1kenny:

I remember a friend sending me Somebody Waits and Lost Together back in university and really liked the sound.

Then, what sealed the deal for me was seeing them live a couple of years ago -- I had just moved to Vancouver and they were playing at the Orpheum.  I didn't know too many people there at the time, so I decided that I wanted to do something that night -- I decided to head down on my own to watch them (got a great seat too) and was so impressed that I was hooked.

(I was just telling a colleague of mine who just moved to Vancouver this story in order to encourage him to go, even if he has to go alone!  I think I convinced him!)

Good for you! I hope your colleague goes... I just don't understand how the whole world isn't a whole big BR fanclub yet, even after all these years! ;) :p

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

Bobbo:

That's a great story eniko! 

I first heard of Blue Rodeo on tour with my old band the Gypsy Mechanics back in '95.  We were from Boston and playing shows in Toronto and London and everyone kept telling us that we had to hear BR because they thought there was likeness in sound.  (looking back - what a huge compliment!)  Someone gave me a copy of "Nowhere to Here" and someone stole it off me and I forgot all about BR for a few years.

Fast forward to 2001 and I'm in a used record store in Long Beach, CA (Fingerprints) and I see a used copy of "5 Days in July" and I pick it up and am completely blown away.  What followed was me getting into all their stuff - through them I found Kathleen Edwards and Matt Mays who I am just huge fans of too.

In fact - I was just interviewed about the problems in country music in the US and I went off on how it's not like Canada where the good music comes from!

Seeing my first BR concert Monday night in Vancouver!!

-Bobbo
 

Enjoy the concert and come tell us about it afterwards. :o)

Five Days in July is actually one of my favourite albums from the guys. There is a great sound to it all-around. I love the feel of the music on that album! :)

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

Bluegirl that's a great story! (I won't quote you 'cause my post would be so long. I know sometimes people get annoyed at having to scroll through all the posts when their connection is slow. Anyway...) I think what happened at the concert is so cool. Your anecdote is just another example of things turning out all right and contributing to the harmony in the universe. :D I have a serious thing for the word harmony, I think. It's even in my email adress. I just love the idea that as long as at least some of us strive to live peacefully and promote harmony and unity, hope is not lost for humanity. And it's just that much more special that harmony is also a musical term. Music truly is a language and it has, as you said, the power to bring people together - be it Blue Rodeo or another band or artist. I myself also really like Linkin Park. My (soon-to-be)ex-husband got me into them. I'm in their fan club and I continue to listen to them even though sometimes I am reminded of the concerts we went to together. But, as Linkin Park is also partly to blame (no! no! actually, to credit!) for my leaving my husband, I won't turn my back on their music!

*attempts to bring thread back on topic* So how about that Blue Rodeo, eh?

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

I was force fed the "Outskirts" album by a friend. Up until then I wouldn't have anything to do with Blue Rodeo, because with a name like that they just had to be country music (UGH). But my friend persisted.  He (shh) made me a cassette copy and wanted my detailed reaction to the tape.  So to humour him I put it in my walkman while I was playing on my new computer.  I knew I was hooked when I was listening to the tape instead of working on my computer. 

My favorite songs however, were not the ones most played on MuchMusic. In fact the two I liked the least were "Try" and "Rose Coloured Glasses."  When they came to the Okanagan on tour in 1989 we jumped at the chance to see them. 

Though initially I was smitten by Jim, I converted to full Keelor fandom around the time of "Lost Together." He won me over with his poetic lyrics. I  think they make a terrific team and balance each other very well. BR are one of only a very few artists that I buy all their releases because I know they don't package a load of filler

 

Thanks for sharing, Era!

I agree with you that Greg and Jim balance each other very well within the band. No matter whose song I happen to be listening to, I do feel like I'm listening to Blue Rodeo. I think that they are a great, cohesive unit. The albums seem to have a certain sound that differenciates them from other BR albums, and within each album, even though they carry the same sound, Greg and Jim play with that same theme quite differently while at the same time still sounding like BR. (How's that for a run-on sentence? I hope I made sense there!)

Thanks again for contributing! :)

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

I love the song Somebody Waits.

I'd be happy to tell my story, but I'm short on time right now. But I just love that song and had to say so.

---

Recalculating....


"A gun rack... a gun rack. I don't even own *a* gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do... with a gun rack?" Wayne Campbell

katiescarlet:

I love the song Somebody Waits.

I'd be happy to tell my story, but I'm short on time right now. But I just love that song and had to say so.

Well, I am glad that you did, and please come back and share your story when you have the time! :)

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

I've always known who BR were, but never really listened to them much other than if a song was on the radio.

My wife was always a fan so I purchased tickets for her and a friend to go to a concert in London last year at the JLC. About 2 weeks before the concert, they released better seats. I managed to get them front row center. So I ended up with two more tickets. Her friend's husband and I took the original seats and made an evening of it.

Well, I was hooked. I just love their music and style. Honestly, I don't enjoy all their songs, but BR is well played on my player now a days.

I've seen them since in Stratford and upcoming soon again in London (front row balcony this time).

I think I actually enjoy them more than my wife now...!!!

What a lucky thing to happen! I'm glad you discoverd the band. I love it when people win people over to  Blue Rodeo ...umm... fandom? lol I think I made up a word! :p

Today, it's spouses; tomorrow, THE WORLD!!!

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

Ok here's my story, I think I posted some time ago...but I couldn't tell you how long ago. But it is like this. I had a friend who was madly into "Rain Down on Me" She played it over and over and over again. Non-stop. She was going through a break up at the time and she would insist that I come over and keep her company. And we would listen to the album Lost Together...together...hee hee. So at the time, I was heavily into Guns N Roses new albums...Use Your Illusion I and II...we are going back quite a few years, eh?.  So Blue Rodeo was quite the other side of the coin. But none the less, good music is good music...and I fell in love and the rest is history.  Not to mention, her cat, my friend's cat...was in heat constantly...she was saving up for the fixing...and if I held her and danced with her to Rain Down on Me, she'd stop yowling for a few minutes.

Well, Rain Down on Me is still one of my most favourite songs. The other day into work, I think I looped it and played it about 5 times. I don't think I could ever get sick of that song. How many years has it been....damn, not too far off twenty...what 15-16...where did the time go??????????

---

Recalculating....


"A gun rack... a gun rack. I don't even own *a* gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do... with a gun rack?" Wayne Campbell

LOL Cats seem to pop up all over this board! That's all right though! I suppose it's better than having them all *ahem* go in the Sandbox!

Thanks for sharing, Katie!

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

I can't remember if I heard 'Try' on the radio, or saw the video first on MuchMusic.  I know that it had only been recently released, and MuchMusic was really (and rightly so) praising it to the sky.  I don't think I actually went out and bought the record (yes record, as in vinyl record) until I heard 'Rose Coloured Glasses' though.  I got such a kick out of Greg's country drawl on those early recordings!

---

I carry with me the memory of a field I once knew, of a night so full of stars that I was left humbled by it's endless beauty. I know that whatever the cost, life is worth living. So bring it on...I can take it.

carolk:

I can't remember if I heard 'Try' on the radio, or saw the video first on MuchMusic.  I know that it had only been recently released, and MuchMusic was really (and rightly so) praising it to the sky.  I don't think I actually went out and bought the record (yes record, as in vinyl record) until I heard 'Rose Coloured Glasses' though. 

Thanks for sharing! Looks like Try got a lot of us hooked! :o)

But what I would really like to know is:

carolk:

I got such a kick out of Greg's country drawl on those early recordings!

- Did it hurt?

-Did you kick it back?

;) :p

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK

eniko76:

 

carolk:

I got such a kick out of Greg's country drawl on those early recordings!

- Did it hurt?    -Did you kick it back?

;) :p

Naw...It didn't hurt!  Thinking about Greg mostly feels pretty good!   

---

I carry with me the memory of a field I once knew, of a night so full of stars that I was left humbled by it's endless beauty. I know that whatever the cost, life is worth living. So bring it on...I can take it.

I hear ya! LOL

I <3 Greg

---

Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet.


"I love winter, I love snow. I can't get enough of the stuff. For me there's sort of a serenity to it. I like the silence of winter, the way it's just hushed." -GK