Join singer/songwriters Chris Neufeld & Donovan Giesbrecht, as well as pedal steel whiz Bill Western live in the cozy confines of my living room on May 1, 2010.

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.

This is a really exciting show that I am REALLY looking forward to. Please email jeff@tellthebandtogohome.com to reserve your spot ASAP.

On November 15, 2009, TTBTGH & SBFRR are proud to present the return of pianist/singer/songwriter/Skydigger/all around good guy Michael Johnston (http://www.michaeljohnston.ca), live in my living room!

Johnston’s shows are wildly entertaining, moving, and memorable (I know, I’ve seen a lot of them!). His debut album, Curious Heart, came out in 2005, not long after he’d moved to Winnipeg. That album landed atop every list I made that year for statistics (most played song, album, artist, etc.) and he was unilaterally named my Artist of the Year. That album is a magnificent debut, filled with memorable melodies, touching lyrics, and some stellar special guests. Some artists get special guests to come in and do backups or play an instrument, but Johnston wrote the songs and then turned some of them over to the likes of Reid Jamieson, Oh Susanna, and Andy Maize of Skydiggers to sing. The results are magical collaborations that show that Johnston, early into his promising career, could stand alongside seasoned veterans.

In the past couple of years, Johnston has been a full member of Skydiggers, a now-legendary roots-rock combo (http://skydiggers.com), breathing new life into a band that has stood the test of time after more than 20 years atop the Canadian music industry (such as it is!) His writing, playing, and singing is a huge part of Skydiggers’ successful 2008 album, City of Sirens, and Michael will be at the piano when the band makes its long-awaited return to the West End Cultural Centre (a venue that the band almost destroyed when its exhuberent fans came frighteningly close to plunging through the floor in the 90s! We’ve been assured that the new building faces no fear of destruction, although an exciting, energetic show is guaranteed!)

In the meantime, he’s been hard at work on many new songs, including co-writes with the likes of Andy Maize, Stephen Fearing, Chris Difford (of legendary band Squeeze) and many more, some of which we will hear for the first time on November 15! I’m hoping to convince him to put out a second record featuring some of those great songs one of these days, and I’m hoping that you will come help with my efforts.

Although he spent years in Winnipeg, Michael Johnston hasn’t played his songs to a Winnipeg audience in quite some time. Whenever he does, people leave raving, smiling, and looking forward to seeing him again. I promise you, friends, this will be a night you will enjoy.

It will be an EARLY show, as it is a Sunday night. Show will start at 7 and you should be safely in your bed (or living room or whatever location you prefer) around 10. We enjoy having folks over for dinner, so anyone interested in a pot-luck style pre-show meal is welcome to join us around 5:30 (or anywhere thereafter). Admission is by donation, with all funds going directly to this talented performer. $15-20 is suggested and appreciated. We are very family friendly (bring the kids), very welcoming (if you don’t know us well or haven’t been here before, you are indeed welcome), and your company is much appreciated.

Please get back to me to confirm a seat as soon as possible. Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might be interested in attending, and do let me know if you have any questions.

Hope you can join us!


Hi again!

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Christina Martin/Steven Bowers show at the Sunset Saloon. I know you all enjoyed it almost as much as the performers and I did.

Hot on the heels of such a success, I wasn’t really planning on doing anything besides resting on my laurels for a while. I told many of you that I was planning another show for November (that has since, mysteriously, become not one but two potential shows…), but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be doing something sooner, especially not RIGHT AWAY, but sometimes, an opportunity comes along that you just can’t pass up. With that in mind, we’re announcing yet another sudden, surprise show at the Sunset Saloon on Monday, September 21, featuring one of the best young up-coming roots-rock/alt. country singer/songwriters anywhere, Leeroy Stagger and his amazing band The WildFlowers.

Anyone who’s been paying attention to my shows for the past few years (not to mention the growing buzz across the country and in Europe) knows that Leeroy Stagger is the real deal. Originally from Victoria BC, our boy started out in loud, rough & tumble punk band The Staggers where he gained quite a reputation as a performer and a rock & roll badboy. Somewhere along the line though, he started to become interested in things that weren’t so loud & silly, and he started hanging out with folks like Carolyn Mark at her hootenanny nights. She thrust him up on stage with an acoustic guitar, and the punk rock wasn’t going to work so well there, so he was almost forced to learn, and eventually write, some rough around the edges country/rock tunes. Those led to his first solo album, Dear Love. That album caught the attention of my good friend and loyal listener Allison Green, who sent me the CD and told me that I had to hear this kid. The CD blew me away immediately, and I’ve been on board ever since. Leeroy came to town after that, and I convinced our old pal Stu at CKUW to check him out, and he got the official TwangTrust seal of approval, and so a star was born. Leeroy’s next record, Beautiful House, was a change of pace, somewhat, showing Leeroy’s growth and a slight change in direction. It was produced by Danny Michel and so it had a more layered, pop sound. It got Leeroy a higher profile and even a spot on Grey’s Anatomy! As much as it was a part of Leeroy’s personality and it did great things for him, the layered pop sound just didn’t sit right, so he went and rerecorded some of the album in a more rough-around-the-edges roots/rock style, and released that as Tales from the Back Porch. That turn back towards rock and country and folk and everything good continues. Leeroy’s next album, Depression River, contains all of that and more. There are some haunting, powerful, moving songs (one listen to Carol or Saskatoon will make you an instant fan) and tastes of the punk rock that he was raised on. Later Leeroy hooked up with a couple of other great rootsy, rockin songwriters, Tim Easton and Evan Phillips, and put out an amazing singer/songwriter collective record called One for the Ditch. That gave Leeroy the confidence and the experience to strip his songs down even closer to the bone, and led to his most personal, powerful, and mature record to date, Everything Is Real. When I heard this album, I immediately named it Album of the Year, and I haven’t regretted it since. It contains just about everything I love in a record, great writing, amazing playing, memorable melodies, and his most cohesive and interesting collection of songs to date. It shows the emergence of a truly important artist, and one that I will be following for many years to come.

Leeroy’s played in town before, mostly solo, but sometimes with a small backing band. On the strength of this album, however, he put together a band now called The WildFlowers (owing to their mutual Tom Petty influence) which really suits and supports Leeroy in a way that no other group ever has (or likely will). That band made its local debut earlier this summer at a really memorable show at The StuDome. It’s been a great year for shows, no doubt, but that show stands out as one for the Top 10 list for sure. But not every one of you made it out… and those that did, I’m sure, would jump at the chance to relive that great show, and see what other tricks the boys might have up their sleeves already.

And so comes this opportunity to see them again. The boys are heading to Brandon for the WCMAs on Sept. 19/20, and they’re doing their amped up rock & roll show at The Albert here on the 23rd, but what are some hungry young musicians to do in between? Well, play my living room, that’s what! The StuDome was booked, so here we are, putting together yet another show at The Sunset Saloon. I just can’t let these talented musicians sit around not showing off what they can do, so we’ll set them up in the living room and let them do their thing. I promise you, this is not a band to miss, especially in these intimate, comfortable surroundings. If you like Steve Earle, Ryan Adams, Tom Petty, Hayes Carll, or any great songwriters like that, this is the show for you. If you don’t, what the hell are you doing listening to me in the first place?

The show is soon. We need a good crowd out to see this rising star up close. Again, we’ll have snacks and drinks for you to enjoy. I likely won’t plan a huge dinner, but if anyone wants to do that again, well, let’s do it! You can bring a snack and a beverage if you wish, or just enjoy what we’ve got. Again, you can name your own admission price. I think the show is well worth $20, so that’s what I’ll pay, but if you think $15 is right, then toss that in the fishbowl. If you can only afford $10, heck, we’ll take that too. Just come, enjoy, and tell your friends that you saw Leeroy Stagger up close and personal.

Reserve your chair now! Tell a friend! Hope to see you here on Sept. 21. If not, I’ll be in touch when the next big show is confirmed!

Check out:
http://www.leeroystagger.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYpr9TCG7oc
http://www.myspace.com/leeroystagger

Of course, stay tuned to UMFM (and that guy on CKUW) for music and more details on this fine show and every fine show that comes to town.

Hi again friends,

The days of summer are running out. Sooner than I’d like, it’ll be back to school and busy as can be. Until then, I plan to enjoy myself as much as possible, and I know you’re doing the same, so this week’s Tell the Band to Go Home will tell you about a few fun ways to enjoy what’s left:

I’ve been telling you forever about the next exciting concert at The Sunset Saloon, featuring Christina Martin and Steven Bowers. The guest list is starting to fill up (thank goodness), and I’d hate for you to be left out, so do let me know if you think you might join us this Thursday for two of Canada’s most exciting young singer/songwriters. (I’ll be perfectly honest, when I looked at the very short list of attendees a week ago I was totally stressed and thinking that I wouldn’t ever get myself into this mess again, but we’ve had some good response in the last week, so I’m starting to calm down. Still, a few more would have me feeling even better, so I’d love it if you’d join us. If bringing one of my favourite artists in Canada to my house for her first and only upcoming Winnipeg appearance doesn’t go off well, I’ll leave the stress to the staff at the Studome from now on.) If you missed Christina on CBC’s Q yesterday (thankfully without Jian Ghomeshi), you’ll want to hear this talented young lady and get to know her a little better this week on Tell the Band to Go Home. Christina and Steven will be on the road gradually making their way to Winnipeg (and all points West), but they’re going to find a spot where they can give us a call and check in from the road. Steven Bowers, by the way, is fast becoming one of my faves as well. His latest two discs have been in heavy rotation here at the home office, and I find more and more to love each time. I don’t know a lot about him yet, but this week on the show we’ll change that. You’ll hear a bunch of his tunes and hopefully hear him talk about his music and his life. (Christina and Steven will also be performing live at CD Plus in the Garden City Shopping Centre on Thursday at 1:00 for a free preview of the great concert that evening. I’d love to see some of you out there (even cheapskate Eugene, who will be at CD Plus, but refuses to come to my house concert just because I wouldn’t accept his Guttersnipe press credentials. He’d rather weasel his way into Times to see a band he can see any time. Boo. Don’t be a Eugene!))

Also on tour across this country right now, is another super talented young singer/songwriter named Liam Titcomb. He’s on a very interesting fundraising camper tour raising money for War Child . He’s playing a show at the Forks on Monday at noon with local legend Fred Penner, looking for donations to War Child. We’re hoping he makes it into Winnipeg in time to stop by the show to play us some of his melodic, memorable, wonderful songs and talk about his connection to the charity. This is one well worth checking out.

And, while I’m on the topic of liberating you from your hard earned money… again this year I’ll be participating in the MS Society’s Biking to the Viking fundraiser where I haul my fat butt from Stonewall to Gimli via bicycle. It’s a challenge, but nowhere close to the challenge of living with this frightening disease. Many of you have been kind and generous, to the point where my fundraising total is higher than I ever dreamed. But I’m greedy, and I know it will take a lot to conquer this disease (although it looks more and more possible every year!) so I want to raise more. I’m only $200 away from reaching a total I never dreamed I could reach (A THOUSAND DOLLARS!) and I know that money will make a huge difference. Plus, knowing that I’m the $1000 man (Stu’s been on the air longer, so he can keep his title of $3000 man) would mean a lot to me. If anyone hasn’t made a pledge yet (and I know a couple of you couldn’t when I first asked, but said you might closer to the date), please consider doing so now, or just find out more about this very common, but not widely enough known or understood disease: https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2009Bike/Sponsor.aspx?&PID;=1083191&L;=2

Because of this, I won’t be on air live next Sunday. I’ll have something for you to listen to, don’t fear.

Last year I hosted the MS Radio Auction which had me giving away CDs, DVDs, books, and more in return for pledges. This year, I’m a little lazier. For those who come to my house concert on Thursday, I’ll have a lot of great items up for grabs, including ESSENTIAL CDs from the likes of Shannon Lyon, The Cash Brothers, Ridley Bent, and more, cool DVDs, books, and whatever else my family and I can part with. If you want something, all you need to do is “buy” it with a donation to the MS Bike Tour and you get to take it home with you that night. Easy. So, for those of you attending, please bring a little extra money for a CD from Christina & Steven, and perhaps a small donation to MS. I’ve decided to donate the cost of the food/drinks before hand, so if you wish to donate to that fund, all of it will be donated directly to MS.

Check out:
http://www.christinamartin.net
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=88635 (Christina’s sonic bids profile with music, bio, information of all kinds)
http://www.stevenbowers.com
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=83654 (Steven’s sonic bids profile with music, bio, information of all kinds) 

Last year when I first heard Christina Martin’s album “Two Hearts,” it blew me away. It’s so melodic and so interesting and so powerful and so pretty and just plain AWESOME. I’ve said before that she combines the heartbreaking lyricism of Lucinda Williams, the smoky, sexy voice of Amy Rigby, and the immediately memorable melodies of Shawn Colvin into one complete package. I really think that this gal should, and hopefully will be a well known and well respected artist, world wide, some day, so I’m getting in on the ground floor as quickly as I can. I tried to get her hooked up with a show in the area so I could see her live, but then I realized that sometimes, if you want something done right (and I’m not going to screw this up!), you just have to do it yourself. And so, I’m very excited and proud to present live, in concert, in my house, Christina Martin and her good friend Steven Bowers (another talented singer/songwriter who I know you’ll love), live at the Sunset Saloon on August 27. That’s still a ways away, so no real need to worry about getting tickets now, but mark it on your calendar and make sure you’re around, because you’re not going to want to miss this one!