Archive for the 'Song o Day' Category

Song o’ The Day – Kay Pettigrew’s “Adventures In The Rocky Mountains”

Published by smansmith on December 6, 2009 in Folk, Indie, Live Performance, Singer Songwriter, Song o Day and blues. 2 Comments

Kay Pettigrew - photo by Frances Beatty

Song o the day today is selected for two reasons (well three really) and comes from the lovely Kay Pettigrew.

The reasons go something like this: I listened to the Ohbijou live session yesterday via Third Floor Sessions (which was great by the way) and while there I took a look around, as I tend to, and noticed that Kay Pettigrew was the inaugural episode! I did a quick post with a cover Kay did for the theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel Air over on Slowcoustic (click to listen) a while back so I started thinking. The song generated a fair amount of airplay for Kay around the blogosphere and ended up being on the Hype Machine popular charts via myself and a couple other bloggers. So that is a reason isn’t it?

Another reason is I felt I needed to post again as I wanted to make sure that people see her for more than just that cover track. Her Third Floor Session is full of folkish sing-a-longs, bluesy riffs and gritty Canadiana alongside an incredibly mature sound for this young Torontonian. So this is a reason as well isn’t it?

The last reason is simply because I am located in Calgary which is at the base of the Rocky Mountains and this weekend started our “adventure” into winter (see here for a twitted photo from this weekend in Calgary). So this is definitely a reason isn’t it?

Well if none of the above are not enough of a reason, then I don’t know what else is. You can download the entire session from her live session HERE…maybe that is the reason??

“Adventures In The Rocky Mountains” – Kay Pettigrew

Visit and purchase some Kay Pettigrew:

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~Smansmith

Song o’ Day – “Love Song #1″ from The White Buffalo

Published by smansmith on November 22, 2009 in Alt-Country, Americana, Folk, Singer Songwriter and Song o Day. 0 Comments

I just recently discovered The White Buffalo while trolling Last.fm of fellow friends and neighbors and I must say it has been a pretty good find. I listened to a couple of tracks from his website and then immediately zipped over to eMusic and picked up his Hogtied Revisited album that was released in March of this year.

The video included below is for “Love Song #1″ which is from “The White Buffalo EP” which I believe is from 2005. 2005!?! Yes, this guy has slipped past this Americana/Alt-Country fiend…but no longer. This “White Buffalo” or Jake Smith as he is known to his friends is now on my radar. This song is also streaming on his website homepage along with 2 others – so get a listen on and then zip over for an album if you enjoy it as much as me.

Visit The White Buffalo on the MySpace page and Website!

Pick up an album, why don’t you?:

~Smansmith

Song o’ Day: “Serrated Man Sound” by Mason Lindahl

Published by smansmith on October 24, 2009 in Acoustic, Folk, New Album Alert, Singer Songwriter and Song o Day. 4 Comments

Another installment of the Song o’ Day series I have been indulging in this last couple of months, hope you all like the fast blast of one track hits. Well, hits in my books…

Today we have Mason Lindahl and his incredible guitar work. He just happens to craft a song around his display of delicate acoustic guitar playing. He is new to me but apparently well known for being quite the “finger picker” and I am inclined to agree. There is a juxtaposition in this track though – you have delicate fretwork, but you also get coiled energy – this isn’t your daddy’s classically trained guitar work friends. I guess this is why the words Alternative and Folk were used by IODA (even if both words are bastardized versions of what they once were, but I digress…). There is just something about this track, I get the feeling there is more than just a song in this song…ya know?

Enjoy the title track from the recently released “Serrated Man Sound” album, it is worth multiple spins folks.

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Mason Lindahl
“Serrated Man Sound” (mp3)
from “Serrated Man Sound”
(Porter Records)

Song o’ Day – Kyle Swartzwelder’s “Away (Kathleen Edwards cover)”

Published by smansmith on October 11, 2009 in Folk, Free Download, Indie and Song o Day. 2 Comments

So “Song o Day” today is a great cover. I say this as not all covers are great, some are simply imitation. It is nice to have a song that even though it is a cover, it can stand on it’s own. This is one of those tracks from Kyle Swartzwelder and his cover of the Kathleen Edwards track “Away”. Kyle sent these over to me the other day (along with a Neil Young cover of “Powderfinger”, nice), and I needed to share at least one of them. Man the slide guitar (or what I think of as the slide guitar) is just gorgeous, waning and waxing throughout!

“Away (Kathleen Edwards cover)”- Kyle Swartzwelder

*BONUS ORIGINAL – “Away” – Kathleen Edwards*

Enjoy a bit of folky Americana for your Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving that is, and give thanks for talent such as Swartzwelder and Edwards. If you like this unreleased cover track – pick up Kyle’s album over at CD Baby HERE. If you wanted to hear more of Kathleen Edwards, visit her on her website HERE.

~Smansmith

Song o’ Day – “You, Me & the Brewers” by Signe Tollefsen

Published by smansmith on October 3, 2009 in Americana, Folk, Indie, New Album Alert, On iTunes, Singer Songwriter and Song o Day. 3 Comments

There is something about European Folk – it is soo good. This example by Signe Tollefsen provides the beauty of strings and Tollefsen’s almost classically trained voice with lazy banjo of a rocking chair on the prairies of Oklahoma. Definitely a song of the day here folks – this “half American in Amsterdam” provides you a gorgeous bit of European Americana. This could be the next big thing (as big as indie Americana singer songwriters can be…). Highly Recommended.

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Signe Tollefsen
“You, Me & the Brewers” (mp3)
from “Signe Tollefsen”
(Corazong Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

~~~

~Smansmith

Song o’ Day – OX’s “Burnout”

Published by smansmith on September 13, 2009 in Acoustic, Folk, Indie, New Album Alert, On Tour and Song o Day. 0 Comments

Another installment of “Song o Day” for you folks – and yes, another winner from the Great White North (or Canada as I know it). This time we have the title track from the upcoming album “Burnout” that is due out on November 10th.

OX’s previous album (American Lo Fi) was considered a bit of a tour de force of the indie stoners – huh? Yeah, described as “weed infused” it was a pretty decent hit across Canada’s College/University radio scene. While I tend to shy away from describing music by indicating an intoxicant of sorts is needed to enjoy (because it isn’t) – the new album obviously is following the theme with a title like “Burnout”. They have brought a bit of country folk into the fold from the sound of the below track and I even though I enjoy the previous work, I like the direction of the mellowed out, day after vibe that this crew are putting forth.

“Burnout” – OX, from 2009’s “Burnout” album – due November 10th

You can always swing by their Website or visit iTunes for a copy of American Lo Fi HERE.

~Smansmith

p.s. If you like this track, swing on by my Slowcoustic post for a bit of back story on OX!

Song o’ Day – Matt Epp’s “This Old House”

Published by smansmith on August 29, 2009 in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, New Album Alert, Singer Songwriter and Song o Day. 1 Comment

So “Song o’ The Day” is kinda my thing around here the last few weeks. Sorry folks for the sporadic posting, life simply getting in the way for all of us!!

Well being the Canadian around these parts I always seem to be pushing my brethren, but that is because I keep being impressed by the talent from the “Great White North”. Today’s selection is Matt Epp who I also might be attached to as he is from one of my hometowns of Winnipeg, Manitoba (he’s a “pegger”). While I tended to overlook what was in my own backyard while living there, I seem to see more talent now that it is no longer underneath my own nose. Matt Epp has a new album coming out called “Safe or Free” this November and the track “This Old House” is the lead off single. It is a bit of singer-songwriter with shavings of Alt-Country adorning his duet with Eliza Gilkyson. It is also a Ryan Adams’ style ballad including a harmonica feature at midway (love that damn harmonica). Hope you like as much as I do!

“This Old House” – Matt Epp – from 2009’s “Safe of Free”

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So keep an eye out for the album this November by keeping in touch below: