2011 has been a spotty year for music, with few real highlights and a lot of releases that I had much higher hopes for. The one disc that’s been getting steady play at LC headquarters since it came out in June has been Doug Hoyer’s breakout record Walks With The Tender and Growing Night.
Hoyer, associated with the Old Ugly outfit out of Edmonton, has managed to evolve from standard guitar-and-drums rock into a fuller electronic sound that has turned his songs into otherworldly pop confection. Seriously, this record is a delight from the beginning to end, with songs about the joys of bicycles and cheap pineapples, why not to get a tattoo, and chasing the Northern Lights. While Walks didn’t chart nationally, I have no doubt that if he can pull of another record of this calibre, Hoyer will be a CBC 3 darling in no time.
Runner-ups this year include the Black Keys’ El Camino, one of their stronger releases, as well as Rich Aucoin’s We’re All Dying to Live.
You could almost taste the desperation last night as Canada’s trainwreck treasure BA Johnston played the Palomino. It was a small crowd, but BA busted out the hits with aplomb.
If you missed BA play last night he said he’d be returning to Calgary around March, 2012 with a new record
If you happen to be in Calgary and need a vinyl record fix, don’t bother with HMV’s sad collection – go to these independent record stores instead! I’ve gathered all the information about the stores (addresses, store hours, etc.) into this one handy page that you can print out in case you are planning a record-buying binge. Continue reading »
Having left Sackville, New Brunswick just as the music scene started blossoming (a la Sappyfest), I long for the sound that I know from those days. Sitting in George’s Fabulous Roadhouse, I would hear Shotgun & Jaybird, the Port City All-Stars, Gary Flanagan, and more – always exciting, fresh, innovative. When I heard that BA Johnston and Shotgun Jimmie were swinging through the Ship and Anchor on 17th Ave, I knew I had to go.
I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but my new record Fluke is available now for full download.
This record was designed for maximum danceability. There was extensive testing (some tests were done on animals), but the result is a scientific success. If you would like to replicate my experiments (peer-review is very important), then the steps are as follows:
Ensure a dancing space is available. This is generally about 2.3 square feet.
Play the music at a volume in which the bass excites the ear drum. Not too loud to cause permanent hearing damage, though.
