Sometimes You Win is a winner. It's been a long time coming, this latest CD from Joe Stanton and the Precious Littles. The 13 original tunes, launched on the Coast last month, are in a difficult-to-define genre -is it old time country, folk, Americana, bluegrass or roots? Or all of the above?
"We started to make it about two years ago, but with everybody's schedules, jobs and families it's taken this long," Stanton said.
He said he is the luckiest guy in the music world because he writes a song idea then takes it to the band and they make it grow together. The band in this case is Tom Neville on violin and mandolin, Gerry Millar on bass, Jay Johnson on drums and Simon Paradis on lead guitar and vocals.
They recorded locally with Ray Fulber at Strait Sound, but the week that the new CD was pressed Paradis was involved in a life changing accident that left him coping with head and back injuries. Paradis is a huge part of the band, Stanton said, plus he was co-producing the CD with Fulber. The group decided to wait on their big launch until the lead guitarist came home from hospital.
By February, when they drew a full house for a launch show at La Cabana Gallery, Paradis was able to attend, though his performing role was limited.
"He's working on getting back to his music," said Stanton.
Sometimes You Win is full of such stories. Some of the songs follow the adventures of a sad guy whose baby has left him and whose car needs a tow, as in The Hard Way. Are these tales based on Stanton's life? "Yes, most of it is based on my life although I took some poetic licence," Stanton laughs.
The song 99 Days, in the sub genre of prison blues, is drawn from his teenage years when he spent 99 minutes in a jail cell, he recalls. One of the liveliest songs on the CD, Busking at the Bahnhof Buffet (So let's pass the hat round one more time/Buck up, don't be shy/ Here comes the polezei) should resonate with every musician. There are no tricks, no fancy stuff, as Stanton points out. It's an honest recording.
Stanton appears solo this Saturday at the Backeddy Pub in Egmont, and will be jamming with other musicians at the Garden Bay Pub this Sunday. After a big launch in Vancouver at the end of April, the group will perform on May 9 at the Roberts Creek Legion. CDs are available at Coast Books, MeloMania, Fresh from the Coast and the Halfmoon Bay store.
Any Coast fan who has watched Gaetan Bergevin rock out at an event or a jam at the Garden Bay Pub, might be surprised by this softer, romantic side of his original music. With Bergevin, the music is the thing. There are few stories on his new CD, Let it Go, launched on the Coast last month -just raw emotion expressed though his eloquent guitar work and textured vocals in a professional, talented fashion.The songs were written over the last three years.
"I was in love," he said. "My relationship inspired me."
Since moving to the Coast seven years ago, Bergevin, who works by day as a home reno contractor, has appeared at dances and bars where his cover tunes were popular. But many fans asked him for original songs and he decided to wait until he had enough for a CD. This, his second recording (his first was in French), was launched in March and he's on a roll. Now, he doesn't want to stop making his own music.
The title tune Let it Go is slow paced and reflects the sad state of the relationship at this time. Taste of You is outstanding blues while Close to You should give any romantic a thrill. Bound for a Change, written by a friend, Gilles Sioui, is one of his own favourites and Fragile Madelaine, sung in French, is delightful. There is one cover song, the classic Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, perfect for Bergevin's earthy, rich voice.A host of local performers and artists chip in to support this recording. Among others, Celso Machado plays percussion and the fiddle music of Erynn Marshall and Blaine Dunaway adds volumes to the array of talent. Suzanne Richter and Lynda Hayes make lyric contributions. The cover art, faintly erotic, is from a painting by Mardi Ahmed and most of the tracks were produced on the Coast at Strait Sound.
Bergevin's launch at a country club in Roberts Creek in March was a hit and will be broadcast on Coast Cable in the near future. Right now he's trying to organize a concert tour of Vancouver Island and pushing for radio play across Canada.
Let It Go is available at Coast Books, Windsong Gallery and Wilson Creek Shell Station.
