Tedeschi Trucks Band new Live from The Fox album

Ah those September nights. The Tedeschi Trucks Band recorded one, Sept 9 2016 at the Fox in Oakland, California, to be released as alive album and a film. The 12 piece band, founded by Derek Trucks and Sandra Tedeschi, performs a few covers among the 15 songs documented, on a vintage Neve console no less, including Leonard Cohen's Bird on A Wire and Slowhand's Keep On Growing. The film and song list differ slightly, so I guess you gotta get both!

As Trucks explains, “we’ve been wanting to properly document the progress of this band for a while and it really felt like we were hitting our stride and firing on all cylinders last fall.” Tedeschi adds, “it was special capturing the live performance from Oakland. The audience was great and the band played with passion."

Passion, Soul, Blues, Rock 'n Roll thy middle name is Tedeschi Trucks. They just keep on trucking!

Begonia at Red Dog in Peterborough Feb 7

Lucky Dog! Begonia is bringing her suberbly expressive soul chops, scatting from Joni to Beyonce to Aretha, lets just call it she-bop to the Historic Red Dog Feb 7 and The Drake in Toronto Feb 9 2017. Begonia (aka Alexa Dirks of Chic Gamine) is touring her album Lady In Mind available Feb 10. She also has a date at Hillside Inside Feb 12. 

Girl Skate India feature in new Alpha Female video from Wild Beasts

"When I first heard the Wild Beasts song 'Alpha Female', I had the epiphany to film the growing female skateboard scene outside the Western world. In places like Afghanistan, Cambodia and India, skating has not been solidified as a male sport and therefore has had a massive cultural impact, teaching values about self-empowerment through skateboarding. I thought India, with its colours and cinematic landscapes, was the place to do it.
 
Because of the current political climate in the West and attitudes of intolerance, and sexism across the world, I wanted to create a video that celebrates everyone who takes the risk to be themselves. The Holystoked Skate Crew and the girls that I worked with are an inspiration that cuts through age, gender and class barriers. I wanted to commemorate this incredible moment in India and show how massive cultural change can start with just one person.
 
Meeting this remarkable community inspired me to dig deeper into their personal stories and the environment in which they developed themselves. I am now planning to return to India to film a documentary on the themes and figures involved in 'Alpha Female'."

Director Sasha Rainbow

Alpha Female is from the album Boy King available on Domino.

Terra Lightfoot 'Live In Concert' album released Feb 10

The voice alone could power up Steeltown but when Terra Lightfoot is paired up with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada you get all of South Ontario electrified, from the backwoods Simcoe blues of The Band to the back alley brawlers of Lee Harvey Osmond. Live is where Lightfoot lives and Live In Concert, recorded at McMaster University LIVELab, is the most apt stage for Terra and her Orchestral voice. Dig it, from Sonic Unyon Feb 10 2017. 

Get Ready, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer are on the road, at Market Hall in Peterborough May 14

The new track from Harps 'n Axe "Get Ready", is a call to well get ready, the world is changing, its kinda on point, the world is turning, the world is burning etc. The track begins with a swampy harp and a Bo Diddley beat before wandering into Huey and The News territory. Its roadhouse rock and those Levis aren't going to dance by themselves. Get ready to hear it a lot. Its on the duo's album Apocalipstick dropping Mar 24. Tour dates below.

2017 TOUR DATES

02/16 – SPEC Centre – Slave Lake, AB
02/17 – Stable 8 – Erskine, AB
02/18 – Arden Theatre – St. Albert, AB
02/22 – Shenkman Arts Centre – Ottawa, ON+
02/23 – Grand Theatre – Kingston, ON+
02/24 – Capitol Centre – North Bay, ON+
02/25 – Oakville Centre – Oakville, ON+
03/29 -  Spiritbar – Nelson,BC%
03/30 – The Northern – Fernie, BC%
03/31 – Royal Canadian Legion – Calgary, AB%
04/03 – The Vat – Red Deer, AB%
04/04 – EA Rowlinson Centre for the Arts – Prince Albert, SK%
04/05 – The Exchange – Regina, SK%
04/06 – Broadway Theatre – Saskatoon, SK%
04/07 – Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB%
04/08 – Crocks – Thunder Bay, ON%
04/11 – Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre - Meaford, ON%
04/13 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON%
04/14 -  Market Hall – Peterborough, ON%
04/15 – Mills Hardware – Hamilton, ON%
04/19 – The Queens – Nanaimo, BC^
04/20 – The Waverly Hotel – Cumberland, BC^
04/21 – Sugar Nightclub – Victoria, BC^
04/22 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC^

* supporting St. Paul & The Broken Bones
+ with Monkey Junk
% Ryan McNally supporting
^ Leeroy Stagger supporting

'Carry Me' dropped by Alejandra Ribera, plays Trinity St. Paul's in Toronto Mar 15

Ajejandra Ribera has a new album available, This Island, on Pheromone Records, and is on a tour of Canada. She has some a couple of dates in S. Ont,; Mar 15 at Trinity St. Paul’s in Toronto and Mar 16 at the Aeolian Hall in London. I first saw Ribera opening for Chilly Gonzales at Massey Hall - had this to say then and will say it again

"Ribera sings in French, Spanish and English and lives sometimes in Montreal, sometimes Paris but is from Toronto originally. She is of Scottish and Argentinian heritage. She is visceral on stage, her songs are corporeal, bodies, they carry the weight of hips and the form of lips, they sway and emanate, wrap and curve around Ribera who dances inside them. Ribera was a revelation. . . "  -> SlowCity.ca

Louise Burns delivers Storms, plays Casbah in Hamilton Mar 15

Fans of The Organ and The Smiths and poppy twang asides will dig Louise Burn's track "Storms" from her upcoming album Young Mopes available on Light Organ Records Feb 3 2017. Get on your Chuck Hightops and get all Katrina and The Waves on the dancefloor to this one.

Jerry Leger's Nonsense and Heartache due March, for now he has the Big Smoke Blues

If you parse Bob Dylan through PubRock you get probably Nick Lowe and if you parse Lowe back through Dylan you get Jerry Leger, the Toronto-based singer-songwriter. We at SlowCity.ca are fans of the man and happy to see Leger has announced the release of a double album, Nonsense and Heartache. The 2 fer drops March 31 on Latent Records with sees Leger working again with Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies.

“Mike came up with the idea of doing a double album, but it’s really two different records – Nonsense and Heartache – packaged into one. He had the idea to record one album as electric, bluesy, dirty rock and roll, with James and I on electric guitars, Dan on electric bass and Kyle bashing away. The other album was intended to be more of a singer/songwriter record with me on acoustic guitar or piano, James on fiddle or lap steel, Dan on upright and Kyle using brushes and percussion," says Leger.

The first single, Big Smoke Blues, is available.
 

Friday Feb. 3 Bandcamp will donate their proceeds to American Civil Liberties Union

The recent Executive Order from President Trump barring immigrants and refugees from seven Middle Eastern countries from entering the United States has not sat well with many in the tech industry. Adding his objection to the order is Ethan Diamond. The Bandcamp CEO and founder says the order is “not simply immoral, it violates the very spirit and foundation of America.” He says by far the vast amount of U.S. citizens are descendants of immigrants “bound together by a shared belief in justice, equality, and the freedom to pursue a better life.”

As a protest and an expression of his and his company’s values Diamond is donating 100% of proceeds earned on Friday Feb 3 2017 to the American Civil Liberties Union. Diamond has also complied a playlist of Bandcamps artists from the affected countries and from Mexico, (he is not a fan by of a wall either), to help find common ground by means of sound.

“As another way of showing solidarity with the immigrants and refugees from the seven banned countries—as well as those impacted by the construction of the Mexican border wall—we’ve compiled a list of albums made by artists from the affected countries (Bandcamp may be incorporated in the United States, but we host artists from every corner of the world). We believe that knowledge and empathy are crucial weapons against fear and intolerance. We hope that, as you listen to these albums, you’ll not only discover some great new artists, but will also gain a further appreciation and understanding for the way music transcends all borders, and remember that, even in the darkest of times, there is more that unites us than divides us,” says Diamond.

Listen here to musicians from Mexico, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and Syria

Age of Electric to light up Oshawa Music Hall Apr 15

90s canconic rock outfit Age of Electric, them of the great hooks to match New Pornographers and voices to match Stone Temple Pilots, are touring again and will be making a stop in Oshawa at the Music Hall. They play Saturday Apr 15 and tickets are available in person at Wilson & Lee downtown Oshawa and online at ticketscene.

On walls and pride before falls

Roger Waters' The Wall is on the Netflix, seems a good time to reacquaint oneself with the idea of walls and falls.

Durham Reach - 70 artists on exhibit for RMG 50 year celebrations, Jan 28 - Apr 2

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is celebrating 50 years with a series of special events throughout 2017 beginning with "Durham Reach". Curated by Linda Jansma and Sonya Jones the exhibit opening Jan 27 features over 70 artists of all disciplines from right across the Region. There are so many fine artists working in the area that the exhibit does not claim to be comprehensive nor to fully represent all of the regional creators but I would suggest for anyone who is interested in this place to start here. 

Rose Cousins frees up 'Chains', plays Great Hall in Toronto Feb 16

“everything has gone to shit and swampy, so it's really bluesy and dark.”
- Rose Cousins
"Chains" is the third single from the album Natural Conclusion coming out Feb 3 on Outside. It was recorded in Nashville and drops somewhere between Lindi Ortega and Whitehorse.