The Maple List – Number 164 – Sylvia Tyson


Born in 1940, Sylvia Tyson (Fricker) is an important part of Canadian music history. Best known as part of the folk due Ian and Sylvia, she continues to perform with the folk group Quartette and has since 1993.

During the Canadian Content days of radio, she and her ex-husband Ian Tyson, were staples on Canadian radio. They likely would have been even without the content rules. The were a very good folk duo from 1959 to 1974, when they split up.

In addition to the duo, they also fronted another Canadian institution, the band Great Speckled Bird. Sylvia is a true Canadian icon. She was inducted into the Order Of Canada in 1994, has 7 Juno nominations (Canada’s Grammys) as a solo artist and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. Additionally, she was included in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as part of the Ian and Sylvia duo in 1992.

I have included 2 videos, Four Strong Winds, (you may think of this as a Neil Young song, it’s not) recorded during a reunion concert in 1986. This has been noted as one of the most influential Canadian songs of all time. The second is a solo by Sylvia, “You Were On My Mind”.

Song Of The Day – The Milk Carton Kids – “Heaven”


Milk Carton Kids (4/28/11)
Milk Carton Kids (4/28/11) (Photo credit: thezenderagenda.com)

 

A bit of a switch from our regular programming.  Today we go heavy Folk (Bluegrass??) with California indie-folk duo, The Milk Carton Kids.  A very interesting group on today’s media stage.  They have released 3 albums since forming in 2011.  Heaven is off their most recent release, “The Ash and Clay”.   Good song, a bit different, and i hope you enjoy it.

 

The Milk Carton Kids Home

 

The Milk Carton Kids on Amazon

 

The Milk Carton Kids on iTunes

 

 

 

 

Song of the Day – The Lumineers – “Stubborn Love”


The Lumineers LIVE in Concert Presented By T-M...
The Lumineers LIVE in Concert Presented By T-Mobile Rock4G and Walmart Soundcheck (Photo credit: Lunchbox LP)

I, like a heck of a lot of people, really enjoyed the first single off their self-titled debut. The Lumineers.  Ho Hey is a great song, just as is their follow-up single “Stubborn Love“.  The Denver based folk band exploded onto the scene in 2012 and gathered 4 Grammy nominations in 2013.  Their style melds simple folk lines with a more recent root revival sound.  These sounds could easily be heard in movies or TV as soundtrack, and are destined to have long lives as such.  Enjoy Stubborn Love.

Song Of The Day – The Swell Season – “Low Rising”


Swell Season at 92YTribeca
Swell Season at 92YTribeca (Photo credit: 92YTribeca)

Irish (kind of, one is Czech)folk rock duo The Swell Season recorded this gem back in 2009.  Made my drive into work a bit easier the other day.  “Low Rising” is a well constructed song that kind of predates a lot of material we are hearing now.  Their self titled first album was released in 2006.  This is from their 3rd album, “Strict Joy” released in 2009.

Song Of The Day – Brett Dennen – “Comeback Kid”


Back in Cowtown now after a wonderful 2 weeks in the sun.  Been a bit busy but had the urge to pop something up for you to let you know we survived our sailing lessons.  More to come on that, of course.  In the meantime, enjoy the song of the day.

 

Brett Dennen performs at Life is Good Festival...
Brett Dennen performs at Life is Good Festival, Canton, MA 2010-09-12 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Brett Dennen hails from Northern California and plays a nice folk/pop sound.  I had the opportunity to see him at the Calgary Folk Festival a few years back, but made the decision to see Sharon Jones instead.  Couldn’t lose on that one.  This song, “Comeback Kid” is off his 4th album, “Loverboy”, which was released in 2011.

 

 

Song Of The Day – The Lone Bellow – “Teach Me To Know”


The Lone Bellow
The Lone Bellow (Photo credit: wfuv)

I first heard this band, the Lone Bellow, from another one of my sources for new music, this being the iTunes free single of the week.  Don’t know if this happens in other countries, but in Canada they give away a song every week.  I religiously download it without listening.  If I like it great, it stays, if not, I will search them out on YouTube and elsewhere to confirm or refute my thinking.  Chalk this one up as a refute.  I did NOT like the freebie, but found that I liked pretty much everything else they did.  The band is a Brooklyn trio, and they show a powerful country rock variant that can easily cross over into pop, rock, roots or folk.  As an aside, is it my imagination, or is New York City, England and Canada beginning to dominate the new music scene.  It seems everything I have brought up here, has come from these places.  No matter, good is good.

The Lone Bellow Home

The Lone Bellow on iTunes

The Lone Bellow on Twitter

Song Of The Day – “Save Me” by Lynn Miles


Lynn Miles #3463
Lynn Miles #3463 (Photo credit: mhwlng)

Ottawa and Montreal artist Lynn Miles recorded this tune on her 2010 album “Fall For Beauty”.  The album was nominated in 2011 for a Juno in the Roots and Traditional category.  She is singer-songwriter in the booming folk genre that is so popular these days.  The video is a live version of the song and it showcases her strong voice in an acoustic version of the song.  Well written and well performed.  I hear some Shawn Colvin in there, which is a very good thing

Lynn Miles Home

Lynn Miles on iTunes

Song Of The Day – Hero by Family Of The Year


Quickly becoming my new favourite song, Hero by Family of the Year.  They are an indie band out of Los Angeles. They released their first album in 2009.  Their break came when they were picked from over 700 groups to open for Ben Folds at his show with The Boston Pops.  Enjoy Hero.

Family of the Year on iTunes

 

Listening To Canadians – The Deep Dark Woods


deep dark woods
deep dark woods (Photo credit: catechism)

 

The Deep Dark Woods are another band out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that I spent some evenings listening to at Bud’s On Broadway.  This particular song was written for a CBC project in 2009 called The Great Canadian Songquest.  Charlie’s (is coming down) is performed live in this version.  Ah, memories.

 

 

Song of the Day – The Avett Brothers – Live and Die


 

English: The Avett Brothers at Pickathon 2006
English: The Avett Brothers at Pickathon 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Great new song from North Carolina indie-rock/folk band The Avett Brothers.  Catchy chorus, well-played.  The band has been around in various forms and names (around the 2 brothers, Scott and Seth) since the 1990’s, formally becoming The Avett Brothers in 2000.

 

They have released 7 albums, 3 live albums 4 EP’s since 2000,  This tune is off their latest album, 2012’s “The Carpenter”.

 

The Avett Brothers Home Page

 

The Avett Brothers on Twitter

 

The Avett Brothers on Facebook – oops, forgot, its Facebook, who cares

 

The Avett Brothers on iTunes

 

Live And Die

 

 

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