January 6, 2012
Happy 2012! To start off the new year, here's an interview I did recently with a Dutch Americana / roots / folk publication called Johnny's Garden ... click here.
December 15, 2011
VERY excited to announce I'll be heading over to the UK this coming March to support Grammy nominated, Nashville folk-country singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters:
March 1 - The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, UK
March 2 - The Arc, Stockton, UK
March 3 - The Met, Bury, UK
March 4 - The Arches, Glasgow, Scotland
March 5 - Opera House, Buxton, UK
March 7 - The Robin 2, Bilston, UK
March 8 - Fibbers, York, UK
I've also got a couple of solo dates:
March 6 - The Enterprise, Camden UK
March 9 - Stage 2, The Stables, Milton Keynes, Wavendon, UK
November 26, 2011
With Canadian AND American Thanksgiving now in the rear view mirror that can only mean ONE thing. Christmas is just around the corner. To mark the occasion we've decided to have a SALE! From now until December 25th you can purchase ANY CD for just $9.99 plus shipping and handling! Head on over to the STORE now!
August 29, 2011
August is coming to a close which means fall is just around the corner. This past summer was fairly quiet playing wise, though i did manage to get out to Lockeport NS for the Harmony Bazaar Women's Festival in July, which was a blast. And debuted a brand new musical collaobation at Ottawa Folk Festival this past weekend playing with Lyndell Montgomery.
I've had a few messages asking when the next record will be coming. I'm here to report that I've finally crawled out of the dark abyss that is creative silence and am once again on speaking terms with my Muse. I've got a couple of collaborations on the go too. So no album in the immediate near term, but the seeds are in the ground,
Looking forward to taking part in the Otown Hoedown again this year in Ottawa. Lefty McRighty has once again outdone himself putting together a fantastic week of music for fans of all things that hint at country. And I'm talking the real stuff.
More soon ... till then Go Bills! Yes. I did say that with a straight face :-)
July 1, 2011
Happy Canada Day!! We're all done with the renovations to our home. Thanks to everyone who donated and ordered CDs!!!!!!!! The episode of All For Nothing will air this winter. I'll post the date when we know the exact date and you can find out how we did!
June 3, 2011
Our house has been selected to be included in an episode of All For Nothing.
The show is one part design transformation series, and one part fast-paced real estate drama that pits homeowner against homeowner in a competition to ready their neglected homes for sale. The catch? We have to attempt to do it all for nothing. Fundraising, bartering and help from friends and family are all key to getting our house ready for sale for as little money out of our pockets as possible. Up for grabs is the commission-free listing services of top real estate agent and host, Paul Rushforth.
April 4, 2011
Happy spring! Here's a new review from Country Music People (UK) ...
Maybe it was the sound of the banjo or perhaps it was the dry vocal delivery, but three songs into Canadian roots songwriter Lynne Hanson's new album I was reminded of one of my favourite artists Mary Gauthier.
The no-nonsense chorus of Riptide with its refrain 'whisky burn, soak my sale, drown my pride, no return, down I go' combines the sentiments of Gauthier's I Drink with the driving rhythm of her Wheel Inside The Wheel.
Once The Sun Goes Down is the third album from the Ottawa-based singersongwriter
and it is a confident, yet under-stated collection of tracks which will keep fans of country, folk, roots and Americana happy.
David Baxter's production is clean and simple allowing Hanson's warm and poetic songs to take centre stage despite an all-star cast of musicians which includes in her core band multiinstrumentalist
David Baxter, drummer Blake Manning, bassist Brian Kobayakawa, Jason Sniderman on keyboard plus her fellow Canadian musician guests Justin Rutledge (banjo), Gilles Leclerc (mandolin, backing vocals), Kevin Fox (cello), Paul Reddick (harmonica), Roman Tome (percussion), and background vocalists Lynn Miles, Jack Marks, Max Heinemann, and Joshua Cockerill.
Like Gauthier, Hanson is a great storyteller through her music, whether it's the regret of the opening track When Lovers Leave or the unrepentant self defence killer in Mary, Mary. Yet her voice has a richer, more melodic tone with shades of Mary Chapin.
One of my favourite tracks was Just For The Ride, one of four songs co-written with Paul Bourdeau, an unashamedly catchy radio-friendly country foot-tapper. Hanson calls her sound 'porch music with a little Texas red dirt' I say there are fertile seeds in that dirt.
- Alison Stokes
February 25, 2011
"A true Maverick of a
record... a country
record that embraces all influences and
captivates with some wonderful story
telling..." - Laura Bethhell, Maverick Magazine UK - 4 stars
January 11, 2011
New review from UNCUT magazine in the UK ...
UNCUT -
4 out of 5 stars
Killer third by Canadian
songbird
Never mind that she's from
Ottawa, Hanson describes
her output as "porch music
with a little Texas red dirt".
It's a decent reference point
for her idiomatic mix of old
folk and country, but this
record has more in common
with the assured touch of
Gillian Welch or Lucinda
Williams. Indeed, "Riptide"
could easily be the best song
Welch has yet to write, while"Mary Mary" sounds like
something Bobbie Gentry
once cooked up. Hanson's
intimate tones are given heft
by some fine playing by
banjoist Justin Rutledge and
the lissom guitar lines of
producer David Baxter.
December 3, 2010
Here's a new review from Blues Matters (UK)
Once The Sun Goes Down
Lynne Hanson Records
I'm writing this review whilst trapped in my house by around fifteen inches of snow. It is a perfect antidote for this deep winter weather as it has the ability to transport you to a warmer environment. It is a couple of years now since the release of "Eleven Months" and the time has been well spent. All of the cuts on this release are from Lynne's own pen or with that of collaborator Paul Bourdeau. It is nicely produced & engineered by David Baxter in Toronto rather than in her hometown of Ottawa. It contains the best attributes from Folk, Roots, and Country with even a little bit of Bluegrass thrown in for good measure. That is not to say that the album is not focused by having those differing elements, on the contrary. Over the eleven songs there is a thread of linking sound that should appeal to followers of all those genres. Kicking off with 'When Lovers Leave' articulates beautifully the realisation that it is time to move on. 'Rest Of My Days' has the narrator in transition between the past and future temptations to be found in 'Here We Go Again'. In the latter a new romance beckons which is approached with a little trepidation. I loved the line 'I can hear you softly knocking, I stand quiet on the other side, there is still a door between us I know you'd like to open wide'. You can just feel the ache and longing but also the uncertainty. I like this album very much and stand out cuts for me are 'Three Times Bent' 'Somewhere A Lovely Flower', 'Off This Train' and the gentle ballad that closes out the CD 'Lilacs Dancing'. - Graeme Scott
December 1, 2010
Spent a week in Nashville. Played the Billy Block show, was the guest writer at the Bluebird, did some co-writing, AND had sweet potatoes with marshmallows for my first ever American Thanksgiving. All in all a very memorable first visit. After the show at the Bluebird I drove straight through the night back to Toronto in time to sing some bvox on my good friend Bonnie St Croix's new project "Canadian Girl." A fitting end to a very busy fall. Now time to recharge for the new year and tours through Texas, with stops in New Mexico and Oklahoma, as well as Germany and Holland. Mmmm. Poffertjes.
November 16, 2010
Once the Sun Goes Down cracks the top 5 in the EuroAmericana Chart for November.
1 Boris McCutcheon: Wheel of Life (Frogville)
2 Annie Keating: Water Tower View (Self Rel.)
3 Old 97's: The Grand Theatre,Vol. 1 (New West)
4 Lynne Hanson: Once the Sun goes Down (Self Rel.)
5 Yvette Landry: Should have known (Soko Music)
November 11, 2010
A new review from Kippenvel.net
Canadian Lynne Hanson makes a huge step in the direction of roots music on her third CD, although the country feel of Things I Miss and Eleven Months is still audible. She describes the eleven new songs that she wrote in her kitchen consequently as ‘porch music with a little Texas dirt’. Still she transcends that genre with influences from folk and singer-songwriter especially. Hanson transforms her emotions in a personal way into universal ones in six medium tempo songs and ballads she wrote alone and in five written together with mentor Paul Bourdeau. Looking back on a relationship she broke off she wavers between despair, resignation and desire. In doing so, her phlegmatic vocals contrast impressively with her feelings. Blake Manning’s dry drums, Brian Kobayakawa’s zooming bass, Jason Snidermans’ atmospheric keys and David Baxter’s guitar, banjo, mandoline and production do not only support Hanson’s understated vocals effectively, but underline them convincingly. ***1/2
October 14, 2010
Lynne Hanson wins the 2010 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award
Toronto, October 14, 2010
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is pleased to announce Lynne Hanson as the 2010 recipient of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for her song “Rest of my Days.” The Award will be presented during the Ontario Council of Folk Festival’s 24th annual conference gala dinner on Saturday, October 16, 2010 between 5:30 - 7:15 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa.
The jury remarked on the powerful imagery evoked in Hanson’s music and noted, “Lynne’s songs have a beautiful, haunting feeling, into which you can sink and be enveloped.”
October 4, 2010
Once the Sun Goes Down has made its debut on several charts:
EuroAmericana Chart - October
1 - Justin Townes Earle, Harlem River Blues, Bloodshot
2 - Richard Thompson Dream Attic, Proper rec.
3 - Rachel Harrington, Celilo Falls, Skinny Dennis
4 - Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses, Junky Star, Lost Highway
5 - Leeroy Stagger & the Wildflowers, Little Victories, Blue Rose
6 - Lynne Hanson, Once The Sun Goes Down, Self rel.
7 - Robert Plant, Band of Joy, Rounder
Freeform American Roots (FAR) Chart - October #134
1 - Yvette Landry: Should Have Known (self)
2 - Caleb Klauder: Western Country (Quicksilver)
3 - Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot)
4 - Eric Brace & Peter Cooper: Master Sessions (Red Beet)
5 - Lucky Tomblin Band: Honky Tonk Merry Go Round (Texas World)
6 - Marty Stuart Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions (Sugar Hill)
7 - Lynne Hanson: Once The Sun Goes Down (self)
8 - Elizabeth McQueen: The Laziest Girl in Town (Freedom)
9 - Halden Wofford & The Hi Beams: Sinners & Saints (self)
10 - Robert Plant: Band Of Joy (Decca)
September 20, 2010
Brand new review from Exclaim! Magazine in Toronto:
Building on the momentum of two solid releases and a nomination for the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards, Once the Sun Goes Down is another step up for Lynne Hanson. With Gillian Welch-inspired folk flair, Hanson proves she has intimate storytelling down to an art. Her performance is heartfelt and her tunes have that get-stuck-in-your-head quality. Opener "When Lovers Leave" and "Three Times Bent" are delicate ballads that compel you to sing along. The Southern country gal, by way of Ottawa, who describes her style as "porch music with a little Texas red dirt," shores up her tales of heartbreak and unrequited love with feisty guitar licks and jaunty banjo lines. Multi-instrumentalist/producer David Baxter (Justin Rutledge, Bob Snider) and drummer Blake Manning, along with Brian Kobayakawa (bass), Jason Sniderman on keyboard (Blue Peter) and a host of guest musicians (including Justin Rutledge) all have a hand in bringing the record to mainstream country pop perfection. - by Nereida Fernandes
September 14, 2010
The new CD "Once The Sun Goes Down" is NOW SHIPPING !!
Visit the STORE to purchase your copy
September 7, 2010
The first review for Once The Sun Goes Down is in from the Netherlands. It's in Dutch ... www.altcountryforum.nl
August 23, 2010
Welcome to the new look website.
July 13, 2010
My new CD "Once The Sun Goes Down" will be released for sale in Canada September 14th. Tour dates will be added over the next few weeks so keep checking the shows page to see if I'll be coming to a town near you.
Plans for releases in the US and Europe TBA.
The artwork is by A Man Called Wrycraft. I hope you adore his genius as much as I do.
AND check out the August edition of Reader's Digest. There's an awesome feature on the Home Routes house concert circuit, as well as a very nice pic of yours truly *BLUSH* on page 74.