New 'antique' Shoeless Joe baseball mitt in shop at Missouri History Museum. "Say it ain't so, Joe!" pic.twitter.com/tZfyeiWjXx
— Philip Turner (@philipsturner) August 8, 2014
Having a great time on vacation in St. Louis with my wife Kyle, son Ewan, and his best pal, Nolan Marsh. Soon, my wife and I will be on our way to Chicago, then Cleveland.
In completing my coverage of NXNE, the Toronto music festival I attended June 17-24 as accredited press, I’ve used Storify, the platform that lets bloggers incorporate social media posts in with their own writing. Once a piece is published on Storify, you can grab a handy embed code and paste it in at your websites, where it populates precisely as you assembled it. The piece is titled “Great Music & Great Times in Toronto for NXNE 2014,” “a collection of illustrated social sharing culled from my timelines 6/17-6/24, w/commentary; links to bands & venues; plus content I’m borrowing with acknowledgement of & appreciation for other music fans who shared about NXNE, creating a visual diary of the festival.” Please click here to read it on Storify, or here on Honourary Canadian. I hope you enjoy reading the piece which includes travel and tourism info about Toronto, offering some notes on restaurants, bookstores, shopping, and architecture, along with my music coverage.
On June 4th Kyle and I went to hear one of my favorite NY bands, Brain Cloud, a six-piece outfit that plays Western swing and '40s standards, and some originals, making it all sound new and fresh. I wrote about the show at The Great Gray Bridge, and then heard this today from frontman Dennis Lichtman:
“We're playing Ottawa Jazz Festival on Saturday, 6/28 and Sunday, 6/29 on the Laurier Ave. stage, 4:00pm each day. Thanks for letting folks know!”
SATURDAY MORNING TV UPDATE: On Feb 15 the Sam Roberts Band will appear on CBS This Morning as part of their ‘Saturday Sessions’ series. According to press materials, they should go on at 8:45AM.
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Had a blast Tuesday night as the Sam Roberts Band of Montreal blew into town for one night to launch their terrific new album “Lo-Fantasy,” drawing a boisterous crowd to a sold-out Mercury Lounge. It was my first time hearing them live, after years of enjoying their music on CBC Radio 3. They are a tight rock n’ roll machine, starting with a tremendous rhythm section of of bassist James Hall and drummer Josh Trager, who played on a clear see-through kit allowing the audience to peer through the armature and really see him bashing away on the skins. I stood directly in front of Hall and Trager, and for the first half of the show I thought maybe that was why they sounded so good, then I decided, nah, they’re just great players. At center-stage was frontman Roberts, a small guy and a powerful rock n’ roll package–a handsome man and a lithe performer who bursts with vocal energy while striking insistent guitar chords, and moving around a lot on stage. On the far side of him from me were a keyboard player, lead guitarist, and saxophonist. The 6-piece outfit ripped through the 11 songs on the new album. Several I had heard already, like “We’re All In This Together”–with good lyrics expressive to me of a communitarian ethic. There’s an extended video of it below, and the process of making the new album. Once they worked through the new record, they took a bow and left the stage. It was clear though they’d be back for more. When they came back out for encores, they really gave the crowd full value, by playing another four songs, all from earlier albums. The sound was a mix of pure pop propulsion–most songs were uptempo, driven by the bass and drums–with Roberts’ vocals and strong riffs and tasty licks from the other three instrumentalists.
Yesterday was Paperbag Records‘ official release date of “Lo-Fantasy.” They put out many of my fave Canadian bands, like Elliott Brood, Cuff the Duke and Rural Alberta Advantage. Sam Roberts is well known beyond Montreal and Canada, with the current tour taking him and his band to many US cities between now and March 28: Chicago; Grand Rapids, MI; St. Paul; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Portland; Boston area; Washington, DC; and Philadelphia, where they’ll be playing World Cafe Live, a show that I’d bet will end up on public radio here in the States.
Just arrived in time for Heaven’s Jail, opening act for @samrobertsband sold out show tonite @MercuryLoungeNY. pic.twitter.com/vUg82m48Kd
— Philip Turner (@philipsturner) February 12, 2014
As good as Sam Roberts Band turned out to be, I also liked the opening act, Heaven’s Jail. I walked in as they started and was glad I had arrived on time. Love when that happens at a live show, walking in on the first notes to a new sound that’s immediately likable. Going to hear live music ought to be as much about discovering new bands as hearing longtime faves. Mercury Lounge did a smart thing booking them as the stage-setter for the evening. Based here in NYC, they’re a basic drums/bass/lead guitar trio, and so offered a clean sonic appetizer that went down real easy. For reference, their sound reminded me in the vocals of Warren Zevon, and in their bright jangling guitar-driven riffs they made think of the Felice Brothers from upstate New York who I heard open for Josh Ritter last year. Heaven’s Jail also have a current album, “Angelmakers,” which you can hear at their bandcamp page. I look forward to hearing them again.
After the Sam Roberts Band left the stage for the last time, a lot of the crowd melted away in to the cold NY night. I had already met some great people during the course of the long evening–like Emily Curran, a NYC schoolteacher who had seen Sam Roberts several times–so I stuck around, eager to meet other folks who’d enjoyed the evening, either from among the audience or the musicians. It being a release party it’s no surprise there were lots of music industry people on hand, like Ben Liemer of music distributor The Orchard who I really enjoyed talking with. Next I recognized two of the three members of Heaven’s Jail, and so chatted with them–Francesco and Ethan, guitarist and drummer. I complimented them on their set and we launched in to a spirited discussion of our rock n’ roll upbringings. I mentioned mine in Cleveland, and the great shows I was able to see in my early days as a live music fan, beginning with a Canned Heat and Cream bill back in the day. These conversations–plus one in a group with Sam Roberts’ brother Tom, who I learned lives in NY, and with his friend Jim, a bass player, capped off a fun night.
Via this link are more pictures from last night’s show, two black & white publicity shots of the Sam Roberts Band, and two videos of them performing.
Cross-posted at The Great Gray Bridge.
Though I’ve lived in New York City for the past 27 years, there are still many city blocks, even in my own familiar neighborhood of the upper west side, that I’ve never traversed. Recently I was strolling on West 94th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, and was surprised to find a named apartment building, The Vancouver. (it is one of the charming things about NY real estate that many buildings were named back in the day, and they used to even be listed in the phone book under their name. They may still be, but I haven’t looked at an actual White Pages directory for so many years, I’m not sure. My own building where I’ve lived for 22 years is called “West End Manor.” I know this only from my lease, since the name doesn’t appear on an awning or plaque of any kind. Seeing The Vancouver made me wonder if, just as there are “sister cities,” if there might be “sister buildings,” at least in a parallel urban universe–is there a named building in Vancouver called “The New York”? Hmm, perhaps one of my friends in British Columbia will keep an eye out for me. . .
Eager to hear The Deep Dark Woods live for 1st time 11/20 @MercuryLoungeNY. Listen to them&join me: http://t.co/eA76KWI0MP @TheDDWs
— Philip Turner (@philipsturner) November 19, 2013
This should be a great live music show, Wednesday night Nov. 20 in NYC at the Mercury Lounge on E. Houston Street. Headliners The Deep Dark Woods from Saskatoon, Sasketchewan are a terrific group with a distinctive folk/roots sound, really good vocals, terrific playing–like that of their keyboard player, whose organ sound makes me feel nostalgic, though I’m not even sure for what–and memorable songs. Come join me if you can. Details at the Mercury Lounge website (the opening acts look good, too). Great music coming off the Canadian Prairies these days, as evidenced by a recent show I enjoyed during CMJ, when I heard the artists showcased by SaskMusic.
I’m sending out festive greetings to all my Canadian pals who have the good sense to celebrate Thanksgiving this day, instead of Columbus Day, which we’re observing here in the States. I have much personal gratitude for all the talented Canadian bands I’ve heard this past year, during my annual visit to Toronto for NXNE, when I loved hanging at Cameron House, and in NYC, listening to such acts as Ben Rough, Greg Ball, The Strumbellas, Shawn William Clark, Jill Barber; Elliott BROOD, and Elephant Stone; all the bold Canadian authors who’s books I’ve encountered, including Kathryn Kuitenbrower, Gill Deacon, Antonine Maillet, Howard Engel, and Jan Wong; and all the great Canadian friends I’ve met and re-met in Toronto and on CBC Radio 3’s keenly interactive daily blog. Until the next time we bump in to each other, here’s a pumpkin pie decorated with the maple leaf. Hope you’re having a celebratory day, and thanks for visiting Honourary Canadian!
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Oct 21, 2013
I rarely photograph food I’m about to eat but the pumpkin pie Kyle made this weekend, dotted with maple leafs made from her delicious and flaky crust, looked too special not to first make a visual record of it. It tasted as good as it looked, best I’ve ever eaten! As a belated observance of Canadian Thanksgiving last Monday, I’m glad I could share my photograph of the pie.