It’s time to share some of my favourite Canadian holiday music since, you know, we’re pretty good at embracing the frostiness of this time of year up here in the north.
While by no means an exhaustive list, here are some highlights of Canadians who have made holiday music that I enjoy. A little Canadian holiday playlist for you.
Ron Sexsmith – Maybe This Christmas
Holly Cole – Santa Baby
Diana Krall – Christmas Time is Here
Malajube – Montreal -40
Barenaked Ladies – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Basia Bulat – December
Michael Buble – Let it Snow
The Russian Futurists – It’s Not Really Cold When It Snows
McGarrigle Sisters (Kate & Anna) -Blanche Comme La Neige
And although we have lots of non-Canadians singing us holiday tunes each year, too (Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Brian Setzer, Pomplamoose…) there’s one whose holiday album gets excessive play each year in our home so I must include him, too.
Our honourary Canadian, Sufjan Stevens – That Was the Worst Christmas Ever
What holiday tunes/albums get regular play in your house?
I’m a huge advocate of auditory exposure. There is a tremendous amount of music out there and I feel for those who don’t have the opportunity to experience much outside of the mainstream. Or those that essentially limit themselves to just one genre. I think music holds a great power, much like any piece of great art. It evokes emotions and reactions. It can motivate or cause us to reflect. It can enlighten us or create a negative reaction. It can teach us or it can relax us. It can do so many things.
While I don’t get out to as much live performance as I’d like these days (little people can do this to a person’s social life), I treasure every opportunity to hear something new or old, something different or something really familiar. I’m a true lover and appreciator of music in all its forms.
Last evening, I attended one of the intersections series performances of the KW Symphony. I’ve been to a few before and have always found it leaves me thinking and investigating and, unfortunately for my bank account, expanding my library.
The show featured the always wonderful KWS paired with the folk sounds of Basia Bulat performing arrangements of her songs done by Owen Pallett. I liked the fact that she asked him to arrange the orchestrations without having any input. The result was a very different sound to the pieces than you would hear on her albums. I like that.
There was also a lot of discussion in our home after this show about the accessibility of music and how open-minded (or not) people can be about what they’re hearing. About the fusion of different kinds of sounds. About the power of music (of all kinds) and the perspective that some music is somehow less meaningful or more meaningful than other music. It’s a subject I think a lot about because I’m such an advocate for sharing music and the energy music can bring to people.
Music, like art, is subjective and my job here is just to share some of it with you.
I attended a social media conference last weekend in Toronto where the media sponsor, CBC, hosted a little soiree and the entertainment for the evening was Canadian group, Meligrove Band. They’ve been around for over ten years and have released four CDs, a few 7″ recordings and even a cassette EP back in ’98. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t heard of them until that evening and was pleasantly surprised. These Toronto-based indie rockers won me over in no time and I was excited to learn we’d get a copy of their latest CD release, Shimmering Lights, as part of our conference swag. Right on.
Plus, any band that has a synth in it always gets serious bonus points from me. I’m a keyboard kind of gal.
Most bands don’t like to have comparisons made to other bands (apparently Sloan is one that comes up with these guys) but as I listened, I heard elements of some bands I really enjoy, like Stars, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire…maybe even a little OK GO?
Why not just take a listen and see what you think. As usual, I’m just sharing things I like with you here. I leave it to you now, with a few of my favourite tracks on the album:
As I regroup and return to real life post-BlissDom Canada Conference, I figure it’s a good time to share some music that (for me, at least) had some connection to the weekend. It was three days filled with inspiration, reflection, friends and fun. Plus a little ukulele thrown in for good measure.
Without further ado, my personal Bliss Playlist 2011.
Downtime Up – Ash Koley
Mayhem – Imelda May
Don’t Shake It (Let it free) – Cornershop feat. Bubbley Kaur
Get Better – Mates of State
Longing to Belong – Eddie Vedder
Moves Like Mick Jagger – Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera (because we danced this one up)
Can’t forget this one… Blondie’s One Way or Another (those who attended know why)
Lastly (and this would never normally be on a playlist of mine but it has some special meaning from the conference weekend, given Jordan Knight showed up and sang this at our Karaoke wrap-up party): a little NKOTB for those who appreciate it.
In honour of heading to the 2011 BlissdomCanada social media conference today, I’m happily re-posting last year’s Blissdom Playlist and over the next few days will be creating a new one for 2011. So here’s last year’s picks of motivating music (whether it’s lyrics, music or both that kick start my energy).
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Orginally posted in Oct 2010:
Because I like to have a soundtrack for pretty much every moment in my life, I’ve put together a short list of tracks that feel relevant during a conference I’m attending this week called Blissdom Canada. While the songs are not Canadian (only a few are), they’re songs that I’ve thought of during this experience. Hope you enjoy.
Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall
Beautiful Day – U2
She Will Have Her Way – Neil Finn (Neil Finn, in my mind, should be on every playlist…don’t get me started)
Hey Soul Sister – Train
Love Like a Sunset – Phoenix
Pencil Full of Lead – Paolo Nutini
Ageless Beauty – Stars
Get Some Sleep – Bic Runga
Get the Party Started – Pink
We Got the Beat – Go-Gos
Beautiful View – Ron Sexsmith (I cannot find a link to this track anywhere but it’s such a beautiful song!)
We Got The – Beastie Boys (if you don’t like rap, pass on this one…but I love the energy and the message)
If you were at BlissdomCanada, what songs would you add to this playlist?!
Canada has a jazz scene, did you know? It’s true. There’s talent like you wouldn’t believe. Unfortunately, we don’t often have the pleasure of hearing them as much as we’d like. But if you like smooth and swinging jazz, there is an artist you should try to check out as she heads out on tour this fall: the lovely Sophie Milman.
Although originally an import from Russia, she proudly calls Canada home and loves living here. She’s just released her fourth album, Into the Moonlight, which she calls her most musical album to date. It’s a wonderful listen if you’re a jazz lover.
Don’t take my word for it, check her out at a performance a few years back:
I had the good fortune to chat with Sophie this week so let me share an excerpt of that conversation with you.
How long have you been singing jazz? How did you get into it?
I’ve been singing around the house for as long as I can remember, since about age seven or eight? And professionally for the last seven years – I was signed seven years ago and released my first record six years ago.
Were there particular artists in your youth that inspired you to pursue jazz?
As a kid, I was both inspired and limited by my dad’s record collection. There was anything from Mahalia Jackson to Ella Fitzgerald to Nat King Cole to Louis Armstrong. And then when we moved to Canada and I started checking out music from the library I discovered Carmen McCrae and Nancy Wilson. Then my repertoire really expanded at that point. I think if I had to choose one artist that really inspires me, it would be Carmen McCrae.
What brought you here from Russia?
We moved from Russia to Isreal and then to Canada with my family. Both moves were motivated by my parents’ desire to create a better life for us. Russia is an interesting place, a colourful place but not necessarily an easy place to live at that time. Isreal was quite a wonderful place for us when we left but the security situation was difficult for my parents to digest so we wound up in Canada where life is really quite fantastic, isn’t it?
How would you rate Canada’s music scene, the jazz scene in particular?
It’s tough in Canada. Canada has great musicians but it’s becoming tougher and tougher for musicians to work. Clubs are closing. In terms of quality, it’s up there with anywhere in the world but in terms of places to play, Toronto, in particular, has become a bit sad. If we called Toronto the New York of Canada, the availability of places to play and the appetite of people who want to see live music doesn’t compare. But the quality of musicians we have is amazing.
I was just listening to JazzFM today and heard an awesome version of Never Will I Marry and, of course we’re always conditioned to think everything good is American and yet here was this beautiful saxophone arrangement and it was Mike Murley, a Toronto guy! We just need a better way to capture that talent here in Canada.
How does your new album differ from or build on past albums?
It builds on past albums in terms of growth and the trajectory I’ve taken, singing a combination of well-known tunes and less cover tunes. I’m really setting a mood on this one. There aren’t as many up tempo swing numbers. And there’s strings and different kinds of instruments like accordion and harmonica. There’s more texture and it’s more nuanced. I think it’s the most musical album I’ve made and I think I’m singing better.
I went down to New York to record this album and that was a tremendous growth experience for me and I think that was reflected in the album.
In what ways?
Different producer, different environment, different musicians… when people ask me why I went to New York to record it, I know they’re wondering why I didn’t stay in Canada. Of course there are musicians I could use in Canada – I recorded my last three albums in Canada. I felt I needed to take myself out of my comfort zone, though. Away from Toronto, from my parents, from my husband, from my own bed, and shock myself out of a kind of musical lull I had. And it worked for me. Sometimes I really need to feel pressure to really perform and not be complacent.
Are there any songs on this album that are particularly meaningful to you?
Oh, yes. So many of them!
For example, Till There Was You is a very special one for me. I learned it when I was a kid and it’s, of course, a jazz standard, but it was covered by the Beatles and my dad was a huge Beatles fan and I grew up with these amazing Beatles records. We didn’t have a stereo in the car when I was growing up in Isreal and so we’d be driving along and Dad would start calling out tunes and I’d be expected to sing anything from Disney to the Beatles to Stevie Wonder to Nat King Cole. But Till There Was You was probably his most requested song, he absolutely loved it. There’s something so simple about it but it really connects with me. A lot of people were discouraging me from recording it because it’s so overdone and is kind of a silly song but for me it reminds me of a time in my life that was so difficult but at the same time so beautiful. My family really came together over music and that’s the place I go to when I hear the song.
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If you like what you hear, check out Sophie’s latest album, Into the Moonlight, and see if you can’t snag a ticket to one of her upcoming shows if they happen to be near your town. Tour details are available on her site here.
This is definitely a bright light on the Canadian jazz scene and worth hearing live as well as recorded.
There’s something about good old rock & roll that makes you want to get up and dance. I’ve been indulging a great deal in old rockabilly lately so the chance to have a listen to the new Listen to Me: Buddy Holly tribute album couldn’t have come at a better time. And just to clarify, this is the second of the Buddy Holly tribute albums to come out this year, which marks what would have been his 75th birthday.
The album features a range of artists from Brian Wilson to Chris Isaak to Zooey Deschanel, with most staying very true to the original sound, with a few that are unfortunately a little lackluster. But it’s a diverse group and there are certainly tracks that stood out as clear favourites after the first listen.
Stevie Nicks kicks of the disc with her version of Not Fade Away and that probably ranks up there with some of my favourites on the album right off the bat. The best two tracks on the album, in my opinion, are Imelda Mae’s version of I’m Lookin’ for Someone to Love, and Jeff Lynne’s cover of Words of Love. Both stay true to the vibe of that era, with Imelda’s natural rockabilly swing sound and the guitar on Jeff’s track, which has that perfect blend of warmth and swing. I think I prefer the simple, straight-ahead tracks that bring out his catchy melodies best as that’s what always appealed to me in Buddy’s music.
As always, don’t just take my word for it, though – check it out for yourself. It will definitely be on rotation around here for a while. In the meantime, take a listen to the awesomeness of Imelda Mae:
I was excited to hear about a musical afternoon taking place right here in my town of Waterloo this coming weekend. It’s called Grand Porch Party and it’s being hosted by Alternatives Journal, Canada’s National environmental magazine. An issue is coming out about music and the environment so it’s a timely event.
The concept is that various musical acts will take over the porches of homes in a designated neighbourhood for a two-hour period and visitors will be able to stroll the streets listening to the fantastic sounds of local musicians.
Community building + music + supporting local arts + thinking green = a beautiful thing.
I thought I’d give you all a heads up if you live anywhere near here and want to check this lovely afternoon out. Here’s the link to their site: http://grandporchparty.wordpress.com/ where you can find all the details, including a map of the “site”.
Here’s who is playing (as of June 7, taken from the GPP site):
* Acoustic Steel – A four-piece steel drum band
* Jakki Annerino and Wayne Cheater: Folk duo
* The Billie Hollies – Awesome Toronto quartet of ladies melding together jazz, folk, classical, opera and everything in between
* Black and White Gospel: Duet singing folk tunes, southern gospel melodies, and traditional hymn melodies
* Marion and Robert Brown: Duet singing 1940s torch songs through the 60′s and 70′s pop, with some originals thrown in
* Tricia Brubacher - Singer-songwriter with lyrics that’ll delight
* Childebeast – Indie folk rock and power pop duo from Kitchener
* Lawrence Cresswell – Fingerstyle new age guitarist
* Brooke Dufton: Toronto soprano performing the Ariadne aria from R. Murray Schafer’s Patria.
* Brent Hagerman, Scott Wicken and Paul McInnis – Expect a bit of roots, a touch of rock, a dash of reggae, and plenty more from these great local musicians.
* Amy Hunter – Folk singer-songwriter
* Dave King: Toronto-based singer songwriter
* Lazu Lie – This indie pop rock quintet will unplug and show off some of their individual side projects too
* Lucky Stabb – KW region rock band with hints of rowdy, Southern rock
* Alex Machidon – Acoustic reggae-soul influenced singer songwriter
* Jesse Maranger – Waterloo-based folk singer
* Jess and Chris Martin & Friends: A rollicking Celtic music jam session
* Emerson Maxwell and friends: Jamming at The Watershed, a Grand River tribute stage.
* The Peachy Keens: A light-hearted blend of folk, gospel and kid tunes.
* Sam Nabi – Multi-talented singer songwriter
* Mike Riehl aka Bear Canada – Atmospheric guitar-and-electronica soloist
* Pat Skinner – Bringing her beautiful voice to her new neighbour’s porch
* Tynan – Singer songwriter with a soft spot for poetry and voice
* Jackie and Heidi Wall: Mother-daughter duo playing celtic, gypsy and classical on violin and guitar
I hope you’ll take a stroll through the Grand Porch Party “district” this Sunday, June 12th to soak up some tunes. Maybe we’ll see you there.
Last night I had the pleasure of accompanying a good friend to see two sweet Canadian artists: Oh Susanna and Hawksley Workman. Seems perfect timing to let you in on these two lovely folks.
Oh Susanna
I’d heard only a little of her music before but it wasn’t until hearing her live last night that I really appreciated what a songbird she is. Over the last decade or so, she’s released five albums, the latest of which is entitled Soon the Birds. Her voice is haunting and beautiful. Her songs are thoughtful and stories in their own right.
Here’s a little listen:
(if you can’t see that embedded video, click here)
She was a great way to warm up before seeing the main act last night, Hawksley Workman. If you want to investigate her more, check out her website.
Hawksley Workman
Hawksley’s been around for a long time, too. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, a producer, a songwriter, a singer…he’s all kinds of musical fun. And (surprisingly) I hadn’t seen him live before. Not sure how that happened.
In any event, his performance was a real treat. His songs run the gamut from intense and moody to raucous and rockin’ out. It’s like seeing The Rheostatics, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush (yes, I know he’s not female but there’s something about his style that sometimes makes me think of Kate…I hope he’s not offended), and Tom Waits all in one go. He’s got a tremendously expressive voice that he’s not afraid to use. Some might say that in live performance sometimes the jamming goes on just a little long but hey, when you love to make music and experiment with sound, that happens sometimes.
Here, give him a listen and see what you think. One of my favourite of his tracks and one that got lots of radio play when it was released.
And here’s another clip of his visit to Q performing Baby Mosquito. (and you get a little intro with some background about this prolific and funky guy).
Here’s his site if you want to get more Hawksley in your life, too.
So there you have it. Two very different yet wonderful Canadians for you to explore if you so choose. Canada’s full of such great stuff. Don’t miss it.
Although they’ve been playing together for around ten years, (Stephen played in Andy’s band at his Tall Friends shows, which I had the pleasure of seeing way back in around 2001 up at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC), in the last four they’ve been looking for a way to try and more formally collaborate and document their songwriting partnership for posterity. And, of course, for listeners like you and I to enjoy.
These two artists have held different places in personal history for me. Andy White, originally from Ireland and now residing in Melbourne, has been an artist and poet that I’ve followed through his solo work and his collaborations with other musicians, like his venture into ALT (Andy, Liam Ó Maonlaí of Hothouse Flowers, and Tim Finn, of Split Enz/Crowded House/solo fame). Andy’s songs, and his lyrics to an even greater degree, have always been really appealing to me. My husband and I even had an excerpt of an Andy White song (All of the Things I Can Bring from his album Teenage) read at our wedding over ten years ago.
With Stephen, he’s been on the Canadian folk/roots/rock scene for years. He’s another great songsmith that I’ve enjoyed in several incarnations: as a solo songwriter and performer, as a member of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings (with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson of Junkhouse/LeE HARVeY OsMOND…I will be doing another post on Blackie & the RKs because they have an amazing album coming out this year, too. You won’t want to miss it.) and, of course, with Andy (in live performances) over the years. I had the pleasure of chatting with Stephen and asked him to share some of his thoughts on partnering with Andy, producing an album as an independent artist (he’s no longer with True North) and what we can expect with the new Fearing and White album and upcoming tour. In true Canadian fashion, Stephen is not only extremely talented (his guitar prowess is simply amazing) but also a very nice guy!
CK: After years of playing and writing together, who made the decision to say “let’s make an album”?
SF: It’s humorous because we’ve been talking about it and wondering how we could do it for the last four years. Alongside of that, there have been huge changes in the music industry and particularly in the recording industry such that part of the conversation we had was wondering how we could find funding through traditional sources like FACTOR, etc. Because Andy was located in Australia meant that Canadian-focused funding was out of the question.
I had been signed to True North records for so long and no longer was so we had to look for private funding. Last year I called Andy to invite him out since I had some dates I was playing out west and asked Andy if he wanted to join me. I was on the flight thinking I’m going to have to try and figure a way to break the news that we should probably let go of this idea of making an album because I didn’t see how it could happen. In addition, I was getting ready for the next Blackie & the Rodeo Kings album that was in the works and I was personally moving to Halifax, leaving True North Records, settling down with a family, etc. So much going on and I didn’t see how it could work.
We were staying the first few days at a friend’s place and on the way there I was listening to our demos. I was just so knocked out by them and the songs – I got off the plane and said “that’s it – we need to figure out a way to do this and we will have to do it for nothing, just you and I in the studio. If you’re up for that, I’m up for it.”
Andy agreed.
And then suddenly our friend, Andy Hogg offered to put up the money and away we went! Timing is everything.
CK: Tell me about Andy Hogg and this being the first release of LowdenProud Records.
SF: Andy Hogg is a mutual friend of ours and lives in Calgary. He’s a passionate fan through playing folk clubs in Calgary, which always have an interesting membership. For Andy, it was always something he wanted to do for years, I think. So we said, OK, let’s write up a contract and do it! It’s a chance for him to be in on the project from the ground floor and it’s a pretty steep learning curve. Like people say, watching records being made is like watching sausages being made – if you like eating them it’s best that you don’t watch. For most people, I think, it’s probably startling to see how it’s actually done. You really are watching the whole process at work.
CK: As you’ve noted, the industry has changed and artists can make the choice to get their hands dirty in lots of ways, including getting involved directly with fans via social networking and such.
SF: As I speak with you I’m on Facebook clicking on my friends recommending them to the Fearing and White tour page! Absolutely, it’s all hands on deck. But it’s not all that different for those of us on the periphery of the mainstream. I’ve been lucky, I’ve had the luxury of a label all these years. When True North was healthy, it was a great family to be a part of.
CK: How do you feel about that?
SF: Back in the day, I would go into the True North office and there would be fan mail and I would respond to a lot of those people. I wrote letters and postcards. It was so arduous and when email came along, it became so much easier. I’ve been happily interacting with people I’ve never actually met for years so this is just stepping it up more. There’s a lot of it that’s tedious as hell and the jury’s out on how much this actually does. Word out mouth is the best and this is just a weird kind of word of mouth. Tom Wilson and I talk about this a lot, about how you ignore it at your peril. I just had the feeling that I could do this myself.
I mean, I know there are people out there, here in Canada and the States, elsewhere around the world, Ireland and such, and they enjoy my music and would come out to hear me play. It’s my job to let them know when I play and then when they are there, to entertain and connect with them. That’s always been an artist’s job, I think. I might be treading on dangerous ground but I’ve always thought that it’s the difference between being an artist or a celebrity. A celebrity’s job is to make sure they look good and the spotlight is on them. An artist’s job (I feel) is to create great work and connect with the audience. I think I’d be playing guitar whether or not someone was listening but that’s not my job when I’m on stage. When I’m on stage, I’m performing for an audience. I love being an entertainer. I love getting up in front of people and being able to make them feel something, letting them forget about their Blackberries or their debts or whatever.
I know that Andy feels the same way. We talk about that a lot. Our job is to fly and drive around and get up in front of people and entertain them.
CK: So what can we expect from you in this set of upcoming shows? Exclusively tracks from this album or any solo work, too?
SF: Yeah, we’ll probably throw some of our own stuff in there, too, but I have a distinct advantage over Andy in that regard since I played in his band with the Tall Friends but he’ll have to learn some of my material! But one of the things I discovered when we were in this process is that Andy’s a killer bass player! It was his first instrument and he’s amazing at it so I just have to send him some charts and he’ll be able to play some of my stuff, too.
CK: You’re both such prolific songwriters, how did the songwriting process evolve?
SF: If was very organic. We started with a song I’d half-finished called Born to Be a Traveler and he’d waltz in and dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Then he offered me a song called Trying to See God and it was the same sort of thing. It was a lovely thing, it’s like being invited to a potluck and all you’ve got to do is bring the salad. It’s a lovely thing to be asked to help finish a song. And after we’d done that, we looked at each other and said “let’s start writing one now”. It often starts with a riff or a melodic idea and then before we knew it, we’d written If I Catch You Crying, which I think is a really good song! It ended up that each time Andy would come over to tour, we’d tack a few extra days on the end and get together to write songs. That just became the way we’d work.
CK: So with the album coming out March 8th, how can people get a copy?
SF: Maple Music online, iTunes, and then maybe a few shops but definitely at the shows, too. Ready to sign!
So there you have it, a few thoughts from fantastic guitarist, and Canadian troubadour, Stephen Fearing. Check out www.fearingandwhite.com for the latest on the Stephen Fearing/Andy White collaboration and tour details. And watch here for another post in the coming months on the Blackie & the Rodeo Kings release.
Here’s a few links to give you a sample of Stephen’s vast repertoire.
