PONDERCAST EPISODE 134 : GIVE UP OR GIVE IN

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST EP 134 : GIVE UP OR GIVE IN

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST GUIDED MEDITATIONS HERE

LISTEN TO KILLBEAT’S COLLABORATION WITH PONDERCAST - PONDERBEAT EPISODE 08 HERE

If this past year has taught us anything, hopefully it’s how to let go of expectations and deal with the reality in front of us. So with the advanced skills we now have in this department, Episode 134 of Laurie Brown’s Pondercast dives into giving up, giving in, and following the path of least resistance.

It’s easy really - like butter melting in a hot pan...

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST EP 134 : GIVE UP OR GIVE IN

New to Pondercast, every Monday morning Laurie Brown will post a new 20 minute Guided Meditation. Meant for everyone - no experience necessary. Great way to start meditating, and a great way to find support and encouragement for your practise.

Also new for season 4, every second Friday the Pondercast team are now posting a Grounding Thought. We started these during the intense days of lockdown and we’ve heard from you that they helped. So count on 10 minute podcasts to help shift your perspective when your world threatens to overwhelm.

LISTEN TO PONDERCAST GUIDED MEDITATIONS HERE

Pondercast is able to expand their offerings because of the support you have helped build on Patreon. We are really hoping that this new season will move you to become a monthly donor at www.patreon.com/Pondercast or, a one time donor on our website at www.pondercast.ca

For those of you who have already taken the Patreon plunge, thank you - your support has made this happen.

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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 eighth episode of Ponderbeat is live now, featuring music from Gord Downie, The Weather Station, Yves Jarvis, LAL, Matthew Cardinal, and more.

 LISTEN TO KILLBEAT’S COLLABORATION WITH PONDERCAST - PONDERBEAT EPISODE 08 HERE

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ALYSON McNAMARA SHARES SECOND SINGLE / VIDEO FROM UPCOMING LP, LET ME SLEEP

WATCH AND SHARE “AFTER HOURS” HERE

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LET ME SLEEP OUT JUNE 4, 2021 VIA GHOST PEPPER RECORDS

PRE-ORDER LET ME SLEEP HERE

Photo Credit David Clark :  // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Alyson McNamara is sharing another new track from her upcoming third album, Let Me Sleep, out June 4, 2021 via Ghost Pepper Records. “After Hours” is “all about growth, but when I wrote it I didn’t know that,” says McNamara. “It’s about a time in my life when I was going to lots of after hours parties, meeting people that I wasn’t deeply connecting with, and ultimately, trying to find myself amidst all the flashing lights and darkness. I was navigating my way through my first heartbreak. To me, ‘After Hours’ now serves as a reminder of where I was at that time and where I am now.”

On the video for “After Hours”, McNamara says, “I think that the idea of making a caterpillar video might have come from my subconscious. I didn’t completely understand why it was important to me, but I was determined to see it through. As all of the scenes fell into place, I realized that it was a metaphor for my own metamorphosis. I sewed my costume by hand for this video, and that in itself was a huge learning/growing experience for me.”

WATCH AND SHARE “AFTER HOURS” HERE

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“After Hours” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MORE ABOUT LET ME SLEEP

Produced, mixed, and engineered by Daniel McNamara and recorded in a whirlwind week at Taurus Recording in Toronto, Let Me Sleep sees Alyson moving from a four piece band to a trio with her longtime collaborators, Daniel McNamara (bass) and Kevin Richards (drums). The stripped-down sound overhauled the direction of Let Me Sleep. “Through performing as a trio, I realized how much space there was left for my vocals,” Alyson explains. “I was always curious about where the middle ground was between having that full-band sound and maintaining the intimate feeling of watching a singer songwriter.”

Alyson wrote Let Me Sleep in various locations including The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and a sun-soaked apartment in Toronto. No matter the place, Alyson was alone during her writing sessions. “My favourite ideas always seem to arrive freely when the house is empty.” she says.

WATCH AND SHARE “SHUTTING DOWN” HERE

BUY / STREAM “SHUTTING DOWN” HERE

This solitude culminates in an album full of thoughtful musings on love and regrets, and reminds listeners to be patient with both themselves and others. “That’s Today” finds Alyson talking through her mistakes with her shadow but on the interlude “Worry Not”, Alyson is alone playing the piano and, showing off her incredible vocal control, assures us: ‘worry not for me’.

“I think music and songwriting is so important for me because I have a very jovial personality in social settings, but my music is so pensive and calm - it’s a real part of my true self,” Alyson says. “Sharing my songs is an opportunity to be seen fully.”

Despite the solitariness behind the lyrics, there’s a heartening communal feeling to Let Me Sleep. On “Won’t Be Sold”, Alyson touches on the heart of this feeling when she assures listeners, ‘You are not the only one who’s feeling lonely.’

“I want people to see me when they listen to Let Me Sleep,” says Alyson. “But I also want people to be able to listen to the record and see themselves.” 

PRE-ORDER LET ME SLEEP HERE

Alyson has toured across Canada with JUNO Award-winning band Said The Whale accompanying on-going collaborator Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club). She has recorded and performed with Canadian supergroup Anyway Gang and has opened for artists such as Sloan and Gregg Allman. She has accompanied and shared the stage with Canadian trail blazers Catherine Maclellan, Kaia Kater, and Sarah MacDougall. Alyson has appeared on Paste Magazine NYC, BTR Live Studio and CBC First Play Live and has recorded with acclaimed producers Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck), Gus van Go (Sam Roberts, Whitehorse) and Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, U.S Girls).

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LET ME SLEEP TRACKLIST
01 After Hours
02 Waiting
03 Shutting Down
04 I’m Right Here
05 It’s Only Time
06 Got All Night
07 That’s Today
08 Faithful Company
09 Worry Not
10 Won’t Be Sold
11 It’s Easy

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TREEPHONES RELEASE THIRD SINGLE FROM UPCOMING LP

WATCH AND SHARE “MATCHES” HERE

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NEW LP, PINK OBJECTS, OUT MAY 7, 2021

PRE-ORDER PINK OBJECTS HERE

Photo Credit : Hanna Negami // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Treephones (the musical moniker of Stephen Trothen) is sharing “Matches”, the third single and opening track of the upcoming full-length album Pink Objects (out May 7).

In the song, an individual contemplates various sources of light as they smoke a cigarette in their house. We discover halfway through that all this ruminating is prompted by a book of matches that was left on a nightstand.

 “I wrote Matches early in the process of putting the album together after coming up with the main sax riff and chords on the guitar” says Trothen. “With the lyrics, I ran with the idea of a forgotten book of matches as an object that could signify either a one-night stand or the end of a relationship. I just wanted to describe a moment in time a few days after the end of something and try to capture the feeling of not really knowing where things stand without using any sort of exposition or details.”

The song features a dynamic arrangement, spacey chord stabs that sparkle throughout, as well as some catchy saxophone lines. “I also introduce different drum sets as the song goes on. It starts with more programmed percussion before mixing in with, and then fully moving to acoustic drums as a way to let the theme of the lyrics inform my recording choices” explains Trothen.

The video for Matches is a psychedelic swirl of quick edits, light leaks, and pink smoke. It also features home movies of a younger Treephones rocking out with a wooden cut-out guitar, as well as some creative uses of time-lapse photography. 

WATCH AND SHARE “MATCHES” HERE

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The ten song titles on Treephones’ new album Pink Objects read like an inventory of things found stashed away in a closet or neglected drawer. With every song named after an object, the concept album takes the approach of a short story collection and focuses on the interactions and relationships of characters centred around these items. The album was written and recorded at home by Trothen who also handled all but a few of the performing duties. The result is a set of songs that weave beautifully evolving textures into a carefully arranged sound that matches the directness and understated complexity of its lyrics.

WATCH AND SHARE “FUZZY DREAM MACHINE” HERE

BUY / STREAM “FUZZY DREAM MACHINE” HERE

Pink Objects was mixed by Calvin Hartwick (Daniel Caesar, METZ, Cadence Weapon) at Dream House Studios and mastered by Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel. The second concept album from Treephones, Pink Objects is a great leap forward for the self-recording Trothen in both songcraft and production, with each of the 10 songs being as full sounding as they are intimate and personal — never getting lost in their own conceptual ambitions as they flow from from one object/song to the next.

Why pink? “I actually came up with the title early on after becoming fixated on all things pink," says Trothen. "Pink is so vibrant and striking it sometimes seems unreal when you see it on a flower or bird. Pink noise is fascinating and nice sounding too. The colour also encodes so much culturally, particularly as it relates to emotions and the body. So for Pink Objects as a title, the colour pink to me suggests a liveliness like it is pulsating with some life-force."

WATCH AND SHARE “A MAP” MUSIC VIDEO HERE

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And why objects? “I read that an object becomes a thing when it stops working for us,” says Trothen. “So, in other words, the object is meant to go unnoticed while serving us in some way, and becomes a thing when it breaks or fails. I was interested in how these terms were being defined according to their relation to humans. I wanted to invert that idea with these songs and describe objects that elicit less controlled effects in us: evoking suppressed thoughts or concerns, memories, or facilitating awkward encounters. I think that’s why a lot of the relationships described in the songs are at a moment when they have stopped working or are in need of repair.”

PRE-ORDER PINK OBJECTS HERE

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PINK OBJECTS TRACKLIST
1 Matches
2 Fuzzy Dream Machine
3 Chord Shapes
4 A Swarm of Bees
5 A Watch (Unwind)
6 Seeds
7 A Map
8 The Penny (Obsolete)
9 A Boarding Pass
10 A Photograph

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