NEW ALBUM : Peter Elkas - Repeat Offender

The incredibly dreamy Toronto crooner/rocker Peter Elkas is set to release his third solo album on February 22 named Repeat Offender (New Scotland Records). If you head over to Exclaim!, they've got the lead single "Cool Thing to Do" for free download.

The album cover above alludes to Elkas' day job as a dog walker-- seriously, can this story get any better? Watch an R3TV episode featuring Peter and his dogs below.

Repeat Offender track list:

1. "Anticipation"
2. "Cruel Thing to Do"
3. "Blue Of You"
4. "Tiny Valentine"
5. "Misery"
6. "Melody"
7. "Repeat Offender"
8. "Hummingbirds"
9. "Atlas"
10. "Cool Thing to Do"

Lucky Torontonians

From Facebook:

Two singer-songwriters in an intimate presentation of their stuff.

Ana Egge is a wonderful Canadian-born artist living in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently touring her latest album, 'The Road To My Love'.

Peter Elkas will be performing material from his upcoming album (currently being recorded) in addition to classic Elkas fare.

They will be playing the Rivoli in Toronto on November 14th. 
For more event info, check it out here!

Tune of the Day: Peter Elkas - Sweet Nancy

This is an oldie but a goodie... Peter Elkas and his sweet, sweet soul. A short description by New Scotland Records:

For fans of The Boss, Tom Petty and Sam Cooke. Peter used to play in The Local Rabbits while delivering ice cream for Nestle in Montreal.

Also, watch the video below and see why he was given the CBC Radio 3 Bucky award for Sexiest Musician. He has a smile that could make mermaids swoon... and he writes songs accordingly. His music is earnest and warm, and incredibly charming. I'm looking forward to digging more into his discography.

Peter Elkas - Sweet Nancy
Album: Wall of Fire

Sweet Nancy we gotta stop dancing
This song is getting much too long
And all our friends can’t be wrong
Sweet Nancy we gotta stop dancing
All these people cutting in
They’re deepening the rut we’re in

I know you don’t believe me
But I think it’s time you leave me now

Sweet Nancy we gotta stop dancing
Don’t tell me you don’t know it’s true
I found a love with someone new

Sweet Nancy we gotta stop dancing
Though I could never be your man
There’s someone out there who can

And I know you don’t believe me
But I think it’s time you leave me now

And I’m tired of being sorry but I’ll always be
Sorry for the times I should’ve set you free
And when you go away you know I won’t write
But I hope you find someone who wants to hold you every night
I hope you find someone who wants to hold you every night

And in another video with CBC Radio 3, where Elkas reveals his day-time occupation...

Since Twitter is down

Twitter-like music updates:

Not the greatest shots from @samrobertsband, @mothermother & @arkellsmusic concert @ Deer Lake, but heck of a concert :) http://bit.ly/k0wMO

Check out my phone interview with @GrantLCBCR3 on @CBCRadio3 about the above concert

Just got 25 free songs off eMusic (just cancel plan after trial). Including Peter Elkas' Poor Young Things. Not all of us have record player.

Vancouverites: anyone else going to Basia Bulat and/or Final Fantasy shows in September? Almost back to back (to school special).

Don't forget to sign up for @CBCRadio3's email newsletters! Free mp3 from @saidthewhale this week.

Check out the latest Green Brief about the situation in Iran. Greatest shame about #twitterfail is the lack of communication.

Just pre-ordered @danmanganmusic's Nice, Nice, Very Nice and you should too if you like talented husky-voiced singer-songwriters!

RT wowow @Sojourners A Meditation on Christian Extremism: Blackwater and the Bonhoeffer 4 http://bit.ly/FDYTq #FF #Follow Friday

Photos: Joel Plaskett Emergency at Surrey Fusion Fest

Saturday, July 18th. It's 8:00 pm. You've just missed Said The Whale's 7:00 pm set, racing from the Vancouver Folk Festival from one side of Metro Vancouver, to Surrey, in the 'burbs.

But you know, even after you've had a rough day-- your friend's car's been towed, you're severely sunburnt, hungry and exhausted,

You end up at this concert, see Mr. Plaskett and his amazing band the Emergency play (for free nontheless),

And you know...


Everything will Work Out Fine.

More photos from the Joel Plaskett Emergency concert on my Flickr.


And here's the set list from that amazing show.
(minus Come On Teacher, as the emcee jumped the gun in returning to the stage. Boo.)

(Maybe I should start calling my blog earbuds and set lists or something.)

Condensed, sleep-deprived weekend review

Yays:
- Got to catch the following artists at VFMF: Weakerthans, Iron & Wine, Arrested Development, The Breakmen, Basia Bulat, Dan Mangan, Rock Central Plaza, and Great Lake Swimmers among others
- Caught Joel Plaskett Emergency (+ Peter Elkas) for free
- Chatted with Basia, offered pie to Dan, and Tony Dekker drew me a guitar
- Grabbed set lists from JPE and GLS shows
- Had my interview questions for Basia used although I couldn't make it personally due to a close friend's bridal shower
- Dancing and praising God in a flowy skirt during Arrested Development's twilight (and night time) performance. (Now how to distill that magnetic, spiritual energy into Sunday mornings?)
- The Lantern Committee's light show at night time during AD's set, and then lining the pathways to lead the crowd out of the park
- "Banjo Wars 2009" between Rock Central Plaza, The Breakmen and Great Lake Swimmers during their session. Lying down right up front feeling like I could float, I could fly, like branches and boats and birds in the sky. (Joel Plaskett)
- Basia Bulat's stomping heels, rich voice and warm attitude
- Hanging out with Alex(OfAnders), Justin, Mel and Lauren. Singing along with Dan Mangan to Robots with Alex and a thousand other people at the main stage.
- Great Lake Swimmers were plucked from the ear of God themselves. Tony Dekker has a voice that not only makes memories, yet takes previous ones and puts a sepia tone to them. Dreamy yet grounded, and singularly spectacular. Read these words:

I'm still a note that's unplayed, ink on a page, I'm still, I'm still
I'm still a cry in the night, lonesome and high, I'm still, I'm still

I'm still tuned to an instrument of greater and unknown design
I'm still looking for direction, some kind of sign

I'm still tuning myself to the great key, I'm still, I'm still
(Great Lake Swimmers, "Still")

After that, it's hard to go over the ughs. I'm extremely sleep deprived and have skipped most normal meals for the past three days, but that's not because of the set up of the festival but how entranced I was with the music. And how long it took to upload pictures and videos onto my computer.
I'll upload some pictures onto Flickr and write a proper write-up on NxEW when I get home. There are a lot of photos, and a couple of videos... depending how the bass turned out in them, I might upload them onto Youtube as well. Don't forget to check back :)

Musical updates!

Firstly, "Everything sounds better autotuned"



Indeed we are on very thin ice, since it's...

Summer! Bright lights, warm breezes, long days. That means a couple of things...

Festival season -- In Vancouver, we have the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. It's happening July 17-19 at Jericho Beach. After a long string of years of being really boring and mundane with the performers' lineup, this year we're seeing a change after a change in I believe the musical director. A short sample of artists I'm excited about:
Basia Bulat, The Weakerthans, Dan Mangan, Great Lake Swimmers, Rock Plaza Central, Steven Page (of ex-BNL fame), Iron & Wine, The Proclaimers...
Early bird tickets are available until June 12th.

In Edmonton, their folk fest has an incredibly enviably awesome lineup. If anyone reading this from the Metro Vancouver region is interested in going, holler at your girl!
Short list: Jill Barber, Neko Case, Joel Plaskett, Kathleen Edwards, Danny Michel..., also many of the artists from the VanFolkFest. Complete list here. Tickets go on sale June 1st.

And in Calgary, it's just nuts. Sled Island Festival is selling out before the schedule is even announced. Now that's good reputation.

In other news,

the wonderful Arkells got banned FOR LIFE (4 lyfe?!) from a club from their hometown Hamilton for trying to get in through the back door. Related news, club in Hamilton has bad business sense.

also, they would like you to know that "Unlike Billy Bob, we were very polite when we went on CBC radio program Q with Jian Ghomeshi."



"I've yet to witness much forgiveness in this business" -- indeed.

Joel Plaskett and Peter Elkas make beautiful music together. Sigh. Dreamy. The single is called "Poor Young Things." To be fair, I haven't heard it yet and cannot yet vouch for its degree of dreaminess.

Speaking of Joel Plaskett, three reviews of his Three tour on NxEW. Mine, Amanda Putz's, and Rockstar Aimz's. Overwhelmingly positive.

Hey Ocean! wants you to design a T-shirt for them!

Shad, Brasstronaut and Twin Castles play benefit show for funding community arts programs in East Vancouver. $1 parking lot BBQ!