August 26th, 2013

Another City – Another City EP

Excerpt from the band’s bio:

“Another City is a fresh, new Toronto-based band that incorporates many different influences and styles into a fast-paced, dance-ready, spill your beer type of sound. With co-writers hailing form fog veiled and ocean-fresh St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the soot and grime of Detroit’s dirty little brother, Windsor. Another City combines energetic , catchy guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums, and a sometimes dueling, sometimes complimentary male-female vocal tandem. With some members focusing on musical performance degrees at York University, others being self-taught musicians day-shifting as 9-5 tradesman, and still others falling in between. Another City has found a delicate mix of theory and reckless abandon, meticulousness and disregard, planning and passion, art and noise.”

Tasha Power of Fred’s comments:

Featuring Sarah Budden (Bass and Vocals) and Steve Finn (Drums), both from St. John’s, NL.

Catchy pop/punk/hardcore, melodic and engergetic.

The twin guitars appear like four complimenting the density of the lyrics. The layered vocal harmonies are a stand-out feature and mesh superbly with the crisp, complex music sprinkled with a few killer guitar solos.

August 21st, 2013

The Celtic Fiddler – Times and Tides: 20 Years 1993-2013

August 21st, 2013

Celtic Fiddlers – A Time for Christmas

August 21st, 2013

The Celtic Fiddlers – Salt of the Earth (A Tribute to Robyn Marie Peddle)

August 21st, 2013

Celtic Fiddlers – The Sea in our Eyes

August 21st, 2013

The Celtic Fiddlers and Ceilidh Singers – Passage

August 15th, 2013

Snook – Another Snook’s Christmas

The second of Snook’s irreverent, Newfoundland take on Christmas classics.

August 10th, 2013

Maria Sue Roberts – Fortune Favours Courage

A native of Exploits River, Grand Falls, Ms. Roberts has expressed her artistic talents as an actor and singer over several years. This, her CD debut, kicks off with three rockers.

 

“One Night Free” is nicely spruced up with horns, sax and trombone reminiscent of Paul Simon’s, “Late in the Evening”. Roberts compares neatly with Sass Jordan and Alannah Myles when she belts ’em out, but is at her best on the more soulful, heartfelt tracks like “Ask you to Try” and “Ray of Sunlight”, which tips the hat to a classic Lionel Richie melody.

 

There’s also a great barroom country & western feel on “Raven Black” and “Someone Who Knows How to Lead” (remember Sue Medley), and “Don’t Look Back” swings delightfully with sweet southern touches. “Summer Rain” features a lovely backing vocal track and a classic late 1970’s rock radio vibe.

 

The album closes with a Pogues-like ditty with a little help from Arthur O’Brien and Fred Jorgenson of the Navigators.

 

Produced by Ward Pike (guitar and more) and featuring tasty, spare harmonica bits from Mark Anderson and Alan Ricketts on steel Guitar.

July 26th, 2013

Ralph O’Brien – About Time

This is Ralph O’Brien’s first solo album after a long career with The Sons of Erin, a Traditional Irish group popular in the ’80’s and 90’s. The album features many well-known musicians, including D’arcy Broderick, Craig Young, Kevin Evans, Joe Tompkins, Johnny Barella, Bob Pike, and Chris Ledrew.

This album is a gem with both traditional irish and folk tunes.

July 23rd, 2013

Craig Young – Black Diamond Strings

Newfoundland has given birth to a plethora of world-class guitarists over many decades. Craig Young is one of them.

 

This fantastic sophomore release explores the gamut of Craig’s style, from full-on country & western to folk/traditional to dixieland jazz. Not just a sizzling hot guitarist (Terri Clark’s axe-slinger for several years), Craig possesses a rich warm voice – pure country & western tonality.

 

Joined here by a musical cast that includes Aaron Collis (Dardanelles), Leeland Wareham, Jenee Fleener and a jewel of a track with another brilliant guitarist, Duane Andrews, Craig Young is the front-runner for Newfoundland Country & western album of the year.

 

If you’re a fan of Marty Stuart, Chet Atkins or Alan Jackson, you should check out this truly talented picker/singer from Newfoundland’s southwest coast.