The 5 to watch. Singer songwriters.

This is a weekly list I’ve decided to do for fun. It is a list of 5 things, persons, events, or places that I think are worth watching… or in this case listening to, and yes watching.To make things easier and less contentious the list is alphabetical.

This week’s list is about 5 smooth sounding singer songwriters that hail from Prince Edward Island. Each has a web presence, and I hope you check out their sites. The descriptions below are from their own descriptions on their websites.

1. Tim  Chaisson  (born September 6, 1986) is a Canadian singer/songwriter and is the front man of Tim Chaisson & Morning Fold based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Previously, Chaisson was a member of the Canadian Celtic/contemporary group, Kindle. Chaisson was born in Bear River, Prince Edward Island.

2. Rose Cousins is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, she is currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She released two EPs prior to her full-length debut, If You Were for Me, in 2006. The album garnered her a nomination for best solo artist at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.She was also a winner in the 2007 Mountain Stage NewsongContest, as well as winning best folk recording from both the Nova Scotia Music Awards and the PEI Music Awards, and Female Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards in 2008. She followed up with The Send Off in 2009. The Send Off was produced by Luke Doucet, and features guest musicians including Kathleen Edwards, Melissa McClelland, David Myles, Jenn Grant and Tom Wilson. Cousins has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by Grant, Joel Plaskett, In-Flight Safety, Two Hours Traffic, Matt Mays, Catherine MacLellan, Jill Barber, Matt Epp, Old Man Luedecke, Ruth Minnikin, The Olympic Symphonium and Craig Cardiff, and has performed live with Royal Wood, Daniel Ledwell, Rose Polenzani, Anne Heaton and Laura Cortese.

3. Tanya Davis is a poet. She is a storyteller. She is a musician and a singer-songwriter and she fuses these elements together in a refreshing matrimony of language and sound, side-stepping genre and captivating audiences in the process. With the release of her third album, Clocks and Hearts Keep Going, in November 2010, she affirms her well-earned place in the ranks of thoughtful and hard-working Canadian Artists.

4. Lennie Gallant Recognized by his peers as one of Canada’s best performing songwriters, Lennie Gallant is a native of Prince Edward Island now living in Nova Scotia. This prolific songwriter has recorded nine albums (seven in English and two in French), which have won him a host of awards and nominations from both the JUNOs and East Coast Music Awards. His album, “When We Get There” was nominated for a JUNO Award and went into space aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in July 2009. Canadian astronaut Julie Payette chose the album for the astronaut crew to enjoy.

5. Jenn Grant   The honeymoon continues for East Coast nightingale Jenn Grant, who released her third album on Six Shooter Records on September 25, 2012. With The Beautiful Wild, Jenn follows love’s twisted, tangled path deep into the heart’s jungle. The new record is about finding the courage to lose oneself in the wilderness, in all of its savage and sublime experiences.

The dense, exotic sounds of The Beautiful Wild depart from the giddy blush of Honeymoon Punch, Jenn Grant’s Juno Nominated and Polaris Long Listed previous album. There is a mature solemnity to be found that creates a new intimacy and immediacy with the listener. Jenn Grant’s intuitive ability to express emotion has helped to define her as one of Canada’s premiere vocalists; even in the darkest corners of the wilderness, her prismatic, iridescent voice continues to sparkle, dancing over adventurous new layers that include harp, flute and sitar.

Jenn Grant is a lively member of a thriving East Coast artist community. The Beautiful Wild features many notable locals, including Old Man Luedecke, Rose Cousins, Erin Costello, Kinley Dowling, David Christiansen and the Halifax Boys’ Honour Choir.

f you like this list check out my other 5 to watch lists.  Previous  Next

Jenn Grant At The Primavera Sound Festival.

My sister in law, Jenn Grant is performing at the PrimaVera Sound Festival in Barcelona Spain this week. Here is one of my favourite Jenn songs.

My top twenty albums to paint to.

If I had to pick twenty albums to paint to I’d probably go with this very random assortment of music. All of these albums have been in heavy rotation as I’ve painted over the years. What music do you like to listen to as you paint?

Arcade Fire Neon Bible.

Louis Armstrong plays W.C.Handy

The Beatles Abbey Road.

Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Sessions.

Elvis Costello King of America.

Miles Davis Kind of Blue.

Miles Davis ‘Round About Midnight.

The Clash London Calling.

Billy Bragg Talking with the tax man about poetry.

Leonard Cohen Live in London.

Jenn Grant Echoes

Nick Lowe The Convincer

Bruce Springsteen Nebraska.

Squeeze Singles 45’s and under.

Stan Rogers Home in Halifax.

The Royal Tenenbaums

The White Stripes Icky Thump

Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine

U2 All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Feist Let It Die

A Wednesday list of ten things I like.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like. listed in alphabetical order of course, and complete with links where possible.

1. Cats. I’ve always been a cat person, and I’ve had many cats. Some have had more personality than others, but I’ve enjoyed them all. The cat we have now is a great little black and white cat, and I’ve grown to like her even more lately. With two small kids in the house our cat has shown great patience, and affection to the kids. Any cat willing to be carried around upside down by a 4 1/2 year old, and petted with a brush by a 17 month old is all right by me.

2. Canada. I love Canada, it’s a great country, and I hope it will still be a great country to live in four years from now. Monday I felt panic; now I feel resigned to fate. If one thing can be learned from Monday’s election  it is time for the New Democrats, Liberals, and Greens to discuss forming a new party. One that a majority of Canadians can support. Right leaning Liberals seem to have thrown their support to the Conservatives and good riddance to them.

3. Dr Who. I’ve been a long time fan of Dr Who, and Matt Smith who plays the 11th Dr is doing a great job of escaping the very large shadow of David Tennant. Matt Smith seems to be able to make the Dr seem like an old soul, and he is lucky to have one of the best companions in many years played by Karen Gillan. But I have to say that David Tennant owns the role and will probably always be remembered as the greatest Dr.

4. Jenn Grant. I have to admit I’m a bit biased where Jenn Grant is concerned but she is one of the finest singer songwriters in Canada. Her stage show is always great, and she always delights the audience with her amazing voice and personality. “Getcha Good” is one of my favorite of her newer songs and one of her best videos.

5. Kevin Henkes. Over the years I’ve read thousands of children’s books to my daughter and son, and one writer who really stands out is Kevin Henkes. His stories are heartfelt without being overly sentimental, and he is a great illustrator with a wonderful sense of line and colour.

6.Hot Dogs. Summertime comes and it is the season for one of my favorite junk foods. I love BBQing , and I always enjoy a BBQ hot dog with lots of onions, relish, and a cold beer. Sometimes on a Saturday I find myself wandering to the hardware store hoping that a sports team is having a hot dog fundraiser in the parking lot. The only problem is that I spend the rest of the day having hot dog burps.

7.Olfa HandSaver. This is a great kraft knife to have in the studio. It is heavy enough to cut matte board and is great for delicate cutting. It fits nicely in the hand and is safe to use. If the knife is used properly the blade doesn’t slip.

8. Optimism. I like optimistic people and I think I’m an optimist. Sometimes optimists can be amusing. For instance, there is no one more optimistic than a Toronto Maple Leafs fan during golf season.

8. Rives BFK drawing paper. This is a lovely and beautiful drawing paper. It is a versatile paper suitable for drawing, printmaking, and monoprinting.

9 .Sidewalks. I enjoy walking and I love sidewalks. They are great for standing around on and talking. They can also be used for bouncing things on, drawing on, hopscotch, and removing unwanted flesh from your knees. In Charlottetown we have fairly good sidewalks, they could be a bit wider, and in a bit better shape, and there could be more.

10. Waking up in the morning. There are two things I really like about waking up in the morning. The first is that it means I’ve actually managed to get some sleep, and with two small kids I seem to need more sleep than I actually get. The second is that it means I’m not dead, and I really enjoy not being dead. Not being dead means I get to do all kinds of cool things I really like, such as sleeping.