
Road Radio
Skydiggers
21
Simple Stuff
Easily Amused
21
Skating Rink
David Francey
21
Sweetheart: Love Songs
various
21
Washington Square Serenade
Steve Earle
20
Colorado Low
Chris Neufeld
20
Everything Is Real
Leeroy Stagger
20
Filth & Fire
Mary Gauthier
20
Firecracker
The Wailin’ Jennys
20
Pontiac
Lyle Lovett
20
Unravel
Lynn Miles
20
Wandered
Shannon Lyon
20
Wise and Otherwise
Harry Manx
19
Broke Down
Slaid Cleaves
19
Broken (and other Rogue States )
Luke Doucet
19
Canadian Amp – Neko Case
Neko Case
19
Fools for the Radio
Mike Plume Band
19
Songs of Work & Freedom
The Brothers Cosmoline
19
Tales From the Invisible Man
Danny Michel
19
The Wailin’ Jennys
The Wailin’ Jennys
19
We Shall Not Flag or Fail We Shall Go On to the End
Geoff Berner
19
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Bruce Springsteen
18
Beautiful House
Leeroy Stagger
18
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
18
CMT Christmas
various
18
Dear Love
Leeroy Stagger
18
Headwaters
Del Barber
18
Johnstown
Oh Susanna
18
Oak Lake
Tannis Slimmon
18
Old No. 1
Guy Clark
18
On the Floor of Heaven
The Blue Shadows
18
Receiver / Reflector
Scott Nolan
18
Soul Parade
Jesse DeNatale
18
Streets with No Lights
Dustin Bentall
18
This Evening Tonight
Darren Day & The Fading Hopes
18
Ways & Means
Paul Kelly
17
Achin In Yer Bones
Romi Mayes
17
Andy Sheppard
Andy Sheppard
17
Depression River
Leeroy Stagger
17
Hobo’s Taunt
Willie P Bennett
17
Love Sweet Love
Lynn Miles
17
Mountain Meadows
Elliott BROOD
17
Oh Susanna
Oh Susanna
17
Restless
Skydiggers
17
Wishbones
Slaid Cleaves
16
Blackie & The Rodeo King
Willie P Bennett
16
Church Bell Blues
Catherine MacLellan
16
Confusion Unlimited
Kate Maki
16
Drive-In Movie
Fred Eaglesmith
16
Heartstrings
Willie P Bennett
16
Hymns for the Happy
Sunparlour Players
16
Just Married: An Album of Duets
Carolyn Mark
16
Let’s Just Stay Here
Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle
16
Matador Sunset
The Warped 45s
16
Matt Mays & El Torpedo
Matt Mays & El Torpedo
16
Melodrama
Joel Kroeker
16
No Never Alone
Justin Rutledge & The Junction 40
16
Song & Dance, Man
Mike Plume Band
16
Table for One
Mike Plume
16
The Animal Years
Josh Ritter
16
The Live Beta Project
JP Hoe
16
Things is Changin’
Fred Eaglesmith
16
Under & Over
Jason Plumb
15
Age of Miracles
Chuck Prophet
15
Balanced on a Pin
Greg Macpherson
15
Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young
various
15
Dublin Blues
Guy Clark
15
How Was Tomorrow
The Cash Brothers
15
I Can Too
Christina Martin
15
In the Belly of a Whale
Danny Michel
15
Lipstick Lies & Gasoline
Fred Eaglesmith
15
Off Windmill
The Guthries
15
Orphans – Tom Waits
Tom Waits
15
Postcards
Scott Nolan
15
Stranded in Suburbia
Melissa McClelland
15
The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park
Justin Rutledge
15
Whale Music
Rheostatics
15
Where the Bungalows Roam
Jim Bryson
15
Whoever it Was That Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home
UMFM’s first Pledge-O-Rama is getting close. Very close. October 19-26 we take to the airwaves and hope you’ll help us to keep going long and strong. UMFM needs a little help to beef up the bank account, it’s true, but this is also a great opportunity for us to get you involved and build some love. We’ll love you back, with some amazing prizes and incentives. The Music Angels page has been updated with prizes, incentives, and photos of the snazzy new mugs, shirts, and tote bags. We’ve got lots of them, but shirt sizes will be first-come first served during pledge drive, and you’ll have to pick them up yourself! How inconveient is that? (well, not very, actually, but…) Anyone who pre-pledges can get their hands on the t-shirt size of their choice AND have it delivered to your door! PLUS, we’ve amassed an amazing amount of awesome incentives (enough alliteration, already!) to give away on Tell the Band to Go Home and Steel Belted Radio. Pre-pledgers can PICK YOUR OWN PRIZE PACK! If you’re willing to sort through the list of prizes available now on the website, we’ll set aside the stuff you really want. I’ll be getting in touch with folks who have already sent in their pledges, and you can get in on the fun. Ready to show your support? Let’s talk. http://bit.ly/musicangels
Also, The Sunset Saloon is preparing for a super-busy stretch, with 3 amazing shows still to come before the end of the year (and lots in the works for the new year!)
Nov. 5, 2012 – Brock Zeman returns for his third appearance! It’s been a couple of years, but our first and arguably most popular performer returns, this time, with his talented trio. This is sure to be a rockin’ good time!
Nov. 21, 2012 – Murdoch & Sparrow! James Murdoch & Jay Sparrow have built great solo careers, but have now teamed up as a duo, even greater than the sum of its talented parts. They’ve got a great rockin’ concept record out and they wowed the lucky folks in attendance at the last show starring The Mike Plume Band at the Park Theatre, a while back. This promises to be a fun way to end a stellar year at Sunset Saloon!
And… there’s one more amazing event to be announced. I’m not allowed to tell you much yet, but mark Oct. 29 on your calendar. You will not want to miss this one!
This collection showcases a small sample of Winnipeg’s local talent that UMFM’s show hosts and volunteers draw upon and broadcast every hour of every day. Winnipeg has a long history of producing big name acts, cult-classics, diamonds-in-the-rough, punk rock legends, and “must-see” bands and artists. And UMFM is extremely proud to have played a big part over the years in getting the word out about all of them.
These 2 cd’s represent a small piece of what was happening in the Winnipeg music scene during 2012. It is by no means definitive. To tell the complete story, we’d have to compile a box-set sized collection of hundreds of songs from a huge number of diverse bands – and we’d probably still end up missing a few.
The first disc is a collection of songs released by some of UMFM’s favorite Winnipeg artists and bands in the last year or so. All of these artists made an appearance on the UMFM Top 35 Chart, and many went on to crack the national charts – one band (KEN Mode) even won a Juno Award! Roots, rock and roll, punk, metal, rap, jazz, electronic, and hip-hop are all represented and our hope is that you search out the albums these tracks originally appeared on and find some more yet-to-be discovered favorites.
The second disc contains special material. These are one-off recordings captured live-off-the-floor at the UMFM studio. The songs on this disc are a sample of the live, in-the-moment performances that UMFM volunteers have been lucky enough to capture over the past year. It serves as a testimonial to the great things that can happen when Winnipeg’s music-makers and independent-radio volunteers get together.
If you are reading this, we sincerely hope that you’re about to make a donation or contribution in some way to UMFM, and perhaps more importantly, you are probably one of our listeners. THANK YOU! You may not play guitar in a band or volunteer to host a show, but you are nonetheless a huge part (perhaps the most important part…) of what makes volunteer, community-based radio so special. So spread the word: Tell your friends about your favorite UMFM show, play this cd in your car (loud!), go see one of the bands featured in this collection, or become a volunteer at the station. Most importantly…keep listening!
Remember, the only way to get your hands on one of these special compilations is to support UMFM’s Pledge-O-Rama! These are available with a minimum $25 pledge, which is a small price to pay for this great, limited edition compilation of Winnipeg music!
Murdoch & Sparrow
Live at Sunset Saloon (house concert, West Winnipeg) Wednesday, November 21, 2012
7:30
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, but we’ll have plenty of both on hand, so feel free to enjoy whatever’s on hand! Facebook event
Questions? RSVP? Fill out the contact form below!
James Murdoch and Jay Sparrow met years ago at the beginning of their diverging musical careers. Although Murdoch had a pop singer-songwriter background and Sparrow leaned toward the punk rock vein, their paths often crossed as they traversed the globe on respective tours and music festivals.
James and Jay both garnered the attention of the Canadian music industry, media and music fans at large as they progressed and grew as songwriters.
Eventually, James and Jay got together and spent 10 days in Nashville writing a concept album that culminated in a LIVE recording at The Arden Theatre in February, 2012.
The result is a collection of songs that follow the lives of two characters as they make their way across turn-of-the-century Canada through heartbreak, tragedy and love.
Murdoch & Sparrow weave heartfelt storytelling with beautiful, often haunting melodies, into a record that is distinctly, “Canadiana”.
“We really feel that this album is greater than the sum of its parts and we’re excited to send it out into the world.”, says Murdoch.
Murdoch & Sparrow release their album “DOMINION DAY”, in June 2012.
We are very pleased to welcome back our very first headliner at Sunset Saloon, and definitely one of our most popular, Brock Zeman on November 5! He christened the Sunset Saloon back in 2009 and returned for another great show in 2010, but it’s been a couple of years, which means that he’s written a lot of great songs since then, including the ones that make up his most recent, and one of the very best albums of 2011, Me Then You.
Brock Zeman (trio) Monday, November 5 7:30 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, but we’ll have plenty of both on hand, so feel free to enjoy whatever’s on hand!
Brock Zeman isn’t all that old (he was born in the 80s!), but he’s obviously got an old soul, because he writes with a depth and wisdom well beyond his years. He’s also got a songwriting style and quality that fits in with the Texas songwriting greats, even though he’s from Southern Ontario. The guy’s too prolific and too talented to be believed, yet there’s wonderful authenticity in everything he does.
Brock’s right-hand man, the multi-talented Blair Hogan
Over the course of 9 albums and countless tours, Zeman has established himself as a respected and renowned songwriter who has played concerts and festivals all over North America. Whether it’s solo, or with a backing band, Zeman’s shows are always engaging and intimate, but you won’t find a more intimate and amazing environment to catch a show than my living room. He’ll be bringing his talented rhythm section along for a memorable performance at The Sunset Saloon on Nov. 5.
In addition to songwriting and performing, Zeman also founded Mud Records a few years ago to help spread the word about other artists that he’s passionate about. Recently, he produced an album for Tennessee songwriting legend Tom House, which has been hailed as House’s finest work, largely thanks to the input and guidance of Brock Zeman.
He’ll have a million songs to draw from and a whole bunch of stories to tell.
UMFM is proud to support the upcoming show featuring Kathleen Edwards (with Jim Bryson!) and Jenn Grant, September 29 at The Garrick. Good hearted folks have their tickets already, or will surely want to buy them now. But good-hearted folks sometimes wait for times like these:
We’ve got TWO pairs of tickets to give away to this can’t-miss show. Here’s what you need to do to get your hands on a pair:
1) Come see Jeremy Messersmith at Sunset Saloon on September 19. All of the details are on this here site. One lucky person will leave the show with a pair of tickets to the Kathleen Edwards show, just for coming to an amazing house concert. Easy enough.
2) UMFM’s Pledge-O-Rama funding drive is coming up Oct. 19-26. Pre-pledges are being accepted now. We need your support and appreciate you committing to the cause early. So much that for every $10 pledged between now and Sept. 23, we’ll give you one entry in a draw for a pair of tickets to the Kathleen Edwards show.
So, if you were to come to the house concert AND make a pledge, you could win TWO pairs of tickets to see Kathleen Edwards. That’s sure to make you some friends.
This week’s Steel Belted Radio is shaping up to be a really good one.
Our good friend Christina Martin always puts out great records, so it’s not a surprise that she’s got another winner, but her new one, Sleeping with a Stranger is so dynamite amazing, I can’t wait to play it for you. The time has come, and we’ll get Christina on the phone to chat about it and play the new album for the first time on radio anywhere!
And, we’ve got killer new music! One of my favourite artists of the past 10 years or so is Shannon Lyon, and he’s got another great album, which you can get online for FREE (or you could be a swell music-supporting soul and pay for it, if you choose…)
Jaine beat me to the punch by finding this killer new song featuring NQ Arbuckle. Now, I’m telling you about it so that Stu Reid doesn’t beat me to playing it:
Here’s a new artist with a new song that I’m loving:
This week on Steel Belted Radio, we’ve got tickets to give away for one of the most anticipated shows of the summer, as Deer Tick hits town for the first time on June 5 at the West End Cultural Centre! 101.5 UMFM is proud to support this show, and we’ve got you covered if you want to get in for free. Of course, we highly recommend that you pick some up if you don’t win, as well!
Listen to my promo for this concert: [download id=”184″]
Last year I went to the Edmonton Folk Festival. There’s always plenty to enjoy at that one, so picking a highlight can be tough at times, but there’s no doubt that one of the biggest joys of last year’s festival was seeing Deer Tick for the first time. I’d fallen for the band’s leader earlier in the year, thanks to his part in one of my favourite albums of last year by a supergroup called Middle Brother (that’s a good one, look it up.)
Deer Tick is a rough and rowdy rock n’ roll band. They’ve got the rockin’ edge thanks to their love of The Replacements and Nirvana. They’ve also got some stellar songs, influenced by John Prine & Buddy Holly. They’ve got this bad-boy party band image that would make The Stones & Aerosmith blush. They’ve also got some great musicians, including a guy from Halifax who used to play with Matt Mays (bonus points.)
This band won over everyone who witnessed one of their sets at the Edmonton festival. Later in the year, they released Divine Providence, a gloriously rough around the edges rock record, which went on to be one of my favourites of the year.
You know what dads like? I do. House concerts. It’s true. I’m a dad. I know. See, read this testimonial from an ACTUAL FATHER:
“I love house concerts. There’s nowhere I’d rather be. You get the best up-close entertainment, hang out with great people, and there’s tons of FREE food and beer. What’s not to love about that?” – Jeremy’s dad.
So, with that thought in mind, we’re throwing a party perfect for dads, their families, people who might some day be dads or part of dads’ families, or anybody with a dad at all. We’re family friendly (we’ve got a bunch of kids and a big basement full of toys) and all are welcome, whether you know us yet or not.
It’s a Father’s Day Spectacular, live at the Sunset Saloon, Sunday, June 17, featuring Steven Bowers, free food, beer, and at least one ACTUAL DAD!
Price: negotiable! We’d love for you to give Steven some dough ($15 is a fair amount, but $20’s better, $10 is acceptable, or just be a cheapo and come and eat and drink for FREE! Whatever!)
Time: also negotiable! We’re thinking about doing an early set then a dinner break, then a later set. You can come for the early part and walk out without any guilt, show up later for the free food and stay for the show, or enjoy the afternoon/evening with us and enjoy both – up to you! If feedback dictates that we should just do an early show or a late show, WE WILL! We’re people pleasers like that, so LET US KNOW! (fill out the comment form below or just shoot an email to tellthebandtogohome at gmail dot com.)
We’ll start early and stay late (it is our house, after all.) We’ll serve up dinner, perfect for folks looking to cheap out on Dad’s day! Alternately, you can bring your own grub to share or enjoy yourself or just come before or after whatever else you’d prefer. Wives, kids, friends, relations, strangers, hell, you can even bring your parakeet if dad wants you to!
RSVP? We love it when you do. Knowing that people are going to come lessens my anxiety, but I’m a last-minute decision maker, so we never turn away folks who decide to show up without notice. Even just saying that you might come make it helps, but if not, come on by anyway!
Ice cream? Yes, Jaine’s famous homemade ice cream is a selling feature, but it’s also a LOT of work for her. She hasn’t committed to it yet, but it’s Father’s Day, so I think I might have some extra pull this time. I’ll see what I can do… Be sure to weigh in and increase the pressure if you really want some!
Here’s some more info, in case that sales pitch hasn’t hooked you in already!
In 2009 we christened the Sunset Saloon (my living room) as a place to host amazing shows featuring great artists coming through town (and some who live here) who deserve an intelligent, respectful listening audience. We’ve hosted some greats, as anyone who’s been to a show can attest. One of my favourites of all time was one of the very first, when one of my favourite singer/songwriters in the world, Christina Martin, agreed to come and play for the first time. She was traveling at the time with a young guy from the east coast and asked if he could come and play too. I didn’t know much about him, at the time, but I would have let her bring Beelzebub himself if it meant she’d come and sing for me and my friends.
Luckily, Steven Bowers is only a charming, talented devil, and surely not an evil one. He turned out to be a wonderful discovery with a whole pile of great songs. He’s a thoughtful, literate writer with a delicate voice and a gift with a melody. He’s also got a bunch of great stories and a great personality, so he’s easy to get to know and fall in love with. His songs were great then, but everything he’s put out since then has been leaps and bounds better than the last thing he did. Honestly, I’ve never seen such growth in a songwriter in such a short amount of time. Seriously. He just gets better and better.
He’s on his way across the country to be with his lovely wife who has accepted a job in BC, which has meant too much time apart (a love story! How can you resist a love story!). He’s also got a great album that people need to hear. We’re glad to give him an opportunity to get his songs out to people who need to hear them (that’s YOU!) You can’t go wrong with a house concert, no matter who’s playing, but when it’s someone new and exciting with a promising future, it’s extra enticing.
Whether you saw him in 2009 and enjoyed him then or just want to discover something new and wonderful now, this show’s for you.
You can, if you wish, download his latest wonderful record, Beothuk Words, FREE by visiting: http://www.noisetrade.com/stevenbowers (you can also support the dude by leaving a tip or downloading it from the evil, ubiquitous iTunes store)
Check out this adorable video of Steven with Christina Martin and Jeremy, live at that show in 2009:
The official beautiful video:
Check out this beautiful new video:
or this other nifty recent video:
Fill out the form below to RSVP or send us a note. Whatever info you enter here is emailed directly to me and not made public. If you enter your email, it’s just so we can email you back, but we won’t use your info for any evil purposes.
The info you enter in the fields below will be posted on the site. We’d love to hear from you if you want to encourage other folks to check out the show!
