Ron Sexsmith

This is for all non-EC or peripheral-EC topics. We all know how much we love talking about 'The Man' but sometimes we have other interests.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Martin you sure know how to make a boy happy. first Lloyd and now this taster. Sounds like classic Ron, familiar in many ways, and yet another take on his way of doing things. Nice production. I wonder is that Pete Thomas. Would figure given location and producer. Any sign of a date on Time Being?
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Post by martinfoyle »

According to this, like the last album, it's debuting in Scandinavia, on May 16th.
invisible Pole
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Post by invisible Pole »

His site says "May 16, 2006 in most territories around the world".

Who knows, it could be the same date as "River In Reverse" !
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Post by martinfoyle »

Ron returns to Whelans! Excellent, Rosanne Cash plays Vicar St the night before, does it get any better?
http://www.ronsexsmith.com./tour/tour.html
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Thanks, Martin. Haven't been there recently so this was a great alert. Went straight in and booked at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Row J in the stalls, not bad. 10 days after Morrissey. Will be on a high at that time! never been to Bloomsbury before, but it should be good. He's playing with Tom Bovaconti, who's the regular guitarist in the touring band. I'm thrilled about this as I've seen him twice + band, so this duo format will be different. Judging by the Larmer tree bootleg I've been checking out of him solo, it's a bit like Costello & Nieve - you miss some of the band adrenalin, but in many ways it's the best way to connect with the songs.
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Post by little martinet »

I got to chat with Ron for the 2nd time Friday night! He was playing here in Nova Scotia (Halifax) at a small bar - it's Juno Awards weekend (basically Canada's Brits/Grammys) so there were tons of showcases and shows going on all weekend leading up to the awards ceremony on Sunday. Unfortunately I couldn't get into the show (too full of industry types and media...Ron was due to play at 1 am and the place was jammed by 8 )! So I drowned my sorrows at the Pub next door. Around 1 am we strolled outside and the bouncer of the bar that Ron was playing at was kind enough to open the door for us - so I listened to Ron's set from the sidewalk :D . He only played for about 45 mins and it mostly consisted of his better known songs (and "All in Good Time").

After the show Ron (along with a few people in tow - a guy that I thought might be his manager, and his girlfriend) came out on the sidewalk and chatted with a few of us. He is simply a joy to talk to...so nice, sweet and down to Earth! His friends kept trying to drag him away but he just kept talking to us and apologizing for us not getting in 8)

Ron was nominated for a few awards, but lost songwriter of the year to Arcade Fire. Destination Unknown was also up for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year...and they lost that one too. Booooooo.
Last edited by little martinet on Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:34 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Brilliant! Well met. Shame about not getting in. He sounds as likeable as I would imagine.
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invisible Pole
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Post by invisible Pole »

From Ron's site :

Here are the release dates for Ron's upcoming album, Time Being, worldwide:
May 12 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy
May 15 - UK, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Holland, France
May 16 - Canada
May 17 - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
June 14 - Japan.
The release dates for US and Australia will be announced shortly.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Monday week - great! It's going to be awesome, I'm sure. What's the Polish release date? And then I'll see him live in a month. Lucky me!
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Post by Bad Ambassador »

This new record is starting to win me over. The first play left me feeling slightly indifferent. It was clearly good, but it wasn't anywhere near as immediately great as 'Retriever'. Then, on further listening, certain songs started to make themselves known and it all started to just...work. So, be warned, it may take a little time. (No pun intended)
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Post by scielle »

Ron played three tunes from the new album live on national radio this morning (CBC's Go). Did a brief interview as well. Both EC and DK were name-checked. Perhaps CBC will have it available online in a while.
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

So where d'you get it, Bad Am? Download? Can't wait, but will wait for a released copy. Or is somewhere posting it out already?
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Post by Bad Ambassador »

Otis Westinghouse wrote:So where d'you get it, Bad Am? Download? Can't wait, but will wait for a released copy. Or is somewhere posting it out already?
My local independent record store sells off its promo cds. Oddly, this had snuck into the pile last weekend. £3!!
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Great shop! I like that. Wish I could find one the same.
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invisible Pole
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Post by invisible Pole »

In the first part of a Ron Sexsmith Podcast Ron talks about meeting some of his music heroes and friends : Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, and why he sometimes feels like Forrest Gump.
You can watch the video footage here :
http://wmm.warnermusic.ca/ronsexsmith/p ... C394B.html

In case of technical problems you can link to the site from http://www.ronsexsmith.com/home.html
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Post by BlueChair »

One of the big bookstores in my area is hosting Leonard Cohen on Saturday afternoon. Apparently Ron is going to be on hand to pay tribute.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Wow, some bookstore event.

Ron is a bit pro-Coldplay, what with his Chris Martin collaboration and all. For anyone not yet converted to Rondom, don't let this put you off!
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Post by scielle »

BlueChair wrote:One of the big bookstores in my area is hosting Leonard Cohen on Saturday afternoon. Apparently Ron is going to be on hand to pay tribute.
Those Feldman/ Macklam folks are really working him! He must be really broke to go from monsatery to Indigo.
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Post by BlueChair »

Holy shit is all I can say - I will try to post pictures later, but it was a thoroughly amazing experience to watch Ron Sexsmith singing "So Long, Marianne," as the musicians encouraged Leonard Cohen to join in. Eventually Cohen took over and it was pretty amazing... more details later.
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Holy shit indeed!
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Post by BlueChair »

This morning you've got time for a hot, home-cooked breakfast! Delicious and piping hot in only 3 microwave minutes.
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Bad Ambassador wrote:This new record is starting to win me over. The first play left me feeling slightly indifferent. It was clearly good, but it wasn't anywhere near as immediately great as 'Retriever'. Then, on further listening, certain songs started to make themselves known and it all started to just...work. So, be warned, it may take a little time. (No pun intended)
I've played twice, and am still getting into it. Yep, seems a little low key at first, maybe getting a little too familiar, with the blueprint in place for many of the songs. Several songs stand out as excellent straight off, but nothing to match the heights of Hard Bargain, Imaginary Friends, Wishing Wells and Dandelion Wine, but I can imagine the above effect kicking in soon.

As I'd expected on hearing Froom was producing, Pete Thomas on drums (I picked this up before reading the booklet, one snare beat in: 'It's Pete!'). And also Davey on bass. Sound and arrangements are good, voice wonderful as ever.

Gonna let it all sink on so that June 7 is as magical as it needs to be. I was thinking today that a new Ron LP is almost the most essential purchase for me (and one of the few where I feel I need to get it the day it hits the shop, i.e. today, and not buy online). I think it's because I expect it's going to just do more for me and spend more time in my head and heart then anything else coming out right now. Even EC can't match this for me these days.

Cover is a bit dull. Prefer the photo of him on the inside tray.
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Post by Poor Deportee »

Help me out here, guys. I loved Ron's first three records, and enjoyed the Steve Earle one, but did NOT care for 'Cobblestone Runway' even after repeated listenings. Partly it was the intrusive (and in my view, frequently stupid) production ethic; but also the songs showed a marked turn towards lyrical variations on the idea 'don't worry, everything will be OK' (God Loves Everyone, Gold in them Hills, etc.). Sure, this produced some moving songs, but I didn't dig this shift away from the sadder, bittersweet stuff evidenced in his earlier records - I found it too anodyne. The result was that I never got around to 'Retriever' and have barely focused on this new release. So tell me: is Ron still mining this vein of reassurance and semi-complacency, or has his lyrical tone evolved since 'Cobblestone?' If the latter, hey, I'm there.
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Post by BlueChair »

I like Retriever a lot more than Cobblestone Runway, but haven't heard the new one yet.
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I think Cob is a fantastic record and enjoy the production details. I would never describe his words as anodyne. He has this way of taking something seemingly simple and filling it with a charged emotion. Former Glory can be reduced to 'don't worry, everything will be OK', but for me it expresses the will to improve, to return, to overcome that is fundamental to getting out of bed in the morning. It says much about the sadness and difficulty of life. God Loves Everyone was inspired by the case, famous in the States at the time, though not here, of the gay man beaten to death on a campus (forgive me, I've lost nearly all of the detail). On the surface it may be saying 'God loves us all, so everything's OK', but really it's saying 'the world is twisted and sick and the hypocrisy that lies at the heart of many reliogious people's value systems has a lot to do with it'. If the knife edge poeticism eludes you, you may not appreciate other newer things, but for me he has evolved gradually into a better songwriter, both musically and lyrically. Retriever has some darker harder things you might enjoy more. Hard Bargain, the stunning opener, is about not measuring up to role models, Wishing Wells is about reality becoming a show whilst war rages, Dandelion Wine is the bittersweet elixir of a relationship that ended.

It's too early to say if Time Being will match up to the heights of Retriever, and I won't comment on the words as they don't sink in for me for several playings, but clearly there's a lot there about time and growing older, a sense of mortality, the value of love.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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