An accomplished pianist, agile vocalist, and adept guitar picker, Patrick Brealey is a natural performer. His ability to engage an audience is a signature of his live shows. Captivating crowds and moving them to react is a true testament to his belief that art is nothing without an audience. And surely the fact that he offers his own homemade pickles and preserves at his shows doesn’t take away of his charm. (Visit The Dakota Tavern and Henhouse in Toronto to taste for yourself!)

Patrick’s latest album Mercury in Songbirds is a collection of songs born in a different era, raised today and fed by the influence of songwriters like Lyle Lovett, Tom Waits and Willie Nelson. From the early rock and roll swagger of “I Don’t Want to Hear Another Love Song” to the laid back dobro on “Castaway Heart” and the country heartache of “Please Don’t Love Me with that Love”, these songs reminisce of days gone by while carving a distinctive niche in today’s Canadian folk and roots scene.

Upcoming Shows

July 09: Comox, BC - House Concert
July 10: Ucluelet, BC - Wild Heather Books
July 12: Duncan, BC - Duncan Garage Showroom
July 13: Saltspring Island, BC - Treehouse Cafe
July 17: Vancouver, BC - St. James Hall - CD Release Party
July 18: Winlaw, BC - Cedar Creek Cafe
July 21: Calgary, AB - House Concert
July 22: Saskatoon, SK - The Hayloft
July 23: Edmonton, AB - The Haven Social Club
July 24: Saskatoon, SK - House Concert

• Downloads

• “I Don’t Want to Hear Another Love Song” from Mercury In Songbirds

Circlesquare: Songs About Dancing And Drugs

Today is the day that Circlesquare’s highly anticipated record Songs About Dancing and Drugs is finally available in Canada. This is the kind of album that comes around once in forever, and we are proud to partner up with electronic label K7! on its release. Visit the Boompa online shop and order it now now or visit your local record store and grab a copy. We also be releasing an amazing video for “Dancers” in the upcoming weeks featuring So You Think You Can Dance Canada top ten finalists Miles Faber and Vincent Noiseux, so keep your eyes peeled.

Boompa.ca: loved and mugged

The Boompa site got a face lift a few months ago, complete with pigeons and watercolours, mountains and rain (very Vancouver). A few days ago the site was included in Smashing Magazine’s Web Design Trends For 2009. The Boompa site was designed by our own Erin Nicholson who reads Smashing daily, and is very excited about all this. The site design has been so well received that it has even been stolen by a music blog. How flattering! The case has been brought to the court of public opinion that is the Beggars Group’s Soundalak Musak: Wordpress Theme Edition. Thanks Adam F, you are the favourite!

Woodpigeon: Treasury Library Canada

Woodpigeon’s double CD Boompa debut, Treasury Library Canada c/w Houndstooth Europa, will be released next week. We love Woodpigeon and think you will too. They make the loveliest orchestral indie folk around and will make you feel good about life. You can order it in advance through the Boompa shop now and you can get a free 7-song Woodpigeon EP called La Commission Scolaire, through emusic. If you happen to be in Vancouver next weekend you can see Woodpigeon perform on Friday night at Little Mountain with Chris Smith and Jody Glenham, and on Saturday at Performance Works as part of the PuSH Festival. If you aren’t in Vancouver, or any of the European cities they stop off in during their February old-continental tour, you can watch the video for “A Moment’s Peace For Mary Christa O’Keefe”. You should just watch it. It’s very, very Canadian.

Coming Up

April: Leeroy Stagger - Everything Is Real
June: Patrick Brealey - Title TK
August: The Scott Walker Band (aka The Salteens) - Title TK
September: Woodpigeon - Die Stadt Muzikanten

• Downloads

• Knock KnockWoodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada
• “Lay All Your Love On Me”Woodpigeon - ABBA cover

Video: Woodpigeon - “A Moment’s Peace for Mary Christa O’Keefe” from Treasury Library Canada