Canada's New Folk Hero

From Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot to Robbie Robertson and Joni Mitchell, Canada has developed many singer songwriters that have gained international acclaim through their precious and insightful stories. Now, from relative obscurity, comes Shannon Lyon and the album Summer Blonde, the most sincere and authentic folk album to grace Canada in the last two decades.  Released earlier this year,"Summer Blonde" is an introspective album with Lyon laying his emotional cards on the table. Going from dark and brooding in the track "Trigger Down" to beautiful and melodic in the lush "Did You Know That", the beauty of Summer Blonde is the honesty and sincerity of Lyons lyrics and his simplistic, yet evocative delivery.  From the contemplation of where his life is at in the lead track "The Hobo Song" to the fear of growing old in "Right Time of Year", Summer Blonde  evokes Dylan's  Blood on the Tracks , each containing elegant and introspective songs that represent and tell of, monumental times in their respective lives.

Summer Blonde, produced by Bill Braun, is presented in two parts: side one and side two. The first side seems to represent the pursuit and the uncertainty of what lays ahead in life.  While the second side seems to capture thoughts of content and introspectiveness with a longing for that uncertainty that accompanies youth for which Lyon seems reluctant to part with (aren't we all). Most of the songs on Summer Blonde are delivered melodically with Lyon's subtle acoustic guitar accompanied by a range of instruments from a lap steel to a fiddle, which enhance the texture of each track. Guest musicians include Kim Deschamps of Blue Rodeo and famed folk artist Richard Buckner.

The voice of Shannon Lyon is raw in the most beautiful sense, reminiscent of Jerry Garcia, in the way that Garcia was able to convey so much emotion without having to possess a dynamic vocal range.

Summer Blonde is a superb folk album. Canada seems to produce a great singer songwriter every so often, Shannon Lyon is definitely one of them.

For more info on Shannon Lyon be sure to check out: www.shannonlyon.net

Acoustic and Psychedelic are Zubot and Dawson

If your music doesn't seem to fit into any genre than what do you do? Well in the case of Vancouver's Steve Dawson and Jesse Zubot, you make up your own genre: Strang, the weird and wild style that is Zubot and Dawson. Strang can only be described as,  well as if someone had laced the kool aid at a bluegrass convention with the strongest LSD available. Formerly, the juno nominated (Canada's Grammy) Spirit Merchants, Zubot and Dawson have taken their unique sound to a higher level with Tractor Parts: "Further Adventures in Strang" the new album available on Black Hen Music. The foundation in each song lies with Dawson's unique guitar styling ( airline resonator guitar, Hawaiian slide guitar,  among others) and Zubot's crafty and creative work with the mandolin and fiddle. Each song has a plethora of guest musicians that make up this intense and eclectic instrumental music.

Zubot and Dawson are open to any avenue of musical exploration, incorporating tubas, drums, bass, synthesizers, samples and loops into their repertoire which varies with each individual track.  Recorded in scenic Whistler, British Columbia, Tractor Parts is an album that is a collection of songs that build from relative  simplicity and explode into climatic and intense jams. Zubot and Dawson also know how to write a catchy hook. The song "The Nibbler" about a fictitous super hero that the band created, is a tight number with a catchy hook that embeds itself into your conscious.  >From freaked out psychedelic to catchy country riffs, all the songs on Tractor Parts hit the listener differently.  Zubot and Dawson have created one of the most unique and creative instrumental albums to date. Tractor Parts: Further Adventures in Strang could be the albums that spawns Strang craziness, we can only hope.

For more info on Zubot and Dawson check out: www.zubotanddawson.com