English: Frank Turner at an XFM radio session in London. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Former punk rocker, Frank Turner (Million Dead was his band in the day), has changed his tune (pun intended) to a folk based acoustic style, one that he is quite proficient with. I heard this particular song in my regular time and place, the drive to work while listening to CBC2. It is off his soon to be released album (April 23?), “Tape Deck Heart” and is called Recovery. Great song, and if the album is this strong, it will promptly become a staple on my iPhone. As an added bonus, a great video.
The Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow cover (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am thinking this could be my new favourite song, until the next one. To bad The Civil Wars have broken up, at least they got a Grammy. Call them folk or country or whatever, good is good. The song is “Barton Hollow” and is from the album of the same name, released in 2011.
Today, I want to take a listen to Barren River Trio. They are at @barrenrivertrio on Twitter if you like what you hear and want to keep up with them. The group is out of Bowling Green, NY and are a folk trio. All three play guitar and sing. There is also some mandolin and harmonica in the tunes. Band members are Alex Day, Danny Moody and Andrew Varson. Now we listen to some of their material. The first song I have chosen is original, live and showcases their harmonies. Good stuff.
Shine The Light
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In this song, a cover of the Kings of Leon hit, “Use Somebody”, they change it and tweak it, creating an interesting version.
Use Somebody
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Nice sounding group. Check them out if you get a chance.
It has surely been a dry spell for new releases by Canadian artists. I skipped last weeks post due to nothing to post on and almost decided to do the same this week. Fortunately, songstress Kathleen Edwards released a single anticipating her Mid-January release of her album “Voyageur”, As I normally don’t post on singles, I thought this would be an opportunity to, first, have some continuity in my posting, and second do a 2fer. Consider this to both be an entry on new music and a Canadian Classic post as well. Ottawa born Edwards has been recording since 1999, and has released 4 albums and 3 EPs since then. Her work has recently been featured in the movie “Elizabethtown” and she has played with such notables as Bryan Adams, Jim Cuddy and the Arkells. She is a two-time nominee for Canada’s Juno Awards. The video off her new album is titled “Change the Sheets” and the classic video is “I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory”. The second song is a popular Canadian hockey related tune, and features NHL greats Marty McSorley and Paul Coffey, among others.
Kind of a cheat here. Stephen Fearing and Andy White (Stephen is Canadian, Andy should be) have successful solo careers, but have teamed up here as Fearing in White to record an album and tour together. The album, Fearing and White, was released in March of 2011. They toured Western Canada and recorded the attached video on an iPhone. Nice job. I clued in on this band as Andy White and Fearing and White both follow me on Twitter. When I got the follow, curiosity drew me to YouTube to check them out and was pleased with what I found. Promotion in any way always helps. They made me a fan, and maybe you as well.
A bit about them now. Stephen Fearing is out of Vancouver and is a double Juno winner (Canada’s Grammy for the non-Canadians reading this). He is well-known roots and folk artist. He has been successful as a solo artists and as a member of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Andy White hails from Northern Ireland and is basically a rambling troubadour. He tours constantly and has played with a who’s who of Irish players, including Van Morrison and Sinead O’Connor.
A quick note to mark the passing of Billy Grammer. Not someone that I had ever been into, but one song stands as a classic “Gotta Travel On”. the song was written by Paul Clayton and recorded in Nashville in 1959. Although basically a one hit wonder, this one hit is a standard, known by most people, and he made a career of it, touring extensively with his band the the Travel On Boys. A historical sidelight. He played at a rally in Laurel, Maryland, followed by US presidential candidate George Wallace speaking to the rally. After speaking, Wallace mingled with the crowd and was shot, and made a paraplegic.
Is It Possible To See It All 