tag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:/blogs/latest-news?p=2Latest News2024-02-12T12:28:46-05:00Steel Railfalsetag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/73501152024-02-12T12:28:46-05:002024-02-12T20:18:39-05:00February 12, 2024<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/6630664deac2ef449e04633903f510f99ff010b5/original/voix24-poster-karen-steelrail.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/73360642024-01-18T14:57:02-05:002024-01-18T14:59:30-05:00January 18, 2024<h2><strong>April 7 concert at Festival de la Voix</strong></h2><h2> </h2><p>We are delighted to announce that we are playing a double bill with<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/ba8d493020df57d0060a960649cfe42d00899c76/original/festival-de-la-voix-logo-smallest.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br>Karen Young, one of Canada's finest jazz singers, at this year's Festival de la Voix.</p><p>The concert is at 2 p.m. at the Serge Nolet Auditorium, <span style="color:rgb(10,10,10);">1301 Av. Dawson #2E5 in Dorval and </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/e6691438-e147-4cd0-b39a-da1a9862f6d1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(10,10,10);">tickets cost $35.</span></a></p><p>So nice to return to the festival, a vibrant and tasteful celebration of singers and song. For more information about the rest of the festival please <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.festivaldelavoix.com/" data-link-type="url">click here. </a></p><p> </p><p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/73297882024-01-07T14:02:15-05:002024-01-18T14:19:36-05:00January 7, 2024<h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/fa76116953a86a837057bb2cb7b0b2c96d196da7/original/img-8378.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></h4><h4> </h4><h2> </h2><h2><span class="text-big"><strong>Happy new year!</strong></span></h2><h4> </h4><p>Best wishes from Tod, Ellen, Dave and the rest of the Steel Rail team. And thanks to photographer Judith Cezar for this shot, one of the band's favourites.</p><p>Stay tune for concert news coming soon…. </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/72466492023-07-24T18:22:39-04:002024-01-07T14:01:24-05:00July 24, 2023<h2><span class="text-big"><strong>Haliburton show cancelled </strong></span></h2><p>Due to circumstances beyond our control, our July 27 concert at the Music Room in Haliburton has been cancelled.</p><p>Look for a rescheduled date in the future. In the meantime, if you have tickets, please contact the Music Room for refunds.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/72431192023-07-17T10:58:32-04:002023-07-17T11:00:11-04:00July 17<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/96fc27944c99a753824bd9a3536a1c48330a49dc/original/canoe-radio.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p><h2> </h2><h2><span class="text-big"><strong>Chatting about our upcoming Haliburton concert</strong></span></h2><p>You can join guitarist Dave Clarke and radio host Penny Mowbray-Randall in conversation tonight about our upcoming concert at the Music Room in Haliburton, Ont., on July 27.<br>They'll discuss some Steel Rail history in the area (thanks to those of you who joined us at the Hair Hut in Carnarvon a decade or so ago) and talk about some of the songs we'll be playing at our Music Room show. Penny is choosing a couple of those songs to play along with the conversation, so we hope you can tune in!<br>If you are in cottage country north of Toronto, you can listen at 100.9 FM around 7:15 p.m. Eastern today, July 17. You can also listen live online at<a class="no-pjax" href="https://canoefm.com/" data-link-type="url"> canoefm.com.</a><br>Penny is one of the people fostering community radio in Canada, so vital to our towns and cities, not to mention independent artists and musicians. So thanks to her and to Canoe for the fine work. <br>For more information about our show at the Music Room, please <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/steel-rail-tickets-675386568407?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&fbclid=IwAR2dFyDJKuAA9JUNa5V00zKIPeBDWUTmJqGhEOKr05FGAkOXYknjPx-MwN0" data-link-type="url">click here.</a> Tickets are $32, and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. on July 27. </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/72408272023-07-12T16:10:26-04:002023-07-12T16:10:26-04:00July 12, 2023<h2><strong>Ticket update for July 27 Haliburton ON show</strong></h2><p>Tickets are now on sale via Eventbrite for our July 27 concert at the Music Room in Haliburton, ON.</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/steel-rail-tickets-675386568407?aff=ebdssbdestsearch" data-link-type="url">Here's the link. </a></p><p>Tickets are $32, and the Music Room is in Castle Antiques and Café, <span style="color:rgb(5,5,5);">23 Highland St. in Haliburton. You can also get tickets by </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">emailing themusicroomhaliburton@gmail.com or calling 705-457-1155.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(5,5,5);">Hope to see you in beautiful Cottage Country Ontario!</span></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/72369772023-07-04T21:56:04-04:002023-07-04T21:59:04-04:00July 1, 2023 <h4> </h4><h3><span class="text-big"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/f6d04a648bf485a5cf3f836ee935373357416988/original/sr-concert-haliburton.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Haliburton, here we come</strong></span></h3><p>We're delighted to announce that we will be playing in Haliburton, Ont., on July 27 as part of the inaugural season of the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/themusicroomhaliburton" data-link-type="url">Music Room</a><a data-link-type="url">, </a>a 150-seat venue in Castle Antiques and Cafe in the beautiful Muskoka region of Ontario. </p><p>Thanks to Anna Lowes, Mark Christiano and Craig Titus for inviting to help kick off what promises to be a great concert venue in cottage country. (If you're in Toronto, it's about two and a half hours northeast; if you're driving from Ottawa, head west for about three hours!)</p><p>Tickets for the concert cost $32, available by emailing themusicroomhaliburton@gmail.com or calling 705-457-1155.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/72091702023-05-15T10:16:18-04:002023-07-04T21:50:36-04:00May 15, 2023<p><span class="text-big"><strong>Thanks, SuperFolk (and super folks)</strong></span></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/0fd2f146d5f0a2c2698e7399a6f913124145c83b/original/soundcheck-for-website.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>Thanks to everyone who came out to our concerts on Friday and Saturday in Morin Heights. <br>We had a great time at what was a kind of pandemic-delayed album launch in the Laurentians, and we were happy to be able to play some of the material on that new album, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://steelrail.ca/coming-home" data-link-type="url">Coming Home, </a>as well as some golden oldies and some brand new material that has yet to be recorded. <br>A couple of people at the shows asked about the songs we played. The set list from Saturday night is at the end of this post; the songs on Coming Home are noted with an asterisk.<br>Thanks again to SuperFolk, which presented the shows at Mickey's Cafe. SuperFolk organizes a festival in Morin Heights every summer along with a regular concert series. This year's festival is Aug. 18 -- you can learn more about it and SuperFolk<a class="no-pjax" href="https://en.superfolk.ca/" data-link-type="url"> here.</a> In the meantime, thanks again to Ian and Penny for a great experience (did we mention that the sound was fantastic?) in a beautiful venue with great company. </p><p>Here is the set list for those who were curious. All songs are originals except Annabelle (Set 2), written by the brilliant <a class="no-pjax" href="https://gillianwelch.com/" data-link-type="url">Gillian Welch. </a></p><p><strong>Set 1</strong><br>1. Waiting for a Train* <br>2. When Are You Coming Home* <br>3. Rain*<br>4. The Last Time*<br>5. Flow River Flow*<br>6. Winter Wren*<br>7. The Comet<br>8. Bells of Buckingham<br>9. Argyle Street*<br>10. Like a Ship<br>11. Kate's Song*</p><p><strong>Set 2</strong><br>1. On This Train I Ride<br>2. The Legion on Saturday Night<br>3. The Town That Used to Be <br>4. Nebraska in My Dreams<br>5. Midnight Road <br>6. Prairie Sky <br>7. Annabelle (Gillian Welch)<br>8. Simple Prayer <br>9. Home <br>10. Late Autumn Days <br>11. I'll Fly Away </p><p><strong>Encore</strong><br>Big Sky Blues</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/71972682023-04-26T11:31:21-04:002023-05-15T10:10:53-04:00April 26, 2023<p><span class="text-big"><strong>Morin Heights concerts sold out</strong></span></p><p>Both May concerts in Morin Heights are now sold out. Tickets are no longer available for our May 12 and 13 shows at Mickey's Cafe, part of the Superfolk concert series.</p><p>Please stay tuned for other upcoming concerts!</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/71858612023-04-07T12:14:37-04:002023-04-07T12:21:41-04:00April 7, 2023<p><span class="text-big"><strong>Second show added in Morin Heights</strong></span></p><p>The Friday, May 12, concert in Morin Heights is already sold out, but a second show has been added on Saturday, May 13. </p><p>Tickets for the second concert, part of the SuperFolk series, are $209, now on sale at <a class="no-pjax" href="https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">https://lepointdevente.</a><wbr><a class="no-pjax" href="https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">com/billets/fsm230513001</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">. </a></wbr></p><p><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">Hope to see you at </a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.mickeyscafe.ca/" data-link-type="url" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">Mickey's Cafe</a><a data-link-type="url" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT">,</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lepointdevente.com/billets/fsm230513001&source=gmail&ust=1680970240668000&usg=AOvVaw0nFyh1Wy1MB1hexybdBZqT"> 832 chemin du Village, the weekend of May 12!</a></p><p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/71551292023-02-16T12:22:14-05:002023-11-07T18:36:15-05:00Feb. 16, 2023<p><span class="text-big"><strong>May 12 concert in Morin Heights</strong></span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/175538/206119919bccef785c7f19124d31a1abcc01e909/original/2023-superfolk-poster-may-concert.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p><p>We are delighted to announce we will be performing in the Laurentians north of Montreal this spring as part of the SuperFolk Morin Heights concert series. </p><p>The show is part of SuperFolk's<i> hors-festival</i> series. We'll be at Mickey's Cafe on Friday, May 12.<br><br>Tickets are $20, available from the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/fsm230512001" data-link-type="url">SuperFolk box office </a>now.</p><p>SuperFolk is also presenting our old friend <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.jasonlangmusic.ca/" data-link-type="url">Jason Lang</a> as part of their concert series. Jason is an amazing musician, singer and songwriter – his concert in Morin Heights is on March 25.</p><p>If you are in the Laurentians this summer, you can catch the SuperFolk festival itself Aug. 18-20. Patrick Watson headline this year's edition, the sixth for the festival. You can find out more <a class="no-pjax" href="https://en.superfolk.ca/" data-link-type="url">here.</a></p><p>Congratulations to the organizers for creating this terrific venue for original music.<br><br> </p><p><br> </p><p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/71452692023-01-29T15:28:48-05:002023-02-16T12:21:26-05:00Jan. 29, 2023<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/2bd4a10e382f27443b4be7d67f9351531522c79d/original/2023-0121-sr-practice.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><span class="font_large"><strong>Snow time</strong></span></p>
<p>Happy 2023, everyone.</p>
<p>Steel Rail is starting the year by woodshedding some new material and gearing up for some spring and summer concerts. </p>
<p>Please stay tuned for details about both of those elements. In the meantime, all three members are taking time out this weekend from regular practices to dig out from the latest snowstorm in the Montreal region -- about 10 centimetres and counting, along with gusting winds.</p>
<p>Look for concert updates soon!</p>
<p><br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/70483972022-08-29T10:47:57-04:002023-01-29T15:28:28-05:00Aug. 29, 2022<p><strong><span class="font_large">The Seaway in summer</span></strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/450526d830032ff09a37ff7356e6b4cf1fad6813/original/2022-0829-ucff-photo-gallery-experiment-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_left border_none" alt="" />What a pleasure to play the Upper Canada Folkfest on a late summer's day along the St. Lawrence Seaway in Prescott, Ontario. Thanks to organizers Arthur McGregor and George Tierney, all the fabulous volunteers and of course all the friends old and new who came out.</p>
<p>Dave also performed with his old musical friend David Francey and bandmate Geoff Somers for the final set of the day. All in all, it was a wonderful day of music as the summer slips away. Here is the Steel Rail set list for the festival.</p>
<p>1. Waiting for a Train</p>
<p>2. When Are You Coming Home</p>
<p>3. Big Sky Blues</p>
<p>4. Nebraska in My Dreams</p>
<p>5. Winter Wren</p>
<p>6. Annabelle</p>
<p>7. The Last Time</p>
<p>8. The Comet</p>
<p>9. Kate's Song</p>
<p>10. I'll Fly Away</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/70324562022-08-06T22:05:32-04:002022-08-29T10:47:19-04:00Aug. 6, 2022<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Come see us at the Upper Canada Folkfest Aug. 27!</strong></span></p>
<p>Steel Rail joins a who's who of Canadian musicians at the Upper Canada Folkfest Aug. 27 in Prescott, Ontario.</p>
<p>Among the other artists at the one-day festival are <a contents="David Francey" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.davidfrancey.com/">David Francey</a>, <a contents="Rick Fines" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://rickfines.ca/">Rick Fines</a> and <a contents="Suzy Vinnick. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.suzievinnick.com/">Suzy Vinnick. </a>The festival runs between 1 and 9 p.m. at the Prescott Kinsmen Amphitheatre, 101 Water St. W. in Prescott, which is about half-way between Cornwall and Kingston, just off the 401.</p>
<p>You can learn more about the lineup, location, etc. at the <a contents="festival website. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.uppercanadafolkfest.ca/">festival website. </a>Tickets for the day cost $50, available <a contents="here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://tickets.uppercanadafolkfest.ca/">here. </a></p>
<p>We'll be playing around 6:45 p.m., as the festival winds up. Stay tuned for more details!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/70313912022-08-05T11:02:31-04:002022-08-06T22:01:43-04:00Aug. 5, 2022<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/61b0f3a374c85d1764b1283abfc8d72d1ad793c1/original/img-3201.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><strong><span class="font_large">Summer sounds along the river</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Thanks to everyone who came out to our concert in </span>Baie d'Urfé last night in spite of the pessimist weather forecast. In fact, it was beautiful and clear at Fritz Memorial Park along the St. Lawrence, and even the mosquitoes held off until we were breaking down the stage after the show.</p>
<p>Tod, Ellen and Dave played a lot of the material from Coming Home, along with a couple of songs that are too new to have made it onto the album. And, of course, there were a couple of chestnuts, including Like a Ship, one of Ellen's first contributions to the Steel Rail songbook back in the 1990s.</p>
<p>The setting is one of the most beautiful we have ever played: a gazebo just across the road from the eponymous bay in the town's name. The sunset, the sailboats and the sound of acoustic music is something extraordinary.</p>
<p>The only downsides last night: the humidex (unusually high even for summer in Montreal) and the aforementioned mosquitoes, which came out with a vengeance as we sat under a tree in the park after the vehicles were packed up. Dave reported more than two dozen bites, a number that was independently verified the next day.</p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Thanks to Louise Otmar and Keith Fyckes for inviting us to be part of the summer concert series again this year, and to the town of Baie d'Urf</span>é for presenting this free series every year. A particular shoutout to the town workers who helped us set up and break down the stage -- un gros merci à tous.</p>
<p>Here's the set list for last night's show. All of the songs are SR originals except for the Gillian Welch cover. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it a special night.</p>
<p>1. Just Waiting for a Train</p>
<p>2. When Are You Coming Home</p>
<p>3. Argyle Street</p>
<p>4. Nebraska in My Dreams</p>
<p>5. Rain</p>
<p>6. Winter Wren </p>
<p>7. Annabelle (Gillian Welch)</p>
<p>8. Like a Ship </p>
<p>9. Old Forgotten Road</p>
<p>10. Paper Girl</p>
<p>11. The Last Time</p>
<p>12. If By Midnight </p>
<p>13. Under a Prairie Sky</p>
<p>14. The Comet</p>
<p>15. Another Stolen Day</p>
<p>16. Kate's Song</p>
<p>17. I'll Fly Away</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/70305112022-08-04T07:31:57-04:002022-08-05T10:56:53-04:00Aug. 4, 2022<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Baie d'Urfé show is on rain or shine</strong></span></p>
<p>Tonight's free concert in Fritz Memorial Park in Baie d'Urfé will go ahead, rain or shine.</p>
<p>Organizers say they're optimistic the rain will hold off tonight, since none of the shows so far in the concert series have had weather problems. Please check the weather reports before you come and it might make sense to pack an umbrella!</p>
<p>Hope to see you there.</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69880662022-06-06T18:26:09-04:002022-08-04T07:28:37-04:00June 7, 2022<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Free outdoor show in Baie d'Urfé Aug. 4</strong></span></p>
<p>We're pleased to announce we'll be returning to Baie d'Urfé in August for their summer concert series along the lakeshore.</p>
<p>We last played the Thursday night series back in 2018, and concluded the bandshell in Fritz Memorial Park is one of the prettiest sites we've performed at.</p>
<p>The free concert begins at 7:30 p.m.; you can see the details, including how to get there and where to park, in our events calendar.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69877632022-06-06T12:37:48-04:002022-06-06T12:39:36-04:00June 6, 2022<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/d65a0e389d0e0d833b220effd02c8375ae8a18f6/original/img-2647-3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Brilliant sunshine, great ribs, good cause</strong></span></p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who came out to Ribfest Longeuil in Greenfield Park yesterday for an afternoon of sunshine, music and great food, all in service of raising money for the charity <a contents="Tout pour les enfants." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/Fondation-Tout-Pour-Les-Enfants-All-For-The-Children-Foundation-293330384374817/">Tout pour les enfants.</a></p>
<p>It was great to see friends old and new, and our set included the first official public performance of a new song, The Comet. A Tod-Lucinda co-write, The Comet has been under construction since March 29, 1997, when Lucinda was inspired by the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. (At least the song was finished before the next appearance of the comet, Tod remarked onstage. Hale-Bopp is scheduled to return to our solar system in 4385.)</p>
<p>Thanks to the organizers for inviting us, particularly Mark Christiano, an old friend and fine musician who picked the lineup for this year's ribfest.</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69849762022-06-02T08:45:40-04:002022-06-02T08:47:59-04:00May 29, 2022<p><strong><span class="font_large">Join us at RibFest in Greenfield Park June 5!</span></strong></p>
<p>We're delighted to be joining the lineup at Ribfest Longeuil on June 5. </p>
<p>The annual celebration of ribs, music and children takes place starting on Friday, June 3, and continues through the weekend. The Steel Rail set is Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m. We'll be playing a 40-minute set and then join the festivities, which have as part of their goal raising money for the Fondation Tout pour les enfants.</p>
<p>Access to the site is free, and on the weekend there is a Youth Zone with children's activities and a classic cars exhibition, not to mention what are described as "ribs specialists" throughout the site. </p>
<p>The event is at <a contents="195 Rue Empire in Greenfield Park." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/195+Rue+Empire,+Greenfield+Park,+QC+J4V+1T9/@45.4925307,-73.4898068,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cc9053a921aa2c1:0x1b09ee393365d997!8m2!3d45.4925307!4d-73.4898068">195 Rue Empire in Greenfield Park.</a></p>
<p>You can read more about <a contents="the event here.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://longueuil.quebec/fr/evenements%2Fle-ribfest-de-longueuil">the event here. </a>There is a $10 fee to enter the Youth Zone. </p>
<p>Hope to see you at the festival! </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69732292022-05-18T10:40:37-04:002022-05-18T10:40:37-04:00May 17, 2022<p><strong><span class="font_large">R.I.P. Michael Wrycraft</span></strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/ec677a0d74d6330a048e692571181a36a5696e30/original/steel-rail-coming-home-cover.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /><br>Like so many musicians in Canada, we were saddened to learn of the death of Michael Wrycraft, a brilliant album cover designer and a passionate friend and music lover.</p>
<p>Michael designed the cover of the most recent Steel Rail album, Coming Home (shown here), as well as two Dave Clarke albums. He was a larger than life individual and someone who made a profound contribution to the roots music community in Canada.</p>
<p>You can read more about Michael's life in this <a contents="Roots Music Canada article." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2022/05/17/remembering-michael-wrycraft-oct-15-1956-may-16-2022/">Roots Music Canada article.</a> He will be greatly missed. </p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69399072022-04-04T11:19:45-04:002022-05-18T10:19:41-04:00April 4, 2022<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Fun at Festival de la voix <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/f63ca02b42f19b5ef255b87fafa5a522b6e03f92/original/2022-0403-sr-at-fest-de-la-voix-3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_right border_none" alt="" /></strong></span></p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival de la voix in Hudson, Que., on April 3.</p>
<p>It was great to see so many people in beautiful St. Thomas Aquinas Church in our first concert in about 18 months. What a treat to be able to play some old favourites (Like a Ship) and new songs (Kate's Song) that feature the strong vocals and harmonies of Tod, Ellen and Dave.</p>
<p>We also enjoyed the spectacular singing and playing of the musicians with whom we shared the bill: Kerry-Anne Kutz on vocals with Mike Cartile on trumpet and Chad Linsley on piano.<br><br>Thanks to Kerry-Anne, who brought us to the festival, to Duke on sound,and, of course, to everyone who came to the show on a brisk -- our British friends might say "parky" -- spring day.</p>
<p>Here are Tod and Ellen getting ready for the show.</p>
<p>By the way, there is still some great music ahead at the festival. You can find details for the closing concert April 9<a contents=" here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://festivaldelavoix.com/"> here.</a><br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69384992022-04-01T22:11:47-04:002022-04-01T22:11:47-04:00April 1, 2022<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Interview on CBC Montreal Sunday</strong></span></p>
<p>Thanks to CBC music columnist Duke Eatmon, who spent some time with Ellen and Dave today talking about Steel Rail's origins and musical journey.</p>
<p>The interview Duke recorded with them will be aired on Sunday, April 3, at 7:40 a.m. on the Quebec-wide morning show <a contents="All in a Weekend." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-78-all-in-a-weekend-montreal">All in a Weekend.</a></p>
<p>The interview was planned to coincide with Steel Rail's appearance at the Festival de la Voix in Hudson, Quebec, on Sunday afternoon. For more information, or to buy tickets ($30 for adults, $25 for students and seniors) please click <a contents="here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://festivaldelavoix.com/">here. </a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/69145932022-03-05T12:49:20-05:002022-03-05T21:26:12-05:00March 5, 2022<p><strong><span class="font_large">Festival de la Voix show in Hudson April 3</span></strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/ba44fcaf24d08c67f0ae8831110a0347dbcc4d7c/original/poster-steel-rail-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>We're delighted to announce that we'll be performing as part of the <a contents="Festival de la Voix" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://festivaldelavoix.com/">Festival de la Voix</a> in Hudson on April 3. </p>
<p>The 3 p.m. concert is part of the ninth edition of the festival, which takes place in various locations around Montreal Island between March 19 and April 10. </p>
<p>The festival was founded in 2012 by singer and voice teacher<a contents=" Kerry-Anne Kutz, " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kerry-anne.net/"> Kerry-Anne Kutz</a> and her students Sonia Castiglione and Sheila Faour-Warren to celebrate exceptional professional singers and instrumentalists of various genres.</p>
<p>This year's version features performances by Choralissimo! (March 19), Oliver Forest and the Imani Gospel Singers (March 26) and Dark Divas (April 2), among others.</p>
<p>Steel Rail will be joined by Kerry-Anne, her musical partner<a contents=" Mike Cartile " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://festivaldelavoix.com/project/michael-cartile/"> Mike Cartile </a>and pianist <a contents="Chad Linsley" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/music/chad-linsley/">Chad Linsley</a> in the April 3 show.</p>
<p>Tickets are $30; $25 for seniors and students. To buy tickets, please <a contents="click&nbsp; here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://festivaldelavoix.com/#concerts">click here.</a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/68696472022-01-14T21:31:13-05:002023-05-15T10:08:59-04:00January 14, 2022<p><span class="text-big"><strong>Steel Rail on Freewheeling Folk</strong></span></p><p>What a nice way to start a new year. Venerable folk DJ Jim Marino is featuring Steel Rail and Dave Clarke on his Jan. 15 <a class="no-pjax" href="https://cfmu.ca/" data-link-type="url" contents="Freewheeling Folk Show">Freewheeling Folk Show</a> at 93.3 CFMU in Hamilton, Ontario.</p><p>JIm will feature Steel Rail in the first half hour of the show, starting at 9:30 a.m. Then it's on to the music of Steel Rail guitarist Dave Clarke, with Dave live in conversation with Jim at 11 a.m.</p><p>You can find details of the January 15 show on the Freewheeling Folk Facebook page <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/933CfmuFreewheelingFolkShow/" data-link-type="url" contents="here.">here.</a> Thanks for the support, Jim, not only of Steel Rail and Dave, but hundreds of other folk artists over the past 28 years. </p><p> </p><p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/67799532021-10-18T22:19:03-04:002022-05-18T10:20:05-04:00October 18, 2021<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/89d0c1a709a89f5163d227d5559c9c19a1e2d2f0/original/healing-garden-cover-page-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /><strong><span class="font_large">CFMA nomination for Dave! </span></strong></p>
<p>We're delighted to announce that Dave is one of five nominees in the solo instrumental category at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. </p>
<p>Dave joins Olivier Demers, Maneli Jamal, Adam Young and Cédric Dind-Lavoie in the category Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year. Dave was nominated for his new album <a contents="The Healing Garden. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://daveclarke.ca/music">The Healing Garden. </a></p>
<p>The CFMAs will be held on the weekend of April 1-3, 2022. </p>
<p>You can read about all the amazing nominees <a contents="here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://folkawards.ca/nominees/">here. </a></p>
<p>Thanks to all the organizers and judges who make these great awards happen.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/66652692021-06-20T22:47:49-04:002024-02-12T20:18:39-05:00June 21, 2021 <p><span class="text-big"><strong>Our new single is out!</strong></span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/1f9791966b6d3123a64ef51e68cf44f3faaa90d3/original/sr-at-trees-small-orig.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p> </p><p>We're pleased to report that we are releasing Kate's Song from our latest album as a single this week.</p><p>The song, written by Ellen, celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit -- something that seems fitting as we seem to be emerging from the pandemic in North America. </p><p>Kate’s Song was written after Ellen saw Kate McGarrigle perform at the Royal Albert Hall shortly before her death. Then when she saw footage of people singing after a devastating earthquake, she was inspired to write about humankind’s ability to find comfort in music in the darkest times. </p><p>The song quickly became a band favourite. And we're not the only ones.</p><p>Longtime friend -- and multiple Juno Award-winner -- David Francey calls the song a “gem.” “There’s such a hopeful melancholy woven into this melody, and such a compassionate grace inherent in the lyrics,” he said. </p><p>The song features longtime McGarrigle collaborator Joel Zifkin in a soaring violin part. </p><p>"I am grateful to have been able to play a part in Steel Rail’s lovely impressionistic ode to this human spirit," Joel told us. </p><p>And renowned DJ Michael Regenstreif, the dean of Canadian folk journalists, wrote that Kate's Song is "about grief and, ultimately, the healing power of music. In the opening verse, we bear witness to the final song of the final performance of friend and beloved singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, just six weeks before she passed away from cancer at age 63. In the second verse, the song takes us to Haiti, where a devastating earthquake a few weeks after Kate’s last song took the lives of many thousands of people, and we hear about a survivor whose grief is comes out in the song he sings. In the final verse, the focus becomes universal as all of us find solace in song and 'sing till we can sing no more.'"</p><p>In case you missed it, you can hear Kate's Song <a class="no-pjax" href="https://steelrail.ca/track/2361714/kate-s-song-shizgal" data-link-type="url" contents="here. ">here</a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5act02iNA2JC8nx5pN7uGW?highlight=spotify:track:5DsVXjGBuk2XWDLaAvvCgc" data-link-type="url" contents="here. ">. </a></p><p>Stay tuned for more good Steel Rail news soon.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/65505332021-02-13T14:00:00-05:002022-04-04T11:20:40-04:00February 16, 2021<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/e761e7e170ab9c3a2504c29d116455ff76dd8704/original/iama-runnerup.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></p>
<h2><strong>International recognition for Dave's guitar music </strong></h2>
<p>Great news -- Dave's instrumental A Thousand Days Like This was a winner at the U.S.-based International Acoustic Music Awards, announced Feb. 12. </p>
<p>The song, one of 12 on Dave's new album The Healing Garden, was first runner-up in the Instrumental category. Top prize went to another guitarist, John McMillan. </p>
<p>The IAMA awards recognize excellence in acoustic music, and judging is based on performance, songwriting/composition/song choice, music production and originality/artistry. </p>
<p>If you'd like to see the winners in other IAMA categories, click <a contents="here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://inacoustic.com/winners/">here. </a> </p>
<p>For more news about Dave's new album, please click <a contents="here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://daveclarke.ca/home/blog/new-album-the-healing-garden-is-here">here.</a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/65236892021-01-17T21:34:21-05:002022-03-05T12:24:49-05:00January 17, 2021 <h2><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/64084f863ad6eee9b7b7acbea3a1b4fa41328abe/original/albums-of-the-year-for-sr-website.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><strong>Critics name Coming Home one of top 2020 albums</strong>
</h2>
<p>Thanks to the Canadian folk Bible Penguin Eggs and to the musical experts who take part every year voting in the magazine's annual top albums of the year list.</p>
<p>We're pleased to report that Steel Rail's 2020 release Coming Home was among the top 10 picks for several of the voters this year, and the band was one of two honourable mentions in the overall Top 10 list. We thought we'd post those selections so you can see the other great albums that were on people's must-listen lists this year.</p>
<p>The lists are in alphabetical order; each "pick" counted for one vote.</p>
<p><strong>Mike Barker, artistic director, Folk Under the Clock, Peterborough, Ontario </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Sam Carter, Home Waters </li> <li>Kris Drever, Where the World Is Thin </li> <li>Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways </li> <li>Roy Forbes, Edge of Blue </li> <li>Sam Lee, Old Wow </li> <li>Catherine MacLellan, Coyote </li> <li>Pharis and Jason Romero, Bet on Love </li> <li>Steel Rail, Coming Home </li> <li>The Waterboys, Where the Action Is </li> <li>James Webster, We Get By </li>
</ul>
<p> <strong>Patrick Langston, freelance arts writer </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways </li> <li>Eliza Gilkyson, 2020 </li> <li>Fleet Foxes, Shore </li> <li>Laura Marling, Song for Our Daughter </li> <li>Lynn Miles, We’ll Look for Stars </li> <li>Owen Pallet, Island </li> <li>Pharis and Jason Romero, Bet on Love </li> <li>Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher </li> <li>Shirley Collins, Heart’s Ease </li> <li>Steel Rail, Coming Home </li>
</ul>
<p> <strong>Jim Marino, host Free Wheeling Folk Show, 93.3 CFMU, Hamilton </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, King of This Town </li> <li>David Bradstreet, Best Foot Forward </li> <li>Scott Cook, Tangle of Souls </li> <li>Ken Dunn, Ashes in the Morning </li> <li>Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom </li> <li>Rick Fines, Solar Powered Too </li> <li>Lynne Hanson, Just Words </li> <li>Lynn Miles, We’ll Look for Stars </li> <li>Julian Taylor, The Ridge </li> <li>Steel Rail, Coming Home</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mike Regenstreif, journalist, CKCU Ottawa folk radio host, blogger </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Eliza Gilkyson, 2020 </li> <li>Kronos Quartet, Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet and Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger </li> <li>Leyla McCalla, Varied Coloured Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes </li> <li>John McCutcheon, Cabin Fever: Songs From the Quarantine </li> <li>Lynn Miles, We’ll Look for Stars </li> <li>Gretchen Peters, The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury </li> <li>Orit Shimoni, Strange and Beautiful Things </li> <li>Steel Rail, Coming Home </li> <li>VickiKristinaBarcelona, Pawn Shop Radio </li> <li>Samoa Wilson with the Jim Kweskin Band, I Just Want to Be Horizontal </li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Brenda Tacik, host, Deeper Well, CJTR, Regina Community Radio </strong></p>
<ul> <li>Jud Caswell, Live at the Seagull Shop </li> <li>Scott Cook, Tangle of Souls </li> <li>Vance Gilbert, Good Good Man </li> <li>Jay and Jo, Victory </li> <li>Jez Lowe, Crazy Pagan </li> <li>Lynn Miles, We’ll Look for Stars </li> <li>Possessed by Paul James, As We Go Wandering </li> <li>Pharis and Jason Romero, Bet on Love </li> <li>Rube and Rake, Leaving With Nothing </li> <li>Steel Rail, Coming Home</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>And the overall Top 10 list as chosen by Penguin Eggs experts:</strong></p>
<p>1. Pharis and Jason Romero, Bet on Love</p>
<p>2. Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways; Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom; William Prince, Reliever (tied)</p>
<p>5. 100 Mile House, Love and Leave You; Shirley Collins, Heart's Ease; Scott Cook, Tangle of Souls; Eliza Gilkyson, 2020; Sarah Jarosz, World on the Ground; Lynn Miles, We'll Look for Stars (tied).</p>
<p><strong>Runners up</strong></p>
<p>Steel Rail, Coming Home; Molly Tuttle, .. But I'd Rather Be With You</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/65086212020-12-27T14:09:26-05:002023-05-15T09:28:36-04:00December 27, 2020<h2><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/f5656c2ebeadb17df532fc62940671702a27438b/original/tony-rice.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /><strong>RIP Tony Rice</strong>
</h2>
<p>Tony Rice, who defined modern bluegrass guitar, died Dec. 25. He was 69.</p>
<p>He influenced every acoustic picker we know, including Dave, who remembers having his mind blown hearing Tony gambol through a short, sweet solo on The Old Home Place with J.D. Crowe on a cassette tape back when Dave was touring Quebec with the White River Bluegrass Band.</p>
<p>We saw him a number of times in the 1990s at festivals like Winterhawk. On one memorable night, he turned up at a parking lot picking session that ended up with Jimmy Gaudreau, David Grisman and Jeff White. It was unforgettable, partly because it was so much fun, and because there were only a dozen or so people there to hear that amazing music.</p>
<p>Although he had health issues and never regained his voice after being stricken with dysphonian in the 1990s, his legend never diminished. Here`s the obituary in <a contents="Rolling Stone. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tony-rice-bluegrass-guitar-dead-obit-1107829/">Rolling Stone. </a></p>
<p>And here he is playing and singing<a contents=" Church Street Blues, " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFgC3Ub10E"> Church Street Blues, </a>a song that Steel Rail used to do in the wayback. </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/65004552020-12-15T22:38:24-05:002023-05-15T10:08:26-04:00December 15, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/b7a08f3352e90a692f0e2b485ea324b34ddafb3b/original/2020-0927-sr-hudson-3.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" alt="" /></p><h2><strong>Coming Home one of top 10 folk albums of the year</strong></h2><p>What a nice way to wind down the year! </p><p>Influential folk DJ Mike Regenstreif has picked Steel Rail's new album Coming Home one of the top folk albums of 2020.</p><p>Mike is the host of Saturday Morning on CKCU-FM in Ottawa.</p><p>In his<a class="no-pjax" href="https://frfb.blogspot.com/2020/12/top-10-for-2020.html?fbclid=IwAR1fjQ0CqOIV021Q3Evrb6ymIAR2WEGc1CUetUUAPqdZJpwRXm-anascu5w" data-link-type="url" contents=" Folk Roots, Folk Branches blog,"> Folk Roots, Folk Branches blog,</a> Mike picked an array of artists from Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan to the Kronos Quartet for his top 10 folk-rooted or folk-branched albums of 2020.</p><p>Steel Rail was No. 7 among that illustrious group. Here's what Mike had to say about Coming Home, which was released in late spring.</p><p><i>Finally, 15 years after their third album, Steel Rail – the trio of Dave Clarke (lead guitar, harmony vocals), Tod Gorr (guitar, lead and harmony vocals) and Ellen Shizgal (bass, lead and harmony vocals) – has released its fourth album combining finely-crafted songs (all three contribute songs, some in collaboration with Lucinda Chodan) with sublime singing and playing from the three-way corner of folk, bluegrass and country music. </i></p><p>Please check out the other artists in this list of beautiful music. Thanks to Mike, one of the first critics ever to write about Steel Rail. And thanks to all the folk DJs around the world who connect musicians with the people who want to hear their music.</p><p>We couldn't do it without you.</p><p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64928062020-12-06T09:29:32-05:002023-05-15T10:10:28-04:00December 6, 2020<h2><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/03e5ba19dafff2807e2299fc904d158f64620c5a/original/healing-garden-cover-page-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><strong>New Dave Clarke instrumental album has arrived!</strong>
</h2><p>Dave's long-awaited CD of guitar instrumentals has finally arrived. </p><p>The Healing Garden features 12 tunes that evoke his nine-year sojourn in Western Canada and his close encounter with cancer when he was living in Edmonton. </p><p>Eleven of the 12 songs on The Healing Garden are Dave Clarke originals. The final song, Across the Universe, is a Lennon-McCartney composition given solo guitar treatment. </p><p>The album won't be officially released until January, but it's on sale now. For details, please see <a class="no-pjax" href="https://daveclarke.ca/music" data-link-type="url" contents="Dave's website.">Dave's website.</a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64905032020-12-02T21:25:54-05:002022-03-05T18:14:01-05:00December 2, 2020<h2><strong>Coming Home producers nominated for folk music award</strong></h2>
<p>Dave Clarke and Bill Garrett have been nominated in the producer of the year category for the 2021<a contents=" Canadian Folk Music Awards" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://folkawards.ca/nominees/"> Canadian Folk Music Awards</a>.</p>
<p>Dave and Bill were singled out for their work on Steel Rail's new album Coming Home. The 2021 CFMA winners will be announced in April.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all the nominees!</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64627252020-10-24T21:08:11-04:002022-03-05T13:21:07-05:00October 24, 2020<h2> </h2>
<h2><strong>A profile by our friends at Penguin Eggs</strong></h2>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/b5e38a8c9b8589526266ad8f1811681aae2ee912/original/steel-rail-profile-penguin-eggs-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Thanks to Roddy Campbell, publisher of the Canadian folk Bible Penguin Eggs, and one of our favourite writers, Patrick Langston, for a profile of the band in the magazine's<a contents=" Autumn 2020" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/component/k2/item/679-issue-86-87-summer-autumn-double-issue-2020" style=""> Autumn 2020</a> edition. </p>
<p>The article is headlined "After an extended hiatus, Montreal trio returns with their state-of-the-art folkgrass," and it's written by Patrick Langston, one of Canada's most astute observers of the acoustic music scene.</p>
<p>Patrick cites the album's "terrific material" as he talks to Tod, Ellen and Dave; as usual, his writing is full of keen insights and authority (yes, we're prejudiced!). </p>
<p>A shout-out also to Roddy, who has been publishing Penguin Eggs and shining a light on Canada's folk scene for a couple of decades. As Shelagh Rogers of CBC Radio's The Next Chapter, has said: “Penguin Eggs is profound, and analytical, and contextual, and fun. It’s really great.”</p>
<p>We'd certainly recommend Penguin Eggs if you are interested in Canadian folk. Check <a contents="their website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/">their website</a> for back copies. Thanks again to Roddy and Patrick for the insightful profile.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64441932020-09-27T21:59:37-04:002022-03-05T13:22:14-05:00September 27, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/1fedae01b58581872d021d3e8f965602ec31f053/original/hudson-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Beautiful day, beautiful festival</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to everyone who came out on a balmy fall day to see us perform at the Hudson Music Festival in Hudson, Que., on Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>There were lots of mask-wearing friends old and new at the show in the airy Alibi Barn on Main Road. The show was recorded by MAtv 609, télévision régionale du Grand Châteauguay, de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, du Haut-St-Laurent, du Roussillon, du Jardin-de-Napierville et de Beauharnois for broadcast later this fall.</p>
<p>Tod, Ellen and Dave played material from the new album, Coming Home, along with some old favourites (Prairie Sky and What My Mother Saw were highlights) as well as a couple of brand new songs: Nebraska in My Dreams and The Comet.</p>
<p>Thanks to organizers Blair MacKay and Lynda Clouette-MacKay, who programmed the festival -- what a treat to join Rob Lutes and KORA Flamenca in the lineup. It was magical to watch a nearly full moon rise in the indigo sky to the sounds of kora and flamenco guitar Sunday night.</p>
<p>Please stay tuned for details of the MAtv broadcasts, and a big shout-out to the sponsors, including Caisse Desjardins de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Patrimoine Canada, the town of Hudson and MAtv.</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64357992020-09-16T21:50:46-04:002022-03-05T13:23:21-05:00September 16, 2020<h2><strong>Come see us at the Hudson Music Festival Sept. 27</strong></h2>
<p>We're delighted to say we will be performing in Hudson, QC, on Sunday, Sept. 27 as part of the Hudson Music Festival!</p>
<p>The show is between 3 and 5 p.m. at the Alibi Room Barn, 420 Main Road. Tickets are free, but seating is limited (only 50 seats) because of social distancing parameters.</p>
<p>You can reserve tickets at the <a contents="festival's Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/326780362082031/">festival's Facebook</a> page.</p>
<p>Hope to see you there!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/a4b67f5099ef14bcdd3fd59a9066a7ffb13ada5f/original/hmf.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/64001482020-08-02T16:10:41-04:002022-03-05T13:24:58-05:00August 2, 2020<!-- more --><h2><strong>Roots Music Canada turns spotlight on Steel Rail </strong></h2>
<p>In July, Roots Music Canada correspondent Jan Vanderhorst had a long chat with guitarist Dave Clarke for an article on the website, which is dedicated to Canadian folk, roots, blues and world music.</p>
<p>His article, headlined "After a decade apart and a cancer scare, it’s a sweet reunion for Steel Rail," delves into some of the twists and turns in Dave's life during his nine-year sojourn in Western Canada.</p>
<p>The article also looks at the band's songwriting, including the collaborations on the Coming Home, and the musical partnership between Dave and his wife Lucinda. </p>
<p>As for Dave's return to Quebec -- the "Coming Home" of the new album's title -- Dave tells Jan, "It’s as much a family as a band, you might say at this point.”</p>
<p>You can read the entire interview on the Roots Music Canada website <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2020/07/11/after-a-decade-apart-and-a-cancer-scare-its-a-sweet-reunion-for-steel-rail/" style="">here.</a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63757002020-07-04T07:16:30-04:002022-01-14T21:28:17-05:00July 4, 2020<h2><strong>Canadian Spaces radio program features Steel Rail</strong></h2>
<p>Chris White is a pillar of the Canadian folk scene -- a former festival organizer, manager and folk DJ who has been a friend of Steel Rail and hundreds of Canadian musicians for a couple of decades from his home in the Capital Region.</p>
<p>We were honoured to be invited to talk to him on his CKCU show Canadian Spaces. You can hear the results on Saturday, July 4, from 10 to noon. Bonus: the show also features one of our favourite singer-songwriters, the brilliant Lynn Miles, and her new album We'll Look for Stars. </p>
<p>You can hear Canadian Spaces on CKCU-FM 93.1 or www.ckcufm.com... or listen from CKCU's audio archive at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/129/48281.html.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63742182020-07-02T20:31:39-04:002021-06-20T22:16:27-04:00July 2, 2020<h2><strong>Coming Home featured on Sounds Atlantic podcast and Back 40 radio</strong></h2>
<p>The summer is off to a good start!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/b884c7f6ecd0f4e82eb8d5e034d849e7b3455aec/original/1999-08-heritage-river-ron-moores.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_right border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Starting at 12:01 am on Friday, July 3, Ron Moores' Sounds Atlantic podcast featuring Steel Rail will be available.</p>
<p>The podcast, titled Episode 91: Back on the rails: Steel Rail Celebrates Coming Home and more (Parts I & II) features a track by track listen to the new SR album along with Dave, Ellen and Lucinda's thoughts on the songs they wrote and what led to the new release after a 15-year hiatus.</p>
<p>The podcast is available wherever you get your audio releases, including Apple ITunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Google "Sounds Atlantic Podcast:" and find it that way, or check out www.ronmoores.com/podcast. </p>
<p>Tod, Ellen and Dave will also be featured Saturday, July 4, on Ron's show The Back 40 from noon to 1 p.m. on CKCU 93.1 FM (www.ckcufm.com) in Ottawa.</p>
<p>Steel Rail, Part 2, airs on Ron's show the following week: July 11.</p>
<p>Thanks to Ron, an old friend and longtime supporter. That's him at the Heritage River Festival in Burk's Falls, Ontario, in 1998.</p>
<p>We hope you can tune in!</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63690572020-06-28T08:34:54-04:002022-04-18T02:08:13-04:00June 28, 2020<h2><strong>Getting the word out Off Island</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to Briana Doyle, who wrote about us and other local musicians finding ways to get their music out during the pandemic. The article appeared in The 1019 Report, a new print-only newspaper distributed off the island of Montreal, so we can't give you many more details, but a photograph of the article is attached.</p>
<p>Briana is a talented musician herself: you can learn about her band <a contents="The Breeze" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/thebreezehudson/">The Breeze</a> here.</p>
<p>Thanks, Briana!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/1d0791a9c263111f40b6f840dec04dedfa6eb06e/original/1019report.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63558662020-06-16T21:48:57-04:002022-02-03T08:03:00-05:00June 16, 2020<h2><strong>Folk DJs: a band's best friend</strong></h2>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/dd31af774fe5ca9cb989e5e3a29360e4ce2749ae/original/hrsampler-logo.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" />We're delighted to see that folk DJs are starting to add songs from the new Steel Rail album to their playlists. Here are some DJs and programs that are now playing songs from Coming Home.</p>
<p>Check out their shows -- they obviously have great taste!</p>
<ul> <li>Gerry Goodfriend, <a contents="Folk Directions," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ckut.ca/en/content/folk-directions">Folk Directions,</a> on Montreal's own CKUT</li> <li>Rich Warren, <a contents="The Midnight Special, " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.wfmt.com/programs/the-midnight-special/">The Midnight Special, </a>WFMT in Chicago</li> <li>Wanda Fischer, <a contents="Hudson River Sampler," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.wamc.org/programs/hudson-river-sampler">Hudson River Sampler,</a> WAMC in Albany</li> <li>Sonny Ochs, <a contents="Folk Music and Other Stuff, " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sonnyochs.com/playlist%20folder/playlists2.html">Folk Music and Other Stuff, </a>WIOX in Roxbury, N.Y.</li> <li>Mike Regenstreif, <a contents="Folk Roots, Folk Branches," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://frfb.blogspot.com/" style="">Saturday Morning,</a> CKCU in Ottawa</li> <li>Chris White,<a contents=" Canadian Spaces," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/129/info.html"> Canadian Spaces,</a> CKCU in Ottawa</li> <li>Ron Moores, <a contents="The Back 40," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ronmoores.com/back-40-radio/">The Back 40,</a> CKCU in Ottawa</li> <li>Jan Vanderhorst,<a contents=" Just Us Folk," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://am1380.ca/personalities-shows/jan-vanderhorst/"> Just Us Folk,</a> CKCP in Brantford, Ont.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks to all of the above; their support helps us get our music out to the wider world.</p>
<p><br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63275192020-05-23T09:10:47-04:002021-06-20T22:18:08-04:00May 23, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/6e5a7cd8e97a5485ce896ecce46a3bfb77904de2/original/cd-disc-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>New album Coming Home launches today</strong></h2>
<p>Steel Rail is pleased to release Coming Home, the band's fourth album, on May 23, 2020. The CD celebrates a musical friendship that survived a cross-country separation, serious illness and a pandemic-interrupted recording process. </p>
<p>Coming Home is a musical reunion of sorts, not just for Steel Rail themselves, who are releasing their first new album in 15 years. Bill Garrett, who co-produced the new CD with Dave, was at the helm when Steel Rail released their first CD, A Thousand Miles of Snow, back in 1995.</p>
<p>Like all three of Steel Rail's earlier albums, Coming Home features 12 tracks that highlight the stellar vocals and striking songwriting of Tod Gorr, Ellen Shizgal and Dave Clarke.</p>
<p>You can read more details about the new album and<a contents=" preview some of the songs here." data-link-label="Coming Home" data-link-type="page" href="/coming-home"><strong> preview some of the songs</strong></a><strong><a contents=" here. " data-link-label="Coming Home" data-link-type="page" href="/coming-home" style=""> here.</a></strong></p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/63216252020-05-18T21:04:10-04:002021-01-24T21:29:07-05:00May 18, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/9af993f2d4290e0c4d64226f6cde821acfb0e7ff/original/inside-booklet-for-website.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>At long last -- Coming Home</strong></h2>
<p>In March, we previewed the cover of our new album, Coming Home. We're happy to say that, after a slight delay, the CDs have arrived, just in time for our new official release date of May 23. (What you see above is the inside cover of the album and the credits page.)</p>
<p>Coming Home features 12 songs by Tod, Ellen and Dave (in various combinations) that showcase the folk, bluegrass and country music we all love. </p>
<p>Please stay tuned for a new page in the Music section that will tell you more about the CD, including how to order it!</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/62898612020-04-21T21:29:37-04:002021-06-20T22:10:33-04:00April 21, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/2dd17a07b5fa798a1fe73bb0194964ceccd4a30b/original/ca-va-bien-aller.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>April 25 CD launch derailed</strong></h2>
<p>We're sorry to report that our CD launch concert at Le Petit Campus in Montreal on April 25 has been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.</p>
<p>Like the rest of the country, we're self-isolating and staying safe, and we hope you are too. That means, however, that our coming-out party for our new album Coming Home has been put on hold, along with the rest of the <a contents="excellent 2019/20 Wintergreen Concert Series" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hellodarlinproductions.com/wintergreen-concert-series/">excellent 2019/20 Wintergreen Concert Series</a>.</p>
<p>We'll celebrate the new CD with a show once it is safe for everyone to come out (whenever that turns out to be).</p>
<p>In the meantime, stay tuned for an update soon on alternate album launch plans!</p>
<p>Please stay healthy.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/62406352020-03-07T06:54:39-05:002021-06-20T22:19:46-04:00March 7, 2020<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/ec677a0d74d6330a048e692571181a36a5696e30/original/steel-rail-coming-home-cover.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Preview: Cover of our new album Coming Home</strong></h2>
<p>We're thrilled to unveil the cover of our new album Coming Home, designed by the brilliant <a contents="Michael Wrycraft" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.wrycraft.com/">Michael Wrycraft. </a>(If it looks familiar, that's because it is designed around the photograph by John Mahoney you see at the top of this site.)</p>
<p>The album, which features 12 Steel Rail originals, gets its official world launch April 25 at Le Petit Campus in Montreal, part of the<a contents=" Wintergreen Concert series. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hellodarlinproductions.com/wintergreen-concert-series/"> Wintergreen Concert Series. </a><br>Those of you in Montreal can buy tickets<a contents=" here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hellodarlinproductions.com/event/steel-rail-2/"> here. </a></p>
<p>More details about the album and the show soon!</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/61881162020-01-27T22:35:07-05:002022-05-19T06:47:14-04:00January 27, 2020<h2><strong>Bring on the snow (playlist)....</strong></h2>
<p>We were thrilled to find out that the influential music site <a contents="Roots Music Canada " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rootsmusic.ca">Roots Music Canada </a>included A Thousand Miles of Snow from our first album in their<a contents=" snow-themed playlist" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2020/01/24/when-life-gives-you-snow-check-out-our-playlist-of-snow-themed-songs/"> snow-themed playlist</a> last week. Among the other tunes on the list were Jesse Winchester's Snow, Song for a Winter's Night by Gordon Lightfoot, Nearly Midnight by David Francey and High Heels in the Snow by Lynn Miles -- heady company indeed.</p>
<p>Here's what writer Heather Kitching said about A Thousand Miles of Snow:</p>
<p><em>I’ve always felt that Montreal’s Steel Rail was a terribly under-rated act on the Canadian folk scene, so I welcome the opportunity to feature them on this list. The trio writes some beautiful stuff – check out Penny Lang’s cover of Ellen Shizgal’s “Prairie Sky” – and their harmonies are lovely. Also, the trio includes exceptional guitar instrumentalist Dave Clarke, who was David Francey’s sideman during his rise to the top of the folk A-list. “1,000 Miles of Snow” is a charming little song featuring Tod Gorr on lead vocals without the band’s signature harmonies in this case. It’s a great showcase for that pure-as-a-winter-breeze voice of his.</em></p>
<p>Thanks, Heather! </p>
<p>Here's a flashback photo from back when we were recording that album, taken by the fine Nova Scotia based photographer Nance Ackerman. The shoot was in March, but it was every bit as cold as a January day with a bitter wind, as you can tell from the distinctly frozen-looking expressions on everyone's face. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/02512eefa4ee6407b1563fb908b95df9d5743500/original/1994-03-sr-pr-photo-001.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/59868432019-12-01T09:46:17-05:002021-01-24T23:05:15-05:00December 1, 2019<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/b4765661781d197e2d1821c1daeb56b5ad9c8e06/original/a41i1864.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<h2><strong>Autumn leaves</strong></h2>
<p>We're happy to unveil our new band portrait, courtesy of talented Montreal photographer John Mahoney. He shot Dave, Ellen and Tod on Thanksgiving weekend in the Laurentians near Prévost, Que. Mission: to come up with a cover photograph for Steel Rail's upcoming album Coming Home.</p>
<p>In the process, he also did some new portraits for posters, presenters and the press. Here's the one that resulted from a vote by band members and Tod's family. Stay tuned for more album news in the run-up to the album launch as part of the <a contents="Wintergreen Concert Series" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hellodarlinproductions.com/wintergreen-concert-series/">Wintergreen Concert Series</a> at Le Petit Campus on April 25, 2020.</p>
<p>(And yes, that is a new banner at the top of our home page, part of that same Oct. 12, 2019, photo shoot. Thanks, John.)</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/59172402019-10-06T10:56:24-04:002021-12-21T04:04:05-05:00October 6, 2019<p><span class="font_small"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/49b51eae852e15487131a27d72571d12329662d7/original/1995-1020-sr-irenes-in-ottawa.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/2d71cd8d21126c0401582fec3f2f191ae934c8b3/original/img-2553.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" /></p>
<p> </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><strong>New album news</strong></h2>
<p>The photo at the top left is Steel Rail team getting mentally prepared for the next set of recording sessions for the upcoming Steel Rail album.</p>
<p>Actually Dave, Ellen and Tod were scouting locations for the album cover, which is being shot next weekend. Inspiration took them to the top floor of SR headquarters in Prévost, where renovations are in full swing. While they were up there, they recreated one of their favourite unofficial band portraits, right, taken outside the venerable Ottawa venue Irene's a couple of decades ago . (Twenty-plus years, for those keeping track.)</p>
<p>Recording sessions for the album, Coming Home, continue at Fast Forward studios in Notre Dame de Grâce under the watchful eyes of producers Bill Garrett and Dave Clarke and engineer Rob Heaney. We're gearing up for the band's official album launch at Matt Large's Wintergreen Series on April 25, 2020. Stay tuned!</p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/58331952019-07-22T21:49:43-04:002023-11-07T18:37:09-05:00July 22, 2019<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/ff00cbf0a8c19b348fe2ae1f13f650a1f52b5191/original/photo-cropped-for-website.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Steel Rail summer update</strong></h2>
<p>The hot weather hasn't kept Tod, Ellen and Dave from regular practices as they gear up for the next round of recording sessions for the upcoming Steel Rail album. The album, tentatively titled Coming Home, is taking shape in N.D.G.'s Fast Forward studio under the watchful eye of producer Bill Garrett and engineer Rob Heaney. Stay tuned for more news.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/53440522018-07-12T22:57:32-04:002022-02-21T06:15:17-05:00July 12, 2018<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/9ac9d2726f0f54566c7e3a1dc982633420f9e82b/original/img-0684.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><strong>One summer night in Baie-d'Urfé</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to everyone who came out to the bandshell at the Fritz Community Centre for last night's free show along the lakeshore. The weather was great, the setting was splendid -- one of the most beautiful places the band has ever played -- and there was something sublime about listening to acoustic music and three-part harmonies while watching the sailboats out on the St. Lawrence.</p>
<p>As Keith Fyckes, one of the organizers, promised, the temperature was perfect and the mosquitos didn't really come out until after the last note was played. Thanks to Keith and Louise Otmar for booking us in the Baie-d'Urfé summer concert series.</p>
<p>Steel Rail now hunkers down for pre-production on the long-threatened new album. Look for more updates as the process gears up. Till then, happy summer, everyone.</p>
<p>P.S. For those who came expecting The Last Thing on My Mind, apologies. The song was punted at the last minute for Flower in the Wildwood, another old favourite, and a cover version of one of our favourite waltzes, Evangeline, written by Robbie Robertson. </p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/53382132018-07-09T20:10:17-04:002022-01-02T20:18:46-05:00July 9, 2018<h2><strong>Sweet sounds on the Baie -- Baie-D'Urfé, that is</strong></h2>
<p>We're hoping Montrealers, especially those of you on the West Island and Off Island, will be able to join us for a free outdoor concert Thursday night, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. in beautiful Baie-D'Urfé. The show will go on, rain or shine, either at the bandshell at the Fritz Community Centre, 20 477 Chemin Lakeshore (that's the shine location) or at the Red Barn, 20 609 Lakeshore if it rains.</p>
<p>You'll hear some Steel Rail originals along with some of the band's own bluegrass and folk favourites, including Tom Paxton's The Last Thing on My Mind, a mainstay of the SR repertoire at the beginning, and specially resurrected for this concert. </p>
<p>It's supposed to be a balmy but not broiling summer night, you'll be near the river, and of course if you are coming from central Montreal, you will have the satisfaction of having survived the Turcot in your commute!</p>
<p>You can see how to find us <a contents=" here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/20477+Rue+Lakeshore,+Baie-d'Urf%C3%A9,+QC+H9X+1R3/@45.4081234,-73.9208912,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cc938fc6937c2eb:0x33a5f7e7782fb398!8m2!3d45.4081234!4d-73.9187025" target="_self">here.</a>. Bring the family and your summer cool!</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/52733212018-06-03T16:32:23-04:002021-01-24T21:50:50-05:00June 3, 2018<h2><strong>Great to see you, Toronto friends</strong></h2>
<p>It was great to see old friends and new at our concert in Toronto last night. It was a treat to be able to try out some of the new material for our upcoming album on such receptive ears, and to hear so many people singing along with old favourites like That's How the Summer Slips Away, Prairie Sky, and I'll Fly Away. (Not to mention getting into the fun of some surprise key changes and a persnickety amp.)<br><br>Special thanks to Lillian Wauthier and the terrific group of volunteers at Acoustic Harvest who made our time in the Bluffs so pleasant. And a big shout-out to engineer/sound man/musician/mensch Jason LaPrade, who made everything sound so good. As always.</p>
<p>It was also a pleasure to hear a too-short opening set from the terrific Longview, Alta.,-based duo <a contents="Over the Moon. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.overthemoonband.com/" style="" target="_self">Over the Moon, </a>who play tight cowboy-, bluegrass- and Western swing-inflected originals and covers. Do yourself a favour and check them out if they are playing in your neighbourhood.</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone who joined us Saturday night. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/d4cf9af34c52d68b663f7db72da56b0196e5be7f/original/img-0418.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/52604562018-05-27T16:49:57-04:002022-01-02T20:19:11-05:00May 27, 2018<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/4d8684970b71151a977c0e0143d828d57b52f393/original/1997-03-photo-shoot-outtake-3-001-copy.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Making new memories in the Big Smoke </strong></h2>
<p>We dug this photo out of the Steel Rail vaults from around the time of our first gig in Toronto about 20 years ago. That was on the heels of our first album release. Two decades later, we're looking forward to making more music and more memories with our Toronto-area friends. Hope to see you all at the Acoustic Harvest concert on June 2 at St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd., just east of Warden. Doors at 7:30, concert at 8. Details<a contents=" here. " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.acousticharvest.ca/concerts.html" target="_self"> here. </a></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/52325492018-05-13T23:12:27-04:002022-01-02T20:23:00-05:00May 13, 2018<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/bcc258ab874e3e92ea8b1ceda0ce844ce5b45031/original/dave-bd-practice.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><strong>Hope you can join us in Toronto June 2!</strong></h2>
<p>We'll be celebrating the start of summer with a concert in the Acoustic Harvest series in Toronto June 2. (I know it looks like we are celebrating Dave's birthday in this photograph, but we wanted to get into the spirit of things!) (Or spirits, as you can see.)</p>
<p>We'll be previewing new material for our long-rumoured new album, along with some new covers, including one of our favourite Gillian Welch songs, Annabelle.</p>
<p>I hope you can join us. The concert is at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd., Toronto (one block east of Warden Ave.) Tickets cost $22 in advance, $25 at the door. For more information, call 416-729-7564 or click <a contents="here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.acousticharvest.ca/concerts.html" target="_self">here.</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/46690052017-04-13T06:03:32-04:002021-12-28T02:54:07-05:00April 13, 2017<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/e11346a05adf6ec8d9e36d35ba7178dc39ac7e3e/original/img-8541.jpg?1492048097" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Great to see you all in Kitchener</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to our friends in Kitchener for a great evening of music and companionship on April 8. We had an amazing time at the Registry Theatre, one of our favourite venues, as part of the Old Chestnuts Song Circle series. We were delighted to see Jay Linden, who opened for Steel Rail a decade ago when we last performed in Kitchener. Jay's opening set was short but sweet; his albums sold out before we could get our hands on the latest one.<br>The Steel Rail part of the Registry gig featured a number of new songs slated for the upcoming SR album as well as a tune or two we played the last time around in KW. A fine time was had by all.<br>Thanks to everyone who made it happen, including Jack and Lori Cole (that's him on the Registry stage, above) and many friends from the Woods music camp, an extraordinary group of musicians and human beings. What a privilege to connect again.<br>The night before we reconnected with other friends at a house concert in Toronto chez Eve Goldberg and Ellen Long. The vibe was warm and the company divine. We're grateful to the two E's, who presented us in their first-ever house concert.<br>We're spending the next while focusing on the next Steel Rail album; details soon.<br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/46550952017-04-02T10:37:13-04:002023-12-10T12:00:52-05:00April 2, 2017<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/4407f38ac418769563b3071cb4bc8b65e01a1631/original/april-1-sr-practice-1.jpg?1491143923" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Ontario countdown</strong></h2>
<p>A week before our three-day Ontario sortie, Tod, Ellen and Dave spent Saturday afternoon honing the set list for our gigs in Kitchener and Toronto. The result: a lot of new material and some Steel Rail chestnuts in honour of our hosts in Kitchener, the Old Chestnuts Song Circle. (Although those of you who are musicians will know that the set list is never really final until about a minute before the show, and even then....) <br>Our Toronto house concert Friday, April 7, is sold out (thank you Eve Goldberg and Ellen Long, our hosts). There are still a few tickets left for our Saturday, April 8, show at the <a contents="Registry Theatre in Kitchener" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.registrytheatre.com/steel-rail/">Registry Theatre in Kitchener</a>. We're really looking forward to reconnecting with Jack and Lori Cole and our musical friends in KW next weekend.<br>In the meantime, here is a look at the green-tea-fuelled set list triage process.<br>Hope to see some of you next weekend in Ontario.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/45946492017-02-17T07:58:22-05:002021-01-24T21:58:43-05:00February 17, 2017 <div><h2><strong>Reconnecting with friends in southern Ontario in April</strong></h2></div>
<div> </div>
<div>We're delighted to be reconnecting with our friends in Kitchener and Toronto in April. We will be performing a house concert in Toronto on April 7, followed by a show at Kitchener's beautiful<a contents=" Registry Theatre" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.registrytheatre.com/category/events/registryevents/folknight/" style=""> </a>Registry Theatre on April 8.<br>Thanks to Jack Cole and friends at the Old Chestnuts Song Circle for inviting us back to Kitchener; you can buy advance tickets for the show <a contents="here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.registrytheatre.com/category/events/registryevents/folknight/">here.</a><br><br>We are also pleased to be performing a house concert in west-central Toronto (the King and Roncesvalles area) the night before. We'll post the details about, but tickets for the April 7 house concert are $20, and reservations are necessary. You can reserve by emailing eve@evegoldberg.com.<br>Hope to see you there!</div>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/45063352016-12-11T18:28:53-05:002021-01-24T22:02:17-05:00December 11, 2016<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/f60d1cb8e297841bfe986bbffe42a6eb47d43af2/original/sr-dec-10-2.jpg?1481498534" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Warm vibes on a winter night</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to everyone who braved the icy streets to come to Le Petit Campus in Montreal last night. A good time was had by everyone we spoke with, including Tod, Ellen and Dave, in spite of Tod's wicked cold and a lost tuner (no points for guessing who lost it).<br>Special thanks to Matt and Rebecca Large, whose tireless and loving work brings so much great music to Montrealers every year. Don't miss their <a contents="Wintergreen Christmas fundraiser " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.evensi.ca/hello-darlin-presents-community-christmas-concert-petit/182315258">Wintergreen Christmas fundraiser </a>on Saturday, Dec. 17. Thanks also to Olivier, whose great work at the soundboard made everything sound great.<br>Tod's sister Trina, who made the trip from Ontario for the show, supplied the photo at the top of this post.<br>Next step: pre-work on the new Steel Rail album right after Christmas.<br>Happy holidays, everyone.<br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/45052292016-12-10T09:19:25-05:002021-01-24T22:03:23-05:00December 10, 2016<h2><strong>Still keeping time ...</strong></h2>
<p>What a nice thing to wake up on concert day to hear the local CBC station playing Steel Rail and mentioning our "Christmas-carol-free" show at Le Petit Campus in Montreal tonight. The song: Still Keeping Time, Ellen's lovely waltz-time tribute to her dance-loving parents. Thanks to Sonali Karnick and CBC for supporting local music.<br>Hope to see you at tonight's show.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/44962172016-12-04T18:22:55-05:002022-05-24T16:36:08-04:00December 4, 2016<h2><strong>Last pre-concert flashback: 1996 video shoot</strong></h2>
<p>As we ramp up for the Dec. 10 show at Le Petit Campus, some historic music from the Steel Rail songbook is being revived. We're not sure this chestnut will make it onto the set list, but here is a 20-year-old photo of the band, with guest fiddler Alex Kehler, during the video shoot for the song A Thousand Miles of Snow. Once we get the technology figured out, we'll post the video itself, directed by Montreal filmmaker George Hargrave.<br>In the meantime, here's what Tod, Ellen, Dave and Alex looked like under the lights in 1996.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/8ae432b30fc7d436fcda7c3eda869f9a50394f86/original/1996-0328-video-shoot-sr-with-alex-kehler.jpg?1480893746" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/44898462016-11-30T07:09:34-05:002022-01-02T20:19:56-05:00November 30, 2016<h2><strong>Flashback before our Dec. 10 show</strong></h2>
<p>The venue Le Petit Campus holds some special memories for Steel Rail. The site of our upcoming Dec. 10 concert is also the place we launched our second album, the Road Less Travelled, 17 years ago, on Nov. 28, 1999. Digging through the files, we found this photograph from August 1999. It became one of our press photos for that period. As you'll note, Tod had more hair and Ellen had less that summer.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/ce76607569d7a5ae10efd45e99037f719cffa328/original/1999-0829-photo-shoot-b-w-2-001.jpg?1480507754" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/44857112016-11-27T13:43:36-05:002022-02-12T05:15:14-05:00November 27, 2016<h2><strong>From the Steel Rail archives</strong></h2>
<p>As we get ready for our 25th anniversary in 2017, we hauled out a box of Steel Rail clippings, photos, etc. to remind us of all the good times (and make sure we had remembered our anniversary correctly!). Here's one of the early SR gigs from 1992 in Tod's home town of Plevna in Frontenac County, Ontario: Winterlude on Feb. 15, 1992.<br>It is amazing this lovely hand-made poster made the trip across the country and back to re-emerge a quarter century on.<br>We'll post more archival material as we dig through the boxes.<br>Hope to see you at Le Petit Campus in Montreal on Dec. 10!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/9ba787b2967e9edc3c2f10c246bc8dc035088deb/original/1992-0215-sr-poster-plevna-sr-featuring-tg-001.jpg?1480272203" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/44636782016-11-12T12:52:12-05:002021-01-24T22:19:00-05:00November 12, 2016<h2>Dec. 10 concert is an anniversary warmup</h2>
<p>Where does the time go? Next year marks Steel Rail's 25th anniversary, and we're gearing up with a concert at Le Petit Campus in Montreal <a contents="on Dec. 10." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://boutik.gtickets.net/index.php?code=GTN161210&key=0b8aff0438617c055eb55f0ba5d226fa45c48cce2e2d7fbdea1afc51c7c6ad26&locale=en_CA" style="">on Dec. 10. </a><br>In honour of the occasion, we'll be playing some SR classics along with new material that is destined for that much-rumoured new album, slated for release sometime during our silver anniversary year.<br>Will Tod forget some lyrics? Will someone start an old tune in a new (translation: wrong) key? No spoilers, but it promises to be an evening of great music, laughter and friendship. More details soon!</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/40643642016-02-28T12:00:00-05:002021-01-24T22:21:27-05:00Feb. 28, 2016<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/792c07a01e4369a33f56ffdf790a9debedc1f4e5/large/steel-rail-after-wintergreen-2016-crop.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption"><em>Dave, Ellen and Tod after the Wintergreen show: Tired but happy</em></p></div>
<div><h2><strong>Out of this world</strong></h2></div>
<div>Thanks to everyone who came out for last night's gig at Le Petit Campus -- it was a fun and slightly surreal night, given the party vibe on the Main, thanks to Les Nuits Blanches, Montreal's party-all-night winter festival. The last people to leave the gig, for instance, were ushered out by a tall green alien with bug eyes and a man in a white NASA astronaut suit. Truly.</div>
<p>Never mind the <em>extraterrestres.</em> The earthlings at the show, which was part of Montreal's prestigious Wintergreen Concert Series, gave Tod, Ellen and Dave (all also human the last time we checked) a very warm reception. They seemed pumped about both the Steel Rail chestnuts <em>(Old Forgotten Road, Willow Creek </em>and<em> I'll Fly Away)</em> and the new material that debuted at the show. Some of the most enthusiastic applause went to Ellen's plaintive new song <em>When Are You Coming Home? </em>which she wrote, with musical help from Dave, about his long absence in Western Canada. She dedicated the song to Dave's 80-something mother, who was enjoying the concert from a prime seat near the front (thanks, Matt!). Dave's mom later pronounced the concert a great success, although confessed that she might not be the most objective observer.<br><br>Another highlight was <em>Argyle Street,</em> a song about Halifax that was inspired by stories told by a band friend and Haligonian. The song features the lines: "Girls all have their best jeans on / Donna's hair is brown and long/ Charlene with her eyes so green / Prettiest one Evangeline." It was a treat to be able to dedicate the song to the Evangeline in question, even if the details of the barhopping trip to the real-life Argyle Street were a little fuzzy.<br><br>Other favourite moments: Dave's instrumental<em> Sorrento</em> and Ellen's beautiful new untitled song, a hymn to the human spirit. (Chorus: "The loving, the leaving, the hurting, the grieving, the light fading fast and the darkness receding..." if you are trying to place it.) And, of course, hearing the audience softly singing along to the chorus of <em>That's How the Summer Slips Away,</em> always a moving phenomenon.<br><br>Resolutions for the next concert:</p>
<ul> <li> Find a title for Ellen's new song</li> <li> Get Tod a new pair of lyric-friendly glasses</li> <li> Play <em>Rain</em> slower and <em>Once in a While</em> faster</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<div>In the meantime, our thanks to Matt and Rebecca, whose Hello Darlin' Productions presented last night's concert and whose presence on the Montreal scene helps keep acoustic music thriving in our city. Keep your ears open for news of this year's upcoming Folk sur le Canal festival, also powered by Matt and Rebecca. It takes place <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_484613173" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">June 15 to 19</span></span> along the Lachine Canal and is not to be missed.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/1a3caea5843e87cc4bbe28ad90f1eb59ca9b51df/medium/img-6648.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption"><em>Not aliens: Just Dave and roadie Dan Sullivan striking the stage after the show</em></p></div>
</div>
<div class="captioned size_l justify_left border_none"><p class="caption"> </p></div>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/40528512016-02-21T16:56:18-05:002021-06-20T22:27:15-04:00February 21, 2016<h2><strong>Woodshedding for our Petit Campus show Feb. 27</strong></h2>
<p>Tod, Ellen and Dave spent Saturday working on the final arrangements for their Wintergreen Concert Series show at Le Petit Campus Feb. 27. On the set list as of late Feb. 20 are three great new tunes by Ellen, Once in a While, When Are You Coming Home? (written with Dave) and one song so new it's still called Untitled.<br><br>They'll also be introducing two covers of songs recorded by one of our favourite bands, Hot Rize, and a favourite songwriter, Tim O'Brien. High on a Mountaintop, written by Olabelle Reed, is a great bluesy bluegrass tune that we first heard on the 1979 Hot Rize album (that's the one that is just called Hot Rize and has a steaming biscuit on the cover, for all you Hot Rize fanatics). The other tune is Heartbreak Game, a co-write by Tim O'Brien and Randy Hardley that moves along at a pace that Tod used to call "fast as you dare" until he turned 50.<br><br>There are also two love songs to Montreal by Dave and Lucinda, written when they lived out west. One is called Flow, River, Flow, about the sadness of leaving Montreal, and the other is the self-explanatorily titled Let's Go Back Home, started one bone-chillingly damp West Coast winter day in Victoria.<br><br>Everyone's looking forward to the show at Le Petit Campus, Steel Rail's first full-length concert in Montreal since the band got back together again two years ago.<br><br>Hope you can join us there -- details can be found at the top of our home page or at <a contents="hellodarlinproductions.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.hellodarlinproductions.com/upcoming_concerts.htm" style="">hellodarlinproductions.com</a>. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/41ff3f7e169930e8b96d910b0e8adca6acb9d1bd/original/practice-cropped.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/40217832016-02-02T21:41:50-05:002021-01-24T22:26:40-05:00February 2, 2016<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/26578cbbae36842aced750afaf3d7f79e8c82e45/original/p1090875.jpg?1454467285" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<h2><strong>Say cheese! Again. AGAIN!</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to our friend and fine photographer Judith Cezar, who against the odds (a notoriously restless group of musicians) came up with some new Steel Rail band photographs on a wintry January day in the Laurentians. Here is a sample of Judith's work. We'll be using some of the results as our official photos and they'll be part of an SR newsletter we are sending to fans prior to our Feb. 27 concert at Le Petit Campus in Montreal.<br>Thanks, Jude!<br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/38552002015-09-14T22:33:09-04:002021-09-02T08:00:55-04:00September 14, 2015<h2><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/175538/3b6a684eebb30aa7a6b5b03007d7d407e3d5254c/medium/img-6290.jpg?1442284657" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" style="margin-right: 20px;" /><strong>Old friends, new beginnings at the Black Sheep</strong>
</h2>
<p>The band is still buzzing about Sunday's heartfelt, heartwarming concert at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Que.<br><br>It felt like family as we played for old friends and new fans in our first comeback concert outside Montreal after an eight-year hiatus.<br> </p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">There were old tunes -- like A Thousand Miles of Snow and Old Forgotten Road -- and new songs, such as Ellen's beautiful Once in a While, at one of our favourite venues, the Black Sheep Inn on the banks of the Gatineau River in Wakefield.<br> </div>
<p>Among the attendees were some of the people who have been on the Steel Rail bandwagon right from the start, including Ron Moores of CKCU's Back 40 program, an early champion who has become a true friend. Ron's touching introduction set the stage for a concert that ranks high among all of the band's performances over the last quarter century.<br><br>Among the new songs at the concert: Once in a While, Winter Wren, Rain and When Are You Coming Home (by Ellen). Flow River Flow and Argyle Street (by Dave and Lucinda). More about those songs -- and the upcoming Steel Rail album -- soon. <br><br>In the meantime, thanks to everyone who came out on a soggy Sunday afternoon for the Black Sheep Show. Thanks to Ron Moores and Chris White of CKCU, important pillars for Canadian folk music. And a special thanks to Paul Symes and the pug patrol for decades of support for the Canadian folk and roots music scene. A continuer....<br> </p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/38291372015-08-22T14:43:56-04:002021-01-24T22:29:39-05:00August 22, 2015<h2><strong>Coming home to the Black Sheep</strong></h2>
<p>Paul Symes at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec, was one of the first impresarios to book Steel Rail for a concert gig. So it feels right to make one of our first comeback concerts at the Black Sheep on Sept. 13.<br><br>There have been many SR appearances over the years, but none since around 2006, when the band ramped down after Dave set out for the West Coast. We're looking forward to being back at the now legendary venue. The shows and the audiences at the Black Sheep are among our favourites, and many SR songs got their first public performances there, including <em>That's How the Summer Slips Away </em>and <em>Belmont Days</em>.<br><br>The dark main street of Wakefield was the inspiration for the song<em> Midnight Road, </em>and Martin Melhuish, creator and director of the Telefilm series <em>Four Strong Winds, </em>travelled with SR and conducted interviews with them along the railroad tracks and the Gatineau River. <br><br>Ellen and Lucinda have had many a cup of middle-of-the-night tisane up on the third floor, Tod's drunk many a beer, and Dave has celebrated at least a couple of birthdays at the venue.<br><br>So <em>revenon</em>s <em>à nos moutons, </em>or at least<em> à notre Mouton. </em>Hope to see our Ottawa-area friends on Sept. 13.</p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/38291302015-08-22T14:14:24-04:002021-01-24T22:48:27-05:00February 15, 2015<h2><strong>Warming up the winter night</strong></h2>
<p>Thanks to everyone who came out to the Steel Rail comeback concert at Le Petit Campus in Montreal Feb. 7. A great time was had by all, especially SR themselves: Tod, Ellen and Dave.<br><br>Steel Rail's part of the bill featured songs that ranged from one of the band's first originals, <em>A Thousand Miles of Snow, </em>to a brand new heartbreaker,<em> Once in Awhile, </em>written by Ellen. Here is the set list from the show, part of the Wintergreen Concert Series.<br><br><em>1. Big Sky Blues<br>2. That's How the Summer Slips Away<br>3. Old Forgotten Road<br>4. Once in Awhile<br>5. Argyle Street<br>6. A Thousand Miles of Snow<br>7. Sorrento<br>8. Rain<br>9. Winter Wren<br>10. Let It Rain<br>11. Flow River Flow<br>12. I'll Fly Away</em><br><br>It was a treat to share the bill with musical friends Bill Garrett and Sue Lothrop, whose set featured some fine singing and picking, including <em>The Haunted Hunter, </em>a gem from Bill's 1979 selt-titled album (recently rereleased on Borealis) and a powerful new song about the plight of women in war-torn regions by Sue.<br>Bill and Sue (along with ace fiddler Josh Zubot) joined Steel Rail onstage for the finale: Dave's song <em>(Just) Waiting for a Train </em>and the country classic <em>Ashes of Love.</em></p>Steel Railtag:www.steelrail.ca,2005:Post/38291292015-08-22T14:13:24-04:002021-06-20T22:28:23-04:00January 25, 2015<h2><strong>Back in gear</strong></h2>
<p>How time flies when you're far from home.<br><br>After a five-year break from the concert stage, it's great to be preparing for a show in our home town, Montreal.<br><br>Some things haven't changed: the official practice food is still St. Viateur bagels with salmon spread, and at one point in each practice Tod sings <em>Rabbit in the Log </em>and everyone joins in.<br><br>Most important, everyone is still writing great new material -- so much that there isn't time to play it all in the Feb. 7 concert at Le Petit Campus. Ellen has been particularly prolific; several of her new songs will be played at the show. We've also been practising a couple of tunes to play with our old pals Bill Garrett and Sue Lothrop, the other half of the double bill at Le Petit Campus.<br><br>No spoilers, although you'll be able to sing along if you like!<br><br>More updates soon. In the meantime, here's a photo from one of the January practices.</p>Steel Rail