Chamber pop act Brent Randall & His Pinecones will be touring across Canada this March and April in support of their new 7″ single, Strange Love (Just Friends). The release precedes the group’s forthcoming LP, “We Were Strangers in Paddington Green” (May, 2008).
Arriving fully formed, Brent Randall & His Pinecones released the expertly crafted debut EP, “Quite Precisely…,” in late 2004. The seven songs on the album showed a style of song and depth in writing rarely seen since Brill Building era pop. Randall quickly became a enigmatic yet renowned character throughout the East Coast.
Along with His Pinecones, made up of Laura Peek, David Ewenson, Joel Goguen, Brian O’Reilly and Jess Lewis, he played several legendary shows in the years that followed, previewing new songs from an ever forthcoming LP that never seemed to materialize.
Four years later, and the wait is finally over.
With the advance single, “Strange Love” (Just Friends), Randall offers two songs from his upcoming LP, We Were Strangers in Paddington Green.
From the first listen of “Strange Love (Don’t Be Lazy)”, it’s apparent that the time spent honing the songs in studio was not in vein. The track’s cabaret inspired delivery balances camp and beauty with equal grace. The b-side of the single is the more contemplative, “This Absence of Mine.” With ghostly backing vocals and climbing synth lines, it offers an exciting glimpse at the depth of the forthcoming LP. Produced by Jason MacIssac (Jenn Grant, The Heavy Blinkers), the song’s lush sound is reminiscent of peak era Paul McCartney and Harry Nilsson.
ba johnston has spent the last 4 years either living at his moms or touring canada on the greyhound bus. he’s played in laundromats, laundry rooms, stag and does, church halls, legions, bars, bookstores, vegan cafes and other hell holes across this country with bands like immaculate machine, cuff the duke and mayor mcca. his music is nerd rock at its highest point, dork lullabys and loser anthems. 5 albums later he is still eating mr.noodles in his moms basement and hoping to soon escape. he is the definition of FRYCOOL.
One of the recurring themes of many spiritual traditions, from Christianity to Sufism, is the importance of being “in the world but not of it.” The idea is that participation in public life and culture shouldn’t compromise your ability to hold fast to your values. As a dedicated musician, Ethan Collister lives according to this principle…………………………………….In order to prioritize music in his life, Ethan has traveled everywhere from the Canadian prairies to the heart of New York, a wandering troubadour of the great folk tradition. Every summer he returns to his native Alberta, working as a fire lookout in the remote northern forest. From his lofty perch he spends four solitary months watching the land and writing songs, cultivating a perspective lost in the noise and rush of the city…………………………………………………………………………….As the leaves begin to turn, Ethan sets out into the world once again. He comes to town with a smile and a handshake, eager to share his songs. For several years he called Vancouver home, where he built a name for himself as a gracious and captivating performer. From there he made his way east, touring the vast reaches of central Canada en route to Montréal. There he took a job as a dishwasher, happy to scrub for his supper and still have plenty of time to spend with his guitar. Currently residing in New York, Ethan is selling Christmas trees in order to finance his upcoming album. If you happen to find him on a corner in Brooklyn, be sure to ask for a copy when you pick out your tree…………………………As you might expect, Ethan’s music reflects his diverse experiences. His guitar, a constant companion over the years, rings bold and true in contemplative folk and raucous protest songs alike. His lyrics are artful and direct. Like a cross between Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, Ethan sings for both town and country, seeing the beauty and sadness contained in each.