Old Reliable
A fixture on the independent music scene for ten years, Old Reliable has earned a name making gritty honest roots music combined with the fire of rock and roll and the howl of bluegrass. Centered on the songwriting of Shuyler Jansen and Mark Davis, Old Reliable’s unique style is combined with lyrics that are unafraid to explore the darker themes of traditional country music. Multi-instrumentalist Shawn Jonasson, bass player Tom Murray and drummer Scott Lingley round out the band. The key to the group’s success is their ability to sound utterly natural; nothing appears forced or artificial, and no one raises an eyebrow at the bubbling synthesizers lurking behind the fiddle or the fuzz guitar solo.
Old Reliable’s third recording, Pulse of Light Dark Landscape, showcases the songs of Shuyler Jansen. Tinged with violin, cello and pedal steel guitar the record moves effortlessly from winsome ballads to galloping rock songs. Pulse of Light Dark Landscape features the work of famed rock photographer Elliott Landy (Van Morrison/Moondance, The Band/The Band, Bob Dylan/Nashville Skyline) and guest vocalists Mike Caldwell (The Smalls) and Corby Lund (Corb Lund Band). Pulse of Light Dark Landscape has charted across Canada, reaching the top ten in several college, co-op and country radio markets (CKUA, CJSR, CKER, CBC Radio Sonic).
The Gradual Moment, Old Reliable’s sophomore effort, features appearances by the members of Calexico and Giant Sand as well as the multi- instrumentalist Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Freakwater, Wilco, Billy Bragg). The Gradual Moment was composed by Mark Davis and chronicles his girlfriend’s battle with breast cancer from her initial diagnosis to her tragic death at age 31. The Gradual Moment drew widespread acclaim for its atmospheric sound and reached number one at CKUA and CJSR. The album has also been featured on CBC’s Radio Sonic, In the Key of A, and Definitely Not the Opera.
Old Reliable’s first three albums, including their debut Gone Are the Days, were recorded by Scott Franchuk at Riverdale Recorders of Edmonton and were mastered by Peter J. Moore at the E Room in Toronto. Their latest and fourth album, The Burning Truth, was recorded by Scott Franchuk, Al Irving and David Alcock at Sundae Sound Studios in Calgary, and was mastered by Jim Wilson of Yes Mastering in Austin, TX. Featuring songwriting by both Jansen and Davis, The Burning Truth were released in the spring of 2005, following their first-ever appearance at the renowned South By Southwest festival in Austin. 2005 will also see Old Reliable performing at the Alberta Scene showcase in Ottawa, as well as a United Kingdom release compiling songs from all four of Old Reliable’s albums.
Old Reliable’s mesmerizing live shows have made them a number of notable friends over the years. The band has shared the stage with Guy Clark, Gord Downie, Alejandro Escovedo, Oh Susanna, Ray Condo, Giant Sand, Richard Buckner, the Corb Lund Band and many others. The members also maintain active careers outside of Old Reliable; these have produced Jonasson’s old-school country project The Swiftys (whose self-titled debut came out in 2003) and Jansen’s psychedelic-folk solo album The Hobotron (released November 2004).
The band is currently working on a new album for release in 2008.
Paul Reddick
Paul Reddick has been devoted to the study of blues music all his life. Listening closely to Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf, he picked up the harmonica at the age of 12 and had mastered the instrument by the time he was 15.
Reddick formed groundbreaking blues band The Sidemen in Toronto in 1990. The Sidemen released 3 albums of original material and spent a decade touring across Canada.
Paul Reddick + The Sidemen released the critically acclaimed Rattlebag in 2001. Produced by roots music authority Colin Linden, Rattlebag is a masterpiece of “hard blues for modern times”. Praise came in from both sides of the border, along with nominations at the W.C. Handy Awards and the Juno Awards. The band also won three Maple Blues Awards in early 2002, including Songwriter of the Year and Album of the Year. Paul Reddick + The Sidemen toured the US non-stop from 2002-2004.
Rattlebag marked the beginning of Reddick’s serious attempt to re-work blues traditions with an emphasis on poetic forms and techniques. Starting at the beginning with the Alan Lomax Field Recordings, and reaching into the vast body of pre-war music in and beyond that of the type documented in Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. Reddick has sought to combine the mystery of the blues artform with the powerful spell cast by poetry.
A musician who loses himself in performance, Paul Reddick lures the audience into that half-lit blue world he knows so well. A storyteller, innovator and highly original harmonica-player/vocalist, his performances are unforgettable.
Paul Reddick teamed up once again with Colin Linden to release Villanelle in autumn 2004. This widely acclaimed album continues the Rattlebag journey towards re-styling the traditional; sidestepping convention it searches further for new possibilities in blues music.
Just out on NorthernBlues Music is Revue – The Best Of Paul Reddick.
"Revue" available here:
www.rootsy.nu
“My ethos is very simple, I write what I feel and feel what I write. If you hear me sing it, then I’ve seen it”
It’s not often that an artist comes along who is truly willing to speak their mind and expose their heart and soul warts and all. Parker-Jayne is one such artist. A rarity to be celebrated.
Not one to shy away from thought provoking lyrics, the Nigerian born singer/songwriter has served up ‘Foolosophy’, a tasty debut album that is packed with social, political and spiritual references, with a side order of humour. According to Parker-Jayne, “growing up in Nigeria, there was no shortage of inspiration”. As the daughter of a doctor-cum music connoisseur and a businesswoman cum choir-songstress, she grew up listening to traditional African music as well as the likes of Sade and Blondie. But credits her main musical influences to Fela Kuti, Tracy Chapman, Bob Marley, Kate Bush and Nirvana. Parker-Jayne says, “being one of five siblings and coming from this kind of background, you learn to do everything very loudly very early on and that especially includes singing.” For the young talent, Africa was a place of beauty unlike anywhere else in the world. It was a place where she felt her heart was free and her mind could wonder. Till this day it continues to be her muse.
At the age of seven Parker-Jayne and her family moved to East London, where she spent the rest of her childhood. By the age of nine she had written her first song. At eleven she went to a convent school. But the strict uniforms and codes of conduct, seemed only to emphasise her desire to create her own rules. After her GCSEs and A’ Levels she went on to study a degree in Communications and Media Studies and it wasn’t long before she started to have serious thoughts about putting this album together.
Trying to get her foot in the door, Parker-Jayne joined a pop/ R‘n’B girl group, but decided that was not the direction she wanted to go in. Returning to the drawing board, she knew that she would only be happy making the kind of music that was true to her.
Much of 2003 was spent trying to find the ‘right’ producer to record the album. She even went as far as Atlanta (Georgia) and literally knocked on doors. In 2004 she met producer Mark Ralph (who has worked with artists such as The Rakes and Suicide Sports Club). Within a year, what had begun as a four-track demo had developed into a cracking fourteen-track album, which Parker-Jayne funded by herself.
Parker-Jayne’s debut album ‘Foolosophy’ is an eclectic fusion of melodic rock with blues, soul, funk and pop, which she refers to as “rock ‘n’ blues” (R‘n’B). On the heavy guitar based anthem ‘Code Red’ she fuses rock with African percussion and on the uplifting track ‘Take Me As I Am’ she creates an acoustic/ indie vibe rooted in soul/gospel.
Over the last 18 months Parker-Jayne has been performing live gigs in and around London in venues such as W14, The Telegraph and Plan B. She ended 2005 opening for Leela James in Holland and Brussels with the Mitchell Brothers. She also recently performed a live set with the Mitchell Brothers at the world famous BBC Maida Vale Studios.
Parker-Jayne is currently preparing for the release of ‘Foolosophy’ and says, “I’m so happy with this record. I’ve put my heart and soul into it and I’ve had the freedom to do what I want the way I want it…I just hope that people are able to connect with it”.
Reviews:
“…Rich Someday and Stronger were great tunes that I simply have not been able to stop listening to…”
“…All the tracks have managed to stay original and play around with what audiences have come to expect from pop music
-Route 66
Penny Nichols
Like many musicians in the Sixties, Penny started her career as a folk singer in coffeehouses around Orange County, CA. She shared stages with many legendary artists such as Jackson Browne, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Ponies,Jennifer Warnes, Mary McCaslin and others. In 1964 & 65 she sang in a bluegrass band with John, Bill & Alice McEuen (John then took Jackson Browne's place in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the rest is history) and then formed a duo with Kathy Smith called the Greasy Mountain Butterballs which toured Vietnam in the fall of 1966. Upon returning, she opened the show for numerous artists at the Troubadour and Ash Grove in Hollywood.
In the spring of 1967, Penny rode up to San Francisco on the back of a Harley motorcycle and decided to stay in the bay area for a while. She performed in concerts and clubs all over the bay area including: the Fillmore, the Avalon, the Matrix and opened for bands such as Big Brother and the Holding Co. (Janis Joplin), Steve Miller, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 13th Floor Elevator, Chocolate Watchband, Jefferson Airplane and others. During the "Summer of Love", Penny played at the Big Sur Folk Festival and recorded her first album, "Penny's Arcade", for Buddha Records. (It eventually sold over 50,000 copies) After touring the U.S. promoting her album in the fall, she toured Europe in the winter of 1968, staying with George & Patty Harrison and recording at Apple Studios while in London.
On her return to the U.S., she decided to devote her time exclusively to songwriting for a number of years and studied voice with noted vocal coach, Florence Riggs. In 1975, she began to perform around Los Angeles with her jazz band, the Black Imp, and opened the show for Little Feat in concert. She wrote and performed commercials for Toyota's campaign to plant a tree for every car bought, Carnation Dairies, and produced a public service announcement for the Navajo Nation called "Black Mesa" to protest the misuse of the land around the Four Corners power stations in Arizona.
In 1977, while working with Emitt Rhodes on a record for Elektra, Penny joined Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefers. She appeared in the movie FM with the band toured...the U.S. and earned a Platinum Record for her singing on Son of a Son of a Sailor.
In the late 70's & 80's, Penny went back to school and earned degrees in Music & Psychology from Antioch University, and then went on to Harvard University to do research in music & psychology eventually earning a doctorate in Education there. During the same time, she recorded and toured with many performers including: Art Garfunkle (Fate for Breakfast) Suzi Quatro, Danny O'Keefe,Yvonne Elliman, Jennifer Warnes, Albert Brooks, The Credibility Gap, Steve Gillette and earned a Grammy nomination for her work on Arlo Guthrie's album The Power of Love.
In 1990, Penny co-produced her second album, All Life is One. In 1993, she released another record, an album of songs based on the 1000-year-old Buddhist stories, the Jataka Tales. The album is called Songs of the Jataka Tales. In 1997, Penny and Molly Mason collaborated on the song "The Unbroken Thread" which is included on the CD, the Catskill Collection. She currently lives and teaches in the Hudson Valley of New York and is building a small studio in her house. Her most recent ventures include working on a series of Harmony and Background Vocal arranging CD's, and a new CD of her own material.
Pete Cummins
Although known for his work with The Fleadh Cowboys and highly regarded as a songwriter, of great songs, such as, “The Texas Boxcar Incident”, “Breakfast With Leonard” and “Looking For The Magic”, this is Pete’s first solo outing.
Pete Cummin’s brand new eleven track CD has ten new self penned songs and the Johnny Cash classic, “Train of Love” recorded by Cash in the fifties. The ten original songs reflect the vast experience of styles Pete has absorbed since he started playing around Dublin in the early sixties with his beat group The Circle, through his time playing with Granny’s Intentions, folk singer Donovan in the early seventies, the Fake in the late seventies, recording with Nanci Griffith and with Townes Van Zandt on his last great, “No Deeper Blue album”, through the years leading The Fleadh Cowboys and into the twenty first century recording and touring with The Chieftains. From rock and blues through soul, folk and country music.
The new album “The Brilliant Architect” was recorded with the aid of the considerable talents of regular Fleadh Cowboys players Tommy Moore, Trevor Knight, Ger Kiely and Fran Breen, this line up has been augmented with, Ed Deane on guitar and lap steel, Carl Geraghty and Mark Adams on saxophone and trumpet and an appearance by Gavin Glass on mandolin, on the title track.
The single “Flowers In Baghdad” has featured in Neil Young’s “Living With War” website chart www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday for seven months with a highest position of no 30 and has been picked up by www.noliesradio.org for heavy rotation in San Francisco and on the web.
Earlier this year Pete had a number one country hit on the website www.soundclick.com with the humorous “I Lied to You”.
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PETECUMMINSFLEADHCOWBOY
Peter Cooper
Luminaries of American song have been lining up of late, praising the debut album from an East Nashville singer-songwriter named Peter Cooper. The reasons for that are both simple - it sounds good - and complex. There's something different about this thing.
"Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original, creative imagination, alive with humour and heartbreak and irony and intelligence, with truth and beauty in the details. Deep stuff. And they get better every time you listen to them." [Kris Kristofferson]
Cooper was five-years-old when he first caught a Kristofferson show. That was on an outdoor stage in Charlotte, NC, not too far from Cooper's hometown of Spartanburg, SC. Something about the experience must have stuck, as Kristofferson's wordplay and folk-inspired melodies became a touchstone. From there, it was on to Tom T. Hall, Mickey Newbury, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Bobby Bare, Guy Clark, Eric Taylor and others who managed emotional literacy without ever seeming unduly literary. That's a tough trick. Takes a while to learn, and then you have to figure out how to make it into something other than... well, than that same old trick. Reverence and mimicry are close musical cousins that should not marry. Shouldn't even snuggle, really.
"The enticing allure of Nashville is that there is always something new coming down the pike. Put this record on and you'll hear footsteps."
[Tom T. Hall]
When Cooper gathered a collection of his favourite musicians at Nashville's House of David studio - it's a cool place, with a trap door in the floor that was built for Elvis Presley to come in and out without fans realizing he was in town - he sought to create something different. That kind of seeking begins with the songs but it doesn't end there. Check this out: Cautionary Tales isn't a country album, but it has more steel guitar on it than anything released in ages. The steel comes courtesy of co-producer Lloyd Green, perhaps the most famed and important steel man in history. Green played on The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, on Charley Pride's In Person: Live From Panther Hall album, and on beloved works by Paul McCartney, Don Williams, Nanci Griffith, Tammy Wynette and a slew of others. From his blistering solo on "All The Way To Heaven" to the staggering beauty of his parts on "Wine" and "Thin Wild Mercury". Green is an elegant revolutionary, reinventing the instrument that he helped to dignify in the first place. He retired in the late 1980s and returned to session playing in the new century, and he has worked in his "second term" with Alan Jackson, Nanci Griffith, Steve Wariner and plenty of chart-toppers. "This album is the most intellectually and emotionally satisfying music I've been a part of since returning to the arena," Green said. "It's like a long lost relative of the Panther Hall album - there's that much steel - and yet it's like nothing I have heard. This one was as special to me as any I've been a part of." Lloyd Green, by the way, has played on more than 100 No. 1 country records.
"Triple five-stars!" [Todd Snider]
Todd Snider is not yet a Hall of Fame presence like Kristofferson, Hall or Green, but he is a beacon of invention and originality for a new generation of singer-songwriters. He and Cooper met when Cooper was interviewing him for the Nashville Tennessean newspaper: In addition to his work as a songwriter, Cooper has become one of America's most prominent music journalists, writing for The Tennessean, Esquire, Britannica and No Depression, among others. Snider and Cooper realized they shared ideas and record collections, and they began collaborating. Their "Thin Wild Mercury" was included on Snider's The Devil You Know album, and it won a National Performance Activity Award at the 2006 SESAC Awards, as well as being designated as one of USA Today's "Songs of the Week" and as one of Mojo magazine's "Songs of the Month." Cooper also played bass and sang harmonies on The Devil You Know, he produced Snider's Peace, Love and Anarchy album and he sang and played with Snider on nationally televised shows The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2006, Snider began pushing Cooper to do a full-length album, something the journalist/musician had put off for years. The two called many of their favourite musicians to record, and the result is Cautionary Tales. Lloyd Green's steel guitar is the album's instrumental centrepiece, but a bevy of greats were there to paint around him. Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers played harmonica, Bill Lloyd, known for his work with Foster & Lloyd and as a hit country songwriter, played electric guitar and sang harmonies. Jen Gunderman, formerly of The Jayhawks and currently of Last Train Home, pitched in on piano, Wurlitzer and accordion. Dave Roe, who has toured in the bands of Johnny Cash and Dwight Yoakam, laid down acoustic and electric bass lines, and ace percussionists Pat McInerney and Paul Griffith completed the rhythm section. On a version of the Eric Taylor-penned "Mission Door", Snider, Nanci Griffith and Fayssoux McLean (who provided harmony vocals on some of Emmylou Harris's finest albums) all took verses.
www.myspace.com/petercoopermusic
Peter Elkas
"The World doesn't need you to sell ice-cream. It does, however, need you to play music," said producer/drummer Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, The Rheostatics) to then Montreal based Peter Elkas in a determined attempt to encourage him to move to Toronto and work on some songs. "Who wouldn't hop-to after that?" says Peter, "it was a huge compliment."
So in 2002, after nearly ten years as multi-instrumentalist and songwriter with Montreal indie rockers Local Rabbits, Peter packed his bags, quit his job selling ice-cream and made the move to Toronto with little more than four songs he had written with a new Local Rabbits record in mind.
The Party Of One EP, which singer - songwriter Ron Sexsmith listed as one of his favourite recordings of 2003, has since evolved into a full-length album. Also titled Party Of One, Peter's debut full-length album will be released by Tapete Records May 19th..
Musically, Party of One is a more soulful experience than some of his previous work with the Rabbits, showcasing Peter's rich vocals and skill on the guitar.
"This record talks about loneliness, bad decisions, moving on, searching, and working," says the self-proclaimed "woe-is-me" lyricist. The album, written during a transitional period in Peter's life, is a perfect example of an artist finding his voice. Emotions are effectively, yet simply, captured and reflected. He writes with poignant honesty, singing about experiences to which all listeners can easily relate, although few would have the nerve to broach with such candour.
In the overly suspicious "I See Fine" Peter confronts the impending doom of a relationship as he croons, "Where'd you go that night, you prob'ly had comp'ny…if he gives you butterflies try to see what it could mean…", while in "In My Den" he seductively and unabashedly invites "in my den you're welcome every day, I can't pretend I don't want you to stay…". The title track, "Party Of One" hears him calling on his friends as he laments his lonely state.
Party Of One is a rewarding debut for Elkas, the result of traveling unfamiliar terrain and taking risks. "I still think the Rabbits is the most exciting band I've played in, or even heard, in a lot of ways" he says, "but I like solo. It's easier to absorb. It's a bit more palpable." As a party of one, he certainly holds his own.
Peter Gallway
Born and raised in New York City, Peter Gallway cut his musical teeth at a time which fostered the talents of the Lovin’ Spoonful, James Taylor, Richie Havens and Laura Nyro.
Recording just out of high school with his group The Strangers, he eventually made three albums for the Warner/Reprise label, the first of which was with the highly acclaimed Fifth Avenue Band. His following two solo outings written and recorded in Los Angeles, Ohio Knox and Peter Gallway, led to extensive touring across the United States and Japan. .
After five years in Southern California Peter re-located to the state of Maine where he based his touring band, honed his recording skills, and continued to write and eventually produce projects for other artists. 1978 and 1979 saw the release of “On the Bandstand” for the Vividsound label of Tokyo and “Tokyo to Kokomo”, an Imagination/Rounder release in the United States.
The 1980’s brought the increased popularity of his band and tours of Japan. His song Sunday Basketball was featured in the film “Hoopla” for the Basketball Hall Of Fame and he was voted Best Songwriter at the Maine Music Awards. He further collaborated on three acclaimed works of musical theater through the Maine Festival of the Arts and through the Portland Stage Company by way of The National Endowment for the Arts. His sixth album “Proof” was released through Fishtraks in 1985. Meanwhile his list of production credits was growing to include multiple projects with Devonsquare, Aztec Two-Step, Cormac McCarthy, Tom Pirozzoli, and more.
In 1988 Peter moved back to New York City and produced Cliff Eberhardt, Christine Lavin, Japan’s Bread and Butter and Hawaii’s Kalapana. A second Fifth Avenue Band collection “Really” was recorded in 1990 and released on the Pony Canyon label of Tokyo and greater involvement with US recording companies led to an A&R consultancy with Shanachie Entertainment. Meanwhile he produced and recorded another collection of his own music “Small Good Thing”, released through the Gadfly label in 1994. Other projects of that period included Jim Infantino Live, Jabbering Trout, Devonsquare, and sessions with the legendary Laura Nyro. Shortly thereafter, he embarked on the critically acclaimed Astor Place Recordings project “Time and Love: the Music of Laura Nyro” featuring Rosanne Cash, Jane Siberry, Jill Sobule and Patty Larkin. 1998 brought the release of his own live anthology “A Night In Time” followed by 1999’s autobiographical “Redemption”, both on the Gadfly label. These were accompanied by the second conceptual collection for Astor Place, the Grammy nominated “Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village in the 60’s” featuring Chrissie Hynde, Marshall Crenshaw and Suzanne Vega.
The new millennium brought Peter again to Los Angeles where he worked on the “Windows In the Village” project with Mark Sebastian, film scoring with Erin Kamler, an A&R consultancy with TAXI, and several projects with his colleague Jon Lind at Hollywood Records. This period also led to the completion of a Masters Degree in Psychology and ongoing work in the shared healing process with teenagers.
Peter Gallway has been called “a master of free verse” in the Boston Globe and “a star in the making” in the New York Post. His ever-growing body of work stands as testament to the humanity and passion in his rich, artful approach to making music.
The Plastic Pals
“Anyone who could imagine Chris Spedding fronting Television would understand.” That's what Patrik Forshage, Nöjesguiden, said about The Plastic Pals first EP, "The Band That's Fun To Be With".
May 25, 2008, see the release of the new single "She's Going Back", taken from the up-coming album "Good Karma Café" on Polythene Records.
The album is produced by Björn Öqvist (Pennebaker/Spaceage Baby Jane/Kamera), and the first single features Chris Cacavas (Green On Red/Danny & Dusty) on keyboards and Peter Forsman on vocals.
Old Reliable
Paul Reddick
Parker-Jayne
Penny Nichols
Pete Cummins
Peter Cooper
Peter Elkas
Peter Gallway
Plastic Pals
