Posts Tagged ‘cuff the duke’
CD Review: Cuff the Duke – Way Down Here
November 1st, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor
Way Down Here
In their fourth studio release, Cuff the Duke continue to impress their fans by providing them with eleven tracks of down-home, classic alt-country in typical Cuff the Duke style; mopey and dark at times, but still a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. They have carried this style well from album to album, and while Way Down Here seems to be basically the same in terms of style, it is worth noting some things have changed. The band seems to be employing more vocal harmonies and extended guitar segments, which adds to the classic style that they have established with their previous albums and gives a much-needed sense of fullness to the record. Fans of Blue Rodeo should be excited to know that Greg Keelor helped produce the album in his studio in Peterborough, and that at times the album feels like it could be a Blue Rodeo album from an alternate universe (which is a very good thing).
The overall themes of the album are common ones for Cuff the Duke; love, loss, regret and heartbreak. The boys do a good job of making the same-old very listenable, however, and Greg Keelor should also be proud of his work on the album. Recording mostly in mono with one-shot takes, the sound is reminiscent of classic country and folk singers such as Neil Young or Blue Rodeo themselves. Having Greg on deck seems to have sparked some as-yet unused creative energies and I think we can expect much more from Cuff the Duke in the future if they stick with him as a producer. The only problem that I foresee with this album is its lack of singles. Sure, there are catchy, fun songs on the album, but upon listening it’s hard to find a radio-friendly unit shifter for the masses. In my opinion, a single hit like Blue Rodeo’s Head Over Heels or Hasn’t Hit Me Yet would rocket these Oshawa-based country-rockers straight to the top of the charts, at least in Canada.
So tell your friends, your parents, your grand-parents and your cat to listen to this album. The sooner we recognize them as the next great Canadian country group, the sooner they can become famous and maybe even replace Blue Rodeo as Canada’s favourite alt-country band. For now, just listen to the record and enjoy the wonderfully warm music that these extremely talented guys keep making.
By Steve Brunton
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For more Cuff the Duke,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/cufftheduke
News Update!
July 15th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau
Cuff the Duke
Show Announcements:
Arctic Monkeys @ Kool Haus (September 29th, ALL-AGES)
Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys), Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Mayfield @ Phoenix (November 7th, $20.50, 19+)
Japandroids, The Mt St Helen’s Vietnam Band @ Horseshoe (September 19th, $10.00, 19+)
The Twilight Sad, BrakesBrakesBrakes, We Were Promised Jetpacks @ El Mocambo (October 10th, $12.00, 19+)
Mat Kearney, Diane Birch @ Lee’s (August 5th, $15.00, 19+)
Placebo @ Sound Academy (October 6th, ALL-AGES)
Brandi Carlile @ Mod Club (September 29th)
Joe Pernice @ Dakota Tavern (September 24th, $18.50, 19+)
Daniel Johnston @ Mod Club (October 17th, $25.00, 19+)
Sondre Lerche @ Mod Club (September 8th)
Follow the Library Voices on tour with their very own blog on Exclaim! Read here. The band will be in town next Tuesday at the Horseshoe – no cover! (With Arietta, Black Diamond Bay and Higher Rites)
If you happen to miss Amy Millan’s free show at Harbourfront next Saturday, for some unfortunate reason, the Stars-vocalist-turned-solo-songbird will be back in Toronto on October 14th at the Mod Club in support of her new album Masters of the Burial, out September 8th. Tickets for this show are on sale now for $15.00.
In addition to an appearance at this year’s Festival of Beer at the CNE Bandshell on August 9th, Cuff the Dukewill also be playing at the Horseshoe on October 16th and 17th, in promotion of their new album Way Down Here, out September 8th.
Andre Ethier will open for Destroyer at the Horseshoe on October 3rd. Tickets are still available for $13.50; this is a 19+ event.
Julie Doiron has a new video out for “Consolation Prize” - watch here.
Stream the new Dodos album, Time to Die now on the band’s new website! The album will be out on September 15th and they will return to Toronto for a show on October 17th at Lee’s. Tickets are still available for $15.50!
It’s no Strokes album, but lead singer Julian Casablancas has recently announced that he will be releasing a solo album this fall. Read more here.
Wilco and Feist were recently on Letterman, performing “You and I” - watch here. In addition, Wilco, Feist and Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) joined forces at a recent Wilco show for “California Stars” and “Hoodoo Voodoo” -watch that here!
Black Moth Super Rainbow have a new video out for “Born on a Day the Sun Didn’t Rise” - watch here. The band will be in Toronto on July 28th for a show at Lee’s; tickets are still available for $8.50.
The Rural Alberta Advantage recently (kind of) spoke with Exclaim! TV, watch here! The trio will be playing a hometown show on July 30th at the Horseshoe, definitely a show you don’t want to miss. Sidenote: watch this“trailer” – hear a familiar song? (Extra sidenote: the guy who does Exclaim! TV is cool. Mr. Exclaim! TV – if you’re reading this, I want to be your friend.)
Happy listening!
Musically,
Melody
News Update!
January 26th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau
Castlemusic
I am SO sorry for the lack of posts. I’m not going to lie; I am stressed! If you have any de-stressing activities, please let me know…now. Anyway, here’s a quick run-through of some news that I’ve failed to report this week.
Lots of big shows coming up including:
Joel Plaskett Emergency @ Massey Hall (May 23)
Neko Case @ Trinity St-Paul United Church (April 17-18)
Animal Collective @ Sound Academy (May 16)
Peter Bjorn and John, Chairlift @ Phoenix (April 25)
All additional information can be found on the updated Shows page! Just a note on that page – it will always be updated every Friday from now on!
For those who missed out on Laura Barrett’s CD release show last September, you missed out on a heck of a solo set from Woodhands’ Dan Werb. Luckily, i (heart) music has posted the whole show up. Listen here!
According to You Ain’t No Picasso, Flight of the Conchords will be releasing a new song every week from their TV series (new episodes airing now on Comedy Central) and by April 14th we’ll have a whole new album out! Following this album release, a “big North American tour in the spring” will be going down, so fingers crossed that Toronto will be on the agenda!
Bon Iver does a kick-ass cover of Feist’s “The Park”. Stream the whole live session he does with Australia’s Triple J here!
Cuff the Duke and Castlemusic will be playing a free, all-ages show at Harboufront this Saturday. For more info, go here.
Picastro will be performing at Trash Palace this Friday as part of The 8 fest (a small-guage film festival in town from January 30-February 1). For more information on the festival, go here.
That’s it for now! Sorry for the brief post! Proper posts will come…hopefully soon. Help!
Musically,
Melody
