Mike Tod- Mike Tod review

Mike Tod Mike Tod LP MikeTod.com I initially ignored the PR email touting Mike Tod’s album. The information was so sparse I had little reason to explore the barebones download-only files—no notes, no credits, and as minimal a bio as I’ve seen. Nudged by a follow-up, a bit of internet sleuthing led me to learn…

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Steve Dawson- Eyes Closed, Dreaming review

Steve Dawson Eyes Closed, Dreaming Black Hen Music Multi-instrumentalist Steve Dawson’s third release within a year, Eyes Closed, Dreaming may just be the strongest album of the British Columbia-Nashville artist’s lengthy career, and I don’t say that lightly. While the majority of Dawson’s many albums have seen him feature original compositions more frequently than covers,…

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Kate Weekes- Better Days Ahead review

Kate Weekes Better Days Ahead KateWeekes.com An old-timey/folk album built around clawhammer banjo and fiddle? Yes, please. Rendered during and inspired by the pandemic challenges of the past few years, Kate Weekes’ fourth album finds the Quebec folk artist stretching herself in unexpected directions. Having learned the clawhammer banjo during the time of COVID safeguards…

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Favourite Roots Albums of Quarter 1, 2023

I’ve encountered some really great roots music these first three months of 2023, and thought I would feature some of the finest as my Favourites of the First Quarter. They are not necessarily in position order from 1 to 12, but they could be… Iris DeMent- Workin’ On A World It has been too many…

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Chris and Sally Jones, Dead Ends Live, Edmonton March 18, 2023

A rare opportunity to see and hear members of the bluegrass family playing an intimate duo gig this evening. DeadEnds Live, a two-day fest of Grateful Dead-related music in downtown Edmonton, made its second appearance this weekend, and all reports from those in attendance were that it was incredible. I managed to convince myself to…

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Dead Ends Live, Edmonton, Alberta- March 17-18, 2023

From the press release: The weekend of March 17 and 18, 2023, marks the return of Edmonton’s newest winter music festival, Dead Ends Live. Born out of a love for the Grateful Dead songbook and the jam band culture, the inaugural Dead Ends Live thrilled fans of this broad musical canvas last spring, just as things were shifting to some…

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John Reischman & the Jaybirds and River City Playboys- Bluegrass @ SilverSkateFestival, 2023.02.19

It was late on Sunday afternoon, as I watched the local team blow another three-goal lead, that a tweet caught my eye- John Reischman & the Jaybirds were playing two sets a half-hour away from my trusty recliner. And the River City Playboys were also appearing! It takes a lot for me to change plans…

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Maria Dunn- Live at Festival Place, Sherwood Park, AB 2023 January 28

My horrible snapshots notwithstanding, it was a beautiful evening of folk music in Sherwood Park last evening as Maria Dunn (finally, after two-years of pandemic delays) celebrated the release of her now Juno Award-winning album, Joyful Banner Blazing (my review of the album is here.) Dunn and her large band complete with horn section and…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Albums of 2022

I have no idea how many roots albums I bought, received for review, actually wrote about, listened to through a brief flirtation with a streaming service, and sampled via Polaris Music Prize jury membership, as well as other industry-provided downloads during 2022. But when I review other lists, I see a lot I am familiar…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Blues Albums, 2022

I do enjoy blues music. Of all the roots styles I feature at Fervor Coulee, blues is the music I reach for when listening for enjoyment the least: I listen to it intently while reviewing and writing, but I just don’t often go to the shelves searching for blues music. That changed a bit this…

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