Category Archives: Reviews

2020 Favourites

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Listen to the 4-hour Best of 2020 show here

 

I labour over my annual Best Of lists like I’m trying to cure COVID or something. I stress over it so much and then usually don’t even post it anywhere because I’m still not sure and I don’t want to forget an important release.

Screw that!

Below are a couple of lists I’ve made for publication in a couple of places. I kind of tailor the list to the audience, so they tend to differ in different places. Sometimes it’s not necessarily the best albums of the year, but ones I want to promote in a particular place. All of this is to say… I’m still not sure. There are plenty of other great records, and I’ll get to as many as I can in my upcoming Best of 2020 Tell the Band to Go Home marathon on Sunday, but for now, here are a bunch that I really hope you’ll check out, and if you keep reading, you might just find out more about an upcoming project that I’ve been working on behind the scenes.

Please consider buying some of this amazing music, or sending it to a friend as a gift. This music has really helped me through the 2020 dumpster fire, so I want to help out these talented artists any way I can. Let me know if you do pick up something or if you have favourites that I should hear or have on my list!

Thanks for your support this year. It means a lot!

Penguin Eggs Magazine poll:

Sean Burns, It Takes Luck to Get the Best of Me (self)

Thomas Csorba, Thomas Csorba (self)

Ben de la Cour, Shadow Land (Flour Sack Cape)

Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom (Dualtone)

Kennedy Road, A Little Fight Left (self)

Joe Nolan, Drifters (Fallen Tree)

Melissa Payne, Darker than your Dark (7th Fire)
Melissa Payne website

Katie Pruitt, Expectations (Rounder)

Slow Leaves, Shelf Life (Birthday Cake Media)

Ken Yates, Quiet Talkers (self)

New Discoveries: Thomas Csorba, Kennedy Road, Katie Pruitt.

 

!earshot year-end picks 2020

Who are you?  

Jeff Robson, host of Tell the Band to Go Home, 2-4 pm central on CJUM 101.5 UMFM in Winnipeg. The show focuses on singer/songwriters, including some of the greatest of all time and some of the many exciting new talents. I specialize in great songs that don’t get heard often enough or widely enough and aim to connect eager and open-minded music fans with songs that might mean as much to them as they do to me. Check out the show at tellthebandtogohome.com or subscribe to the podcast in all of the usual places, except Spotify, which is inherently evil and should be avoided.

https://www.facebook.com/TTBTGH

https://www.instagram.com/tellthebandtogohome/

https://twitter.com/jeffrobson

I’m working on a new show about the connection between music and mental illness and mental health, as well as the COVID pandemic’s effect on all of it. Watch for Fly with Your Shadow, launching in early 2021.

Coming soon: flywithyourshadow.com and @flywithyourshadow on social media

 

Favourite Records of the Year  

Ben de la Cour – Shadow Land – (Flour Sack Cape)

This guy is based in Nashville, the centre of the roots/folk/country world, where there are highly sought-after musicians, producers, and studios just about everywhere, yet for some reason he decided to come to Winnipeg to record an album in the middle of February during a polar vortex, when it was colder than Mars and the North and South pole. That sounds insane, but such is the draw of local hero Scott Nolan’s Song Shop studio, where William Prince, Stephen Fearing, and a long list of talented artists have come to record. de la Cour has made a name for himself as one of the strongest writers around, and he gets better all the time. With a penchant for dark and disturbing tales, accessible melodies, and solid arrangements further drawn out by Nolan and a cast of stellar Winnipeg musicians and some imported special guests, including Ben’s brother Alex, normally the heaviest of heavy metal drummers.

https://bendelacour.bandcamp.com/

https://www.bendelacour.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Bendelacour

 

Kathleen Edwards – Total Freedom – (Dualtone)

This one’s getting rave reviews and landing on Best Of lists all over the place, and for good reason. After a long layoff, Edwards returns stronger and better than ever with a powerful, mature record that lays her life bare with her best writing yet. This one’s an instant classic.

https://kathleenedwards.bandcamp.com/

https://www.kathleenedwards.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kathleenedwardsmusic

 

Joe Nolan – Drifters – (Fallen Tree)

This young guy from Edmonton has toured hard and put in the work on his songs, his career, and himself, and is now reaping the rewards with some of the most powerful and interesting writing around. Most of his records are well-produced sonic wonders, but for this one he and Scott Franchuk kept things sparse, allowing the power of Nolan’s lyrics to really cut through and stand on their own. Boy, do they ever.

https://joenolan1.bandcamp.com/

https://www.joenolanmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/joenolanmusic/

 

Melissa Payne – Darker than Your Dark (7th Fire)

This young talent from Southern Ontario is a much sought after session and touring musician, known for her strong fiddle playing and harmony vocals, but she really shines on her own. She’s grown by leaps and bounds between each of her three full-length records, and this one, produced by none other than Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo introduces a wider soundscape and brings in some stellar guest musicians to create her most interesting and impressive album yet.

https://mpayne.bandcamp.com/

https://www.melissa-payne.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/melissapaynemusic/

 

Ken Yates – Quiet Talkers

Yates wisely teams back up with super producer/musician/songwriter Jim Bryson for a second time, and the results are even more impressive than their last album together in 2016. Yates has a gift for hooks & melodies that’ll grab you right away, a warm, inviting voice, and a way with lyrics. Bryson brings the sounds and stellar playing, and it all works marvelously.

https://kenyates.bandcamp.com/

http://www.kenyates.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kenyatesmusic1/

 

 

Best local release(s)

 

Sean Burns & Lost Country – A Bakersfield Half-Dozen – (independent)

Sean Burns – It Takes Luck to Get the Best of Me – (independent)

Sean Burns & Lost Country – We Gotta Lotta Truckin’ to Do – (independent)

Burns is a hard-working road dog, travelling up and down the Trans-Canada highway playing honky-tonks, concert halls, and house concerts anywhere there’s an eager audience. He had been planning to spend a lot of the year on the road and on stage and had been working toward travelling to Texas to record an album with one of his honky-tonk heroes. COVID had other plans, so he shifted focus without missing a beat and made the best of the “down” time by making three stellar albums of his own, and helping to assemble an all-star tribute to our beloved Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (see below.) As if that weren’t enough, he hosts a hell of a great radio show of his own on CKUW 95.9 FM called Boots & Saddle, the highest rated country music radio show in the world in the highly coveted Tuesday 11 am to 1 pm timeslot. He even managed to do a bunch of great live shows this year in and around Winnipeg when things were much safer. There’s no question why I named him the indisputable Entertainer of the Year for 2020.

https://seanburns.bandcamp.com/

www.seanburns.ca

https://www.facebook.com/seanburnsmusic

https://www.instagram.com/seanburnsmusic/

 

Various Artists – We Still Gotta Lotta Livin’ To Do – (independent)

The Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club is an unassuming little honky-tonk right on Winnipeg’s Main Street. Across the street and on the other side of the tracks sits our highfalutin’ tourist area, The Forks, where the multi-million dollar Canadian Museum of Human Rights looms large. The tourists and well-to-do folks who hang out down rarely cross the street and make it into this club, and we kind of like it that way. This is the clubhouse where Winnipeg’s incredible live music scene is centred. On stage, you might find one of the best songwriters you’ve ever heard, a mutant bluegrass band, dirty rock ‘n’ roll, or authentic blues from the likes of Order of Canada member Big Dave McLean. This is the heart and soul of a scene that’s second to none in North America. It’ll probably cost you $10 to get in and hear some of the best music in the world, you almost certainly won’t find a place to sit, you’ll be bumping into smiling people all night, and you won’t mind a bit. This 2 CD, 29-track album compiles some of the many amazing talents to grace the stage. Step into a place that’s world-renowned, where we’re all good people with excellent taste in music.

https://highandlonesomeclub.bandcamp.com/

http://highandlonesomeclub.ca/

 

Slow Leaves – Shelf Life – (independent)

Grant Davidson and co-producer Rusty Matyas (Imaginary Cities/Waking Eyes) have assembled one of the best albums of the year, and it would be a damn shame if this COVID crap stopped it from getting the attention that it deserves. Filled with instantly memorable hooks and melodies, strong and powerful lyrics, and killer performances from other local heavyweights like Rej Ricard (Windups/Telepathic Butterflies), Damon Mitchell (New Meanies/Nathan) and more.

https://slowleaves.bandcamp.com/

http://slowleaves.com/

https://www.facebook.com/slowleaves

https://www.instagram.com/slowleavesmusic/

 

 

Other great releases from Winnipeg include:

Figure Walking

Silver Clouds

Richard Inman.

 

Most under-rated record of the year

All of the albums mentioned above are criminally under-rated. Consider supporting these super-talented Canadian musicians. Those famous major label artists will be just fine.

 

Best personal campus/community radio moment or experience of the year.

The show has had to adapt to the new reality, so we haven’t been able to have the guests and in-studio performances that I’d normally be excited about in another year, but more free time allowed me to launch a couple of new shows this year that I’m proud of. In the spring I did a near-daily live broadcast from home for a while called The Shut-In Sessions, where I checked in with a bunch of friends and guests I’d been wanting to talk to for a while. These days, I’m pretty excited about the upcoming show, Fly With Your Shadow, which has been a dream of mine for years. I’m really excited about the potential for this one and making progress on it has been a lot of fun.

 

How did COVID affect you, your show or your station?

Well, we haven’t been able to broadcast live at all since the middle of March, so my show has been pre-recorded from home. I wasn’t able to travel at all this year, so I haven’t aired a rerun or failed to produce an episode in any week. I miss the folks who call in and the folks I got to hang out with at the radio station, but I feel like doing the show and keeping it new and interesting is more important than ever, so I think in a way it’s made me appreciate it all a bit more.

 

Any other thoughts, opinions, rants,

I don’t know about you, but I’m missing live music something fierce. So much of my joy and connection to my community comes through live shows, and I can’t wait to get back into the audience with my friends. In order to do that, we’re going to have to be patient and careful for as long as it takes to kick COVID’s ass. Wear your mask, stay home as much as possible, wash your hands often, and look out for others. We also need to support musicians and music venues, so they’re still around when it’s safe for us to go back out there. Your favourite artists and venues probably have some great merchandise for you to check out, and venues probably have gift certificates or ways to help out. I hope you’ll join me in supporting as many and as much as we can.

 

Other great albums:


A sentimental favourite for sure! I’ve never made it onto an actual album release before. I just wish I’d been smarter and funnier, but who knew it would see the light of day and haunt me later?

Shoulda Been Better – 2012

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Albums that I thought would be great, but left me feeling a bit let down. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they weren’t good, perhaps my expectations were too high.

American Aquarium – Burn.Flicker.Die
Band of Horses – Mirage Rock
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson – Wreck & Ruin
Amelia Curran – Spectators
Dala – Best Day
The Do Good Assassins – Rome
Justin Townes Earle – Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now
Alejandro Escovedo – Big Station
Jon Dee Graham – Garage Sale
Great Lake Swimmers – New Wild Everywhere
Jimmy Lafave – Depending on the Distance
Lucero – Women & Work
Lyle Lovett – Release Me
Lindi Ortega – Cigarettes and Truckstops
Ponderosa – Pool Party
Chuck Prophet – Temple Beautiful
Shovels & Rope – O’ Be Joyful
The Wooden Sky – Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun

Shannon Lyon @ Sunset Saloon – July 18, 2012

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I’ve been a Shannon Lyon fan since I first heard his album Wandered almost a decade ago. Since then, he’s written some of my favourite songs in the world. They’re gritty, dark, often sad, sometimes beautiful and celebratory, always amazing. So it was with great excitement that I put together plans to bring him to Winnipeg for a couple of shows.

Well, things don’t always go as planned. One show got cancelled, and the other got moved at the last minute. There was some scrambling to rearrange the show date, and unfortunately that meant that some folks couldn’t make the show. We also knew that some other friends wouldn’t be able to make the show, because they’re a little too far away.

And so, in an attempt to make all those who missed out feel like they were there, and to have a permanent record of what turned out to be an amazing night for all in attendance, I wanted to record a bunch of the show.

With that in mind, I present the following video and audio of the show. None of the recordings are particularly spectacular. I thought I had all bases covered by using two audio recorders, but both ended up with some problems – one was too distorted and the other (which you’ll find here) has some noise (I think Carter was kicking the table that the recorder was sitting on). Oh well, it’s not meant to be a proper live album or a totally accurate reflection of Shannon’s amazing talent.

For those, I highly encourage you to look up his official sites:
http://shannonlyonmusic.com/
http://shannonlyon.bandcamp.com/ – at this site, you can download a lot of Shannon’s work over the years. Most people download it for free. Good people make a donation in return. Be a good person, eh.

Shannon Lyon
July 18, 2012
@ Sunset Saloon

You Showed Me HOw
Get Over You
Someday Mourning
Olde Freightliner
Pleasing You Pleases Me
Naive
Oh Why
Backyard Song
Carry Me Down
Lake Huron
Barcelona
I Believe In You
Sad Nights
Since I’m Loving You
Three Days of You

Apparently, there were a couple of great songs left over for an encore, but our crowd was a little too polite, and I was a little too quick to jump up and signal that the show was over. For that, I am eternally regretful. Oh well, we’ll do better next time.

download show audio

Canada Day in the U.S.A. – The spirit of Rock n’ Roll lives in Fargo; it’s true.

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I’m sorry, Canada, but I had to leave you on your birthday. I know that’s a real douchebag thing to do, but it had to be done. I was looking for something important, something that, honestly, you’ve been missing for a while now. I don’t mean to hurt you, baby, but it’s true. Sometimes things just kind of slip a little bit, and you lose sight of them. Sometimes you have to be reminded of what it was that helped you to fall in love in the first place, so you can build up your relationship again. I’m not saying that things have to be the way they were, and you certainly don’t have to try to be like someone else; that ain’t what I’m sayin’. It’s just that I’ve been reminded of something that we once had, and I’m hoping that the spark still lives, and that we can work on strengthening what we have, because I know it’s wonderful.

What? I am getting to the point, baby. I’m sorry. I know you don’t like the long pre-amble, it sounds like I’m making excuses. It’s not that, I just like to be understood, although it happens so rarely. I’m just explaining my motivation. No, I’m not trying to change the subject.

Huh? Oh, yeah, what I was looking for.

Rock and fucking roll.

**********************************

Sometimes you gotta take a road trip. There are good shows at home, sure, but somehow, when you work really hard to be at a show, spend lots of money and do stupid things, like driving home through the night, you get a better experience out of it. Such was the case with the show by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit in Fargo, ND, on July 1. I knew it was going to be good, why else would I go, but I guess I had no idea just how amazing it could be.

The venue was dark. Small. Not the kind of place where you really want to touch anything, if you can help it. It was also a Sunday night, and in Fargo, so nobody was there. Well, more showed up when the headliners took the stage, but during the opening band, there must have been about 30 people. I’ve had more people in my living room. That band was decent. Jaine liked ’em. Me, not so much. I’ve got nothing against them, and if they’re reading this, I hope they’re not offended, but nothing really stood out other than the cellist as a major player, which was interesting. The piano was too loud; kind of annoying, actually. Stopping to talk about the setlist as they went – not really that cool. Yeah, it could make the show more creative, but it just made you look unprepared.

Isbell didn’t need no damn setlist. I have no idea how the 4 guys on stage communicated what was next. Some kind of telepathy I guess, that can only come from having played night after night after sweaty night in dark, smelly bars like that. Isbell’s seen and done it all, I’m sure, when he rose up from the Dirty South with The Drive-By Truckers. He learned about gritty rock and roll in that band, I’m sure, and built a name for himself. I’m sure there was some fear for the future when he and his wife split, and he had to leave that band and go it alone. Nothing to worry about, because he’s got the goods.

A four piece band, Isbell, backed by 3 of the strongest players & singers I’ve seen, tore through a set of songs spanning his career, and musical upbringing. In addition to the stellar songs off of his solo records (including much of the fantastic latest album, “Here We Rest.” My favourites are Alabama Pines and Codeine. Dude did ’em both!), he played a whole bunch of his Drive-By Truckers songs. He didn’t do “Easy on Yourself,” sure, but that probably would have set the crowd into overdrive, and some of them were nearing that point already. He did do Decoration Day and Outfit. God I love those. I thought I’d die when the drums started that slow, pounding intro to Danko/Manuel.

It was the covers that really set me flying: Stone Free was cool, I’ve heard lots of bands do Like a Hurricane, but that was by far my favourite (sorry, Neil); ending off with American Girl? Wow. Even Frank Turner’s version at The Folk Fest Store on Record Store Day can’t touch it.

Back to that crowd. There were some pretty rowdy and annoying loogans there. OK, maybe just that one – waving his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs right at the front of the stage. His pants always dangerously close to falling right down, somehow defying the laws of gravity and keeping from dropping to his ankles. I guess the most annoying part was the regular high-fives he dished out to everybody around, including to me. Later on, he resorted to hugs; luckily, I missed out on that. The folks that we stood the closest to and chatted with most (and bummed a Sharpie from) turned out to be from Winnipeg. Wish I’d known that there. The things you learn later on from Facebook.

It was a hell of a long drive home. Smarter people might have stayed the night, but smarter people ain’t so broke. I forgot my camera. Didn’t bring my own Sharpie (T-Bar would be so disappointed.) I don’t really know all of Isbell’s songs well enough to keep a proper set list. I’ll listen more, closely, after the post-show listening moratorium has passed, and I’ll hope that someone posts a proper set list online. But I do know that it was worth it.
I found the spirit of Rock N’ Roll.
In Fargo.
On Canada Day.
Eh.

Steve Earle – July 22, 2011

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I had the opportunity (thanks to Kurtis and Stu) to head down to Bayfield, Wisconsin to see Steve Earle with the Dukes & Duchesses (featuring Allison Moorer and The Mastersons) on July 22, 2011.

I’ve been a Steve Earle superfan for a long time (well, not as long as our old pal Stu, but most of my music-lovin’ life), and I’ve seen him a whole bunch of times, but this was probably my favourite show of all.

First off, the location was pretty cool. I’d heard about this Big Top in Wisconsin before (first when my friends The Wailin’ Jennys played there, and I met up with them the next day), and I’ve watched the impressive lineup of past artists, always wondering whether I’d get the chance to check it out. The concerts are held in a specially constructed circus tent set us a fully functioning concert venue. It’s set on the side of a ski hill, just south of a tiny town called Bayfied, Wisconsin, which is right on the shore of Lake Superior. A more lovely or inviting little town, you will not find.

Also, Steve is once again promoting a stellar new album, “I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive.” Again, I’ve been a fan for a long time, but his last couple of albums of his material (I try not to dwell on Townes…) have been his best so far.

Once again, he’s got a strong lineup of Dukes backing him up (now including a duo called The Mastersons) and his lovely wife Allison Moorer (who I’m a fan of on her own.)

Whereas once upon a time, the best advice Steve could follow would have been to NEVER GET MARRIED AGAIN (dude’s been married 7 times now; he once joked that instead of ever getting married again, every could of years he was just going to find a woman and buy her a house and give her half of everything he owned, thus saving himself the trouble of actually getting married,) it seems that Steve has finally found his match, proving that there’s probably someone out there for everyone. Although on the surface, it looks like kind of a Beauty and the Beast scenario, it seems as if both are perfectly happy. In fact, it was only a little over a year ago that they had a son together.

Steve used to be about the most ornery guy around, and I was terrified of him in the past. Now, whenever Allison is around, he’s as sweet as can be. He’s even inviting people to come and chat with him after the show. In the past, Steve would only invite people he wanted to beat up to meet him after the show.

He seems to have come to terms with a lot of wrongs in his past and is humble and appreciative. Sure, I still wouldn’t want to get on his bad side, but he’s pretty tolerant, even of the “Play Copperhead Road!) guy, who seems to come to every show.

And he is playing Copperhead (not even reluctantly), as well as a great selection of classics from his catalogue, which fit in nicely with the strong new songs. He’s even letting his band members step up to the mic and showcase – inviting Allison to do a few songs is a no-brainer, but it was refreshing to hear The Mastersons, and what a surprise to hear longtime bass player Kelly Looney do a song of his own!

Every once in a while, I get inspired to record a show, not because I’m some evil bootlegger looking to make a buck, but because I have a really bad memory, and I like something to remind me of the great shows I’ve seen and heard. My recordings are decidedly low-quality, and not in any way meant to be audiophile recordings, and certainly aren’t meant to take the place of authorized recordings. In fact, I really hope that they inspire you to get out to a show or buy a CD (ok, or a digital download) of your own.

With that in mind, if you want to download this amazing show for yourself, go ahead and enjoy. You don’t need to post it on your site or host it anywhere else, just let other folks know to stop by and visit my site. Don’t ever sell it or do anything bad. Look both ways before you cross the street, too.

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Gillian Welch – July 20, 2011

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I’ve had the great pleasure to see a lot of great shows in my life. Even though I’m an obsessive music nerd with an embarrassing CD collection cluttering up my house, there are surprisingly few artists still remaining on my “must-see” list, whom I haven’t yet. On July 20, I had the opportunity to cross one of those names off my list, when I traveled to see Gillian Welch & David Rawlings in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the Fitzgerald Theater.

The shows and CDs are billed as Gillian Welch, but really, she would likely be a LOT less interesting without her amazing partner David Rawlings. I read that they think of themselves as a two-piece band called “Gillian Welch,” and I totally agree. I can’t really imagine one without the other.

It’s Welch’s voice and lyrics that draw you in, I’m sure, but the powerful guitar playing and tight harmonies provided by Rawlings are absolutely essential. They work well together musically, of course, but they are comfortable and funny talking together, finishing each other’s sentences and adding a lot of colour to whatever the other is doing. They are without a doubt one of the most perfectly matched pairs I’ve ever heard, and I hope that they never really decide to go “solo” and do anything apart.

Welch just released a new record “The Harrow & The Harvest” after an 8-year gap between records. That’s almost inexcusable, especially after only releasing 4 previous discs. Luckily, those discs were so strong that expectations were high for a new one, and there was a hungry audience, eagerly awaiting a new recording.

Reviews are mixed about whether the wait was worth it and whether the new disc stands up, but after seeing many of the new songs performed live, I’m a believer. It’s worth picking up, and worth investing some time getting to know.

And live is where these songs belong, obviously. On disc, they’re not embellished with a lot of extra accompaniment, so you’d think that the live show would be much like what you can get at home, but there’s something so pure and powerful about this duo, that it almost has to be seen to be believed.

Welch and Rawlings are one of the only “true” acoustic acts I’ve ever seen – no amplifiers, no pedals, heck, they don’t even use or need monitors – the stand close together and sing and play in such tight harmony that it’s almost as if they become one. They truly become a group much greater than the sum of its parts, and put on one of the most riveting live shows I’ve ever witnessed (and I’ve witnessed plenty of great ones.)

The show promises to reign long on my list of favourite performances I’ve witnessed, and it has now become the high water mark, by which I will measure future singer/songwriter shows. I know that it will be a long time before I see something so captivating and powerful and memorable again.

Every once in a while, I get inspired to record a show, not because I’m some evil bootlegger looking to make a buck, but because I have a really bad memory, and I like something to remind me of the great shows I’ve seen and heard. My recordings are decidedly low-quality, and not in any way meant to be audiophile recordings, and certainly aren’t meant to take the place of authorized recordings. In fact, I really hope that they inspire you to get out to a show or buy a CD (ok, or a digital download) of your own.

With that in mind, if you want to download this amazing show for yourself, go ahead and enjoy. You don’t need to post it on your site or host it anywhere else, just let other folks know to stop by and visit my site. Don’t ever sell it or do anything bad. Look both ways before you cross the street, too.

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Jack Marks, live in Winnipeg

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Here’s a little taste of the amazing show put on by Jack Marks and a Winnipeg all-star band on Friday, June 17th at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club.

 

Hayes Carll in-store, May 28, 2011

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Hayes Carll dropped by the Winnipeg Folk Fest Music Store on Saturday to play a few songs and sign some CDs. Before Jeremy freaked out and I had to leave, I managed to capture Hayes doing the title track to his latest record, KMAG YOYO.

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The Damnwells & Harper Blynn

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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:

Edmonton Folk Festival – Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010

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Maybe I’ll get around to writing about this day… If anyone actually reads all of the other writeups and still cares, let me know and I might actually get around to finishing this one! Sure, it might take another 6 months…

In the meantime, why wait any longer? This is what it looked and sounded like: