Steve's Blog
Thursday June 11, 2009

Hi everyone

Some big news items this week.

Corbin Murdoch & The Nautical Miles, The Abramson Singers, Friday June 12th 8pm, St. James Hall, 3214 W.10th Ave.

Firstly, we have a very interesting concert coming up tomorrow night, featuring two local bands with a fresh approach to Roots / Folk music - with a guest choir and a guest brass quintet as well! Two CD launches in one show! Corbin Murdoch's band release Wartime Lovesongs on Jericho Beach Music and The Abramson Singers, featuring Leah Abramson (Dyad, Crooked Jades) release their debut, self-titled CD. The show will open with a set by a brass quintet, who will join The Nautical Miles later on as well.

Corbin Murdoch and the Nautical Miles are an adventurous four-piece folk-roots band from East Vancouver. Murdoch began writing songs for the project in 2003 while completing his degree in creative writing and environmental studies at York University in Toronto, and pining for his west coast home. The Nautical Miles were recruited by mail correspondence, and formed during a summer back home. In their five years together, they have built a repertoire of richly textured and emotionally complex folk music. Their songs tell stories steeped in the natural and emotional histories of the Pacific-Northwest. Migratory mammals, people who swim across oceans, and long-forgotten revolutionary figures all become subjects in the narratives The Nautical Miles spin. The band has toured across the country, showcased at Canadian Country Music Week and The Western Canadian Music Awards, and Murdoch has toured solo in the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Poland, including a stop at the legendary Isle of Wight Festival.

Now, in 2009, they release their most ambitious project to date. Wartime Lovesong, their third release, is a song cycle of generational proportions. The album, much of which is arranged for brass quintet, traces the trials of a generation desperately seeking a purpose in an uncertain world. At once politically charged and deeply personal, The Nautical Miles have once again created a dynamic and moving document of their explorations as an ensemble. Website: www.corbinmurdoch.com

When singer-songwriter-guitarist Leah Abramson got tendonitis in her wrist, she didn't despair. Unable to write songs on guitar, Leah borrowed an 8-track and started recording acapella vocal pieces under the name "The Abramson Singers." Now healed and playing her guitar again, Leah formed a band under the same moniker, playing her indie-folk-noir with some of Vancouver's brightest young musicians and singers. The first Abramson Singers album will be released in early summer 2009, but as a member of Dyad, American folkies The Crooked Jades and indie rockers Octoberman, Leah has toured across North America and Europe and released albums with all three groups. She also released a critically acclaimed solo record in 2006, and is in demand as a harmony singer for a long list of artists including Bob Wiseman, Montag, Headwater and The Mohawk Lodge. Leah is also deeply rooted in her artistic community, collaborating with local musicians and filmmakers, frequently lending her talents to non-profit initiatives. Five years ago she signed on with her friends as a partner in Copperspine Records, a grass roots collective formed to give artists support in their creative endeavours.

The double cd release will take place at the St James Hall at 3214 West 10th Ave in Kitsilano. Tickets are $15 ($12 for members) and can be purchased at Highlife Records and Rufus' Guitar Shop, online or by calling 604.736.3022. Doors open at 7:30pm. Concert details

Tune in to CBC Radio One The Early Edition on Friday June 12th on AM 690 and Fm 88.1 for a chance to win tickets!

Free Tickets for Ruthie Foster & Blind Boys Of Alabama, Sunday June 14th 7:30pm, Centre for Performing Arts, 777 Homer St.

Secondly, we have some FREE tickets for the Ruthie Foster / Blind Boys Of Alabama show on Sunday June 14th at the Centre for Performing Arts on Homer Street, across from the main library. If you'd like to attend, please email me your request no later than 3pm on Saturday June 13th. [Ed: We do not have any more tickets for the Ruthie Foster show on Sunday. The response has been overwhelming! Many thanks to Keystone Music for providing the tickets. Please support their shows.]

Rogue Folk Review - landmark issue

We are working on the June / July issue of the Rogue Folk Review. The mailing party is set for Tuesday June 16th. This is the penultimate edition in its current format. The final mailed out copy will be the mid-July / August issue, which will be mailed with the season brochure from Capilano Performing Arts Theatre. In the interests of saving trees and saving money we will only mail out copies of future issues to subscribers who pay a small premium. Everyone else will be able to pick them up at our concerts and ticket outlets, libraries, or by download from our website.

Fireworks Music Events

We are very excited about teaming up with Vancouver's newest radio station, Shore fm 104.1, to present four concerts in conjunction with the annual fireworks nights (July 22, 25, 29, and Aug 1 this year.) Artists will include Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Jim Byrnes, Barney Bentall, and more. The emphasis at the fireworks events and on Shore fm is on emerging Canadian talent. They are broadcasting a test signal right now, with an ever-expanding playlist. Station IDs feature Colin Linden and other Canadian roots music artists. Jim Byrnes will have his own Blues show. Yours truly will be presenting a World Music show at some point in the future. Tune in to 104.1 fm and see what you think.

Radio Waves: Edge On Folk, Saturday 8am to 12 noon, CiTR fm 101.9 and on www.citr.ca

Please join me for 4 hours of the very best in Roots, World, Folk & Celtic Music, this Saturday June 13th from 8am to 12 noon on CiTR fm 101.9 I'll have music from upcoming Rogue performers, plus new releases by Canadian duo Dala, The Abramson Singers, Kate Reid, Eric Bogle, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Chumbawamba, Steve Earle, Usicedwr, Vishten, and more. Plus world music from Federico Aubele, Goran Bregovic, Abdoulaye "Djoss" Diabate, Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara, Staff Benda Bilili, Vieux Farka Toure, Pacifika, Amadou & Mariam, as well as previews of concerts in town and festivals around BC and Alberta.

Radio Rogue has a huge new playlist of over 900 songs, including Rogue Folk concert previews and heaps of new releases. Visit our home page for instructions.

Volunteers required for all concerts, and more!

If you can help out a concert, mailing party, or by helping us organize a fundraiser, run a booth at the Vancouver and Mission Folk Festivals, or maybe help us organize our office and filing systems, please email us. We really need your help this busy Summer.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Steve