New/Old Music from Shattervox: “Live Off The Floor”

Introducing Shattervox, the latest act to join Eastside Confectionery Records.  Founded in 2009 by “Eric & The Soo” frontman Eric Brombacher (lead guitar), Frank Miotto (lead vocals), Mike Mann (drums) and Jean Filippini (bass), Shattervox would go on to release two full length albums, a live album and numerous EP’s and singles before disbanding in 2016.  Four years on, in the midst of COVID isolation induced boredom, guitarist Eric (that’s me), dug through the detritus of old recording sessions and found a couple of rough-hewn gems.

Live off the Floor COVER ART

Shattervox “Live Off The Floor”
(c) Eastside Confectionery Records
June 23, 2020

From the archives: a couple of lost out-takes from the final “Little Star” recording sessions. We spent a long day of recording what would turn out to be the final release of original material from Shattervox; the raucous (and simultaneously poignant) swansong “Little Star”. Our job was done, but the tape was still rolling, so we partied and jammed on. How fortunate that the tape was rolling, as this was, unbeknownst us at the time, our final occasion playing together. We hadn’t played a show in over year, so our memories were a little foggy on the songs, which led to some interesting improvisation. These final recordings capture what was so special about Shattervox: that feeling of almost going off the rails at any second, saved only by the determination to hold it together, for just one more minute!

First up was our own raggedly unique take on the Rolling Stones’ “Let It Bleed” … always a fun rocker, and one we’d played at pretty much every show in our 7 year history (plus an extra 4 years in Eric & Frank’s previous band, The Septembers).  And we almost nailed it!  Somewhere along the way, we forgot to play the bridge, and I think it took a while for Frank to remember the words to the second verse, so the solo goes on a little longer than planned, but hey, we did it! We made it through!

Next up was our take on Canadian classic “New Orleans Is Sinking”. We got lost after the first verse, so we all just improvised, and in the process came up with something special; a fitting homage to the Tragically Hip, a tribute, without being a copy.  And the whole song is us on the verge of falling apart, a perfect metaphor for Shattervox.

“Live Off The Floor”
Produced by Eric Brombacher

Frank Miotto – Vocals/Guitar
Eric Brombacher – Lead Guitar
Rob “Key Frame” Webster – Piano
Jean Filippini – Bass Guitar
Mike Mann – Drums

Recorded by Aaron Comeau at “The Trailer” in Toronto
February 2016

Mixed & Mastered by Eric Brombacher
(c) 2020 Eastside Confectionery Records

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New Song + New Video: “Picture” by Eric & The Soo

Enjoy this vintage-tinged video for new single “Picture” by Eric & The Soo.  A short and punchy rocker driving straight up the middle of the rock n’ roll highway, “Picture” features Eric Brombacher on lead vocal and acoustic guitar, along with Ken Yoshioka on lead guitar and harmonica, Ted Pruce on electric guitar, Tim Bradford on bass and harmony vocals, Dino Naccarato on drums and percussion and Julian Fauth on honky-tonk piano.

The video takes an unapologetic journey through the past featuring a rapidly changing backdrop of photographs, polaroids and cell-phone snaps from Eric’s early childhood in the 1970’s and 1980’s right through to present day.  Says Eric Brombacher, “it’s like watching my life pass in front of my very eyes.” Come along for the ride!

And of course the cover art for “Picture” also displays a decidedly vintage feel with an old Polaroid photo of Eric at age 17 in front his beloved orange 1977 Pontiac Acadian.

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Listen to “Picture” on your favourite platform: https://sl.onerpm.com/4809902301

New Video: “Modern Life” by Eric & The Soo

To celebrate the one year anniversary of “Modern Dystopia” here’s a brand new video for opening track “Modern Life”. Recorded in “Tim’s Garage” in Toronto by Tim Bovaconti this song features the talents of Eric Brombacher, Jerry Leger, Ken Yoshioka, Tim Bovaconti, Craig Robertson and Kyle Sullivan.

The video was produced and edited by Eric Brombacher with videography by his lovely wife Jessie Poh. I hope you dig it!

Enjoy the entire Modern Dystopia album on Spotify:

In Other news … be on the lookout for new releases from Eastside Confectionery Records in 2020!

New Single “Goulais Bay” by Eric & The Soo

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Eric & The Soo“Goulais Bay”
A summer song of love and beauty brought to you from Goulais Bay on the northern shores of Lake Superior!  Enjoy, and have a great summer!

Stream It On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Zlj3Iz
Add It On AppleMusic: https://apple.co/2LO7w1s
Buy It On Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/2OqtQjz
Get It On GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2yp2642
Do It On Deezer: http://bit.ly/2ZiQkE9
Tune In On Tidal: http://bit.ly/2YyfIJ8

Featuring:
Eric Brombacher – Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Ken Yoshioka – Rhythm Guitar & Harmonica
Ted Pruce – Lead Guitar & Harmony Vocals
Tim Bradford – Bass Guitar & Harmony Vocals
Dino Naccarato – Drums & Percussion
Julian Fauth – Organ

Words & Music by Eric Brombacher

Produced by Eric Brombacher
Recorded in Toronto on June 19th, 2019 by John Dinsmore at “Lincoln County Social Club”
Engineered and Mixed by John Dinsmore
Mastered by Jeff ‘Fedge’ Elliott at “Union Sound”

Cover Art & Design by Jason Schultz
Cover Photo by Eric Brombacher

(c) 2019 Eastside Confectionery Records
(p) 2019 Eric Brombacher Songs

New Video “Obey” from Eric & The Soo

We’re proud to announce the third in an ongoing (maybe?) series of ‘hand-crafted’ videos from Eric & The Soo, featuring songs from the recently released “Modern Dystopia” album.  Take a psychedelic journey through your mind as you contemplate the evils of oppression and conformity:

 

“Modern Dystopia” is a concept album that explores the current social climate and the challenges we face as humankind. The songs touch on themes both personal and societal; including isolation, depression, homelessness, conformity, and social obedience. All while still offering some hope for change, as it explores an imagined pre-apocalyptic future. Are we really free? Or are we just slaves to the machine? Is it too late, or is there still hope for our beautiful world?

Enjoy previous videos from this series:

Eastside: Our First Year AND Our Greatest Hits!

We are all extremely proud to be celebrating our first year  in music!  So many great artists, so many great accomplishments! And to celebrate, we are hosting a party/concert at our beloved ‘home turf’ Gerrard Art Space, this Friday, November 17th at 8:30pm … Please join us, and all Eastside artists for a great musical celebration!

Eastside One Year at GAS

There really is a lot for us to celebrate!  Here are some highlights of our first year’s accomplishments:

  • November 2016:
    • Eastside Confectionery Records is born!  The Bop Fi’s, Eric & The Soo, Andrew James Barker, The Del Fi’s and Craig Lindsay Robertson immediately join!
    • The Bop Fi’s release “Don’t Lose Your Beauty” The debut release from the Bop Fi’s and the very first Eastside Confectionery Records release!
    • Nov 30, 2016: Eric & The Soo release debut album “Small Town Dreamer”
  • January 2017
    • “Low Moon” by Andrew James Barker is released at Gerrard Art Space, which becomes our de facto headquarters for Eastside Confectionery Records events, and boy do we love the fine folks at Gerrard Art Space!
    • The Del Fi’s re-release their debut album “Crowd Pleaser” on Eastside Confectionery Records
    • We kicked off the very first episode of our monthly “Eastside Confectionery Records” podcast!
  • February 2017
    • “Family Name” by Craig Lindsay Robertson is re-released on Eastside Confectionery Records
    • Our second showcase features the debut performance of the Craig Robertson Band, and the very first live performance by the Bop Fi’s!
  • March 2017
    • Eric & The Soo release their two-side single “Out Of The Blue” backed with the live off the floor ‘jam’ Cool Mornings
  • May 2017
    • Jason Kenemy joins the label and we host our third (and loudest) showcase featuring Eric & The Soo and The Del Fi’s
  • June 2017
    • We celebrate the launch of “Induction” by Jason Kenemy with a transcendent live performance of the album at Gerrard Art Space
  • July 2017
    • Gypsy-jazz quintet iSpy joins the Eastside family, and launches the beautifully crafted EP “The Art Of You”
    • Legacy act Sin City Boys join the label and plans are put in motion to celebrate their 25 years of success and rock n’ roll magic right here in Toronto!
  • August 2017
    • The hottest week of the summer sees the Eric & The Soo crew head into the studio at Tim Bovaconti’s “Tim’s Garage” to commence work on the recording of their follow up to “Small Town Dreamer” (due 2018)
  • September 2017
    • iSpy headline their first Eastside showcase at Gerrard Art Space to much fanfare … what an amazing performance!
    • This same event sees an intimate performance and the release of “Fall and Timbre” by traditional folk artist Margaret Christl
  • October 2017
    • Craig Lindsay Robertson and band head into the studio to work with Mike Timmins (of the Cowboy Junkies) on the creation Craig’s third album (due 2018)
    • Andrew James Barker releases another beautiful album, this one is called “Gunslinger”.  It’s a moving instrumental journey inspired by characters and events from the Stephen King novel of the same name.  The album includes watercolor artwork painted by Andrew himself.  The CD release party was a smashing success and even included a showing of the vast body of artwork created by Andrew in preparation for (and inspired by) the Gunslinger album.
  • November 2017
    • We come full circle, and as we prepare to celebrate back at our home turf “Gerrard Art Space”, we are excited to announce the release of “Eastside Confectionery Records Greatest Vol. 1 (2017)” which includes selections from each of our artists with a focus on this past year’s releases!

These CD’s will be available at Friday’s show; featuring 16 songs from our family of 8 artists for the amazing price of just $10!

Order your copy today for just $12 ($10 + $2 S&H)!

November Podcast: Deep Album Cuts!

This month’s episode celebrates those deep album cuts that ‘some of us’ know and love … should we keep them ourselves? Or should we share these gems with the world? I think you know the answer!

As always we include a Spotify playlist containing all songs we’ve discussed during the show! Be sure to give it a spin!

And hey!  Don’t forget … this month marks our first full year as a record label … join us Friday November 27th for the celebration!

Eastside One Year at GAS

Available Now! Andrew James Barker – Gunslinger

Gunslinger by Andrew James Barker is now available on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, GooglePlay and more!  Enjoy!

Gunslinger COVER ART

Inspired by the Stephen King novel of the same name. A sonic representation of the multidimensional western.

credits

released October 24, 2017

Music and Artwork by Andrew James Barker
(c) 2017 Andrew James Barker
Eastside Confectionery Records

From the Album “Gunslinger”
Music and paintings inspired by the novel ‘Gunslinger’ by Stephen King.

All songs written, recorded, and mixed by Andrew James Barker.

Guitar/Bass/Lapsteel/Keys – Andrew James Barker
Flute on tracks 3 4 7 8 – Ruhee Dewji
Flute on tracks 1 5 – Rob Piilonen
Trumpet track 5 – Ian MacGillivray

Mastered by Harris Newman at greymarketmastering.com
All artwork by Andrew James Barker

Also available on Eastside Confectionery Records:
Low Moon hires cover
Andrew James Barker
Low Moon
Released January 2017
Eastside Confectionery Records

October Podcast: Andrew Barker ‘Gunslinger’ & Album Art

Good day!  We’re excited to announce and celebrate the upcoming release of ‘Gunslinger’ by Andrew James Barker!  An album, a concept and lots of great original art:  Accompanying this album is a collection of original art created by Andrew himself, and we discuss this on the podcast, along with some exciting Eastside happenings … And given the significance of the cover art created by Andrew for this album, we decided to have a discussion on album art that we’ve known, loved and been inspired by …

As always, we have a Spotify playlist featuring the albums and songs we’ve discussed on this episode:

To celebrate the launch of ‘Gunslinger’ Andrew will be publishing a series of blog posts describing the genesis and inspiration of the project.  The first blog post will launch on Thursday October 5th.

And mark your calendars!  The release party happens October 21st at Gerrard Art Space (with special guests The Bop Fi’s)!

Gunsinger poster