TRAMPLED BY TURTLES: STARS & SATELLITES

/0 Comments/in /by

We are so pleased to welcome officially the new album from Trampled By Turtles to the Six Shooter world! Yaaaa! It’s a chiefin’ beauty of a disc and we are proud that it bears our logo in the mystical frozen land of Canada. Fans of Palomino will find a lot to love on this record. The first single, “Alone,” is already winning hearts all over the continent.

This description from the folks at HearYa sums it up well: “The song starts as if it was casually put together on the porch. There isn’t that frenetic TxT energy that has helped define them over the years, but then the finish that comes in at 2:51 is majestic. It picks you up on the crest of a wave and takes you for a ride that leaves you breathless. I have listened to this track countless times and I don’t know how else to describe it other than magical or perfection or genius.” We hear ya, HearYa!

A video for “Alone” will be debuting soon in Canada – keep your eyes and ears peeled, as it will surely be a magical example of perfection and/or genius (you choose). We will be making our announcement about it shortly. Oh wait, we kinda just did… well, we will give you a holler when it actually drops so you can tune in to Video Hits, or Hulk Hogan’s Rock & Wrestling, or the internet, or whatever the music video thingy is called these days.

Congrats to the band on making such an amazing record, if the future was now, and we already all had three hands, we would give them a high fifteen. Stars and Satellites is available now on www.sixshooterrecords.com. Order through our webstore and receive a complimentary TxT button (and we don’t mean the keypad on your smartphone…LoL)!

SIX SHOOTER WELCOMES DEL BARBER

/0 Comments/in /by

It is no secret that we at Six Shooter Records are suckers for great songwriters. Oh wait, that was supposed to be a secret, damn! The Katniss is out of the bag! Well, since we’ve spilled the beans on the great-songwriter-suckerage, we might as well divulge that we also love all things Winnipeg. The newest addition to the Six Shooter roster happens to be both of these things (great songwriter and Winnipegatobian), so it should come as no surprise that the talented Del Barber now calls our label home.

We’re very proud to be releasing Del’s third album, Headwaters, a set of prairie parables that lead through finely crafted confessionals and twang-kissed tales of desires lived, left and lost. Jeez, all those alliterations totally twisted my tongue! Watch for it on May 1. Del tours Canada from coast to coast with Old Man Luedecke in May — check da tour dates for details, dude.

Pre-orders are available now through Six Shooter store. Order yours before May 1 and receive a free Six Shooter temporary tattoo in your envelope (complete with our motto, “Life is too short to listen to shitty music.”). Order after May 1 and receive a REAL tattoo of Bart Simpson and the Tazmanian Devil smoking a bong with Justin Bieber (complete with their motto, “life is too short to not get this tattoo on your butt”).

JENN GRANT ROCKS THE ECMAs

/0 Comments/in /by

Jenn brings spring to Moncton, NB! That’s right, she bought the city their very own Slinky! The always sunny (and slinky) Honeymoon Punch has 4 nominations at this year’s ECMAs; Album of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, Song of the Year (“Getcha Good”), and Entertainer of the Year. Producer and graphic magic man Daniel Ledwell is also nominated for Audio Professional and Graphic/ Media Artist of the Year (they didn’t have an award for the “magic man” part, but we figure if he wins he can pull a bunny out of a hat or saw Jenn in half or something and maybe get on some additional ad hoc award steez).

Catch Jenn performing live on Q’s special ECMA broadcast on Friday morning, and also on an ECMA edition of Shift presented by the CBC on Friday afternoon. Moncton locals have the chance to catch one of two performances on Saturday April 14 at the Empress Theatre. See tour dates for complete information.

Oh, and for all you Monctonians (Monctonites? Monks?), also be sure to catch Henry Wagons, who is traveling all the way from Australia for the festival.

WHITEHORSE PRAIRIE TOUR STARTS TODAY

/0 Comments/in /by

Was SXSW just three weeks ago? Seems like the distant past. But still vivid in our memories is the smoking hot show Whitehorse performed at the Continental Club as part of the No Depression showcase. This Austin blog summed it up perfectly:

http://austin.culturemap.com/sxsw-discovery-canadian-duo-whitehorse/

They’ve been racking up similarly stellar reviews on their sold-out USA tour with the Wood Brothers, and are now ready to bring their captivating live show to the Canadian prairies. Many of the shows are close to sell-out – so get your tickets now! See tour dates below for more details.

GOOD LOVELIES MIDWEST TOUR STARTS FRIDAY

/0 Comments/in /by

The Good Lovelies are back on the road this month hitting various US cities in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Washington. West coast Canadians are also in luck as they hit both Vancouver and Victoria on this run. Everyone else can go screw themselves… just kidding!!!! Next up for the Good Lovelies are dates in the UK, and also a hometown show at the Glenn Gould Theatre.

See tour dates page for details on how to get your tickets.

INTERSTELLAR RODEO EARLYBIRD PASSES ON SALE NOW

/0 Comments/in /by

We were overwhelmed with the amazing response we received to the announcement of our new Edmonton festival, Interstellar Rodeo. Thank you all so much for your emails, posts, tweets, and phone calls. There is a lot of excitement about the line up, which includes Blue Rodeo, Sinéad O’Connor, Randy Newman, Hawksley Workman, Whitehorse, Richard Buckner, Jenn Grant, Jason Plumb + the Willing, Shakura S’Aida, the Sojourners, Michael Rault, and more. And yes, we will be selling posters!

Early bird passes are on sale now and moving quickly. You can buy them through the Six Shooter webstore, and each adult or youth/senior pass comes with a free album by a participating Six Shooter artist (Whitehorse, Beauties, Jenn Grant). Good dealski!

I realize we said we’d announce the rest of the line up and schedule on April 16, but we’re going to move that to April 18. We’re working on a special announcement video and we need the extra two days to figure out how to put a drop shadow behind the words “Insane Clown Posse”, I mean, uh, to figure out how to work the Betamax machine! Single tickets go on sale May 2.

We’d also like to thank all the people who have already put their names forward to volunteer at the festival. We need tons more, so submit toooo uuussss!

For more information about Interstellar Rodeo, visit: www.interstellarrodeo.com.

BERNIE FINKELSTEIN LAUNCHES HIS NEW BOOK

/0 Comments/in /by

Songwriters might find their idols in Tom Waits or Neil Young or Leonard Cohen or Randy Newman. Guitarists might love Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix or Mark Knopfler. If us music industry peeps had a hero, particularly us Canadian music industry folks, then Bernie Finkelstein is one of our A-listers.

Founder of True North Records (Canada’s oldest independent label), manager of Bruce Cockburn and others, founding member of CIRPA and the gang who brought us FACTOR, CanCon, and a number of other music industry institutions we rely on today, Bernie is a pioneer, a stalwart, a steward…and more than anything, a character. We know he can tell a good story, and we cannot wait to get our hands on his new book, which hits the stores on April 17. We at Six Shooter have a giant crush on this man, and you will too after you read “True North.”

SADDLE UP FOR THE INTERSTELLAR RODEO

/0 Comments/in /by

We love festivals so much, we decided to throw one of our own! On a grassy slope under the prairie stars, icons of modern music history will take the stage for the first ever Interstellar Rodeo, a celebration of music, food and wine, making its debut in Edmonton’s Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park, July 27-29, 2012.

We are thrilled to announce that Blue Rodeo, the sweethearts of summer nights and soundtrack to our best memories, will perform. As this year’s inductees to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Blue Rodeo symbolizes our pride in homegrown talent. Their creative longevity and incredible list of hits reinforces our belief in the romance and power of beautiful music. We are also humbled to welcome Sinéad O’Connor this first year. A cultural revolutionary, creative firebrand, and electrifying performer, Sinéad is the fearsome voice of a generation, intimidating both for her talent and for her conviction. Sinéad recently released a new record to worldwide acclaim, and it is exciting to present this iconic artist as she returns to the spotlight. The stars have also aligned to bring Randy Newman to Edmonton. Newman is a songwriter’s songwriter, and his name is always included in our favourite artists’ lists of influences.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a party if we didn’t have some of our own posse on board to entertain and electrify. Six Shooter artists confirmed on this inaugural year include Whitehorse (featuring Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland), Jenn Grant, and The Beauties. Weekend pass buyers will receive a free album by the participating Six Shooter artist of their choice. We are also pleased to welcome our old pals Hawksley Workman, Richard Buckner, and Jason Plumb + the Willing, as well as new friends Shakura S’Aida, The Sojourners, and Michael Rault. Interstellar Rodeo presents an opportunity to celebrate artists we love and admire.

Stay tuned – there are more announcements to come.

EARLY BIRD weekend passes on sale now through the Six Shooter Records website. The schedule will be announced April 16, and single tickets go on sale on May 2.

Check out the website here: http://www.interstellarrodeo.com.
Like us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/InterstellarRodeo
Follow us on Twitter here: @SixShooterR
Twitter hashtag: #interstellarrodeo

JUNOFEST MADNESS

/0 Comments/in /by

Along with our pals at Starfish Entertainment, we are super stoked to be presenting an Outlaws & Gunslingers event at Junofest. The evening kicks off with former Juno Award winners and current nominees The Good Lovelies, who will delight and entertain. Next up are our live music superstars, The Beauties, who will play for three hours and have learned 28 songs in preparation for this event, where they welcome an incredible cast of Canadian talent to their stage. Guests include: Oh Susanna, Bazil Donovan, NQ Arbuckle, Wayne Petti, Jenn Grant, Dustin Bentall and Kendel Carson, Glenn Milchem, Devin Cuddy, Jim Cuddy, Daniel Romano, and members of the Sadies. Get there early…the venue, Mavericks, is not that big. Doors at 8 pm, show at 9 pm.

As if that wasn’t enough, we have a similarly great night planned for Saturday with a Six Shooter double header at the Live Lounge with Harlan Pepper and the Deep Dark Woods. Don’t miss these amazing bands!

Oh, and Juno Cup hockey! Cheer on our very own Luke Doucet, who will be tending goal for the musicians. What this actually means is that he will be blocking the puck from his own teammates. We couldn’t exactly pit him against the former NHL all-stars, now could we? He’s only 136 pounds, after all. In addition to Luke, about half the line up from the Outlaws and Gunslingers line up will also be donning their helmets and skates — Jim Cuddy, Devin Cuddy, Dustin Bentall, Kendel Carson, and more.

You might also catch a glimpse of us rolling out of our party bus and on to the red carpet on Sunday night. With three Juno Award nominated artists (Deep Dark Woods, The Good Lovelies, and Jenn Grant) there is a big crew of us ready to wreak havoc amid the rock-and-roll royalty mayhem. I personally am hoping to get to meet Captain Kirk. Wish us luck!

COALITION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION

/0 Comments/in /by

Luke Doucet is an Champion for the Coalition for Music Education. Luke’s song,Tomorrow is Coming, was specially commissioned to be this year’s Music Monday anthem by the Coalition and the CBC. Over 600,000 voices will join together on May 7th 2012 to sing Tomorrow is Coming in support of music education. You can find arrangements for the song and register for Music Monday by visiting www.musicmonday.ca

WHITEHORSE @ SXSW

/0 Comments/in /by

WhitehorseThe smoldering duo of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet, Whitehorse, has been burning up the highways, putting fire in the hearts of everyone who sees them play, racking up radio spins and youtube views, and selling out shows right/left/centre. You definitely don’t want to miss out on them if you’re headed to Austin. They are only there for two days, during which time they appear three times:

Wed, 3:40 – 4:05pm:
Canadian Blast BBQ, Brush Square Park

Wed, 11:00 – 11:40pm:
No Depression Showcase, Continental Club

Thurs, 2:00 – 2:40pm:
Trinity Hall (Trinity + 6th, Upstairs)

SLEEPWALK @ SXSW

/0 Comments/in /by

Sleepwalk Guitar FestivalWe are very pleased to be presenting the Sleepwalk Guitar Festival SXSW Jam in Austin! We are excited to welcome some of Austin’s hottest players, including Johnny Moeller, Cindy Cashdollar, Phil Hurley, Bill Kirchen, and Brad Rice. Rounding out the bill are Canadianers Alex Cuba and Gordon Grdino. The whole thing is led by Sleepwalk Guitar Festival curator Luke Doucet. It’s going to be a killer jam that will take you on a musical journey that encompasses blues, country, “beautiful noise”, and everything in between (ie. ripping face melter tapping solos, and a “guitar face” competition… maybe).

The event is Thursday, March 15 @ noon. Trinity Hall (Trinity + 6th, Upstairs). We know this is early, and you may still be sleepwalking at this point, so we’ll be serving up some delicious breakfast tacos and Caesars (how Canadian of us!).

Thurs, 12:00pm:
Trinity Hall (Trinity + 6th, Upstairs)