Chris Coole + Tony Allen + James McEleney @ The Cameron, Thursday

Banjo boss Chris Coole and fiddler deluxe Tony Allen revisit their Good Right Arm Stringband days with James McEleney tonight! 

The 26th Annual Banjo Special @ The Tranzac Club, March 22

Don't miss this chance to see four of Toronto's finest banjo pickers together on stage at the Tranzac on Sunday, March 22!

The 26th Annual Banjo Special

The banjo event of the season! Old-Time, Bluegrass, Folk banjo are showcased by four of Canada's top banjo pickers!

A fun night and a Toronto tradition! In its twenty-sixth year, The Banjo Special brings together four of Canada’s top players to celebrate this wonderful instrument at the Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave) on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 pm. Come and join Chris Coole, Arnie Naiman, Brian Taheny, Chris Quinn, and a myriad of guests as they present an evening of songs and tunes - with banjos at the heart of it all. There will be breakdowns and marches, picks and bare fingers, songs new and old, tubaphones and flatheads, Vegas and Gibsons. And it will all be handled with flair, fun, and big style. This is a unique chance to hear the diverse voice of both the five-string and tenor banjo, and how the instrument has woven its way into Bluegrass, Old-Time, Americana, and Traditional Irish music. Tickets are $33.59 advance and selling fast. Get 'em right here.

Meet the banjo pickers...

Across Canada and the United States, Chris Coole has become as much of a household name on the claw-hammer banjo as one can become. As a teacher, composer, and performer, he has plied his trade professionally for more than 30 years. Apart from his own albums, Chris can be heard as a sideman and/or producer on over 150 recordings by artists such as Sylvia Tyson, Jim Cuddy, Natalie MacMaster, Cara Luft, John Reishman, April Verch, Justin Rutledge, The Slocan Ramblers, and David Francey. Chris Currently plays with The Lonesome Ace Stringband. www.chriscoole.com

Arnie Naiman is a unique banjo player for his claw-hammer and fingerpicking styles. He was influenced by folk music of the 60’s and 70’s as well as by the music of pre-war artists such as Uncle Dave Macon, Charlie Poole, and The Carter Family to name only a few: Arnie is a very fine interpreter of these old songs and tunes. Arnie’s own banjo compositions are various; some joyous and celebratory, others haunting and dark. Arnie currently performs with Hannah Shira Naiman, Ragged But Right, and also in the Virginia-based old-time String Band, Albemarle Ramblers. Arnie has recently released his solo CD, My Lucky Stars. http://arnienaiman.com/home

String guru Brian Taheny hails from the Irish music mecca of Sligo, Ireland.Brian plays Fiddle, Tenor Banjo, Guitar, Irish Bouzouki, Cittern, Mandolin, Mandola, Mandocello, Dobro and Bass guitar, and is also known for his innovative arrangements of traditional tunes. Brian has built a solid reputation for himself as an extremely accomplished Celtic musician with strong and uniquely distinctive style. He has performed with many of the greats in traditional music all over Europe, Canada, America, and Asia. He has performed on well over 100 albums, has received two Juno nominations and is currently part of the well respected trio "North Atlantic Drift" based out of Toronto. http://www.merriweather.ca/brian-taheny.html

Chris Quinn began his Scruggs-style bluegrass odyssey in 1979. Having performed on over 100 CDs as a sideman or featured artist, Quinn is a central figure on the bluegrass scene in Canada and abroad. Chris has become renowned for his solid timing, his sense of taste and tone, and his creative backup playing. A sought-after teacher, Chris has taught hundreds of people at camps and workshops, from Quebec to Tennessee, from BC to Asia. As younger players have come along to join the professional scene, Chris has been a mentor to many of them. Today, some of Chris’ former students have gone on to professional careers in music too. https://chris-quinn.ca

Watch the 22nd Annual Banjo Special below. 

Doug Paisley joins John Showman & Chris Coole @ The Cameron House, Tuesday

Singer/songwriter Doug Paisley sits in with the banjo fiddle duo of John Showman & Chris Coole from 6pm-8pm.

John Showman & Chris Coole launch December residency @ The Cameron, Tuesday

Lonesome Ace's John Showman & Chris Coole kick off their Cameron House residency Tuesday from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Catch the Lonesome Ace Stringband at the Newmarket Legion (707 Shrigley St) on December 6 at 8 pm. Get tickets here.

25th Annual Banjo Special hits the Tranzac Club, Sunday

Once again Toronto's Chris Quinn and Chris Coole will be joined by Arnie Naiman, Brian Taheny and guests starting at 7:30 pm. 

25th Annual Banjo Special 

Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave)

Sunday, March 23 at 7:30 pm. Doors at 7 pm.

Tickets: $30 available online here.

A showcase of Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Irish banjo styles played by four of Canada's top pickers. A fun night and a Toronto tradition! In its twenty-fourth year, The Banjo Special once again brings together 4 of Canada’s top players to celebrate this wonderful instrument. Come and join Chris Coole, Arnie Naiman, Brian Taheny, Chris Quinn, and our special guests as we present an evening of songs and tunes with banjos at the heart of it all. There will be; breakdowns and marches, picks and bare fingers, songs new and old, tubaphones and flatheads, Vegas and Gibsons. And it will all be handled with flair, fun, and big style.

This is a unique chance to hear the diverse voice of both the five-string and tenor banjo, and how the instrument has weaved its way into Bluegrass, Old-Time, Americana, and Traditional Irish music.

Meet the banjo pickers:

Across Canada and the United States, Chris Coole has become as much of a household name on the claw-hammer banjo as one can become. As a teacher, composer, and performer; he has plied his trade professionally for more than 30 years. Apart from his own albums, Chris can be heard as a sideman and/or producer on over 150 recordings by artists such as Sylvia Tyson, Jim Cuddy, Natalie MacMaster, Cara Luft, John Reishman, April Verch, Justin Rutledge, The Slocan Ramblers, and David Francey. Chris Currently plays with The Lonesome Ace Stringband. www.chriscoole.com

Arnie Naiman is a unique banjo player for his claw-hammer and fingerpicking styles. He was influenced by folk music of the 60’s and 70’s as well as by the music of pre-war artists such as Uncle Dave Macon, Charlie Poole, and The Carter Family to name only a few: Arnie is a very fine interpreter of these old songs and tunes. Arnie’s own banjo compositions are various; some joyous and celebratory, others haunting and dark. Arnie currently performs with Hannah Shira Naiman, Ragged But Right, and also in the Virginia-based old-time String Band, Albemarle Ramblers. Arnie has recently released his solo CD, My Lucky Stars. http://arnienaiman.com/home

String Guru Brian Taheny hails from the Irish music mecca of Sligo, Ireland.Brian plays Fiddle, Tenor Banjo, Guitar, Irish Bouzouki, Cittern, Mandolin, Mandola, Mandocello, Dobro and Bass guitar, and is also known for his innovative arrangements of traditional tunes. Brian has built a solid reputation for himself as an extremely accomplished Celtic musician with strong and uniquely distinctive style. He has performed with many of the greats in traditional music all over Europe, Canada, America, and Asia. He has performed on well over 100 albums, has received two Juno nominations and is currently part of the well respected trio "North Atlantic Drift" based out of Toronto. 

http://www.merriweather.ca/brian-taheny.html

Chris Quinn began his Scruggs-style bluegrass odyssey in 1979. Having performed on over 100 CDs as a sideman or featured artist, Quinn is a central figure on the bluegrass scene in Canada and abroad. Chris has become renowned for his solid timing, his sense of taste and tone, and his creative backup playing. A sought-after teacher, Chris has taught hundreds of people at camps and workshops, from Quebec to Tennessee, from BC to Asia. As younger players have come along to join the professional scene, Chris has been a mentor to many of them. Today, some of Chris’ former students have gone on to professional careers in music too. Chris Quinn https://chris-quinn.ca

John Showman & Chris Coole @ The Cameron House, Monday

Lonesome Ace Stringers John Showman and Chris Coole put on a duo show at the Cameron starting at 6pm sharp tonight.  

24th Annual Banjo Special w/ Chris Quinn & pals @ Tranzac Club, Sunday

Chris Quinn & Chris Coole join Arnie Naiman & Brian Taheny at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick) on Sunday night. Get tickets here.

Watch John Showman & Chris Coole play songs from their duets album Afield

Lonesome Ace Stringband's John Showman & Chris Coole knocked out a few tunes from their new recording at the Tranzac.

Here's the scoop...

John Showman and Chris Coole are known both on the planet and the internet as unique and skilled purveyors of a music that lurks around the fringes of old-time and bluegrass. Recently, they celebrated the release of their new album "Afield - 11 Fiddle and Banjo Duets Recorded in The Great Outdoors" with a performance at the venerable Tranzac Club in Toronto. Although they won't be outdoors for this performance, they will perform many of the tunes featured on the new album, as well as some new original songs, and some chestnuts thrown in for good measure. 

Watch their Tranzac performance right here. 

Check out a few other recent performances by John Showman & Chris Coole at Roncesvalles United Church below. For more information, or to get their new CD, go to: https://chriscoole.com/new-album-afield

Lonesome Ace String Band releasing new Lively Times album in November

John Showman, Max Malone & Chris Coole are putting out a 14-song live album recorded at Vancouver's Anza Club back in 2019. 

Here's the scoop...

"Lively Times - Live at the Anza Club – out November 26 – is a collection of 14 songs and tunes taken from a show we did in Vancouver in November 2019 for The Pacific Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Society Community Group. We had the show filmed by Approach Media, and luckily, we got Andrew Smith at Vancouver Live Sound to multi-track record the show so we had some mixing capability. 

"We weren't planning to do a live album and had sort of forgotten about the show until earlier this year. When we did get back to it, we loved what we heard and realized we'd captured a special night. We choose our favourite tracks from the two sets, John Showman mixed them, then Andrew Collins mastered the whole deal. Now, we have an album that we're really proud of, and we think you're going to like!

"The 14 tracks cover some of our favorite songs from our first 4 albums. Over the next 6 weeks we will release 6 videos of tracks from the album as they were played the night we recorded it!"

You can listen to a preview, read the liners, and pre-order the digital download here: https://lonesomeace.com/pre-order-lively-times. Check the track listing below. 

Lively Times: Live at the Anza Club 

1. The Hills of Mexico – We’ve been playing this tune since the very beginning. In fact, it’s the very first tune on our first album. There are many versions of this classic folk song, but this version owes its roots to the great KY banjo picker and singer Roscoe Holcomb. We first heard it on a recording by The Renegades which featured the wonderful singing of Carol Elizabeth Jones.

2. Laketown Blues - Richard Inman is one of Canada’s great contemporary songwriters. Everyone in the band is a big fan. Laketown Blues is just one in a vast catalogue of moving songs he’s written.  

3. Long Hot Summer Days – John Hartford’s style of stringband music, especially his “windows approach” has had a very big influence on the way we play as a band. We also love his songs, which has prompted us to record quite a few of them. Although Coole was utterly aghast to have flubbed one of the first words of this song (“towboats” should be “empties”), we thought the crazy spirit of the performance more than made up for it! Watch a performance of "Long Hot Summer Days" below.

4. The Only Other Person in the Room – Who says you can’t honky-tonk with just a banjo, fiddle, and bass? This song comes from the great Texas duo Noel Mckay and Brennen Leigh. It may not be that old, but it’s already a classic to be sure.

5. Black Lung – A moving piece from the great W.V. songwriter and singer Hazel Dickens about the trials and tribulations of life in the coal mines. This piece was originally recorded (by Hazel) as acapella, but we have taken some liberties and interpreted some chords. Watch a performance below.

6. Cluck Old Hen – This version is based on the playing of the great KY (or WV, depending on who you talk to) fiddler Ed Haley.

7. Stone Walls and Steel Bars – Originally recorded by The Stanley Brothers, this song was written by  Ray Pennington and Roy Marcum. We’ve changes the chords here a bit from the Stanley’s version to make it even more dark sounding. This is a great example of a song that paints a vivid picture with very few words! Watch a performance below. 

8. Highlander’s Farewell/Monroe’s Farewell to Long Hollow – The first tune in this medley comes from fiddler Emmet Lundy (1864-1953) from Galax, Virginia. The second tune is one that Bill Monroe wrote but never got around to recording. Thankfully, James Bryan save this amazing piece from obscurity by putting it on his album “Lookout Blues” back in the early 80s.

9. Damned Old Piney Mountain - Craig Johnson was an amazing fiddler and banjo player who performed with The Double Decker Stringband in the 80's and early 90's. He was obviously also a great songwriter as he wrote this song based on a conversation he had with an old logger he met in West Virginia. 

10. Going to German – This song comes from the repertoire of Gus Cannon who recorded widely in the 20s and 30s with his band “The Jug Stompers”. Apparently, the German in this song was referring to a prison.

11. Big Iron – It’s easy to overlook what an amazing songwriter Marty Robbins was. Even if he’d never sung a note, his catalogue of songs would still immortalize him. This is one from his classic 1959 album “Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs”.

12. Too Much Water – Speaking of great songwriters whose singing overshadowed their songwriting ability, this under-known honky-tonk classic comes from George Jones.

13. Cherry River Live/Gauley Junction – The song in this medley comes from West Virginia banjo picker and singer Jenes Cottrell. Fun fact - apart from being a powerful singer and player, Mr. Cottrell was known for making banjo rims using the aluminum torque converter rings from 1956 Buicks. The second tune in the medley was written by John and named for the beautiful confluence of The Gauley River and the New River in Fayette County, West Virginia.

14. Mississippi Dew – We wind things up with another great John Hartford song played in high-gear!

Lonesome Ace Stringer Chris Coole shares "My Name Is Lie" video

Leave it to Toronto's Chris Coole to deliver a poignant old-timey comment on our post-truth predicament with "My Name Is Lie"

Jake Xerxes Fussell vs. Lonesome Ace Stringband

Durham, NC's Jake Xerxes Fussell and Toronto's Lonesome Ace Stringband each owe a bit to Roscoe Holcomb's take of "Hills of Mexico"

Sez Jake Xerxes Fussell...

“Hills of Mexico” is one of many narrative ballads where the singer-narrator is approached by a stranger in transit with a business proposition that turns out to be not so great for singer-narrator. Many of the European ballads of this kind deal with highwaymen and their exploits, mostly in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this particular (19th century) instance the proposition entails going to Mexico to work the cattle drive. Many regional variants from this family, alternately known as “The Trail of the Buffalo,” have been sung in a variety of musical contexts and communities. My version borrows heavily from Roscoe Holcomb’s narrative, which is mysterious in that it omits the Mexico part itself almost entirely. 

Thanks to Kevin McNamee-Tweed for the artwork: “Steamboat,” 2018, Glazed ceramic, 9.25” x 7”. 

— Jake Xerxes Fussell

www.paradiseofbachelors.com/jake-xerxes-fussell 

https://lonesomeace.com

Watch the Lonesome Ace Stringband live at the Deep End Ranch

In January, Toronto's Lonesome Ace Stringband raised the roof of the Deep End Ranch in Santa Paula which you can see below. Get their music right here. 

Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg @ The Local, Sunday

Toronto's own Chris Coole and Ivan Rosenberg will be twangin' up a storm at The Local (396 Roncesvalles) from 5pm to 7pm.

Fishin' musician Chris Coole combines obsessions for The Road To The River

Lonesome Ace Stringband picker deluxe Chris Coole has recorded some tunes about fishing for a good cause.

Here's Chris Coole's statement about his new project
"I wanted to let you know about a new project that is very special to me. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a bit of a nut for fishing. It's something I've done my whole life, and there's always been a connection between music and fishing to me. Over the years, on several different albums, I've recorded music that has in one way or another been inspired by fishing and the places I fish. I've always wanted to put them all together in one place, and add some newer ones that I hadn't had the chance to record...the result is Road to the River - A Collection of 14 Tunes and Songs Inspired by the Fishing Passion.

"The album features 9 previously recorded tracks, and 5 brand new ones, and is a benefit for the Elk River Alliance (ERA). Based in Fernie BC, the ERA is a community-based water group that aims to connect people to the Elk River ensuring it is drinkable, fishable and swimmable for future generations. 100% of the profits from this album will go directly to the ERA. Fernie has become a home away from home for me when I'm on the road and there's nothing I like more than fishing in the Elk River and its tributaries. I know some of the folks who work with the ERA and I respect their dedication and inclusive approach to protecting the water in a way that serves the whole community (not just, but including, fisherpeople).

"You can read more about the project, hear the album, and hopefully order a copy (or download) off the website: www.road2theriver.com. This is the only place to get it, and once again, all the money from your order goes directly to the ERA. If you know have any friends that you think might be interested in supporting this project, please forward this email along.

"I think this collection is some of my best work. I'm joined by some amazing musicians such as Andrew Collins, Ben Winship, John Showman, Chris Quinn, Erynn Marshall, Arnie Naiman, Brian Wicklund, Max Heineman, Burke Carrol, Brian Kobayakawa, and Andrew Downing, just to name a few. I hope you'll take the time to check it out!" – Chris Coole

For more information about Chris Coole and his upcoming gigs, go to https://www.chriscoole.com. Check out "Deer River" below, of which Chris says "The Deer River (as it is locally known) flows into Belmont Lake, and is where I like to be in May when the pickerel (walleye) season begins."

Happy Birthday Jenny Whiteley

Here's Jenny and crew peforming Chris Coole's $100 from her album The Original Jenny Whiteley. 

Lonesome Ace Stringband @ Imperial Pub, Wednesday

Max Heineman, Chris Coole and John Showman launch their Wednesday night residency tonight at 8 pm. 

Fiver presents Audible Songs From Rockwood @ St. Matthew's United Church on Friday; Array Space on Saturday

Simone Schmidt performs songs inspired by the stories of women inmates at Kingston's Rockwood Asylum. 

Simone Schmidt, aka Fiver, is a Toronto-based musician working within the frame of traditional North American folk music. Her latest album Audible Songs From Rockwood is a series of eleven fictional field recordings, gathered from case files of patients at the Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane between 1854-1881.

The rigour of Schmidt’s writing process is shown through the work: Over the course of two years, Schmidt researched the asylum's primary documents – patient files, architectural diagrams, superintendents' diaries –  spinning her findings into historical fiction and, from there, into song. The voices on the record are crafty, witty, evasive, despondent, and lucid. Audible Songs From Rockwood shapes its subject matter with wit, optimism, sadness, and even joy. Using an acoustic sonic pallet and working with some local heavies in the old time folk tradition – John Showman, Max Heineman, Chris Coole, Kristine Schmidt – and highly skilled instrumentalists – cellist Cris Derksen and Blood Ceremony's Alia O’Brien  – the performances gives voice to  people living in the margins of history.

The album is accompanied by a book created by fictional ethnomusicologist, Simone Carver, written in the style of the liner notes of Smithsonian Folkways compilations.  It includes lyrics and supplemental information about the historical context of the inmates and their songs along with original artwork by Darby Milbraith, Geneva Hailey, Jennifer Castle, Jeff Bierk and Julianna Neufeld. The package carries questions about the archive as an apparatus of colonial power, definitions of sanity and criminality, and the early settler-colonial agenda foundational to those modes of thought still operating in today’s carceral system. Watch the mini-documentary shot by Colin Medley followed by Meg Remy's video for the song Mouser. Audible Songs From Rockwood is available in various formats from idée fixe records which you can get right here.

Fiver is at St. Matthew's United Church (729 St. Clair West) Friday at 7:30pm (now sold out);
also at Array Space (155 Walnut Ave) Saturday at 9:30pm, $15.

Jeff Scroggins & Colorado w/ Foggy Hogtown Boys @ Junction City Music Hall, Thursday

Foggy Hogtown Boys' CD Release Party @ Hugh's Room, tonight

Toronto's own Foggy Hogtown Boys launch their Animals, Insects and People album at Hugh's this evening. 

Pining for real country music in Toronto

An authentic sounding traditional country song was the last thing I expected to hear on a label survey put out by Toronto-based indie operation Blocks Recording Club, let alone one as neatly written and brilliantly arranged as She's Gone by The Pining. Of course, not sounding remotely like anything by Final Fantasy, PDF Format, The Blanket, Shadow Self or The Torrent is exactly what made the all-female ensemble's jarring contribution to Building Blocks Singles Club, Volume 1 so memorable. You can check it out right here and have a look at the video for She's Gone below. 

As I later discovered, the tunes She's Gone and Life Ain't Fair were just two of a number of great original songs the Pining had written since coming together two years earlier out of a shared appreciation for the Carter Family, Hazel Dickens, Patsy Cline, Freakwater and Jameson's Irish Whiskey – not necessarily in that order. Those two and three more Pining faves have since been posted on CBC's Radio 3 site (which you can visit right here) which prove that She's Gone wasn't a fluke.

I'm pleased to report that The Pining have maintained the same high standard of quality control for their fantastic Adam Bell-produced debut album for Blocks which you can pick up at their record release party with tonight (Friday, June 24) at the El Mocambo. The Pining plan to take the stage at 11:30 pm but be sure to arrive in time to catch opening sets by Coole & Downes, the engaging partnership of primo picker Chris Coole and singer/songwriter Simone Downes at 9:30 pm followed by a rare acoustic set from catl at 10:30 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door or $7 in advance if there are any left at Soundscapes or Rotate This.  
NOTE: Those who prefer their country music on vinyl should grab a copy of The Pining album on the double – there were only 300 copies pressed of the LP which was superbly mastered by Harris Newman at Grey Market.

She's Gone by The Pining



LINKS
The Pining http://www.myspace.com/thepining
Blocks Recording Club http://www.blocksblocksblocks.com/