By Will McGuirk
“Sometimes a collection of songs just comes out feeling one way and they all work together,” - Dennis Ellsworth
Channel Vinyl with Great Lake Swimmers, Cowboy Junkies, Paul Weller, Carole King, Questlove, George Harrison, plus 2020 Packaging Awards, Bluetooth Players
By Will McGuirk
Channel Vinyl - news on new releases, reissues and special editions plus other music and vinyl related stories.
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On May 14, Great Lake Swimmers release the recording of their performance at Toronto’s Church Of The Redeemer on vinyl via (weewerk) Records. The concert capped off the band’s Canadian spring tour of 2007, just days before a European tour in support of their album, ‘Ongiara’. Basia Bulat, Owen Pallett and the late Bob Egan join the band.
Cowboy Junkies have announced a limited edition two records release of a remastered, recut version of ‘All That Reckoning’ and the digital only ‘Ghosts’. Pressed at Germany’s Optimal Media and presented in a gatefold the album is only available on the band’s website in a numbered edition of 500. Pre-orders now with a March 17 date approx.
The interestingly titled ‘Fat Pop (Volume 1) is the latest album from the Modfather, Paul Weller. It will be available in May. via Super Deluxe Editions
MoFi’s deluxe audiophile pressing of Carole King’s classic ‘Tapestry’ is available for pre-order.
Man, who wouldn’t !?!
Learn Music Curation And DJing Techniques From Questlove. via UDiscoverMusic
Pro-Ject and UMe Introduce George Harrison Themed Turntable. via Analog Planet
Making Vinyl has announced their 2020 Vinyl Packaging Awards. Of course due to Covid-19 the show was virtual. You can watch below.
More details on the website ->
OnBuy sent us this link to their guide for buying Bluetooth enabled turntables. I found it of interest, you may too.
The Best Bluetooth Record Players For 2021
“Even in the age of miniature media players and audio streaming at the touch of a button, record players reign supreme as one of the most popular ways of listening to music. Whether it’s due to their superior sound quality or cool retro aesthetic, music lovers of all ages can’t seem to get enough of these old-school pieces of kit. But what keeps bringing us back to vinyl?
One of the main things that sets vinyl aside from the rest is its stubbornness to conform to the pressures of modern trends, which has allowed it to maintain all the features, design qualities and standards that truly makes this hi-fi set-up special. Having said that, turntable technology hasn’t completely stayed at a standstill: since the vinyl revival in the early 2010s, there’s been some nifty upgrades that have kept this tech in line with the needs of the modern consumer – in particular, the adoption of Bluetooth technology.”
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Le Ren and Buck Meek, Reuben and the Dark, Mike Edel, Clara Jones, Great Lake Swimmers, Jordan Klassen, Left Field Messiah, and the Blips
By Will McGuirk
“because I’m stuck here on the ground, cold and drunk as I can be”
Yearning to fly, yearning for flight, respite, and the artist in the despair of early morning rain cries out yes to light and turns their back on the night.
"YES,” which came from a desire to put something positive into the world. "I thought I would be writing more songs about despair. . . but we don’t need anymore hopelessness right now." - Reuben Bullock, Reuben and the Dark
“Parachutes was one of my formative albums, and I really like the idea of covering a song that is underrated. ‘Don't Panic’ feels like this kind of song, and it just kept coming back to me through this Pandemic era and has been a comfort to say the least.” - Mike Edel
You know the feeling when you're lying awake at night in a spiral of anxiety and can't understand why the regular stressors of life are so intense for you? When you begin to compare your problems with others and find yours unworthy of the 3am despair you're feeling?
It isn't rational, but I think it is something we've all gone through this year.
I wanted to illustrate that slice of life with my new single, "Ordinary Person."
You are not the only one engaging in catastrophic thinking, and I hope this song can be a comfort through this. - Clara Jones
Liza Anne, photo by Phoenix Johnson
Slowcity.ca Open Mic with Liza Anne, Grace Gillespie, Missy Bauman, Brielle Ansems, Mike McKenna Jr., Noah Reid, Great Lake Swimmers with Picastro and Ayla Brook & the Sound Men
By Will McGuirk
Woodshedding done, time in front of the fire in contemplation, time spent thinking, time listening to one’s own thoughts, taken, time now to begin. Begin, begin again, start, start again, seed the thoughts and see which ones take, which ones grow, which ones prosper. I have my idea now, I will drop it soon, and maybe it grows.
“This song is the feeling of having too much of a good thing. It is a reckoning with the responsibility that comes with interacting with people through a period of your own unhealth paired with the hope that you can handle yourself better in your future tomorrows.” - Liza Anne
Liza Anne will open for Bombay Bicycle Club June 16 at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto
““Goodbye” is a song about relinquishing music and giving up the dream, written at a time of much uncertainty and worry about what would become of my songs. Its lyrics mark the realization that it will never really be all over. The music wants to be alive and free.” - Grace Gillespie
Missy Bauman will celebrate the release of her new album "Sweet" Apr 16 at The Burdock in Toronto
“It seemed to be a similar story from different eras, and each character had unique ways of coping and remembering. Many of the 8 songs on the album pay tribute to stories that are true, dark and heavy in nature, and depicted through the voice of a sympathetic narrator,” - Mike McKenna Jr.