“Puzzles and Games” is the second release from Heather Thorne. It is an offering of co-written original songs with a modern, hooky, pop-country sound. It is a fiery, up-tempo record reminiscent of current pop-country superstars, Miranda Lambert and Gretchen Wilson. Heather struts confidently on top of these catchy, electric guitar laden songs. She is a clever, heart-on-sleeve songwriter with a strong voice and is a welcome and rare talent in Newfoundland’s small but blooming country music scene.

D’Arcy is unequivocally one of the most important Newfoundland musician/singers in the islands long cultural history. He has been a major figure in the creation of two of Newfoundland’s most important and influential acts, The Irish Descendants and The Fables. On “By Request”, D’Arcy is at the forefront as he performs some of his favourite traditional songs. D’Arcy takes the purist approach on this record and stays very true to the authentic traditional folk sound made popular on the island over the centuries. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, accordion and bodhran fill out the album and give a fully fleshed out, acoustic background for D’Arcy’s warm and charmingly welcoming voice. He is truly a legend in his own time and this album is a Fred’s staff favourite.

Wayne Muggridge is a master guitar player who blends Newfoundland traditional folk music and the country twang guitar stylings of Chet Atkins. It is a blend that works so well on this record. Traditional instruments such as the bouzouki, mandolin and button accordion are met with the smooth, warm tones of Wayne’s effortless old school country guitar. He plays an old Gretsch Country Gentleman and he truly makes it sing. This recording could be compared favourably to Sandy Morris’s now seminal recording, Music from Land and Sea. Lovers of finely crafted guitar chops and traditional folk music alike will be sure to enjoy this fantastic album. Check out “Solo for Mr, Gretsch”!

Bud is one half of the legendary Newfoundland traditional duo, Simani. “Back to the Bay” is a collection of mid tempo ballads and waltzes set in the Newfoundland, folk-country style that made Simani so famous on the island. Bud’s voice is weathered and warm and his performance sincere. Instrumentally, the album features traditional elements of button accordion, fiddle and acoustic guitar backed by drums and electric bass giving it charming country feel that has also been a staple genre in the province for many years.

… It’s a dark, romantic cabaret and he’s got the perfect voice for it…
(London Scene)
…There’s a wiry eloquence to the young man’s tales of open roads, quirky cars, manipulative women and schemes about to go awry…
(The Coast, Halifax, NS)
Mark is a prolific and deeply talented songwriter whose twisted, dark and circus-like rock and roll has made one of Newfoundland’s most interesting, diverse and lauded musicians.

“Brothers in Stereo” marks the debut recording of Andrew & Chris Ledrew. Favorably comparable to The Jayhawks, Tom Petty and vintage Blue Rodeo – the album is loaded with great hooks, catchy melodies, sweet guitar parts and vocal harmonies born from 1960’s Byrd’s tunes. This is a cohesive blend of songs – pure 3 1/2 minute pop/rock numbers. From the spirited lead vocal on “Worst Crowd” to the aching tenderness of “Reaching for You” this is a record that will stay fresh perpetually.

Ask anyone in Newfoundland’s music community about Frank Maher and chances are they will tell you that he one of the finest musicians on the island. Frank has appeared as a session musician on more than forty recordings and has toured with The Plankerdown Band and Figgy Duff. Ironically, until now, Frank has never recorded an album of his own. On Mahervelous not only does Frank shine as the brilliant instrumentalist he is on tunes like Stirling Castle and The Super Jigs but he also brings a great sense of humour to O’Brien Is Dead and Frank Maher’s Famous Non-Rhyming Limerick. Frank is ably assisted on this recording by the Maher’s Bahers – Christina Smith; fiddle, Jean Hewson; guitar and Rick West; Bodhran. We affectionately call Frank the “Squeeze Box King”!

An authentically traditional offering from GBS, The Hard and the Easy is comprised of songs taken from the legendary Gerald S. Doyle songbooks made popular in Newfoundland from the 1920’s-60’s. These old songs would have been lost to the ages were it not for Doyle. Many have since adapted the songs in more recent times and this effort by Great Big Sea exemplifies the band’s respect and reverence for these tunes. Again, the traditional approach is adhered to strictly on this album and really gives the listener a sense of the band’s skill and dynamic within the traditional-folk form. Many of the province’s most popular songs can be found on The Hard and the Easy including, Come and I will Sing You (the Twelve Apostles) and River Driver. This is one of our bestselling albums.

Road Rage is the capturing of Great Big Sea’s now famous live show. All the explosive energy, the anthemic songs, their high-octane delivery and the frenzied crowd thrust into wild fits of overwhelming approval. Great Big Sea has made a career with their out-of-this-world live performance. Here it is with all your favourite songs!

“On Rum and Religion” marked the debut of Norris Arm’s own Chris Kirby. With a penchant for witty lyricism, insanely catchy hooks and fantastic keys and guitar chops, Kirby has, in a relatively short time, established himself as the premier soul, rhythm and blues player on the island. His later records rely heavily on the RnB component with an emphasis on electric piano, but there is no doubt that “On Rum and Religion” is a hearty dose of the blues. He is a young man with an old soul and this is the album that introduced him to us.