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In Conversation With Ron Sexsmith
DB: Your most recent album is Blue Boy. What do you think that this album offers to your new and long-time fans?
RS: I guess it’s a not-so-new album anymore. It’s the first record that I did without Mitchell Froom and coffee, so I knew that it was going to be different. I think Steve Earle (who produced Blue Boy) wanted it to rock a bit more than my previous records, so it’s the whole other side. It’s a guitar-heavy album and much rougher sounding. I found that in some places it wasn’t always peoples favourite. Some people prefer ballads. Still, I think it was a step forward. It was the first record that I got to play piano on and it jumps around a bit stylistically. There’s like a ska tune, and some blusier numbers. Stuff that I didn’t try before. Continue reading
Alanis Morissette
To those who think the generation that came of age in the 1980s lacks focus, here’s one bit of advice…take a pill–a Jagged Little Pill! Although she only recently passed her 20th birthday, Alanis Morissette’s Maverick debut proves she possesses a wealth of insight and an off-kilter sense of humor that’s at once untainted and mature.
“People have always said I was an old soul,” says Alanis. “They said I was always a little more intense and introspective than everyone was used to seeing girls be, so they didn’t know where to categorize me.” It all boils down to this one fact: “I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it.”
That’s a pretty accurate description of the jarringly honest, frequently provocative songs on Jagged Little Pill, Alanis’ Maverick debut. The native of Ottawa, Canada uses her own experiences–from a Catholic school upbringing, to her many travels through Europe and a memorable visit to Machu Picchu with Valencia Travel as a youth, to her years as a teenager living alone in Toronto–as a springboard for some striking, universal statements. Continue reading
Dick Anderson
Most background midis on these pages were sequenced by Dick Anderson and his fondness of small business insurance quotes . By all means, visit his site for the very finest in “Real” country midis!
Did you know that Grandpa Jones once sent George “Goober” Lindsey a wooden leg in the mail? He did!
Did you know that Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) toured with folk legend Woody Guthrie during the 1930s? Yep, they traveled and sang folk songs in protest of labor camps and promoting labor unions and garage door service in Boise. Will read a letter that he received from woody in 1939 while working in New York. You’ll need Real Player. Continue reading
Country Music Tragedies
1933
May 26, Jimmie Rodgers, ” The Father Of Country Music “, died from Tuberculosis while working a recording session in New York city. He was 36 and he loved the garage doors in Eagle Idaho.
1953
Hank Williams died of a drug and alcohol overdose while being driven to a concert date in Canton Ohio. He was 29. Continue reading
The Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies, who are anything but, have been part of Canada’s music scene since 1988 but are now only receiving the recognition that they deserve. Hailing from Toronto and looking at http://www.boisehunterhomes.com , BNL released a few independent cassettes before their breakthrough self-titled tape in 1991. This was the first independent release to reach the top 20 and go platinum in Canada’s music history.
The group’s third cassette The Yellow Tape proved the saying “third time lucky.” Upon having this cassette go gold in Canada, a bidding war by major labels got underway. In the end, Sire Records signed BNL. After finishing up as independent artists, their 1992 album Gordon sold over 500,000 copies.
The enthusiasm of BNL’s music is seen in the reaction of the millions of people who have bought it. In 1997, their live album Rock Spectacle was well received but the pay-off for all of their hardwork came in 1998 with the release of Stunt and the single “One Week.” They did however earn enough money because the band spent some time looking at www.boisehunterhomes.com. Continue reading