The long dark damnedness is done. Happy Spring! It was a good winter, really, though I notice that I haven't posted anything new here since September. Sign of seasonal indifference, for sure.
Well, here's what's new:
Jordy Walker and I have started a duo called Father Daughter.It's old-time and electro-acoustic experimentation, and we're taking it to the Sound Symposium in St. John's, Newfoundland this summer. I'm very chuffed about that. I've been fascinated by that festival since I was a teenager and heard about them shoving a grand piano (presumably a nearly-defunct one) off a cliff at Signal Hill as a performance piece. On Brave New Waves, probably. I've posted our version of "Single Girl" here. It's an old Carter Family tune, which I also play with my other new band, Annie Lou.
Annie Lou is an all-girl old-time band consisting of Anne Louise Genest on lead vocals and guitar, me on clawhammer banjo, Lindy Jones from Haines, Alaska on stand-up bass, and Keitha Clark on fiddle. I love this band! We sing lots of harmonies and play all the greatest old dark obscure tunes we can find, plus a pile of Anne Louise's originals, which are also great, old-fashioned and dark. With the Father Daughter and these gals, I now have two wildly different occasions to hone my banjo-chops. Annie Lou plans to make a record in the fall and hit the touring circuit shortly thereafter. Keep an eye at
www.myspace.com/annielouyukonAlso in the fall, I will be touring with a large unruly mob of great musicians, the PanCanadian New Folk Ensemble, consisting of myself, Jordy Walker, Christine Fellows, Old Man Luedecke, a cellist, and Jesse Zubot on violin. We'll play two sets round-robin style, backing each other up on our songs. A string section, harmonies, two banjos, guitars, piano, percussion, and some surprises—you can't go wrong! I'll have tour dates posted soon.