Said the Whale Joins the Fight for Putzy

Vancouver's Said the Whale has joined the call to get Amanda Putz reinstated on CBC Radio 3. They have sent out messages via Facebook and Myspace urging their fans to write in. From their Myspace Blog today:

"Dearest friends and enemies,



At the risk of involving ourselves with politics and the inner workings of CBC's payroll department (which is already no doubt under immense pressure to evenly and fairly spread what limited funds they have), we will simply inquire to our fans and blog-readers:

"Don't you guys miss waking up with Amanda Putz on-air on CBC Radio 3?"



Email feedback@cbcradio3.com and tell them just how much you miss her. Maybe with your help we can all wake up to her sultry voice once again.

Love,
Whales"

The whales have even changed their Myspace profile pic to this one



There is no telling how many emails Radio 3 has received at this point but Amanda's Facebook Fan Club has reached 98 (and growing by the hour) people in the last few days. Membership is especially strong among musicians, amoung whom she is very popular and people from Ottawa, which is generally underrepresented in any cultural discussions.

Currently the hosts of Radio 3 are all from either Vancouver or Guelph (broadcasting out of Toronto) - both cities have great music scenes but so does Ottawa (and Toronto, Halifax, Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Saskatoon ...). Personally I think that R3 should be going for a broader range of representation in various cities.

A Free Holiday EP from Said the Whale

For the second year running Said the Whale is offering a free Holiday EP. This years 'West Coast Christmas EP' can be downloaded at http://www.pop-machine.ca/stw-xmas08.htm and if you missed it you can still grab last year's at http://www.pop-machine.ca/stw-xmas07.htm. Santa may like rich kids better but Said the Whale loves you all.

Said the Whale Tour Dates

It seems like they just finished a tour but Said the Whale is hitting the road yet again. This time they've added keyboard player Jaycelyn Brown to the mix, which should make for a slightly different sound for the band. You can get an idea of what Jaycelyn might bring with a listen to some of her solo work at myspace.com/jaycelynbrown. Although they seem to be on the road constantly you can also read a bit about the band and their love of home here.


September 25th, 2008 Vancouver, BC | Chan Centre (Telus Studio Theatre) @ 5pm **ALL AGES**

October 9th, 2008 Calgary, AB | The Gateway @ SAIT

October 10th, 2008 Regina, SK | The Distrikt w/ Sylvie

October 11th, 2008 Winnipeg, MB | The Lo Pub w/ Sylvie

October 12th, 2008 Thunder Bay, ON | Jack's w/ Sylvie

October 14th, 2008 London, ON | Call The Office w/ Sylvie

October 15th, 2008 Hamilton, ON | The Casbah w/ Mother Mother & The Wooden Sky

October 16th, 2008 Toronto, ON | Horseshoe Tavern w/ The Awkward Stage, Sylvie and Vancougar

October 17th, 2008 Ottawa, ON | Zaphod's w/ Sylvie

October 18th, 2008 Montreal, PQ | Club L'Ambi

October 21st, 2008 New York City, NY | Piano's (CMJ Music Marathon)

October 22nd, 2008 New York City, NY | Arlene's Grocery w/ Shad K & Hey Rosetta! (CMJ Music Marathon)

October 28th, 2008 Saskatoon, SK | TBC

October 29th, 2008 Regina, SK | TBC

October 30th, 2008 Lethbridge, AB | TBC

October 31st, 2008 St. Albert, AB | TBC

November 1st, 2008 Edmonton, AB | TBC

November 2nd, 2008 Calgary, AB | TBC ***ALL-AGES***

Said the Whale - "This City's A Mess"

Does Anyone in Vancouver Play Keyboards Anymore?

A little over a year ago I posted that Said the Whale was looking for a keyboard player. Amazingly, they still are. I find it unbelievable that in a city the size of Vancouver that a band as good (and recently successful) as Said the Whale is having a hard time finding a keyboard player - but apparently that's the case. I hate to put email address in blog posts but if you are a Vancouver keyboard player, or know a good one, let me know at http://www.publicbroadcasting.ca/contact.html and I'll put you in touch.

Said the Whale- This City's a Mess

Said the Whale and Hey Ocean Tour Video

Said the Whale and Hey Ocean! have been touring about together recently and put this little video together so you can get an idea of the grueling work that touring is.



You Can Catch Said the Whale at

The Slice in Lethbridge Alberta June 21

The Virgin Festival in Calgary June 22

the Canmore Hotel (with Hey Ocean) in Canmore, Alberta June 25

the Roadhouse Tavern (with Hey Ocean) in Golden, B.C. on June 26

Doc Willoughby's (with the Hermit) in Kelowna, B.C. June 27

Golden Spike Days (Mainstage) in Port Moody British Columbia on June 28

the Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver, BC on July 12

You Can Catch Hey Ocean! at

the Virgin Festival - Fort Calgary in Calgary on June 21

The Canmore Hotel (with Said the Whale) in Canmore, AB on June 25

The Roadhouse (with Said the Whale) in Golden, BC on June 26

The Silver Buckle in Medicine Hat, AB on June 27

The Saskatoon Jazz Festival @ Lydia’s in Saskatoon, SK on June 28

The Slice in Lethbridge, AB on June 30

Doc Willoughby’s in Kelowna, BC on July 1

Element in Victoria, BC on July 3

(ALL AGES) St. James Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia on July 6

Richards on Richards in Vancouver B.C. on July 11

GLC in Whistler B.C. on July 12

Also, as a reward for reading to the end - you can get a free download of the new Said the Whale single "This City's A Mess" on their Myspace right now.

Said the Whale CD Out Today!

Said the Whale's "Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia" is officially in stores today. The CD Release party, for those of you in Vancouver or who feel like heading to Vancouver is this Thursday at the Biltmore, doors at 9. According to their MySpace blog they are reasonably happy with the album "We feel like little boys with new tricycles. This is TRES exciting. If you're out shopping today, go buy it! It is, sadly, not on Zunior (I checked) so you'll actually have to go out and find a copy cause iTunes sucks!


Said The Whale - This City's a Mess

Dan Mangan Tour Dates

Dan Mangan (homepage, Myspace) has announced the dates for his upcoming tour through BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec (including a few dates with Said the Whale). In case you missed it Dan now has a few songs available for download on this site. Go out and welcome him to your town!

May 22. Duncan Garage Showroom w/ The Karuna Movement - Duncan, BC
May 23. The Cambie w/ Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long - Nanaimo, BC
May 24. The Solstice Cafe w/ Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long - Victoria, BC
May 25. CBC Radio 2 presents "Canada Live" @ The Penthouse w/ James Lamb & Nat Jay - Vancouver, BC
May 29. The Can w/ Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long - Penticton, BC
May 30. TBA - Calgary, AB
May 31. Sugarbowl w/ TBA - Edmonton, AB
June 1. Lydia's w/ TBA - Saskatoon, SK
June 3. The Lo Pub w/ All Of Your Friends - Winnipeg, MAN
June 7. COCA Conference - Ottawa, ON
June 10. The Mercury Lounge - Ottawa, ON
June 11. TBA w/ Said The Whale - Montreal, QUE
June 12. TBA w/ Said The Whale - Guelph/Hamilton, ON
June 13. The Rivoli (NXNE / TMB) - Toronto, ON
June 14. The Savannah Room (NXNE) - Toronto, ON
June 25. Vancouver Jazz Fest @ The Media Club w/ Ryan McMahon & The Arbutus Collective - Vancouver, BC

New Said the Whale Video

Don't forget: New Said the Whale album coming in early June.

Said the Whale - This City's a Mess

Said the Whale Album June 5

The new album (officially the first from Said the Whale) will officially be released on on June 3rd, but the CD Release party isn't until June 5th at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver. From saidthewhale.com:

"I'm not sure if we have ever officially announced this...but we have a new record coming out! It is called "Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia", and is a combination of our first record and 7 new songs that we recorded in November. It will be in stores June 3rd, and to celebrate it's release we are having a party at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver. Joining us on the bill will be our friends Lotus Child and Maurice. That show will also be somewhat of a tour kickoff party for us, as the next day we'll be booking it accross the country for the worlds fastest Canadian tour to date. Stay tuned for more info and songs from the new record!"

You can check out a brand new Said the Whale track "My Government Heart" on their Myspace page.

Said the Whale - This Winter I Retire

Vancouver Last Minute Show - Said the Whale

Said the Whale has added a last minute show - tomorrow night (Sunday, April 13) at the Media Club in Vancouver. The show starts at 9:30ish with "Maurice, Lotus Child, Aidan Knight, and possibly one more band whose name may or may not rhyme with "Gay Lotion".". This is also a "prom party"

Also, please note that this show is a PROM PARTY! That means ladies, dust off that old prom dress, boys, squeeze your fat ass into your old suit and slip a mickey of vodka into your boxers, cuz we're re-living prom night!

also note that this will be our LAST show in Vancouver until our CD Release show tentatively scheduled for June 5.

ok hopefully see some of you there!

Said The Whale - This Winter I Retire

Got Keys?: Established Bands looking for Keyboard players

Vancouver's Said the Whale is looking for a keyboard player ("must have chops, and be able to tour your ass off"" and Toronto's the Diableros are looking for an organist. I hate posting email address' on a blog due to the spam factor but if you are interested or have a candidate for either get in touch with me here or here and I'll pass along the contact info.

Said the Whale: Western Canadian Tour Dates

Said the Whale is kicking off a tour of western Canada on January 30. To keep up with the latest from them stay tuned to saidthewhale.com.

DATES:
January 30th, 2008 Nanaimo, BC | The Queens

January 31st, 2008 Kelowna, BC | Doc Willoughby's

February 1st, 2008 Penticton, BC | Voodoos **ALL AGES**

February 2nd, 2008 Prince George, BC | COLDSNAP Music Festival **ALL AGES**

February 4th, 2008 Edmonton, AB | The Black Dog Pub

February 5th, 2008 Calgary, AB | The Gateway @ SAIT Campus Centre

February 6th, 2008 Lethbridge, AB | The Slice

February 7th, 2008 Saskatoon, SK | Lydia's Pub

February 8th, 2008 Medicine Hat, AB | The Dog House

February 9th, 2008 Canmore, AB | Canmore Hotel

Your Xmas Present from Said The Whale

Said the Whale is offering up a 2 song EP as their Xmas gift to you. Check their website for details http://www.saidthewhale.com/.

Breaking Links: Wednesday, December 12

The Toronto International Film Festival Group has released it's top 10 list for the year.

Via TV-eh? Canada gets tv on iTunes.

"Upon launch, the Canadian iTunes Store won’t carry a ton of content, but it’ll certainly get the ball rolling. Users will begin to see shows from CBC, CTV, and a handful of shows from US networks."

Spacing invites you to rate the walkability of your neighborhood.

"It compiles the location of specific types of amenities in your neighbourhood (grocery stores, bars, cafés, restaurants, parks, fitness, bookstores, libraries, hardware stores, etc.) and measures how far away they are. The lower the distance, the better the score. What it doesn’t rate is urban/pedestrian design, block lengths, and accessibility to public transit (!). All the locations and amenities are culled from Google Maps API."

People who visit saidthewhale.com on December 19 will be able to download free EP from the band according to their blog

"So, in the spirit of Christmas and Hanukkah and holidays and giving, we are offering you a FREE EP for download from our website. "The Bones of Winter" which is already playable on our myspace page will be included, as well as one more little winter-inspired ditty."

A new interview with Ryan and Adrian of the Most Serene Republic is up on Radio 3.

YouTube.CA and Said the Whale

Anyone else going to the launch of YouTube.ca? It's this Tuesday (November 6) at the Berkeley Church (315 Queen St. E). If you want to go just fill out the easy form at http://services.google.com/events/youtube_canada: Even if you don't care about YouTube, Said the Whale is playing a set at 8:30. Let me know if you're going! Oh yeah...and it's free!

This is Said the Whale doing This Winter I Retire.

Vancouver: Said the Whale seeks keyboard/piano

It's a good time to be a keyboard player in Canada's west. Yesterday it was Calgary's Lonely Hunters looking for a keyboard player today it's Vancouver's Said the Whale "It's time to fill out the sound with piano and keys. Anyone know of anyone?
Looks and chops a must - NO BIG HAIR!" if you're in the Van area, hit em up or pass it on.