Collection includes a previously unreleased recording from Fredericton’s Alan Jeffries.
Last month welcomed the release of a new compilation from Forward Music Group. Formed in Fredericton in 2006, the small independent label now based in Halifax has grown to become one of the region’s premiere record labels, releasing music from several award-winning performers including Snailhouse, Gyposphilia and The Olympic Symphonium.
This latest offering simply titled, Forward Music Group 2015 Sampler, includes tracks from many of the artists releasing new music this year.
“Forward Music Group has released a number of samplers now, both physical and digital, and each time we try to pick a selection of current, upcoming/unreleased, and b-side material,” said label manager Kyle Cunjak. “Selection depends on what’s happening and what’s available. Thankfully most of the bands are constantly recording so we always have stuff to work with, even if it’s not something we’ll actually be releasing so this is a nice vehicle in which to get this music out.”
This latest offering features a previously unreleased recording from Fredericton bluegrass musician Alan Jeffries, whose 2013 album Coffee ‘til Midnight won him the 2014 East Coast Music Association’s (ECMA) ‘Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year’ award.
“While recording a new record for David Myles, with whom both Alan Jeffries and I perform, he suggested we try one of Alan’s tunes,” said Cunjak. “We were recording live-off-the-floor at Joel Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard studio and doing about ten tunes per day. We did two takes of this song in about six minutes and kept the first one. Shortest session ever. All About You is a traditional tune that’s been in the repertoire for a couple years now and was perhaps made famous by Doc Watson.”
As Cunjak points out, there are several benefits associated with creating and releasing a label sampler. This latest collection is the fifth for the label.
“For us it’s a very efficient way to get the word out about upcoming releases and get people excited about what’s to come,” he said. “We include a free CD copy with every physical order, send the music to radio stations around the world, and service record stores with our various distributors. The idea is that fans of one group find out about another, and for people who don’t know the label to get an idea of what it is we are all about. The variety of music on this one is pretty vast, from bluegrass to glitchy electronic, but I hope people will find something new they enjoy or at the very least, be challenged into listening to something new.”
So far in 2015, Forward Music Group have released Michael Feuerstack’s The Forgettable Truth (February), Find The Others’ Empire Of Time (April) and just yesterday they announced the release of Gypsophilia’s new album, Night Swimming.
Looking ahead, August will see the release of Paper Beat Scissors’ sophomore album, Go On, and Gianna Lauren’s much-anticipated new album Moon Through Window will be released in September. The label’s experimental subsidiary Backward Music will also drop the debut album from JOYFULTALK, an experimental project led by Jay Crocker (Ghostkeeper, Jon McKiel). There are also a few singles and an EP in the works that are expected to surface sometime this summer.
Forward Music Group 2015 Sampler is available as a free download at www.forwardmusicgroup.com
Listen to Alan Jeffries performing All About You.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3215998962 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=2999750990]
