Brenna Lowrie’s “Body Electric” will be out late June as well as Jesse and the Dandelions “Time and Space and Everything In Between” for June 1st. Take a listen to some singles off the records!
Do The Jesus- Brenna Lowrie Stealing Moonbeams-Jesse and the Dandelions
Esper Records proudly presents in combination with OLD UGLY and many other wonderful sponsors…
(Quick note, the Lethbridge date is on MARCH 30th and NOT the 31st as the poster is typo’d)
GRAY OWL POINT
With sweeping string-based melodies, soft drums, and quietly lovely vocals, The Record Holder brings to mind the wide open spaces, long straight roads, and melancholy skies of their prairie homeland. This marks the second album for the Lethbridge-based quartet who sing songs about everything from disused beach playgrounds to literary villainesses.
The album puts me in mind of a number of Canadian alt-country/indie acts- from the well known and lyrically sophisticated Weakerthans, to the lo-fi earnestness of Shotgun Jimmie, all of whom make use of the same irregular cadence to turn prose into lyrics. Phrases like “The Yukon of the south” (“Safe Harbour”) and “You used a subordinate clause to clarify the depth of your disdain,” (“Dear Medea”) put them squarely in the literary-songwriting-tradition of John K Samson and Colin Meloy.
http://glasspaperweight.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/review-to-sea-ep-the-record-holder/
ARGUE JOB
Though “Dear Medea” initially demands the lion’s share of attention, repeated listens give the cake to “Morning Gloom” and “To Sea,” folk songs that go down as smooth and sweet as a folk song, layered in gently recorded intricacies and mixed for generous consumption. It must also be said that lyrically, this band avoids several pitfalls that plague most folk artist’s debut recordings. The content remains interesting and thought provoking, clearly penned by an intelligent individual. The down home vocal style is also deliciously up front and uncloaked in reverb, inadequacies left to be endearing and vulnerable. Enjoy!
http://arguejob.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/the-record-holder-to-sea-ep/
NXEW
With their second release, the beautifully crafted six-song EP To Sea, The Record Holder continues to produce magnificent baroque-pop and country tinged gems that pull at the heartstrings. Assembling diverse instrumentation outside the typical guitar/bass/drums repertoire including violin, ukulele and pedal steel, their success lies in hitting all the right spots from a pop music sensibility, while providing delicate and interesting flourishes that keep the listener hooked.
LA BEAT
Lethbridge indie-rock/ folk/ pop/ jazz tinged band the Record Holder, like a lot of people young people in Lethbridge who scatter, they eventually blow back into town. It’s a good thing too, because John and Michael Granzow plus Nicole Hembroff and drummer Clayton Smith were able to record a long awaited follow-up “To Sea.” The six songs flow seamlessly into each other with powerful violin playing and laid back lead vocals, backed by soothing acoustic guitars and beautifully understated harmony vocals.
500 HZ
http://500khz.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/the-record-holder-to-sea-ep/
Hey there! Happy New Year! This is a very exciting year for Esper Records. The ball is finally starting to get rolling and there are a lot of cool things to announce. Here we go!
1. The Record Holder have finally released their To Sea EP and the reviews are starting to roll in. So far the response has been great! The Record Holder is a folk pop band from Lethbridge Alberta featuring brothers Mike and John Granzow, Clayton Smith (Treeline Drummer) and Nicole Hembroff. This is their first release with Esper Records. Yesterday we shipped out to campus community radio and newspaper and blog mailouts are going out this week. This is exciting for us since it’s Esper Records first official release. ER 001. Listen to it (or buy it) in it’s entirety here… http://www.bandcamp.com/therecordholder
2. The Utilities have just finished recording their first full length which is to be sent off to mastering and printing any day now. The Utilities are an indie pop band from Ponoka/Lethbridge AB and are looking forward to entering into the scene.They may be the most talented and eager youngsters I know, and they are going to come out of nowhere! As soon as this is available we will let you know, but for now look out for them playing various shows around Alberta!
3. Brenna Lowrie has also finished recording her first full length with Esper Records and is undergoing the same waiting game with mastering and printing. Brenna plays folk music with some serious psychedelic influences. Open tunings and plenty of charm. I’m genuinely excited about the uniqueness of this album. We really came up with some unique sounds, EXAMPLE- One song features mellotron flutes and a harp! Mystical! Brenna is also from Lethbridge Alberta and more information will be released on her once it becomes available to us (and you!) She will be playing shows around Lethbridge, so keep an eye out for her!
4. Jesse and the Dandelions- This is a multifaceted announcement since there are a few exciting things happening with Jesse and the Dandelions right now. They are currently recording a 5 song EP which will be called Time and Space and Everything Between, and it will be released sometime before the summer.
Part 2- We are releasing a comic book soon! It highlights and elaborates on the story of our biography!
It’s being worked on by two talented fellows with much better story telling and drawing abilities than we could ever hope to have. Possible spring release!
Part 3- We are going on tour! It’s our second round for an official BC tour and we can’t wait. The dates are as follows….
February 22nd- Fernie – The Northern
February 23rd- Revelstoke- The Powder Springs Inn
February 24th- Victoria- Logan’s Pub w/ Aegis Fang
February 25th- Vancouver- Whiskey Dix- W/ Community Trees and My Dearest Friends
Short and sweet, but we are happy to venture out to the coast!
5. Doug Hoyer/Jesse Northey Collaboration!- Jesse Northey from Lethbridge AB (Jesse and the Dandelions, The New Weather Machine) and Doug Hoyer from Edmonton AB (Jessica Jalbert, Christian Hansen and the Austistics, Bike Month) joined together in the darkest days of winter to create the most satisfying art pop song that you’ve heard this year! Pulling from the strength of both members they came up with something unique from what you would usually expect from these two! Think David Bowie, Prince drum samples, and 80′s synths, but actually good! It can be listened to (or downloaded! Name your own price!) here… http://www.jessenorthey.bandcamp.com
That’s all folks! Plans are in the works! We will let you know more once we know more. Thanks for listening!
Sincerely, Jesse Northey and Esper Records.
The other night we had a great release with The Record Holder’s “To Sea EP” and now it’s time to focus on the next order of business.
Brenna Lowrie! Her album is done as of this afternoon! It is a full length album with 11 songs. We are just at the mastering, artwork, and printing stage right now. She is planning on releasing it on CD and well as Vinyl! You are all in for a mega treat!
The ball is rolling and it will probably be a few months before the actual release, but be sure to keep your eye out!
The first release for Esper Records is here! ER 001 . I’m so excited! The official release is on December 29th, in which case it will be available simultaneously on Itunes, Bandcamp( Physical copies CAN be ordered) , and any other fine establishment on the internet. If you live in Lethbridge, you can buy it RIGHT NOW! It’s available at Blueprint Records, The Owl Acoustic Lounge, and Long and Mcquade.
Check out The Record Holder’s bandcamp page here to listen to the first full length album and the single “Dear Medea”
http://therecordholder.bandcamp.com/
Also, come to the release party! https://www.facebook.com/events/156040374495736/
A neat song review from Sound Vat blog about The Record Holder’s new single “Dear Medea”
http://soundvat.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/w-dear-medea-the-record-holder/
A little something Jesse Northey whipped up on a nice fall afternoon. More Mellotron, Ukulele, and Theramin solos for your enjoyment!
