hello

Three – count em – THREE wonderful artists guesting on one Stew.
 
The first is a name and voice very familiar to the CKUA audience
David Ward is producing next week’s Bob Fest in Calgary.
It’s the annual celebration  of Bob Dylan’s Birthday.
 
 
Bob Dylan’s birthday (May 24th, 1941) is celebrated around the world, and this year Dylan enthusiasts in Calgary will have two opportunities to gather and revel in the music of the Bard from Hibbing, Minnesota.
  Saturday, May 24th, at 9pm
Ironwood Stage & Grill will host the annual Birthday Bash
 Sunday, May 25th, at 2pm
National Music Centre will host Blood On The Tracks: Reassembled and Reimagined
The weekend begins with the 8th Annual Bob Dylan Birthday Bash Saturday, May 24th, at 9pm at the Ironwood Stage & Grill.
 
Longtime Dylan fan Patrick McIntyre (proprietor of the Ironwood) has provided a home for the annual BobFest since 2007 by inviting local singers and instrumentalists to take to the stage and put their own particular spin on songs both familiar and obscure from the Bob Dylan Songbook.
Among the many performers joining bandleader Steve Pineo this time around will be local favourites Tom Phillips and Tim Williams.
The following afternoon, ten musicians will fill the stage at the National Music Center and engage Dylan enthusiasts with their interpretation of the songs that comprise the album Blood On The Tracks.
Join singers J.R. Shore, Ruth Purves-Smith, Clea Roddick, Conrad Walz, and David Ward as they reassemble and reimagine Tangled Up In Blue, Idiot Wind, Shelter From The Storm, and nine other songs that Dylan wrote for his beloved 1974 classic.
 
 
For tickets and further information go to: www.dylanyyc.org
 
Next Guest is Royal Wood
Here’s a primer on what we’ll be talking about from Royals own website
  
When I was a child music flowed through me. Art sprang forth whether I asked for it or not. Sadness seemed to drip from my finger tips and find a page to exhale onto – always leaving me joyful. As if the exorcism had removed the demons. Sadly though, during the writing and creation of We Were Born To Glory, I somehow got caught up in the “business” of the music business. I temporarily forgot the joy that came from creation for creation’s sake. As a result I created an album, though successful, that left me empty with ultimately no joy to fill the space. At the same time too my marriage was dissolving in front of me and suddenly the two main bedrocks of my foundation washed away. I was adrift. Thankfully though I was able to move to a small cottage in rural Ireland, remove the noise, quiet my surroundings and finally hear my inner voice again. The all knowing compass spoke and soon the veil lifted. I made art again. Music flowed. Answers were found and puzzles solved. Sarah and I decided to separate, but remain loving friends and in each other’s corner.
Purpose is the ultimate driver. It is indeed what now gets me out of bed in the morning. I want to make art. I want to create. I want to perform music. I want to learn. I want to love. I want to be healthy. I want to leave a legacy for upcoming generations that gives them a brighter future and not impede their chance of survival. I want to be the change. I want…
How will I accomplish all of these “wants” though? The ancient proverb “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is the answer. The key is not to ask how, but simple to ask for what you want and to move. Take action and attempt to get there. Somewhere along the way I will look back and realize not only did I reach the island, but I swam a great distance and grew in the process.
To that end, I thought I would let you know what I am doing these days. I am living in TO, but I have also taken over my parents farmland and moved to the countryside near Peterborough as well. In honour of “being the change” I am most excited to tell you that I also partnered with an organic collective called Castanea. They will begin planting organic crops and running their collective on the land this spring. I am in the early stages of building my recording studio now called “The Farm” on the property. It should be up and running by the end of the year. I am also in the progress of attempting to move the property to off grid. It’s a long term dream, but I am moving steadily ahead.
The new album “The Burning Bright” is obviously out and taking on a life of it’s own. I’ll be shooting another video soon. I’ll be touring Canada and Europe this year, with plans of US shows as well to be announced soon. I am also producing a young Canadian artist named Peter Katz this April with my production pal Bill Lefler.
Of course I also continue to study wine, compose and arrange music, create art in various forms both visual and the written word that will someday find their way out into the world, spend time with my loved ones and ever growing family, and most importantly, dream big.
“Purpose”, you are a mighty force.
Xo
Royal
 
And then..in an interview conducted while he was RIDING AROUND EDMONTON ON HIS SISTERS BIKE..is native son Michael Rault.
He has a new EP coming called Living Daylight.
Weekend dates below..
 
Toronto based artist from Edmonton, Michael Rault announces new album, Living Daylight, out June 24 on Pirates Blend. Watch the “summer road tripping” video for the infectious album track “Lost Something” today courtesy of Noisey. Canadian tour dates commence today with more to be announced very soon.
 
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “LOST SOMETHING” VIA NOISEY HERE
“a bubbly summer coasting song of riding with the windows down, high-fives and good times” Noisey
 
The history of rock n roll meets the future of power pop in Toronto-based Michael Rault, singer, guitarist, and frontman of the band that shares his name. With roots in punk and rhythm and blues, Rault mixes the classic pop rock influences of The Kinks and The Beatles with the psych-pop sounds of Os Mutantes, creating a sophisticated combination loaded with hooks. The key to Michael Rault’s music is in its simplicity: the expert mix of melody and momentum, his band’s skilled musicianship, and Rault’s focused song-writing all combine in perfectly compact resonance.
 
Rault recently moved from Edmonton to Toronto, where his new EP came to fruition. Set for release June 24 on Pirates Blend Records, Living Daylight, explores feelings of leaving home and trying to make your way in a new city. Back in Edmonton as a teenager, Rault got his start in punk bands before turning to the rhythm and blues masters for inspiration, honing his guitar work and songwriting prowess in the process. Having proved that he can hold his own ground alongside any Diddley-beat revivalist, Rault then set his eyes on the future, creating something that is equally indebted to the British Invasion and classic psych-pop, while fitting in nicely with new artists like Mikal Cronin, The Fresh and Onlys, and King Tuff. Rault has an insane knack for melody and a very deep understanding of music history, something he has in common with Edmonton contemporaries like Mac DeMarco, Travis Bretzer, Sean Nicholas Savage and Homeshake.
 
“This EP is a nice stepping stone on the way to some even more interesting recordings in the future,” says Rault. “I feel like there are no longer any rules or boundaries in my mind as to what I can or can’t do in the studio or at shows. Whatever I can dream up is my style, and only until I get on to the next thing. I’m more excited about making music right now than I ever have been.”
 
Living Daylight was performed and recorded by Rault and his cousin Rene Wilson (Mint Recording Artist Renny Wilson) in Edmonton in spring 2013, between bedrooms and Riverdale Recorders studios. With Rault back in his hometown, he and his cousin were able to focus on perfecting the composition and sound of every track – and it shows. Everything about Rault’s recordings sounds at once classic and contemporary: fuzzed out guitars intersect swirling organs and taut rhythmic patterns, with subtly textured vocals soaring over undeniable hooks. Songs like the infectious “Lost Something” blend all the hallmarks of quintessential pop rock in perfect measurements, with its timeless chorus marrying psychedelic ambience and punk rock economy together in one flawless package. On “Too All My Friends” (named after one of his childhood friend’s misspelled tattoos), Rault effortlessly imbues the glint of 60s production into a powerful pop anthem.
As the current ascension in Michael Rault’s ever-evolving musical narrative, Living Daylight has all the ingredients of a contemporary classic, with a forward-thinking approach to ideas that transcend time and place.
 
LIVING DAYLIGHT TRACK LIST
01 All Alone (On My Own)
02 Too Bad So Sad
03 Real Love (Yeah)
04 Hiding From A Heartbreak
05 Lovers Lie
06 Lost Something
07 Too All My Friends
 
CANADIAN TOUR DATES
May 15 – Berkeley St. Theatre Intermission Series – Toronto ON
May 17 – Pawn Shop, Hot Plains Music Fest – Edmonton AB
May 18 – Empress (matinee), Hot Plains Music Fest – Edmonton AB
May 18 – The Palomino – Calgary AB
MORE DATES TBA SOON
 
 
ARTIST SITE: http://michaelrault.bandcamp.com/
LABEL SITE: www.piratesblend.com
 

 PLAYLIST: