Fred Eaglesmith


Click here Photos Lizottes Central Coast

Fred Eaglesmith on the road without Willie P. Bennett. From Bill Aldacushion
May 24, Vienna, Virginia: Fred Eaglesmith began a US tour tonight at Jammin' Java without his friend and band-mate of 25 years Willie P. Bennett. Willie stayed home in Canada resting and recovering from a heart attack he suffered on stage last weekend. According to Fred's drummer Kori Heppner, Willie is pleased that no surgery was required, but worried about how the band would get along without him. The band was a bit nervous as this was their first gig without Willie. They did quite well as a trio with Luke Stackhouse on bass, but there was something missing. Fred adjusted his set list to compensate, but still was full of raw energy and banter as the evening progressed. Willie will be off the tour circuit for at least 3 months according to Fred..... maybe longer, ... but is receiving the best of care that the Canadian health system can provide. Anyone wanting to send their regards to Willie and wish him a speedy recovery, can send a note to wpb@fredeaglesmith.com To see more pictures of Fred and Willie as they appeared together at Lizotte’s Restaurant, Kincumber, NSW in April, go to http://www.tamworthragepage.com/fredeaglelizottes.htm
Here's your chance to show your support for new videos by several Australian artists or singers who recently have performed here. CMT.com’s Pure 12-Pack Countdown presents a list of video links each week from Friday to Wednesday allowing you to pick up to twelve favorites each time you vote. This week’s list includes Keith Urban, The Greencards, Fred Eaglesmith, Dale Watson, Jim Lauderdale and Elizabeth Cook who co-wrote “Sometimes It Takes Balls to be a Woman” with Melinda Schneider. So please visit the link above to vote ..... and to vote often!!

Fred Eaglesmith's site

Click here Fred & The Flying Squirrels with Bill Chambers, Brooke Harcey - Northern Star Newcastle


When it comes to Fred Eaglesmith, two things are for sure - every album is different from the last, and every song is great. 'Milly's Cafe' is no exception. This album is imbued with gritty realism, loneliness and a weariness that only years spent travelling can bring to a writer. The characters in Fred's songs live on the dusty edges of time and place, travelling, longing and wondering. The music on 'Milly's Cafe' harks back to the high lonesome harmonies of Fred's early 'black and white' albums and evokes the hard-edged honky tonk sounds of 'Falling Stars and Broken Hearts'. But this time it's Fred's current road band, with a few guests. The sound is raw, the beat is languid, the arrangements sparse, and Willie P. Bennett's harmonica tears at the heart. This is bare bones country music but it's not pretty. If you're new to Fred Eaglesmith have a listen to the audio samples at the link below. Better still, check out his touring schedule and go hear him live. He's a brilliant entertainer, as well as a road warrior, comedian, enlightened Canadian, superb songwriter and an inspiring human being.
'MILLY'S CAFE' TRACKLIST: 18 Wheels Kansas Summer Is Over Thinkin bout her Rocky Milly's Cafe Tired Mrs Hank Williams Sign On The Wall The Rains Reckless Price: $17.00 (inc.tax & card fees) To hear music samples, or to buy 'Milly's Cafe'... ------------------------------ Reckless Records has most of Fred's CDs in store. THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG SERIES VOL 1. (double live CD solo) THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG SERIES VOL 2. (double live CD with band) BALIN FALLING STARS AND BROKEN HEARTS RALPH'S LAST SHOW (double live CD) LIPSTICK, LIES AND GASOLINE 50 ODD DOLLARS DRIVE-IN MOVIE THINGS IS CHANGIN' FRED J. EAGLESMITH INDIANA ROAD THE BOY THAT JUST WENT WRONG Enjoy the music! Audrey Auld Mezera Reckless Records ------------------- email: mail@recklessrecords.com USA phone: 415.847.9847 USA fax: 415.868.0278 web: http://recklessrecords.com To order please use our secure online shopping cart. Or you may phone or fax your order. Shipping costs are additional.

Byron Bay 2005 - Fred, Luke and Dan - Photo Courtesy of Michael Hansen

Fred Eaglesmith has received critical acclaim as one of the finest songwriters in the alternative country and roots scene, winning both the Canadian Juno and Canadian Independent Music awards. He has built his own success, song by song, and owns his own CDs and record company - A Major Label - rather than be owned by a 'big business' record company. For the past decade, Fred and his band of modern-day troubadours have worn a zig-zag trail across North America, with trips to Europe and Australia recently added to their travels. They tour over 200 days a year, every year, singing songs about working people, farming, and hard living.
Fred also has a Southern Ontario farm that runs entirely on wind and solar energy, making him an excellent fit as Oxfam Canada's spokesperson for the Make Trade Fair agricultural campaign.
"I'm going to stir the pot for Oxfam. Agriculture has become big business. The government and big agricultural companies control everything in the food supply.
This is not just Oxfam's problem, but also consumers' problems and farmers' problems, and the problem is that people are disconnected from the production of their food. Running out of food in North American grocery stores doesn't happen anymore. I remember here in Canada in the 1960s, I'd go to the store with my mother and the amount of milk we could buy was rationed. We could only get 2 bags of milk.

It's now very North American to have more than you need. And if you have everything you need, then everything must be working. Canadians believe in this system. Even as farmers go broke, they still believe in the system.
But the system is not working. Two thirds of the world know what it's like to run out of food. Or they go to the market to sell their food and can't compete with North American big business. They are paying for North Americans to have more than they need.

It's time to Make Trade Fair
yanina andrews
artist relations
allied artists
e yanina@alliedartists.com.au
"Show business is a phony world anyway, so why not dress the part" DOLLY PARTON

FRED EAGLESMITH - DOWNUNDER 2005
Canadian singer/songwriter/storyteller/comedian FRED EAGLESMITH is set
to tour Australia in March - April 2005.
This will be the fourth time Fred has toured downunder and Australian
fans have joined the massive international underground cult that has
grown around Eaglesmith.

This tour however will be the very first time Fred has brought his
permanent touring band THE FLYING SQUIRRELS for a full-tilt classic
Eaglesmith experience!

"Among the barrelling country rock, the ocassional hillbilly hooning and
the dry-witted descriptions of sometimes oddball men and women, Fred
Eaglesmith has always found ways to pierce you with truths." Bernard
Zuel SMH

As another reviewer said, "It takes a jaded soul to leave a Fred
Eaglesmith show unaffected."

Fred is a unique character and a prolific songwriter with major artists
recording his songs, including Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar
Williams, James King and Kasey Chambers, who proudly claims Eaglesmith
as one of her major influences and unabashedly declares being his number
one fan.

Fred doesn't have a repertoire of radio hits. What he does have is
better. On any given night he could perform entire sets from requests
for his original tunes called out by the audience and delivered with
unimaginable insight and humour.

The band itself is legendary, beginning with the Canadian icon Willie P.
Bennett. A singer-songwriter for more than 30 years, Juno Award winner
and Jimmi Hendrix of the mandolin, Bennett is considered one of the most
innovative players in the world.
The band also includes Kori Heppner on drums and Luke Stackhouse on
bass. Rounding out the sextet is Dan Walsh on electric baritone guitar,
acoustic guitar and dobro and Roger Martin on electric and steel
guitars.

Fred will be in Australia as part of the incredible line-up for the
Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Byron Bay and the legendary
Pub With No Beer Festival, Taylors Arm during Easter. He will also be
performing a handful of dates in both Sydney and Melbourne.

If you can only catch one show in 2005 make it FRED EAGLESMITH and THE
FLYING SQUIRRELS!

ATTENTION ALL FREDHEADS!!!!
The Directors of Vital Entertainment Solutions are proud to announce Australasian representation of the FRED EAGLESMITH catalogue.

Fred Eaglesmith is a Canadian singer/songwriter/storyteller/comedian who reads books on nano-technology, likes machinery, and runs his farm entirely on wind and solar energy.

And his band has their quirks too!

Fred Eaglesmith is unstuck in time. His stage show hearkens back to an earlier era of country and roots music when entertainers would spin tales and spout one-liners between tightly crafted tunes. Yet Fred’s songs – and his stories – are carved from keen observations of the modern world and how it affects Everyman. It’s as if Hank Williams joined the Rolling Stones!

Across the North American continent, a growing number of Fredheads surge into roadhouses, honky tonks, old churches and high-ticket theatres to revel in the experience that is a Fred Eaglesmith concert. Fred has broken all the rules on his way to becoming a Juno award-winning and critically acclaimed artist.

Fred has 30-40 songs recorded by minor artists, plus major cuts by The Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar Williams and our own Kasey Chambers and Catherine Britt.

Fred has an ever growing fan base of dedicated “Fredheads” in Australia and with this territory now firmly in his touring schedule, his popularity will soon reach the lofty heights of his home base.

“Fred has an amazing way of making you laugh and cry in the same song. He tears my heart out but always in a good way. He rocks my world!.” Kasey Chambers

As a Canadian reviewer commented “It takes a jaded soul to leave a Fred Eaglesmith show unaffected – nobody is sure how it works; it just does!”.

Fred has a new album "Dusty" due for release in September and Vital spokesman Jim White comments “I’ve watched how Fred connects with his audiences and has them laughing one minute and crying the next – it’s easy to understand why Fredheads say they “get religion” at an Eaglesmith show! We are delighted to be a part of his Australian crusade”

For further information please contact Gill Robert 0419 266 640
Publicist Ronda Toner 02 979 888 24 mob 0408 704 345

Vital Entertainment Solutions, P.O. Box 513, Drummoyne 1470, Australia, Email merylg@tpg.com.au

FRED'S RETURN TO SOMEWHERE!

Allied Artists announce with great exuberance, the return of FRED EAGLESMITH.
This will be Fred's third trip to Australia but will definitely offer the most opportunities for Fred Heads (established fans) or new converts to catch a show!
"It's exciting to have Fred in Australia for this length of time. He's on the road at least 250 days a year touring back home or Europe. This will give him a chance to get to a few more of his established fan base here & hopefully we'll coax him back on a regular basis." Marius Els said.
For the uninitiated, Fred Eaglesmith grew up in Ontario and hit the road in 1996, winning a Juno (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy), released 11 albums and earned great respect as a songwriter.
His songs have found their way into several movies and have been cut by numerous artists including Kelly Willis, Dar Williams, The Cowboy Junkies and our own Kasey Chambers.
"Fred has an amazing way of making you laugh and cry in the same song. He tears my heart out but always in a good way - He rocks my world!" K.C.
A prolific songwriter with a real penchant for machinery, trains and speed, Fred delivers every song with an undeniable passion and energy that invades the psyche of all - the blue collared bloke to the angelic blonde - nobody escapes!
As one reviewer said "Hopping onstage and launching into an a capella intro, Fred grabbed the audience in his fist and held it there until after his 2nd encore."
Another..."It takes a jaded soul to leave a Fred Eaglesmith show unaffected!"
Be Warned! - The first show you experience will be the first of 'never enough!'

FRED EAGLESMITH'S 'RALPH'S LAST SHOW' - LIVE IN SANTA CRUZ
NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA THROUGH RECKLESS RECORDS.

Fred Eaglesmith live. As real as it gets. Unvarnished, tough and raw songs of heartbreak, fast cars, hard times and hard truths sung and played as if the whole world depends on it. By turns funny and painfully honest, raucous and savagely beautiful, the Fred Eaglesmith band is the best live act in America today.

"Fred has an amazing way of making you laugh and cry in the same song. He tears my heart out but always in a good way. He rocks my world!"

Kasey Chambers

Word has spread slowly but inexorably, like a forest fire before the flashpoint hits, about Eaglesmith's extraordinary music and performance. And now there's proof: "Fred Eaglesmith Live In Santa Cruz: Ralph's Last Show". It's music you can't categorize: ballsier than "alt." anything, leaner than rock, rawer than country.

Fred J. Eaglesmith, Willie P. Bennett, Washboard Hank and Ralph "Skip" Schipper toured the US and Canada relentlessly during the late 90's. This is a record of Skip's last show in the US. His lock-tight bass lines and razor harmonies provide perfect counterpoint to Eaglesmith's propulsive guitar and vocals, Bennett's extraordinary mandolin and harmonica pyrotechnics and Washboard Hank's outrageous human percussion. It is music that wins fans one at a time, but it wins them for life. It wins them without help from the 'entertainment industry', it wins them without stories in mass-market magazines or specials on VH-1.

Nowadays, Eaglesmith's band is more powerful than ever: Eaglesmith, Bennett and Washboard Hank are at the fore, with added firepower from drums, electric guitar and bass; and the word of mouth that has caused crowds to swell to sellout proportions is stronger than ever. But this recording perfectly captures the energy and exuberance of a band scrapping and scraping by, living from one roadhouse to the next, driving in shifts, sleeping on a 1958 Wayne touring bus whose only heat was a propane stove or an intermittently working Honda radiator jerryrigged under the driver's seat.

From the propulsive drive of "105" to the breathtaking May-September romance of "Lucille" to the hilarious never-before-recorded crowd favorite "When, Exactly, Did We Become White Trash?", the music captured here soars. The voices are raw and ragged; the instrumentation simple and direct and the songs are true as songs have ever gotten.

There's nothing hidden on this recording, and nothing you can hide behind. These are amazing songs, amazingly played, amazingly delivered. Recording acts and sounds come and go, but this is timeless, a record for the ages. In fifty years, people will talk about the music of Fred Eaglesmith the way they talk about Hank Williams today. And with 'Live in Santa Cruz: Ralph's Last Show' you'll see why.

This is music sung and played as if the whole world depends on it. Maybe it does.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To order 'Ralph's Last Show' in Australia :
visit http://www.recklessrecords.com/html/superstore.html
or
Reckless Records
PO Box 298
Marrickville NSW 1475
Fax : 0295578546
Robyn Skinner Ph: 0418 972 019
----------------------------------------------------

FRED EAGLESMITH - BIO

Fifty years ago, when the "entertainment industry" was in its infancy, radio stations and record companies were just finding their way. Musicians followed no set formula. Bluegrass bands toured the country in big cars and beat-up buses. It was a rough toad, but it had a simple honesty - in the music, the lifestyle and the language itself. A few still live this way. One is the Fred Eaglesmith Band.

With a ragged string of old buses and tour vehicles, they've travelled the back roads and big cities of America and Canada, playing hard-driving, rocking, pleading, country soul. They play roadhouses, honky tonks, old churches and high-ticket soft seat theatres. Just six men between the ages of 23 and 50. They drive their own bus and repair it when it breaks down. They've had fires, they've had accidents; dropped driveshafts, wheels have fallen off. They've been towed a lot. At shows, they set up their own gear and tear it down themselves. They've been handcuffed, searched and turned back by border guards. They've been stopped dozens of times in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere by cops, roadblocks and wrecks. This is a real band of ordinary men with wives, girlfriends and families, working to make a living. They live the life of another era. But their music is as relevant as any being made today.

Eaglesmith grew up on a series of farms in southern Ontario. His father, an evangelical minister, went bankrupt twice. Eaglesmith recalls his childhood as either working the farm or driving to church. By age 16 he'd left home, hopped freight trains out west and made his way back east to the farms of Ontario. But the hillbilly radio stations that bounced over the Great Lakes when he was a kid promised him an easier road: like Elvis, the Stanley Brothers, and John Prine, he figured he could make it as a musician. Only his songs are populated with blue collar guys, heartbreaking women, farmers and criminals. Says Eaglesmith, "I think the bottom of the barrel is where the answers are."

The list of Eaglesmith's songs covered by other artists grows steadily: The Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar Williams, Kasey Chambers, James King and Audrey Auld. Film director Martin Scorsese has used his songs, as have various others, including James Caan in his new movie "Viva Los Nowhere." Eaglesmith has won the Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) and regularly scores albums on critic's top ten lists on both sides of the border.

Since hitting the road in 1996, Fred Eaglesmith and his band have received critical acclaim from almost every major and minor newspaper in Canada and the US. They have gone from relative unknown to selling out major clubs in Canada and the US and having one of the most devoted fan bases since the Grateful Dead. As one reviewer said, "It takes a jaded soul to leave a Fred Eaglesmith show unaffected." Or as the Fredheads say "You get religion."

DISCOGRAPHY
Fred J. Eaglesmith (1980)
The Boy That Just Went Wrong (1983)
Indiana Road (1987)
There Ain't No Easy Road (1991)
Things Is Changin' (1993)
From The Paradise Motel (1994)
Drive-In Movie (1995)
Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline (1997)
50-Odd Dollars (1999)
Live in Santa Cruz: Ralph's Last Show (2001)

visit : www.fredeaglesmith.com