TRICK OR TREAT! new video for DOMINOES – on fake news, mental health, and the sleepwalking sickness that is social media at it’s worst. Follow the money, don’t take the bait. Written by Reid Jamieson & Carolyn Victoria Mill (filmed and directed by CVM) more at https://www.reidjamieson.com
Vancouver’s Reid Jamieson returns with his most daring record to date! ME DAZA Recorded in Schull, Co. Cork Ireland with producer Kieran Kennedy (Maria Doyle Kennedy), the new all original record is titled ‘Me Daza’ which is Cork slang for ‘most excellent’, – tho the direct translation is ‘I’m dying’ – but aren’t we all? www.reidjamieson.com/me-daza/
DOMINOES This is the story Hear how it goes We get to worry Dogs on a bone Be in a hurry Be all alone Fall on each other like dominoes This is the story Hear how it goes We judge each other Fish in a bowl Follow the leader Go with the flow Fall on each other like dominoes We fall like dominoes Just doin’ what we’re told We’re sellin’ what we’re sold We fall like dominoes This is the story Hear how it goes We hurt each other And no one knows Birds of a feather Thorn on a rose Fall on each other like dominoes We fall like dominoes Just doin’ what we’re told We’re sellin’ what we’re sold We fall like dominoes We fall like dominoes Just doin’ what we’re told We’re sellin’ what we’re sold We fall like dominoes
CREDITS Recorded and Produced by Kieran Kennedy in Schull, Co. Cork Ireland. All songs written by Reid Jamieson and Carolyn Victoria Mill, except ‘Don’t Go Down’ by Fergus O’Farrell and Glen Hansard. Mixed at home in Vancouver, BC Canada by Reido. Artwork by CVM. Vocals by Reido. BG vocals and Gin-infused glockenspiel by CVM. Improv piano parts by Vincent ‘The Chancer’ Collins. All other instruments / sounds by KK and Reido. Mastered by Elisa Pangsaeng at CPS.
ISOLATION is the first single and video from the new record JOHN 20:20. Due out Oct 20, 2020 (Reido’s bday) want to hear it sooner? Become a patron or make a donation and we will send you a link to listen/download. reidjamiesonband (at) gmail (dot) com for e-transfers.
This is not a greatest hits – this is a prophetic love letter from the past. From one of the world’s best known artists, by one of Canada’s most underrated singer songwriters. A uniquely tender tribute to honour what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday (Oct 9), and the 40th anniversary of his murder (Dec 8) – as if 2020 wasn’t hard enough to take. This project began as a prescription from Reid’s wife and creative partner, to help him stave off intense depression as his career hopes were crushed by a global pandemic. Reid found solace in the hauntingly relevant words of one of his greatest influences – not just in music – but in his commitment to love. Maybe you will too. Stripped naked with only nylon string guitar, uke, harmonica and heartbreakingly pure vocals, it includes 7 solo John Lennon songs, 1 Beatles, and one eulogy by Elton John. Amore Solum Opus Est.
Nothing like a pandemic to help us realize just how much we need each other. I can tell you that Reid and I never would have thought that his day job as a unionized hotel server and his career in the ever crumbling music industry would be considered eggs in the same basket – but here we are. Hard not to fret with both careers very much out of commission… Speaking of ! Back in May, a real keeper of a fan and husband; Neil Guernsey commissioned us to record this old Tin Pan Alley tune to celebrate his sweet Marie on her bday. Since this was our first Covid Commission we doubled down and filmed them a super sweet video to match! Living next door to Vancouver’s Stanley Park provided the perfect backdrop, where we find Reido frolicking in the floral wonder. Oh boy did we need this project to lift our spirits. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.
This recording and video simply would not exist without folks like Neil and Marie. They brought the song to life, and that’s pretty danged amazing. At a time when artists can’t really sell muisc or even play live anymore, we need an army of Patrons of the Arts more than ever. Maybe you would like to help create something magical for someone special while supporting Reido?
Honeysuckle Rose – Performed by Reid Jamieson. http://wetcoast.org/rjdev Written by Andy Razaf / Thomas Waller Commissioned by Neil Guernsey for our sweet Lemon Marie, May 2020. Video filmed and directed by Carolyn Victoria Mill.
Juniper Sessions EPS #1 The first in a series we are calling THE JUNIPER SESSIONS. These will be three tunes at a time, live in one take, from wherever we are. Mostly home but in this case we were in Metchosin BC on Vancouver Island…hiding out at Juniper’s Nest. Huge thanks to our pals Gaynell and Lisa for giving us a quiet slice of their paradise while they are trapped in Texas. Too noisy in our wee one bedroom on a laneway in downtown Vancouver…this perch by the sea was a much appreciated escape to somewhere we could get excited about creating again. Admittedly we were well into our cups and faint from heat stroke when we did this…CVM in a caftan, Reido in a hammock…its a wonder we made it through! We are posting on Patreon before sharing publicly, cuz y’all deserve good things. Let us know your fave… with any luck the summer fun continues so stay tuned for more. xo https://patreon.com/reidjamieson
BLUE by Lucinda Williams BLUE by The Jayhawks PAPERBACK FANTASY by Reid Jamieson
Making music is no longer sustainable. And there is little we as artists can do about it. Here is the hard truth as we see it. In 2020 computers and cars are shipping without a CD player. iTunes has closed shop. Downloading music (paid for or otherwise) is no longer in vogue as most folks are enjoying the convenience of streaming services like Spotify that they can access from anywhere on any device. We stream too, so we get it. Sadly these streaming servies pay so poorly that our revenues barely cover our own subscription. Terrestrial radio is mostly inaccessible to indie artists, and on the way out, while satellite radio pays less, if anything.
Due to a lack of recorded music income all artists are encouraged to get out on the road and play more shows to make up for it. This has created a glut of artists on the market and venues are overwhelmed with requests to play. At the same time many venues are closing due to rising rents. Booking a tour with or without a booking agent has become increasingly difficult. Not to mention that touring is an unhealthy and often unsafe way to make a living, and unsuited to most women and many an introverted recording artist . And then came COVID-19 and the end of live music for the forseeable future. It will take years for cancelled shows to be resheduled, meanwhile 90% of small venues will close.
What about Live Streaming? Everybody’s doing it! and some really well (go Jill Barber! Danny Michel!) but after waiting a year until we had our tech up to speed…we found it to feel a lot like virtual panhandling, and hard to get inspired without the all important audience ya know?
On the licensing in film and TV front, music supervisors are inundated with artists looking to find a place for their music, and so can offer lower fees – if we could reach them in the first place.It’s very much a who you know biz, and we don’t know them (introduce us!). Slightly more accessible Sync brokers require half of our licensing fees in exchange for being a conduit to the music supes (not the traditional agent fee of 15-20%). And now there is a move by the streaming services like Netflix and Discovery to buy out the composers work and deny them any residual royalties moving forward -which they must accept if they want to work.
It is more challenging than ever to get press. Quality music journalists can no longer find work as papers go online and turn into glorified advertising mechanisms. Making music is no longer sustainable. And there is little we as artists can do about it, despite being represented by multiple organizations committed to supporting and protecting us. The industry has failed artists.
A move towards more conservative governments mean that grants and other funding for the arts is shrinking in most cases. That said, we are incredibly fortunate to live here in Canada where our music orgs like CreativeBC are stepping in and stepping up their support.
The Good News….
You can step up your support too. Despite all this grimness, it might still be worthwhile making music…if only we can be heard. It is heartbreaking to make your very best music only to have it heard by very few people. We are keen to continue making the very best music we can (it is what we do). But how to get folks to press play? YOU can help. Your choices matter. As listeners, fans, supporters, you have never been more important to an artist’s ability to be heard and to continue making music. Please consider our Fanifesto below. Tag your posts and playlists with #fanifesto to keep the actionable goodwill movement going.
Still a work in progress, but if yer keen to support us you can become a patron of Reido on Patreon, or make a one time donation https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/reidjamiesonmusic or e-transfers to reidjamiesonband (at) gmail (dot) com. Y’all are keeping us alive, body and soul. With extreme gratitude… xocvm+reido
#FANIFESTO – How to be a super supporter in the streaming age.
LISTEN to the music when you have a moment, repeat for best effect.
SHARE what you love! Adding to playlists is huge, post to pages, send an email or video.
REVIEW on your chosen platform. You read reviews, so do others.
REQUEST at your local station / festival. They will listen to you.
ATTEND concerts, buy advance tickets, let others know about gigs in their area.
CONNECT artist you love with folks you know in Media, Film & TV, Radio, Fests, Venues. It’s all about who you know. Introduce us.
LIKE, FOLLOW, COMMENT on social media. We are slaves to the algorithms. Help boost us. Liking is great. Commenting is a an even bigger help in getting our posts seen.
FEEDBACK and tell us your fave tune, show, moment. We need to know someone is listening.
HOST A HOUSE CONCERT. Do you throw a good party? Invite your fave artist to entertain and become the star of your neighbourhood. By cutting out the middle man between artist and audience we all win.
COMMISSION A RECORDING. Have a big birthday, anniversary or memorial to celebrate? Hire your fave artist to cover or create a song that will be enjoyed forever and is easy to share when you are miles apart.
JOIN the mailing list. This is the single most affordable and effective way for independent artists to reach their audiences. Most social media now charge us to promote posts. Include your location to cut down on emails. We will always keep your info safe and sound. Sign up here.
Is there something you would like to add to the Fanifesto? Have a suggestion for us? Can you help us get heard? Please email, we would love to hear from you.
Looking for HOLIDAY / CHRISTMAS music for your playlist? Something kinda nondenominational that won’t make you want to put a pencil in yer ear? Something you can play before AND after the big day? Please check out the track listing for SONGS FOR A WINTER’S NIGHT below – yer sure to find a new favourite 😊
Woohoo! After slaving over a hot grant application all summer, we could not be more pleased to announce that we scored an Amplify BC Career Development grant! This will enable us to create some delicious new videos (something we are sorely lacking) and promote our new record Me Daza (they match funds we spend up to 10k). Patrons of the arts (bless their hearts) are few and far between these days, so we can’t tell you how fortunate we feel to be supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia. Things could get very exciting indeed!
It’s been quite a fall season for us…so much happened our heads are still spinning…and we still smell like a campfire.
We were chosen to take part in VIFF AMP Talent Accelerator program at the Vancouver Film Festival in October. This program connects musicians and composers with music supervisors and film makers to help us license our music, something we are super keen to do more of. One of the highlights was a master class where we got to watch an episode of Start Trek Discovery get scored, live on stage, with an orchestra and everything. Cliff Martinez and his team were amazing to watch at work.
Our west coast fall tourcation kicked off with finally getting to see Buffy Sainte Marie in concert – solo (our fave!) At 78 years fabulous, she kicked buffalo-sized butt, and remains one of our biggest inspirations. Especially as we were just setting out to work on writing The Pigeon and The Dove, our new folk opera about preventing homelessness.
Shows in Washington were a delight as always, that state has been so kind to us, no wonder we keep returning. Some time on the Oregon Coast focusing on writing and visiting with tender peeps. Bay area shows and Reido’s bday in San Francisco was everything you could ask for, including getting caught in what they call a ‘Love Vortex” that really set him up for a fully heart-centered year.
Feeling super fortunate to have outrun the forest fires in Northern California, driving through power outages on our way to camping was an experience let me tell you. Camped at Salt Pointe Park and Avenue of the Giants in California, and Sunset Bay Beach in Oregon where we enjoyed our first yurt! Not as many tubbies when one is in a tent, but the ones we did enjoy were EPIC. (you can check out some highlights on our Instagram account @reidjamiesonmusic
The people we meet continue to be the best part of touring. Love the connections we make, and so appreciate the community that support the music and these bodies as we sing our hearts out for y’all. Our road families are everything to us. Words fail to express how danged lucky we feel to know you.
If you know any (preferably lady) filmmakers who might be keen on our music, please do send them our way.
Could really use some help with booking shows in the UK and Ireland next year if you have any connections, they sure would be appreciated.
Keen to reach more folks, but can’t do it without YOU. Please share music and dates with your friends, add us to your playlists, and request us at local festivals and radio. Everything helps. Share what you love!
Want to help us raise funds for making music and getting it heard in a world where radio and record sales are on the way out? Make a 1k donation, and then pick a song you would like Reido to record – you could be most instrumental in keeping the music alive and thriving while inspiring a unique recording!
Thank you for taking the time to consider all this.
Feed us back when you get a chance, we want to know what is making your world turn.
This October (or as we like to call it – Reidober!) we are
heading down the coast to focus on some songwriting. Well, more than
just songwriting, we are working on our new folk opera ‘The Pigeon and The Dove‘. This
is a very special project for us, and something we want to get just right, so
focus is key. To be released later next year, this
multimedia performance/recording will be to raise funds and awareness
about the causes and prevention
of homelessness. Something we hope everyone will consider as we
head into election season. We will be
voting by special ballot as we will be out of the country, and strongly believe
in advance polls. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference in many
peoples lives. Canada needs you.
We are playing a handful of house
concerts (WA/CA) on this trip, and if you want to get your
heart broken while also laughing inappropriately you can RSVP if there is any room
left. Just one public ticketed show in Bellingham Fri Nov 1.Such
a sweet venue, every seat a winner. Please tell yer friends in Washington and
the Bay Area that we are coming their way.
Only a wee smattering of shows coming up for the rest
of this year, mostly focusing on this Pigeon project of ours, making videos,
and surviving life’s ups and downs. Hoping to make more time to spend with the
humans we care about too.
We would like to release ME DAZA in the UK / Ireland next May 2020.
It just makes sense to bring this record back to where it was created. Can any
of you folks help with connections? Gigs or media. We would be forever grateful
as it takes a village for sure.
On that topic, this whole newsletter thing is a conundrum. We all get too many emails, and we hate adding to your load. That said, this is the only way we can reach you affordably. Facebook, instagram etc now charge us to make our posts seen. We are fully independent, so you won’t really hear about us otherwise. We try to limit newsletters to once a season, or once a month at most. We are trying different services, and so far do not dig any of them really. But they do give you the opportunity to unsub if you need to, or to hang in there and support the independent music that Reid makes. We really can’t and wouldn’t do this without your interest and support. So thanks, eh?
Looking forward to spending some time working on our Pigeon project this summer. Gonna play a handful of summer fests and house concerts tho, so come on out and let us sing you a sweet serenade, eh? xocvm+reido
Vancouver BC Sat July 6 – 2pm Khatsahlano Fest Maple Ridge, BC Mon July 29 – 7:30 Music On The Wharf Victoria, BC Tue July 30 – 7pm Beacon Hill Park Gabriola Island, BC Thu Aug 8 – 5pm Concert On The Green Metchosin, BC House Concert Sun Aug 11, 2019 – matinee Seattle, WA Fri August 16, 2019 50s era House Concert Puget Sound, WA Sat Aug 17 – 1pm Olalla Americana Fest
ONTARIO! We are bringing the new record we made in Ireland to Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton and Ottawa this spring. Sharing is caring so please tell yer peeps, might not be back this way for a while due to euro plans. See you there! Dates and details
Sat April 27, 2019 The Unforgiving Mistress Ottawa, ON email to RSVP
