On the heels of the cover song from yesterday, I bring you even more options to hear musicians perform other musicians intellectual property. This time it is full album cover project for The Postal Service’s album ‘Give Up‘ for it’s 10 year anniversary.  A pretty influential album at the time and almost defined a new wave of ‘indie’ in music. Many may deny it’s importance or downplay the effect this album on today’s music (if asked today), but you know they still don’t even fully believe themselves.

There are two sides to this digital offering with a total of 21 covers (and it is pay what you want as well!) with a “folk” and an “indie pop” side. So far I have only been on the folk side (what? me?) but there is a pretty nice Young Readers track on the Indie Pop side that I have already heard. So I will leave you with this information about this musical endeavor to fill your ears with and I will do so with my two favourite tracks from the Folk side of the release.

Find the albums for download via Bandcamp: Folk Side | Indie Pop Side

~Sandy

We are not new to Fort Frances and we are not new to Fort Frances covering songs (see their J. Tillman cover-song here) and once again good things have come from the effort.

David McMillin sent me an email with this cover of the Ryan Adam’s song “New York, New York” and he indicated his love for the city of which the song laments. In fact the boys of Fort Frances are hitting up New York this weekend (see what is happening here?) and playing the Rockwood Music Hall this Saturday, May 18th (Purchase Tickets). So why not take this perfect moment to get a cover of the piano ballad, then you folks in the Big Apple can head over and see them in person this weekend!

Find more on Fort Frances (& their new Harbour EP) by visiting: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Sandy

New album Alert: Frank Schweikhardt has just released his newest album ‘Kitchen Table’. While the album was expected and I am aware of FS due to his incredible previous album “Life But No More” I was more than pleasantly surprised to hear this new project. The album isn’t a departure from his previous sound yet it still sounds like a completely new beast…I can’t really convey my thoughts clearly (maybe it is a larger sound?) but hopefully you get a little bit of what I am saying. His sound is not folk and not indie-pop but yet kinda both…the un-named planet circling both entities I guess. It is overall a slower paced album and could even have a bit of shoegaze mixed in for good measure. It has such an incredibly comforting texture and feel that I fell into it immediately without the ever present pause that whispers to you “am I going to like this new album?”. I didn’t have a chance to even judge it, just instantly liked it.

I compared the album earlier on twitter to some of the [mellower moments] of the band American Analog Set and I still stand by that. The sound is larger than one individual can record/create but it still sounds personal/from a single creator – a review-esque paradox to say that I like it, go figure.  I have been listening to this album for a couple of months already and it still has sturdy legs and will be found in my best of 2013 list, I am sure of that.

Pick up a copy via the Crossroads of America Website or Bandcamp pages. Grab it on limited vinyl as well – can’t wait for mine to arrive!!

~Sandy

Videos have made a resurgence in the past few years since the “official” days of MTV died an unwarranted death. Maybe it is because things are easier to do with the great camera/recording equipment now, maybe there is more creative types in full view, I think it might be a bit of both. For me, I tend to stick to ‘my people’ for videos and I have a couple people among them that are doing good things. Halfway House out in Michigan and Show Me Shows down in St. Louis in particular are getting the love today.

Water Liars perform Bird of Song from their most recent album Wyoming – always been a fan of these two guys and since they joined to form ‘Water Liars’ a couple of years back it keeps getting better.  Thanks to Show Me Shows for the session.

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Another regular around here is the crew at Halfway House Music and they once again provide a great track from Joshua James via there trip to SXSW 2013. While I waffle a little bit on Joshua James, when he is on he is crazy good. This song, Queen of the City, is an example of that…simply and beautiful – the way I like my music (and most things).

See the Halfway House Music post on the video and grab a copy of the track on their post HERE.

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Finally, I thought I would put up a new video for the song Bruises that is not a live session >gasp!< from Dusted (Brian Borcherdt). Probably my favourite song from his most recent album Total Dust from last year. This one gets a little artsy folks, so don’t be afraid and treat it how you would want to be treated. Remember it can smell your fear.

~~~

~Sandy

Field Report and HearYa – a match made in indie-folk heaven? I definitely think this now. The Milwaukee boys turned up in Chicago in a blizzard and heartily performed 4 tracks. These 4 songs are now available for immersing yourself inside…completely.

The latest album from Field Report is a square kick in the gut of an album and it continues to impress with the additional sessions the band is performing lately. The songs are growing, flexing, gaining additional character (if possible). I like that as a band, Field Report are performing their songs in almost original form each time you hear them. Or at least I ‘hear’ them differently. They are only getting better as a band, I truly believe this. I was having a text conversation with Jeremy Quentin (of the band Small Houses) and he was at a recent show and he commented that they caused a stir in him to crave songwriting. I wish I could say this as well (I am incredibly untalented) but at least I can concur and say that they make me crave listening. That is all.

Dig into Field Report: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Partisan Records (vinyl now available!)

Find the entire HearYa Session (4 tracks, all for free download & additional video) HERE.

~Sandy

Some good music circling overhead these days. Despite the lack of posts lately, there is still great tunes out there and I have grabbed a few that I would like to recommend to my fine readers.

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Canadian Jim Guthrie has a new album out today called ‘Takes Time’ and it is a mix of folk and spacey indie pop. Yup, I just said that and I am still posting a song. Regardless of the earnest folk tunes mixing with the dreamy atmospheric moments – this album is pretty darn good. I would like to prove it with the track ‘Bring on The Night’. Tell me this doesn’t work?!

Find out more/purchase over on Bandcamp.

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Will Stratton is working on a new album and he has been putting some demos up on his Soundcloud account. Most recently he uploaded his 2nd version of ‘Do You Love Where You Live‘ and indicated the song and album are falling into place. A while back he indicated he doesn’t listen to much “folk music” for a folk musician (?!?!); and I think for a musician not immersing in the style of music, he certainly knows how to work the ebb and flow of it all. Kudos Will, the song is beautiful.

I would also suggest listening now as he may replace it with another version or track at any time…

Find out more on Will Stratton on his website.

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Gregory Alan Isakov is releasing a new album in July called ‘The Weatherman‘ and it is highly anticipated. Isakov consistently puts out solid albums and you can’t really go wrong with considering him one of the premier singer-songwriters out there. While this track is better than most of his contemporaries, I feel there will be some real slow burners on the new album that truly make GAI the artist I know him to be. I can hope at least. This track definitely helps soothe the awaiting ears.

Find out more on Gregory Alan Isakov via his website.

~~~

~Sandy

Last night the twitter gods provided some material for the blog. Great little bastards they are.

Jeremy Squires has appeared on the blog before and I sense he might be appearing more and more. His most recent (as in last night) endeavour is a cover of Jill Andrews “Rust Or Gold”. You know Jill Andrews – The Everybodyfields…ahhh, now you got it! The original is a current release as well, so if anything you are enjoying some on the spot cover-song action! I think the original was just on Grey’s Anatomy last night as well…so there is that.

It is a stunning track and enjoy it this Friday.

Find more on Jeremy Squires: Facebook | Website | Twitter
Purchase more of Jeremy Squires: Bandcamp | iTunes

~Sandy

All this discussion on whether or not Slowcoustic is done, over, and complete is unwarranted. I hear the whispers, read the underground forum threads and I see the sideways looks when you notice me at the pub and then nudge your fiancée and ask “isn’t that the guy from that boring blog that has okay music?”

Sorry all, I have been finishing up a course at school, and waiting on a new job (IRL) and sometimes I feel pre-occupied when I think about posting on the ol’ web log. So I tell you what, how about I throw you a few items I like and I can hope you like them as well. Then we can be friends and eventually have ‘that intervention conversation about commitment’ and I can start posting things on the internet again. Deal.

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Listen to this, it is mellow.

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Listen to this because it reminds me of old school Shearwater and not quite as old school Sharon Van Etten.

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Watch and listen to how Strand of Oaks have brow beaten The Tallest Man on Earth and forced him into their world. In a good way.

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I will leave you with a two song Bandcamp release that I found a while back that is a incredible find if I ever found one. The songs are from Damien Jurado and J. Tillman from the Freemont Abbey in Seattle back in 2007. I am a bit confused to as why it is $15USD for the 2 songs and one is already free on Bandcamp…take that how you will. The songs are not titled but the Damien Jurado track is “What Were The Chances” and the J. Tillman is untitled and unreleased as far as I know.

Enjoy.

~Sandy

p.s. Awesome top picture: The Crosses on Good Friday – image from www.fiftypercentchanceofrain.com

Just wanted to post this song as I had my sloth-like excuse for a body on my Schwinn studio cycle and this was my ending/power-song. Sure it is cliché to have a song to boost your energies but honestly, it worked. I don’t normally listen to that much indie rock but sometimes you just need to. I don’t even know how to categorize Japandroids. Are they like some mash of indie-rock-powerpop-etc, etc, etc? Guess so. Regardless, the song The House That Heaven Built is extremely catchy and even this pretty average white guy can “rock out to it”. That is pretty much all I have.

The video kinda conveys all you need it to for this song I think…

Dig into Japandroids: Website | Facebook

~Sandy

Hayden – photo by Vanessa Heins

Hayden has a new video out for the track Oh Memory from his latest album Us Alone that came out yesterday. Hayden is also swinging by the Calgary Folk Fest this summer (July 25th – 28th, 2013 with his main-stage show on July 26th). Still really liking this album and I know it will be a top Canadian album for 2013 for me.

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Zachary Lucky

Zachary Lucky is working on finishing his newest album called The Ballad of Losing You – so sounds like a bit of a barn burner if I had to say. All kidding aside I am sure it will be another excellent collection of songs from this Saskatchewan folkster. You can contribute/pre-order the album by visiting his IndieGoGo page HERE.

Zach does have another tour coming up and should see a May show here in Calgary as well (tour dates). Watch the teaser/making of video for the new album below and hear a new song in the background that sounds very promising.

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Cam Penner

To keep this post all Canadian and with more Calgary Content (#MCC), ex-Calgarian Cam Penner has a new album out now and he has a new video for the lead off single/title track for To Build a Fire performed by Penner and long time contributor/band member Jon Wood. The song is a bit more echo-y folk rock for some readers, but is a pretty darn good listen. Cam also has current tour dates on his site which include two back to back days at the Ironwood Stage for June 1 & 2.

~~~

~Sandy

As promised late last week, we have a couple copies of this delicious white vinyl LP of Kill County’s Dust In Wire to pass on to you, my dear readers. The album is fantastic and was the first album entered into my ‘Best of 2013′ category here on the blog. If you like authentic country folk (what I am officially classifying it as), then these current and former Nebraskans are the crew for you.

The album is 10 songs and not one is a back burner. These all stand up to solid listening. The back and forth vocals of Ringo and Josh add layers to the late night hazy ballads to the more upbeat heartland country. The sound is then fleshed out by Jon, Bryan, Brad, Joe and Terry for the album – an album that can’t come any more recommended.  The band now reside in various locations in the US (and abroad) and while Josh and Ringo write songs many miles apart the final product is cohesive and comes from a true band of today. We don’t know when the next Kill County album will appear, so take this opportunity to get on board with them now.

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So, hopefully you didn’t just scan down to the “giveaway” part, but then again I would be pumped to get my hands on this vinyl as well so I can’t blame any of you good folks. We have two copies of the LP that I will draw at random for to those that email me at admin[at]slowcoustic.com. Simply tell me the name of the previous full length album from 2010.  You can send along your physical mailing address or you can wait to hear back on if you win first – your privacy is first concern here at Slowcoustic….

So, you got it? Email me the name of the previous full length Kill County album to admin[at]slowcoustic.com and you are entered! I wish you all luck on winning this must have vinyl – I will be quick about it and draw winners by Wednesday, April 24th and mail the albums no later than Friday.

You can stream the entire Dust In Wire album via Bandcamp and you can like these good ol’ boys and keep tabs via the Facebooks.

~Sandy

You may remember Jeremy Squires from our Favourites of Couch by CouchWest 2013 post (here) so I wanted to let you all know about a new single he has out currently, Ghostlike.  If you are into beautiful but sombre songs that create a moment of reflection, almost a slowing down of life, than this is a must hear. Squires plays almost all (if not all) instruments for his music to increase his connection to it, to use it as a path to find more about himself and to help heal former wounds. This all sounds awfully brooding, and it is, but it also brings what can be called a more authentic, heartfelt product that he presents to the listener. There are small parts of Squires in each song I hear, and Ghostlike is a great example of this.

You can expect a full length album later this year (I believe in October) called When Will You Go so keep an ear out for it as it is more of the above…you know, if that is your thing. And it should be.

Visit Jeremy Squires: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp  | Twitter

~Sandy

Calgary’s Omarandthebear haven’t technically been on Slowcoustic before but at the saem time they kinda have. Omarandthebear (yes, one word I believe) is a duo of Thiessen brothers (Oliver and Jonathan) of which Oliver has seen some Slowcoustic love here on the site prior (see here). As this project looks to be an extension and growth from his solo performing, I take Omarandthebear as the next step in what Oliver Thiessen has started.

There was a recent 2 track release for Cold Days, Warm Nights just a couple of months back, but when I went back to look into it there was a new 3 track release for another EP called Some Songs! While I was going to feature the former, I thought as the latter is the new release, that it would get the top photo placement. Both are in the same vein with Thiessen’s vocals soaring over dreamy acoustic soundscapes. The kinda thing we like around here. There is quite a prolific YouTube channel you can peruse for more performances, but let us not get sidetracked and stream some music!

For a bonus, I thought I would dig deep into the aforementioned YouTube channel and provide a cover song performance of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love. I mean, why not?!

Find more on Omarandthebear: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

~Sandy

Everybody who cares about music in some way has a few artists that they feel are criminally under-rated. That might not even be the case here as those who like these two tend to like them a lot but I want to hear about them more than I currently do. They make great traditional folk/americana style music and it is both accessible while still being “authentic” music. So I wonder to myself, why am I not hearing more about these two guys? Like everyday. All day.

Huck Notari and Joe Sampson seem to be popular among their local brethren out in the North West(ish) areas of the United States. Huck in Portland and Joe in and around Denver I believe. Huck just had a successfully funded Kickstarter for his upcoming album, Huck Notari and the River,  which I am eagerly awaiting and Joe had one of my favourite albums of 2012, Kill Our Friends (see here).

The reason I am posting this today is by chance I was looking at the videographer for the Fuel/Friends Sessions after posting the crazy good Nathaniel Rateliff video yesterday from his Fuel/Friends Chapel Session and low and behold the same videographer has two fairly recent videos of Huck and Joe (separately). You can check out the entire video channel which holds a ridiculous amount of great music as well (see the channel here). So with no further adieu, Huck Notari performing “Old Dirt Road” which I believe is a new track from the upcoming album and Joe Sampson with his song “Sunshine” (which is also new??).

Huck Notari: Website

Joe Sampson: Website/Label

~Sandy

p.s. By not so sheer coincidence, you can find some Nathaniel Rateliff AND Joe Sampson performing together on a previous post here.

I try not to do too many playlists as they end up being less focused on any one artist or song. While I may want to promote a specific artist more than a “mixtape” or playlist may express, I am by far a lazy man and so here we are.  I also am not a huge fan for having a lot of posts with 10+ songs as they are merely click-bait for music bloggers. But alas, things have been a tad quiet here so I kinda have to get you some tunes in bulk to make up for it. Also, if I were to be honest, I could use some mad hits.

The last bit has found me listening to the below folks and by all means, they deserve some spins around your place as well.

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So first off I want to direct your to the Graveface Records Bandcamp page for a listen (& hopefully purchase) of the 2 CD Jason Molina tribute/fund raiser release, Weary Engine Blues.  100% of all funds go to the family of Jason Molina who has sadly passed only a couple of short weeks ago.  So visit http://graveface.bandcamp.com/ quick like! I will leave you with a couple of tracks to persuade ya.

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Nathaniel Rateliff did an outstanding Fuel Friends Chapel Session a while back and it went live on the site a couple days ago. You can find the full post over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends HERE.  Take a listen/watch of the track Closer – good stuff right?

Closer (Fuel Friends Session) - Nathaniel Rateliff
*grab the higher quality version at Fuel/Friends*

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Frank Schweikhardt has a new album coming out over on XRA Records next month (info) and I have been listening to it for all week and it is intoxicating! It has a mellow hazy spring vibe. I thought I felt like there was an American Analog Set vibe to it and that is a good thing.  Take a listen to the lead off track Motel in video and streaming formats.

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Dolorean has now digitized their entire catalog and put it up at Bandcamp for streaming and some purchasing.  Great stuff here like the classic albums You Can’t Win and The Unfazed plus bonus covers and hard to find stuff!  Listen to three favourites that are now free downloads via Bandcamp!

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The Field Report boys are doing sessions all over the place lately! How about you check out a KDHX  in studio performance of Evergreen followed by a Savannah Stopover stream of a new song, 40/40!

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There you have a Friday Slowcoustic Playlist! I hope you like it as much as I have been this week.

~Sandy

Andy Oliveri has been a favourite since we connected on our J. Tillman Cover Project and his incredible version of My Waking Days (see here). I feel there is good things in the future for this guy and once again he shows me it needs to happen very soon.  To prove my point, listen to a new song performed for the Pembroke Sessions and just recently put online.  The track is called To be the King and it is absolutely gorgeous.

Check out this guy. Seriously.

Andy Oliveri: Facebook | istartedthefire records

~Sandy

Fred Woods – photo by Janek Barb

While digging through the ol inbox the other day I came upon an email for Fred Woods. Sounded unassuming and the email was not full of overly flowery wording and was to the point. I gave it a quick listen and was blown away immediately. A lot of music slips past me just due to shear volume released each week (even in a niche genre like “Slowcoustic”) and this is one of those moments where I think it might have been fate that I listened.  This early 2013 released album Documenta is stellar and I just can’t stop listening now.

Fred Woods is based in Montreal and is a musician that creates sombre music, with highs and lows, ebbs and flows and that ranges from whispers to crescendos. Now that all the juxtaposition examples are out of the way, this Documenta album is a beauty of echoing darkness. Not necessarily in subject matter but the album has a weight to it, it carries a sense of gravitas that many albums do not. Almost as if it is a soundtrack to a black and white murder mystery played at half speed. A good example of this is the song The Pond, with almost too easy acoustics, ethereal backing and trudging percussion. The song has the ebb and flow I mentioned earlier and feels like a song restrained with only moments to express what is truly inside it. It teases and eventually relents in the last 50 seconds or so – you feel it along the hairs on the back of your neck and it feels good.

Another feature song is Schools that comes in with accompanying video – which again, matches the mood of this particular song and the album in general if I had to say. In the video Woods is found alone and running throught the…er, um woods. You just want to know what he is running from…or towards.

I can’t recommend this album enough – it has thoroughly gotten under my skin and crawled everywhere it can. Headphones? Get on this album in headphones already!

Find the album for purchase in digital and CD format on his Bandcamp page HERE. There was a rumour of a vinyl album…but haven’t seen it surface yet.  You can also ‘like’ him on Facebook HERE.

~Sandy

Denison Witmer has a new self-titled album coming out at the end of this month and he wow’d with a new song premiere yesterday over on American Songwriter. The song is ‘Asa’ which is originally from Bry Webb (written for Webb’s son Asa) and Witmer pays hommage in the best way, with a incredibly well done cover. Witmer’s version carries the sentiment of the original while still having the small nuances that make it his own. When good folks cover songs from good folks – this makes it all worth it for us music bloggers!

You can find more info and pre-order the album via Asthmatic Kitty HERE.

Denison Witmer: Website | Bandcamp

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Calgary’s own Reuben and the Dark have a new video from their upcoming album, Funeral Sky, that is highly anticipated around Slowcoustic HQ. Check out Winter’s Widow from their recent visit with Welcome To The West.

While you wait, you can swing by the Bandcamp page for Reuben Bullock/Reuben and the Dark HERE or the band website HERE.

~S

So I have been remiss in the “Moving Pictures Monday” series due to many issues and excuses and negligence and various things so here we are on a Tuesday. Let’s just not focus on that too closely.

I have 4 videos from some people that I tend to like around here at Slowcoustic. I am starting it off with the Icelandic beauty of Old Skin from Ólafur Arnalds – great video to compliment the stunning song.

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Next I saw a recent video of Will Johnson performing at the American Songwriter offices. He was interviewing and playing and this is a lovely track from his most recent album Scorpion. Watch You Will Be Here, Mine below (if you are in a hurry you can zip up to around the 1:10 mark).

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The recent release from Phosphorescent had it’s lead off track, Song for Zula, premiere in video form at NPR (read more) and I thought I needed to post it. It is great single shot video, filmed at a high frame rate then slowed down to give the slo-mo vibe. Mixed with the song, these visuals give it a very nice touch, imho.

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Lastly we have Montreal folky Leif Vollebekk performing on the Q radio show. Leif performs a nice rendition of When The Subway Comes Above The Ground from his excellent album North Americana.

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There you have it, Moving Pictures Tuesday! Hopefully we will see you once again on next Monday.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

I mentioned the other day on Twitter that I kind of slept on this whole Daughter thing. I am still not really up to speed but I have heard a few tracks that I really like. With Slowcoustic almost an all boys club for folk and folk related music I thought we needed to push up through that glass ceiling and get some of the fairer sex (even if “Daughter” are technically 1/3 fairer sex).

I first really listened to Daughter with a recent BBC session where the lovely vocals of Elena Tonra mashing and covering Bon Iver’s “Perth” and Hot Chip’s “Ready For The Floor”. Saw this the other day over on new Blogroller Songsfortheday – love me some like minded bloggers.

Then I took a bit of a closer look on this London trio (have they always been a trio?) and found another video from their YouTube channel from the upcoming album (in Canada at least, it may already be out in the UK) called Smother and it is gorgeous. The below promotional stream is from when the song was a 7″ single last year but it also appears on the new album If You Leave as well.

So I even went further. Yes, it is true my minions, further. A nice little stream from their previous The Wild Youth EP called Medicine. Once looking at the number of plays these guys get on their Soundcloud page, they must be pretty popular and that also makes me wonder why I haven’t listened prior. I think I had heard of them but assumed they were your run of the mill indie band like every other band there ever was these days. Being a music blogger I end up being an asshole like that and honestly I have to be. I think. But I digress, the song is below.

There you have it, I am going to go and sob quietly in the corner while staring blankly off into the distance (the assumed position one takes while listening to most Daughter tracks) while at the same time enjoying it.

Visit Daughter: Website | Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud

~Sandy

p.s. I believe they were originally called “ohDaughter”, but I don’t know anything about that right now.

The boys from Nebraska have their new album “in hand” and have just opened the pre-order for Dust In Wire via Bandcamp!  The album was a successful Kickstarter a few months back in order to get a lovely vinyl copy of the album.  The Kickstarter rewards should be shipping out this weekend with the official release of the album being April 15th.

I know I keep saying/describing the same thing about Kill County, that they make “real country/folk”. Not anything John Q. Public will hear these days when asking for “country” or “folk” but the kind that some of us really connect to and have the opportunity to really dig our teeth into. Their music is a mixture of poignant slow burners with a raucous drunken chaser. This is the kind of music that comes from musicians who love music, not musical artists created to sell the consumable product of music.  This is the kind of music that one listens to over and over again and finds it loses absolutely none of it’s lustre.

I think the Facebook description really hits it on the mark on their music: “folk music soaked with sweat, beer, and ambition“.

So folks, you should drop by their Bandcamp (here) and listen to a 3rd streaming track while you fumble around to find your PayPal password.  You might also want to “like” them on the book of faces as well (here).

~Sandy

Donovan Woods has a new album out as of yesterday and in true album release week style, he has come forth with video footage of one of the best tracks on the album, Sask. The new album is called Don’t Get Too Grand and is available via iTunes & Zunior (at which you may purchase a FLAC copy if you so desire, which is awesome). You all can’t miss out on one of Canada’s best all around guys here, folks. I can say this because we have exchanged emails, so yeah, we’re pretty tight.

Aaaaaanyway, here is that video for Sask, enjoy:

Donovan Woods- Sask from Adrian Vieni (Wood & Wires) on Vimeo.

Donovan Woods performs ‘Sask’ live for Wood & Wires.

Video by Adrian Vieni

http://woodandwiresproductions.com
http://bestsongwriterever.com

~~~

~Sandy

Jason Molina – photo by Matt Pence

Things have been quiet around Slowcoustic the last couple of weeks. The site has been getting some needed maintenance behind the scenes (that actually isn’t going that well) but it is on its way back to being on track. Just in time to say goodbye to Jason Molina. Terrible segue, I know, but I have been purposely not posting here waiting to get the site back to health while Molina slipped away due to his own. Probably the first musician that has been important to me that has passed – like losing that first family member, it is an odd feeling. I have skated through life and have had very little loss or death touch me. I am fortunate for it and I know it. I can also recognize that many indicate that ‘challenge/struggle’ and even loss is what makes you the person you are. Some have experienced more than their share and it in turn has truly defined them. Those have often had to push uphill through many a thorned bush. If we choose to hear the many stories of Molina, we know that his path was steeper than most.

I type that last statement above without knowing Jason Molina, but I was never going to know him. Even meeting him would have been a struggle if I made an effort in the last few years (when his music really came to me). I was just a guy who liked the music he made. Not all of it, but a god damn lot of it. I clearly liked the more sparse solo “electro-coustic” Molina – the Songs: Ohia moments were the highlights for me. Not known for the best singing voice, he became a vocalist that was immediately recognizable to anyone who listened to him. It was as if his voice was the thing he was singing about – it felt rough, often pained. It sounded real.

I also felt there was a secondary atmosphere to Molina’s songwriting – there was the down trodden musician yes, but there was also a “known enemy” in it as well. It was like he was self aware – he knew things were often hard and he knew he had a hand in it (like we all do, he was just man enough to admit it). I won’t speak to any sort of “addiction” that there are numerous stories about because things like that are often out of context, out of proportion and are simply one person’s view from the outside in. Everyone has their own demons, some have just had an opportunity to try and work through them in a more public setting. I fully believe that this public is better off for it. I just wish I didn’t have to let go soo soon. RIP Mr. Molina.

I wanted to leave you with a song and the last couple lines of lyrics from it. It is incredible songs like this that made me feel how I do about Molina and his music. Listen to “The Big Game Is Every Night”, an all time great.

Moon shine that white lightning light
Down on the Possums’ stage tonight
Maybe on the Man in Black
You could hold a little something back
Let his eyes adjust to the light
Rise Moon Rise above me
Show an American if really I am the snake they’re all saying
If they look up here do they see just my black tail swaying?
If I’m all fangs and all lies and all poison
If I’m really what they’re saying
I don’t want to disappoint them.

Visit http://live.magnoliaelectricco.com/ to listen to the entire Jason Molina discography while it is still up. You can contribute to Jason’s medical fund as a memorial gift by sending money via PayPal.

~Sandy

As the 2013 installment of SXSW is ending, alas, so is CXCW. Sad times abound folks.

Even though both are ending, there are ever so slight differences in the two festivals I find that came out over the last week. This March at CXCW, I didn’t stand in line for anything, pay too much money for somewhat adequate beer, feel mostly under-hip and wasn’t in a rush to do anything. I did as little as possible all while not having “Big Nacho” watching over me and using my presence to placate its stockholders and bottom line. I was free to listen and casually nod my head to music whenever the hell I wanted and had the opportunity to eat Mexican food without irony. I did this for the entire length of the 2013 Couch by Couchwest festival and it seems like a success to me. I am sure you agree. Let me also be clear, this is not an anti-SXSW situation, it is an alternate version of the current SXSW festival and glimmers of early SXSW (or so I am lead to believe from the purists). So take it how ya like -  I/we would have it no other way.

Overall this year I didn’t find myself endlessly pining over the numerous posts (cuz that is the point, right?) but I did find some great music from some worthy folks regardless. In fact it was quite easy to dig through the pages of couchbycouchwest.com and find enough great music…like embarrassingly easy. Below are (most) of my favourite videos submitted to CXCW 2013 and in no particular order for all you list maniacs.

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For those keeping score, the below videos are (in order):

~ Josie Little – “Rain (Patty Griffin cover)”
~ Austin Lucas – “Alone in Memphis”
~ Juniper Tar – “Frying Pan (Victoria Williams cover)”
~ Valentiger - “Have You Heard Her Cry?”
~ John Gleason of Roadside Graves – “Surfing’s For Jerks”
~ Joe Whyte – “Baltimore”
~ John Phelan of Truckstop Darlin’ - “Remember Me”
~ Perry Brown of Fire Mountain – “Anchor Iron”
~ Jeremy Squires – “The Nest”

~~~

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Dusted has a new track that comes as an officially unofficial unreleased track. Ummmm, yeah, it is a new song that is now available as a lone piece of recorded material, I guess. And it is ridiculously good!

Hand Drawn Dracula put up the free download via their Soundcloud page and I found it yesterday through an Exclaim! article I think. Anyway, the song is below in all its downtrodden goodness. Borcherdt and crew make that transition of acoustic oriented music to fully electric with a full band and it still retains that closeness/familiarity of a folk tune. I am sure when played live it might have a bit more “space & time” but as is, it definitely kills in headphones.

Find yourself in SXSW this week or around the Ontario area in the next few weeks, you can hopefully catch this track live.

DUSTED TOUR DATES
March 14 – Austin, TX – SXSW Polyvinyl Records Showcase @ Red Eyed Fly – 9 pm
March 15 – Austin, TX – SXSW Halifax Pop Explosion Party @ Friends – 1:45 pm
March 15 – Austin, TX – SXSW Under The Radar Party @ Flamingo Cantina – 3:15 pm
March 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW Halifax Pop Explosion @ Friends – 11 pm
April 5 – Guelph, ON – Kazoo Fest *
April 7 – Hamilton, ON – This Aint Hollywood *%
April 11 – Kitchener – Waterloo, ON – Starlight *#
April 12 – Ottawa, ON – Pressed *^
April 13 – Montreal, ON – TBA ^
April 20 – Kingston, ON – Grad Club *
April 26 – London, ON – APK
April 27 – Toronto, ON – Parkdale Library *

# Absolutely Free, % Blackburn, ^ Ell V Gore, * Rituals

More info at totallydusted.com

~Sandy

Don’t Get Too Grand from Donovan Woods is scheduled for wide release on March 26th (currently available in Canada). The album and these “Eleven Songs by Donovan Woods” have been highly anticipated by yours truly and as I thought, it/they have not disappointed. The album has been my most listened to for a couple weeks already and has quite easily made its way to my best of 2013 list.

The album has been written in the way I perceive Woods to actually be in real life (while only “internet knowing” him, I tend to project on who people are anyway, get off my back). The title of the album is a clear reference to not take yourself too seriously and to be someone who would be considered by everyone around him as a good guy. The often amusing and self deprecating musician just might find himself in this category if I had to say (again, if I actually knew him). This in turn leads to my/his impression on this music – it is something honest, forthright and accessible by those who listen to it. I personally have always felt this way of the body of work from Woods as he seems to be that proverbial guy next door – if the guy next door is a god-damn talented musician that is. You want him to be the always be the guy who brings the guitar to the party, while not being “that guy who brings the guitar to the party”…ya know?

The songs from Woods are vignettes of real real life, things that even some schlep in Calgary like me can “get”. They just so happen to be incredibly catchy and immediately stuck in your head from the first listen. A song like Put on, Cologne that has been circling for a while in lead up to the album is a great example of what is delivered from Woods on the album. The perfect title aside, it is essentially a story of love lost – the staple of the singer-songwriter, but it comes off as an almost uplifting experience. You are tapping your toes while relating to this past “tragedy”. Then the song My Boy is where a father sits and asks about his son and laments a father’s love for his child – a clear nod to what will be the future of new father Woods. He explained that he wanted the album to be a collection of songs that we all can call our own and he has done a incredible job of it.

I also have a treat today in the stream of the song Taft – I believe to reference the former president of the United States (I am not fully up on my presidential history!). Don’t worry Canadians, he does also include multiple Canadian specific tracks (Sask, Petrolia) to make up for it….but damn if this isn’t a great song regardless. I don’t know if this has been out anywhere yet but Woods uploaded a copy for us to listen to here at Slowcoustic and we thank him.

The full track-listing of Don’t Get Too Grand is below along with a couple of upcoming dates that Donovan is playing at CMW leading up to his album release.

March 22 – Toronto, ON – The Lounge at The Marriot Hotel (8:15pm, CMF Acoustic Sessions)

March 23 – Toronto, ON – The Central (10pm)

Come on, you can’t pass up listening to this guy – just look at him being excited to play for you all!

All kidding aside, the guy is gold and you cannot miss out on this new album.  Please consider finding out more at Aporia Records and his own website. If you happen to be from the Great White North of Canada, you can purchase the album via iTunes right now!

~~~

~Sandy (Smansmith)

No official videos today folks, we have live videos across the board. The songs are not so new (Jurado), not really all that new (Cold Specks) and fairly new (Hayden) and bonus video from people I know (Elephant Micah).

Hayden – Motel – Live At The Rivoli from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

Cold Specks – When The City Lights Dim from Mute on Vimeo.

Bonus video today is from the folks at Shaker Steps (heeeeyy Derek!) of a recent Elephant Micah performance (Heeeeeyy Joe!) at The General Store in Louisville (heeeeeyy Scott!).

Enjoy your moving pictures folks.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Father John Misty on the David Letterman Show

All great things must come to an end. Kind of has multiple meanings for this Long May You Run, J. Tillman project. Who knows if we will get another album from “J. Tillman” – maybe Western Vinyl will convince him or Sub Pop will decide that Father John Misty is so successful that a side project would be a good thing. Overall, I think Josh Tillman is strong enough in his convictions to do whatever the hell he wants to for the sake of his music and everybody else is just along for the ride. Whether you think the ride is all just an elaborate ruse or not, it is quite a ride.

As much as I want to not like this new Father John Misty “recording personality”, I just can’t. The FJM borderline condescension via satire can sometimes overwhelm little ol’ me at times but he still has some great frickin’ tunes. I think the days of J. Tillman are behind us – we may get glimpses here and there just due to specific situations where Josh is recording and he shows flecks of what once was.  Again, I think that will be rare and almost by accident. As they say: the king is dead, long live the king.

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Doc Feldman’s cover of Wayward Glance Blues was the first cover I received in my inbox for this project. It blew me away instantly. I was familiar with Doc Feldman’s work as I am one of few that have heard his debut album and it is deep in the kind of southern folk-country that clings to your ribs. This song truly pays homage to the original in my books and lets hope we hear more of Doc Feldman in the very near future.

More Info on Doc Feldman: facebook.com/DocFeldmanmusic

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Next we have another slow burner (it is like I was waiting for Friday to mellow you all out) from David McMillian of the band Fort Frances. David plays Before We Retire with a slow melancholia to immerse in. While playing in the deep end of the sombre pool might not be the traditional game plan for McMillian with his day job with Fort Frances he comes through it all shining like a true sad bastard.

More Info on David McMillian of Fort Frances: fortfrancesmusic.com/ | facebook.com/fortfrancesband

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Kentucky duo Ivy Leaves are now up with their cover of Fireworks. Their song has a nostalgia feeling – maybe it is the subject matter of the song itself or maybe it is the banjo peaking through but I feel a back road and AM radio when hearing their song. Until the kick drum hits and it is a wake up call back to life, almost that moment on a lazy day when you suddenly awake in the hammock only to realize you are exactly where you wanted to be.

More Info on Ivy Leaves: facebook.com/ivyleavesband

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Another song that premiered over at Cover Lay Down this week (see here) was Quarter Mile Thunder’s Trouble’s Always Free. QMT plays the song as if he is singing right in your ear and to you. The only thing that proves he isn’t is the swirling atmosphere surrounding the song. Sung like a caged inmate teaching (or warning) of his plight, it comes as a message in song form about this thing called trouble.

More Info on Quarter Mile Thunder: quartermilethunderband.com/ | facebook.com/quartermilethunder

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Finally I would like to close out the series with an Alabama crew that has always impressed, Fire Mountain. They are young, full of talent and mix the slow ballads with more up-tempo southern folk rock. They have slowed it down to half speed for J. Tillman’s Ties That Bind and they capture the “last song of the night” quality that the whiskey soaked crowd know they all need. I joked to myself that this song might mean more than just a cover now that front-man Perry Brown has just gotten engaged this week…

More Info on Fire Mountain: firemountainband.bandcamp.com/ | facebook.com/firemountainisawesome

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A huge Thank You to all the musicians involved in this Cover Project!!

All covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Cover for the double CD (I Will Return/Long May You Run, J.Tillman) via Fargo Records. Currently the only physical media option for the album.

Okay, so have you all decided to purchase the album? No seriously, have you? One day I will have a super exclusive club and barrier to entry will be physical media of J. Tillman. You have been forewarned.

As you can see I am running out of intros to each day of covers.

Today we have another live take, an achingly beautiful slow burner and two where the artist felt that they might have taken a bit of liberty in their recording. In regards to the two that have taken liberty, I think they just might have been worried that my extreme penchant for acoustic music might sway me from their interpretations of the Tillman originals. As mentioned earlier, this is one of the great parts of this project, you get to hear the song as if by someone else’s ear. Now, I hope I didn’t lead up to this more than I should have…

Let us start with a song that premiered over at Cover Lay Down yesterday (see here). The song is Jamestown Bridge from our good friend Pickering Pick. I am going to say it – I think this might be my favourite cover from the whole project. I feel like I am picking my favourite child and that it simply is not something that you do. Just know that Sam Pickering Pick found a way to bring even more beauty into the quiet fragility of the original. Let this song sink in.

More Info on Pickering Pick: pickeringpick.com/ | yerbird.com/pickering-pick/

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Next is Seven States Across from Netherlandians The Black Atlantic. Geert van der Velde who fronts the band indicated he wanted to work with the song and explore both the song and his own sounds. What came of it is an ambient you-don’t-really-know-The-Black-Atlantic cover song. Recorded in the Adirondack Mountains and mixed via long distance internet sessions over the last few weeks, the song finds a new home bathed in ether with cinematic presence.

More Info on The Black Atlantic: theblackatlantic.com/ | facebook.com/theblackatlantic

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Our second live take of the project is from UK duo The Alpaca Jamboree who perform House Arms Built. They took a direct from the floor recording of the song that comes across as a truly Irish folk version of the original.

More Info on The Alpaca Jamboree: facebook.com/thealpacajamboree | youtube.com/user/TheAlpacaJamboree/videos

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You didn’t think we would have a project this large and not have the East Coast of Canada represented, did you? Jon Janes who records as The Mountains & The Trees brings his cover of Two Years On Film all the way West to Slowcoustic HQ. Janes, along with Geert of The Black Atlantic, felt that he might have swayed from the fully acoustic original. The song melds an electro-acoustic vibe and soundscapes well and opens new layers for the opening track of the original album.

More Info on The Mountains & The Trees: themountainsandthetrees.com/ | facebook.com/themountainsandthetrees | themountainsandthetrees.bandcamp.com/

~~~

Tomorrow is the last day of the project and we will have another FIVE covers then! Again, you have been forewarned.

All covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store

More covers continue through Friday. All week, all Tillman.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

J. Tillman Portrait by Eric Saeter (included in the Fargo CD reprint)

Part Four of our tribute to the album Long May You Run, J. Tillman – had enough yet? I hope not as we have a great frickin’ post today.

Something I have thought of a few times is the change from “J. Tillman” to “Father John Misty” – it isn’t just the style of music but the persona. I mean FJM is larger than life, self aware and (mostly) tongue in cheek with his strong satire. You would never get that impression from listening to this album. An album is not a person though. In early live recordings you can hear Josh mocking himself for giving himself a stage name of “J. Tillman” and joking about “playing the song that rocks”. So maybe this new FJM person we have today is in fact the evolved J. Tillman. Or I don’t know anything and how would I? This brings me to the below…

Today’s first cover is the song Fireworks and it comes from Portland musician Al James of Dolorean. This is not only special because Al James/Dolorean are a personal favourite for me in general, but Al has provided a bit of insight on Tillman from from a tour back in 2004. While I ramble above, read what Al has to say about Josh Tillman, the person, below;

In the Fall of 2004 Dolorean was the opener for a Damien Jurado / Richard Buckner co-headline tour across the U.S. Damien brought along Josh as his drummer. He was still occasionally playing with the post-rock noise outfit Saxon Shore, but was now starting to write and sing his own songs with guitar. For Dolorean, we asked him to sit in and play bass, while I did the same for Damien’s set. A few shows into the tour we all decided that we’d have Josh warm up the crowd and he always did an incredible job. He’d usually just play 3 or 4 songs and people just loved his playing and singing right off the bat. He sold through all the CDRs that he had immediately. I remember then after the tour, all of the sudden lots and lots of CDRs and albums started pouring out. Every time I saw him, he’d give me another one and they all possessed some really great songs.

I may be in the minority on your blog, but I feel like FJM is a purer, more mature version of Josh. If you know him personally and have spent a lot of time touring with him, he’s one of the funniest, most outrageous people you’ll ever meet. I feel like his music as FJM taps into this part of him that his previous stuff as J. Tillman never did. Either way, I’m a huge fan of him as a person and artist. I know of very few people with the guts to walk away from a drumming gig with a band like Fleet Foxes and he did it without looking back, knowing he had his own art to commit to.

Much love to him always.

~Al

Thanks to Al James for providing us with the intro(duction) to the song and possibly Josh Tillman himself.

More Info on Al James/Dolorean: doloreanmusic.com/ | facebook.com/doloreanmusic

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It turns out that today’s post is also the first post that includes songs that we have already had covered by other artists. The song is Before We Retire and this time we hear a great version from Field Report. FR released one of my favourite albums from last year in their self titled debut and if you loved that as much as I did, this cover will only solidify that love for the Milwaukee crew.

More Info on Field Report: field-report.org/ | facebook.com/officialfieldreport

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Now we have Dallas singer-songwriter Nicholas Altobelli with J. Tillman’s My Waking Days. Altobelli has just released an album called Without A Home (info & purchase) that is aiming to solidify him in the Texas scene. This song has something that those familiar with Altobelli might even find new – molasses slow synth! Yes, you heard it here first folks.

More Info on Nicholas Altobelli: nicholasaltobelli.com/ | facebook.com/nicholasaltobelli

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Please note: today you can find more J. Tillman covers from this project premiering over at Cover Lay Down. Read what Joshua has to say about the album, the project and dig into some more music. I dare say his post includes my favourite cover from this project…so be sure to visit CLD around 11:15am EST today!

So remember, all covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store

More covers continue through Friday. All week, all Tillman.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Day three folks. Day three.

Pictured above, the CD disc face from the KEEP Recordings CD (CDR?) – understated, clean, even sparse. A signal of the mindset of the album, the sparseness of the recordings? I like to think that and not that it was a cost effective option of getting the discs made…come on, give me that at least!

This sparseness in the recordings is probably what defined the early Josh Tillman albums, whether you like to call it that or not, it still did. It is what drew me in and captivated. I could only enjoy and savour these recordings. As common as the “lone guy with a guitar” genre can be, sometimes it truly works and it did with J. Tillman.

One of the aspects of this covers project is the fact that not all recordings are sparse. Some find themselves without an acoustic guitar!! I like this. I like all of it. The songs have proven to stand on their own without this defining description of pre-Father John Misty Tillman. So let us get to a few more of these songs, reworked and paid tribute to.

Today I am opening with Michigan’s Cash Harrison and the Terrible Decisions playing House Arms Built.  While being a fuller band sound and enjoying a duo harmony it still retains the quiet times, almost a restrained beauty if you will. The flecks of banjo that come in the last minute are such a great touch!

More Info on Cash Harrison and the Terrible Decisions: www.facebook.com/pages/Cash-Harrison/170605832769 | cashharrison.bandcamp.com/

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Next we have our first live take on a track from Edmonton’s Tyler Butler with Seven States Across. In fact the first time I ever saw Tyler play live was here in Calgary and he played a J. Tillman track (I hope due to the fact he knew I was in the audience). So only fitting that Tyler plays this one true to form, in a way that any fan of the album will appreciate.

More Info on Tyler Butler: facebook.com/tylerbutlermusic | tylerbutler.bandcamp.com/

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Finally today we have a stunning piano ballad from Baltimore, MD’s Small Sur. The piano in the song is played by yesterday’s contributor Andy Abelow in fact. With this version I believe Bob Keal’s vocals channel the tone of the song (& album?) being almost wounded. Coming in at under 2 minutes it is short and sweet….or maybe short and sad.

More Info on Small Sur: smallsur.com/ | facebook.com/smallsur

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So remember, all covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store

More covers continue through Friday. All week, all Tillman.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Long May You Run, J. Tillman Insert

Here we are at the second part of our Long May You Run, J. Tillman Cover Project! I certainly hope last Friday’s “Part I” hit the spot and ensured that you returned for the rest.

I thought I would include the above image as it is the original insert and provides a bit of background on the album. The handwritten card lets you find out about the recording and even explains the album’s title. We also find out why this album retains a lot of the original demo atmosphere – the fact that it didn’t have an opportunity to be mastered by Kory Kruckenburg (who does excellent work, so I am almost torn on what could have been). The more you know, kids.

To start, we have the opening track on the album, Two Years On Film, as told by Andy Abelow. This is one of two songs that will “feature” Andy because he also plays in the band Small Sur who you will also hear later on this week.

More Info on Andy Abelow: soundcloud.com/andyabelow  |  andyabelow.bandcamp.com/

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Next we have Lotte Kestner with her version of Ties That Bind. Long time fan of Lotte Kestner at Slowcoustic and her cover-song does not disappoint. She has also let us know that we just may find a new video of her performing this song show up via her YouTube account this week, so keep an eye out.

More Info on Lotte Kestner: facebook.com/lottekestner | lottekestner.tumblr.com/

Side note: She also has an excellent new album entitled The Bluebird of Happiness that is released tomorrow (see more/purchase here).

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Finally we have Psalmships performing the track Before We Retire. When Joshua Britton who records as Psalmships sent me the track he indicated that he felt it was possibly a bit haunting. This 7 1/2 minute track creeps into you and haunts you exactly the way it is supposed to.

More Info on Psalmships: facebook.com/psalmships | psalmships.bandcamp.com/

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So remember, all covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store

More covers continue through Friday. All week, all Tillman.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Samantha Crain – Photo by Keisha Register

I have been a fan of Samantha Crain’s music for a while and I don’t think I talk about her enough. She has a new album called Kid Face (I believe a reference to the fact that she is often perceived as younger than she is) and it has some pretty great tunes. She strikes me as the kind of person that I would want to know before I even knew her, ya know? I don’t even know why I think this but I just do. It isn’t odd to find an artist who may seem grounded or “real” in the genre of folk or folk related music but that is where I place her. Of course her talent in making great music tends to sway me to thinking she is kinda awesome. I am rambling.

The new album has just come out via Ramseur Records and while I am not posting the official audio from the album, she had recorded the song Churchill (that appears on the new album) a while back with our friends at Halfway House Music. I recommend you swing by her website (see here) for more info and purchase options as well.

Samantha Crain – Churchill – Halfway House Sessions from Halfway House on Vimeo.

Visit her session over on Halfway House Music and you can grab the free mp3 download of this song as well as a Chris Bathgate cover.

You can also check out a really inventive video for the opening track from Kid Face called ‘Never Going Back’ here as well. Now, go, git!

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Great albums and cover songs/tributes. Always a slippery slope and one that I have taken on. By “I/me” I don’t mean I have recorded anything, heaven forbid I actually have any sort of musical talent but there are more than a few musicians who do. More than a few of those musicians agreed to pay homage to the album Long May You Run, J. Tillman by the artist formerly known as J. Tillman.

I have a page set up for this cover project (HERE) that will catalog all the tracks as they get posted here on the blog. I wouldn’t want you to hunt through various posts, but have one spot that conveniently will have all the covers. And there are a lot of them. I have had a great response for this project and it looks to have each song covered twice (and some three times). The songs will be rolled out starting today and will continue after the weekend on Monday with more each and every day. ALL next week is J. Tillman covers!

If you are not familiar with this album you need to be. If you don’t necessarily like the album, you might need to find a new blog (for the short term at least) as I will be basking in the album. Original and cover versions. I am starting out with 3 covers that I thought to myself might be a “band” version of the song, a “2010s” version of the song and one that maybe keeps it true to the original. A great little spread if I had to say.  Let’s start with a full band, Greater Pacific covering my all time favourite Tillman track – Casualties.

How good is that? More Info on Greater Pacific: yerbird.com/greater-pacific/ | facebook.com/GreaterPacific

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Now the modern day folk (if you will) cover via Andy Oliveri with his version of My Waking Days.

More Info on Andy Oliveri: facebook.com/andyoliverimusic

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And finally we have Pilots & Errors with his version of Fireworks.

More Info on Pilots & Errors: facebook.com/pilotsanderrors | pilotsanderrors.bandcamp.com/

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Thanks to Greater Pacific, Andy Oliveri and Pilots & Errors for launching ‘Part I’ of this cover project! Visit them and thank them personally.

So remember: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page

You can find the original via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/album/long-ma…lman/id283854171

A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: fargostore.com/mod/p_disque.ph…article_id=2841

More covers continue on Monday, February 25 through Friday, March 1st!

~Sandy (Smansmith)

I mentioned on Twitter that I will never be clean enough until I see part two. Please let me be clean again.

Visit the Junip Website or even purchase the track via iTunes.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Vancouverite Paul Stewart has two new tracks just released via Bandcamp and two new dates for live performances here in Calgary!

Firstly, Paul has a show this coming Saturday the 23rd at the Cliff House (conveniently located on Cliff Street – see the Facebook Event) performing with Distance Bullock and then on Sunday the 24th he is at Local 510 (on 17th ave, around 9pm).

Secondly, he has a two track digital album, Some Good It Will Come,  that went live yesterday via his Bandcamp page (see here).  The songs are stunning so I will be embedding both tracks below. Fragile vocals, delicate acoustics, subdued hooks (but still actual hooks) that help this be more than just being soft folk-y type music that can fall into the sea of sameness. I especially like the ‘b-side’ track Stage Name, coming in at just over 5 minutes it is a hefty bite, but holds me the entire time. He builds into each song, so a simple cursory scan of the first minute of the song streams (as many are prone to do, including myself) will not reveal the true song, take the time and drink in what Stewart is providing. It will be worth your time and your $2.00.

This double shot from Paul Stewart and the recently posted on Andy Oliveri two track release are the best double A-side releases I have heard this year. Easily.

Find more of Paul Steward: Facebook | Bandcamp

~Sandy (Smansmith)

p.s. Just a note that the banner image (forest photo) on the front page is by Ryan Bekolay and the album art photo above is from Warren Humeny.

Mr. Janssen has decided to lay out another opus styled EP on the heels of his full length Ancient Crime from last year. The new 6 track EP is called The Lonely Mountains and should see a release on February 28th.

Ancient Crime was a concept album based on an alternate world of Janssen’s early years of attending boarding school – full of ambitious soundscapes, choirs and larger than life songs mixed with up close and personal moments.  With The Lonely Mountains he continues on this journey with rearranging works by Chopin and Britten, and adding new verses to poems by Robert Herrick and W.N. Hodgson. He also combined newer songs and reworked others – such as the video below for Drift which also appears on his previous album. The song was probably my favourite on the Ancient Crime release and this newer, even more delicate and gorgeous version is looking to take charge on the new EP as well. Highly recommended.

The EP is currently available for a pre-order from Snowstar Records HERE. For that alternate version of Drift, you can find it via Snowstar Record’s Bandcamp page for the Ancient Crime album HERE.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

We are once again privileged to be working with Clint Michigan in premiering the latest video from his most recent album Coeur d’Alene. You may remember we also premiered his Aaman Crane video (here) that is also from said album (find it on Bandcamp here).

For this video of the album’s title track, don’t let the lullaby-like sound of the piano and comforting acoustic strumming belie what the song is about. The video on the other hand is just the perfect companion to bridge the simple beauty of the song to the story of struggle in the song. Coeur d’Alene was not only a location for Clint Asay but possibly a turning point.  Read more about the making of the album that may give you more insight into the song via Clint’s new website here.

Clint Michigan’s “Coeur d’Alene” from CLINT MICHIGAN on Vimeo.

The video’s music is obviously by Clint Michigan (Clint Asay) and animated by Michal Tlusty along with Creative Assistant Andriana Seifertova. The three have created a video that unfolds as a journey of a lone person which echoes hardships and loneliness then at the moment of discovery…the world seems to brighten, become fuller and more colorful. Then you see it is the path that got you to that very spot. Enjoy the video!

If in the Brooklyn area, you can find Clint Michigan playing at the Union Pool on February 28th as well.

Find more on Clint Michigan: Website | Facebook

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Not really a Valentine’s themed post, but then again with a genre that tends to be almost exclusively about relationships it could be Valentines or the anti-Valentines day around here every day. No theme here, this is just a post as I love both the songs on this fairly recent 7″ single from Andy Oliveri.

I came to know of Andy only a few short weeks ago and I have been impressed from what I have heard since my very first listen. The two track vinyl is out on istartedthefire Records in the UK and features pretty straight forward (for the lay person) folky singer-songwriter tracks. I actually like the “b-side” track She Bets On Wild Horses a touch more with its echo-y reverb, harmonica and hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. That is not to say that the title track A Heart That Sings Can Never Bleed is lesser (I especially like the perfect flecks of banjo midway through it), as it helps to provide a perfect one-two punch showing range in this young musician.

How good is that? I am looking forward to more from Andy and I might not have to look further than our upcoming J. Tillman Cover Project (possibly next week) as Andy is performing a track for it. You will not be disappointed, so stick around.

Bonus: watch the understated beauty for the video of A Heart That Sings Can Never Bleed:

Find out more on Andy Oliveri: Facebook | Bandcamp | istartedthefire | Website

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Elephant Micah has just announced that there is a new LP on the way called Gold Rush Progressions due on March 12th via BlueSanct Recording. The label have just started the pre-order for the 8 track vinyl (see here for options) and we have my favourite track from the album streaming (& free download) below.

The release is referred to as a “forgotten Elephant Micah album” as it includes rare compilation tracks and unreleased songs from the vault of Joe O’Connell. If you are familiar with O’Connell’s Elephant Micah recording persona you will know that he flexes between a more traditional singer songwriter (like the above track Ever Greener) to the more avant-experimental sound creator (as in the song Schroeder in Borneo that you can hear via Soundcloud).  You will get both on this album and it is a must for the die hard Elephant Micah fan.

You can find a couple more previous EM recordings via BlueSanct (here) as well as stream some albums via Elephant Micah’s Bandcamp Page (make sure to check out the WNYC Spinning on Air Live tracks).

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Videos! Bands! Music! Lame introduction!

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Reuben and The Dark have just returned from a northern tour of which the above live performance of ‘Eli’ gets it’s Extracurricular video footage from. The song is from Reuben’s debut album Pulling Up Arrows. There is a whole set of the above performance that should surface at some point but for now, enjoy the video of the Great White North. Find more to listen to via Bandcamp.

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Another artist I always want to push into your ears is Joe Sampson. His album from last year Kill Our Friends was one of the year’s best for me. This Colorado based artist is one of the most under appreciated musicians that I listen to on a regular basis. Actually he may be quite popular in his circles, what am I even talking about. Just watch and listen and pick up a copy of his album via Fellow Creature Recordings.

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Last week the long awaited Hayden album premiered and now we also have a new video as well for the track Rainy Saturday. This might be the most ‘rocking’ the new album gets, so it is apt to get the first official video. The video plays on Hayden’s day to day life of being a musician and a father. If you have seen him live or know him you will be familiar with the tongue in cheek style of the video as Mr. Desser wears this comfortable, self deprecating everyman outfit well. And I love him for it. Find more on Hayden via his website.

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I know I just did a post regarding Huck Notari’s new album Kickstarter (back the album here) so I was reminded of this video for Wall Around Your Heart from his previous album. So here it is, so watch it and like it!

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~Sandy (Smansmith)

Huck Notari pictured center (photo stolen from Facebook…sorry Huck!)

Vesa over at One Chord To Another gave me the good news just yesterday that Portland folkie Huck Notari is gearing up for a new album!! I clearly immediately went and backed this worthy project and you should as well.

It has been a short minute since Huck had a new album out but what do they say? “Quality not quantity“? Yup, Huck provides true folk music with an almost country vibe and it is the stuff lovers of this genre we call folk do appreciate. I last wrote about Huck about 3 and a half years ago for his Very Long Dream album (see here) and if the new stuff is anywhere near that album then we are all in for another treat.

Take a listen to a couple of tracks from that album below.

You can visit the Kickstarter for his soon to be third album HERE or click on the below widget.

For more info on Huck Notari you can visit his Website or even his Reverbnation page (you can stream both previous albums there).

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Another installment of a new but hopefully regular feature around here that I am attempting to start – Moving Pictures Monday!

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Today we are starting out with a great new video of Gregory Alan Isakov playing the track All There Is off of his That Sea, The Gambler album. The video was sent to me from Joe Connor who filmed it just prior to a show late last year in Brighton – a great quality video and audio recording here only help to show off the beauty of Isakov’s music. Enjoy this, it is a gooder.

Gregory Alan Isakov : All There Is from Joe Connor on Vimeo.

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Greg over at Captains Dead put me in the direction of the new Joe Pug Do317.com Lounge Session, of which I give the hat tip here. While Greg pointed me at The Great Despiser track, I give you the “other” video for How Good You Are below. I can tend to be a sucker for harmonica, so then you can suck on this video too.

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Next we have Bad Books with the Livestream Sessions video for Pyotr from the most recent album Bad Books II from last year. This song is one of my favourite tracks of 2012 as a whole. There is something about the vocals and delivery of Andy Hull that makes the lyrics hit home for me. I don’t know if they sound alone, slightly off key or just unique enough that they just sound good to my ears – they also fit a song such as this.

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Finally today I have a video that I have always liked. Maybe not necessarily due to the actual video, just the fact that it is a great song and seeing an “real” video for Songs:Ohia can be rare. And as someone who has their finger on the bleeding edge of music videos, it is from an album released over a decade ago and put up on Vimeo at least two years ago. I will now end this week’s Moving Pictures Monday with Songs: Ohia’s Back On Top.

“Back On Top” by Songs: Ohia from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

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Till next Monday.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Okay seriously, when do I listen to a band that gets a lot of internet hype (for an indie)? Like um, never. So I obviously knew Local Natives had a new album out this week but in no way was I going to listen to it, I’m not a sell out – I’m totally “indie indie“, if you know what I mean.

Despite myself preferring/loving and swearing by a genre of music that most people’s parents can “totally relate to”, I still think of myself as hardcore folk-singer-songwriter indie. So again, I was in no way going to sit down to a power listen of some indie darling band. Seriously, 80+ thousand streams in less than a week? No dice.

So yeah, I can be an asshole at times. What do I do, stay steadfast and ignore it or maybe just pretend I heard it and didn’t like it? Then some folks that I trust said they had listened to it and even provided the impression that they even liked it. So my will started to bend.

Then secondly, the whole album is available on Soundcloud to stream.  So it is even easy to listen to if I indeed did choose to try out being “mainstream”.

Fine, it has some moments and I mentally owe Local Natives an apology as I do like some of the sounds they collect into “songs” and release on “albums”. Let us not get carried away, there are a few songs that I immediately skip on the new album (called Hummingbird). There are a few that I have purposefully listened to, like, multiple times. And…enjoyed…it.

Fine, damn it, I will (selectively) listen to the new Local Natives album. And now you will as well.

That is all I am willing to give at this point. Thank you for your time.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Early last year (!!!) We Are Augustines released the single for Chapel Song which has a lovely B-Side of Damien Jurado’s Ohio. It is a beauty if I had to say.

First noticed just yesterday (again, where the hell was I?) over on the Burn The Bowery Blog (see their post here) and I am now having a moment or two with this song. While the original is from way back in 1999, it still stands above most of today’s equivalent ‘folk/singer-songwriter’ stuff and is a favourite of Damien Jurado’s every growing library.  The boys of August and the delivery from WAA main dude is great in their own right and I dare say the vibe of the song is fully intact and is worthy as a tribute as well as a “cover song”. See a video of a live in studio performance of the track on today’s companion post over SlowAcoustic here. Listen below:

The song is also part of their iTunes Session (here) if you need a quick fix purchase. What I don’t really get is why it isn’t labelled as a cover, either on the soundcloud embed/info, the video over on SlowAcoustic or on the iTunes Session. Whatever, still a great track! I shall go back to listening to it now.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

HI54LOFI / HI54LOFI Records (Hi-Five for Lo-Fi) is good stuff. It is run by a guy named Jeremy Sroka over in the UK and he runs the what is “not a record label and not not a record label”. This is a description I like as I think it covers us types (as I graciously include myself in… #humblebrag) that love the music first. Then do the fine line dance between running a record label and being part of a record label. And he is doing a great job.

The same way artists are having more and more flexibilty to release music and get heard globally, music labels (smaller independent labels at least) are finding themselves in collaborative efforts with musicians instead of just overseeing/releasing musician’s albums. These are less and less the days of sitting behind a desk smoking a cigar and ripping off musicians of their intellectual property. Music labels are not a bad thing and I think the ‘music industry’ needs to get in line a bit more and actually start to believe it – speaking from my “I own an independent label and I’m a real person” side of my brain at least.

Buuuuuuuut I digress. Enough fawning over like minded people (no, seriously this is good stuff), I am here to give a massive stamp of approval that has been late in coming. A lot of what happens with hi54lofi whether it be label stuff, blog stuff, et al, it is most likely up my alley and the Bedroom Sessions get both thumbs up around Slowcoustic HQ. Not that it needs my approval, I just didn’t have too many other resources to try and promote a good thing, so I am doing this blog post with my ‘approval’…so get off my back and open your ears for the below.

So then, are you not impressed? I am familiar with all the above except for Scott Rudd that I am just listening to and enjoying now. This is all “bedroom” style recordings (obviously) so it falls right in line with the kind of slow and acoustic music I like around here and All Are Free Downloads!  Long time readers will appreciate the Tyler Butler and Zachary Lucky sessions – the Canadian one-two punch of the sessions so far but do not miss out on the entire series.

So in closing, please swing by Hi54LOFI to listen, read and become part of what Sroka is doing over there. You won’t be disappointed.

HI54LOFI: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Another installment of moving pictures Monday is here and we are conveniently now having it at the start of the week…what with the name moving pictures Monday and all.

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The first video and track from the upcoming Lotte Kestner album is called Cliff and the video premiered over with our friends at Gold Flake Paint (see here), so now it is our turn god damn it! You can pre-order that album, The Bluebird of Happiness that includes this song right here at Saint Marie Records.

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Now we have a friend of the blog Kyle Swartzwelder and a video from his recent session for On The Hill Video Series blog in Philadelphia. Kyle provides the kind of Country/Americana that is timeless and comforting. Once again he does not disappoint. That voice. Something about it makes you feel small, or maybe young and listening to somebody bigger than life, like a classic country balladeer.

Kyle Swartzwelder – Feet First from Jason Stewart on Vimeo.

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In case you missed it on our front page, we also have the first video from the upcoming Small Houses album Exactly Where You Wanted To Be which is released the same day as the Lotte Kestner album mentioned above (Feb. 26th, 2013). Watch Oh, Hiding Out below;

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Even though I posted this over at SlowAcoustic, I still wanted to post it here as it is excellent. The Deep Dark Woods performing The Banks of the Leopold Canal for the Americana Sessions. The sessions are a free download via NoiseTrade as well.

Please ignore the spelling mistake they made in Leopold and the fact they forgot “THE” before the band name and song title. Nobody’s perfect. ;-)

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See ya next Monday for more moving pictures.

~Sandy (Smansmith)

Mike Tod & Cabin Songs are releasing the new album The California Recordings this coming Saturday at a release show at The Lantern here in Calgary!

Mike is such a good guy and has a love for music that, being a music nerd myself, even I admire. He has recently made a trip down South and came back with a selection of stripped down acoustic tracks to show for it. I had the opportunity to hear a lot of these new songs from The California Recordings live already at a small intimate show and they hit home. You know the music comes from within him and while many in the music industry may tell you that they feel this way, with Mike Tod I believe it. I also find that he might belie his young age with both his knowledge of traditional folk music along with being able to perform it authentically.

Stand out songs like The Ballad of the Miner, I’m Coming Back and The Crow are stunningly (and achingly) good and ease up next to you without you noticing. This type of intimate recording puts you next to it and it plays to you and not at you. Some of the songs might be a bit raw for those looking for shiny and polished studio recordings but that wouldn’t be Mike Tod or even these songs. The songs are “A collection of folk songs sung, written or heard while travellin’ through the woods of Northern California…” as he puts it. Listen and watch You’ll Have To Excuse Me below to get an idea.

You’ll Have To Excuse Me from Dylan Rhys Howard on Vimeo.

The few more details of the album release show can be found at the Facebook event (here) or his brand new website at MikeTod.com and you can still pre-order it via Bandcamp and even swing by the Cabin Songs label. If in the Calgary area, don’t miss the opportunity to see a bit of the below type of show:

Mike Tod – photo by Jennifer Allyson

Full details for the show:
The California Recordings | Mike Tod Album Release Show
The Lantern Community Church
1401 10th Avenue SE
Calgary, AB
8:00pm – All Ages
With very special guests
The Bitterweed Draw (acoustic set)
Tyler Butler
& Robbie Bankes

~Sandy (Smansmith)

To start the week I thought I would get some videos out there. A good mix today as well with the ever elusive Fionn Regan (sorry inside joke), Canadian via UK songstress Cold Specks and local indie crew Reuben and the Dark. Now that my introduction has left nothing to your imagination and will colour your every thought of these three, lets get to the video.

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Cold Specks did a great session for Bands in Transit and the videos are now making it to the BIT youtube feed and they do not disappoint. In fact there is a new and currently untitled track just released today (I am soo current, no?). Dig in below (check out the BIT YouTube page for more).

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Next we have Calgary band Reuben and the Dark who are working on finalizing their new album this month but they also have provided a stop gap video for a stop gap EP from late 2012. From the cassette release of Lights/The River we have an iPhone tour video for ‘The River’. Blurry, atmospheric…folk music through squinted eyes you could say. Nice little ditty and video though imho.

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Lastly I am throwing up another “streaming listen” video for Fionn Regan. I wanted to include the latest video for Salt & Cloves that Clash Magazine has as their song of the day today (again, soo current here at Slowcoustic!) but alas it is a private video currently. Good stuff from an excellent album that is apparently being ‘released’ on January 28th (in the UK I presume, so hopefully we Canadians can order a copy of the LP via somebody over there!!). This one is from the good folks at Folk Radio UK for the track Clara to Calary. Don’t think that I didn’t think twice about it being “Clara to CalGary”…

Fionn Regan – Clara to Calary from folk radio on Vimeo.

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Hope this was a good start to your week, will see ya next Monday for more videos!

~Sandy (Smansmith)