It seems like forever that we’ve been waiting for new music from one of our very favourites, NQ Arbuckle, but it seems that the long wait may be over! There’s a new album coming out on Six Shooter called “The Future Happens Anyway,” although there’s still no firm release date (a few planned dates have come and gone…)
While we wait for the rest (hopefully not too long!), we’ve got this snazzy new music video to enjoy:
It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows this show that we’re super excited about new music from Matthew Ryan. He’s definitely one of the most played artists on the show, and for good reason; he writes some of the most powerful, personal, amazing songs we’ve ever heard.
But this time around, there’s even more reason to be excited and to encourage you to buy his new song. He’s got an album coming out later on, but decided to do an early release of a song as a way of benefiting a dear friend of his, John Anderson, who’s nearing the end of his battle with ALS. It’s expensive and extra difficult to have such a debilitating disease in the U.S., so on top of the amazing toll it’s taking on John and his wife on an emotional and personal level, they’re having a hard time making ends meet as well. I can’t imagine how tough that all must be.
With some luck and support, John and his wife won’t have to worry quite so much. Every dollar raised from the sale of the song goes directly to them to help make life a little easier. The song costs $1, but if you can see it in your heart to pay more, you’ll be making things that much better. If you can pay more and encourage others to buy it, well, things just get more amazing all the time.
As with most Matthew Ryan songs, it took me a few listens to really appreciate how amazing the song is. If you don’t love it right away, give it time, and I promise you will. Every listen is an investment you’ll get back many times over.
I hope you’ll check out the song, support as much as you can, and spread the good word.
Tonight on Steel Belted Radio on 101.5 UMFM, Del Barber stops in between tour dates to discuss his upcoming album Prairieography, which will be released Feb. 4 on respected label True North Records! You can pre-order the album now for a great low price!
It’s an exciting time for this young troubadour, and we’re pleased as can be that he’s found the time to come and chat and debut new songs from the album!
I’m a big fan of this guy, it’s true, but I think this album should do HUGE things for Del, and I’m eager to show you why. Please make sure you catch this special event TONIGHT on UMFM at 6:30 pm central! Listen live online!
Check out the snazzy changes to his website!
Here’s an advance audio stream of the brand new album from Blue Rodeo!
And how about a new video?:
When award winning director Chris Mills was asked to film a video for the first single from Blue Rodeo’s new album, In Our Nature, he was given the task to come up with something unique that incorporated two of the albums songs, “New Morning Sun” and “Mattawa.” Instead, what he delivered was an extraordinary film that incorporated most of the music from In Our Nature.
“After spending close time with the band, shooting and rehearsing all these great songs,” says Mills, “The idea developed to try to make a video that encapsulated the feel for the ALBUM rather than just the songs. I shared this with the team, and was encouraged to “run with it”.
“Thankfully, the support and resources were in a place to help me expand and evolve the project, and so, we now have a “music video” style project, which condenses two songs and a few of the narrative elements which THEN ties back into a completely separate, (much longer) ALBUM FILM, which uses mood, performance, a bit of imagination, and a mixture of real life and story elements to try to reflect the great spirit of these sessions, and to deliver a “sampler plate” of this well-crafted album.”
“I hope that, like me, this sampler will leave you hungry for more, and help remind people that, although loving music one or two songs at a time is awesome, there are also great rewards that come from the experience of taking part in some of the relationships that a collection of songs have with one another.”
Last month, TTBTGH & SBR were proud to present Murdoch & Sparrow at Sunset Saloon, and not only was it a terrific show, but the guys were perhaps the nicest folks to ever share their songs in our living room. It was truly a wonderful way to end off a busy year at the Saloon.
Unfortunately, it was such a busy time that many of our regulars couldn’t make the show. Those who were in attendance were quick to snap up copies of the duo’s live album and their respective solo discs, but if you missed out, consider discovering a bit of what you missed out.
Jay Sparrow was also doing a lot of talking on that trip about his new project, Record Mob, which allows fans to be a part of the process of spreading great music by setting up their own online stores and sharing in the promotion and profits. We’re big fans of both of those things ’round here, so we’ve set up a store where you can download great music AND help a cash-strapped radio dork at the same time!
Check out our store at Record Mob: https://recordmob.com/s/Ii
Here’s the link to download “Dominion Day” by Murdoch & Sparrow: https://recordmob.com/s/Ei
And here’s one to Jay Sparrow’s magnificent solo release, White. It’s a little different, but I promise you, once you get into it, you’ll be glad you did: https://recordmob.com/s/Bi
And check out this great article about Jay Sparrow and his new release. I thought I knew the guy pretty well after spending some time with him at my house, but in reading this I learned a lot of things. Highly recommended: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/music/Concert+preview+limits+Edmonton+musician+Sparrow/7732802/story.html
There will be a series of videos based on Jay’s new album, so there will be more to come, but here are the first ones:
And, some memories of the show at Sunset Saloon on Nov. 21
Shannon Lyon
Broken Things
Busted Flat Records
Shannon Lyon has been a Steel Belted favourite for almost a decade now, since the release of his breakthrough album “Wandered” back in 2003. Since then, he’s continually written some of the most powerful and memorable songs around. He reminds us a lot of Matthew Ryan in his diversity and his way of dealing with darkness and despair in a way that’s anything but a downer. He can do all-out rock & roll and touching and tender ballads, as well as everything in between. Lyon is a pretty prolific guy and has touched on a lot of genres over the years. This latest album sees him in a moody, laid back mode contemplating live, love, and the “Soul of the World.” Recorded near the end of his residency in Holland, where he spent about 12 years recording and performing, and just before his recent return to Canada, where he was born, it’s clear that this album marks an ending, and a longing for a new beginning. It’s surely a culmination of a lot of living and learning over those years, and a look ahead to new adventures. It’s an album full of longing, but hope and happiness, as well. It’s self-produced and largely self-performed (he only brought in two other players, the gorgeous voice of Elly Kellner, and a keyboard player named Mike Roelofs,) so the personal, reflective quality of the songs really shines through. And they are powerful, memorable songs that we’ve come to expect from this great writer. This one might take a few listens to really hit a first-time listener, but we assure you, it’s well worth the repeat listens.
The album was originally released as a pay-what-you-want download on Lyon’s Band Camp site, but has now been released on CD by Shannon’s long-time Canadian label, Busted Flat. The folks at Busted Flat are good music-loving sorts, and well worth supporting.
Radney Foster
Del Rio, Texas Revisited: Unplugged & Lonesome
Devil’s River Records
Way back in 1992, fter years with acclaimed country duo Foster & Lloyd, Radney Foster recorded and released his solo debut, Del Rio, TX, 1959. It came out during the “new country” boom in the ’90s and it contained a few big hits of the day, so in music circles, it kind of got lumped in with a lot of easily forgettable country music of the day. The thing about the album is, it’s anything but forgettable, containing some amazingly powerful writing (“A Fine Line”) and a melodic masterpiece or two (“Nobody Wins.”) There were some stellar guest stars on the album (Mary Chapin Carpenter), some talented co-writers (Kim Richey and Beth Neilson Chapman), and the songs were covered by such big acts as The Dixie Chicks and Hootie and the Blowfish. It’s one of those classic albums that the Steel Belted crew loves, and one that we can surely agree on (and there aren’t too many of those!) But sadly, it’s out of print and so, hard to find. Foster gets requests for that one all of the time, and since record company bumbling has kept him from re-releasing it himself, he went and recorded a new, updated version of the entire album. It’s called “Del Rio, Texas Revisited: Unplugged and Lonesome,” and as such, it’s not a faithful re-recording of the album, it’s a more modern take, and done in a stripped back acoustic style. Again, there are a lot of great guests on the album, including Marty McGuire (Dixie Chicks), Dan Baird, David Henry, Jack Ingram, and a host of other Texas all-stars (those names might not mean much to you unless you read a lot of liner notes like us, but if you look up their resumes, you’ll see the significance.) The 20 years since the release have worn Radney’s voice a bit, but that just serves to draw in more emotion and feeling than the somewhat slick original, which only improves the power of the songs, and will hopefully update the album’s legacy and help new listeners to see it apart from the “new country” phase that surrounded the original. The songs are true timeless classics, well worth revisiting, or discovering for the first time. Highly recommended.
Whitehorse
The Fate of this World Depends on this Kiss
Six Shooter Records
out August 28
If, indeed, The Fate of the World Depends on this Kiss, then we have nothing to fear, because the new Whitehorse album is absolutely amazing. It’s all of the brilliance and power that we’ve come to expect from Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, but yet, it’ll take you in directions you never could have expected. The album draws on the strengths they’ve shown as solo artists for years, and updates them into something entirely new and entirely amazing. Hard to believe, but Whitehorse is clearly better than the sum of its parts, and what talented parts they are. Kids, you’re going to love this one. It’s coming August 28, and you’re giong to want one ASAP.
Now, when are we going to get news of another local concert. Those dates in Saskatchewan are looking a little out of place…