Guy Clark - Live in Winnipeg, April 5, 2009

When one of the greatest songwriters of all time comes to town for a rare appearance, you know I'm going to be there front and centre, and since I've got a bad memory and he may not ever come back, I needed to have the recorder rolling. Enjoy: http://www.tellthebandtogohome.com/GuyClark.zip

Martin Sexton - Live in Winnipeg

Were you at the Martin Sexton concert last week? Whether you were or not, you may be interested in revisiting what you saw or missed. Lucky for you, I had my recorder handy: http://www.tellthebandtogohome.com/MartinSexton.zip.

Martin Sexton in Winnipeg

Here's a clip of Martin Sexton in Winnipeg, April 15, 2009. This is how he started his encore set. Personally, I thought it was the best part of the show:

Martin Sexton, tonight on UMFM, believe it or not...

I totally feel like Pacino in Godfather II, because every time I try to get out, they pull me back in! If it is to be believed at this point, Martin Sexton will be in the UMFM studios at 3:30 to record an interview which is scheduled to air at 5 pm. This had better be worth it; tune in to find out. And damn it, I may just have to touch his mic and ask him about Kumbaya and cats after all of this! Check out the fun at 5 on UMFM, or wait for the inevitable podcast and highlights this Thursday on SBFRR.

The Will He or Won't He Show, Part II

Last week's Steel Belted Radio sure was something, wasn't it? Who'da thunk that all of them guests would actually show up as planned? Not me! Well, what kind of surprise does this week hold in store? At this point, it's still not certain. Follow this tale, if you will:

First, the station gets an email from none other than Martin Sexton's "people" asking if we'd like him to come in the studio for a live appearance while he's in town. Program Director Michael instantly recalls what a super-nerd I am, and asks if I'm interested.

Interested? Sexton is one of the most unique and powerful performers I've ever heard. When he was busy blowing minds at the Winnipeg Folk Festival the first time he appeared, I was right in on the ground floor. I couldn't believe how he manipulated and managed his voice, and those songs... Needless to say, I was a big fan. I saw Martin at the West End a couple of times after that and he was always amazing. Then something strange happened. He signed with a label, got himself a big name producer, and, well, he got a little weird on us. He made some albums that I don't consider all-time classics, and put on some shows that were, how shall we say, interesting. Eventually that experiment fell flat, the label sent him packing, the big name producer forgot who he is, and Marty went back out doing shows the old way, with a guitar, an amazing voice, and a powerful stage presence. He's been coming around in a big way in the past couple of years, first with "Seeds," by far his best CD since "Black Sheep" the album that blew me away and that I've listened to, oh, about a BILLION TIMES. Last year he released "Solo" which puts him back in solo, acoustic mode, singing and playing the songs that I fell in love with in the first place, and if you ask me, it's about damn time. Now, he's coming back to town for his biggest show ever at the Walker Theatre tomorrow night, and what do you know, he wants to talk to me. I'm in.

The thing is, Marty's guy wants to do the interview at 4, and he insists that it airs before the concert, so I can't just pre-tape for one of my regular shows. Now, I've got me a "day job" and I don't get out until almost 4. I ask if 4:30 will do and get stone cold silence all around. Not wanting to blow this great opportunity, I take the day off to make sure I can get there by 4. Everyone likes a day off, but it's a lot of work to prepare (far more work than just doing it myself) and I like my job, so I don't do it often. Michael arranges for us to be on air any time between 4:30 and 6, which is great. I figure either I'll get Martin in at 4, tape an interview, and have it on air by 5, or, even better, Martin will come in and we'll do it live at 4:30. Either way, I'm covered, right?

Well today, I confirm with Martin's "guy" that I'll be there at 4, but 4:30 would be easier and would have us on air earlier. That's when I get the line that I've come to dread. "Scheduling problem." Turns out, now, the guy who SUGGESTED THE INTERVIEW IN THE FIRST PLACE, isn't sure that Martin can make it in. Wants to know if I'll do a phoner with songs off the CD. Gimme a break. I told him that if I were going to do a phoner, I would have done it on Sunday, and I certainly wouldn't have taken a day off work. I tell him that either Martin gets his butt in to the studio or I pass.

Silence again. And that's where it sits, folks. I'd love to tell you to tune in tomorrow to hear an interview with one of my favourite performers of all time, but I'm not feeling like it'll happen. You can try at 4:30, maybe even 5, to see if something comes of it, or else you can just wait to hear the highlights on SBFRR this week. Me, I'm kind of hoping to just take a walk or something at this point. The weather's finally good, and I got me a new baby carrier deal, so if Sexton's a no-show, I'm not going to lose sleep.

There's the deal. I'll for sure be able to fit Steel Belted Radio and Tell the Band to Go Home into my schedule, problems or no. Hope you'll join me for one of those. Oh, and go see Martin tomorrow if you're so inclined. Ask him what he did that afternoon, if you see him, will ya?

Hey, on a more positive note, did you see the press release from our friends at the West End today? You know, the one about their grand re-opening? The one where headliners include Hawksley Workman, Danny Michel, and Tell the Band to Go Home? Seriously! Tickets go on sale this Saturday, and for once, I don't have to worry about getting a seat, because mine's on the frickin' stage! http://www.wecc.ca/site/perfs/Songwriters_in_the_Round.html

Super Sized Steel Belted Radio - Thursday at 6 pm!

This week's Steel Belted Radio has all of the makings of a classic, and unfortunately, all of the foreshadowing of a disaster:

First up, we're starting at 6 tomorrow to cram it all in.

At 6, we are hoping to have singer/songwriter Dan Mangan on the show. This kid impressed me years ago, but with his new EP, he's stepped up his game to the level of the pros. You're going to be hearing about this kid some day, and I can only hope that you'll get to know him early on Steel Belted Radio tomorrow. Unfortunately, Dan's already given us the "I'm having car trouble" line, which doesn't always bode well, but he said he'd try, and we've got super publicist Ken Beattie on his case. Dan's in town for a FREE show at Shannon's Irish Pub (which doesn't really feature Irish or Celtic music, it seems) opening for Hey Rosetta! That could be a good one.

But even better than that...

Up at 6:30, and the only guests near guaranteed to show up, Brock Zeman & Dan Walsh, along with "what's his name" the bass player. You know by now that Brock is one of the best up-and-coming songwriters anywhere, and you know by now that he plays with Dan Walsh, who's one of the most badass guitar players anywhere, and I'm sure I must have mentioned that that they're playing my house on Friday. Well, they're in town Thursday to open up the show at Times Change(d), and they're going to stop by and play us I'm sure some brand new, amazing songs, first.

They're opening for a great band called The Deep Dark Woods. These boys have been bubbling under on my hit list for a while, but with their amazing new disc and a great appearance at Trout Forest last year, I now know that these kids are the real deal. They're playing Times on Thursday and Saturday, but first, they're scheduled to come in to the studio around 7:30. Unfortunately... and this is a new one... they've got a late night tonight, and they don't know if they can make it to the studio that early. At 7:30 PM. Yeah, right. Ken said he'd kick their asses and get them there, but we'll see...

Tune in and see. Will it all work out and be one of the best live-music filled episodes of SBFRR EVER, or will it be a monumental flop? Only time will tell.

And tune in for a special announcement about an even more special edition of SBFRR next week...

Guy Clark in Winnipeg

'twas a marvellous evening. Even better than I expected. I hope to find more time to write about it at length, but until then, check out some photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tellthebandtogohome/, and even better, check out the video of "The Randall Knife," performed unplugged and unamplified mere feet from me. Absolutely amazing.

Other Brothers CD Release

Jaine and I went to The Park Theatre last night to catch the Other Brothers CD release show. Here are some quick, unpolished thoughts.

I've been a fan of Chris Neufeld for a long time. I remember a couple of things: hearing him on CBC radio on DNTO and wondering who the heck he was and how he landed that spot (unknown kid from Brandon, national exposure) and seeing him do a couple of songs, I think it was at the West End, but can't recall what for (a Back 40 coffee house, some singer/songwriter showcase, something). I was impressed right away with his unique, interesting voice, his talent with a melody, and his way with words. I quickly invited him on my show to find out more about him. He turned me down. Huh? He said that he wasn't good at that kind of thing, didn't know what to say, wasn't confident, etc. He ended up turning me down many times over the past few years, and I've had a running joke on air as a result, calling him all kinds of names every time I play him. In truth, Chris and I know each other and get along famously, which frustrates me even more when he refuses to come on the air. He did come on once when he released his solo CD "Colorado Low," and I thought it went well, although he refused other invitations after that. It was very nice to have him finally ask me if he could come on, and show up last week.

I was familiar with Donovan Giesbrecht by reputation only, having seen and heard his name around, but I hadn't heard any songs. Last week I found out how good he was, and how great the two of them sound together.

So I knew the live show was going to be good. I was expecting to be entertained and have a good night of music. Even so, my expectations were very surpassed.

First off, Chris and Donovan know how to put on a show. They'd been tirelessly promoting the gig for over a week, visiting countless radio shows, newspapers, etc. They had posters in all kinds of places, and had clearly done the legwork to make the show a success. Plus, they have the backing of the Manitoba Mennonite community, and they are a loyal and supportive bunch. Getting to the show, Chris and Donovan were working the door, selling tickets. I know that it wasn't because they couldn't get someone else to do it, but they genuinely seemed to want to sit there and greet their guests. They shook my hand and welcomed me warmly, which was a nice touch. I walked into the theatre and was saddened to see it mostly empty. I hoped that more people would show up, but I couldn't have imagined how many. At show time, the theatre filled up quickly and impressively. All of the theatre seats were taken, and people started to sit on the floor and stand at the back. During the first act, The Land, Chris and Donovan went and found chairs, and set up rows of chairs and made sure that anyone who wanted to sit could have a seat. How often do you see musicians that concerned about people who come to see them?

First up was a married duo called The Land, whose vocal harmonies and charming songs made for a nice introduction to the evening. After a short break, my old pal Darren Day came on with his latest band. Darren is a class act who works really hard and is one of the most adventurous, interesting songwriters I know. He could easily make simple melodies that I'm sure everyone would love, but he's a fan of more obscure, challenging stuff (he always amazes me rattling off lists of bands that he's totally passionate about, yet I'm completely unaware of), so he fills his songs with similarly interesting and challenging music, lyrics, and arrangements. He's certainly diverse, so I can imagine it's a bit hard for some people to make sense of it all, but he's a very genuine and talented guy, so I know that at the very least people respect him and want him to succeed, even if not everything he tries pleases all ears. I enjoyed his set indeed, and wish he'd play out more.

The headliners played alongside the multi-talented Bill Western, and needed nothing else to complete their sound. It's clear that there's some magic in the chemistry, because both Other Brothers sing and play marvelously on their own, but combined, the group is even better than the sum of its parts. They are perhaps the most seamless duo I've seen in a while, adding greatly to each other's songs to the point where you really can't tell whose song it even is. They shift naturally between melody and harmony lines, and their guitar work, while subtle and not flashy, suits each other and the songs perfectly. For the most part, they let the music do the talking, not telling many stories about the songs, but when they did speak, they were really humble and funny and charming. They were obviously a bit nervous off the top, and relied a bit too heavily on self-deprecation at times, but that will change as they do more shows. And this fan can only hope that this is the start of many regular shows.

Darren Day repeatedly wondered aloud why more festivals hadn't booked The Other Brothers, and I wholeheartedly agree (although I worry a bit about Darren's threat to pester festivals and the way he encouraged others to do the same... note to Darren, festivals don't like that... could be career suicide if you're too annoying). These guys would be perfect at a festival in a number of settings and workshop ideas.

And how could I not love a night that ended with a rousing Rheostatics sing-along! These are musicians after my heart, and they've got it.

The Other Brothers. Watch out for them. Buy their CD: http://www.theotherbrothers.ca/

New Music tonight on SBFRR

Well, that's my plan, anyway, but anyone who's ever heard Steel Belted Radio knows that things never really go as planned...

I'm currently fixated by the new CD from our friend Leeroy Stagger. This kid's been on my radar for a few years now, and every record has been better than the last one (well, except for that one produced by Danny Michel, which didn't quite do justice to the songs, but anyway...), so it should come as no surprise that this one is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, but I guess I was expecting something different. The demos I heard on Myspace and the stuff that's been said about the record led me to believe that it was a more rockin', dirty sounding affair, which would have been just fine with me, but the fact that it's the most listenable, relaxed, enjoyable affair of this guy's already impressive career is just blowing me away. Buy this one, and buy it now, because it is one of this year's best. Fo. Sho.

Joel Plaskett's new disc "Three" is a sweeping triple disc affair. With three discs worth, some is bound to be stellar and some is bound to be filler, and there's no doubt that both are true, but there are some gems that I'll try to dig up for you.

Just got Slaid Cleaves' new disc "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away." Haven't listened to that yet (Leeroy is going to need another listen, I can tell already, it's just getting better and better), but Slaid is a sure-fire winner, so you know you'll be hearing something from here.

I finally bought the latest My Morning Jacket. How one album can have such a mix of some of the best songs of last year, and some of the strangest, I just can't figure, but it's got both.

Picked up this new Gospel compilation that looks promising. It's downstairs and I'm lazy, so you'll have to tune in to check it out. New Patty Griffin on there (but there's also Jon Bon Jovi and 3 Doors Down, so it's not all good...) Also a track from the Rev. Al Green who I'm very excited to be seeing in June.

I just ordered up the new Todd Snider disc. It's not actually out until June, but the record company (Yep Roc) is offering this super cool boxed set edition for super nerds like me, which features extras aplenty including bonus tracks, DVDs, photos, and much more. The Yep Roc site hasn't been working worth crap today, so I'm not sure I'll be able to download the bonus tracks which are supposed to be waiting for me, but I'll keep trying!

Got the new Indigo Girls CD, and coming on the heels of their last CD, which I loved, I figured this was an easy bet, but I wasn't blown over by the main disc right away. I say main disc because there's a bonus disc of the entire album done acoustically, which I actually liked quite a bit more.

Wish I could remember what else I got recently, but tune in to SBFRR tonight at 6:30 to find out!