I know I've said it before on here, and I'm hoping it's not the last time I say it, but Meghan Gamble knows just what I like. This latest gem is from a group called Madison Violet, and their album "The Good in Goodbye".
Released this past September, the twelve track full length is an outstanding effort from the Roots duo. The music feels familiar from the first time you push play. It's a sound that you can relax and tap your toes to at the same time. Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac have been pumping out material since 2004, so this album being as polished as it is makes perfect sense.
The Toronto group has really got it dialed in. "Come as you are" is definitely my favourite song on the album. Killer harmonica off the hop and some great harmonies make this an instant classic. I find myself humming this tune all day long when I hear it.
Another favourite little diddy (and I really believe diddy is the perfect word), is "Cindy Cindy". It hooks me in with the Banjo and the pace. It's just two and a half minutes of fun.
There is no weak point on the album. The ladies have an intoxicating sound that grows on you each and every time you play it. Simply put, it's forty minutes well spent.
Madison Violet have a tour south of the border coming up in support of their latest works. For our American friends, it would be in your best interest to get out to a show when the group comes rolling through. You may be supporting "The Good in Goodbye", but with the talent this group has, you can be sure the "goodbye" part won't be for long.
The Jessica Stuart Few are wrapping up a West Coast tour right now, and despite the weather's best efforts, it couldn't be going any better. You know it's going well when it's referred to as a "working vacation" and that's exactly what Stuart compared it to when I caught up with her at The Fort St. Cafe the other night.
Venturing out west has been great for the Toronto based group, as an invite to the Chutzpah Festival in Vancouver set the tour in motion. The chance to get out and play some gigs was great, but to do it in a familiar place at a slower pace made the winter tour quite enjoyable.
"I’m from Vancouver originally, so I got to visit with my folks who live there, and I was in Victoria more recently than I was in Van, so I have a lot of people to meet and connect to here as well. So its been really relaxed. Also my dudes have had a chance to do some stuff, have some fun, so its not just been driving-sleeping-eating-loading-playing-loading-driving and repeat. So its been great."
Her body language completely backs her words. She sits relaxed but aware, answering questions thoughtfully and honestly. Through all this though you can see she means business when it comes to her music. In todays market that demands every artist needs to have a business sense as well as the music ability, Stuart's got it. Their latest project, a music video for "Kid Dream" is a perfect example.
The group had 100 animators trace over 2700 frames on paper. The animators were all volunteer and varied widely in age. The result was better than they had even imagined, and it's being received that way as well.
"It’s been great, everyone loves it. We had the big party launch show and that was awesome, and we had the all ages launch which was for the younger folks who had been involved. So we ended up with about 30 kids and their parents at the studio where we had done a lot of the animating for the video and we played a short performance and screened the video, and that was also awesome.
Now we want to see what kind of opportunities we can find to maximize the viewership of this video. So before launching it online we are trying out different television options, but they all have requirements about not screening the video on YouTube or anything like that before they have a chance to premiere it."
The group will know better as the week progresses just when and where the video will launch, but Stuart doesn't seem too concerned about where it launches, her confidence obvious in the project.
New project's are not far between for the jazzy Toronto group, and 2011 is looking good. With recordings in the works, a Toronto Arts Council grant for 8 brand new recordings, an upcoming East Coast tour, and a possible rip through the West Coast interior this summer, The Jessica Stuart Few are going to be showing up in a lot more people's music libraries. Being in Toronto has really helped the group flourish.
"The idea that I can play every night of the week, potentially with different bands, but whatever, in Toronto, and not play the same venue twice in a year? Yeah that’s great. It’s amazing. There’s more musicians, there is more opportunities, it's just a larger scene. To be more specific. It’s not just a music scene. There’s parts or factions of the music scene that you can tap into, so that’s great."
Even with such a busy 2011 lined up already here in Canada, Stuart is thinking about the international stage, and what she has to do to get there.
"I lived in Japan when I was younger, that's how I learned the Koto. I studied out there for a year. It's good to take lessons. I’m doing a totally non conventional style of playing and writing on Koto, so it'd be good to get back to studying other peoples work again. It can only be inspiring and make me a better player. Also I just long for Japan. It's one of my homes. Any excuse I have to get back there I'll take it.
I imagine myself being in Japan within the next 2 years for sure. The running plan at the moment is to go out there, take some contemporary Koto lessons with some non traditional people, buy a new Koto, make some connections in the music biz out there and sort of pave the way for a future tour to Japan. And also learning music industry language, because I speak Japanese fluently, but I don't know anything about music biz talk, so that would be something very useful."
Another artist just looking to get better at her craft. And another artist with the drive and desire that make you cheer and wish success for. Get out and see The Jessica Stuart Few while they are still in our home and native land. You won't be sorry.
We're headed to Toronto this time round, and it's well worth the trip. The Ruby Spirit are "kaleidoscopic indie-rockers", which I've personally translated into simply meaning, it's fun.
Their album "Born Under a Veil" is set for release September 4. It is very simply, awesome. Paige Boy, is the voice that leads the way, and she produces nothing but smooth vocals that do wonders. Behind her, the rest of the band (Alex Pulec, Mickey Donnell, Jay Cipparrone, Juliana Eye), play music that is driving, sometimes hypnotic, but constant with positivity and happiness. Listening to it just makes me feel good. It's the type of music that lends itself to just about anything.
The band is gearing up for a supporting tour of the six song E.P. The album has a good variety of sound, my favourite tune has got to be Caligari though. I really dig the organ in it, and Boy sings her heart out in parts.
With nothing but positive reviews in regard to their live show and stage presence, the energy behind this album would be very worthwhile catching live. Their album release show in particular sounds very intriguing. The group is taking over The Great Hall in Toronto (Queen and Dovercourt) on September 4, and turning the space into a multi-dimensional atmosphere. A great opportunity to see The Ruby Spirit in their element.
If you need an album for your next road trip, bike ride, walk, run, paper-route, whatever, this is no waste of your time. You don't need to be in any certain mood to listen to The Ruby Spirit, and in the end, it always leaves you in the same mood...a great one.
