ANDRÉ ETHIER ANNOUNCES NEW LP, SHARES FIRST SINGLE

CROAK IN THE WEEDS DUE OUT OCTOBER 11 VIA TELEPHONE EXPLOSION

WATCH AND SHARE “DREAM ON PIGS” HERE

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Photo Credit : Colin Medley // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Croak In The Weeds, the second instalment in a planned trilogy from ex-Deadly Snakes frontman André Ethier, will be released October 11 on Telephone Explosion Records. The nine-song album was created in collaboration with Sandro Perri (producer) at his Toronto studio in late 2018 / early 2019.

“I was imagining a pond at the swamp,” Ethier explains. “A pond gets murkier the deeper you dive. Frogs are amphibians. They’re in and out of the pond like it’s no big deal, but we stay mostly on the shore and only peer in. Then, when the weather is right, the pond rises in a mist and we can breathe it too. We can be in the pond but also on the shore.”

WATCH AND SHARE “DREAM ON PIGS” HERE

Croak In The Weeds continues Ethier and Perri’s musical relationship which was originally established on 2017’s Under Grape Leaves. Croak expands upon that album, deconstructing synthetic elements to a point of raw organic beauty. Lyrically, André’s approach has shifted to the natural world, focusing heavily on flora and fauna. Almost every track on the 34-minute album references animals, with central characters ranging from pigs to dragons. 

This is André’s third attempt at a trilogy of records. Previous attempts have stalled for various reasons; disillusionment with genre, unrealistic sense of self, arachnophobia... Though it would not be inaccurate to suggest that he now has completed a trilogy of unfinished trilogies (he would thank you for your optimistic reasoning,) and is still planning to finish this one. Regarding trilogies, André opines: “In the first you establish the tools and build yourself a room, in the sequel you live in the room and imagine what’s outside, finally in the third.... you escape?”

He doesn’t know, he has never gone all the way…

PAST PRAISE FOR ANDRÉ ETHIER

“André Ethier is a world-class storyteller-songwriter on Under Grape Leaves” - Now Magazine 

“Slow, soft-spoken and built around spare voice/guitar/drum-machine arrangements overseen by esteemed Toronto experimentalist Sandro Perri, Under Grape Leaves adopts a pensive tone to match Ethier’s ruminations” - The Toronto Star  

“Andre Ethier’s ‘Under Grape Leaves’ leaves you with a sense pure calm” - Broken Pencil 

“Under Grape Leaves, a soothing but still powerful journey through the lush, untamed expanse of the mind and soul.” - Dominionated

“Under Grape Leaves is a nuanced collection of intimate songs recorded by Sandro Perri.” - Northern Transmissions

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CROAK IN THE WEEDS TRACKLIST
01 Dream On Pigs
02 Croaks In The Weeds
03 Wedding Band
04 Two Dogs
05 Jenny The Blues
06 Sigfried Slays The Dragon
07 Summer Evening Pigs
08 Froggy
09 Foolish Love

ANDRÉ ETHIER ONLINE
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PONDERCAST EPISODE 46 : HOW TO DISAPPEAR

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The urge to disappear...to shut down the phone and walk away from being ‘social.’ Are you feeling? The pressure to stay visible - to put yourself out there - is real. But why do we do it? I doubt it’s because we love that scrutiny that comes with keeping our lives so public.

On Pondercast Episode 46 : How To Disappear, Laurie Brown finds inspiration in the book How To Disappear by Akiko Busch.

Let’s talk about your private life...and why having more of one is good for your soul.

LISTEN AND SHARE EPISODE 46 : HOW TO DISAPPEAR

On September 14, Pondercast host Laurie Brown and JUNO Award Nominated electronic composer and musician Joshua Van Tassel will explore how city-dwellers merge with their natural surroundings during a live podcast recording that takes visitors on a virtual journey to the moon and back with Moon Merge. The evening will feature performances by Choir! Choir! Choir!, Bernice and a special silent disco set by Rich Aucoin.

The Bentway is an innovative public space project underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway and have now announced its Fall 2019 programming calendar under the theme Second Nature. From September to November 2019, The Bentway will bring together artists, community activists, urbanists, scientists and innovators to explore ways urban dwellers can reconnect to the natural world. Tickets can be found here.

Pondercast is powered by listeners. If you’d like to share the musical love, you can start by sharing this episode. If you feel like that’s just not enough, please consider becoming a patron of the show via the Pondercast Patreon here. Patrons receive a behind the scenes look at Pondercast, first notice of new episodes, and access to monthly Ponder Playlists. 

And if you’ve ever wondered how Laurie, Joshua, and Ty actually make a Pondercast episode, they’ve given a peak behind the curtain with a new video.

WATCH HOW PONDERCAST IS MADE HERE

Of course, the best way to learn about new episodes and stay in touch while you are up in the clouds is through the Pondercast Newsletter. Sign up here. 

LISTEN TO PAST PONDERCAST EPISODES HERE

KEEP IN TOUCH AND SIGN UP FOR THE PONDERCAST NEWSLETTER HERE

Recently, Killbeat Music partnered with the team at Pondercast to bring you Ponderbeat, a series of special episodes featuring selections curated by Brown from some of Killbeat’s latest releases. The fourth episode of Ponderbeat is live now, featuring music from Ada Lea, Begonia, Close Talker, FET.NAT, River Tiber, Tamino and more.

LISTEN TO KILLBEAT’S COLLABORATION WITH PONDERCAST PONDERBEAT EPISODE 04

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EVANGELINE GENTLE SHARES “DROP MY NAME” FROM UPCOMING LP

LISTEN AND SHARE “DROP MY NAME” HERE

TOUR DATES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 27

SELF-TITLED LP DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 13 ON COAX RECORDS

“The soft beginning of lead single "Sundays" leaves ample space for Gentle's powerhouse voice...The rich country tone to "Sundays" might put "country music superstar" back in those cards, but whatever the space they create for themselves, Gentle's debut album is evidently just the beginning.” - CBC Music

“Some artists live up to their names...Evangeline Gentle would seem to be one of them,
based on the soothingly beautiful roots-pop and earthy,
Stevie Nicks-style vocals of Sundays” - Tinnitist

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Photo Credit : Samantha Moss  // DOWNLOAD HI-RES

Today, Evangeline Gentle shares their bold new single “Drop My Name” from the self-titled debut album, out on Coax Records on September 13. The track “is about knowing what you’re worth, when you’re being taken advantage of, and when to walk away,” says Gentle.

LISTEN AND SHARE “DROP MY NAME” HERE

Produced by Jim Bryson and mastered by Grammy Nominated Philip Shaw Bova, Gentle’s debut LP is rich, sweet, and lush with vibrato – only a few of the unmistakable qualities that constitute Gentle’s fervent timbre. Their songwriting possesses an authenticity and depth as rare and unique as their own journey. Born on the Northeast coast of Scotland, Gentle’s family lineage tells all. A descendent of the Codona Circus family, they have live performance in their blood and were given an unequivocal name for the stage too. Gentle has already been awarded Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest and Best Female Vocalist of the year at the 2015 Wire Awards.

Gentle began writing their debut LP over the course of three years, collaborating with Bryson and slowly working on demos together. “During the writing years I trudged my way through deep periods of self-doubt, often wondering if I should quit music entirely,” says Gentle. “I’ve been in love with music my whole life. As a child I thought becoming a female country music superstar- long blonde curls and all was my inevitable fate. Somewhere along the way I internalized a lot of messaging about my queerness as being something that would hold me back, something that made me inherently less gifted and valuable as an artist, that I wasn’t enough for the industry and my spirit got broken. Each song on this record is a landmark on the journey toward re-establishing this spirit. I dream like a child again and though I have long since reconciled with my 11 year old self that becoming a country music superstar is not in the cards for me.”

LISTEN AND SHARE “THE STRONGEST PEOPLE HAVE TENDER HEARTS” HERE

Recorded at Bryson’s Fixed Hinge studio together with percussionists Pascal Delaquis and Matthew Greco, and vocalist Carleigh Aikins, the process for the LP began with tracks “So It Goes”, a nostalgic story telling of Gentle’s last teenage years, and “Even If”, documenting an unhealthy relationship and later distressing break up with their local dive bar. 

Album opener “Drop My Name” was born out of working at a corporate fast food chain on top of another day job to try and earn enough money to make this album. “The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts” reflects on the time the #MeToo movement was taking off. “I mustered up every drop of compassion I could find and wrote that song to honour the ridiculous amount of strength it takes to stay soft in a world that can harden you with a single headline,” says Gentle. The album’s second track, “Ordinary People”, continues on that theme and was written for the “person/people in my life that keep me going when getting up in the morning is hard because I’ve spent too long reading news articles on my facebook feed,” says Gentle.

Lead single “Sundays” and album track “Neither Of Us” are love songs written around a common theme of being gentle with someone’s insecurities and affirming that they are more than enough. “Long Time Love” is a love song too, but about the magic moment where you just know the person who has stepped into your life is going to stick around. 

LISTEN AND SHARE “SUNDAYS” HERE

The LP rounds out with the self-sabotaging “Digging My Grave” and “Good And Guided”, a song based on the “idea that we’re all trying our best to be good people with the information and experiences we have in the moment,” says Gentle. “That’s an idealistic view of the world, but it’s a spiritual one that I cling to to get through the day and stay open to connecting with life around me.”

PERFORMANCE DATES
Sep 27 - Folk Music Ontario Conference - The Campsite
Oct 4 - Peterborough, ON - The Theatre On King
Oct 5 - Barrie, ON - The Common Good
Oct 10 - Kitchener, ON - The Rich Uncle Tavern
Oct 18 - Ottawa, ON - Bar Robo
Oct 25 - Toronto, ON - The Painted Lady
Nov 10 - St. Catharines, ON - Mahtay Cafe

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EVANGELINE GENTLE TRACKLIST
01 Drop My Name
02 Ordinary People
03 Sundays
04 Even If
05 So It Goes
06 The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts
07 Long Time Love
08 Neither Of Us
09 Digging My Grave
10 Good And Guided

EVANGELINE GENTLE ONLINE
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