Kathleen Edwards shines on new album
Kathleen Edwards and her new album Voyageur are making a big splash south of the border. Sure, her association with Justin Vernon, of Grammy-nominated Bon Iver fame has surely helped. But, don’t kid yourselves, this is a solid record on its own with or without Vernon twiddling the dials in the control room — a very Kathleen Edwards record. She’s back in her hometown of Toronto this Saturday, Feb. 12, to play a sure-to-be-packed show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre with up-and-comer Hannah Georgas in support.
Here’s what she had to say during a recent interview with Post City.
• “This was definitely the hardest record I ever made. I knew it was going to be trying, it even just started hard. The songs I had — arrangement wise — I wasn’t happy with, and I wasn’t sure who was going to be recording on this record.”
• “Two or three years ago, I wanted to make a record that was going to be different. I realized that I also was stuck in the pigeon hole of alt-country, and I don’t relate to that.”
• “I needed to find a way to make a record that proved that without it being a betrayal or unnatural.”
• “Some songs wrote when I was still married. And they are absolutely cathartic. I don’t know how to write songs that don’t have pieces of me in them.”
• “All of my failures, and all of my pain are up for discussion, available to anyone. It feels exceptionally vulnerable, maybe more now than ever in my life.”
• “you know that song (‘Going To Hell’) is a very true statement of some of the feelings I had about the last few years of my marriage. And how it musically came together, Justin Vernon was a huge part of that. He would come in and help build and create a house of all these sounds.”
• “I think one of the best things about touring with Bon Iver was that Justin is, you know, this thing. And it was nice to be a fly on the wall and see how the music world is acknowledging how special and great he is. He’s getting a lot of accolades and as his friend I know that all of them are deserved. I think the highlight of working with Justin was the fact that I felt like he knew my old material so well, and he was so respectful of all the things I’ve done and really understood where I wanted to go."
Remember the name: Dirty Ghosts
Toronto native Allyson Baker along with husband, producer, rapper Aesop Rock are releasing their debut LP as Dirty Ghosts on Feb. 21 on Last Gang Records. Entitled Metal Moon, the album is a genre-busting, finely-tuned musical explosion that is equal parts hard rock and funk. They are a band to watch for 2012, and will surely be coming to town, hopefully by spring. Until then, check out the new album. It is a pretty sweet combo of sounds that should find a home alongside records by The Kills. You may remember Baker from her gig as guitarist for crazy punk band Teen Crud Combo — with such memorable tunes as “Suck It” and “R.O.T.” Check out the first single, “Shout It In,” below.
F–k yeah!
Mark your calendars: from Feb. 16 to 19, the Wavelength 12th Anniversary Festival features a sweet mix of bands on all four nights in four different locations, but none bigger (and faster selling, FYI) than the Juno Award-nominated (no, really!) local punk band F*cked Up. Damian Abraham and company will be celebrating the releases of their new EP, Year of the Tiger, on Feb. 17 with a big show at the Steam Whistle Brewery. The new EP is actually streaming live right now at the band’s website here. But good bands are playing every night, from PS I Love You to Slim Twig.
Cameron House Records launched
The venerable Queen West institution The Cameron House has started an in-house record label. First out of the gate is Kayla Howran’s debut LP, Pistol, which was released on Feb. 3. Other bands currently listed on the label website include long-time Cameron House staple Handsome Ned as well as Nichol Robertson, David Baxter and the group Tarantuela.
Measha gets a little bit country?
Grammy-nominated Toronto singer Measha Brueggergosman has announced a new album to be released on April 17 via Kelp Records entitled I’ve Got A Crush On You. The big-time soprano with the big voice and incomparable stage presence was set to record the album over three evenings last week in her hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick, at the Cedar Tree Cafe. Apparently, the new album will include songs from a classical repertoire but also everything from Spanish canciones to Acadian folksongs. This is exciting.
Walk Off The Earth ready debut release
The Burlington indie sensations that rocked with the world with a cheeky little 10-handed cover of a Gotye song are indie no longer. Walk Off The Earth, creators of a YouTube video that garnered a shocking 50 million views and took them to the stage of The Ellen DeGeneres Show a couple weeks ago, have signed what is surely a big, fat contract with Columbia Records. The band, together since 2006, includes Gianni Luminati, Ryan Marshall, Sarah Blackwood, Joel Cassady and Mike Taylor. Expect a rushed debut release trying to capitalize on their rising fame.
