The reviews are in for Woodland Telegraph’s From the Fields!    Big thanks to all of the people who have written kind words about the 2nd release in the groups’ Canadian Landscape Trilogy!  Charting all across the country on the !Earshot Folk/Roots and Top 30 charts,  Woodland Telegraph are ecstatic with how well their sophmore album has been received…

“Using the Western Prairies as a backdrop, Matthew Lovegrove has crafted a brilliant tribute to those who have forged a life within a harsh landscape”        

“Sparkling, energetic, and sometimes breath-taking acoustic arrangements underpin Matthew Lovegrove’s paens to the pleasure of rural livin’”.   

“Delicate and sung with genuine amazement- These  melodies live in cabins and farmhouses, deeply breath the winter air, and share a spirit of community. These songs are Canada, seen in her  finest light”

“Remember Sufjan Stevens’ fanciful plan to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. states? This Alberta band’s “Canadian Landscape Trilogy” could be our characteristically modest equivalent. The first, Sings Revival Hymns, was devoted to the mountains. The just-released second entry concerns itself largely with farms and prairies, though those settings extend beyond geography into metaphor. ”

“Woodland Telegraph’s togetherness is undeniable. This is definately worth a listen!”

Now how Canadian is this? The great folks over at www.herohill.com  have been working long and hard to organize a Canada Day Gordon Lightfoot tribute for free download on their site. herohill vs. Gordon Lightfoot includes over 30 (!!) groups covering their favourite Ligthfoot songs, and I have to tell you: I am listening to the comp right now, and every song is extremely well done… Who wants to nominte HH for the Order of Canada?

Here’s the link to a video that minimalist/maximalist BJ VICKS put together of Woodland Telegraph’s cover of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald     

Exciting news coming up with hints including:  A NEW WOODLAND TELEGRAPH ALBUM TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CHILDREN NATURE ACTIVITES IN ALBERTA!  NEW TOUR DATES!  

go easy  and come back soon!

Press play, large up the screen and bliss out to wonderful images of Southern Alberta set to samples of Woodland Telegraph’s latest album From the Fields! Big thanks to John Novotny and Alberta Parks for the footage and inspiration.

We are also excited to announce the launch of Pay What You Want Digital Download of From the Fields here at Northern Folklore.

Pay $3 or $32: whatever you think is appropriate and download the album (in mp3, ALAC, FLAC format- incl. cover art and insert) below by clicking on the DONATE button. You will be whisked away to PayPal where you decide the price, then over to the download page- Easy as pie!

Whatever you want to pay is fine by us, we just want you to hear the record and enjoy!

For tangible copies, scroll further down this page  good sir  or madam

Digital Music Downloads:
Direct “Pay What you Want” Digital Download from Northern Folklore

Imagine Gordon Lightfoot’s epic “Canadain Railroad Trilogy” then expand your view to take in all of Canada’s vast and beautiful landscapes- from the towering peaks of the Rockies, out over the expansive prairies to the rugged shores of Lake Superior; flowing over the rainforests of the west to the fishingvillages perched on the Atlantic shore… Woodland Telegraph would like to take you into the heart of these places on their Canadian Landscape Trilogy, three distinct albums capturing the feeling, history and culture of the landscapes that mark Canada’s national identity and imagination. Northern Folklore is proud to present the second installment in this trilogy: From the Fields….

Join Woodland Telegraph on a ten-song journey into the prairies and farmland on From the Fields, an album of anthemic Canadian roots music …

Little Seed Rising: farmers sued by multi-national cororation- inspired by Percy and Louise Schmeiser

Written and recorded in Southern Alberta, songwriter Matthew Lovegrove wanted to capture the atmosphere and feeling of the prairies while exploring the stories of the people who call it home. Crafting songs from personal anecdotes, newspaper clippings and historical books, the lyrics tell of the hardship and beauty of the plains, backed by a musical landscape rich in vocal harmony and diverse instrumentation. You will hear atmospheric folk songs and stomping bluegrass alongside orchestral washes and fierce electric guitar. In Little Seed Rising we meet Saskatchewan farmers sued by a multi-national corporation, their message of hope resounding with choral vocals and driving train-track banjos. In the lush instrumentation of Niagara Escarpment, Ontario’s farmland winter nights are described with a dream-like ambience. From the harsh realities of prairie living to the awe of watching a harvest moon rising over the horizon, these songs are held together by a love of place and a passion to map out the landscape of our country…

In the Ground : the story of ranchers forced to leave their home due to sour gas oil development in the foothills

Woodland Telegraph’s Canadian Landscape Trilogy: Three albums of anthemic roots music exploring three different iconic Canadian landscapes. Packaged in hand-sewn cardboard cases along with a origami/topographical map inserts, the first 2 albums of the series (Mountains, Prairies) are available below for $18 a peice or $32 for both (shipping included).  Shipped day of orcer anywhere in North America.

Ordering Information- Limited Edition Handsewn Cardboard Case with Origami map insert:

Canadian Landscape Trilogy

From the Fields $18.00 …sings Revival Hymns $18.00 …sings Revival Hymns/From the Fields package $32.00

Digital Music Downloads:
Direct “Pay What you Want” Digital Download from Northern Folklore

You decide how much you would like to pay for a digital copy of Woodland Telegraph’s From the Fields. Available in MP3, FLAC and ALAC audio formats and includes album art work…  Click on the Paypal Donate button below, choose the amount, and after checkout you will be taken to a secure download site to begin the downloading magic!

Other Digital  Purchase Options: (Woodland Telegraph get a percentage of your purchase to continue their musical journey, big corps get the rest)

WOODLAND TELEGRAPH ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCICAL SUPPORT OF THE ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS:SUPPORT GOOD CANADIAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC

If you like the cover  artwork of From the Fields, head youself over the www.barrytate.com His beautifully surreal “Alberta Wheat Pool” painting  graces the cover, and he has giclee reproductions as well as originals available for purchase on his website. Much of his content is pastoral and landscape based and  I can’t say enough good things about it, so go have yourself a look!  If you would like to contact him re. his art, email is barry@barrytate.com

COME ON OUT TO THE GULF ISLANDS/VANCOUVER ISLAND/ SUNSHINE COAST FOR SOME CANADIANA ROOTS-STOMPING BLUEGRASS-WEST COAST G-FUNK-

ALL FOR GOOD CAUSES!

Both HFH and Woodland Telegraph will again be touring the west coast of Canada this Spring,  bringing you some of the finest roots songwriting that this country has to offer!

 Blues journier and CHLY radio personality HAPPY FEET HOWE begins this tour solo with a fundraising walk from the town of Lund on the Sunshine Coast all the way on over Saltpring Island (contrary to popular belief, he will be taking the ferry, not walking across the water).  Along the way he will be stopping to play concerts to raise money for CHLY, Nanaimo’s bastion of alternative radio. Come out, listen to fine music and perhaps give Miles a footrub!

~HAPPY FEET HOWE CHLY FUNDRAISING WALK~

On May 5th, Woodland Telegraph will join HFH in Nanaimo for three fundraising concerts for another great cause: The HAVEN WOMEN’s SHELTER in Nanaimo. Money from these concerts will be donated to the Haven in order to continue their support of women facing violence /sexual assault in the Nanaimo copmmunity.  Then, from May 8th through till June, both groups will tour the Gulf Islands in support of the ISLAND TRUST FUND, a conservency group dedicated to protecting the special places on the Gulf Islands for everyone to enjoy.  Woodland Telegraph will be on this leg of the tour until May 21st when HFH will venture solo into the wilderness of Canadian summer…

HAPPY FEET HOWE/WOODLAND TELEGRAPH HAVEN FUNDRAISING CONCERTS

~acoustic music for people sick of folk songs~

Now for some loose threads of news:

The cherry on top of a wonderful last year for Woodland Telegraph was when was named the #1. Canadian record for all of 2009 on the CBC Galaxie Folk/Roots charts. What a holiday surprise! Again, we were humbled and thankful for the kindness of one Roch Parisien who turned out to be probably on of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. And he programs tons of independendent Canadian roots for his station. What a guy!

CBC GALAXIE FOLK/ROOTS YEAR END CHART

1. Woodland Telegraph — Sings Revival Hymns — (Northern Folklore)
2. Great Lake Swimmers — Lost Channels — (weewerk/nettwerk)
3. One Hundred Dollars — Forest of Tears — (Blue Fog)
4. The Breakmen — When You Leave Town — (thebreakmen.com)
5. Bruce Cockburn — Slice of Life: Live Solo — (True North/Linus)
6. Jesse Winchester — Love Filling Station — (Appleseed)
7. Nathan Rogers — The Gauntlet — (Borealis)
8. Amelia Curran — Hunter, Hunter — (Six Shooter/Warner)
9. Dave Gunning — We’re All Leaving — (Wee House of Music/Fontana North)
10. Catherine McLellan — Water in the Ground — (True North/Linus)
11. Amy Campbell — Oh Heart, Oh Highway (Battle-Axe Folk)
12. Romi Mayes — Achin in Yer Bones — ( www.romimayes.com )
13. The Deep Dark Woods — Winter Hours — (Black Hen)
14. Kate Reid — I’m Just Warming Up — (www.katereid.net)
15. Dan Mangan — Nice, Nice, Very Nice (FU:M/Outside)
16. Elliott Brood — Mountain Meadows — (Six Shooter/Warner)
17. Maria Dunn — The Peddler — (Distant Whisper)
18. Marianne Girard — Pirate Days — ( www.mariannegirard.com)
19. Ian Tyson — Yellowhead to Yellowstone and other Love Stories — (Stony Plain)
20. Jim Byrnes — My Walking Stick — (Black Hen)

Posted below is a real kind review from NXNE.com written by mountain woman Danielle Palmer, what a gal!

Review: Woodland Telegraph Sings Revival Hymns

The Rocky Mountains are truly one of Canada’s most beautiful landscapes. Matthew Lovegrove’s Woodland Telegraph sets out to capture the beauty of the Canadian Rockies landscape as well as its history in Woodland Telegraph sings Revival Hymns. This is the first in a trilogy of albums based on Canadian history and landscape.

Lovegrove wintered in an old cabin/research station (the Barrier Lake Field Station) while writing and researching material for Revival Hymns in the Kananaskis Valley. Having also spent some time living in the Rockies, and also being a huge fan of Canadiana in song form, I was eager to hear the history and landscape of the mountains translated to music. Woodland Telegraph sings Revival Hymns did not disappoint.

The album captures both the loneliness and wonderment of mountain life, especially in tracks such as Lantern on the Mountain which conjures images of haunting solitude as it tells the story of someone snowbound alone in a cabin, imagining glimpses of life while waiting for death. Revival Hymns also features atmospheric musicianship with Lovegrove playing the banjo, guitar, and mandolin, and guests playing harmonica, lapsteel, viola, and violin. Many of the songs feature Rockies locales such as Deadman’s Flats, Dover Flour Mill, and Oil City Hotel.

The stories featured in the songs were well-researched and centred on local folklore. The research of Canadian Rockies-based stories lead Lovegrove to local oral history preservation through the Canmore Cassette Project. The project involved the digitalization of audio cassette recordings featuring elder Canmore residents recounting local stories, from the Canmore Museum and GeoSciences Centre.

The second of the trilogy from Woodland Telegraph, From the Fields, is centred on farm and prairie landscapes. Matthew Lovegrove is currently recording in prairie locations in Southern Alberta. The locations include an old prairie ghost town church where Lovegrove hopes to further capture the prairie atmosphere. From the Fields is set for a late summer 2010 release date.

But you don’t have to take my word for it on how great Woodland Telegraph Sings Revival Hymns is, you can listen to and purchase here. Or check out the Woodland Telegraph MySpace. The CD itself is well worth the purchase, featuring origami artwork and cases sewn by Lovegrove himself. Revival Hymns also topped The Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel’s Top Spins of 2009 charts

We haven’t spoke in awhile- since our tour to Vancouver Island- and I thot I would fill you in on what’s been going on around these parts. Like a ghost town in the waves of summer heat, things have been very queit at the Northern Folklore camp, but in the glint of the setting sun in a broken window, things are stirring alive…

Pre-production is well underway for Woodland Telegraph’s sophomore release entitled: “From the Fields”. It is the second in their trilogy of Canadiana Landscape records and promises to raise the bar for homegrown roots exponentially….expect a summer 2010 release.

After a summer of tree planting, Happy Feet Howe is MIA: but be rest assured that he is out there somewhere blowing harp and singing songs to move your feet. Last I heard he was back on Vancouver Island, but again, that’s just talk you hear at night when the drink is flowing and spectres of the bluesmen arise…

Below is a little press that Woodland Telegraph amassed in the Canmore Leader in regards to a concert at the wonderful Mt. Engadine Lodge in the Rocky Mountains. Over $500 dollars was raised for the Canmore Food Bank and they delighted the intimate crowd with new farmland songs, a few old favourites and Lindy Gray introduced her latest instrument, the singing saw, on a new song called “In Half”.

 WT was also recently included on the second edition of the “Tofino Live” CD which was recorded back in April at a sold out show on Vancouver Island. It includes 11 local Tofino and Ucluelet acts as well as WT who were joined by Happy Feet Howe on stage sporting a life-like giraffe mask which proved difficult for playing harp through but provided some great pictures! 

In a half whispered tone, i might speculate that Lindy Gray is hard at work on a solo album based on circus love songs and matador ballads with some of the finest musicians in Vancouver’s vibrant east-end scene…Definately on the horizon…

Again, thank you for coming by…I hope that this finds your summer lingering and the ideas flowing! 

Congratulations to Happy Feet Howe for the completion of his monumental, 60+ plus concerts, 71 day Winter Tour of Canada!  Miles joined up with woodland telegraph on Vancouver Island to finish off the tour and was greeted with dancing fans at everystop~

 When asked if he would ever play that many shows again, in the middle of winter living out of a station wagon, the harmonica-mandolin madman replied: “Next winter, I’ll do more.”

We are working at getting two interviews that Matthew Lovegrove conducted: one with Alberta radio station CKUA and the other with CBC Alberta. In both, he speaks about the process of reseaching the historical moments found on “…sings Revival Hymns” as well as the inspiration and need to bring Canadian heritage stories to light in innovative formats.

We are also in the planning and grant writing stages of a project to record the stories of Tofino area residents on Vancouver Island. Very exciting news to follow soon…

And don’t forget that Happy Feet Howe and Maxim are still heading westward, playing their own unique brand of roots music and sharing stories from the heartland of Canada!

Stay Tuned!

Listen to Happy Feet Howe and Maxim on CBC RADIO Bandwidth Saturday March 7th, 5 pm-6 PM Eastern Time:

www.cbc.ca/bandwidth.com

Hear woodland telegraph on the Toronto Star Anti-Hit List Podcast here:

http://starweb.blogs.com/podcasts/antihit_list/    Click on February 28th

We were honoured to be included on John Sakamoto’s influential Anti-Hit List which was in the February 28th edition of the Toronto Star. We were number 3 on the list, here’s what he had to say about us:

3. WOODLAND TELEGRAPH-”Flood Those Spirits”
Vancouver’s Matthew Lovegrove writes songs that are Canadian in the way that, say, Blue Rodeo’s “5 Days in May” or The Tragically Hip’s “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” are Canadian, which is to say you’ll twig to a certain something in the music long before you get to the lyric about the Kananaskis River. On either level, this is a particularly potent exploration of forging connection out of isolation John Sakomoto,    Toronto Star

This winter there are two madmen roaming the icy landscape of Canada, from town to town, bringing the love of all that is good in roots/ blues/rockabilly mayhem to thaw your hearts and get you dancing~ Come out to a town near you for an unforgettable night of storytelling, amazing music and the finest acoustic music this country has to offer!

Early reports from the tour are already rolling in:

“Miles Howe works the town as well as the room. One minute everyone clapping  and  stomping the next minute Miles is running out the door with Maxim on his shoulders headed who knows where?”
Dave Tobey, owner , The Spill Peterborough, On.

“Blistering Fun!”
Jeff Boudreau, Manager, The Grand, Lindsay

Canadian Tour Dates

March 28 – The General Store – Twin Butte, ALBERTA

March 30 – The Brickhouse – Fernie, BC

April 1 – Ceili’s Irish Pub – Calgary, ALBERTA

April 2 – Auditorium Hotel – Nanton, ALBERTA

April 3 – Truffle Pigs Bistro – Field, BC

April 4 – Golden Taps Pub – Golden, BC

April 5 – Woolsey Creek Cafe – Revelstoke, BC

April 7 – Voodoo’s – Penticton, BC

April 8 – Osoyoos, BC

April 9 – Minstrel Cafe and Bar – Kelowna, BC

April 10 – The Flying Steam Shovel Co. – Rossland, BC

April 12 – Cedar Creek Cafe – Winlaw, BC

April 15- Cambie-Nanaimo, BC-with woodland telegraph and Suzy Wedge and the Waves

April 16- Joe’s Garage- Coutenay-w/ woodland telegraph

April 17- The Local Liquor House – Salt Spring Island, BC- w/woodland telegraph

April 18-Spiral Cafe-Victoria, BC w/ woodland telegraph and Jeremy Walsh

April 19-Duncan Garage-Duncan, BC: w/ woodland telegraph, Tone Bent (California)

April 22- SOBOs Eatery- Tofino BC: w/woodland telegraph, smalltown empire

April 23-Digny Dock Pub- Protection Island (Nanaimo), BC- w/woodland telegraph, Kristen Wald

~~~!!!!Come on out!!!!~~~

Over in the woodland telegraph camp, good spirits pervade:

“Not as religious as the album title implies but as serenely bucolic. It is like a view of the great outdoors from a forest ranger tower, there is that much scope and fresh air in writer Matthew Lovegrove’s evocation
of understated folk“ -Tom Harrison, BC Province

woodland telegraph’s debut album “…sings Revival Hymns” recently charted at Number 2. on the !Earshot Folk/Roots charts on Canadian campus’ after spending the month of December at 1.  They also had the fortune of charting on CBC’s Galaxie Folk/Roots charts for December/February as well:

The Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel’s
most-played, high-rotation album releases for December 2008 – January2009:
Canadian:
1. Maria Dunn — The Peddler — (Distant Whisper)
2. The Breakmen — When You Leave Town — (thebreakmen.com)
3. Annabelle Chvostek — Resilience — (Borealis)
4. Elliott Brood — Mountain Meadows — (Six Shooter/Warner)
5. Rae Spoon — Superior You Are Inferior — (raespoon.com)
6. Woodland Telegraph — Sings Revival Hymns — (Northern Folklore)
7. Ian Tyson — Yellowhead to Yellowstone and other Love Stories —
(Stony Plain)
8. Yonder Hill — Yonder Hill —(www.yonderhill.com)
9. Ian Tamblyn — Raincoast — (North Track/Outside)
10. Wyckham Porteous — 3 AM — (Cordova Bay)
11. Anique Granger — Pépins — (La Grange)
12. JP Cormier — The Messenger — (Fontana North)

They will be joining Miles Howe and Maxim to tour Vancouver Island in April, yehaww!

Roll on over to the woodland telegraph artist page to your east  to hear samples  of  songs on the album =>

Packaged in handsewn-cardboard cases complete with an origami insert depicting the cartography of the Rocky Mountains, we offer same day delivery anywhere in North America for $16

With love, from Northern Folklore…

Just wanted to let ya’ll know (especially if you live in Alberta!) that I will be featured on an interview this Saturday on Daybreak Alberta on CBC radio…Host Terri Campbell and I will speak about the latest woodland telegraph album as well as some of the historical moments behind some of the songs on our latest release: “sings Revival Hymns”.
TUNE IN SUCKAZ!

If you are in Alberta, we will be on between 8 o’clock and 9,
that means between 7 and 8 BC time or between 11 and 12 Ontario time…

Thru the wonder of the internet, listen live at the appropriate provincial time!

http://www.cbc.ca/calgary/audio/index.html#frequencies

Click on the CBC radio one listen live link on left of page…

Right on, hope that this finds you well!