Category: JB recommends

The RHR artist song of the week comes from Dave Marsh and The True Love Rules. The New Album, The Cause of Many Troubles, has been on repeat during my travels this winter. It’s been with me to Jamaica, London, Florence and Cambridge and it fits every moment. The track “Sexy Girl” (CLICK HERE) is our Thursday Track this week, but I implore you to check out the rest of the album as soon as possible!
xo,

-JB

A snippet of an album review from CBC’s Bob Mersereau

“What makes these tracks so enjoyable is how well Marsh has put them together. With a rather encyclopaedic knowledge of rock’s past, he can summon just the right guitar line, the perfect background vocals, the right time to use a crazy synth, the appropriate amount of echo on his voice, all the little pieces that make each song sound so great. And what’s so interesting is he takes all these bits and pieces, largely found in late 60’s to mid 70’s albums, and spins them into thoroughly contemporary alt-pop. So you get all these moments where you start thinking about, say, the big Traffic/Mad Dogs and Englishmen/Delaney & Bonnie sound on the title track, or the winking nod to Bowie in This Is How We Say Goodnight (“So let’s talk serious under the moonlight”), but there’s no one song that they resemble, nor seems more vintage than new.”

Following last week’s folk pop track, “The Right Idea” by Sherman Downey and The Ambiguous Case, we now have this week’s Song of the Week by The Mouthbreathers.

This band is from Sackville, NB and are gaining a lot of attention these days. A killer throw back to The Maritimes in the 90s, but not enough to sound dated, these pop-punks are WAY cool. And I don’t say that often about pop-punk. I struggled to chose between track 1 on their first effort (Appetite for Deconstruction) and track 1 on the follow up EP (Stone Soup), but ultimately settled on “Standards” from Stone Soup. 

“You’re good lookin’ but you got bad manners, 
Good lookin’ but you got bad manners, 
So I don’t even care what your favourite band is.
I don’t even wanna know…”

Some of you lovely music supervisors have come to me looking for east coast fiddle music, and I’m happy to announce I have a fantastic new name to add to the roster! Enter Chrissy Crowley, from Cape Breton. Her album “Last Night’s Fun” includes originals and traditional arrangements, and The Canadian Folk Music Awards sent her home with “Instrumental Solo Recording of the Year” in 2013.

Check out a glowing review from The Guardian (UK) below, and the video of Chrissy in action above. Hit me up if you need some of this flavour for your projects!

xo,

-JB

“A seriously swinging Cape Breton Fiddler. Some things just seem predetermined, inevitable, unavoidable. And so it is with the chosen vocation of one Chrissy Crowley. Born into a large family steeped in the ways of Celtic music, this unfeasibly young fiddler has taken on the twin mantels of both protecting and promoting the sounds of her native Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, the region where Celtic music prospers thanks to the Scottish, Irish and French-Acadian backgrounds of its residents. It’s when she picks up her fiddle that she undertakes the true ambassadorial role, the sound of Cape Breton history emerging with every thrust of her bow. While technically flawless, Chrissy’s playing also swings along with a sense of youthful mischief, while her natural curiosity will surely see her expanding the Cape Breton tradition in years to come. For now though, give your ears and heart over to a spellbindingly precocious talent.” 

-Nige Tassell The Guardian (UK) 2012

RHR is live posting at the moment from Cambridge in the UK. A gorgeous city in England, and our new home for the month.

We have a new client here, the first newbie of 2014. Enter The Cocksure Lads!

With an album release later this month, TCL was formed by Moxy Fruvous’ Mike Ford and Murray Foster (also of Great Big Sea). This is their take on a fictional british band from the 60s. The songs are brit-centric but don’t let the ‘schtick’ fool you, these are lovely tracks! Love songs such as “When You Walk”, “The Surprising Thing”, “Easy Peasy” and “Not Today” would be at home in any Hugh Grant film :). Being in England at the moment, this has literally become my trip’s soundtrack! Happy and fun.

RHR has also recently delivered its clients’ new releases (or soon to be released albums) to the mailing list. If you’ve not received your link, let us know! New for January 2014:

Dave Marsh and The True Love Rules – The Cause of Many Troubles (edgy pop-rock, or “mod/glam/proto-punk (a bit of Bowie, a bit of the Jam“)

Sherman Downey & The Ambiguous Case – The Sun in Your Eyes (fun folk!)

The Olympic Symphonium – Chance To Fate (alt folk, pretty harmonies)

The Cocksure Lads – Mad Lad Plans (60’s Brit-pop)

It’s finally arrived! Adam’s new EP is in house, and it’s FANTASTIC! Very proud of our young Baldwin. Stream it HERE!

This October 24th, RHR will have its first showcase at Halifax Pop Explosion! Come down to Bus Stop Theatre at 7PM (early, right!?) for performances by clients Express and Company, The True Love Rules, Heather Green and Repartee. It’s going to be a time! Mixtape Magazine will also be in the house showcasing issue #1 of the print magazine, handing out discounts, and a mixtape. Yes, a TAPE, as in, cassette tape. Get there early to get one. The mixes feature artists from RHR’s roster. A keepsake from a very special moment for Rocking Horse Road. Let us know you’re coming! xo- JB

RHR just signed the uber talented Maxim Cormier. I would like you to watch this video. It’s fantasitc!