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Scotty Campbell and His Wardenaires



Last Updated: 12/17/2009

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Status: Single
City: Hamilton/Toronto
State: Ontario
Country: CA
Signup Date: 6/20/2006

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Saturday, November 15, 2008 
You can finally get our new record without comin' to us!

check it out on CD Baby....I know some of you Overseas cats have been trying to grab it...The website link is in the "Band Website"  area of this page...or just grab it here:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/scottycampbell

11:47 PM 
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 
The Long awaited 4th album from Canada's King of Honkytonk, "Scotty Campbell  and his Wardenaires".
Originally slated to be a covers album, rescued from the brink after being locked into a studio bankruptcy..."Smokin' and drinkin"  has emerged from the depths as an authentic, and truly stellar country record, with originals sitting nicely alngside a roster dominated by rare country nuggets.
Produced by Toronto's Sean Ashby, (of Sarah Maclachlan fame)...On a shoestring budget, Banged almost completely off the floor of Hamilton Ontario's Catherine North Studios, This is Scotty's most sincere offering to date.
Very much a "Band" record, what you'll hear is the same thing you've seen in a zillion little haunts and festivals across Canada.
With the Title track featured on the soundtrack of the soon to be released, American future cult/horror classic "Trailer park of terror" and finally with the involvement of a name producer...we're certain that an album this good will get even less airplay than the previous three! Yes, Country radio will avoid it like a nasty cyst..But you can get yours now!


contact : Sunrise records /Yonge and Dundas in Toronto
Online distribution will be posted shortly.

scottycampbell3@msn.com
hawkinsted@hotmail.com

12:30 AM 
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 

-"Scotty Campbell is Canada's greatest unsigned Country singer/songwriter, and "Smokin' and drinkin" is an authentic document of what he and his well drilled band "the Wardenaires" do each and every night.

(Tim Perlich-Now Magazine)

 

"Scotty Campbell, the fearlessly outspoken Hamiltonian is single-handedly flying the flag for Authentic Country music in Canada"

(Ben Rayner- Toronto Star)

 

"Scotty Campbell feels like the town Oddball, who year after year, stands on a soapbox, and in the face of indifference…rages at the world. And then one day he's alarmed to find , people are listening."

He has spent years denouncing the state of country music as if it were a personal affront, while making music that  mines the rich veins previously tapped by Buck owens, Hank Thompson and Webb Pierce".

(Paul Cantin-No Depression)

 

 

"Country crooner Scotty Campbell cant wait to fiddle while New Country burns"

(Josh Ostroff-Ottawa Sun)

 

"Scotty Campbell is the real deal, an up-beat emotional ride, filtered through a few beer soaked, smoky bars, stories told by a guy who remembers when it was cool to wear your heart on your sleeve."

(Alex Erasmi-View Magazine)

 

"Campbell's washed in the whiskey Heartbreakers, and Barnstormers fly in the made-over faces, of those distant cousins passing themselves off as Grand Ole opry heirs. That combined with the unbridled  out-spokeness That would shame a punk rocker, has'nt exactly endeared him to the line dance and hat act set. But he has found an audience among rock fans by giving them the real deal".

(Kieran grant-Toronto sun)

12:24 AM 
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Saturday, March 08, 2008 
I Listen to the CBC alot, and NPR when I'm able...So I get to hear Politicians speak, Now this is vastly different than reading what they say in the Papers...it's got a different Rhythm to it. American Politicians all sound pretty similar, other than the partisan and Geographical differences...cause they all stick so close to the Party line, Perhaps that's why Obama is shaking so many trees...he sounds different, Hopeful, Noble, and Positive.
Canada, ..well we get the B team as far as communication goes...they pretty much all sound exactly alike, and say as little as possible. We've become incarnate in a time of what I call "Reactionary Politics" ...dont actually come up with anything of your own...No fresh ideas, or opinions...remember when people Like Trudeau had OPINIONS? Now....if you have an opinion at all...you're "too Opinionated"! God forbid. Nope...what we have now, is a bunch of aimless talking heads...who sit and wait for a member of the Oppostion to stumble...and then Pounce! DEMAND AN APOLOGY! CALL A PUBLIC INQUIRY! HE SHOULD RESIGN! ...Usually this is because the offender went out on a limb, and either had an opinion...or he actually fucked up...by actually doing something.
Today in Canada...Politicians are pretty much like A&R guys at major labels (are there any left?) ...the old Joke goes...a bunch of label guys go see a band, and they love em'...A&R guy grabs a disc on the way out, next day at the office, Promo guy approaches the A&R guy and says "did you listen to their disc?" Guy says "yeah!" ....Promo guy says "what do you think of it?" A&R guy says "I dont know...I'm the only one that's heard it."
And therein lies the rub. Everyone is so scared to actually have an opinion now, they've developed this marvelously benign Politico-speak in order to say as little as possible...and yet suggest what they might say if they ever felt that they could in fact say...which they cant...it's like...Have ya Noticed Politicians in both our countries dont point, or talk with their hands anymore? they make like a girly-fist their thumbs folded across the top of the index finger..and gesture and point with it! John Kerry had it down to an art...But  NOBODY talks that way! I guarantee you...some focus group somewhere decided that that was the least decisive gesture, the least offensive...again, Barak talks with his hands..I love that he never got the e-mail about that...But back to the language, Here are some of my pet Peeves from the Modern Canadian Political Language lexicon.

"Going forward" Formerly known as "From here on in" or "from now on" or "We seriously fucked up by doing absolutely nothing in the past...but now that we got caught doing nothing..it'll all be different....going forward!"
How did this Phrase sneak into there? it just turned up one day..and now it's Everywhere!

"Resources" ...Jeeze...this is a beauty, Nobody wants to get caught asking for Money, but resources? not a problem! and of course the people being asked...well, they dont wanna commit to actually giving you any money..But if ya say "resources" ...well, that could be anything! .." I never said I'd throw money at the Homeless...I said "resources" ....I was going to get them IT jobs in the private sector" or give them self-esteem lectures. Bring your own Syringe.

"At risk" ...This basically means Poor. Unless you're referring to children, then of course it means "armed".

"Child Poverty" An Absolutely Canadian Phenomenon..this of course springs forth from the all too prevalent mid-set that if you want ANY law passed, or ANY point agreed to...Put the world "Child" in front of it.....wanna chip away at my most basic civil liberties? say it's in the best interest of the children.. Let's be honest..isn't child Poverty just "poverty"? Poor people have kids too right? Dont get me wrong...Kids are great, But how...in one generation, they went from being "seen and not heard" to being our "Most precious resource" is beyond me...I swear I wanna have kids , Just so I can drive down the road smoking with them in the car....No seatbelts...and rolling up cigarettes using pieces of the Canadian Long gun registry..after all the right to bare arms Dammit!  after which I suppose the Cops can Pull me over and Taser me to death....we gotta protect our kids right?
*Trivia* I just love to listen to OPP chief Julian Fantino talk...Possibly the crookedest , not to mention dumbest Cop in the Province's history...and they give him the Big chair.
In defense of Tasers ...and if you think there's no upside to Electrocuting unarmed Eastern Europeans.....think again! he stated that it was a better option than other options (see 9mm Glock) that could possibly result in the suspect's "Total demise" ...this of course as opposed to the all too common "partial death" we've all heard so much about.

"Working families" ...I love Jack Layton, he's got more integrity in his little finger than Most of his counterparts...But he gave birth to this baby, and he ain't letting it go. They all use it, but it seems pretty much the Intellectual property of the NDP...it sounds great in theory, but again , it's one of these terms given birth at some focus group looking to reap utmost Positive reaction, while offending virtually nobody...except maybe me.
What the hell is a "working family"? I thought child labour was outlawed years ago? if you have no kids...doo you not exist? does your vote not count? can I have my taxes back? (I dont want em' back...but still) it's a ridiculous term ..if only because the people using it, dont mean it..and they never did. I'm trying to picture My brother sending my 9 year old Niece Dana out to work in the Coke ovens at Dofasco....are they a working family if he dont?

Fidel Castro is retiring, and here's what I'll miss about him...he spoke, he said what he meant, and he NEVER had a speech writer on his staff, never weighed each word to for utmost positive, and least negative reaction...he didn't check to see if his fingers might be deemed too "Pointed" ...he just spoke. If there's a Heaven ....scratch that...If there's a place where Politicians go when they die...Eisenhower, Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, JFK, Churchill....they must be up there watching today's Politicians...especially In Canada (assuming they'd care) going "what'd he say?" to which Churchill would reply "I dunno Ike...but what's wrong with his Thumbs?"
1:32 PM 
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Monday, February 11, 2008 
So...I Used to Know this Cat named Steven Goldmann, he was pretty much the King of Country Music Videos...did Shania Twain, Faith Hill,  And even some good  stuff too,  rumour has it..He did some Nirvana videos, once upon a time. But seriously, a Very accomplished cat at his craft. He was always a supporter of ours, and swore that when he made his first feature film...he'd find room for one of our tunes, in the soundtrack..well, in this racket...Lotsa people say lotsa stuff.BUT, he's just directed his first feature, it's a sort of rock and roll/Rockabilly, Horror Pic called "Trailer park of terror" ...it screened at Sundance, and got great reviews..And I DO...have a song in the sound track, they used the Title track from our New Album "Smokin' and drinkin" in the film..and we may be headed down to Nash-Vegas for the release in April...See? some people actually mean what they say.It's a beautiful thing.We'll keep ya posted. Oh and check it out.

http://www.trailerparkofterror.com/

Scotty

3:44 AM 
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Saturday, June 02, 2007 
So...It's really amazing, While I think that in terms of civil rights, and overall racial tolerance, we've come along way, it occasionally becomes evident that we still have so much work to do...so far yet to go.
This past week, on the same day..a Toronto man was convicted of manslughter (plea language) in the killing of his neighbour's teenage daughter, he received the maximum sentence, 25 years to life, No parole for 10 years. That same day...2 young well heeled White kids, from the Burbs, were found guilty of Vehicular manslaughter in the death of  Tahir Khan, a Taxi driver, and immigrant from Pakistan, one week away from Citzenship, that they killed with their Mercedes while street racing. Their sentence? 2 years less a day of House arrest, and community service. Yes you heard me right..How does this happen? on the same day?
Are we that fucked up? How is this guy's life worth...comparatively nothing? what message does this send? "it's okay...it's not like he was white"... Kill a white girl?  you get life, Kill a Brown man..you gotta be home at nite, and sell tickets at the Bingo charity.
It's astounding, I can promise you, that if Tahir Khan had been racing in the street with his cab, and took out one of these fair haired boys...The courts would have dropped him down a hole..he'd be getting his mail at collins bay penitentiary till the next Millennium.
I dont think a couple of 18 year old kids should be thrown under a bus for what amounts to a night of extremely bad judgement, and to be honest...there but for the grace of God go I, I've never felt the need for speed, but if I had a nickel for everytime I left the bar with one wheel on the curb, back in the day...Well, I'd have a few nickels.
But Zero time? I'm a musician, and as such I've travelled alot, plus i'm consistently in bars...I have an extremely soft spot for Cabbies, I always talk to them...and generally learn something, Immigrants take the jobs we'll no longer do..and build lives out of them, I cant tell you how many times I'll arrive at the bar, and start telling somebody about some incredibly interesting Cabbie I've met...some stop listening right away...with that "why do you care?" look...Cabbies to many people, are Invisible, partly bcause of the job, partly because of who is doing it.
I'm a Newspaper head...i'm always carrying one around, If over lunch sometime..I mention to my co-workers about some horrific crime in the paper...you'll see the interest in their faces...that same interest quickly fades once they notice that it's happened to someone with a name like Sohail Siddiqui.. Make no mistake..if those faces on the roofs in New Orleans during Katrina...were white faces, the Fucking Army would have had em' evacuated in 3 days.
A guy I used to work with..and I quite liked him, was telling me he was moving from his home in Brampton...to move into Oakville Ontario, A Toronto bedroom community, a place so incredibly expensive...it ought to be the poster for White flight... a bunch of Millionaires paying fortunes to live as far as possible away from the rest of the mud people who do all the working, living and dying in the city.
I asked this guy..."so why? you liked Brampton"... he said it was getting too crowded...just too many people, and he quickly followed with "it's like Singh-ville up there now"...and the clouds parted, ..not too many people, ...Just too many brown people.
My heart was broken.....how'd I miss this? .it's amazing what some people dont get with a university degree.
It's so strange to me, My drummer lives in Kensington Market...where English IS the second or third language..and white People are tourists...We always thought it was like you got drunk and woke up in heaven..What a great place to be..the real world.
With each passing generation, we're getting better...but we still have a long way to go, you cant legislate people's hearts and minds..I say affirmative action for another 50 years..maybe we'll get it right, ...We're so close, and yet so very far.
3:55 AM 
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Saturday, May 19, 2007 
"In a world where there is a law against people ever showing their emotions, or ever releasing themselves from the grayness of their days, a drink is not a social tool. It is a thing you need in order to live."
While there is a veritable roar of voices insisting that we drink (thanks largely to the alcohol industry), there is hardly a whisper telling us how to drink.

I'm not speaking of the the mere act of putting glass to mouth, but the deep layers of etiquette and expertise gathered over thousands of years of dedicated effort. While there was a time when all one needed to do was turn to the established movers and shakers (Churchill, Gleason, Best, Reed, The Rat Pack, Bogart, et al) for cues on how to behave while boozing, the reigning cultural icons are largely silent on the subject. Today's celebrities undoubtedly still drink, and probably a lot, but you'd have to hold a gun to their publicist's head before they'd admit it, much less show you how it's done.

It's easy to blame the Love Generation, of course. the kids eschewed the lesson of their fathers, they chose to drop out of society rather than drop into their local bar. In the space of a single generation, thousands of years of knackered knowledge vanished.

Which is a pity, because now that the kids have found their way back to the bar, they're unaware of what to do when they get there.

Drinking in the new century, a rallying cry for a large--and largely scattered--tribe. It is the embodiment of the inevitable backlash against the army of self-appointed nannies who believe any manner of fun shouldn'tinterrupt the long, grey lockstep toward the prison of death. They've coddled and browbeat society into believing everything must be done in exact moderation (and that extends to joy), under penalty of social ostracism. That anything that makes us feel good must naturally be bad.

The further irony being, since adults who drink are well in the majority, we are in effect ostracizing ourselves. The Modern Drunkard will relieve that misplaced guilt, will communicate the notion our grandfathers held to be true: It's perfectly fine and normal to want to get outside one's head, to take a vacation from oneself. And in an era with terror at the doorstep and anxiety at an all time high, we need a vacation more than ever.....down to the bar, they've forgotten how the hell to behave."

-Jimmy Breslin.
9:29 PM 
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Wednesday, May 09, 2007 
In the Pantheon of country Music Royalty, Many people Name a different King, George Jones is the one we hear most, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Buck Owens,...all very deserving, But for me it's always been Ray Price...Then Everybody else.
He made the best sounding records, with more pocket and groove than anyone should have, they sound so damned dark and shuffle so mystically, tons of room being heard, and the great songs to match, He used the great Don Law as his only producer for all those years, even in Ray's countrypolitan 70's period...go listen to those records, they're stunning, When Don Passed some years back, he took up with longtime pal Ray Pennington, But still , hard shoes to fill.
BUT...I digress, Ray and his band the Cherokee Cowboys came to Hamilton, Ontario last night, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Everyone knows Ray's voice, and the mystery about it never aging, he started singing deeper around 1969, more mature than his early Honky tonk records, and for whatever reason...he's just never lost it.
But he's 81, and sooner or later, like everyone else, that voice has to start going, well we saw him last night, he had a cold he said..But still, no trace, he was PERFECT! I cant figure it out, but we'll get back to that. His son Cliff opened up, did a few old classics, and then Came Ray...he strode out, as regal as ever, Grey western suit, with a razor sharp crease in the trousers, western tie, remember back in the day when everyone looked great, Ray looked better, and then he opened his mouth...and you recall that when the airwaves were filled with unique and magical  voices like Marty Robbins, Left frizzell, Webb Pierce, Carl Smith, Merle, Buck and George...Ray also sounded better.
The voice was as clear as fine vodka, as warm as melting butter...how is this possible?
He started with the Bob Wills classic (that was a much bigger hit for Ray)  San-Antonio Rose , and never looked back. Oh, he strolls a little slower, and he's got a slight stoop, but hey he's 81, and looks fantastic!
How do you cram 60 years of hits into one set? you dont...But he gave us a good chunk of em, Heartaches by the Number, Release me, The Same old me, even the Politan stuff like "I wont mention it again" ...he flavoured up with a Country Jazz feel, that made it all seem perfectly suited to his advanced stage of career. He even breathed life into one of the most hated wedding songs of all time..Al Martino's "Blue Spanish eyes" ,,,people forget that Ray had the country hit, and sold more copies than Al...but he nailed it, The lady beside me was crying. He mixed walking country shuffles (from the man who invented it)  with laid back ballads, a little country comedy..in a perfect set...he simply got it all right....killer band with Mike Cass on the steel, and one of the best country fiddlers I've ever seen, but you dont get to be a cherokee cowboy unless you're great...that's a given...remember, you're playing licks made famous by Buddy Emmons, Tommy Alsup, and the twin fiddle kings Tommy jackson, and Buddy Spicher...you better be good, and they were. So many artists try and recreate their glory days, Ray is obviously not one of those, he simply is the "thinking man's singer"
...sing where you're comfortable, and work that beautiful instrument in the cozy keys.
There were some big note finishes that I swore he'd never attempt like the last shot in "Make the world go away" he went for em, and nailed every one!
He took the time to thank everyone who's supported him, and come to see him, and bought his records over the last 60 years...and said he'd keep going "As long as I sounded good" ...that's just enough vanity, but really it's just grace, he's ray Price, he HAS to sound good.
He finished with ...you guessed it "For the good times" or as he always described it "a grown up song ..about grown ups, saying goodbye" ...or in this case, ...so long.
till next time Ray...you're still the King....for as long as you last.

(postscript) My drummer was getting an autograph, and asked Ray " to  what do you attribute your voice's longevity?"

he replied "I have absolutely no idea" (apparently it's just great to be King)

Scotty
12:09 AM 
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 
I wrote this a couple of years ago...The record being spoke of, wound up Locked into a studio that went Bankrupt, Never been able to get it back.
Sigh...Oh well, onto the next one.



Yell it like it is!


My New record.

Well for those of you who don't know…I've been nominated again this year, for "Best Roots-Traditional artist" for the upcoming CCMA awards, whether you know it or not..It means a little something, last year I was just shocked to be nominated..I mean me and the industry have'nt exactly gone together like Cheap wine and cow-tippin'.
So that was a surprise, But this year…well It's even more so..because this year was'nt as productive in my eyes. I've been working hard at a new record, which is pretty much done, Just gotta do a little mixing, and scrubbing..But due to certain scheduling conflicts…it's taken a little longer than expected. Only ten days work, but spread out over 8 months…it could drive anyone batty.
BUT…It sounds fucking great, it's without a doubt the best thing I've ever done…we made it on a shoe-string, using only the my band, "The wardenaires"…and one session player, that being my dear pal Shannon Saunders from Vancouver's Celtic/stomp kings " The Paperboys" On Fiddle.
It's going to be a Killer record…13 tracks of stone cold honky-tonk country...and tentatively entitled "Bitter for all concerned".
It's no secret that my last record sold by Canadian standards…a Shit-load. I hooked up with a fine US distributor, and we moved a ton of the damn things all over the U.S and Europe, with the help of some great Ink from the fine folks at "No Depression" The U.S "Alt-country" Magazine.
It is also no surprise that like any Canadian act that has managed to move the aforementioned "Shitload" of records…we now have had some majors sniffing around. 2 in particular (are there more?) have asked for first listen. This amazes me to no end.I'll surely send them one when the time comes…But to be honest..what the hell for? If you've ever been to any of my shows…you'll find staff from most every major, enjoying the tunes and a few wobblies purely for their own pleasure, on any given night. Has anybody ever offered to make the price of hairspray a little easier on me? Never…other Than Former Sony Cat Dave Deeley , who once wrangled a sit-down at Sony Nashville for me…They have nice chairs there.
So why would they want to hear my record? I've checked around at the kind of acts being signed these days..Like my fellow Canadians "Emmerson drive" …I went to Dreamworks records' web site, and perused the "Emmerson Drive" section…Christ, I thought I was seeing "Take 6" or "N-Sync" or something…Jeeze, I can remember when these guys were called "12 gauge", and looked just like "Lonestar" …come to think of it even "Lonestar" does'nt look like "Lonestar" anymore. Both acts have taken the tact of trying to look and sound more mainstream pop…in order to garner a larger fan base, Good thinking by Major label standards. Whorish, Shallow, and unoriginal by mine. There used to be a certain Lyrical, and aesthetic Masculinity to country Music…and I miss that…Country singers used to look and sound like country singers…nowadays , ya gotta ask…."what kind of act is this?" Sad.
So what could a major possibly want to hear my record for? I mean can you imagine me, sideburns, and Pompadour… in a pair of Capri pants and flip-flops? It's like trying to picture Hank Williams with a head-set, or Red Sovine in a pair of clogs….nuttin' doin!
So…I'll keep ya posted, and we'll see what happens…but don't hold your breath, and I wont either…as much as I'd love for someone to make this journey a little easier for me and mine…I cant imagine it happening, and I've done my best work since I gave up on the "Big deal" some years ago. I play whenever I can…and people come, I sell what I got…and people buy it. And we keep plugging along, and hope someday soon, the next big trend in Country music will be…well, Country music.
10:50 AM 
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 
And I like cream in my coffee
And I like to sleep late on Sunday
And nobody knows me like my baby
And I like eggs over easy
With flour tortillas
And nobody knows me like my baby

And nobody holds me
And nobody knows me
Nobody knows me like my baby

But it was a dream made to order
South of the border
And nobody knows me like my baby
And she cried man how could you do it
And I swore that there weren't nothing to it
But nobody knows me like my baby

And nobody holds me
And nobody knows me
Nobody knows me like my baby

And I like cream in my coffee
And I hate to be alone on Sunday
And nobody knows me like my baby
12:27 AM 
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