Obviously as a new mom I will be slightly obsessed (totally obsessed?) with all things baby but I will make an effort to maintain a balanced blog and not scare away those of you who are not of the mommy-blog persuasion!

To start out I’d like to introduce you to my little boy’s first albums:

You should definitely check out their website or iTunes; from Bjork to the Ramones to Tool the selection is very entertaining!

The Lost Fingers are a fantastic trio from Quebec who are definitely fanatics of Django Reinhardt. Their album “Lost in the 80’s” is packed with the best in cheese all rearranged into their Django influenced style.  Tonight’s live performance was a balance of their 80’s reinterpretations with some acoustic and French tunes which were definitely favourites in the largely bilingual audience.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I love their 80’s tunes but I didn’t know if they would be able to pull off such energy and skill in a live performance.  Thankfully I was not disappointed.  These three are extremely talented; the speed, accuracy, and rhythm was astounding!

I had my camera and really wanted some photos… I was in the front row at centre stage so I had the perfect view but sadly no photography was permitted in the theatre.  Maybe next time they’ll play in a camera friendly environment! After their reception in the city tonight I have no doubts that they will return… of course that will have to be after their up coming European tour of France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Canary Islands… perhaps they have room for a roadie?

In actual fact they really like the ‘physicality’ of albums.  I have to agree with Ed on that.  The combination of art and the composition of songs that make up an album are definitely something I can appreciate.  I still buy music online but I’d rather get my hands on it.  I’m excited to discover where their winter in the country will take their music!

If the band is out there reading this… my offer of a home cooked meal and baked goodies when you’re in town stands.

Rolf makes a lovely cover model for the 21st issue of the magazine!

(h/t @MattL212)

From start to finish Neko’s voice rang out like a perfect chorus of bells. She hit every note with ease and with perfect control. I couldn’t help but watch with a mix of adoration and envy. She’s just amazing. Her band and backing vocalist Kelly were perfectly matched to her skill making for a memorable evening.

For pics and a great write up check out the2scoops! Thx again Jay, the Neko ticket was a fabulous b-day gift!

Can’t help but love his performance on the Jools Holland show:

I know I’ve mentioned it before but I ran into some of the band at the Radiohead concert last summer in Montreal.  I was staring up Win’s nose…. that guy is tall.

On that note here is a little Rebellion for you:

“I really have no desire to be a part of it at all.” ~ Matthew Good

Brilliant!

(h/t to AtEase)

P.S. This is an exception to my “I Hate Mash Ups” rule.

Sitting at my desk, headphones on, grinning ear-to-ear with both feet moving!  Take some classic 80’s tunes (Pump up the Jam, Straight Up, and Part Time Lover to name a few!) and imagine them revisioned as spanish/jazz guitar masterpieces!

The Lost Fingers are Alex Morrisette (backing vocals & double bass), Christian Roberge (lead vocals & guitar), and Byron Mikaloff (backing vocals & guitar).  These three talented musicians are based in Quebec and have been touring all over la belle province.  I hope you’ll check them out if they’re in your area and I hope they come to Ottawa/Gatineau soon!

The band has been nominated for the 2009 Juno Awards Album of the Year and the Fan Choice Award!   Be sure to vote for them and pick up their album from their website or from iTunes!

I’ve been out of town for every other show these guys have had in the past year so I was excited to finally see them live. Their set was a great combination of old and new and it’s obvious that they love to perform.  It’s great to see a musician find their happy place!  There was no shortage of talent on stage; musically and vocally they are very sound as well as relaxed and fun to watch.  I’m looking forward to their next show!  Matt you promised to keep me in the loop, I hope we don’t have to wait too long for another performance!

You can check out their music on Bandcamp:

As an aside… what is with the smallish music venues and their obsession with red stage lighting??

The Olympic Symphonium of Frederickton, New Brunswick started off the evening and they were a pleasant surprise.  I have never listened to them before and they were melodic and soothing.  Definitely some similarities to Great Lake Swimmers.  With the exception of the drummer their was an active game of musical chairs going on.  The upright bass, electric, and acoustic guitars as well as the lead singer duties were shared between band members.  Two of the whom joined Mike Feuerstack on stage to complete Snailhouse.

Mike Feuerstack is Snailhouse.  He has played with a large number of musicians over the years and it certainly seems to work for him.  He played a great set at the Black Sheep with a handful of older tunes and quite a few off his latest album “Lies on the Prize” (on iTunes & Zunior!).

I managed to get a couple of photos & videos of the night.

The Olympic Symponium:

Snailhouse opened with a quiet and haunting song called Mahogany:

One of my favourites off of “Lies on the Prize” is Tone Deaf Birds:

Check out the lovely Hagstrom guitar:

And the Snailhouse drummer…

Timber Timbre – 1/13/09 – The self titled album was released earlier this week.  I’m catching the show in February and will definitely pick up a copy then!

Charles Spearin – 2/14/09 – The perfect release for Valentine’s Day… The Happiness Project is the latest creative endevour of Charles Spearing (founding member of Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think).  You have to read about it to fully grasp the unique qualities of this album wherein Spearin attempts to “blur the line between speaking and singing”.

Neko Case - 3/3/09 – Neko added a great track from her upcoming album Middle Cyclone.  The track is called “People Got A Lotta Nerve” which she has graciously made available for download!  For every blog that posts the song they will donate $5 to the Best Friends Foundation.  She is just too awesome!

Bell Orchestre – 3/10/09 - Their second album As Seen Through Windows will be released on Arts & Crafts Records.  I’ve been hoping for a new CD since their first album came out in 2005!  Their recordings are both inspired and inspiring and their live show is breathtaking!

Great Lake Swimmers - 3/31/09 – The dust of their last album tour hadn’t settled before they were hard at work on Lost Channels!  They spent some time along the St. Lawrence River recording the new album and I can’t wait to hear the new material!  We can expect to see them live in Canada this March!

Ohbijou – 4/??/09 – After a busy tour with The Acorn, Ohbijou has been working hard on their latest offering Beacons.  We’ll be able to hear it in early April and don’t be surprised to see them performing at a venue near you!

Amy Millan – ??/??/09 – I don’t know how she finds the time but in between shows with Stars, Amy Millan has found time to work on her second solo album!  I haven’t got any official dates yet but I am hoping it will be released very soon!

I’m sure we will see many other great albums this year and hopefully live shows as well!  See you there!

The music of Timber Timbre is haunted and to be honest it feels as though front man Taylor Kirk has travelled back in time and found the soul of his music somewhere in the past.  Close your eyes and you are transported to the forest before the cities started to encroach on the wild.  Keep your eyes shut and you will see a man and a guitar singing in front of a raging bonfire.  There is a warmth to his sound that draws you in and captures your attention.

He’s heading out on tour to support the release of his self titled album which is to be released tomorrow January 13th, 2009.  You should definitely see Timber Timbre live.  I was caught without my camera last time but I’ll be sure to snap some shots next time!

Upcoming shows:

Thurs, Jan. 15th – Toronto, ON @ Soundscapes in-store

Fri, Jan. 16th – Guelph, ON @ Albion Hotel – Out of the Park Records Anniversary Party

Wednesday, Jan. 28th – Peterborough, ON @ Gordon Best with Bruce Peninsula & Jill Staveley

Friday, Feb. 6th – Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox (location not confirmed) with Bruce Peninsula

Saturday, Feb. 7th – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore with Bruce Peninsula

For more shows check here!

The Soft Disaster are Tim Brownlee, Jeff DeButte, Bryce Colenbrander, & Nicolas Paradis.  Check out their album Outposts on Bandcamp.

The lighting on stage was a bit too dark to get any great shots but here are a few of my photos from the show:

Ear Worms contains 12 songs no more than 30 seconds each and Little Elms is a quick EP.  Yer My Byatch is definitely my favourite new tune.

What are you waiting for?? Download it NOW!

(h/t to the2scoops!)

She needs a name, feel free to make suggestions!

Bandcamp.mu is a cool new site for bands to upload and distribute their tunes in high quality formats, including MP3, FLAC, and Apple Lossless!

Bands have the option to set a price, make downloads free or even use the Pay-What-You-Want method (thank you Radiohead!).   Payments are made through the already secure and well known PayPal.  The interface is simple and easy for music fans to use which always results in more sales.   Once fans start listening to the streaming music and downloading songs or albums the bands will have access to some great stats.  Music on Bandcamp is also easy to find… I Googled a song and their Bandcamp page was the very first link!

For music geeks far and wide Bandcamp is the perfect new method to share the bands we love with everyone else!!  I can easily share a track or album through Facebook, e-mail, MySpace, Twitter, LiveJournal, TypePad, Blogger, and even the lovely WordPress:

Ahhh… happiness is music sharing…