Oh Fortune!

Dan Mangan can do no wrong.  That's something I strongly believe.  He made an album recently and it was called "Oh Fortune".  It was really, really good.  Like really, really, really good.

So you should just get it (if you haven't already).
Listen to it.
Enjoy.
Repeat.

That's the good stuff.

A Bell Worth Diving to.

This isn't exactly "new", but it's been sitting in my inbox for months now, and is one of the reasons that I had to start writing this blog again! (And I have to thank Jen Fritz for it!)

"A Diving Bell" is a a four song E.P. from City of Glass, and the group from Vancouver has got four real beauties here for their next L.P.  All four tracks they offer up are quite nice, and I think lead singer Michael Champion will suck you right in.  The dude sounds good.

"Sticks and Stones" is the first track on the album, and it's my favourite so far.  Right off the hop the guitars pump me up.  I enjoy the build of the song, and the intensity of the singing just excites me.  Whether you're heading out to Walmart (seriously, what's with those check out lines?!), or jumping on your mountain bike, it's a good jam to get yourself revved up.

The full length is due out sometime this year, and City of Glass have my attention.  With the sound and skill these guys have, their next release could very well be your new favourite. 

Don't we all need Shelter?

I know I said this was going up yesterday, but did anyone else catch that Jays game last night? 5 plus hours and 15 innings later, they lost (and probably deserved that fate), but my oh my what an exciting game.  I didn't think anyone would be offended with a little Sunday reading anyhow.

And what are we reading about on this fine Sunday?  An album that was a long time coming, and worth every second of the wait.  This is Franco has released thier first full length, titled Shelter.  With 11 polished tracks, this band's mature sound continues to surprise me, and I mean that in the best way possible.  I know the album took a little longer than the band had hoped, but I am sure they are pleased with the result.

"Crowded House" is still one of my favourites from this group.  The vocals are as good as they always are, and I really like the keys, they pull me in, in a big way.  "Love just leads you" would be another favourite.  Some great harmonies really have the vocals stick out for me, it's a fun one to sing along with (whether you can sing or not :).  I've also got to mention "Stuck Between".  I remember reading a review of the song when it was first released a while back, and the person was less than impressed.  I found it funny cause I thought this song was great.  It's my kind of tune, a short, happy little diddy, and I don't know how anyone could not enjoy it.

Enjoying it is what these guys are about, on top of that, they're driven, and continue to push themselves in a positive manner.  I think Shelter is a great step for the group, and they are poised to make 2011 the year you fell in love with This is Franco.

AND... It's time for another GIVEAWAY! The band was kind enough to send me a couple copies of Shelter, so leave a way to reach you in the comments section below for your chance to win! (I'm not on facebook, but a twitter handle or email would be best). Good Luck!

Ruffle your Feathers this Holiday Season

Look, it even comes with a handwritten note.

I've got another Christmas tune here for you guys that I quite enjoyed.  Lucky for me Katie Schaan let me know about The Ruffled Feathers, and their free Christmas song "The Highest Mountain".  Great tune to add to the holiday collection!

100 Blows... It's a good thing

I gotta be honest, I'm getting spoiled over here with people sending me music.  This latest gem showed up in the mailbox a couple weeks back.  Vancouver's Henry and the Nightcrawlers are responsible for 100 Blows, their debut full length.  I have one word for it. Fun.

The group is led by Henry Alcock-White, who wrote and produced the album.  There is something unique about his voice that really adds to the fun of the album.  It engaged me immediately, and really struck me with a sense of wonder.  It's another case of music that I would not have listened to on my own, but am I ever glad that I did.

I keep thinking I have a favourite song on the album, but it changes every time I listen through.  It's a 9 song effort (plus an "edit" version of On a Week Night, making 10 total), and it's another listen that won't tempt that "skip" finger.  Right now, my favourite tune has got to be Fan the Flames.  I love the bass groove off the top, and singing along with the chorus makes me a highway rockstar.

This has got to be one of my favourites of the year.  It really does zoom by, and intrigues me as to what the group will get up to next.  They are currently on tour and have the big Record Release party scheduled in Vancouver on Saturday November 27th, at the Billy Bishop Legion Hall.  Picking this album up won't disappoint, and if you are in Van City on the 27th, the party would be a dynamite place to grab it.

It's not climate change, but Treelines have moved south...

(Treelines plays a show at RailRoad Club in Vancouver)

A quick note before we start.  Treelines has two songs up for voting in CBC Radio 3's "R3-30 Song of the Summer".  You can check those songs out and vote here.  Please do, I promise everyone will appreciate it!
** Quick Edit, Sunday September 26.  Treelines has in fact won Song of the Summer! Thanks to all who voted, make sure to congratulate the boys!**

It's no secret Island SoapBox loves Treelines. Having been featured twice already, it's about time for round 3. With the bands recent move from Kelowna to Vancouver, it made it nice and easy to meet up with the boys for some breakfast, and find out how life is shortly after relocating.

With a great spot looking out onto Commercial Drive, the people watching is as good as the interview. Matt Kelly, and brothers Steve and Matt Lockhart are the three migratory members of Treelines, and they seem almost antsy about being in Vancouver, right from the get go. The excitement for this next step is evident in their eyes as they speak.

"Definitely excited to not be in Kelowna. I like Vancouver a lot. It’s almost more that I’m happy more to be out of Kelowna, than I’m happy to be here. I’m excited to be here, love our house and our area and everything." Kelly tells me.

"I think we're all stoked to be in Vancouver, cause there’s just way more happening. Like this week I’m going to three shows. And that would take, I'd maybe go to one show a month in Kelowna kinda thing. So I’m far more entertained here. We have an awesome house, where we can jam, which is awesome. Cause for the last two months in Kelowna we just didn’t have anywhere to play, and that was a bummer. And moving here, we thought we'd probably have to pay for rehearsal space and that’s just such a foreign concept to me. Paying so I can practice? You know? Practice is moderately fun, but sometimes it certainly feels like work, and I don’t want to pay for that you know? We just threw up a couple of walls in our house and we have a jam space which is awesome. That’s gonna be huge for us just from a writing perspective.

"Besides the fact that we were all just ready for a change of scenery, it was also a practical move. It’s a natural step that every band in Kelowna has to take. We've pretty much done what we can here, so let’s go somewhere else, and usually that place is Vancouver. Despite all its cultural dryness in Kelowna, there's been a ton of bands that moved to this town and done very well here. In a nutshell we’re stoked."

Matt Lockhart seems like he's busting at the seams while he discusses the move. For his brother Steve, this is the first move from home.

"First time not living in the same city as mom and dad. I feel all grown up now. I’m excited to be down here. I think it’s gonna be great. The fact that there is so much music and culture down here, and Kelowna is kinda like a dry spot for that. Some days, working on band stuff, there’s nothing really inspiring, you kind of have to fight through it there. But here there is just so much going on, it's just more inspiration to get us more involved in what were doing."

“Young Man”, the 6 song E.P. released this past Canada Day, was the bands second recorded album. Reception has been good, but that doesn't mean they aren't looking forward either.

"I always find it interesting after you release something, to re-approach it after a couple months. Having written some other material, and kind of looking at what you released. Once something is on an album it’s a point of comparison for your new material, and it’s always weird for me to see how things change even quickly. Like the albums been out for two months, and we’ve already written some songs that definitely have a much different feel than that album. And I think that’s what actually prompted us recording “Young Man” in the first place. We were just so excited about this new sound and this new direction that we were evolving into, that we were like "We have to get these down on something". As soon as you release an album you can’t picture where your music is going to go after that point, you just have no idea. I really like the album still that we just released, I’m really proud of the songs on there.  But I’m already getting an itch. We have these new things now that we want to get out you know? And it’s weird because I mean, we're still bringing this album to a lot of new places, to a lot of people it's brand new still, but to us the band, it's not. We just passed it out to college radio last week, and they're just putting it in their rotation now. So it's this weird thing where on the one hand it’s like “We gotta new album out, check this out” but then creatively, we’re moving in kind of this different direction and that’s really exciting. So it’s this, dynamic between the two that I find really interesting. I think we're really happy with how the album's been received. We’ve had a lot more traction with this record than the first one, which is what you want to see. Our first 100 units sold way faster than last time, which is great. It’s not the end all, but for us they're just like little sign posts of progress, and that’s been really encouraging."

Although there is no ego present, it's still clear that Matt Lockhart is the leader of this group, both on stage and off. Taking the reins and happy to answer all questions, it eases the burden on Kelly and brother Steve, allowing them to chime in when comfortable. Kelly goes on further about the progress the band has made.

"There are so many ways you can measure your progress. It’s a lot easier to stay motivated if you’re measuring yourself based on things you can see. You could wait to sell all one thousand albums we pressed, but that doesn’t make any sense when we can celebrate the couple we sell every show. Sort of like Steve was saying, being around these bands, it’s a great way to stay motivated. Trying to measure yourself in ways that allow you to feel good about what you’re doing."

The younger Lockhart points to a show like Rifflandia, and how their inclusion shows the band is on track.

"We’re pretty excited, as we were saying earlier it’s those little steps of progress that you see along the way. You can see you are going in the right direction. Last year we probably wouldn’t have been asked to play at this festival, this year we are.  So I mean we’re obviously heading down the right road right now. It’s just encouraging that people enjoy what we’re doing. It gives us motivation to keep making it."

With a member change in the works, and the band talking about how much their music is evolving, fans may worry that Treelines sound may be on the way out, but the lead singer squashes that worry quickly.

"If you can look at the first record to the second record and say the band is still Treelines, I think that’s a much larger jump then where we're at now. That’s not to say that might not change. I think there is so much to it, that makes our band sound like our band, and it comes down to the honest musical taste of the members coming together. The sound will change because we had a lineup change. Ryan decided to stay in Kelowna, which is totally rad, we’re really happy for him. But we'll be bringing someone else on to play drums. Style wise, it’s gonna have a big effect on the music, and I think it will certainly still sound like Treelines, a lot of the core songwriting components will still be there. I’m not sure what fans expect. I think as a music fan myself, I go into a new record expecting it to sound like the old record. And when it doesn’t at first I don’t know if I like it, but then I end up liking it more because it shows growth.

"Our biggest thing has always been, don’t try to define what we're doing. We just play what we feel at the time and put it out. At the end of the day being honest with what we're doing is probably the most important thing, we’re always gonna do that. Whether we lose some people along the way or whatnot, that’s just kinda gonna happen. I think you can always hear an honest record from a band, and you can also hear a record when it's not."

The group comes to Victoria in just one weeks time for Rifflandia, playing Friday night at the Victoria Events Centre (September 24, 7:30 P.M.). A great show for the boys to tune up their act for their Western Canadian Tour starting towards the end of October.

It's wonderful to see a group of young guys so well organized and staying so true to themselves. In today’s age of music, with seemingly endless choices of listening out there, Treelines plays it simple and old-school, honesty is the best policy.

Oh, and by the way Mrs. Lockhart, your boys wanted to say hello. They thought you would like that...

Mr. Jones and Me

It's amazing what a voice, a guitar and a street corner can do.  Mind you that voice is an extremely hard working, talented and relentless artist, out to make his own breaks.

Bodhi Jones is soft spoken and polite.  And an awesome, like really, really awesome musician and busker.

I caught up with the 29-year-old musician recently on his home turf, at Robson and Howe in downtown Vancouver.  Although there is a man offering books for change on his usual corner, Jones makes sure we stay close, as he has promised tickets to fans.  An awesome first impression of the man, worried more about getting these fans free tickets than anything else.

Fans of Bodhi know he has no issue writing and releasing music.  His latest record "Where does the Time go?" is set for release Tuesday (September 14, 2010).   It's more solid work from the Native of Salt Spring Island, true to the sound that his fans have come to love.  Although this time around his fans will have to wait a little longer for the next album.

"I write all the time, and I want to get music out there.  I'm on the street corner cause I'm actually selling the music. I want to get it to as many people as possible and keep giving my fans more. But I think the next time, whenever my next album comes out, it's gonna be a little bit longer away I think.  I’m gonna work a bit harder at the songwriting.  I usually just let it come naturally and quickly and easily, but I think I can get a bit more in depth.  I think I haven’t really scraped the surface of what I’ve got to say.  I’m gonna try a bit harder, maybe a year.  This time next year I'll definitely have an album out. 1 year. Instead of every 4 or 6 months or whatever it is."

I think fans will happily accept this, sounds like Bodhi taking his time will benefit everyone.  It will be fantastic to see where this talented artist takes his music next.

Jones is musically maturing before our very eyes.  Beyond being naturally gifted, he's had the benefit of The Peak Performance Project assisting him.  Merging natural talent and technical knowledge, the project has been rewarding.  A 6th place finish last year has earned him a spot in this year's top 20, but maybe more importantly, he's been here before.

"I guess I was a bit of a veteran (at band camp), which was weird because just 1 year ago I was so green.  I was freaking out and puking before my performance.  The showcase there.  It was my first time ever performing on a real stage by myself. So I've come along way, pretty crazy. Its developed me for sure.

Last year, I don’t know if I was naive, but I really thought I might be able to get in the top 3 or 5. I worked really hard.  It’s a disadvantage for a solo artist I think personally, compared to having a full band possibly to delegate different tasks. So last year I really killed myself.  

This year I’m coming in, work a little smarter, a little less frantically.  Just soak it all in, learn as much as I can which I did at boot camp. I learned a lot this year, faculty was great, much better than last year. This year I don’t have hopes of winning, if I do that’d be cool, but I just want to use this media attention, meeting all these new people, I'm learning and I'll just take it in stride.  This year it seems the new batch of peak artists is just nuts. So we’ll see."

Jones is right, the talent level at this years contest is insane, but the VanCity Busker fits right in.  At Band Camp in Princeton, BC this past August 27-September 3, The Peak FM must have understood just how lucky they were to have these creative geniuses under one roof, and really ramped up the program.

"It was boot camp this year.  Last year it was like a vacation.  A lot more free time. This year they just packed in more classes, more focus on tweeting and blogging, and we had to write and record a song professionally.  Last year we did the writing thing, and they just said "OK, go record it", you had three takes, one microphone it was recorded raw.  This year they had the whole studio, producers. So you really had to craft a polished song that was ready for radio. So that took a lot of, like literally most of us stayed up the last three nights.  Pretty much no one slept the whole 24-hour days, it was pretty crazy. 

I did my collaboration song with Kyprios.  He was kinda a stand out at camp.  It was interesting cause I think a lot of us weren’t sure what to expect out of this hip hop cat.  He kinda brought a lot of people out of their shells, he was one of the leaders at camp for sure.  He was a good guy to work with.  It was an amazing, amazing experience. Anybody who’s playing music should apply."

Bodhi is super excited about all of the recorded songs from camp, mentioning at least a few could be instant hits.  It will be a treat to hear him collaborate with a hip-hop talent like Kyprios.

Of course playing on the street has its unique moments.  Although it's been good to Jones, that doesn't mean the day to day always goes so smooth.

"Well it is a challenge. To do it for a living, to actually pay the bills with it.  But I can’t complain cause I could be digging ditches like those folks across the street.  It gets competitive, mundane sometimes.   Sometimes it seems like you’ll play for, it might just be 30 minutes, but if your singing your heart out for 30 minutes, and no one seems to care, its pretty hard. I think it's hard on the confidence sometimes. You just tend to focus on the negative. Yeah I might sell 20 CD's, but I saw 20,000 people walk by that didn’t give a shit about it.  Sometimes you wonder what you’re doing out here.  

I’ve been robbed a couple times. I caught them both times.  I leave the cash in there sometimes if it’s a busy day.  They just grab the cash, so I gotta put my guitar down and chase them down the street.  One time I was wearing flip-flops and I chased a guy on a bicycle and caught him.  But these people are down and out.  They give the money and it's all good.  Never a dull moment out here, that’s for sure.  I’ve met a couple producers, I’ve been flown down to LA a few of times by busking.  You never know who you’ll meet out here. I think that’s what keeps me going."

I'm sure there is a "humble" counter out there for my website somewhere, but I don't care, because it fits again.  Although he's already bringing joy to many listeners, he continues to work hard at his craft, almost unaware of how good he is.

"If I do end up making music, like a solid career where I have albums released around the world and stuff, if I do become successful, I think I'd still like to keep it real and busk once in a while. Maybe when I release my albums I'll busk in front of some of the stores or something.  And this tour, I’m going across Ontario in October, I’m going to busk in every town I go to, we're gonna film it and make a little documentary.  See what it's like to busk in different towns. Even if there might be 10 or 20 people around, who knows. So that’ll be fun.  Yeah I’ll always busk, that’ll always be part of it."

Well Mr. Jones, there are many owners of various recorded goods that would argue you are already quite successful.  It's those people, along with the work ethic of the gifted songwriter, that will ensure "Bodhi Jones Release Day" comes to a town near you, maybe even "by this time next year".

A name you should know now... Steph Macpherson

It's amazing how things have a way of falling into place isn't it? For Steph Macpherson (@stephmacpherson on twitter), the pieces are falling quite nicely.
Fresh off the heels of her top 20 inclusion in the Peak FM Performance Project (http://p3.fm @thepeak), Steph has been announced the winning "Ourstage Artist" at Vancouver's Lilith Fair, on Canada Day. Not a bad spring so far.
"It feels very good, and especially rewarding when you feel like there is a lot happening." she told me recently at a show at The Fort St. Cafe in Victoria.

That was before the Lilith Fair announcement, so that rewarding feeling can only grow. Of course if you've had the opportunity to see her live, this was only a matter of time. She's another very talented West Coast Singer/Songwriter and it's truly a treat to see her play. Her combination of keeping the audience involved, and pure musical talent leads to a memorable set time and again.

"Your live show is so, so important. Especially now. You can have great songs, you can have great songs on the radio, but if people come to see you play and don't feel like they connected with you in some way, and they don't feel like they wanna come back to your show, you're kinda dead in the water."
"A Strong "hometown following" is really important. People need to know what you are doing, and who you are at home. I love playing at home, because I get all of my friends and family out at my shows as well and I'm always seeing new faces too which is pretty exciting. Especially in Victoria which is fairly small, where I grew up and I never really expect so see new faces."

It's this attitude that makes you want her to succeed. Speak to anyone around her about her, and you realize she's just extremely likeable.

"I love Steph Macpherson. I have encountered her in person a bunch of times in Victoria, around the city, the odd house party or live venue dive. She is always friendly, humble and sweet. I think right away one of her strengths is her personability. If you meet Steph, you like her." Zone 91.3 host and owner of "The Morning After" blog (http://spintheblackdisc.com/) Jeremy Baker (@Jeremy_Baker) said.

"Stephs great, she's a really great musican and a great writer. Just a really nice person in general you know? I have a lot of fun touring with her, we always end up doing songs together, it always turns out being real fun." added Saskatoon Musician Zachary Lucky (@zacharylucky) at the Fort St. Cafe.

With her talent being recognized more and more by the day, we can look forward to hearing more of her in the future. The Peak FM Performance Project is an excellent opportunity for finalists to learn and expand each and every area of their musical careers. Cash prizes are awarded to the top 5, and a lot of loot is up for grabs (the winner receiving 6 figures). For starving musicians, cash is king, but this competition serves more purpose than just giving up money.

"I can tell you that the experience last year was wonderful for the artists and created a real sense of community that has survived the program. The goal is to help each of the Top 20 reach their potential. The artists who work the hardest in all areas of the program and show that they have not only the talent, but also the business sense and marketing drive will reach the program summit." that from the Executive Director of Music BC Industry Association, Bob D'Eith.

With this mega-talented group (including Said the Whale, Vince Vaccaro, Aidan Knight, Debra-Jean amongst others), Macpherson undoubtedly belongs, but will certainly be in tough. As for what she has to do?

"Steph is an artist and she works hard perfecting her craft and writing beautiful songs. To be a top 5 contender on The Peak, Steph Macpherson needs to write a great pop song that caputures the Peak audiences' imagination in the first listen and demands a repeat listen. I think she has done that with a couple of her cuts (already)." says Baker.

"I think she just needs to stay calm to be honest. She gets really worked up over things, and they are things she often doesn't have to worry about, I think she'll be just fine." Lucky said with confidence.

Macphersons' eyes light up at the mention of the competition. It's clear that she is extremely excited, and humbled about the opportunity.

"Everyone is saying (other artists in the competition) is as much as it is a competition, it's also so great to be devolpoing such a community with each other, and I think we will create some really great things as a group as well as individually for ourselves and each other."

"To You" her debut E.P. was released last year. She says she has been working on new material, and another E.P. is likely.

"EP's are great, cause it's not too much music. I know it's weird to say too much music, but it sort of leaves people with "that was great, I'm ready for more" feeling."

Well Steph, I think it's safe to say that everyone is ready for more. As for how she comes up with her songs?

"Most things inspire me in some way. The way it is, I don't even really know where a song comes from. Sometimes I like the sound of words together and it'll go from there, sometimes I have a melody in my head and I'll go on that, sometimes Im just strumming on a guitar or recording on a piano or something and magic will happen and I'll just have it flow out, and its just an indescrribingly beautiful experience."
It certainly is...

You can check out her myspace (http://www.myspace.com/stephmacphersonmusic) for music and up to date tour information. Almost unbelievably you can still catch Macpherson at a "coffee house" venue for as little as five bucks. Do yourself a favour and get out to a show soon, the chance to see this act at a cafe around the corner may soon be replaced by the theatre downtown.

This is "This is Franco"

Hanging out at the Ocean and playing Ultimate Frisbee are two things Marcus Abramzik loves to do when he's not playing bass for This is Franco. That sounds like a pretty good time, and gives you the impression immediately that the Vancouver musician is "down to earth". Having toured across the country in a school bus (playing for kids help phone), their song "Forever" chosen as a theme song for CBC Radio Almanac, and just recently recorded with "Vertical Studios" in Vancouver, it's wonderful to see these guys are still humble.

The band has embraced the online culture, frequenting their @thisisFRANCO twitter account, even hosting a fan competition to make a music video for their song "Crowded House". They work hard to get their music out there, and keep their fans involved. "It seems the trend is for musicians to have more control over added aspects of their careers, but I think it's always been a challenge for any band to get their music heard. The size of Canada definitely makes getting heard very difficult." Abramzik tells The SoapBox.

With two tours planned right now (one this summer, another after the release of their new full length towards the end of the year), This is Franco is doing everything they can to make sure you hear their music. Great work ethic from a group of 22 year old musicians.

The music sounds extremely polished. You would think these guys have been all over the radio for years. Marcus says the new album is a real reflection of the entire group, with much more collaboration this time around. "The new album has a lot more co-writing within the members of the band. We also had a member change as well, with the addition of Alex on guitar the songs have a more broad and full sound."

"We were extremely lucky to have Kristen Cudmore of Language Arts feature on the single "Shelter" and are open to more collaborations but it's just the one for this album." www.myspace.com/thisisfranco has shelter available, I really suggest checking it out. There is also downloadable content on their website www.thisisfranco.com, just check out the electronic press kit section. This is Franco is another example of a band putting music out there for free, that leads to you just having to buy it. With a whole summer of touring lined up before the album release, I think it's safe to say the next album can't come soon enough.