Random Airwaves from Saved By Radio

NXNE: East Meats West 2!

2008-05-26T20:05:00.001-06:00

Didja like it last year? Well, you're in luck - it's back, and on lucky Friday the 13th as well! Global Village Backpackers (460 King St. W.), 12-7, free food while supplies last, and wikkid bands!

Pic from SXSW

2008-03-21T12:11:00.002-06:00

No, you're not seeing things: that's Dawn "arresting" Frodo (AKA Elijah Wood) at the 2008 Musical Ride Party at SXSW. SBR/SBV and Elijah's label Simian Music were some of the forces behind the gathering, along with File Under: Music and Sask Music.

Beer, Burgers and Bad-Ass Music!

2007-05-31T10:49:00.000-06:00

So, if you're in the T-dot next week for North By Northeast (I'll be here working, alas, but Dawn and Owen will be there in full force), make sure you get yourself down to the East MEATS West BBQ!

@ the Global Village Backpackers hostel - 460 King Street West
Co-sponsored by Kelp, Saved By Vinyl and Exclaim!
Free Beer and BBQ (While supplies last)

1:00 - AA Sound System
1:30 - Chris Page
2:00 - Andrew Vincent
2:30 - Andy Swan
3:00 - The Michael Parks
3:30 - Flecton
4:00 - Jim Bryson
4:30 - Rhume
5:00 - Camp Radio
5:30 - Ox
6:00 - The Parkas

It will be, as they used to say, rad!

Mark Davis Double-Shot!

2007-05-10T14:02:00.000-06:00

Because you can't get enough of a good thing, there are two - count 'em, two! - Mark Davis records freshly available for your listening pleasure: Don't You Think We Should Be Closer? and Mistakes I Meant To Make. We'll have full details up on the site soon, so stay tuned! And in the meantime, if you have any questions about 'em, email us at info@savedbyradio.com.

By the way, Mr. Jim Bryson, it was fantastic seeing you on Monday night! And Mr. Danny Michel, we're totally looking forward to seeing you on the 16th at the Liberty Lounge! Shows in support of vinyl releases; what could be better than that?

(What can I say - being unemployed gives me time to get excited!)

CMW/SXSW/WOW

2007-03-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

I know, I know - it's been ages since I've put anything up here. (So long, in fact, that I had to redo my Blogger profile just to get in!) What can I say - work gets in the way of things, y'know?

What do you mean, you thought SBR/SBV was my job? Ha! I wish! We all wish! No - indie record labels gotta keep going somehow, right?

So, that means that this week and next week, Owen and I'll be in Calgary holdin' down the fort, while Dawn and some of the crew (who get off work easier than the rest of us, apparently) are out at the festivals!

You can meet up with them as follows:

AA Sound System: Thursday, March 8 at the Cameron House in Toronto; Friday, March 9 at the Hideout in Toronto; Wednesday, March 14 at the Rio in Austin

OX: Friday, March 9 at the Silver Dollar in Toronto; Saturday, March 17 at the Ale House in Austin

Jim Bryson (did I mention there's a new Jim Bryson album out at the end of this month? Called "Where The Bungalows Roam"?): Friday, March 16 at the Creekside EMC (Hilton Garden Inn) in Austin

So there ya be. I'll be here, marking papers. Well, tests, I guess, technically - I don't know if it'd be possible to write a paper on medical terminology... have fun on my behalf!

End of Year Goodness Begins!

2006-12-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, all,

So I've begun to sift through the end-of-the-year roundups from various music folks across the country, and I've got a couple things to report:

-The Calgary Herald's Theresa Tayler named Jay Crocker's Melodies from the Outskirts the best local album of 2006.

-At UMFM in Winnipeg, AA Sound System's Laissez-Faire was the #9 most played album of the year.

Not bad, eh? If you see any others that we should know about, feel free to let us know!

Happy interstitial holiday period!

Congratulations!

2006-10-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

So, we were at the Western Canadian Music Awards/Conference in Winnipeg this weekend, and our wonderful publicist, Ken Beattie, just happened to win the award for Independent Publicist/Radio Promoter of the year.

Now, when I say, 'just happened to', I mean in the sense of 'worked his butt off all year to help the artists and labels he works with get further in the crazy, cutthroat music business.'

Congratulations, Kennie! You deserve it to no end.

Thanks to Winnipeg for being nice to us - especially to Times Change(d) (Twisty, John and the rest) and UMFM (Michael and Jared).

next year in Moose Jaw!

Shows and spaces

2006-10-10T19:43:00.000-06:00

Hey. How are ya?

Two Calgary shows this week to let you know about: Ox is playing Thursday, October 12 at Broken City. Not only do they have new vinyl out (and a new CD to go along with it) entitled American Lo Fi, but they've got Lorrie Matheson's bass player Shawn Dicey playing with 'em. It'll be fun! Get there early, though - they're not the headliner (officially, at least - they're the headliners in our hearts!).

Shane Ghostkeeper and the band (including Jay Crocker) won't be the headliners Saturday October 14 at the Hi-Fi Club, either...but y'know, opening for Magnolia Electric Co. (the descendant of Songs: Ohia and the brainchild of Jason Molina) isn't bad at all!

BTW, we've got MySpace sites up for both SBR and SBV. I'm still not sure I'm sold on the whole thing, but I'll never complain about having friends. (Just don't invite us to your livewebcamsxxx group...we're not interested, and we're probably all old enough to scare you!)

Get Yr VH On

2006-09-25T20:52:00.000-06:00

The May 29, 2006 in-studio session is now up on CBC Radio 3: Go to the concerts/sessions header and it comes up right away.

The comment from our lovely publicist Ken Beattie: "It sounds AWESOME !!!"

Shall I concur? Yes, I think I shall.

Shalom; it's time to party!

2006-09-24T13:51:00.000-06:00

Are you a Saved By Radio/Vinyl listener in Tel Aviv? If so, you'll want to head to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on October 3 for the Indie Music Video Festival, featuring the Joel Jackson-created video for Vailhalen's "Angry Mothers". Music - and film - truly is an international language!

Before that, you can attend one of two CD release parties in Alberta for AA Sound System's new album "Laissez-Faire". Wednesday, September 27, it's a party at the Sidetrack in Edmonton (where the album's been topping the CJSR Top 30 for weeks); Friday, September 29, the celebrations move south to the Liberty Lounge in Calgary. Hope to see you there!

Also, check out the site for the Summerlad-curated monthly event called RAMP. The shows happen on the first Thursday of the month, and feature everything from MCs to soundscapes to Japanese drummers. How cool is that?

Eliminate the couch groove - get out and do somethin'!

Oh yeah...

2006-08-12T22:08:00.000-06:00

and check out the new Saved By Vinyl section of the site as well! If it's not enough for you that it's vinyl, the colours rock!

Attention Edmontoonies!

2006-08-12T21:56:00.000-06:00

Or other folks who happen to be in Edmonton - you can have this fun too!

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is happening as I type this (I'm taking a break from setting a final exam in linguistics to do something less...er...esoteric...), and Lorrie Matheson is making his first appearance there. He'll be doing a solo concert Sunday morning at 11:00 (ooh - that's gotta hurt) on Stage One, as well as participating in some workshops. Go see him, and maybe buy him some caffeine!

And on August 16 (I'll be doing a review session for my linguistics students...sigh...), drop in to the Sidetrack Cafe to see AA Sound System, as part of a three-band bill that evening. Apparently cover's only five bucks, so you'll have $ to spend on the new album, at the official release parties in Edmonton and Calgary at the end of September. Also, if you're planning your Labour Day weekend, Vailhalen will be up at the Sidetrack September 2. Who needs camping when you can have rock?

Never say we don't love the north(ish) of our province!

Re-nominalizing

2006-06-24T11:28:00.000-06:00

Hey, remember how I've told you that AA Sound System's new album is gonna be called 'Songs for Pretty Girls'?

Well, I was wrong. It's gonna be called 'Laissez-Faire'.

And it's oh so close to being ready - there's artwork! It's pretty!

I'll keep ya posted...

Happy Father's Day!

2006-06-18T13:04:00.000-06:00

Although there aren't all that many fathers involved in SBR... nevertheless, if you have a father who likes music, you could always check out the catalogue and see if there's anything that he might like as a belated FD gift (trust me - he doesn't want another tie!).

But enough shilling for this lifetime: More important is stuff on the road. Most of the roadiness right now has to do with Vailhalen, who are going to be on tour this summer across this fine country of ours. Full dates are available on their MySpace page. Plan your vacation accordingly!

Also on the Road is the Indie Music Video Festival, in which Vailhalen's video for "Angry Mothers" (directed by Calgary's Joel Jackson) gets a screening. The IMVF roadshow is underway as we speak - check out their site to see if they will be in your town soon.

What else...AA Sound System's new album is rapidly approaching a state of CDness. Jay C. and Lorrie M. are gonna be at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, so make sure you've got your passes (and the bridge into Prince's Island Park is almost repaired, I hear...at least, it was before this week's downpours...). And there's always more stuff on the horizon, so keep yer eyes peeled (and yer stick on the ice)!

Buy Stuff!

2006-05-04T18:21:00.000-06:00

That's right. You've got your tax refund - now buy stuff.

Not necessarily from us, though.

If you're in Calgary on Sunday May 7, come down to MacEwan Hall between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to check out the Pop Culture Extravaganza put on by CJSW 90.9 FM. It's a fundraising event for the station, and there'll be bands (including Jay Crocker), door prizes, and lots of stuff to buy. SBR will have a table there, so if you want to support both the namesake of our little label and our little label, we'd love to see you there!

Shows, Shows, And More Shows!

2006-04-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

That's right - spring has sprung, and it's time to see live music! At least it is if you're in Calgary...and come to think of it, spring hasn't so much "sprung" here as it has "sponged"...dang rain...thinks it's Vancouver...

Anyway, the shows:

-Thursday, April 13, it's Jay Crocker's hometown CD release party at the Warehouse. Complete with eight-piece (count 'em, eight) band behind him, Jay will fete Melodies From The Outskirts in grand style. Opening acts are FFWD cover boy Shane Ghostkeeper and the ever-in-demand Lorrie Matheson. Tix are $12 in advance (at Hot Wax for sure, maybe at Megatunes; if you have trouble, e-mail info@savedbyradio.com) or $15 at the door (and apparently the Warehouse has undergone renovations, so even if you're not into music, it'll be worth checking out just for that! ;). There are also shows coming up in Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver, so head to Jay's website for more details.

-Friday, April 14 is Good for many reasons, not least of which is the release of the Summerlad's Saved By Vinyl 7-inch double B-side, "Carnus Magi"/"Everyone Scolds The Wolf". It's new. It's blue. It's vinyl! The party is at Broken City, and will also feature They Shoot Horses Don't They? and Windows '78. Go!

Not a show, but a piece of news nonetheless: word has it that AA Sound System's new album Songs For Pretty Girls is a step closer to completion. We'll keep ya posted!

In like a lion, out like a...lion...

2006-03-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

When I was in Grade 2, I wrote a play called "What Happened To Spring?" In fact, it was a musical - it had one song, which was about two lines long. I can probably sing it for you if you want (bands, need a cover?). It also had a cast of forest characters and their human-child friends who went searching for a magical diamond that would start spring on its way and free them of the nasty winter they were experiencing.

I can't imagine why I thought of that today. Now, where did I put my snow brush?...

One sure harbinger of le printemps, though, is that the Alberta Sessions Songwriters' Festival is happening here in (frozen)Cow(pie)town this week. They'll features such SBR stalwarts and friends as Jay Crocker, Tim Hus, Mark Davis (of Old Reliable), Lorrie Matheson, and Andrew Wedderburn (of Hot Little Rocket). For all the deets, head to the Centre for the Performing Arts' website.

I have been remiss

2006-03-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

I admit - I haven't been keepin' y'all posted the way I should. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa...

But we've been busy! That's why I haven't been posting. We've been busy with Jay Crocker's record, and it's been charting and he'll be on tour starting at the end of this month, so that's taken up time. There's been people going hither and yon to showcases, so that's taken up time. (BTW - in case you missed it, Vailhalen got props from The Globe and Mail at Canadian Music Week this year. The old gray lady's hip to the pop.) We've released the first record - yes, record! - on our Saved By Vinyl offshoot - War-Torn Man by Rodney Decroo and the Killers. That's been a chunk of time. So it's not like nothin's been happenin' - really, it's a lot's been happenin'!

Over that time, thanks to Austin, Texas for hosting our folks not once, but twice (at Folk Alliance and at SXSW. BTW, if you're going to buy beer in the Lone Star State, be forewarned that they might get annoyed if you don't have Texas-issued ID.) To Toronto for loving Vailhalen. To Europe for welcoming Old Reliable's Shuyler Jansen. To CIUT in Toronto, CHUO in Ottawa, CKMS in Waterloo, CKXU in Lethbridge, and the CKUA radio network for playing Jay's record (in stations now! Call in and request it!). And to everyone who loves good Canadian music - you know who you are.

Gotta go - I did mention it's busy, didn't I? But keep on rockin'! And poppin'! And rootsin'! And...

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

2006-01-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, all! Happy New Year 'n' all that.

So I've got some annoying and unfortunate news to pass on from the Summerlad. They've been having a great ten days or so doing shows at the High Performance Rodeo and opening for Enon, but sometime during that span of time, Dean Martin (the drummer, not the RatPacker) got a bunch of his equipment ripped off. He describes it in this way:

"So I had 2 duffle bags of hardware, which had 8 stands, cowbells, wooden blocks, rack mounts, boom stands, 2 kickpedals, drum stool, hi hat stand, snare stands....etc.

As well, there was a cymbal bag that had been taken. Had stuff from late '60s, unmarked Zildjian cymbals sizes, 18"crashes, 16" thin crash, 14" hihats, 8" splash, Sabian 18" china boy, 17" thin crash, 20" crash ride,14" hi hats and a hand hammered 18" china boy."

So if you happen to come across this stuff in your travels (i.e., in a pawnshop, in the back of a van, on someone's drum kit that never used to be as cool as it is now and they didn't have the money to buy all that stuff), feel free to drop The Summerlad or us here at SBR a line.

Thanks!

Props From Exclaim!

2005-12-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long layoff, folks - work gets in the way of work, y'know?

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that both Old Reliable and The Summerlad got notices in the year-end edition of Exclaim!. Old Reliable is #10 in the Top 10 Country, Folk and Blues albums, and The Summerlad is in the "Wanted! Listening Audiences for Unheard Gems" section of the Pop & Rock year in review. Congrats, guys!

More year-end as it comes in. But start thinking about next year - there'll be AA Sound System, Pipo, and Jay Crocker albums to look forward to!

Mmm...cupcakes...

2005-10-18T18:19:00.000-06:00

I apologize. I've been a total slacker on this for the last month. Work (not the label - the work that brings in money to help keep the label goin') has been a festival of insanity.

A festival of not-such-insanity will be happening this weekend in Vancouver: it's the 2005 Western Canadian Music Awards/Showcase/Lost Weekend. And SBR will be there in force.

Join us Thursday the 20th at the Railway (immortalized in the book version of Hard Core Logo by the song "I've Been Drinking At The Railway", to the tune of "I've Been Working On The Railroad") for performances by Falconhawk, The Summerlad and Vailhalen;

Friday the 21st at midnight at The Lamplighter for Lorrie Matheson's performance;

and Saturday the 22nd (although I think technically it's gonna be the Saturday part of Sunday...) for our after co-party at the Railway ("Have another beer, have another beer, have another beer or two or three...") with Lorrie Matheson and AA Sound System, as well as Radiogram, Ox, Julie Doiron, Sinewave and Octoberman (were they Septemberman last month?).

Mmm...have another beer or two or three. I like that. They'll wash down the cupcakes nicely. And I won't have to think about work.

Now I'm hungry. And thirsty. No beer or cupcakes at my house, though. Sigh.

Don't let me talk about work in Vancover, 'kay? If I mention one word regarding semicolons (including things close to that, like semi-trailers or colonics), drop me off the pier or something.

Holy WCMAs, Batman!

2005-09-14T20:51:00.000-06:00

I was so excited when I checked out the Western Canadian Music Awards site this evening that I could hardly dial the phone to call the folks who I was pretty sure hadn't looked at it...

I mean, it's great enough that we have many folks who'll be playing the showcases, and I'll tell you about those in the coming weeks (suffice to say we'll be rockin' the Railway on the Thursday night). But better yet, there are SBR folks who are up for awards!

On the industry side:

For the second straight year, our awesome publicist Ken Beattie of Killbeat Music is up for Independent Publicist/Radio Promoter of the Year.

Sundae Sound Studios, home of Dave Alcock and Al Irving and site of recording (in whole or in part) for Old Reliable's The Burning Truth, Falconhawk's Here's Your Ghost, and Lorrie Matheson's A Dime At A Time, is up for Recording Studio of the Year.

Noel Heard, the visionary behind the look of The Summerlad's Themes: International, is in contention for Album Design of the Year (up against SBR friend and collaborator Jeff Sylvester).

And on the artistic side, Lorrie Matheson's A Dime At A Time is nominated for Independent Album of the Year. I shit you not.

Congratulations, all! This rocks hugetime!

To Do: Value Village Excursion

2005-09-13T12:58:00.000-06:00

(that's pronounced "valoo villazhe", as in the French...)

Some of you won't have to, of course (read: Dawn!), but if you haven't got appropriate attire for the Vailhalen CD release parties this Friday and Saturday (Sept 16 and 17) at Broken City, you're gonna look pretty silly, now, aren't you?

Friday: Aerobics/Fitness
Saturday: Sci-Fi/Space

If you're really clever, you could probably even combine the two...didn't they make leg warmers out of the same material as those Shuttle tiles?

Also, get your plane tix booked to head out to Montreal to see The Summerlad at their Pop Montreal appearance. That'll be happening at the Saphir on Saint-Laurent on September 30. Comment dit-on "whee-haw" en francais?

Bands on the Road, Bands on Stage...

2005-08-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yep, there are lots of SBR-types doin' shows right now - at home, on the road, upstairs, downstairs, all around the town.

For instance, Old Reliable's going to be at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival this weekend (Aug. 4-7). Then, after a bit of a break to get Shuyler moved out to Saskatoon (no, seriously - he really is!), there'll be a BC tour in mid to late August.

The Swiftys are hitting a bunch of different festivals in the next little while, including the Trout Forest Music Festival in Ear Falls, ON, from August 12-14, and the CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival from August 19-21. Lots of details on their site - go check it out!

Falconhawk is still on tour - or, rather, back on tour, after their adventures in Arizona. (Yes - the ol' Chixdiggit bus is now at that great scrapyard in the sky...but all the people are okay, and that's the most important thing.) Full dates on their site - and if you get to see them, tell 'em how glad you are that they're there!

Lorrie Matheson's got himself a weekly Thursday night gig at The Train Station in Calgary, a new space below Brew Brothers on 11th Avenue S.W. He's curating a songwriter sereies beginning tonight, August 4. (Good thing, too - he's been spending way too much time in the studio lately!)

And speaking of studios, AA Sound System are working on their new album (don't have a title yet - as soon as I know, I'll let you know) up in Edmonton right now, ably assisted by John Blerot of Wolf Willow Sound and Danny Michel. Yep, that's right - Danny Michel.

Oh, and new albums? Vailhalen's Pop Violence will be in stores near you remarkably soon!

And not to forget - The Summerlad will be playing the CJSW Slurpee Cup afterparty on August 20 at Broken City, and Tim Hus is all over the darn place these days.

Not bad, eh?

OR Down Under!

2005-07-21T18:17:00.000-06:00

That's right - Old Reliable's going to be on Australian TV!

Now, I'm not sure if it's Friday, July 22 or Friday, July 29 (Shuyler couldn't remember today...), but they're going to be on Mornings With Kerri-Anne (on the Nine Network), as part of taping that program did up here in AB. So if you're there, or if you've got some crazy satellite system, have a listen to them - you'll like what you hear!