Skip to content

Blue Shadows, remastered, a bit of Heaven

Donna Durand and Gordie Matthews have a series of song swaps planned for the summer. The next is July 24 at The Redstone Grill and Bar.

Donna Durand and Gordie Matthews have a series of song swaps planned for the summer. The next is July 24 at The Redstone Grill and Bar.

Fred Eaglesmith is spending much of the next month in Alberta, including a July 29 appearance at Tracks Pub in Olds.

Eaglesmith, who recently released Cha Cha Cha, has an August 5 gig at The Grandview Stage near Cow Lake, southwest of Rocky Mountain House. For details, call 403 845 6404. He also appears at the Blueberry Bluegrass Festival on July 30.

Also making appearances at Stony Plain’s Blueberry Bluegrass July 30-August 1 are Dailey & Vincent, Rhonda Vincent, The Gibson Brothers, and The Spinney Brothers.

Stompin’ Tom pays a visit to the Enmax Centrium with Tim Hus August 12.

The annual Central Music Festival goes August 13 and 14. Featuring an abundance of local talent, headliners include The Trews Acoustic, Shane Yellowbird, Great American Taxi, Ponty Bone, Jim Byrnes, and Steve Coffey. Tickets at the Black Knight Inn and Valhalla Pure Outfitters.

This week’s disc review:

The Blue Shadows

On The Floor of Heaven

Bumstead

The outstanding debut from Canada’s semi-legendary The Blue Shadows has just been re-released along with a bonus disc of outtakes, rarities, and covers.

Centered on the dual lead vocals of Billy Cowsill and Jeffrey Hatcher, On the Floor of Heaven sounds as fresh today as when first heard in 1993; of course, that means it doesn’t sound modern at all.

This is country-roots music with a rock ‘n’ roll heart, drenched in the complementary influences of Roy Orbison, The Everlys, The Louvins, and Hank Williams.

Cowsill’s voice may never have sounded better than it did when he recorded with The Blue Shadows. There is an obvious richness within his singing that hints that he could have been one of the greats had his life taken a different path.

Remastered, On The Floor of Heaven doesn’t sound remarkably different to my ears, maybe a bit brighter with a touch of reverb. The songs- including alt-country classics like Deliver Me, When Will This Heartache End, and The Fool is the Last One to Know — ring with intensity and harmonic magic. The bonus cuts range from the sublime — A Little Bit Lonesome, A Little Bit Blue, Paper and A Promise, and Hell Stays Open All Night Long — to the classic- takes on Joni Mitchell, Pagliaro, and Merle Haggard.

No collection of roots rock is complete without The Blue Shadows; this beautifully packaged, deluxe edition goes a long way to reestablishing their place within the annals of the Canadian music scene.

Also in rotation: Amber Digby & Justin Trevino: Keeping Up Appearances; Mark Chesnutt: Outlaw; Jason & the Scorchers: Halcyon Days; Dierks Bentley: Up on the Ridge; Andre Williams: That’s All I Need.

Donald Teplyske is a local freelance writer who contributes a twice-monthly column on roots music; visit fervorcoulee.wordpress.com for additional reviews. If you know a roots music event of which he should be aware, contact him at fervorcoulee@shaw.ca