Many Worlds Album Launch Shows

In advance of our March 6 album release date, we played two launch shows, one at the Annex in Canning and one at the Seahorse in Halifax!

 

Realities Blossom

 Realities Blossom, the second single from Many Worlds' upcoming album, is out today! 

The Golden Goose

Adrianna and I released a new single yesterday called The Golden Goose! It's a set of two original tunes, the first by me and the second by Adrianna. Graeme Campbell recorded, mixed, and mastered it, and Matt Horseman took our photo. We love playing these tunes together. Check it out on bandcamp:

Mirror Era

The first single from Many Worlds' debut album, Mirror Era, came out today! The whole album comes out on March 6, and is now available for pre-order on bandcamp. I love this band and am very proud of what we've made together - very excited for the recording to be released!

Natural Elements Duo - Live Album

Hayley Ryerson has released a live album of tracks from a duo concert we did at the Music Room back in February 2023! These are some of Hayley's original compositions from her Natural Elements collection.

Monophilia

Tom Richard's "Monophilia" was released yesterday! 

Three records in breathtaking mono, to be played individually or simultaneously. Songs about love and loss in a non-binary world.

You can listen to the record and mix the three layers yourself here: insoundmusic.com/monophilia

Or, check it out on bandcamp below.

I play on Layer 3 with Doug Tielli and Georgia Hathaway.

Pear Tree Album Launch Tour

Adrianna and I just wrapped up our album launch tour for The Pear Tree! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the record and the season with us!

Doomsday Fantasias

On Dec 6, New Hermitage released a new record, Doomsday Fantasias. It was released on Watch That Ends the Night Records and features New Hermitage in quartet formation - Andrew MacKelvie, India Gailey, Ross Burns, and myself - with guest appearances by Jeff Reilly. Here are a few words about the album from Andrew:

We recorded this album in 2022 in a house by the sea on the south shore of Nova Scotia. We moved in for the week with our instruments, recording equipment, and make-shift baffles. And what it became is called Doomsday Fantasias.

We recorded Unearthed in 2017. We recorded Doomsday Fantasias five years later. In that time we grew as people and artists. We defined our container, we deepened our lore; we built a repertoire and collective language for improvisation. We toured and we joked and we sang songs that we knew and that we made up.

Doomsday Fantasias was supposed to be something else. But, we let the piece become what it was meant to be. The compositions were always going to happen that way. Not through divine fate, but humble adherence to a practice. It’s a record of spontaneous compositions.

I hope you enjoy it. And if you do, please share it with others.

Fantasia ~ noun
1: a free usually instrumental composition not in strict form and often an improvisatory style
2a: a work (such as a poem or play) in which the author's fancy roves unrestricted
2b: something possessing grotesque, bizarre, or unreal qualities

band photo by Jamie Kronick

Fight Song

Scions' debut album "To Cry Out In The Wilderness" will be released on November 8th! In the meantime, we have released our first single "Fight Song" today.

The song features Cormac Culkeen (vocals), Andrew MacKelvie (bass clarinet), India Gailey (cello), Ellen Gibling (harp), Ross Burns (electric guitar), Gabriella Ciurcovich (double bass), Dave Grenon (live processing & effects), Michael Cloud Duguay (voice), Rebecca Fairless (pipe organ) Donald MacLennan (violin), Al Melnyk (granular synth), and the Scions choir: Jay Perry, Arden Rogalsky, Janet Ross, Jenny Lapp, Valmy Assam, Tamsin Robson, Stephen Burns, Sophie Noel, NAT chantel, Lance Sampson

Produced by Michael Cloud Duguay
Recorded by Jake Nicoll + his solar-powered Scamper RV at St. George’s Round Church
Engineered by Jake + Dave Grenon
Mixed by Steve Chahley
Mastered by East End Mastering

The album photo comes from the archive of the Halifax Regional Fire Department, and shows the St. George’s round church steeple mid-blaze during the fire of 1994. 

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada’s private radio broadcasters, and Ontario Creates.

 

False Knight Gaza Fundraiser

About a decade ago, I recorded my first solo album "The False Knight & Other Tunes". It is a collection of music I was playing in the Montreal metro system as a busker and includes tunes from Ireland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Scotland, the Hebrides, Asturia, England, and Quebec. 

I never released it beyond selling it while busking and at concerts! I've just now made it available on bandcamp: digital copies and limited physical copies.

100% of the proceeds from these album sales will go the Humanitarian Coalition, a group of 12 aid organizations pooling resources to help with crises internationally, and now in particular with the humanitarian catastrophe faced by Palestinians in Gaza. Until November 12th, the federal government is matching donations to the coalition, so contributions have twice the impact. I will cover all postage, payment, and bandcamp fees.

I’m very grateful for everyone out there right now organizing for peace and human rights, for the release of hostages, and calling for an immediate ceasefire as the bare minimum. http://ceasefirenow.ca/about

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to this fundraiser!

The Bend in the Light Release Day!

 The album is out today!! 

Album pre-orders open!

On March 4th, I'll be releasing a new album of solo harp music, "The Bend in the Light"! The album includes some Irish traditional tunes and some original compositions, but is mostly comprised of newly written tunes by musicians I've encountered through playing Irish traditional music. Pre-orders are now possible on bandcamp, where you can listen to a preview track - a set of hopjigs. I'm so excited to share this music!

Wexford Carol

Although we were prevented from touring this year, Síle has created a little Christmas release of the beautiful Wexford Carol. Originally collected in County Wexford, Ireland, the lyrics of this traditional song date back to the 12th century. Many thanks to Jude Pelley for mixing and Alex Hewitt for mastering this track.