And Now We Sing for Canada

I would have fought tooth and nail to get the brilliant record, And Now We Sing by London’s Olenka and the Autumn Lovers on this year’s Polaris Prize shortlist. A fist shake to you misinformed Polaris jurors. Mark my words, this talented group will be on that list in due time. Thankfully though, Canadians won’t have to wait to at least see them in concert. This summer, fans will get to experience exactly what makes this band so special as the band have announced a trek across the Westerly half of this nation.

The extensive outing will last for the month of August with a handful of dates in late July and early September. Great news too... A house show at Casa Del Zombie in Calgary has again been scheduled for the middle of August. The tour will wrap up on September 3rd at the beautiful Aeolian Hall in London.

See the full tour schedule below.

Tour dates:

7/29 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall (Out of the Box Festival)
7/30 Peterborough, ON - The Attic
8/1 Sudbury, ON - The Townehouse
8/5 Winnipeg, MB - The Lo Pub
8/6 Bruno, SK - The Bruno Arts Bank
8/8 Calgary, AB - Weeds
8/9 Penticton, BC - Voodoos
8/11 Vancouver, BC - Red Cat Records (early show)
8/11 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore (late show)
8/13 Kamloops, BC - The Art We Are
8/14 Calgary, AB - haus show
8/15 Edmonton, AB - Wunderbar
8/16 Lethbridge, AB - Tongue and Groove
8/17 Regina, SK - The Creative City Centre
8/18 Saskatoon, SK - Jale
8/19 Yorkton, SK - Fifth Avenue Cup and Saucer
8/20-21 Kelwood, MB - Harvest Sun Music Festival
8/22 Winnipeg, MB - Mondragon
8/24 Thunder Bay, ON - The Apollo
8/25 Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Loplops
8/26 Sarnia, ON - The Urban Nature Centre
9/3 London, ON - The Aeolian Hall

Lastly if by chance you missed this free download nugget I suggest you grab it. Even in this hot July weather Olenka’s voice will give you the chills.

OLENKA AND THE AUTUMN LOVERS - No Coins from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.http://www.olenkalovers.com/home.html

Charlotte (Some Times)

Last year, French actress/chanteuse/rock n’ roll girlfriend #68- Charlotte Gainsbourg released IRM; a stunning record co-written and produced by Beck Hansen. An inspired and fruitful pairing this record remains high atop the list of my most played discs this year. The announcement yesterday that she will be hitting the roads of North America for the first time ever is an exciting one. If you’re lucky enough to see her you’re in for a very special evening.

The outing will include a stop at Coachella, as well as four Canadian dates: Vancouver and Victoria, plus a two-night stand in Montreal. Pretty safe to assume she can expect some reverential treatment for the Quebec gigs.

Tour dates:

4/11 Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
4/12 Victoria, BC - Alix Goolden Hall
4/14 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
4/15 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
4/17 San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts
4/18 Indio, CA - Coachella
4/21 Chicago, IL - Park West
4/23 Montreal, PQ - Olympia
4/24 Montreal, PQ - Olympia
4/25 New York, NY - Webster Hall
7/16 La Rochelle, France - Le Festival Francofolies


Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.

Neko Case Live from Walt Disney Concert Hall

In my ongoing attempt to fill your collective Ipod… Hot on the heels of that killer Basia Bulat/DevotchKa set last week, NPR is streaming Neko Case's stellar performance at LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall. As many of you know, Neko truly shines in a live setting and this show is no exception. The full concert was recorded live on Nov. 16, 2007, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

The Setlist:

Hold On, Hold On (excerpt)
Hex (excerpt from Live from Austin, TX)
Things That Scare Me
That Teenage Feeling
Deep Red Bells
Margaret vs. Pauline
The Tigers Have Spoken
Dirty Knife
Star Witness
Favorite
Lady Pilot
Sparrows
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Hold On, Hold On
Tightly
John Saw That Number

Download the whole thing here in MP3 format

Stream the show from here