July 2014 – Rocking Horse Road Productions

RHR ARTIST SONG OF THE WEEK + New Signing – JUNE 31

We’ve partnered up with our friends at Seventh Fire Records, and are making the tracks in their 7″ Series available for licensing through Rocking Horse Road Productions! We already work closely with 7th Fire as we represent Express and Company as well as Melissa Payne, but we thought we’d take our relationship a little further.

Available tracks are by artists including The Weber Brothers, Matthew Barber and The Spades, Nicke Ferrio and His Feelings, James McKenty and Dave Tough (feat Serena Ryder). SUPES! Keep an eye on your inboxes. These will be delivered in the next little while.

The Thursday Track this week comes from one of these artists. The seriously awesome Weber Brothers – once members of The Hawks (yup, Ronnie Hawkins’ Hawks – read their bio here). The song is “Jesus, Jesus” – released with the Seventh Fire Series for June – and it’s cool old school rock that will leave you wandering around the house or your office singing “jesus, jesus” for the rest of the day.

RHR ARTIST SONG OF THE WEEK – JULY 24

You may know Melissa Payne as the female half of Express and Company – the sweet background vocals, the killer fiddle player, the on-stage joke teller (when forced by Dylan), but did you know she has a solo career as well?

Her second album, produced by Greg Keelor (this is where I should note what popular Canadian band he’s been in for 20 years, but.. you should know! If you do not – Google!), has received a really nice response from journalists, and is setting her up for a long run in this crazy music biz.

Today’s Thursday Track is the title track from her newest effort, High and Dry. Enjoy!

Some praise for High and Dry:

“Payne delivers a solid collection of heartbreak songs without over-singing a single one of them. Her second solo album, High and Dry, is beautifully arranged and performed by a who’s who cast of musicians, including Michael Boguski (Blue Rodeo) on piano and organ, Anna Ruddick (Ladies of the Canyon) on bass, Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) on synth and Dylan Ireland on guitar and drums. Produced by Greg Keelor, the record recalls what’s best about the genre so epitomized by Blue Rodeo — gentle, sincere, road trip-ready Canadiana. Title track ‘High and Dry’ is the energetic standout single, but the slower songs (‘Not The Only One,’ ‘Cool West Wind,’ ‘Cold Out There’) provide just as much punch, thanks to great musicianship.” – Exclaim!

“‘Kitchen Walls’ is a rip-roaring piano led, rocking old fashioned Country belter, and when the fiddle cuts through the middle section a huge smile lit up my face. The album flits across the Country genres like a butterfly and songs like ‘Call Me a Fool’ and ‘Cool West Wind’ both country songs worthy of Nanci Griffith’s typewriter; yet the punchy ‘Gunning For Me’ brought back memories of the first time I heard Lucinda all those years ago.” – No Depression

“The Canadian songstress has spent many years honing her craft; be it playing guitar, fiddle or writing songs, time spent learning from the experts around her has served her in good stead. But it’s her husky, soulful, sunny voice that comes naturally, and it’s that which sets her apart, sparkling in its purity and in the rawness of her emotion. From the gentle melancholic tones of ‘Downtown’ to the wistful Americana of ‘Call Me A Fool’, Melissa hits us square and hard with every wailing pedal steel, every aching vibrato, every well-placed lyric, drowning in honesty and realness…I could play this on repeat and just let it wash over me, cleansed and content.” – For The Country Record

http://melissapaynemusic.com

Express and Company Goes Primetime!

We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Express and Company will be appearing in scene on a primetime television show (CTV / NBC) this fall with their cover of the traditional Newfoundland folk song, “Now I’m 64”. We will release more details as the spot is finalized and an air date is set.

The band had cameras back-stage as well, so we’ll post some of that video when it’s ready. Wait.. back-stage? Or… behind the scenes? Maybe “on set”? Am I too music for TV speak?

HUGE thanks to Express and Company’s Dylan and Melissa, M. Bigelow, Jimmy Bowskill, Craig McConnell, Tom Street and Seventh Fire Records and of course, David Hayman and Supersonic Creative!

The Richest Songs In The World

It’s Monday afternoon in Cambridge, and the Tour de France, Stage 3 start and celebrations are over. Roads are almost open again. Pubs are undoubtedly still packed. All is well.

Now, I know the Tour de France, for some, is incredibly, incredibly, exciting. For me, however, I am more excited about the BBC documentary I just finished watching called “The Richest Songs in the World”. The doc exposes the top 10 money-making songs by royalty pay-outs, and reveals some controversies and stories behind each.

For instance, did you know that Roy Orbison’s first wife, for whom he wrote ‘Pretty Woman’ died in front of Orbison when she was hit by a car in an intersection while they were out riding motorcycles? Tragic. The song did go on, though, to earn an estimated 13 million British Pounds in royalties. The piece also goes through some sampling issues, which is always a hot topic when talking about royalties and copyrights.

The doc is up on the BBC website for just 6 more days (as of July 7th, 2014) – and it may be geoblocked (check: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pjrt5) but I’ve found it on Youtube for your streaming pleasure (speaking of copyright and royalty issues…), if you’re interested in this sort of thing. It’s so far up MY alley that it’s at my front door ☺.