Porkbelly Futures has received a lovely review in the July issue of UNCUT Magazine, a popular U.K. monthly based in London. The review is for our debut CD, Way Past Midnight (now available in Europe on the Wildflower Records label) and says:
"Blues songs about Ernest Hemingway and Booker winner Michael Ondaatje? Given that the delta pioneers were mostly illiterate, this latest contribution to the current blues revival is an improbably highbrow affair that reflects the status of main songwriter Paul Quarrington as one of Canada's leading novelists. Quarrington possesses a fine voice that sounds uncannily like James Taylor (remember his 12-bar homage "Steamroller" on Sweet Baby James?) and the band–complete with bassist moonlighting from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra–can choogle and boogie with the best." Nigel Williamson, Uncut Magazine

Porkbelly made its debut at Orillia's legendary MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL over the weekend, playing to overflow crowds in the "Mariposa Pub", really a spacious awning on an huge expanse of lush grass. Saturday was very special, a gorgeous summer evening with pleasure boats rocking on their moorings just offshore. We had mischievously decided to tamper with the mellow, mellow mood of the festival, and luckily, the crowd was ready. Not to put too fine a point on it, we rocked the place out.
The next afternoon saw us paired with A & R for a "Blues and Reggae" workshop, and if anything, the crowd was even bigger. A & R's trio instrumentation includes box drum and steel pan, so we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Amazingly, it worked a charm, with Chas and Marty spontaneously laying down a solid foundation to the reggae tunes, and our own stuff receiving a fresh new sound from A & R.
Everything just felt so comfortable, and some of the grooves (helped by Rebecca's cowbell) simply wouldn't quit. Stuart got a roar from the crowd for attempting, in a single song, to solo on four different instruments. (He only dropped one, but he almost dropped them all.) Fronting Porkbelly, of course, was P.Q., in great voice and with his guitar amp set to maximum raunch. Wouldn't it be great if life were like this all the time?
Now we look forward to our OTTAWA BLUES FESTIVALshow Saturday afternoon. Thank you, Mariposa!!

It seems we have some friends in PORK COLBORNE, Ontario...

Our debut CD Way Past Midnight (now available in Europe, as well as on iTunes) has received a lovely review from the UK's biggest selling music magazine, Q4Music.
The part we like best says: "Pork Belly Futures play what they call "red eyed soul" and everyone else calls "12 bar blues". Their music is muscular and rollicking, but what really makes them a little special is the bar room wit, such as Hemingway ("Hemingway always gets it right, With a simple syntax and a prose that's right") – a trucker style anthem for the thinking drinker."

Rebecca Campbell and Porkbelly Futures are among the artists who will appear in A NIGHT FOR WILLIE P. BENNETT. The concert will take place at Hugh's Room on March 15, the night he had been scheduled to perform there. Rebecca was a colleague and close friend of Willie P. Bennett, and has chosen to sing her favourite song of his, The Lucky Ones. Also appearing will be Joe Hall, who Marty, Paul and Tony Quarrington toured and recorded with for years. Tony, who guested on our first album, produced Willie's Heartstrings album in 1998, and was a member of Willie's touring band in support of THE LUCKY ONES.

Porkbelly Futures has concluded a deal with CORDOVA BAY for the April release of our new album. Concentrating on a limited number of artists, the label's four releases last year all received JUNO nominations (and State of Shock's "Money Honey" went platinum with over 50,000 paid digital downloads). In addition, Cordova Bay Publishing will be actively promoting the entire Porkbelly Futures song catalogue. We are all excited with this new partnership.

CBC announces: "Long live the King! Paul Quarrington's King Leary, a novel about hockey, winter and a charming octogenarian rascal, has won Canada Reads 2008." Read more HERE: and see Judith Keenan's video HERE:

Best Folk/Roots Concert of the Year :
"Porkbelly Futures played The London Music Club to an appreciative audience and were as bloody great as you'd expect a band good enough to have somebody from the Canadian Brass playing guitars and harmonica, the double bassist from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra bowing away and a Governor General's Award winning novelist supplying most of the lyrics. And they had London's Teddy Leonard guesting on guitar. When Porkbelly Futures come back, don't you dare miss them."
James Reaney

Quarrington here, with late-breaking news flashes.

Porkbelly Futures played a lovely event the other night, a Christmas Party hosted by my friend Judith Keenan, who makes BookShorts, which are short films inspired by books. You could check out the website at www.bookshorts.com to see what I'm talking about. (Martin Worthy, our fabulous singer/songwriting drummer has done the music for some of these.) Anyway, the party was co-hosted by Irene Duma (who has made several BookShorts) and Sue Kenney (who had a BookShort made from her book, "Confessions of a Pilgrim".) We're going to be producing a BookShort for my upcoming novel "The Ravine." The Gents performed also, a very accomplished comedy troupe, featuring the talents of Bruce Pirrie (another BookShorts veteran), Matt Baram, Bob Bainborough and Doug Morency. And Marty Adams, a mainstay at Toronto's Second City, played Santa Claus. There was high hilarity.

Also, Quarrington (me) is very jazzed about the upcoming round of Canada Reads, because his (my) friend Dave Bidini is going to champion the hockey novel "King Leary." It's been almost impossible to get hold of this book, which is one of his (my) faves. But it's out in a lovely new edition from Anchor Press. Anyway, read all about it at CBC.ca.

He doesn't sing or jump around on stage, but nobody can miss Chas
Elliott. We like to refer to this gentle giant as the world's tallest
free-standing bass player. Porkbelly players (and knowledgeable
audience members) keep track of his expression during concerts,
looking for the smile that bursts forth when the music feels
especially good. Chas has performed and recorded chamber music with
the great Glenn Gould - which few can claim! - and added his "low-
frequency bass generator" sounds to some famous film scores that we
all hum along to. He towers over his section mates at the Toronto
Symphony, but The iPod That Never Leaves Him (TiPTNLH) is filled with
deep, powerful, soulful, funky music. An interesting guy...