Just in from another great show, Leeroy Stagger live at the StuDome this evening. Those in attendance know that it was a magical evening, as usual. Those folks will surely be eager to see another exciting, intimate, amazing night of music. Lucky for them, there’s another stellar show yet to come this week. For those who missed out, there’s still one more chance to redeem yourself:

Christina Martin, live at Sunset Saloon (my living room), Thursday, August 12, 2010. We’ll try to get going early for the workin’ stiffs (7 or 7:30) but those with the time off or the stamina are welcome to stay late! You’ll get an evening of entertainment you won’t forget, food, St. James Pale Ale on tap, an exclusive new flavour of Ben & Jeremy’s Ice Cream in honour of our guest, and your chance at taking home some amazing music and merchandise!

Everyone is welcome to join us, and there’s plenty of room, so bring a few friends. Even if you don’t know us, you’re welcome to join us, so just email (jeff@tellthebandtogohome.com) if you have any questions or want to join us. We’re family friendly (bring the kids, FREE), admission is by anonymous donation, and all of the money goes to the artist (except of course that which you want to donate to the MS Society!)

As for that merchandise mentioned above, last year when Christina stopped in at Sunset Saloon, it was around the same time of year. Every year for the past few, I’ve taken part in the MS Bike Tour, which has a whole bunch of really fit people, and one fat out of shape radio dude, riding their bikes from Stonewall to Gimli. For those of you who don’t know what that means – it’s FAR. Then we ride back again. Why? To raise money for a really important cause. At last year’s show, I had my very own music sale with all of the proceeds going to the MS Society. It was a huge success (and cleared out a bunch of stuff that I really don’t need any more), so this year, we’re doing it again!

What can you take home? Well, get this: TWO SIGNED Brandi Carlile CDs. These are two of the most amazing CDs of the last decade by an artist who is absolutely destined to be a major star and a true legend some day. Seriously. She’s getting huge these days, but she was kind enough to chat with us on the weekend (more about that later) and sign some CDs. We haven’t figured out whether to do a raffle or an auction or what, but some lucky person will take home a bit of history.

What else? BRAND NEW CDs from the likes of Nathan, Two Hours Traffic, Martin Sexton, Swank (coolest CD package EVER and one of the best discs of 2004, for sure), Ruth Moody, Wendy Bird (her amazing Jeffrey Hatcher tribute CD), and MORE! We’ve got slightly used copies of The Avett Brothers, Lori McKenna, Wyckham Porteous, and MORE! We’ll dig up some DVDs, books, t-shirts, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Last year it was name-your-own-price and first-come-first-served, but I’ll see if we come up with a better idea, otherwise, get here quick and be ready to donate some cash to a very worthwhile cause. Of course, if you want to get your donation in by credit card in advance, go ahead: http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2010Bike/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=1173813&L=2 we’ll be glad to honour your donation when you get here! Every dollar counts, so even if you donate a few bucks, it all adds up, and it’s all much appreciated, I assure you.

The folks at the StuDome have thrown down the gauntlet yet again by planning a house concert in all-too-close proximity to the return of Christina Martin, live at the Sunset Saloon. Here on our end of the dial, we don’t mind a little competition, because it only serves to show that our shows are better. Come to both and you’ll see. Because of the raised bar, we’re announcing the release of a brand new EXCLUSIVE flavour of Ben & Jeremy’s Ice Cream in honour of our house concert guest (which means that you can’t change your mind now, Jaine), AND we’ll have Winnipeg’s best beer, St. James Pale Ale ON TAP, as well as all of the music, munchies, and magical memories you can handle.

Christina Martin, live in my living room on August 12. Earlyish show, lots of great food, lots of great people, AND the FIRST opportunity to get your hands on Christina’s new CD, “I Can Too,” which will surely make it to your Top 10 list this year. Get your reservation in early (please), or just show up and hope we don’t stick you in the corner somewhere.

But we do love ol’ Lee (and Stu), so we encourage you to check out BOTH shows (of course, if you have to choose one, we know you’ll do the right thing and check out Christina Martin):

—– Original Message —–
From: Stu Reid
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 12:54 PM
Subject: This Coming Monday LIVE at the StuDome: LEEROY STAGGER! Pre-concert BBQ!

We’ve been hosting shows at the StuDome for almost ten years now, and more than a few longtime patrons have said the ultimate show was last summer’s appearance by Leeroy Stagger and the Wildflowers. Since then, Leeroy has been in the area to rock the Countryfest yahoos and the Folk Fest flower children, but with the release of “Solo Acoustic Vol. 1”, the StuDome is thrilled to bring Leeroy back for all the good-hearted, non-genre-specific music lovers of Winnipeg.

And we’re doing it soon! A week from today in fact! Monday – August 9 – LEEROY STAGGER returns to the StuDome for an intimate solo acoustic show!  In addition to the new acoustic retrospective disc, Leeroy has a fabulous, brand new full-band album on the verge of release, so expect to hear a bunch of great new songs along with all your favourites from one of Canada’s greatest roots-rockin’ songwriters.

Weather permitting (and it appears it’s going to!) we invite you to come early for a pre-concert BBQ of burgers, beans and beer (and whatever else is taking up space in the fridge or anything you might want to bring along).  Admission is a suggested donation of $15 – 20. You’re guaranteed to have more fun at $20, but don’t let price worry you. Just come on down Monday night and pay what you can. All proceeds go directly to Leeroy himself – no venue service fees!

Reserve your spot now! E-mail the StuDome at stureid @ shaw.ca or call us at 774-6877. Even if you can’t make it, FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS INVITE TO YOUR FRIENDS or anyone else you may know who might be interested in seeing one of Canada’s finest rock’n’rollers in such an intimate setting. We’d love to see some new faces in the crowd next week. Everyone is welcome. The StuDome is a non-smoking, non-yahoo venue, but smoking is permitted during the FREE unguided tours of Neil Young’s childhood home (a mere block and a half away!) that leave every hour from the ‘Dome.

Hope to see you next week here in the heart of musically historic Crescentwood!

– the friendly Staff & Management of the StuDome

How can a guy who hasn’t worked in a whole month be so far behind? I know, poor baby. You all feel for me, I’m sure. I do have a few important things to remind/tell you about, so please bear with me:

This Thursday (tonight, yikes!) on Steel Belted Radio, we’ll be joined by Devin (Professor Nathan) Latimer will pop in to discuss the Trout Forest Music Festival. I loved the Regina Folk Fest when I first went, but lost interest after a while, largely because I discovered The Trout Forest. It is without a doubt, the best little festival in Canada. Bar none. Devin puts together an amazing lineup and interesting workshops, and the setting cannot be beat. This is the most laid-back, enjoyable weekend of the year for me, no doubt. I can’t wait, and would love it if you would join us. Tune in TONIGHT to hear more.

Also, he’s bringin’ the Mrs! Keri Latimer fronts the best band in the land, Nathan, but she’s also embarked on a very promising solo career. She’s playing Wednesday, Aug. 11 at Times Changed along with Trout performer Oh Susanna. Keri’s coming by to hype that, and hopefully sing us a few songs?

Then, on Thursday, August 12, I’m having the amazing Christina Martin play in my living room. It looks like this will be the first place that you can get copies of her brand new record, which doesn’t actually come out until September! I’ve got it, and boy, oh boy, is it good! Full details are below (again) just in case you didn’t get them when I sent my last email. I haven’t heard from some of you, and I don’t want you to miss out on what is sure to be one of the most amazing shows of the year! I’m trying to put together another charity music sale at the show, like we did last year, and I’ve got some really great stuff to unload. More details below.

If you want to hear some of Christina’s new CD, check out the Tell the Band to Go Home podcast from July 25. We premiered that new CD, played a whole lot of Neil Young covers, and, most exciting to me, it was the first opportunity for Jeremy to co-host the show, and I thought he did an amazing job.

In the self-serving, non-musical department:

Once again, I’ve registered for the MS Bike Tour, where ambitious folks ride their bicycles from Stonewall to Gimli. It’s all to benefit the MS Society of Manitoba. Multiple Sclerosis research has never been more exciting, and the need for your donations has never been more important. This is a cause near and dear to me, and one that I am proud to support. However… if truth be told, there is a chance that I might not actually do the bike ride this year for a variety of reasons (mostly because I feel so old and sore and last year’s ride damn near killed me), but I still want to raise money for the cause. If me riding is that important, just say so and I’ll get out there and train a bit, but hopefully you’ll consider donating a bit to the cause regardless. Please see my donation page: http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2010Bike/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=1173813&L=2 or email me for details. Your support means a great deal to me.

I’m sure there’s more, but it’s time I stopped putting this off and sent it out. Get back to me any time you have any questions/suggestions/whatever!

My Christina Martin superfandom began with her album, Two Hearts, which was released in 2008. It had everything I love: memorable melodies, a powerful, unique voice, great lyrics, amazing musicianship, and a great personality behind it. That CD went on to be my favourite of that year, and remains one of the most important discs in my collection. Last year,  we were lucky enough to have Christina (and her pal Steven Bowers) come to our home for a house concert. Getting to know Christina on a personal level, and seeing her perform her songs live (and tell the incredible stories that go along with them) only sealed the deal. That show was a highlight of last year.

This year, Christina will release a new CD, “I Can Too,” and it contains her strongest songs to date. The album isn’t officially released until September, but we expect to have ADVANCE COPIES available when Christina Martin returns to The Sunset Saloon for another intimate evening of music on August 12, 2010. We couldn’t be more excited about Christina’s return (and the new CD), so we really hope that you will join us for this exciting evening of music.

For those folks who have to work the next day, we’ll start things a little earlier, 7 pm or so, but we’ll make sure you get a full evening of entertainment. Those wishing for a pot-luck style meal before the show are welcome to join us (we’ll eat around 6), and we’ll have enough snacks and refreshments to keep you happy well into the night.

Admission is by donation, and all money goes directly to this talented independent artist. We suggest $15 per person (although the show sounds much better if you pay $20), but you name your price, so if money is an object, pay what you can. As always, our home is open to anybody, so if you know someone who needs the gift of great music in his/her life, please pass this along. Our home is non-pet, non-smoking, and very, very family friendly (we do have 3 young kids!) You can bring an adult beverage of your choice, or just enjoy whatever you can scrounge out of our fridge.

Please get your reservation in early. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see one of Canada’s most exciting young talents, up-close and personal. Let me know if you have any questions or if you can join us.

We’re looking forward to seeing you August 12!

Sadly, another Winnipeg Folk Festival has come and gone, and although it’ll be a year of waiting until the next one, we have plenty of memories to keep us going. We’ll relive some of the highlights, this week, on the radio.

You did, of course, take the time to tune in to my Folk Fest memories shows that I slaved over for last Thursday and Sunday, didn’t you? If so, you would have heard my favourite folk fest memory of all time, which I discussed on Sunday’s show. Well, if you missed it (shame on you), we might retell that one on Steel Belted Radio this week, because the artist involved in that story has a great new record, is coming to town, and has been a big part of The Winnipeg Folk Festival several times. Don’t know who it is? Download the Sunday, July 11 podcast or tune in this Thursday on Steel Belted Radio for a special phone interview.

I’m working on some interviews with some of the highlight artists from this year’s festival, and not all are confirmed yet, but one very exciting one that is good to go is a conversation with Sean Hoots of Hoots & Hellmouth, this Sunday. In this case, I’m very glad to say I told you so, because I’ve been telling you for a while now that Hoots & Hellmouth are amazing and were going to be a big hit at the festival, and, yup, I was right. They were one of the biggest sellers at the music store and they were a huge hit at the workshop stages and their concert. I know tons of folks didn’t have a clue who they were before, and now are eager fans, so we’ll learn a bit more about this amazing band, this Sunday on Tell the Band to Go Home.

Like I said, there are a few more interviews in the works, so we’ll hopefully have a couple more guests spread out between the two programs this week. If you have festival memories, stories, or interview ideas, please let me know, and we’ll try to include them!

And, as the Winnipeg Folk Festival memories fade, we still have much to look forward to, as August brings us the amazing Trout Forest Music Festival. We’re going to get Artistic Director/Professor Nathan, Devin Latimer down to the studio one of these days to tell us more about it, but I want to keep reminding you that, as much as I LOVE the Winnipeg Folk Festival, I find it a lot of work. It’s really tiring, and sometimes really frustrating. There is NOTHING tiring or frustrating about Trout Forest. It’s perfect in just about every regard (well, it would be, if the fudge truck would come back this year!) I’ll be out there hosting some stages and having a great time, and I highly recommend that you join us. The festival features Oh Susanna, Leeroy Stagger, Fish & Bird, the amazing Del Barber, Fred Eaglesmith, and a whole bunch more (www.troutfest.com). It’s a stellar lineup for a super-fun festival.

Making teaser stops in Winnipeg before the festival are Oh Susanna & Fred Eaglesmith (on the same damn night!), and, my favourite Trout Forest performer and one of the most exciting young songwriters in Canada today, CHRISTINA MARTIN!!! She played The Sunset Saloon last year to rave reviews, and we just couldn’t let her come ’round these parts again without setting something up, so there will be a special Trout Forest preview house concert on August 12. Exact details aren’t quite finalized, but we’ll let you know real soon. In the meantime, circle that one on your calendar, invite your friends, and plan to be part of an amazing night of music, at this intimate house concert with rising star Christina Martin!

Tune in to the shows for more details on all of that, and much more! Just because Folk Fest is over, that doesn’t mean there isn’t much to celebrate and enjoy!

I almost forgot! NQ Arbuckle is coming, NQ Arbuckle is coming! July 22 at Times Change(d)! Don’t you dare miss that one!

We here at the TTBTGH home office are still buzzing about the exciting house concert coming up on May 1, featuring our good friends and two of Manitoba’s finest singer/songwriters, The Other Brothers (who will be joined by unquestionably Manitoba’s finest pedal steel player, Bill Western). But when the opportunity came up to welcome back the man who christened The Sunset Saloon in such fine style, almost exactly one year ago, we jumped at it. So now, in addition to the previously announced show,

Tell the Band to Go Home and Steel Belted Free Range Radio are proud to present Brock Zeman, live in my living room, May 8, 2010!

Who: Brock Zeman joined by talented multi-instrumentalist Blair Hogan
WEB: http://www.brockzeman.com
When: May 8, 2010, 8 pm
Where: The Sunset Saloon
How Much: $15-20 donation (all proceeds directly to the talented artists)
Why? Because he was a huge smash success last year and because the guy is a legend in the making!

Last year, we were lucky enough to have one of Canada’s finest young singer/songwriters, Brock Zeman, christen our new house concert venue, The Sunset Saloon. His show was an energetic, amazing, entertaining night of music and everyone in attendance loved the show. Now, by popular demand, we’re bringing him back on May 8th. Along with multi-instrumentalist Blair Hogan, Brock is guaranteed to put on a show that you won’t forget.

Brock Zeman might be from Southern Ontario, but his sound is straight outta Texas. It harkens back to days when the greatest songs were lived and crafted. He might be young, but his spirit and songwriting wisdom belies his age. Over the course of 7 albums and countless tours, he has proven that heís got the talent and determination to make timeless music that matters.

Reserve your seat now, because this show is sure to be jam-packed. Email jeff @ tellthebandtogohome.com to reserve your seat. Don’t be left out!

AND:

Tell the Band to Go Home and Steel Belted Free Range Radio are proud to present The Other Brothers, live in my living room, May 1, 2010!

Who: The Other Brothers (singer/songwriters Chris Neufeld & Donovan Giesbrecht, along with pedal steel whiz Bill Western)
WEB: http://www.theotherbrothers.ca
When: May 1, 2010, 8 pm
Where: The Sunset Saloon
How Much: $15-20 donation (all proceeds directly to the talented artists)
Why? Are you kidding? Because it’ll be AMAZING!

It’s a crying shame that you likely haven’t heard of The Other Brothers (yet). In a world full of superficial music, theirs is real and deep and honest. It’s also a lot of fun. Sure, we’ll forgive these guys for not being out there gigging at every bar and coffee house around, they are full time teachers after all. When they do get together, it’s pure magic.

They’re not really brothers, but the way these guys harmonize, sing, and write together so seamlessly, you’d swear they were. With songs that are insightful, beautiful, interesting, and memorable, they have the material to stand alongside the greats, but it’s their live show that will really get your attention. Together they are funny, warm and charming. It’s a show you won’t soon forget. I know I still haven’t forgotten their sold-out CD release show at the Park Theatre a year ago. It was a real highlight of the year for me, and their album, Points of View was definitely one of this city’s finest CDs last year.

Chris and Don are both fine solo performers and recognized singer/songwriters in their own right. Chris came to our attention with the release of his great record Colorado Low in 2005 (http://tellthebandtogohome.com/2005/06/29/chris-neufeld/) with great songs like “Told a Joke,” “Reinventing Miss Exciting,” and one of my favourite songs of that year, “Waterwheel,” the album launched Chris on to the scene in a big way. He went on to be featured on national radio on the CBC, he got to play festivals and concerts, and he won over a bunch of fans. Donovan hasn’t been at it quite as long, and he hasn’t taken the spotlight for himself that often (he’s more likely to help others, as he does as a co-founder of Winnipeg’s festival of Mennonite music and culture, Mennofolk,) but when he has, people have paid attention. Bill Western is a quiet, unassuming guy, but whenever he’s on stage, you can’t help but take notice. Whether it was with his own band, Carter Monrose or backing up folks like Nathan and many others, Western is a whiz with his pedal steel. Sure, he’s got the skills and the chops to really shine, but his playing is subtle and gorgeous, never detracting from the song it serves. He’s also a family man and a heck of a good guy. Together, this combination is even better than the already amazing sum of its parts.

You might not know them yet, but bring money for a CD, because you will leave this show a huge fan. I guarantee it. Check them out online or email me if you have questions. But whatever you do, don’t miss this show!

Join us for this very fun evening of music, fun, and friendship, May 1, 2010!

Bring a beverage of your choice, if you wish, but we’ll have all of the snacks and refreshments you might need. Once again, we will be offering an optional early-bird pot-luck dinner. PLEASE CONFIRM that you would like to join us for that.

Please CONFIRM YOUR SEAT ASAP. We will try to accommodate everyone, no matter how late the response, but I’m hoping that this will be a busy one, so try to ensure that you won’t be left out by letting us know NOW! You can prepay to reserve a seat, or just pay at the door. Our house is very family friendly, so feel free to bring the young ‘uns. We’re friendly folk, so whether you know us or not, you are welcome. Please pass this message along to anyone who might be interested.

Last year, we were lucky enough to have one of Canada’s finest young singer/songwriters, Brock Zeman, christen our new house concert venue, The Sunset Saloon. His show was an energetic, amazing, entertaining night of music and everyone in attendance loved the show. Now, by popular demand, we’re bringing him back on May 8th. Along with multi-instrumentalist Blair Hogan, Brock is guaranteed to put on a show that you won’t forget.

Reserve your seat now, because this show is sure to be jam-packed. Email jeff@tellthebandtogohome.com to reserve your seat. Don’t be left out!