News

Go to Facebook and "like" Black Hen Music at the Electric Owl to be entered to win a pair of tickets to the April 29th show featuring Alvin Youngblood Hart with Steve Dawson and the Black Hen House Band in Vancouver!

Join us at the Electric Owl on Main Street on Sunday April 29 for your chance to see Steve Dawson and the Black Hen House Band with the incomparable Alvin Youngblood Hart, from Memphis, TN. This will be a fabulous concert, not to be missed! The first concert last week with Colin James sold out quickly, so get your tickets early!!! All ticket and concert info can be found here...

Join the Black Hen Music mailing list today by clicking on the "click here" heading at the right of this page, and you will be eligible for a monthly giveaway! Each month, we will randomly select a mailing list subscriber who will receive any number of Black Hen Music treat packs, including selections of Black Hen Music albums, t-shirts, and more!

This week's Deal of the Week is none other than the all-star Black Hen compilation tribute album "Things About Comin' My Way" A Tribute to the Mississippi Sheiks. Order your copy today by clicking on the "Featured Release" on the right hand side of this page and you'll receive a discount of $3 this week only! (effective Mar.20-27)

"The North Mississippi Allstars kick things off with "It's Backfirin' Now," effectively capturing what the Sheiks were all about. John Hammond checks in with a slide-heavy "Stop And Listen," while Bill Frisell uses guitar and a horn section to turn "That's It" into a ragtime instrumental. Madeleine Peyroux and Robin Holcomb lend the women's perspective to "Please Baby," and "I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You," perhaps the most unusual arrangement of a Sheiks' tune ever recorded.
We had three favorites, too. The Carolina Chocolate Drops give an authentic read on perhaps the Sheiks' best-known tune, "Sitting On Top Of The World." Bob Brozman's acoustic guitar skills shine on "Somebody's Gotta Help You." And, Vancouver-based gospel group The Sojourners give a fire-and-brimstone take on the more spiritual side of the Sheiks, with "He Calls That Religion, but I know he's goin' to Hell when he dies!!"
The Mississippi Sheiks left a brilliant legacy in a relatively short period of time. For those unfamiliar with their work, "Things About Comin' My Way" is an excellent introduction!"

(Nashville Blues Society)

Black Hen Music proudly presents our new Deal of the Week for this week, Mar 14-21...The Sojourners "The Sojourners." This critically acclaimed album will be sure to have you smiling and tapping along to the uplifting sounds of The Sojourners. Get yours now for just ten dollars by clicking on the "Featured Release" at the right of this page!

Check out this Exclaim review for more info about the record.....

"Canadian lovers of gospel music seeking some domestic practitioners of the art have been quick to welcome Vancouver, BC-based trio the Sojourners. Their 2007 album, Hold On, was their debut, but these American expatriates are far from musical novices, boasting 50 years of singing experience apiece. Their work together as an ensemble pays off on a second album that's even more impressive. Along with producer Steve Dawson, Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Ron Small have come up with strong arrangements to such traditional gospel tunes as "Brother Moses Smote The Water," "Another Soldier Gone" and "Great Day." The Gary Davis classic "Death Don't Have No Mercy" is brought to vibrant life, and the choice of Los Lobos tune "The Neighborhood" was a smart one. The Sojourners' solo vocal turns and group harmonies are first-rate, and there's nice musical variety. Dawson's guitar work is typically fluent, the B3 and Wurlitzer accompaniment of Mike Kalanj is equally effective, and Jesse Zubot's mandolin adds a country tinge to "By And By." This is sweet and soulful stuff, indeed." (Black Hen)

Grab your copy of "Nightshade" by Steve Dawson for a mere $9.99 this week only!! {Mar. 6- Mar. 13)

Just follow the "Featured Release" link on the right of this page to access this sweet deal!

Acoustic Guitar says:

"Steve Dawson’s guitar squawks the opening of his fifth solo release with an urgency that is sustained throughout the album. The Canadian string virtuoso and two-time Juno award winner is both performer and producer here. Dawson uses the acoustic more as condiment than entrée in this guitar feast, a sweet or savory complement to the hard-edged electric, National, slide, Weissenborn, and pedal steel. Yet despite the intensity, Dawson’s vocals and music are astonishingly relaxed; his songs casually flow off the guitar bearing the mark of the blues, country, and rock, assimilating with ease disparate influences that include Jimi Hendrix, Ry Cooder, and Duane Allman. Dawson amps up the Mississippi Sheiks on the only cover, “Gulf Coast Bay,” with magnificent slide work, while Skip James is inspiration for “The Side of the Road.” If the melodies on the 11 originals seem slightly less compelling, and his lyrics a little dark, this is more than offset by the rollicking grooves of his sinewy band—Geoff Hicks on drums, Keith Lowe on bass, and especially Chris Gestrin on keyboards. The album’s final song, “The Time It Takes,” resolves into a triumphant riff on acoustic that repeats over and over, like a cheery send-off hinting at a very bright future. (Black Hen Music)"

Black Hen Music Ltd. presents...Kelly Joe Phelps "Western Bell" as our deal of the week for Feb. 28-Mar.6-receive this record for just 10 bucks for one week only!

Acoustic Guitar Magazine says...
"An album that hasn’t left my playlist since it arrived a couple of weeks ago is Kelly Joe Phelps’s new one, Western Bell. For some KJP fans, this album is bound to be bitter sweet: it finds Phelps returning to slide guitar, but on a completely instrumental album, which means many will no doubt miss his haunting vocals. Me, I just love this CD. Phelps’s background in avant-garde jazz is more evident than on any of his previous releases, yielding an album that, while very melodic and listenable overall, has delicious servings of atonal skronk that is rare to find in a solo guitar context. Perhaps if you can imagine a blend of Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Marc Ribot, and Nels Cline, you’d be in the ballpark of what Western Bell sounds like—I’d highly recommend checking it out."
-Teja Gerken

Black Hen's Deal O' The Week for Feb.21-28th is Kim Begg's "Blue Bones" for just ten bucks!

Click on "Featured Release" at the right of this page to access this great little deal & own your copy of "Blue Bones" today!

“Kim Beggs has the soft gentle voice of a dreamy-eyed teenage girl, the heart and soul of a young woman who's discovering the world is not as romantic novels portray it, and the experience of a world-weary adult who understands the pains and crushing disappointments of life's dramas all too well.” {acoustic music}

“Needless to say, Yukon singer-songwriter Kim Beggs handsomely delivers on the promise of her first two critically acclaimed albums, Streetcar Heart and Wanderer's Paean, with this debut Black hen project.” {sing out magazine}

Black Hen Music proudly presents ~ Joey Wright's "Hatch" as this week's Album of the Week. {Feb.15-21 for just 10 bucks!}

**Click on Featured Release on the right of this page to buy CD**

"When you mix bluegrass, blues, swing, pop and country along with some good ol’ strumming on the mandolin you get Hatch by Joey Wright.
This third musical venture is a bit different for Wright since this is the first time taking over the vocal job. His voice definately has that homegrown feel giving the listener that warm and fuzzy feeling all over.
The instrumentals throughout the album are tightly arranged to maximize the sound of guitars while the strings that appear in some of the songs are all very delicately and elegantly woven in.
For a few of the tracks Wright goes instrumental, and those songs are as strong as any of the vocal numbers. One particular instrumental track “Strollin” definitely stands out for me above the rest with the flow of a very warm tropical breeze.
The songs, for the most part, are short and concise pieces of musical work. Thus material does not become repetitive or stale for the avid listener.
A heavy-duty cast of notable musicians including Evan Cranley and Pat McGee (Stars), John Showman, Joe Phillips, Sarah Harmer and Dan Whiteley add a delectable flavour to many tracks.
Harmer guests on the standout "Sunrise," while Millan and Jenny Whiteley team up to add depth to "The Scar" and "Expectations are the Killer." Instead of the bluegrass that has been a big part of Wright's musical journey, there is a dreamy, psychedelic folk vibe speaks quite softly on all tracks.
If you are seeking pleasant vocals, laid-back melodies and appealing instruments that blend together flawlessly, add Joey Wright’s calming album Hatch to your collection." (Earshot)

Just announced:

Black Hen Music Presents...brand new concert series at The Electric Owl on Main Street featuring Colin James (Mar.25), Alvin Youngblood Hart (April 29) and John Boutte (May 27) with Black Hen House band!!

Get tickets and more information at http://www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/nscucentre/season/black-hen-music.h...

See you there!!!!!