|
In This Issue
Andrews + Lawrence old time gospel way Ric Lafontaine CD Release Ball of Flames Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference Stick Retreat Gurus Indie Pool joins SoundScan NUVO WAVO to perform for Project Kittyhawk Art & Design in Music Gigging In The USA Allison Crowe Why music? Why breathing? 
|
Acknowledgements: Publisher/Webmaster - Guy Langlois - cosmic@cvnet.net Graphics Design - Guy Langlois - cosmic@cvnet.net Art Work - Toby Nilsson - tnilsson@telus.net Contributing Editor - Monte Nordstrom - mojano@shaw.ca Brand/Concept - Barry Newman - Read Story FREE Subscription to
Cosmic Debris Online Magazine If you have friend that would like to subscribe to the Cosmic Debris Online Magazine please forward this link: www.cvnet.net/cosmic/subscription.html |
Andrews + Lawrence CD ReviewOld Time Gospel Way Vancouver Island recording artists Andrews + Lawrence released their new CD.
This CD is a return to the roots of music. Andy Ruszel and Larry Lawrence deliver us the goods in this compilation of classic gospel and bluegrass tunes.
The title track "Old Time Gospel Way", an original track penned by Ruszel, stands strong beside songs like "I Saw The Light", "Rank Stranger" and "Amazing Grace". This CD is an excellent example of how far home recording technology has come. Andy and Larry recorded this CD in Larry's home studio. Using proven recording techniques and performing live into a microphone the sound has life and dynamics that are lost in so many of today's recordings. Larry Lawrence's guitar lines ring pure like the playing style of Doc Watson. Andy and Larry's harmonies blend together beautifully. This is music to sing along to, folks! "Satan is Walking", a song of redemption, is another example of Ruszel's affinity for writing songs in this genre of music. For any artist to be successful in song writing, they have to experience and believe in what they are writing. Ruszel shares his spiritual beliefs with his listeners in his songs. After I listened to Ruszel's "Give Your Mother a Call"…. well I bet you can guess what I did next. I had the pleasure of hearing Andrews and Lawrence perform at the Duncan Garage Showroom. In the style of a Grand Old performance they used one large condenser microphone and stepping forward during solos. This classic technique provides natural dynamics and because the microphone is picking up the ambience of the room the sound has natural quality. This CD has earned its place in my collection beside the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. Cosmic Rating 8/10 Check out the Andrews and Lawrence Website:www.andrewsandlawrence.com
Ric Lafontaine CD Release
|
|
Dancing Man Music Festival Gabriola Island The Festival this year has 33 Acts over 11-days. The Festival runs April 28 - May 8 and has some really great events at all of the venues on our island. The headliner act for this year's Festival is the great bluesman, Jim Byrnes! Byrnes will be appearing on May 7th at the Gabriola Community Hall with Steve Dawson, a west coast Canadian award-winning guitarist. Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart will be appearing at The Silva Bay Bar and Grill, April 29th. |
Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) Annual Conference – Showcases
The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) annual conference provides 25 showcase 30-minute spots
for artists or groups interested in touring the festival circuit in Ontario and beyond.
Ontario represents the largest regional festival circuit in North America.
Showcases are open to artists internationally and programming is extremely diverse.
Canadian artists (officially showcasing) may be eligible to apply to FACTOR and/or the
Canada Council for the Arts for travel support. Showcasing artists receive a small honorarium and
complimentary registration on the day of their performance. There is also a showcasing artist
registration rate ($75 CAD), providing full access all weekend long.
The OCFF event is the largest conference of its kind in Canada and is dedicated to discussion, exchange, networking and fun with festival organizers, presenters, agents, managers, organizations, fundraisers, musicians, artistic directors, media representatives and many others who contribute to the health and vitality of the folk, roots and traditional music community.
The 19th annual Ontario Folk Industry Conference will be held October 13 - 16, 2005 in Kingston, Ontario at the Ambassador Conference Hotel. Speakers, seminars, roundtable discussions, informal meetings, performer showcases and the best jam sessions outside of the festival circuit make this conference an essential and inspiring experience for attendees.
Where/When:
Kingston, Ontario - October 13 - 16, 2005
Deadline:
May 13, 2005
Cost:
$25.00 for non-members, $15.00 for members.
Genres Accepted:
Folk, roots, traditional, world, jazz, adult alternative, Cajun, Acadian, Francophone, Aboriginal, contemporary, alternative country, singer/songwriter, blues, bluegrass, electronica, urban, spoken word, children’s and more. More info: http://www.ocff.ca
For More Information:
Email: info@ocff.ca
Website: http://www.ocff.ca/showcase.htm
Stick Retreat Gurus Perform at
Duncan Garage Showroom
Two of the finest bring their uncommon instrument to the Island
Here's a rare opportunity! Don't miss your chance to see Greg Howard and Jim Reilly, two of the foremost Chapman Stick players in the world, as they bring their unique instrument and formidable musical talents to Vancouver Island for a series of events.
What is a Chapman Stick? The Stick is a five and a quarter octave stringed and fretted musical instrument played exclusively by two-handed tapping. It comes from the guitar and bass family but shares roots with piano and percussion alike.
Howard, from Charlottesville Virginia, is celebrating 20 years of being one of the leading Stick exponents. Over those 20 years he was recorded 12 albums, performed over 2000 shows in North America, Western Europe and Japan, including Lincoln Center's Summer Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival and recorded and toured with Sombre Reptiles, Cosmology, Code Magenta, Dave Matthews Band, Greg Howard Band and others. His latest release Ether Ore - live sonic expeditions on The Chapman Stick pushes the boundaries of instrumental music to new heights.
Reilly is no stranger to the Island. He graduated from the Malaspina Jazz Program in 1994, the only Stick player to do so. Since then Reilly has performed countless times solo and in groups ranging from rock to pop to jazz. His music has been featured across Canada on CBC Radio One and regularly on CFJC TV in his hometown, Kamloops B.C. His latest CD, Play has been getting rave reviews too. Lee Underwood, former Downbeat West Coast editor wrote, "Jim is doing wonderful things on The Stick. Good chops, good musical ideas. He is probably getting airplay too!"
Musically both players push the instrument to its limits - coaxing a world of sounds ranging from rock to jazz to classical to experimental. Truly nothing is off limits.
Together Greg and Jim have shared top billing at Stick events across North America, most recently at the 2005 NAMM Show in Los Angeles California and Stick Night concert at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood. They have also worked together promoting the instrument and teaching others. Greg wrote and Jim edited one of the premier Stick method books: The Stick Book Volume 1.
A show at The Queens Hotel in Nanaimo on Tuesday May 10th kicks off a week of Stick events on the Island. Wednesday, May 11th, the two will be in Duncan for an all ages show at the Duncan Garage Showroom. Both shows start at 8 pm. Over the weekend Howard and Reilly will be leading a Stick seminar at The Haven on Gabriola, featuring other players from across North America with performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at the White Hart Pub.
For more information you can check out the following Websites:
www.stick.com
www.greghoward.com
www.parallaxinteractive.com/stick
Indie Pool and SoundScan Join Forces
Indie Pool and SoundScan have agreed to expand their relationship in order
to more accurately track and report Canadian independent music sales.
SoundScan understands that most unsigned music sales do not take place at
retail and are therefore invisible to the music industry. After months of
discussion and programming, we are proud to finally announce to you that
your RETAIL SALES, ONLINE SALES and LIVE SALES can now be reported to
SoundScan. Don't let your sales go unnoticed!
Please visit www.indiepool.com/soundscan for all the details.
ABOUT SOUNDSCAN
Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music andmusic video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data
from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000
retail, mass merchant and non-traditional (on-line stores, venues, etc.)
outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday.
Nielsen SoundScan is the sales source for the Billboard music charts.
Island Showcase
May 21-29th 2005 An annual festival presenting Vancouver Island songwriters at various Nanaimo locations Events Schedule For more information: Email: elly@cdisle.ca phone: (250) 754-3170 |
NUVO WAVO to perform for Project Kittyhawk Fundraising Drive
NUVO WAVO is taking its wild and wacky New Wave Tribute & Live Music Spectacle on the road to the Saanich Peninsula May 14, and we would be grateful if you can help us promote this non-profit, fundraiser event . . .
. . . a "Raising the roof 80s New Wave Style" dance, featuring NUVO WAVO, to support kids with the Royal Air Cadets of the 676 Kittyhawk Squadron in Sidney, BC
When: Saturday, May 14 (7:30pm to midnight - early show)
Where: Sanscha Hall, Sidney
Tickets: $25 (in advance call, 656-4829, or at the door)
Door prizes, 80s costume and dance contests, great live music, LOTS OF FUN GUARANTEED!!!!
All net proceeds will go to help Project Kittyhawk - a community fundraising drive to build a new 45,000 square foot facility at the airport to support the air cadets.
For more information about the fundraiser, contact Coleen Virag at 656-4829 or email: cartervirag@telus.net
Webpage: www.nuvowavo.com
Email: nuvowavo@shaw.ca
Live Concert at: www.members.shaw.ca/nuvowavoaudio
Music BC presents Art & Design in Music
Wed May 4
Tom Lee Music Hall
6:30 - 9:30
Members: free Non- Members: $25
Curious about who you can hire to design your album art or your website? What's involved in creating your image and what are the most important things to consider?
Join Dani Vachon (graphic designer/Sound Document Records), John Rummen (Artwerks/Nettwerk Records) and Erin Nicholson (Boompa Arts) for this creative and stylish session.
Art and design play an important role in music by helping to craft a unique identity that can assist in marketing your music to the right demographic. Talk with passionate illustrators, photographers and web designers who work closely with artists to compliment their music as well as individual style. Learn the do’s and don’ts - whether it's gig posters, press photo's or your website. Each piece has a valuable impact on translating who you are to the rest of the world.
Music BC - Pacific Music Industry Association
604.873.1914
GIGGING IN THE USA
by Ray Korona © April 2005
Performing in respected US venues can be rewarding in a bucketful of ways, but you need to know the rules of the road to maximize the opportunities. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should be ready to shine in all ways musical-the singing, the songwriting, the playing, the stage patter-whatever applies to your act. Otherwise, skip the hassles of booking and travel; practice a little more instead. Understand, however, that having your performing chops together is not the only essential component.
Before you book any lodging or transportation, it's extremely important to assess the kind of venue or venue mix most likely to work for you. After you've done that, you're in a position to do the necessary things to make the tour a success. Basically, there are three types of venues.
Grassroots based
You can book this kind of gig if you have a bunch of friends to scare up a crowd for you, a mailing list of fans, a local organization or interest group that will support the gig, a local radio station that will interview you, etc. These kinds of places are especially prevalent in larger cities where people have lots of entertainment choices so an act absolutely must pull in its own crowd.It can be truly suicidal to accept a booking in a venue that expects you to draw a crowd if you're not prepared to do some serious promotion work. You'll likely get a very small audience, low pay, few if any product sales, and a bad reputation even if you're a gifted performer and lovable person. And just hope that a reviewer doesn't stop by at this sadly empty venue....
Try to find appropriate email lists that go to people in the area of the venue. Make your own flyer or performance announcement card and get it into people's hands everywhere you go. If you know people in the area, let them know you care about them. A postcard or email that adds a personal note: "Hope you can come" or "Love to see you there, Joe" can make a big difference in the size of the crowd that shows up to hear your music.
While having friends and fans where you're going trumps the rest, an existing group or organization that shares your interests can provide powerful help in an area where you simply don't know anybody. Maybe you sing environmental songs; appeal to a gay and lesbian audience; sing songs for peace; sing in a language besides English; belong to a union from a day job where you live; play music with a particular ethnic appeal.... Whatever it may be, find the local version of the group or groups you belong to at home and get their support.
Read more here.....GIGGING IN THE USA
Allison Crowe
"Why music?" "Why breathing?"
Adding to the creative momentum of two critically and commercially successful CDs released last year, vocalist/pianist Allison Crowe has three new full-length albums nearing completion, two of which will be released, along with a DVD, in 2005.
Crowe's singer-songwriter debut, 'Secrets', proved popular immediately upon its release in Spring 2004. Following a Fall tour across Canada and into the northeastern U.S., (which closed with a sensational concert in New York City), the album made it onto critics' year-end "Best of" lists south of the border. Her holiday album, 'Tidings', which came out shortly before Christmas, achieved additional international acclaim ~ with Crowe's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" among those songs receiving raves in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe.
Building on a grassroots connection with audiences worldwide, this Summer, Allison Crowe will, once again, tour across Canada. After this next national tour, she'll embark on her debut European concert tour, with dates in London, Amsterdam, Paris and Munich, along with shows in other continental cities and Scandinavia planned.
Before she leaves her home territory, with a batch of new recordings spinning, Crowe is looking forward to performing in several island communities she's not before visited.
On May 20 and 21, (Victoria Day weekend), Allison Crowe will kick off this special concert series with a pair of performances at the Alert Bay Lodge, a retreat off the pristine north-east coast of Vancouver Island. Originally the United Church for Alert Bay, the lodge houses a piano in its former pulpit, and overlooks Johnstone Strait, home to the largest population of Orca (killer whales) in western North America.
The oldest community on northern Vancouver Island, Alert Bay was once a key trading post for First Nations people and merchant mariners. Today, it's gaining a reputation among travelers as an off-the-beaten-path destination emphasizing First Nations culture, its natural environment and eco-tours. Viewers of the Food Network will recognize the Lodge as having been home to "Chef at Large" Michael Smith when he joined 1000 other guests at the Whonnock family Potlatch ~ a celebration filmed for tv broadcast last year.
Advance tickets for these shows are available through the Lodge, the Nimpkish Hotel and the Looking Good Salon (all in Alert Bay). More information, and directions, can be obtained from Lodge owners Scott Bonner and Nina Hopper at 1-800-255-5057.
Allison Crowe's other upcoming concerts in our region will be in the communities of Ucluelet/Tofino (a May 28 fundraiser for the Westcoast Community Resources Society) and on Denman Island (June 12).
Details on all shows and activities will be posted on
www.allisoncrowe.com
FREE Subscription to Cosmic Debris Online Magazine
Please feel free to forward the Cosmic Debris Online Magazine to your friends
Please feel free to forward the Cosmic Debris Online Magazine to your friends
|
|
|
Website by: Guy Langlois - Webmeister/Publisher Cosmic Debris, 610 Lambert Ave, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 3N8