It's taken several months but the long wait for the finished Wires Rosewood & Roots is almost over. The manufacturing is underway and they've promised me the finished goods should be ready to ship in about 10 days. They should arrive just in time for Christmas and there will be an official release early in 2012.
Thanks are due to several people during the production of Wires. Not least is the long-suffering. . .
Julia Williamson who had to listen to all the intermediate versions of the songs. Julia also had a lot of input into pretty well every aspect of the production including listening to the music and making suggestions for the artwork on the CD case. To give specific credit where it's due, it was Julia who made the suggestion that we should add some other instrumentation to the CD so that it is more than just 12 solo guitar pieces. Without that idea, I would never have browsed the Music Nova Scotia database and met. . .
David Findlay. David has been in music production for over 25 years and brought a wealth of experience and musical talent to the project. From playing several instruments, to mixing and mastering, to overall production, without David, Wires would not be the album that it is. In addition to David, two other musicians contributed their time and talent. . .
Kev Corbett, Nova Scotia's Musician of the Year for 2011 came into Lunenburg for an afternoon and laid down some fabulous backing tracks for Flea's Reel. I initially asked Kev to play percussion and we weren't thinking about bass for it but Kev put his upright bass in the car "just in case" and came up with a great addition to the song. Speaking of laying down the bottom end. . .
Alyssa Wright, my favourite cellobabe, put together a great cello track for Out of Work. I'm particularly grateful to Lyss for coming up with a great track with not very much input from your humble correspondent. It is also noteworthy that she could turn her talents to the job when most of her thoughts were consumed with the health and upcoming surgery of. . .
Don Bray, who engineered and recorded Lyss while waiting for surgery. I met up with Don and Alyssa while I was at the OCFF conference and had a chance to catch up. All of Don's friends are extremely pleased that the operation was a success and he is well on the road to recovery. Once the music was in the can, we then turned our attention to the CD package itself and while I was at the conference and I also met with. . .
Paul Mills, one of the best folk music producers in the country (if not beyond our borders as well), who is also a graphic designer. Paul was very patient with the artist who got fixated on one design for a while but eventually came to see things from a different view. With a good deal of input from Paul we came up with a great design which he then translated into the graphics files need to upload to the manufacturer. It's a simple four-page spread using photographs taken at a photoshoot with . . .
Christian Stalley, a music lover who takes great pictures. We shot about 130 pictures over a couple of hours and selected several of them to use both on the CD package and in some other promotional material.
One final word of thanks goes to Lloyd Williams, my friend and fellow musician in Lunenburg. Kev's bodhran needed a new head and we didn't have time to replace it so Lloyd very kindly lent us his to us for the session.
So now I'm waiting for the e-mail from the manufacturer to let me know the CDs have been shpped. Once it's out on the street, I'm going to be putting together some dates and bring it out to the world. Stay tuned for more details. . .
December 6, 2011
October 11, 2011
Wires, Rosewood & Roots
Tomorrow, my friend Manitoba Hal and I jump in the van and head off to Niagara Falls for the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference. We'll be stopping in Ottawa on the way and will be there in time for the fun to start on Thursday.
One of the CDs we'll have in the van with us will be a rough burn of my new album entitled Wires Rosewood & Roots. WR&R is a suite of 12 instrumental pieces for acoustic guitar and will be officially released in the not-too-distant future. Some of the songs are guitar solos and some have other instrumentation as well. The guitar will always be the focus and the other instruments will provide a little rounding out and a full rich sound.
The recording has been underway over the summer and in September, I connected with a new Lunenburg resident, David Findlay, to produce the album. David is a great producer who has been in the music and recording industry for many years. He brings playing talent to the record as well as production and has made a number of suggestions on how to arrange the songs to bring out the best in them.
We still have to mix Flea's Reel with some bass and percussion tracks laid down just yesterday by my friend Kev Corbett. Kev is a multi-instrumentalist sideguy, songwriter and performer who is one of the nominees for Music Nova Scotia's Musician Of The Year. It's an honour to have him on the record. We're also waiting on a cello part for Out of Work from another good friend Alyssa Wright who is my go-to "cello babe" (her description). She played on Returning Home and Come From Away as well
Although the music isn't complete yet, you can hear some of the rough mixes (the ones we'll be listening to on the road trip) at a hidden page on my website. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. For the record, I do know that Flea's Reel isn't a reel. Reels are in 4/4 time and Flea's is in 9/8. It's more of a slip jig or maybe a swing waltz.
And if you're in Niagara Falls at the OCFF conference, I'll be playing at a guerilla showcase on Saturday night. Songwriters Unite are hosting a series of songwriter circles during the conference and your humble correspondent will be in the 2am-3am time slot on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Come on up to room 305 in the Marriott Gateway on the Falls and catch some great singer/songwriters as they strut and fret their hour.
It's a busy time for the next few weeks so in an agony of haste, off I go to start packing for OCFF.
Cheers, Bob
One of the CDs we'll have in the van with us will be a rough burn of my new album entitled Wires Rosewood & Roots. WR&R is a suite of 12 instrumental pieces for acoustic guitar and will be officially released in the not-too-distant future. Some of the songs are guitar solos and some have other instrumentation as well. The guitar will always be the focus and the other instruments will provide a little rounding out and a full rich sound.
The recording has been underway over the summer and in September, I connected with a new Lunenburg resident, David Findlay, to produce the album. David is a great producer who has been in the music and recording industry for many years. He brings playing talent to the record as well as production and has made a number of suggestions on how to arrange the songs to bring out the best in them.
We still have to mix Flea's Reel with some bass and percussion tracks laid down just yesterday by my friend Kev Corbett. Kev is a multi-instrumentalist sideguy, songwriter and performer who is one of the nominees for Music Nova Scotia's Musician Of The Year. It's an honour to have him on the record. We're also waiting on a cello part for Out of Work from another good friend Alyssa Wright who is my go-to "cello babe" (her description). She played on Returning Home and Come From Away as well
Although the music isn't complete yet, you can hear some of the rough mixes (the ones we'll be listening to on the road trip) at a hidden page on my website. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. For the record, I do know that Flea's Reel isn't a reel. Reels are in 4/4 time and Flea's is in 9/8. It's more of a slip jig or maybe a swing waltz.
And if you're in Niagara Falls at the OCFF conference, I'll be playing at a guerilla showcase on Saturday night. Songwriters Unite are hosting a series of songwriter circles during the conference and your humble correspondent will be in the 2am-3am time slot on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Come on up to room 305 in the Marriott Gateway on the Falls and catch some great singer/songwriters as they strut and fret their hour.
It's a busy time for the next few weeks so in an agony of haste, off I go to start packing for OCFF.
Cheers, Bob
June 21, 2011
First a brief weather update - the rain has stopped and the sun's supposed to shine all week. And now for the news. . .
The big news we are very pleased to announce is that your humble correspondent will be playing some dates accompanying Bonnie Ste-Croix. Bonnie is a great singer/songwriter originally from Gaspé and now living in Halifax after many years in Vancouver. To give you the short version, we were both booked to play a Songwriters Circle at Lunenburg Sessions in May. I offered to back up Bonnie with some guitar playing and a bit of harmony at the circle. The performance was well received and we decided to try it again.
Our first major event was on June 9 and we had a wonderful time at Fables in Tatamagouche. Chuck and Hanna Hunziker are the owners of Fables and they present a range of performance arts events every week. If I didn't love living in Lunenburg so much, I think I'd move to Tatamagouche and become a member.
A great deal of music is happening in Lunenburg as well. Traci and Rob at Scuttlebutt are presenting live music Thursdays through Sundays. I'll be back for another night of fun there on July 23rd. Also back for the summer is Anna Ludlow's Kitchen Ceilidh at the Fish Factoryon Wednesdays. As always, Lunenburg Sessions is presenting music in the Academy on the first Tuesday of every month.
Hope to see you out at a music event soon.
The big news we are very pleased to announce is that your humble correspondent will be playing some dates accompanying Bonnie Ste-Croix. Bonnie is a great singer/songwriter originally from Gaspé and now living in Halifax after many years in Vancouver. To give you the short version, we were both booked to play a Songwriters Circle at Lunenburg Sessions in May. I offered to back up Bonnie with some guitar playing and a bit of harmony at the circle. The performance was well received and we decided to try it again.
Our first major event was on June 9 and we had a wonderful time at Fables in Tatamagouche. Chuck and Hanna Hunziker are the owners of Fables and they present a range of performance arts events every week. If I didn't love living in Lunenburg so much, I think I'd move to Tatamagouche and become a member.
A great deal of music is happening in Lunenburg as well. Traci and Rob at Scuttlebutt are presenting live music Thursdays through Sundays. I'll be back for another night of fun there on July 23rd. Also back for the summer is Anna Ludlow's Kitchen Ceilidh at the Fish Factoryon Wednesdays. As always, Lunenburg Sessions is presenting music in the Academy on the first Tuesday of every month.
Hope to see you out at a music event soon.
May 19, 2011
Spring on the South Shore
Oh my, what a rainy spring. The boatbuilders in town have turned their skills to making arks. I was by the Bluenose II restoration site a few days ago and saw an old guy with a beard who had a couple of saws and a chisel in his hand. He was muttering something about not enough animal accomodations. I couldn't quite make out the name embroidered on his overalls but it looked suspiciously like Noah.
Ah, but as I sit and muse this afternoon, the sun is shining, the leaves are starting to explode on the chestnut tree and it's looking beautiful in Lunenburg. The ice cream parlours are open again and people are walking about without jackets (and umbrellas).
I've just spent a couple of hours restructuring the website although you shouldn't notice any difference - it just makes maintaining the site a little easier. Thank goodness for my computer skills; I knew they'd come in handy someday. In truth, there are features of being a programmer that I miss even though I wouldn't want to go back to earning a living at it.
Along with the underlying structural changes the website has one new feature. Andy Flinn and Ariana Nasr from Wolfville, NS have been putting on both a concert series called Night Kitchen and an annual music festival called AMP Festival for several years. On Mother's Day, I was honoured to play (with Ariana) at the AMPFest Sunday Night Gala Performance. There's a video of our performance of Senses of You on Youtube and you can now link to the video from the Music/Lyrics menu on my website or by clicking here.
Coming up on June 11th, I have another return engagement at Scuttlebutt - a great little restaurant on Montague Street in Lunenburg. The owners, Rob and Traci, are lovely people who put on live music in the restaurant most weekend evenings and it's a pleasure to be playing there sorta regularly. Come on down and support live music while enjoying good food in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. More info on Scuttlebutt can be found on Facebook - click here for a link to the FB group.
The following weekend, June 18 sees me back at the Harbour Folk Kitchen Party at the Rose and Kettle Tea Room in Cole Harbour. For more information, click here to visit the Harbour Folk website.
And one last but very important thing - Get Well Soon thoughts to David Walsh who is in St Mikes's Hospital in Toronto recovering from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. We're cheering for ya big guy.
Ah, but as I sit and muse this afternoon, the sun is shining, the leaves are starting to explode on the chestnut tree and it's looking beautiful in Lunenburg. The ice cream parlours are open again and people are walking about without jackets (and umbrellas).
I've just spent a couple of hours restructuring the website although you shouldn't notice any difference - it just makes maintaining the site a little easier. Thank goodness for my computer skills; I knew they'd come in handy someday. In truth, there are features of being a programmer that I miss even though I wouldn't want to go back to earning a living at it.
Along with the underlying structural changes the website has one new feature. Andy Flinn and Ariana Nasr from Wolfville, NS have been putting on both a concert series called Night Kitchen and an annual music festival called AMP Festival for several years. On Mother's Day, I was honoured to play (with Ariana) at the AMPFest Sunday Night Gala Performance. There's a video of our performance of Senses of You on Youtube and you can now link to the video from the Music/Lyrics menu on my website or by clicking here.
Coming up on June 11th, I have another return engagement at Scuttlebutt - a great little restaurant on Montague Street in Lunenburg. The owners, Rob and Traci, are lovely people who put on live music in the restaurant most weekend evenings and it's a pleasure to be playing there sorta regularly. Come on down and support live music while enjoying good food in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. More info on Scuttlebutt can be found on Facebook - click here for a link to the FB group.
The following weekend, June 18 sees me back at the Harbour Folk Kitchen Party at the Rose and Kettle Tea Room in Cole Harbour. For more information, click here to visit the Harbour Folk website.
And one last but very important thing - Get Well Soon thoughts to David Walsh who is in St Mikes's Hospital in Toronto recovering from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. We're cheering for ya big guy.
March 7, 2011
My goodness, it's been a long time since I posted. Music took a back seat for several months while we worked on the house and it took some time to get motivated again. Inevitably, all writers hit writer's block and my name came up in the rotation because I wasn't playing and wasn't writing anything. The good news is that I'm back in the saddle (not literally, you understand - I'm not going to become a singing cowboy) and enjoying playing and composing again.
I have two finished guitar instrumentals and a third that is almost complete. I also have a work in progress on getting lucky (in several senses) on the internet. There may be a verse in it about what a huge time-suck Facebook is. I'm not addicted to the internet. Really, I'm not. I can stop any time I want.
Sometimes it's the little things that kickstart you. For several months now, I've been playing in a jam organized by my friend Laurie every couple of weeks. I have to learn a new language living in Nova Scotia. I used to call it a song circle but down here it's a jam. If you're walking down Lincoln Street in Lunenburg every other Friday afternoon, you might see several musicians sitting in one of the storefronts, and if you stick your head in the door, you'll hear some interesting sounds. It's an eclectic mix of styles and we do have people dropping in just to listen, so if you're in the neighbourhood...
Here's some news on upcoming performances. On April 1st, 6:00 to 9:00pm, I'll be playing for the dinner and after crowd at the Scuttlebutt Restaurant on Montague Street in Lunenburg. The owners, Traci and Rob, are great people and are encouraging local artists by putting on music events and I'm pleased to be part of it. The food is good and won't break the bank. They have a liquid license so you can have a tasty beverage while dining and while listening after. One of my personal favourites: they serve breakfast all day so you can get bacon, scrambled eggs, and home fries whenever. Yum. Oh yeah, no cover charge. How good can it get? Click here to link to Scuttlebutt's Facebook page.
I'll also be part of a Songwriters Circle at Lunenburg Sessions on Tuesday May 3 at 7:30pm in the 3rd Floor Theatre of the Lunenburg Academy. I love doing songwriter's circle generally and I'm looking forward to this one in particular. Joining me will be Catahoula Brown, who was featured not long ago on CBC's Atlantic Airwaves, and Bonnie Ste. Croix who is a great singer/songwriter living in Halifax. Bonnie is one of the finalists at Folk Fiesta for the last spot at the 2011 Folk Harbour Festival. Click here to link to Lunenburg Sessions Facebook page.
Shortly after the Songwriter's Circle, it's off to Wolfville for the 3rd Annual AMP Festival, presented by Andy Flynn and Ariana Nasr. I'm on the bill for Mother's Day Sunday Night, May 8th. The format is a rapid-fire event with quick changeovers between acts so we get to see a lot of performers in a short period of time. The other good news on this gig is that Ariana will be joining me to play violin with me. Click here to link to the AMP Festival website.
So that's it for the moment. I will try to be a more regular correspondent now that music moves me again.
Cheers, Bob
I have two finished guitar instrumentals and a third that is almost complete. I also have a work in progress on getting lucky (in several senses) on the internet. There may be a verse in it about what a huge time-suck Facebook is. I'm not addicted to the internet. Really, I'm not. I can stop any time I want.
Sometimes it's the little things that kickstart you. For several months now, I've been playing in a jam organized by my friend Laurie every couple of weeks. I have to learn a new language living in Nova Scotia. I used to call it a song circle but down here it's a jam. If you're walking down Lincoln Street in Lunenburg every other Friday afternoon, you might see several musicians sitting in one of the storefronts, and if you stick your head in the door, you'll hear some interesting sounds. It's an eclectic mix of styles and we do have people dropping in just to listen, so if you're in the neighbourhood...
Here's some news on upcoming performances. On April 1st, 6:00 to 9:00pm, I'll be playing for the dinner and after crowd at the Scuttlebutt Restaurant on Montague Street in Lunenburg. The owners, Traci and Rob, are great people and are encouraging local artists by putting on music events and I'm pleased to be part of it. The food is good and won't break the bank. They have a liquid license so you can have a tasty beverage while dining and while listening after. One of my personal favourites: they serve breakfast all day so you can get bacon, scrambled eggs, and home fries whenever. Yum. Oh yeah, no cover charge. How good can it get? Click here to link to Scuttlebutt's Facebook page.
I'll also be part of a Songwriters Circle at Lunenburg Sessions on Tuesday May 3 at 7:30pm in the 3rd Floor Theatre of the Lunenburg Academy. I love doing songwriter's circle generally and I'm looking forward to this one in particular. Joining me will be Catahoula Brown, who was featured not long ago on CBC's Atlantic Airwaves, and Bonnie Ste. Croix who is a great singer/songwriter living in Halifax. Bonnie is one of the finalists at Folk Fiesta for the last spot at the 2011 Folk Harbour Festival. Click here to link to Lunenburg Sessions Facebook page.
Shortly after the Songwriter's Circle, it's off to Wolfville for the 3rd Annual AMP Festival, presented by Andy Flynn and Ariana Nasr. I'm on the bill for Mother's Day Sunday Night, May 8th. The format is a rapid-fire event with quick changeovers between acts so we get to see a lot of performers in a short period of time. The other good news on this gig is that Ariana will be joining me to play violin with me. Click here to link to the AMP Festival website.
So that's it for the moment. I will try to be a more regular correspondent now that music moves me again.
Cheers, Bob
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