Voting is starting soon for the Polaris Music Prize and I have to start actually thinking about the “best” in Canadian Music this past year.  Yours truly is one of the jurors for said prize (and who agreed to having me on board is a whole other issue) and I have some ideas on who I am going to vote for and the voting in general.  Anybody who is unfamiliar with the Polaris Music Prize, it is comparable to the Mercury Prize (UK), Choice Music Prize (Ireland), Australian Music Prize (ummm, Australia) but just the Canadian version of it.

Essentially I was reading the Herohill posts on their long list/short list/list of albums they are thinking of voting for, so I thought I would copy them and do the same.   I think I have a good selection this year, so overall I am not that worried about finding a ‘worthy’ album to vote for at all.  Lots of fantastic albums from some Canucks this year which is no real surprise for me, so that is great.  I do always worry about the idea of “best album” when probably at least half of the music I don’t like right off the bat.  Is that bad to say?

Obviously I like folky and acoustic for the most part – I can appreciate a good album that is not at all related to “folk” music, but do I actually like it and then am I able to vote for it?  This is endless debate in the Polaris forums (as it would be for almost any forum I guess) and for the most part people are just trying to rep an artist that they deem worthy and it is always a subjective thing anyway.  I do however think that without the ‘arguments’ in those forums, there would be missed albums, so good does come out of poor for(u)m, I guess.  Sometimes I do think I find myself a vegetarian being asked to judge a “best steak” contest…but that could just be me!  I am happy to vote and vote I shall.

Who are some of the contenders for me, you ask?  To start, let’s get the criteria for who I can consider…Well the album must be from a Canadian artist (50% + of a band, Canadian citizen, born here, etc) and have an album that is a minimum of 30 minutes (or 8 tracks) released between June 1, 2011 and May 31st, 2012.  So then…who am I considering in alphabetical order?

1. Bry Webb – “Provider”
2. Cold Specks – “I Predict A Graceful Expulsion”
3. The Deep Dark Woods – “The Place I Left Behind”
4. Del Barber – “Headwaters”
5. Feist – “Metals”
6. John K. Samson – “Provincial”
7. Kathleen Edwards – “Voyageur”
8. Ox – “Tuco”
9. Samantha Savage Smith – “Tough Cookie”
10. Siskiyou – “Keep Away The Dead”
11. The Barr Brothers – “The Barr Brothers”
12. The Wooden Sky – “Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun”
13. Weather Station – “All Of It Was Mine”

Sure there are more, but these are some that I have fully listened to and can actually consider.  I will need to listen to some more before I vote, but the above will be considered no matter what.  I have my eye on a couple that are for sure making it through the long and short list for me as long as they make it through the process of voting…I think you might have an idea of who I am thinking of…anyone want to hazard a guess in the comments?

No Ox on Rdio, so below is a Bandcamp Stream for a track.

~Smansmith

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After listening to my brand new Dolorean vinyl for his newest album “The Unfazed”, I was kinda worked up and wanted more. Well, I started going over the fact that I had to post again on the nom de plume that is the Al James fronted band out of Portland.

Admittedly a bit late to the party on Dolorean as I have only been listening for a couple of years, but there are some crazy good slow burners (including the one in this post) from James & Co. that just stop me in my tracks. The new album that is currently creeping up my best of 2011 list is laid back country at its best. From songs like duet beauty of ‘Country Clutter’ (with Bosque Brown I believe) to the stunning ‘Fools Gold Ring’ and up to 70′s rock influenced ‘Black Hills Gold’ – it is a must own album.

But enough of the new album, the song of the day is from a split 7″ Dolorean did with Holy Sons a few years back and there is a bit of a story of first jobs, misread words, Springsteen albums that lead to this song. Read the story from the Dolorean site here. Such a great track – this is minimal & stark singer songwriter at its best. This song is a piano lament of love lost – tragic in its crushing beauty to say the least. A must hear.

Please visit and support Dolorean: Website, Twitter and Facebook.
Purchase on Partisan Records (North America) and Fargo Records (EUR).
Purchase the 7″ split with Dolorean & Holy Sons on the Pamlico Sound site.

~Smansmith

It is Friday and I am on an extended long weekend (because that is how I roll) and wanted to throw some videos and a few songs at ya to see what sticks.  It will all stick.

Wanted to post on a new video of Zachary Lucky and Carly Maicher for “Leaves are Falling” that they played in Liverpool, Nova Scotia during their current cross Canada tour.  I mention this as they will be here in Calgary tonight at a House Show (I’m out of the loop on that) but they have an official show at the Ironwood Stage this Monday, May 21.  Me and the Mrs. will be in attendance, so you should join us for a long weekend beer and some great tunes.  Great tunes like the below!

Visit The Ironwood Stage for info on the show, directions on this Monday’ show!

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Ms. Al Spx has a new video that premiered on Rolling Stone the other day (yes, Rolling Stone – we live in a new era of indie music folks).  The new album isn’t out yet but is garnering some very high praise (myself included).  The album has been in the works for years and it is truly magnificent.  I will also make no secret that I will be voting for Cold Specks on my Polaris Prize ballot (you know the  Polaris Prize right?).  Watch a video for Winter Solstice below!

Find out and pre-order this amazing debut album from Cold Specks: Cold Specks Store

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Lastly but not leastly, we have The Great American Desert (formerly South of Lincoln who was a Slowcoustic best of the year last year) and a new ‘Classroom’ video for the track ‘Whiteclay’ from his upcoming Yer Bird Records (ahem, yes our fantastic label).  You get an intro with the story behind the song and a fantastic live version of the song followed by why Max Holmquist (The Great American Desert) picked up his career in music.  Thanks to the Lawrence High School Film & Media Program for having Max in for the session!

Listen to a bonus track below – which incidentally will be the next video for the LHS Classroom Session as well!

Find more on The Great American Desert: Website

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There you have a grab bag that is chock full of goodness!

~Smansmith

Give up yer cash early and then just try to forget about it...

I have made two pre-orders this week so far (and one Kickstarter donation, but that is for another post upcoming).  Who said the music industry was going down the shitter?

Today I would like to urge you all to purchase both the below pre-orders, or at the very least think about it and maybe get your friend to do it and then simply enjoy it with them when it arrives.  The two albums are JBM’s “Stray Ashes” from Western Vinyl and The Tallest Man On Earth’s “There’s No Leaving Now” from Dead Oceans.

First off JBM’s new album ‘Stray Ashes’, it is released very soon (May 22nd) so the pre-order is only for another few days but this is currently my must-have release as I type this.  This album from Jesse Marchant is spectacular and is going to be one of my favourite albums of 2012 for sure.  I know it.  It is very moody, ethereal at times, stunning, et al.  I can listen to the whole album together, which is a feat in itself these days, and it totally works.  There is not a weak track on this album.  The songs flex a bit in style while still falling under the JBM umbrella – listen to “Only Now” then listen to “Ferry” or “On Fire On A Tightrope” and you will understand.  I just can’t say enough about this album right now.  Listen to a few streams below.

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PRE-ORDER NOW: WESTERN VINYL SHOP

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 Next is the new album “There’s No Leaving Now” from The Tallest Man On Earth coming out on June 12th.  The internet was a buzz with the new single the other day when it was released to the hungry blogging world and it is for good reason.  While I haven’t heard the album yet, TTMOE has become one of the most consistent artists for music in my opinion – so it is a no brainer to pre-order this album to be quite honest.  If you appreciate Kristian Matsson’s musical style & vocal timbre in the first place, everything he has released has been top notch.

I also had to specifically mention the pre-order for this one as the bundle was too good to pass up (and I didn’t).  Secretly Canadian (the ever omnipotent overlord of the Dead Oceans label) is offering a smashing deal in my opinion.  Get the Vinyl album, the CD of the album, a 7″ single while quantities last and a couple posters.  For $21.99 USD!!  I run a small indie label as well and I can tell you that is a fantastic deal.  So go and pre-order this bad boy already!

“1904″ – The Tallest Man On Earth
from the upcoming “There’s No Leaving Now”

PRE-ORDER NOW – WESTERN VINYL/SECRETLY CANADIAN SHOP

Go.  Go now.

~Smansmith

Los Angeles band Sci-Fi Romance enters the “Before & After” fray with a song from the just released album ‘The Ghost of John Henry’ and the track ‘My Love, Look Up’.

Vance Kotrla from the band reached out and provided links to the final album version and his garage demo of the track and it is another great example of a song coming into its own.  Does this mean that yours truly is pulling away from a more stark, acoustic vibe?  No, not quite but just being able to see a song go from that stage to something just a bit more polished while still keeping the original song’s stark acoustic aura while still adding some production value.

‘My Love, Look Up’ is clearly in the sad bastard variety of songs (which is a good thing) and it speaks to the possible last ‘journey’ we take in life – that is if my interpretation of the lyrics is correct.  While it might not be quite as dramatic as that, the song can represent almost any journey one goes through and even with the sombre feeling of the song, you still get a optimistic view of it overall.  Maybe something that could teach us all a few things in life’s journey.  Oh, and it is a great song too.

Listen to the demo of ‘My Love, Look Up’:

Now, listen to the final album version released May 8th:

There you have it!  Volume Four of the series of demo to album songs – hoped you liked it!

Find out a bit more on Sci-Fi Romance: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

Today is the third official “Before & After” post and today we have the band Fort Frances with their track “Hard Earned Heart”.  Fort Frances was most recently on the blog with their great covers project called “…As Told By” (see here) and once again provide some great music for us.

The song “Hard Earned Heart” comes from the latest FF album “The Atlas” from about a year ago with the demo being at least a couple years back.  Fort Frances founder David McMillin indicated to me that this song was a long time in coming and almost had a hard time fitting into their finished album.  Much experimenting and acclimating to a larger sound that Fort Frances has from the original demo might have been the hurdle to overcome.  In working with Sam Kassirer who produced the final album – they created a beauty from the bones of an already great demo.  The final version seems like it always should have, I guess the hard work behind the scenes does actually pay off for the listener after all!  Listen for yourself below.

And now the demo version:

“Hard Earned Heart (Demo)” – Fort Frances/David McMillin

As you can see the bigger sound of a full band/produced final version really accents this particular song from its more folk tinged beginnings.   Kudos on this one!

Visit and find Fort Frances: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

~Smansmith

Wanted to let you all know about this month’s Feel Bad For You (FBFY) Mixtape is themed for the acoustic types.  So clearly I am all over this.  I have been contributing for a while now with a bunch of other bloggers, music lovers and all around alt-country types.  This month my submission is a live acoustic version of “Iso-residue” done solo by Will Johnson of Centro-matic and it is awesome.   The stream is embedded below and below even that is what was submitted and by whom.  Our good friend Rockstar Aimz over at the My Aimz is True blog is our illustrious leader and who is corralling us each month – visit her.

So then , 17 acoustic tracks for your Sunday listening, enjoy!

1. Title: Stagolee
Artist: Beck
Album (year): Avalon Blues: A Tribute To Mississippi John Hurt (2001)
Submitted By: noteethleroy
Comments: I wish Beck would do more simple stuff, he’s damn good at it.

2. Title: Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning
Artist: Cowboy Junkies
Album (year): Acoustic Junk (2009)
Submitted By: erschen

3. Title: American Tune
Artist: Darrell Scott (Paul Simon)
Album (year): Modern Hymns (2008)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: One of my favorite Paul Simon songs, covered by one of my favorite singer-songwriters. A song that never fails to touch my soul.

4. Title: Black Mother Pray
Artist: Tarrus Riley
Album (year): Mecoustic (2012)
Submitted By: tincanman2010
Comments: No-end-to-his-talent young singer’s latest dares you to take a spiritual inventory. More here: http://bit.ly/HOU94Z

5. Title: The Foothills
Artist: Sara Watkins (written by Watkins and Blake Mills)
Album (year): Sun Midnight Sun (2012)
Submitted By: Mando Lines
Comments: Big acoustic instrumental tune, sounds like a movie theme. One of two instrumentals on Watkins’ great new record, which contains a duet with Fiona Apple as well as guest vocals by Jackson Browne and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes).

6. Title: East Nashville Skyline
Artist: Todd Snider
Album (year): What The Folk – Belcourt Theater – Nashville TN (2005)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: This version of ENS is much different than the one Snider included on his Peace, Love & Anarchy release of demos and rarities or that he now performs in his shows. And frankly, I like it better. I was really fortunate to be in the audience the night of this show to hear it. Todd’s show that night capped a great triple-header. Tommy Womack opened and was then followed by Hayes Carll. Todd then took center stage as the headliner and was accompanied by Womack and Jeff Austin of the Yonder Mountain String Band.

7. Title: Stuck on the Inside
Artist: DeepSeaGreen
Album (year): Acoustic Sessions (2011)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: DeepSeaGreen are a garage-rock band from London formed in late 2008. The four piece is made up of brothers Jon and Daniel Jefford (on guitar and drums respectively), Trent Halliday (vocals, guitar) and Marco Menestrina (bass).

8. Title: Loveless Park
Artist: Jason and Alison
Album (year): Woodshed (1995)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: Before forming Verbow, Jason Narducy and Alison Chesley played together as an acoustic duo and put out this album. This is one of my favorite songs – simple, beautiful melody that betrays somewhat downer lyrics. Great song.

9. Title: We Can’t Make it Here
Artist: James McMurtry
Album (year): unreleased (2004)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: I yanked this acoustic version off of McMurtry’s web site a while ago. Very few bands and artists write topical or political songs, and even fewer do it well. McMurtry excels at it, and when all is said and done, this song may be the song that best represents the 2000’s.

10. Title: Iso-Residue (acoustic)
Artist: Will Johnson (Centro-matic)
Album (year): Original on Candidate Waltz (2011)
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: I always was a big fan of Will Johnson and here he shows he can also take an more upbeat Centro-matic tune and give it the solo Will Johnson acoustic touch. This guy can rarely do wrong acoustically in my books.

11. Title: Anastasia
Artist: Loomer
Album (year): BBC Live Session Track from 2005 (from the Songs of the Wild West Island album 2006)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Fell in love with this track when I first heard it and it remains a favourite, it’s a different tempo and mood (and all the better for it in IMHO) than the album version.
Not sure if the band are still together or recording a quick Google revealed little accept a parked website but you can listen to Anastasia and other tracks from the album here http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/LOOMER and download at eMusic. http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/loomer/songs-of-the-wild-west-island/11255770/

12. Title: Question
Artist: The Old 97’s
Album (year): Hit By A Train: The Best Of Old 97′s (2006)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: This one goes out to Laura. I surprised her with ‘the question’ over 22 years ago.

13. Title: Coffee Blues (Live)
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt
Album (year): Salty Dog (orig. 1963, comp. album 2009)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comments: Acoustic, but with a microphone. Does that still count? I traded the Bluesmobile for a microphone.

14. Title: Broken Man
Artist: Lauderdale
Album (year): Moving On (B Sides/unreleased) (2011)
Submitted By: Corey Flegel – This Is American Music

15. Title: Candy Cane Crawl
Artist: Greg Dulli
Album (year): non-album, live track from 2010 acoustic tour
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Submitting this track on Greg fucking Dulli’s 46th birthday. It’s one of my favorite songs by my favorite artist, containing nearly all the elements that make me love him – the cinematic sweep, the perfectly imperfect vocals, and the knife that cuts my soul right in two and lets all the dirt and light and blood and secret beauty pour right out. He’s accompanied by Dave Roesser on guitar and backing vocals, and Rick Nelson on cello.

16. Title: Goodbye California
Artist: Jolie Holland
Album (year): Escondida (2004)
Submitted By: Brad Kelley
Comments: Jolie Holland was in the Be Good Tanyas, but I only recently discovered her. Love her voice and inflections.

17. Title: Elk River Blues
Artist: Ernie Carpenter
Album (year): Tales of Elk River Country (1986)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: The Elk River runs through central WV and was dammed off in 1958 to form Sutton Lake. Ernie Carpenter wrote this tune while sitting on the ridge looking down at Sutton Lake as it covered what used to be his family’s old homeplace. Such powerful emotions from just one fiddle.

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You can find the series over at the website courtesy of A Truer Sound by one simply click HERE.

~Smansmith

The Church of the Good Thief Album Art

Courtesy of PropertyofZack (see their post here) we get the great news of the upcoming Andy Hull helmed Right Away, Great Captain! album.  This is news that warms the cockles as almost anything RAGC! is right up my alley and with the first streaming sample of the track Blame – this is going to be right in my driveway.  While the song has been circling with a demo style live recording for a while, this crisp and clean album cut really helps the song shine.

If you are familiar with Andy Hull (also of the band Manchester Orchestra) and his solo efforts, which tend to be more stripped down recordings as Right Away, Great Captain! you will not be disappointed.  His delivery is always spot on and the timber of his slightly just a bit higher pitched than you thought it would be voice just works.  It pierces right through me.  When Hull is “on”, the songs he sings just carry such an incredible weight and hit with a hammer.  This is great stuff.

The album, The Church of the Good Thief, will be out in in just over a month (June 12th) via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings and there should be a pre-order next week with a bunch of extras.  Oh, did I mention there will be a 4 x 4LP edition that includes the two previous albums?  I believe a ‘holy sheeeet’ is warranted, but that might just be me.

Find more on Right Away, Great Captain!: Facebook | Favorite Gentleman Recordings

~Smansmith

Volume Two!

I happen to also run Yer Bird Records and with that I hear my fair share of demos.  Well one of our artists is the Philadelphia based band Hezekiah Jones.  This group of musicians fronted by Raphael Cutrufello are crazy talented and run the gambit from heart crushing folk ballads to down home Southern porch jams.  Their penchant for use of instrumentation is one of their signature sounds and it really comes out in this ‘Before & After’ track Borrowed Heart.

I think in the musical genre of “folk” this is a great example on how a song can grow leaps and bounds.  In all fairness, going from an acoustic solo demo to a fully produced track by the good people at Weathervane Music for their Shaking Through Session (see here) is not normal, but sure works good for this series!

So a lot of us have heard the final version of the track so I thought I would go backwards on this one.  Let’s first listen to the beautiful production on the final version of the song “Borrowed Heart” after the Brian McTear (production) & Jonathan Low (Engineer) had their way with the bones of the song.

Stunning right?  Now, the original demo probably hasn’t been heard by too many people outside of the Jones’ crew and the Philadelphia crowd, so this is a real treat for a lot of us (myself included).  Listen to the original demo of “Borrowed Heart” as played by Raphael Cutrufello.

“Borrowed Heart (Orig. Demo)” – Hezekiah Jones

There you have it, start to finish.  How was that for a transformation?  Regardless of really liking more acoustic stuff, I can truly appreciate the hard work and production value adorned upon this track from the WXPN/Weathervane Music session.  You?

Find out more on Hezekiah Jones:  Facebook | Twitter | Label
Find out more on the Weathervane Music/Shaking Through sessions: Website | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

p.s.  A great look at creation of the final song can be seen on the video from Shaking Through here.

I have started a series here at Slowcoustic that will focus on a song’s journey through a musician’s creative process.  Essentially a song from demo to album kind of feature.  I will merely touch on the two versions of the same song as I don’t pretend to really be in touch with what each artist goes through to bring a song through the actual song crafting process.  I tend to be the one in the stands, sitting patiently and enjoying.  While this isn’t a new idea (I thought of making it official after doing a recent before & after post on Damien Jurado) but this might be the first official post for this series.  So then folks, Jack James brings the title track of his latest album “Leaving Town” to the table.

Jack James has been around these parts prior (see a previous post) and when I mentioned the series, James was more than happy to get on board!  The song starts as I would assume most folk type demos start – fully acoustic.  I can’t say I am not happy with this natural state, how about you?

“Leaving Town (demo)” – Jack James

Now we move ahead to the album version (that came out Dec. 2011).  The song doesn’t leap ahead to full orchestral production, but gets a polish job and incremental layers.  Adding in banjo and bass line with accents of percussion grow the track and don’t weight it down.  I am a big fan of banjo used in a sparse finger picking way (as opposed to down home hard core hillbilly folk) and this final track embraces it.  The song itself uses these layers to accent the subject matter, or that these new layers peel away a song that finds itself a ‘Dear John’ letter.  Please enjoy what became of ‘Leaving Town’ below.

Thanks to Jack James for being part of our Before & After series – let us know what you think!  Maybe swing by and see what else he is working on via his Bandcamp page here or follow him on Twitter here.

~Smansmith

Fort Frances recently added to their cover song output with the Paul Simon penned and Simon & Garfunkel performed “The Only Living Boy in New York” off the legendary “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album.  Regardless of it being a folk staple, I come away from it quite pleased.  Considering they did a great cover of Beck’s “Guess I’m Doing Fine” from his (imho almost legendary) album “Sea Change” a while back, I find myself not surprised.  Listen to both below.

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You might also want to listen to the band playing their own music.  Consider the covers your gateway songs to the band at a minimum.

Find more on Fort Frances: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Sometimes a band name is so spot on and so accurate that it is not just the moniker of the musician(s) but speaks to what they are about, sound like and what the listener will feel when listening.  Well, Rural Ghosts is just such a band that finds itself in this position.

Rural Ghosts and the self titled 6 track EP (of course it is self titled, how could it not be?) is a recent listen for me and I am glad Erik Neilson (the man who we speak of when we say “Rural Ghosts) thought I would like a listen.   And like I do.

RG speak to what Slowcoustic might be really about.  If the description provided on the Facebook page is any indication how could they not be on this blog?

“Sparse ballads of death, love and regret, set against the thick & mysterious ambiance of Maine’s North Woods”

The songs are lo-fi and echo with intimacy.  I don’t want to assume the songs are at all autobiographical, but you always feel this way when someone rips out parts of themselves and plays music to it.  The songs are all completely acoustic and consist of guitar and voice with even the “air” around the recording adding to what is going on here.  Neilson creates songs that cause time to slip and people to slow down and listen.  While not overtly gothic sounding, the songs mix beauty and sombre like they were childhood friends reuniting after many years apart.  And they pick up exactly where they left off.  It is like the two were never apart at all.

“Bright Side” – Rural Ghosts

You can find Rural Ghosts on Facebook, Reverbnation and purchase on Etsy (yes, Etsy).

~Smansmith

Father John Misty releases his “debut” album Fear Fun today and it is your recommended buy ( via Sub Pop in North American and Bella Union in the UK – I think that is the breakdown).

I don’t really have anything to say about the album in a review sense, but I thought I would give you my Coles notes on it so you don’t think this is as lame a blog post as it might actually be.

This album has:

• Infectious hooks on various songs.
• Out of place songs that make you wonder why they are included.
• A sense of a man branching out from what “everyone thought he was as a musician”.
• Nancy From Now On.
• No matter how you look at it, a vibe of Neil Young.
• A straight laced, uptight man trying to break out of a bohemian shaman.
• Some good music and some alright music.  But mostly pretty good.

There you have it – ‘Fear Fun’ in a nutshell.  I have included probably my favourite track on the album below.  Sure, when the first track, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings, came out (accompanied from the much ballyhooed video) it was eye opening and we all thought to ourselves, “God damn, this is new and will it get better?”.  Well, Nancy seems to think it does.

(if you click over to the Bella Union Soundcloud page – the song is downloadable for free)

So just go pick up a copy and stop listening to the leak from 2 months ago.

Find Father John Misty: Tumblr | Sub Pop | iTunes (bonus demo of the above track is on iTunes) | Bella Union

You can also try the new merch shop for Joshua Tillman over at LuckyHorse Industries HERE.  Purchased from them before, great folks.

~Smansmith

Damien Jurado - image by Sarah Jurado

I discovered/remembered the other day via a random search in my iTunes library about the Damien Jurado demo for “Nothing Is The News” on his new album, Maraqopa.  When I first heard the new version, it didn’t immediately strike me as the demo that we posted back in 2010 (see post here with a couple other tracks) despite the first 30 seconds being almost identical.  I now find myself expecting that electric guitar and percussion to kick in at about 35 seconds in…where the demo now feels “unfinished”.  I guess that is the idea behind a track’s journey from thought, to demo, to final album version.  Of course working with Richard Swift (as Jurado did with Maraqopa) you know that he probably would not allow a solo acoustic song anyway!

So with the new version of Nothing Is The News being over twice as long, you know it has made a longer journey than most songs from the demo stage – especially for an artist who is loosely placed in the ‘singer-songwriter’ genre.  So I look at both tracks being almost two separate songs now.  One the early morning shuffling around the house version and one the driving around the Hollywood hills just prior to sunset version.  I will let you decide which is which.

aaaaand the video for the album version:

Visit Damien Jurado: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Secretly Canadian.

~Smansmith

Will Johnson - (image from Transistor Six Session - transistorsix.com)

Via a precarious #FF (follow friday) on Twitter I found word of the Transistor Six Session from Will Johnson from what looks to be a month ago.  A month ago.  I have been overlooking this for a month already.  For shame.

The session was recorded live at Frank in Austin, TX (of course it was) and includes some old, new and just plain great Will Johnson tunes.  Clearly this leans more towards his South San Gabriel side than the Centro-matic side as it is a solo performance, so if you are a fan you should really enjoy the session.  And it is a full 8 tracks!  Really nice job with the whole thing…there are exclusive photos, recordings (of which 3 are below via Soundcloud) and a video…kudos Transistor Six, kudos.

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Find the full post and additional information over at Transistor Six HERE.
Find more on Will Johnson at the Centro-matic website HERE.

~Smansmith

Field Report (Christopher Porterfield, formerly of the band Conrad Plymouth) has a new album coming in July and I am very excited for it.  If you look for songs thick with emotion and sharp lyrics, than this is your guy.  I think “Fergus Falls” really clinched it for me from a while back that I would be watching this guy forever on what he is recording and releasing.  He has a few tracks streaming from Partisan Records (although a recent Pitchfork article indicated the album is “self released”) that you can sample below.  The latest song to emerge from what looks like a 9 track album is ‘Taking Alcatraz’ and it is my current favourite track easily.

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Visit Field Report on the new website or like on Facebook.

Next we have the new musical endeavor of Brian Borcherdt called Dusted (this is the place where I say “of the band Holy Fuck”).  The album is also staying true to the new name as it is called ‘Total Dust’ and will see a release on July 10th (maybe it will share a release day with Field Report!).  The new album has some teaser videos and a lead off track of hazey indie pop that is currently auditioning for my spring/summer “jam”.  It is a little more upbeat and layered than his previous solo work on the blow-your-mind-album ‘Coyotes’ from 2010 and I have faith it will be a worthy release at a minimum!  You can currently pre-order it over on Hand Drawn Dracula in Canada (here) & Polyvinyl in places that are not Canada (here).  Listen to the lead off track ‘(Into the) Atmosphere’ below!

Bonus Video Teaser for the new album below.

Dusted – Teaser 1 from Hand Drawn Dracula on Vimeo.

Visit Dusted on the new Website and like on Facebook.

~Smansmith

I am a slacker and not posting lately, but after listening to the above track from I Am Oak, I thought I had to share.  I was introduced to I Am Oak from Geert from The Black Atlantic and have been enjoying his incredibly beautiful folk music ever since.  The above track is from his album Oasem (find it on Bandcamp) and comes with a two thumbs up.

I thought I would also throw in a bonus video of The Swell Season performing “Once” as it is kind of a classic and they performed it for AB Sessions as well!  Enjoy.

You shouldn’t need any help finding the Swell Season, but just in case you can find out all about it/them on the website.

~Smansmith

Soooooo…what are you purchasing today?  Are you purchasing today?  Are you aware it is Record Store Day?  No, you should look into it by visiting the website for info (I know readers of Slowcoustic know this, this is just a ploy to offer the RSD website to the uninitiated).

I am feeling especially lazy today as it is the weekend and I plan on drinking beer in a pub with my lovely wifey while eating terribly unhealthy food and discussing what we are going to do with our millions of dollars from “trickle down funds” that an older family member wins in the lotto.  You know…Saturday.  So there are stores here in Calgary that participate in RSD (Sloth Records for one – I spent RSD2010 here) but today I fear I am not going to make it past the very edge of the suburbs, hence no bitchin record stores.  This is a tragedy in itself, so I urge you all to visit and purchase something, anything from your local independent musical emporium.

That being said, the musicians are the reason we have records and they often need help as much (if not more) than the record stores themselves.  So there is always purchasing albums online!  We do live in the future after all and can receive goods from around the world with a few clicks of a mouse.  I will pimp my own online label shortly because I can but I also want to see what y’all are picking up?  Are you picking up a RSD2012 specific item or just purchasing an LP you have always wanted but just needed that little push?  My last RSD purchase was the album “Tallahassee” from The Mountain Goats and the self titled “Daniel, Fred & Julie” vinyls.  They are fan-frickin-tastic.  They obviously were not RSD specific albums and I plan on doing a similar purchase today.  I am thinking the new Horses Feathers album “Cynic’s New Year” or the Cold Specks pre-order of “I Predict a Graceful Expulsion” (listen to a track from the Cold Specks RSD2012 release over on The Blue Walrus).  Both are amazing albums and you will want them both on vinyl.  So those are my choices, how about you?

Now we are also having a Record Store Day 2012 over on Yer Bird Records for the two releases we have on vinyl – Hezekiah Jones’ “Have You Seen Our New Fort?” and Ghosts I’ve Met’s “From A Spark”!  Both are great listens and at 50% off (!!), they are a no brainer…if we say so ourselves.  Listen to each below and click over and use your DISCOUNT CODE: “rsd2012“!!  Vinyl only folks.

There you have it.  Enjoy this 2012 version of Record Store Day!

~Smansmith

New EP from Akron, OH based White Pines is out today!  The 5 track EP is now available from our Yer Bird Records Bandcamp page right here.

I have come to really enjoy the driving force of White Pines, Joseph Scott, and his uncanny ability to bring folk acoustics into a part ambient, part folk rock vibe.  While being a stellar solo acoustic performer, he can build on a track and bring a fuller sound without taking away what you enjoyed about the “folk” aspect of it in the first place.  While it isn’t exactly jangly indie rock that all the kids are talking about, it is still a jump up for this slow and acoustic guy!

If you enjoyed the previous full length album ‘The Falls’ from White Pines, this 5 track EP falls in line with it’s overall sound and would fit nicely into being its companion.  The stand out song here is Bluebird which we have included below in both the original porch-side demo performed solo by Joseph Scott and then the EP version which shows a bit of a before and after in his song-crafting process.

So swing by and pick up a copy of the digital EP over on the Yer Bird Records Bandcamp page and we should have a link to some physical CDs in the very near future, so keep an eye out there as well.

You should be able to grab one of those physical CDs at his upcoming show this weekend if you are in the Cleveland, OH area when White Pines opens for Lambchop(!!).  See info on/rsvp to the Facebook event that just went up HERE and see the details below for those non-FB types:

Lambchop with White Pines
Beachland Ballroom
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012
7:30 pm
$15.00
(Tickets)

Visit White Pines: Album Bandcamp | Label Page | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Doug Paisley - courtesy of No Quarter

Doug Paisley is the kind of guy you just want to root for and enjoy his great music.  I tend to think his music is great in the first place, so thinking that I should *feel like* I should like him only works even more for me.  I don’t know why I think this, but maybe being Canadian, I feel that both me and Doug are already behind the 8-ball.  Regardless of feeling sorry for myself (and non ceremoniously for Paisley), I feel like Doug provides some excellent music that leap-frogs any scenario of Canadian-ness and lands in a “just plain good music” territory.  He has a new EP coming out in a matter of minutes (April 17th on No Quarter) and a new album coming out later this year I believe.  You should be anticipating both.  I just felt I should post after seeing the fantastic video from Southern Souls (below) and thinking that I should be pushing this son-of-a-bitch on all of you.

DOUG PAISLEY – To & Fro from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Find one of his new tracks “Bats” from the 5 track EP streaming below (courtesy of Paste Magazine):

Find out more on Doug Paisley: Website | No Quarter (label)

~Smansmith

p.s.  Find a track from our Slowcoustic Best of 2010 Canadian Music here.

Found this little gem via my Facebook stream (Thanks Laura!) for the “other” track from that Triple J performance over in Australia.  Everyone was posting on the Anais Mitchell cover he did (and it is worthy) but why did everyone seem to not appreciate this version of Calgary he performed?  Regardless – it is another alternate version of ‘Calgary’ that gets the deep and almost gritty voiced Justin Vernon as opposed to the more “Bon Iver-y” version from his latest album.  Enjoy.

Visit the Triple J Session HERE for a download of the video and a bit more info.

~Smansmith

Kill County - February 2012 (courtesy of their Facebook page)

If you are a reader of this blog you know that one of the things I really, really, really enjoy is a heartfelt “country” song that has a bit of twang and southern heartland influence.  It also helps if it is acoustic and (more or less) akin to a sad bastard song.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised (re: totally stoked) when the good folks at Hear Nebraska led me to a recent performance from one of Kill County’s driving forces, Ringo over in Michigan at WCBN 88.3.  See Hear Nebraska’s post here with a bit more info on the band’s current situation and for the full SoundCloud stream of all 5 tracks.

As HN alludes and Ringo himself indicated to me, the follow up to 2010′s fantastic “The Year of Getting By” is well on its way for this year and will be another vinyl release!  If these songs are a sign of the new album, count yours truly in for a spot at the front of that line when it comes out.  Listen to a few tracks courtesy of Hear Nebraska’s SoundCloud account below.

Seek out more on Kill County: Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

I have to apologize for this quick post but I wanted to make sure y’all had a chance to listen and swing by to visit Hip Hatchet today on his album release day!

Today sees “Joy and Better Days” released over on the Hip Hatchet Bandcamp Page (HERE) and comes with a Slowcoustic recommendation.  The album can be considered “folk”, but with Philippe Bronchtein’s vocals giving you a Bill Callahan vibe, you know you are getting more than just a “folk” album.  I will delve into the album further on future posts here on the blog but today is the release day and you need to swing by and give it up for the album!

BONUS: “Child’s Hand in Dirt (Demo)”

Today we also have a treat as Mr. Hip Hatchet has agreed to have us do a before/after post on what is now one of my favourite tracks on the album.  Please enjoy the demo and album version of “Child’s Hands in Dirt” above!

Visit Hip Hatchet: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Every once and a while (and I honestly mean only once and a while), I latch onto an album that isn’t quite a traditional “Slowcoustic” album.  For the last few months it has been the newest album from The Wooden Sky “Every Child A Daughter.  Every Moon A Sun”.  It is a spectacular album.  Period.

I wanted to make sure you are aware of the Scott Cudmore directed video series “Grace On A Hill” or “Grace On The Hill” – both titles are currently listed…so, I am not quite sure which is official.  Anyway, the series which features the band playing 5 tracks (currently at episode/track 3) needs to be seen because it is frickin’ fantastic.  I also might be extra biased towards the videos as I am still so enamoured with the album itself.  While it is still not a hard rockin’ album, it has moments so full of energy and passion that it doesn’t need 180 bpm drums and 4 guitarists wailing away – it’s energy is pulled from strong lyrics, sung with conviction and a soundtrack that ebbs and flows directly into the listener.  Truly an album on my best of 2012 list and am pretty sure it will remain there regardless of what else comes out this year.

Watch the current videos for the Grace On A Hill Series: 1) Bald, Naked and Red, 2) Child of the Valley and 3) Dancing at my window.

The Wooden Sky – Grace On A Hill Pt 1 – Bald, Naked and Red from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky – Grace On A Hill Pt 2 – Child Of The Valley from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky – Grace On A Hill Pt 3 – Dancing At My Window from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.
**UPDATED WITH EPISODE FOUR:

The Wooden Sky – Grace On A Hill Pt 4 – Malibu Rum from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

~~~

Find more from The Wooden Sky: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Good Friday Coffee Drinking!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that – today being a holiday I am without focus as I am just excited to be in comfy clothes and drinking LOTS of coffee at will.  So I thought I would post a few items that have made an appearance in the last bit for your bag of mixed goodies this Good Friday.  Today we have three options for your listening enjoyment in Trotting Bear (with Andy Berkhout) and their video session at Show Me Shows, Pickering Pick doing a great Nick Drake Cover and the lead off track on the new Jos Fortin album!

First off, visuals to awake you gently with the beautiful sounds of St. Louis based Trotting Bear!

Trotting Bear – Feet On The Ground (A Show Me Show) from Jarred Gastreich on Vimeo.

Visit Trotting Bear: Facebook | Website/Bandcamp
Visit Andy Berkhout: Facebook | Website

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Next we have Sam Pickering Pick’s cover of Nick Drake’s ‘From The Morning’.  I mentioned on Twitter when I first heard the track that Pickering Pick lends to a perfect person to cover Nick Drake – it just feels right and easy coming from him.  And it’s a free download for all you mp3 hording types!

Visit Pickering Pick: Website/Bandcamp | Twitter

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Next we have the lead off track from the new album from the Canadian folkie’s new album ‘Typewriter’.  There is just something about the song ‘So Far’ – it is traditional sounding but feels so new…maybe the echoing electric guitar paired with acoustic while there is an almost ambient background swirling around you.  Stunning.

Visit Jos Fortin: Bandcamp | Web/Tumblr

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Enjoy your Friday folks, drink more coffee in comfy pants for me, K?

~Smansmith

Song of the Day is from the great new album “Post-Empire” from Will Stratton.  I actually had it as my song of the night last night in general, so why not have it “officially” posted on the blog?  Why the album has not had a peep on this blog yet is beyond me (re: all my lazy ass’ fault) – so let’s start talking Will Stratton’s latest shall we?

The new album has actually been spinning over here for a surprisingly long time (as has Will Stratton’s music in general) and I don’t want to say this new album is the crown jewel in his discography, but it is the crown jewel in his discography…so far.  While not removing himself from the musical style we have heard from him in the past, he comes in with arguably his best & most complete album to date.  ‘Post-Empire’ is part finger picking folk, part retrospective alt-pop and almost a classic 70′s psychedelia.  That last reference might scare some, but is definitely subdued, but there is something that sounds older than Stratton’s years but I am not one to be able to pin it down….no matter how hard I try.  I think part of his album overview hits the mark for this album and Stratton’s focus on music in general;

“While some music writers may talk themselves hoarse about the dueling narratives of hype and authenticity these days, there will always be artists quietly making music impervious to buzz, telling real stories of decline, romance, hope, regret, and renewal.”

I have chosen the track “The Relatively Fair” for my feature song of the day from the album as it is the one that speaks to me the most.  It displays incredibly infectious hooks (well for a folk – acoustic based song at least) and immediately causes me to nod my head.  While many might say having ‘infectious hooks’ means a song of less breadth, they would be off the mark for the track.  With it’s backing strings and style of acoustic guitar, it treats you to the perfect mix of a catchy song and quality song-crafting.  Do me a favour and also follow along to the lyrics via his Bandcamp page – smart, poignant and actually have the ability to speak to someone.  Try that in the bulk in the music industry these days.  Listen below.

If I were a betting man, I would say that as long as you find yourself on this site, you will want to find yourself listening to ‘The Relatively Fair’ and ‘Post-Empire’ as a whole.  So why don’t you?

Find Will Stratton: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Been looking forward to Jesse Marchant’s (JBM) new album ‘Stray Ashes’ since I heard about it.  As he only makes great albums – if he has a new one, by default I am looking forward to it.  So I have been meaning to mention it here on the blog and once Music Savage (see their post here) posted on the latest track ‘Winter Ghosts’, I am now VERY MUCH looking forward to it.

The first single was actually ‘Only Now’ that premiered over on Paste Magazine’s website (here) and it is a great piano laden song with Marchant building up the almost upbeat track till just past half way when it reaches its peak before returning to an almost ambient collection of pure JBM.  The ebb and flow of that track really works for it.  Now below we are posting the second single ‘Winter Ghosts’ which comes in at whole other speed than ‘Only Now’ and it is a doozy.  This is where JBM shines – the song is whisper quiet at times and also builds (but in a much much less subdued way – you might even need headphones to really get that impression).  The slight echo in the vocal track, the ghostly backing sounds and lightly picked electric guitar meld into the song perfectly.   A beautiful must-hear song that proves the new album, Stray Ashes, will be a must-have.

“Winter Ghosts” – JBM
from the album ‘Stray Ashes’ – due May 22nd on Western Vinyl

Visit JBM: Website | Facebook | Western Vinyl

~Smansmith

The new album from Cold Specks is due in May.  While being fairly familiar with Cold Specks and her previous works/monikers, the new album is looking (sounding) better and better…especially after hearing the production in Blank Maps below!  While I have always enjoyed her raw cathartic sounding ‘folk noir’ – I think it is really coming into its own with the added fine tuning for the full release.  While it does get a bit of a shinier coating, it still retains that gothic soul I have come to love from her.

The song is available to purchase in the UK, but I couldn’t find it here in Canada, so I will include some links below and hopefully you can all find the one you need!

Buy Blank Maps from iTunes: http://bit.ly/GQFtqe
Buy Blank Maps from Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/GZy4Q3

Pre-order I Predict A Graceful Expulsion from Artist Shop: http://bit.ly/GZUpAv
Pre-order I Predict A Graceful Expulsion from Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/GZydD5

~~

Visit Cold Specks: Website | Facebook | Arts & Crafts Label | Mute Label

~Smansmith

ANDY SHAUF – Covered In Dust from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Today we have a couple of videos from a couple of guys that know me as “that old guy they had coffee with in Calgary one day”.  Yeah, its not hard to think that way when you meet up with a couple of talented young musicians on a tour stop in Calgary.  Early last year Myself, Andy and Zachary visited a local coffee shop near my day job and we had good coffee, a couple of laughs and a good conversation.

Andy Shauf was kind enough to provide up one of his CDs and low and behold he has a new EP just out this week as well (see his bandcamp page for ‘Sam Jones Feeds His Demons’), so alongside the great Southern Souls video above take a listen to a new track from him below.  Side note is the video above includes the song ‘Covered in Dust’ which will be on Shauf’s next full length release.

Find out more on Andy Shauf: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Zachary Lucky – ‘Saskatchewan’ (Street Folk Sessions) from James Maunder on Vimeo.

Next video is Zachary Lucky with a brand new video via the Street Folk Sessions in out in Hamilton, ON.  Lucky is currently on another cross Canada tour, this time in support of his excellent new EP ‘Saskatchewan’.  Fittingly, the song is the title track and is one of my favourite tracks this year.  Watch it above and stream it below.

Find more on Zachary Lucky: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Just over a week ago we over at Yer Bird Records met up with Brock Mitchell for a video session for Tyler Butler.  Tyler made it down for the day as he had a house show that night and we juuuuuust squeaked in this video in time to get back to the venue for the house show only 2-3 minutes late.  If it wasn’t for the quick and talented Mitchell, we could have had a pretty surly crowd at the show!  That might be an exaggeration but overall it was a bit cold, a bit rushed but the results shown here in the video make no note of it at all.  A stunning video and the latest in the growing video series for Shot At The Dark.

Enjoy Tyler Butler playing “Plover” (pronounced “Pluh-ver”) from his album Winter King.  Please disregard the footage of vandalism by the artist starting around the 1:50 mark…

SHOT AT THE DARK – TYLER BUTLER from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.
~

Visit Shot At The Dark: Website
Visit Tyler Butler: Winter King Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

Original photo of Damien Jurado by Adrian Bischoff (I Pick My Nose Blog)

This should need no introduction around these parts.  Plain and simple, two of the heavyweights of the Seattle “folk” scene.  Damien Jurado covering the J. Tillman Classic “When I Light Your Darkened Door”.

The song was recorded live from the Doug Fir Lounge as part of the 2007 Musicfest Northwest event.  I also apologize as I don’t remember how I have it, just that we had it at Yer Bird Records because the original Tillman track is from our label released album ‘Cancer and Delirium’…so somebody sent it to us!  Now you can listen to it in all it’s glory.

“When I Light Your Darkened Door (J. Tillman Cover)” – Damien Jurado

Enjoy one of the best tracks you could ask for on a spring Sunday morning…

~Smansmith

Haven’t done a “new on the nets” round up in a while so I thought I would plunder other blogs and find out the good stuff and post it here.  Rules of the jungle baby.

• We Listen For You had their (now annual?) Showcase at SXSW and once again did it on the acoustic tip.  I can appreciate this.  I also appreciate Bro. Stephen, Radical Dads, Conveyer, Dent May, Miracles of Modern Science, Kevin Barnes and The Henry Clay People taking part.  Watch some video from the event on the recap HERE.

• HearYa has given the stamp of approval to Field Report (nee Conrad Plymouth) and I have to agree.  Already pretty much liking whatever Christopher Porterfield has done it does stand to reason.  Need proof?

• The new album from Cold Specks is fast approaching.  The album has been in the works for a long time and the release can’t come soon enough.  Quick Before It Melts had the latest track “Winter Solstice” up on his blog in anticipation of May 22nd release of I Predict A Graceful Expulsion.  Listen.

• Next we have Draw Us Lines with their own event for the amazing Jennifer O’Connor.  They posted a preview of the show they helped put on from this past week (so…then…here is your…ahhh…heads up??).  Always enjoyed O’Connor and so then I also say thanks for the heads up on this little beauty of a track.
  

• BoyHowdy over at Cover Lay Down did a bit of a recap of the Couch by Couchwest “Festival” and we (Yer Bird Records) got a shout out from him as well.  Check out their recap HERE.  As we had the amazing Hezekiah Jones video exclusive to CXCW for the festival, there was no embed of it on the Cover Lay Down post…so then, here is the Chris Bathgate cover from Hezekiah Jones’ most recent album.
  Hezekiah Jones :: Last Parade on Ann Street (Chris Bathgate Cover – CXCW 2012) from Yer Bird Records on Vimeo.

• So you have heard me yammering about the Kim Janssen album Ancient Crime a few times (currently my favourite overall album of 2012) and Snowstar Records has been tweeting/posting about videos for the album, so I had to check it out.  They just posted the stunning video for the track Blyth Farjeon Choir.  Might not be for everyone, but it is beautifully shot and it is a moving track.  Watch below.
  

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There you have it.  Just me catching up on what others are doing.  Others are doing quite well apparently…

~Smansmith

Ever have a song that seems like a bizarre scenario, but when you listen it has the power to utterly devastate you?  Well Andy Hull (of Right Away, Great Captain! and Manchester Orchestra) feels this way and I agree totally.

The song in question is a part 2 of sorts from The Weakerthans ‘Virtute’ songs – which I believe is confirmed to be John K. Samson’s cat.  Andy does both of the songs on his tumblr page and both are downloadable for free – I just thought you needed to hear ‘Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure’ – please listen in a quiet area or with good headphones.  The song originally is not as stark and devastating to listen to but it is Samson’s original lyrics sung by Hull that totally brings this song home for me.  Virtute can be anything in your life really and when Hull sings “But I can’t remember the sound that you found for me” it crushes my soul just a little.

“Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure (The Weakerthans Cover)” – Andy Hull
Taken from Andy Hull’s Tumblr page.  Visit for ‘Plea from a Cat Named Virtute’ as well.

~Smansmith

**post photo taken from an interesting post here.

Today sees the re-release of our good friend Tyler Butler’s album Winter King over on our label, Yer Bird Records!  This album has seen its fair share of coverage over here, so I just want to say that we still love it and we are happy to bring it back to you all over again.

This 2012 re-release includes some re-mastering of the first 4 songs (also called the ‘House Painter EP’ to those in the know) and includes a new recording of ‘Feral Horse’ along with the previously unheard title track, Winter King.  So it is now a 10 track release and is available at the Winter King Bandcamp Page or over at the Yer Bird Records’ store.

Tyler Butler – “Winter King” by Yer Bird Records

We also have a bonus for you all that we are offering through Slowcoustic for this particular release.  We have some additional promotional CDs that we printed and we then got some stickers made up and made an insert and presto we have an affordable way for you to have a physical copy of the new Winter King!  This is an extremely limited run of discs, so act quickly to ensure you get your copy.  Each copy will arrive with a download code for the album & a few stickers…all for less than the price of a normal CD!

Tyler Butler – Winter King

Disc w/ North America Shipping $9.00 CAD

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Tyler Butler – Winter King

Disc w/ International Shipping $11.00 CAD

~~

For more info on the album visit us at Yer Bird Records.
Find more on Tyler Butler: Facebook | Bandcamp | Winter King Website

~Smansmith

Hip Hatchet - Joy and Better Days - artwork by Markel Uriu

New album from Hip Hatchet due on April 10th!  If the lead off track that is currently streaming on his Bandcamp page is any indication we are in for a treat.  Philippe Bronchtein (the one they call ‘Hip Hatchet’) crafts mixtures of late night drinking, introspective moments and life changing themes into music and delivers in his deep, if not slightly gritty, delivery.  Songs that you can both sway together with a partner and sit alone and ponder what should have been or what will be soon.  I might be a bit partial to his style of music, so I would always tell you it is good for any situation…but that is just me.

This lead off track below, Sing Me A Reprise, was “written during a period of relocation from Vermont to Portland and navigates themes of transition, home, memory, and relationships”.  The song was recorded by engineer and producer Tim Shrout, it features Alex Lewis on the electric guitar, Charlie Freundlich on the double bass and Philippe Bronchtein behind the rest of the instrumentation.

So the album comes out on April 10th via Gravitation Records and you can find a bit more info and full track listing over on the Hip Hatchet Bandcamp page.  You can also find more on his Tumblr page and ‘like’ him on Facebook.

~Smansmith

A Friday Recommendation here for all you blog readers not scouring for the latest secret show overview from Austin (I’m not bitter about SXSW, not one little bit).  This album has just had a bit of a low key release and I want to make sure you all get your chance to listen to it as it shouldn’t be overlooked.

~~~

John Goraj is no stranger around here as his previous album “Possible” found some love with us and we even had a track from John on our last label compilation release (find that gorgeous song “One More Winter” here).  We also did an interview with John along with providing a few samples from “Possible” back in 2009.  So it is a no brainer that his new album gets a recommendation as well!

The new album “Seen &Unseen” is 12 tracks of winding laments and almost majestic listening.  While it is in the folk realm, it feels like soo much more – the guy pours his heart into his music – not that others don’t, but it is immediately noticeable in John’s prose.  He takes his time and gets it right.  In fact me and John have been going back and forth on this album for months now and I know he has taken his time and perfected his vision for “Seen & Unseen”.  Songs like “Resting Place” and “We Were Just Kids” bring a sense of familiarity and comfort – almost like his music is his introduction of himself to you and after a few plays, you might know him more than you think.

He is offering a free track in the album opener Horse and Home but I thought I would also post the closing track Prisms as it is truly a stunning listen.  I think both songs represent well what you get with Goraj, beautiful instrumentation, earnest lyrics/delivery and something that sticks with you as a piece of work as opposed to what we so casually call an “album”.

Find more from John Goraj: Facebook | Bandcamp | Website | iTunes

~Smansmith

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This is simply perfect for those of us that are not attending the South by Southwest festivities in Austin this week.  I think I just might like my couch better though…

This video premiered over at Couch by Couchwest’s site, so go watch it there as well, make a comment and find massive amounts of other videos from the numerous talented CXCWsters!

Find more from Tyler Stenson: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Find more on Couch by Couchwest: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Kim Janssen - photo by Matthijis van der Ven

Just in case you all missed it when I mentioned it on Twitter the other day (and why aren’t you following me on twitter?) – but Kim Janssen recently performed for the Onder Invloed project (translates to “Under the Influence” for us pesky English types).  Janssen decided to perform some covers in his patented delicate acoustic way.  Sounds good to me.

Kim Janssen – Passing Afternoon (Iron & Wine) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

Kim Janssen – White Center (Damien Jurado) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

Kim Janssen – Priests And Paramedics (Pedro The Lion) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

I have really been enjoying these videos lately along with Janssen’s new album Ancient Crime – so this is why you have been getting some extra love for Janssen on the blog this past week…it is just soo good…

~Smansmith

I mentioned this about a week ago and now here we are!  We will be giving away a copy of the 7″ split from Kill County and Good Saints to one of you fine blog readers.  I know it is 2012 and attention spans are getting shorter, but all I ask is you email me the name of the Kill County full length album from 2010 along with your address!  I will pick one email at random (no really, totally random) and send you a copy of the coloured vinyl!  Also included is a Kill County sticker and pin from the band aaaaand the cover is signed by the boys too!  So you know you want it – I know I am loving it (was going to give away 2 copies, but I just can’t part with one).

So now, email me the name of the Kill County album from 2010 to admin [at] slowcoustic [dot] com along with your mailing address and you may win this lovely prize.  So listen to “BrownLee” and “Texas Moan” below while formulating your email…

[UPDATE] – We have a winner – thank you to everyone who entered!

~

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Visit Kill County: Bandcamp <— you just might find the answer to win here | Facebook
Visit Good Saints: Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

Saturday usually finds yours truly doing the below;

1. Surfing the internet
2. Purchasing a record
3. Drinking 4-6 pints at local pub with the wifey.
4. Sitting at home after pints, listening to music.

So we now find ourselves at #4 above and wifey is not here and I am starting to listen to music at will after more than a few pints.  I find I often find myself listening to even more “Sad Bastard” type songs after a few beers – I don’t know why, but it often just tends to be me listening to a more than a few track with my inebriated self.

So then let’s find a few tracks to listen to that might be your “Slowcoustic after a few beers” Saturday playlist.

• New Music Co. provided the Fort Frances cover of one of favourite Beck tracks “Guess, I’m Doing Fine”.  See their post HERE and listen: “Guess I’m Doing Fine (Beck Cover)” – Fort Frances.  Find out more on Fort Frances on their website.
• Listening to a new track from John Goraj’s new album.  The song is called Horse and Home from the album “Seen and Unseen” which is quite good (more details on this album in full to come).  Stream the song below and it is a free download on his Bandcamp page!
  
• Another album that hasn’t received the full treatment around these parts is the Adam Arcuragi album “Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It…”.  It can be a bit rough around the edges, but that is the beauty of this album.  A great couple of beers listen – you might find yourself singing to it very quickly.  Listen to a track below:
  
• There is a cover of Josh T. Pearson by Dry The River that I have been enjoying.  As long as Grooveshark doesn’t implode, you can stream it below:
  
• Last but not least is a great Townes Van Zandt cover from A.P. Dugas for “Rake”.  It is a YouTube “video”, but damn it is worth a listen.
  

Okay, I am going to go and try to sober up before dinner now…

~Smansmith

Today sees the release of Kim Janssen’s album Ancient Crime from Snowstar Records over in the Netherlands.  It is a concept album and that concept might be stunningly gorgeous music…no really.  I have been looking forward to this album for a few months now and after more than a few listens it has become one to beat for best album of the year so far.

So when I mentioned my lame “concept album” reference above it is because it is in fact described as one in all honesty.  The album as outlined by artist and label as:

It is a album inspired by his years on boarding school in Asia. ‘Ancient Crime’ is a concept album that takes place in an old idyllic school, in a remote village in north-west England during the winter. A mixture of history, myth, memories, old and new verses and arrangements.

This is not lost on you when listening as it is extremely delicate, formal and hits a nice balance of instrumental band tracks with more traditional (yet just as grand) vocal tracks.  If I am not mistaken the album is 10 tracks and 5 are essentially instrumentals – this may immediately make many pause but the strong points in this album are so strong that they literally pull the entire album together.  I normally am not a huge fan of these interludes/ambient moments on albums and Ancient Crime has its fair share, but with tracks like ‘Drift’, ‘Tors’, ‘Casket’ and ‘Holmes’ Bonfire 1966′ being so stunning you just want more from this artist/album that the interludes fill that void left by what could effectively be an EP release if he so wanted.

The songs Drift and Tors have made appearances on Slowcoustic already and they lead the pack on the album as the truly top notch tracks.  Drift is currently my favourite track of 2012 so far…by a long shot.  Take a listen to it below:

And Janssen has recently performed it live, so let’s take a look at it as well!

There is a 10 second ad prior to the performance…just hold on!

The song Drift is a good measure of the sound and overall feel of the Ancient Crime album – it is a floating pensive moment put to a beautiful backdrop of acoustics, instruments, choirs and Janssen’s feather soft vocals.  It might be Janssen’s cadence and breathy delivery that makes you feel comfortable and at home in these songs…it just so happens he has crafted a beautiful pallet of music to coincide with.  Take a listen to ‘Tors’ below to get the full effect of the instrumentation of which I speak.

Again, the album from this co-member of the band The Black Atlantic (yes, that Kim Janssen!) is truly a “best new music” and comes highly recommended.

Find more on Kim Janssen: Facebook | Bandcamp
Purchase Ancient Crime: Bandcamp | Snowstar Records

~Smansmith

I thought I might cheat this Thursday and post some material that I found due to my almost addicting fascination with the Twitters.  So essentially – have me be your very own music aggregation vessel!  So what did I find and who did I find it from?  Lets find out.

• From Ryan’s Smashing Life (follow @theRSL) had a post on some new Field Report (nee Conrad Plymouth) with some excellent reworked music from Christopher Porterfield.  Check the track “Fergus Fall” below:
  

• From Hearth Music (follow @hearth_music) I discovered a new demo from Mr. Matt Bauer entitled ‘What The White Book Said’ that was just recorded last month.  Sounds pretty sweet for a demo!  Listen: ‘What The White Book Said (demo)’ from Matt Bauer.  Stream or grab the higher bitrate copy from Bauer’s Soundcloud page HERE.

• From Song, by Toad (follow @SongbyToad) I found out about their new free sampler download (18 tracks folks!) – including a sentimental favourite for me in the band Meursault who I tend to really enjoy.  Listen below and swing on by for the rest at the bandcamp page for the label.
  

• Thought we should have a video presence and via Shot At The Dark (follow @SHOTATTHEDARK) I found the great video for some Fisticuffs that was filmed right here near Calgary.  You can tell as they look absolutely frozen…  Watch below!
  SHOT AT THE DARK – FISTICUFFS from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.

~~~

There you have it – a “Twitter Playlist” for your Thursday.  So follow all 4 of these fine folks if you are not already and then you won’t need me…but you still need me…right?

~Smansmith

Today sees the release of one of my favourite releases of 2012 thus far in Zachary Lucky’s ‘Saskatchewan’!

While I have been listening to it for a couple of weeks now, I am still having a hard time putting words to this EP.  It is almost like trying to explain what/who is ‘Saskatchewan’ to someone who isn’t Canadian.  I dare say Saskatchewan is what being a traditional Canadian is really about but again, it is hard to describe.  Zachary Lucky’s home is the province in question and other than being Canada’s version of the American Heartland, it is the subject matter of this March 6th release in its entirety.  As his Bandcamp page says: “these songs are for Saskatchewan.“  And I believe him.

Lucky’s songs might always sound a bit pensive and almost longing at times and this is at the forefront here.  This may also be because Lucky is a never ending touring musician and this EP is about returning to ‘home’.  Just list the song titles and you know where this EP is going (and where it wants to be): Across The Ocean, Leaving, Back in the Fall, Leaves are Falling, Refrain and Saskatchewan.

Most notably there is a narrative of separation throughout all the songs.  Some reference a more personal relationship between two people like the track ‘Back in the Fall’.

Now listen to that song with it being even more about Lucky’s relationship with Saskatchewan itself.

Now the ‘title track’…this the pinnacle of the album with Lucky looking back fondly and pining for the past while still knowing it is just that.  Almost like that long lost Dear John letter that never made it to its rightful recipient, it is a lament of love for anything (in this case his home of Saskatchewan).  The letter than might not have ever needed to be sent but instead just repeated over and over to yourself.  It also just so happens to be a great venue to focus on some fantastic pedal steel along with Lucky’s patented strumming and vocal timbre.

Fans of Lucky’s previous work will be more than delighted with Saskatchewan and it will be required listening in many roots/folk homes.  Overall I rambled in this ‘review’ about the feeling that this album/EP has left me with – it may be just 18 ways to say the same thing but I think you get it.  The only fault of the EP is that is comes in at about 20 minutes total time due to the 8 track EP having 2 instrumental interludes and no track exceeding 3 1/2 minutes.  Despite this, they just might be the best 20 minutes you will spend on music today or any other day.

Find Zachary Lucky: Website | Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook
Find Tour Dates for Zachary Lucky: 2012 Canadian Tour

~Smansmith

p.s.  Calgary on May 21st at the Ironwood Stage!

p.p.s.  Don’t forget the ever lovely touring partner of Lucky, Ms. Carly Maicher guesting on ‘Leaves are Falling’

I love the internet.  Forget penicillin, democracy and individually packaged mini donuts – the internet makes the world better.

Obviously I am thankful for the internet in my recent discovery of the band Good Saints out of Lexington, Kentucky.  The internet lead me to a favourite Nebraskan band Kill County due to a new split 7″ they did with some other band named…yes, you guessed it, Good Saints.  Well I obviously ordered me up some of this vinyl split, cuz you gotta and then I started listening to the Good Saints EP ‘Driftwood on the Fire’ as well.  Low and behold being a fan of Kill County has pretty much put me on the right path to find similar acts like GS to fawn over.

Good Saints can be considered ‘Country’ as much as any acoustic band can be called ‘Folk’ – it is the general vibe you get but it always seems like not enough of a word to describe it.  This is part bluesy banjo, part gothic South, part twang at 3/4 speed tossed around a skillet and served up with perfect presentation.  While I have been listening to the track from the aforementioned split 7″ entitled “Texas Moan” (and it is spectacular), there is another 5 tracks to the EP that carry on the “unique lyric focused 5 piece band”.  Multiple vocalists provide additional layers and facets of the music as well…which is saying something as sometimes having more than one singer in a band can cause a split in fans but not here – it works all around.  The songs all lament of hazy evenings, good times, hard times and drip with the timeless drawl of great southern music.  Best New Country.

So take a listen to a couple tracks below;

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So remember that sometime in the very near future (week or so) we will be giving away the split 7″ of Good Saints/Kill County to one of you Slowcoustic readers.  Stay tuned on getting your free copy of the below!

Good Saints / Kill County 7" Split

Find out more on Good Saints: Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

As I didn’t have a specific reason to post today, I thought I would share some tracks that have been spinning on a regular basis while at home, at work and in the car.  I make massive amounts of personal playlists as I have a fairly long commute and I cannot stand being at work with only the sound of buzzing fluorescent lights.  So what am I saying?  Feel free to send me suggestions in the comments or even tweet at me on the twitters with any suggestions.

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Nice split 7″ now out from Kill County (with Good Saints) and I like it soo much we will be giving away a copy of it in the next 1-2 weeks, so keep an eye out here for that give-away.  Ever since their fantastic “The Year of Getting By” these Nebraskans have been on the center of my radar – this track “Brown Lee” is another reason why.

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While we are putting out Tyler Butler’s Winter King re-release in a few weeks at Yer Bird Records – I don’t want ya to forget about this little gem that has seen some repeated listens in the last week.  From his ‘Feral Horse‘ release in early 2010 continues to show the stark beauty in Butler’s songs.  Don’t miss this one.

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Jonas David was mentioned to me from April over at Common Folk Music and I am finally getting to listen to it – very nice moments of acoustic jams along with a bit of full band mixed in for good measure.  It really excels in the quieter tracks like “Let Me Live” above so check out Jonas David as this is another German who knows his stuff.

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Tim Showalter is now teasing us with a track before he digs into new music for Strand of Oaks.  This time we get the Weathervane Music helmed Shaking Through session with his track ‘Spacestations’.  There is a whole feature via Shaking Through and well worth a watch and it is a free download too!

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That is all for now, but I will be starting this type of post more often in order to get more music recommendations out to y’all.  Enjoy!

~Smansmith

Brand new album from Pickering Pick has been released on his Bandcamp today!  The 11 track album is called ‘Prayer Flag’ and it once again show’s Pickering Pick’s prowess in the acoustic finger-picking folk crowd.

This album was recorded late last year in his home recording studio while he was literally just ‘getting used to’ his new gear.  As Sam indicated to me, when he gets to playing, often the flow of the music keeps coming and while not meant to be an official recording session for an album…it simply ended up being one.  While almost not moving ahead with the album, ultimately the songs continued to speak to him and hence, here we are.  If you are familiar with Sam Pickering Pick’s work (or if you are not) he creates a sound specific to him – I want to say it sounds of his homeland across the pond because I have nothing else to accurately describe it.  It sounds authentically and traditionally English despite Sam making his home in sunny California now.  That vibe is not overbearing but it floats around his music and is a welcome friend in my opinion.  His ease at creating this music is also astounding – despite not fully knowing his creative process – Pickering Pick can create stillness and beauty on almost anything he creates.  Prayer Flag is no exception.

Although having no official connection to this release, we did put out last year’s “Tiger Balm” from him on our Yer Bird Records label and I dare say this might come across as it’s companion piece.  You also might find a similarity in the artwork from Meghan Spurlock (visit) but I feel they might be joined by more than visuals.  Find a couple tracks to stream below and swing by his Bandcamp page to pick up a copy of the album digitally or one of the very limited CDs.

Enjoy and visit Pickering Pick: Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Yer Bird Records

~Smansmith

p.s.  Anybody in the Sacramento, CA area can find Pickering Pick tonight at The Naked Lounge (H Street venue) around 8:30pm!

Last year’s “Generous Shadows” from The Tree Ring was a personal favourite.  With songs (and videos) like ‘Wore It Deep’ they certainly prove a sense of imagination, beauty and essentially great song-crafting.  Well yesterday one of my online brothers (Adrian from I Pick My Nose Blog) gave me the heads up on a new video from The Tree Ring from a recent “Hike-In Show” they performed that is of a new track from a new upcoming album.  You gotta watch and fall in love with TTR all over again.

THE TREE RING: HIKE-IN SHOW from Destin Daniel Cretton on Vimeo.

Find out more on The Tree Ring: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

P.S.  Lead singer Joel P West also has some solo stuff worth checking out – see a couple of posts we had here and here.

Apparently we should be on the look out for a new Sergius Gregory album by the looks of this, so why not have a ‘cover-song of the day’ for it?

Sergius Gregory creates atmosphere in(stead of) music.  It is partially ambient, partially folk based and it drips with the aforementioned atmosphere.  The Morrissey cover gives a more gentle drift than the truly downtrodden Morrissey lyrics provide on paper.   The lyrics in Gregory’s delivery seem more of an account of sadness instead of an internal self loathing that you might expect from this particular track.  Either way it is a beauty and bodes well for the upcoming album “Long Life” – ETA unknown.
seasick, yet still docked (morrissey cover) by sergius gregory

More info can be had on Sergius and his previous album can be found over at Saint-Loup Records or you can always follow him via the Facebook.

~Smansmith

I know I don’t really post on “remixes” but Slow Down, Molasses are a good crew from the mighty province of Saskatchewan and I thought you all should be aware of this just released “Free/Pay What You Want” album.

Admittedly I am not familiar with too many remixes but in true Slowcoustic form, the songs are a bit on the trance/slower side of the ‘dance floor grooves’ and they still have a bit of bite for you folks who enjoy a bit of the body rock.  Did I just type that?  Anyway, with remixes by Economics, Foam Lake and even Message to Bears – there is a little bit for everyone.  I have chosen the track ‘Light’ that was remixed by Sebastian Reynolds to share with you as it enjoys a more down-tempo beat that does scale into a wall of sound before winding back down all while echoing vocals carry you along.

I know what you are thinking – Hey Sandy, what about their album from last year “Walk Into the Sea“, isn’t that more your bag?  Well overall I would have to say yes, but can’t this old folkie enjoy a bit of a break now and again?  Maybe you need one as well…why not use this opportunity to dig into Bodies of Water then?

Find out more on Slow Down Molasses: Facebook | Bandcamp | Website | Twitter

~Smansmith

Never has Malibu Rum sounded so good.

While I have orbited The Wooden Sky numerous times I never really took the plunge until recently when I spent some time with their recent EP ‘City of Light‘ which brought me to the new single from the upcoming album ‘Every Child A Daughter. Every Moon a Sun’.  Other than this post taking a huge tangent to “puns-ville” which I kind of apologize for, but maybe it will encourage you to take the time to listen to this excellent track.  The song starts out with a Hawaiian influenced vibe that gives way (mostly) to a pretty straight forward balladeer track.  Around here, a straight forward balladeer track is nothing to scoff at and can be extra refreshing.

The song feels timeless but still echos of something familiar.  I have decided the crisp production on the song gives you fresh ears in order to not shun the kitsch of hula girls & tiki torches that are only slightly blurred in the distance behind the acoustic guitar and pitch perfect sad sack vocals.  So then…I really like it.  Be on the lookout for the new album on February 28th when it is released by Black Box Recordings.  Did somebody say double vinyl LP??

“Malibu Rum” – The Wooden Sky
from the “Every Child a Daughter. Every Moon a Sun” album

Find out more about The Wooden Sky: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

p.s.  The crew will be here in Calgary on March 31st at the Palamino for you locals.  More dates for you non-locals here.