Hasta La Ideas

I am digging the new ‘Pulling on a line’ video. Hmm. How to describe it? Tom Sawyer meets David Lynch in wooded parlor light amidst pink plumes of smoke and a motley crew of stage animals: a blue-eyed castaway crooner, horned child creatures, and an enigmatic silver-haired tree man. Weirdly wonderful imagery that stays true to the earnest and enchanting vibe of the Great Lake Swimmers.

*Just a friendly reminder that the band will be performing songs from their gorgeous new album Lost Channels tomorrow night (Thursday March 26, 8pm) at Calgary’s Grace Presbyterian Church. There are still a few tickets remaining for this all-ages show, and if you are looking for an extraordinary acoustic experience to lift you out of this cold winter spell you cannot do finer that the GLS. See the following link for more ticket information.

And watch for our special tribute feature on the swimmers in the debut issue of UPPERCASE magazine. Fans of the band are also invited to follow the tour on Tony Dekker‘s twitter site.

We are wishing them a safe passage tonight across the snowy prairies. Godspeed swimmers, but easy on the pedal!

There’s a an interview with Diana Sudyka about her artwork for Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast on an excellent music site called Sezio. {We were lucky to have Diana’s work in UPPERCASE for the Posteriffic show in 2007.}

One last (lighthearted) love song to close out the holiday weekend. Nick Cave‘s ‘Breathless,’ Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus (2004) with animated furry friends.

If you want to get something extra-special for Valentine’s Day, the Great Lake Swimmers (that’s frontman Tony Dekker pictured above) are coming to Calgary next month. They will be playing their gorgeous ambient folk music Thursday March 26, 8:00pm at Grace Presbyterian Church. This is a rare event and, an all-ages show, so you can take your sweetheart, your grandma or your nephew as your date.

I saw the band perform live a few years ago at the Calgary Folk Festival and it ranks among my top musical experiences. Wildly enchanting. Watch for a feature on the Great Lake Swimmers‘ latest album ‘Lost Channels’ in our debut issue of UPPERCASE magazine.

And don’t wait too long to buy your tickets, many of the band’s Canadian shows have already sold out!

Click here for the link to purchase advanced tickets.

If you are reading this but living in a far off land, I encourage you to check the band’s website to see if they will be performing near you. Their ‘Lost Channels’ release tour includes shows across North America and Europe and they tend to favor intimate, atmospheric settings steeped in history so, in addition to great songs, you just may discover a gem of a place close to home.

‘Your Rocky Spine,’ Ongiara (2007)

As the lovely, lanky, and GREAT Nick Cave says in “The Secret Life of the Love Song,” all true love songs are, of necessity, sad (mournful, plaintive, desperate, hopeless, hopeful…) songs of longing. In short, and in matters of music and the heart, his message is clear: no pain, no gain.

In the spirit of cathartic suffering, I offer you a Valentine’s listening sampler of sad but true (L-O-V-E) songs:

Beautiful Bob performing ‘Girl From The North Country’; Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris‘s spare duet ‘Love Hurts.’; the lean, mean, hard-loving Tom Waits calling ‘Martha’ long distance; and the enchanting Great Lake Swimmers re-living ‘Moving Pictures, Silent Films.’

You have to be sad to be glad.

***

If you would like to give the gift of song to yourself or a sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, I highly recommend the following album/artist links:

Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline (1969)

Gram Parsons, Grevious Angel (1974)

Tom Waits, Closing Time  (1973)

Great Lake Swimmers, self-titled debut (2003)