Another Last Call – Doug Folkins (Independent Release)

There is something very Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds about this new collection from songwriter Folkins, something very good, very pure and very in love with good Pop.

The opening track (and single) Calico Girl drifts from the speakers in a breezy Beatles like harmonica, a subtle uncomplicated tune wrapped around lyrics that penetrate deeper into the psyche than realized.

Comparisons have been made to the folkpunk ‘n’ pop of the Pogues and indeed there is that barroom swagger and glee in a lot of the tracks, which added to the vibrancy of the Levellers at their best, let the tragic edges of human behavior colour murk and heart, light and shade to the bounciest of tunes.

And just when the old time pub songs threaten to get slightly too much for modern rock ears, Folkins craftily adds dollops of blues guitar and tiny tinges of modern Americana to his solid creations making this a truly international sounding release.

Find out more here

http://www.dougfolkins.com

And hear trax from this album on the NBT Podcast

http://nextbigthing.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=524299

Family Fans

 

 Where is Doug?
Well, I am back from my mini tour and family visit in New Brunswick. Like Spirit of the West says, “I’m so sick from the drink, I need home for a rest”. Hahaha. What a great time. My shows were so much fun and I want to thank everyone who came out to support the new CD. The venues where awesome and they really treated me well. Thanks especially to The Mason Jar who allowed my show to go over the capacity limit! I love sold out shows!

What’s new?
The Molly Hogans are working hard in rehearsals right now with our new lead guitar and mandolin player, Calvin. Things are going great and I can’t wait to get a few gigs under our belt with the new line up.

3 of my songs have been signed to a music publishing deal with Pump Audio. The tracks are “Promise Me”, “Park The Car” and “See You Smiling”.

“Calico Girl” is charting in the Top 100 in Europe on the EMCA (Country) charts.

Call To Action

Be sure to follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dougfolkins

Best regards,
Doug

At The Pub

Where is Doug?
I am heading to Sussex, New Brunswick to see my folks next week. My Mom and Dad will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this month and I am happy to be able be with them. I love fall in the Maritimes with all the colours and the cold crisp air. I am looking forward to spending time with my nieces and my nephew as well as golfing a few rounds with my Dad.

Mini Tour
While in New Brunswick, I will be playing several solo shows to promote my newest release, Another Last Call.  I would love to see you at one the shows.

• Oct 9th:  Alice’s   Drurys Cove, NB
• Oct 10th:  The Mason Jar, Sussex, NB
• Oct 14th:  The Blue Olive, Saint John, NB
• Oct 17th:  Crumbs Cafe, Fredricton, NB

Call To Action
Another Last Call is now available on ITunes. Please visit my page at the ITunes store and rate or recommend my CDs. Please feel free to leave your own review and comments if you like! Over 90% of music that is downloaded legally is through ITunes. The more comments and feedback on about my music at the ITunes store will generate more interest in my tunes.
I look forward to relating my trip to all of you when I get back.
Best regards,
Doug

Hello everyone! Things are going very well with the promotions of “Another Last Call”. There are several upcoming radio/podcast spotlights and a new video spotlight that I wanted to let you all know about.

September 8th, 2009: Next Big Thing – Podcast Show from Germany. Tune in as Martin will feature music from my latest CD, Another Last Call.

Qs House: My interview with Q will air on Tuesday October 6th. The Show airs live from 8-10pm EST. People can listen by visiting http://www.qshouse.com/

The more requests for my songs that Q gets, the more frequent he will play them! Request can be made live in the chat room or via phone and in advance by emailing Q@qshouse.com.

The show will be available on various PodCast sites including iTunes. A complete list can be found at www.QsHouse.com/podcast

It’s ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ for unsigned musicians with a dash of ‘The Daily Show.’

 
Q’s House is where music fans and musicians come together to learn and laugh. Q’s House is fast paced, no punches pulled talk radio. It’s Smart Comedy & Intellectual Smut.

 
Expect Interviews with the most entertaining personalities off the beaten path. Artists, Rock Stars, The Eccentrics & The Senile. Hear intimate acoustic performances alongside Drunk Dials, and Things That We Hate. We talk both sides of the music business; add a dash of tech talk, and bitters and its one smooth cocktail.

 
It’s a Neighborhood Watch fueled by Rage & Addiction as Q and His residents try and make sense of the world around them and recount their adventures about the town of Orlando, FL and beyond.

Voice Mail: 407-854-7607 Q@QsHouse.com

Shaw TV in Campbell River produced a short 3 minute spotlight for local broadcast recently. I have posted the video on YouTube.

I am anxiously looking forward to my shows in New Brunswick in October! I hope to see some familiar faces at shows.

 
Have a great weekend.

Doug and Jim on stage

My musical life has been turned on its head! We have lost ¼ of our band, The Molly Hogans, when our beloved lead guitar player, accordion master and mandolin picker, and good friend, Jim Dyck moved to Edmonton. We have been playing as a solid unit for nearly three years doing 60-70 shows per year. I can tell you with great certainty that a comfort level develops when you know the expected notes for the lead rift, the harmonies that will be sung and even the guitar tones to expect from the right hand side of the stage. Sadly Jim is gone and we must move on.

 
Moving on requires playing with other musicians and that is fun, exciting and scary. Our bass player, Richard Franklin (the wise one in our band), says that each musician will bring a flavor to the band much like a soup. You will get a different tasting soup but it will still be soup!
Last weekend we had our friend, Calvin Kalyniuk sit with lead guitar and mandolin with us at the Campbell River Salmon Festival for our two sets. We had done several rehearsals with Calvin prior to the show and for the most part things went very smoothly and without a hitch. The meat of the songs was great. With new players, I find that the beginnings and the endings are what lack the real tightness that only comes when a band has been playing together for a while.

 
This weekend we played a two night pub gig at the Cumberland Hotel in Cumberland. My friend James MacLeod came down from Port McNeill to fill in on lead guitar. James is a great guy and a solid player who has been in touring and cover bands for over 20 years. We did not have a chance to rehearse prior to the shows other than email exchanges of set lists and trying to come to common songs for the nights. So going in, I was confident but also a bit apprehensive about how it would go. Again I was very happy and pleased with our shows. James did a great job and we had large and rocking crowds for both nights. The tones were new from my right on the stage but they soon became familiar. Sure we played a number of songs either too fast or a bit loose but overall we got the job done and even had some fine moments in there where everything clicked. The management at the venue was happy and we had a great time.

 
So while we continue to settle into a new permanent line up for the band, we are experiencing the tasty soup that playing with lots of musicians has to offer. I recommend that you try it as it will strengthen your ability as a musician to adapt onstage and not get spooked by unfamiliar tones, tempos or odd harmonies. Playing with diverse musicians will only strengthen your musicianship.

Recommend listening this week:
Flogging Molly
Enter The Haggis

It was another hot weekend here on Vancouver Island with Mother Nature setting new record temperatures and sending the fire hazard rating skyward. The best place to spend a weekend like this one was at the Paradise Meadows Music Festival in Black Creek, BC. The setting for this small local festival is amazing! Picture a large flat farmer’s hayfield meadow surrounded by tall Douglas Firs and Douglas Maple trees with the crystal blue waters of the Oyster River running along the entire lower edge of the festival grounds. Now add 35 C of heat and clear blue sky and great music, family camping and river swimming, that spells summer festival fun.

Big thank you’s are needed for the festival organizers, Tracey and Jamie Robertson ! There is a lot of work and commitment required to pull together an event like this. This is the only the second year for the Paradise Meadows Music Festival but you would think that it has been running for years given the smooth and professional organization. Thanks to Hugh Schmid and Rod at the monitor board for making us sound great.

 
We had a great time slot at 7:00PM and The Molly Hogans ripped it up with high energy Celtic tunes for our entire set. My shirt was soaked through when we go off the stage! Dallas, Jim and Rich all played great as usual. Our set was followed by the hard rocking Campbell River band Crimson Reign. Check them out on YouTube!

 
I will post some footage of our show on YouTube as well.

 
Again, thank you Paradise Meadows!

Campbell River singer/songwriter Doug Folkins and Musync ®Partner, Seb Jarakian enter into music non-exclusive licensing agreement for tracks from Doug Folkins most recent CD, “Another Last Call”. Musync, located in San Francisco, is a music licensing company, specializing in quality pre-cleared music tracks from indie artists world-wide. Musync has placed songs for commercials and video games with clients like; Toyota, Google, Adobe, AOL, Esurance, Xbox, etc…
“I am very excited to work with Musync” says Folkins. “This is what I have been working towards for a long time. Having a company like Musync to shop my songs to recording artists, film, TV, commercials and video games is just fantastic”. “Zeb has also requested that I send him instrumental versions of my tracks as they are often easier to get placed in film and TV” says Folkins.
Folkins has spent the last 10 years, writing, playing, and producing his own material. With Another Last Call, Folkins’ fifth album, he returns to his folk rock past. “Calico Girl” and “Park the Car”

This worldwide appeal might be a result of Folkins’ ability to blend traditional Celtic influences, country twang, and pop jangle to create a fresh sound that is as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans. He is a serious musician who takes time to whittle down each song to its most essential elements. The challenge now is to take that warm “down at the pub” intimacy and translate it to a much larger audience.

At The Pub

What a great weekend of music!

Every year I am amazed at the line-up of world class talent that Doug Cox brings to the Vancouver Island Musicfest. There is little wonder why this festival is rated in the top 25 international music festivals in the world. 5000 people, hot sun with a cool breeze, excellent sound techs and stages and exceptional musicians, make one great weekend.

The stand-out performers for me were; Enter The Haggis, The Del McCoury Band, Yves Tremble and Shane Koyczan. There had to be over 1000 people crowded into the tiny Woodland Stage venue to listen Shane’s poetry and spoken word magic.
This kind of event makes me feel humble as a musician and songwriter but it also challenges me to continue to work harder and improve my craft.

Back to the rehearsal room for me!
Thank you VIMF and Doug Cox.

Doug Folkins