I'm stoked about the amount of new music that's out or coming out. I just got my advance copy of Shaun Verreault's upcoming CD, Two Steel Strings. He recorded it during Wide Mouth Mason's trip on the "Holiday Train" going from Montreal to Vancouver last December. It's a little lo-fi, as you can hear the railway sounds here and there (but not just out of nowhere... he made it work), but it helps to convey the closeness of recording in one of the train's cars. It's not quite like you're right there, but darn near. I just hope Shaun can swing out East and play 'em for us! Also, a new WMM CD is in the works, plus another fully-produced effort from Shaun, and a new CD is just about to come out from Earl(WMM's bassist)'s sideband, Mobadass. These alone would be enough to make one giddy. Sample the album's title track here from vanmega.com.

I got a message in my email today about the pre-sale of the new CD by The New Odds. Basically, if you liked The Odds, you'll like this new incarnation, too. Back in the fall, Craig Northey told me it was "all killer, no filler", too, which bodes well. Get it at www.maplemusic.com for $9.99 now, and get a signed copy! Can't beat that.

Sam Roberts has a new CD coming out on the same day, too. www.killthe8.com has signed pre-order copies, but shipping is about $10 per CD, vs. Maple Music's $3-something. Frig that. I have a signed Sammy CD. I'll wait to buy a plain one. Should be good!

Don't forget Sloan has a new one coming soon, too!

Plus, there's always other good stuff on the go... stuff I just never got yet but want... (last CD from Healey, latest Grady, Hey! Rosetta, Tom Fun, Daniel Lanois, etc.), plus a trio of chicks from the library: Shelby Lynne's Just a Little Lovin' (inspired by Dusty Springfield... some goodness, but a little too understated), Alicia Keys' As I Am (what I heard so far doesn't excite too much), and Jully Black's Revival (kinda sounds like a response to Winehouse's Back To Black in some ways. Its upbeat tunes are actually quite good... way better than I had expected, and trumping the beginning of Keys' CD, anyway).