Singer Songwriter/Local

Wes Weddell: By the Side of the Lake

www.wesweddell.com/

Wes is ever the impeccable musician and these are finely crafted tunes. The arrangements pull me into the movement of the bass but nothing is cluttered. I can hear every word. The lyrics are not contrived, Wes is speaking to me. An urban setting for a country boy ‘Not Where I was Supposed to Be.’  There’s a bit of Rock arrangement in ‘Remember When.’  Wes has a good voice and he’s at his best

Local/Singer Songwriter

James Gordon: My Stars Your Eyes

www.jamesgordon.ca

James Gordon press kit mentions a 30 year career as singer-songwriter.  Gordon’s voice is basic but the production is adequate to present his songs.  ‘How?’ reflects on how we should live our lives now and is a decent song with a message. ‘At the Whim of the Wind & the Sea’ is pleasant with its harmonies. ‘Virtue Jane’, about a young woman

Singer Songwriter/Local

Brian Ellefson: Panoramic View

www.BrianEllefson.com

Brian Ellefson is a very promising local songwriter. On this CD he plays all the instruments, which include bass, guitar, electric guitar, and drums. He has a nice, expressive voice and the songs are the stuff of life, clear, simple, not so dylanesq. I would describe his lyrics as Indie “real time.” The guitar work is simple, understated and

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra: The Blanche Album

2009  self-released
http://www.thetequilamockingbirdorchestra.com/

It’s a cardinal rule that bands that sound great onstage often cut terrible studio recordings, and bands that sound amazing in the studio can leave you cold onstage. Case in point: The Be Good Tanyas sound gorgeous on CD. I bought each of their albums and played them over and over. Yet they’ve consistently given the worst performances I have ever seen. Completely devoid of emotion and connection, I even watched lead singer

Handful of Luvin’: Life in Between

2010 self-released

I must confess that I have tried very hard to dislike Handful of Luvin. It’s the name. I just can’t deal with the name. Handful of Luvin’ sounds like a Whitey-McWhiterson blues band from the Midwest. And yet no matter how much I try to dislike them, I have completely failed. I think it’s impossible not to like this band. I booked them at Folklife when I was working there because their music sounded like so much fun, and I see that they were booked last year at