Recorded in Falcon Lake over six days in the winter of 2010, 'The Falcon Lake Incident' brings together Jim Bryson, one of Canada’s most engaging voices, together with the passionate work of Winnipeg-based indie-rock heroes, The Weakerthans.
In this collection of songs, we are treated to some of Canada's best songwriters and musicians enjoying making music together in a place with few interruptions...picture a group of friends playing out in an open field under the stars.
This is Jim’s first album since he entered the world of fatherhood and I had a chance to talk to him about his musical passions, living in Ottawa and being a dad to a two year old daughter.
How would you describe your music?
Awesome? Ha, ok, perhaps it is the sounds of the world that lives just past the suburbs but not quite in the country.
What do you think of the music scene in Ottawa?
Ottawa is a great place for music and people making it. Lot of support and friends.
Why did you decide to stay in Ottawa to pursue your music (and not go to let's say Toronto)?
I sometimes say "I am one who stayed". I like smaller places and my wife manages a buisness here and it makes sense. I think about making a grand leap from time to time, but then the egg timer goes off or our 2 yr. old wakes up from a nap and I am right back in reality.
This past summer you returned to the Ottawa Folk Festival - what was that like?
It was a great return. I had played 10 years before and had a mid afternoon slot with , let's say, lower attendence. This was very special, playing with the evenings setting sun in front of us. Loved it.
Recorded in Falcon Lake over six days in the winter of 2010, 'The Falcon Lake Incident' brings Jim Bryson, one of Canada’s most engaging voices, together with the passionate work of Canadian rock heroes The Weakerthans. In this collection of songs, we are treated to some of Canada's best songwriters and musicians who truly enjoy making music together...think friends transports us to a place where it is just friends and music under constellations
Favourite place to perform in the Ottawa/surrounding area?
My obvious choice is the Black Sheep Inn, but I have really taken to a place out past our house in a town called Burnstown. Neat Coffee is the name and they have a one room school house they do shows in and I think it is pretty amazing.
What it is about the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, PQ that has made it such a 'place to be seen and heard' for singer/songwriters?
People listening really. The simple fact is that Paul has created a place for music, not a bar that happens to have music. He cares about it and I think it translates well to everyone and honestly a magical place..
What was the reason behind the self imposed Manitoba seclusion to write the new album?
Well, truth be told, I wrote the record in my 50's bungalow and then we did the arranging and recording in Manitoba.
Did you find that the connection between your unfamiliar surroundings and the process of writing/recording reflect on he new album?
I simply like going to places that do not run on a micro clock and allow me and anyone there to record and do as they please and only know that we have a certain amount of days to work. Much easier on me to not have to drive 30 minutes each way and get home at 2 am and get up and start all over again.
What was it like working with the Weakerthans? Did you learn anything new about yourself from that experience?
I learned that I am much better organized than I thought. Everyone there was organised and I sort of took it on to be the "list" person to let us know where we are as we were going. Sometimes you have long days and do not get much done and then in two days, you have an amazing day because of the work you did on the slow days. Does this make sense?
How has the exposure been since you hooked up with the Weakerthans on this album? Have you noticed a change in how your music is being received (more of a mass scale)?
I notice more people are putting it up on bit torrents for download. In a weird way, that is a new mark of interest.
How into social media are you when it comes to promoting your music...Twitter, Facebook, MySpace etc...?
I am a pretty active social media person. I find it is good for my Attention Deficit to have things to do and keep on top of. Kind of fun too.
How has becoming a dad changed your musical perspective at all?
It makes everything you do have more clarity and importance.
What does Beatrice think of Daddy's music?
She likes some of it alot and some she just says "not this song papa". When she likes it she nods and goes "yeah, this song papa". Her mum says sometime when I am gone, she will call out "wanna listen to papa music". She won't always feel this way, so I will take it while it is there.
What is about being a dad that you love the most?
I like the storytime and falling alseep rocking Beatrice in her room. I also love the morning when we get up and make cereal or oatmeal and she help put stuff away.
What has your daughter taught you so far?
To worry about everything and nothing all at once. Like I said, it has just brought a certain amount of clarity that I was missing and simply put, she changed how I see and do everything.
Best piece of parenting advice you ever got?
Don't listen to what everyone tells you. Everyone has an opinion.
What top 5 artists/songs are you listening to right now?
Tanya Davis. Superchunk, Chris Page, Daniel/Fred & Julie and the Dead man's Bone song "pa pa power" (Beatrice loves it).
What makes you happiest in your life right now?
Lots of what I have said above: Family and music. Home and travel. I like the balance of my life, although my tax debt is slightly ugly.
If you could go back and talk to the Jim Bryson who was releasing his debut CD The Occasionals, in 2000...what would you say to him?
Just smile you maudlin twit. Work harder, be better at what you do and be better to those you love.
And finally in the tradition of one James Lipton....
1. What is your favorite word? Do people have favorite words?
2. What is your least favorite word? See above.
3. What turns you on? Brains, ideas and a decent conversation about anything and including the weather.
4. What turns you off? Being told what I should do. Apathy.
5. What sound or noise do you love? Scooters.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? Harley's.
7. What is your favorite curse word? The f-word when used at the right time.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Love to do something that I could with my partner.
9. What profession would you not like to do? Stand up comedy. They seem like even more lonely souls that those in music.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I think we can take you now.
Jim Bryson plays Almonte Town Hall tomorrow (November 27), and he performs his 11th annual set of Christmas shows at the Black Sheep Inn (Wakefield, Quebec) on December 18th and 19th.
Jim & the Weakerthans Band recently announced that in February they will be heading out on the long, cold Canadian roads to bring The Falcon Lake Incident to stages from Montreal to Victoria (with more shows to be added in the coming weeks):
Feb 3 Waterloo Starlight Room
Feb 4 Toronto Lee's Palace
Feb 7 Hamilton The Casbah
Feb 8 London Aeolian Hall
Feb 9 Peterborough The Legendary Red Dog
Feb 10 Montreal Le Cabaret du Mile End
Feb 11 Ottawa Capital Music Hall
Feb 12 Kingston The Grad Club
Feb 25 Nelson The Royal on Baker
Feb 26 Vancouver The Biltmore Cabaret
Feb 27 Victoria Sugar Nightclub
Mar 1 Edmonton Myer Horowitz Theatre
Mar 2 Canmore Communitea Cafe
Mar 3 Calgary The Gateway Bar - SAIT Campus
Mar 4 Saskatoon Amigo's
The Falcon Lake Incident is available on iTunes, Maple Music Recording and Kelp Records.
INXS are releasing a new album 'Original Sin', on November 30th, 2010. And the great news for Canadians? It's only being released exclusively in Canada before they kick off their worldwide release.
In their 33 years as a band, first as the Farriss Brothers, then as INXS, brothers Tim, Jon and Andrew Farriss, along with Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers have created some of the most enduring music in rock history. On Original Sin, INXS hits are revitalized for a new century and new generations of music listeners. On this album the band teams up with musicians from around the globe, like Train’s Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas, Ben Harper and new up and comers like Dan Sultan, Argentina’s Deborah de Corral and DJ Yaleidys of Cuba.
INXS keyboardist/guitarist and main songwriter Andrew Farriss says he's thrilled that so many of his peers want to perform INXS songs, “I'm truly flattered that we have so many artists interested in working with us reimaging these songs. In a sense, it's been re-energizing for us to look at ourselves differently in the context of being in 2010 rather than, you know, 30 years ago. I feel we’re very much doing something that's now and significant.”
“If I was one of the singers it would be an exciting project,” says INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly. “To be able to sing one of your favorite INXS songs but within INXS. Michael always wanted us to continue and I am sure he would be throwin’ his 2 bobs’ in as to who the singers would be.” Tim Farriss agrees. “Original Sin is just, for me, so exciting. I know certain people might sort of perceive it as ‘why aren't you doing new material?’ but the fact of the matter is we're getting to play around with some of our favourite songs from our history and play them the way we want them to be heard today.”
INXS and JD Fortune talk about how they feel about re-imagining some of their classic songs for their soon to be launched album called 'Original Sin'...
Rob Thomas talks about recording with INXS...
Look for the upcoming INXS World Tour in 2011.
Tracklisting for Original Sin:
Drum Opera (Jon Farriss / INXS)
Original Sin (Rob Thomas and DJ Yalediys)
Mediate (Tricky)
Never Tear Us Apart (Ben Harper and Mylène Farmer)
Beautiful Girl (Pat Monahan)
New Sensation (Deborah de Corral)
Just Keep Walking (Dan Sultan)
To Look At You (Kav Temperley)
Mystify (Loane with special guitar performances by John Mayer and Kirk Pengilly)
KICK (Nikka Costa)
Don't Change (Andrew Farriss and Kirk Pengilly)
The Stairs (JD Fortune)
Lara Downes is an acclaimed classical pianist who has taken her love for all things classical to a new audience with her release 'Nocturnes For Night Owls: Classical Treasures for Sweet Dreams'.
The album is a wonderful collection of classical quiet-time music that both children and their parents will love. The album is an eclectic mix of beloved masterpieces like Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata and Schumann’s "Traumerei"(Dreaming) that meets little-known gems, including Aaron Copland’s "Midsummer Nocturne".
Listening to this timeless release is comforting and as it is soothing - it's complete musical bliss for children and parents.
I had a chance to connect with Lara and ask her all about music, her children and her love of all things vintage.
What made you take on this project and record an album with children as your main audience?
Ever since my kids were born, I've wanted to record something lovely for them. I've loved watching their responses to all the different kinds of music we listen to together, from Bach to the Beatles to hip-hop! They're 9 and 6 now, and they've developed pretty broad musical tastes: my daughter Charlotte loves Beethoven, and Simon is into Lyle Lovett. Nocturnes for Night Owls started with Charlotte's request for a recording of the Moonlight Sonata to listen to at bedtime - I recorded that for her, and then I started coming up with all kinds of ideas about other beautiful night-time pieces, and the list got long enough for a CD. As the project developed, I realized how important it was for me not only to share this wonderful music with my own kids, but to create a beautiful, eclectic collection that children everywhere can enjoy, maybe even as a very first introduction to classical music for some listeners. This album has everything from early 20th-century American music (Copland) to 19th century Russian Jewish lullabies, to, well... the Moonlight Sonata. I love the idea of a 3-year-old listening to all this very diverse music without any preconceptions or categorization, just taking it in and hearing how beautiful it is!
You've mentioned that in your house 'good music for bedtime is essential'....what is about music that is a perfect way to end off the day?
I think that we get so many sensory inputs all day long - the world is a noisy place! Essentially we're hearing cacophony all day - a mix of talking, traffic noise, radio/tv, phones ringing, etc. When you're snuggled in bed in the cozy dark, and there's finally silence around you, I think that music can fill that quiet with a beautiful landscape where your mind can break free of everything it's carried during the day, and roam and relax. It's true that "Music has charms to soothe the savage beast"... or the cranky toddler, or the over-tired 8 year old (or the stressed-out mom!)
Since becoming a mother, has your musical perspective changed?
Becoming a mom has put music into a clearer, better place in my life. Instead of a single obsession, which it was in my 20s, it's now a passion and a very vital part of the balance of work and family. I feel like I understand my artistic priorities better and better, as I learn more about the priorities of my life at large. I really think that I'm a better musician, now that I have more to care about in my life than just music.
Do you look at music differently now that you are hearing it through the ears of your children?
As a professional with a lifetime of strict classical training behind me, I have so much information about the music - I know all about how it works: structurally, technically, historically. Listening with my kids as they hear something for the first time gives me fresh ears, lets me move away from my "insider" perspective and just appreciate the sheer beauty and emotion in the music.
Favourite place to perform?
I have different kinds of "favorites"! I love traveling to small towns where I've performed before and have already made friends, so that the concert is also a chance to see them again. Of the big, prestigious American halls, the Kennedy Center in DC takes such great care of visiting artists - it's always a treat to be there. My home base, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in California, is my home away from home. I'm there all the time, rehearsing and performing. My kids used to call it "Your Davi Center" when they were little, because they thought I was saying "My Davi Center". It's a fabulous venue and I'm fortunate to be in residence there. One of my favorite cities is Montreal, where I've made good friends at the Chamber Music Festival. I absolutely love Montreal's eclectic, sophisticated, totally international culture, music scene, and fantastic food! And it's a beautiful experience to play in the old concert halls of Europe - there's nothing like the sense of musical history when you play in the great music centers like Vienna, where Mozart and Beethoven lived and worked.
Top 3 artists/songs that you are listening to right now?
Glenn Gould: Bach Goldberg Variations; Lucio Dalla (Italian singer/songwriter): Tu non mi Basti Mai; She & Him: Why Do You Let Me Stay Here
I always say that music is food for my soul - it's like breathing - need to be surrounded by it every day - what is the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word MUSIC?
Honestly (sadly ) "practice"
Best piece of mommy advice you ever got?
My mom has always told me to enjoy every minute of the time while my kids are so young, that all of it, even the stress and tiredness, is something to treasure. Whenever I watch old videos of the kids, I realize how fast the time has passed already, how you forget your kids' baby voices and baby faces as they grow into new stages. It really does fly by. So every night when I go to bed, I try to run through that day in my head and file away at least one special moment to remember.
What have your children taught you about yourself?
That I actually have a lot more patience than I ever thought! And that I can be just as silly as the silliest 1st-grader.
You have a free day to yourself...how do you pamper yourself?
I love to curl up and read our hammock, meet a friend for coffee and a long talk, get a pedicure, shop for shoes, do an extra-long workout at the gym or go to my Bikram yoga class, have a glass of wine in a long hot bath.
Top 3 must have beauty products - the stuff you can't live without when out on the road?
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream (totally essential to keep my hands in working order and makes a good emergency face cream/lip balm too); my favorite Jo Malone Tuberose cologne (I keep the big bottle at home and stock up on the little sample spritzers at the cosmetics counter - LOVE samples!!); Bobbi Brown bronzer.
What's your most comfortable fashion ensemble (I've read you have a slight obsession with all things vintage)?
Boots! (almost always) with a mini or wrap dress, and a slouchy sweater or a vintage leather bomber jacket. And sometimes wearing yoga clothes all day is very nice.
What makes you happiest right now?
The streets covered with beautiful copper leaves; watching my kids in their hip-hop class; Bartlett pears; listening to my 6 year old reading Dr. Seuss out loud; girl talks with my daughter; Monday night "movie night" at home with my family; my shearling-lined boots.
Lara Downes new album, 'Nocturnes For Night Owls: Classical Treasures for Sweet Dreams' is available on iTunes, CDBaby, Etsy and eMusic Canada...and makes for a perfect holiday gift idea.
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