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Showing posts with the label Ian de Souza

The Breit Bros. - The Breit Bros.

If memory serves I heard "Wide World" on the radio once or twice ... but when I saw the video for "Slow Train" on MuchMusic that was it (the video wasn't really that good, but the song was). Who were these guys? What was it about this song with the strange riff and the moody vibe that was so infectious? The album was produced by Tom Treumuth who was also A&R for RCA and was instrumental in signing The Breit Brothers, and by all accounts Bob Buziak the president of RCA was behind the band as well. I know that's an assumption on my part, but he is given a special thank you on the back cover. To top it off the album was mastered by Bob Ludwig, which usually gives an album a little extra shine. The band was comprised of three brothers, vocalist and keyboard player Gary, whose name I knew from Corey Hart, Kevin on guitar, Garth on drums and Ian de Souza on bass. The album was full of finely crafted pop songs and it's still a bit of a mystery wrapped in...

Graeme Williamson - Because You Were There

Today I'm taking a break from my vinyl reminiscing and writing about Graeme Williamson's wonderful and breathtakingly beautiful posthumous release Because You Were There . Those who know me, know that one of my favourite records ever is Pukka Orchestra's debut album. For whatever reason that album is indelibly ingrained in my musical DNA. I remember Neil Chapman (Pukka alumni, and fret wizard) mentioning in passing through one of our infrequent exchanges he was working on fleshing out some demos and recordings Graeme had made before his passing in 2020. Then the other day I received a digital copy of the album, complete with a comprehensive booklet (something sorely missing from the majority of releases, and sadly when I looked for it on iTunes it wasn't part of the download, hopefully that can be fixed). They say you can't go home again, but hearing Graeme's distinctive voice was like a homecoming of sorts. There's still a bite to his lyrics but the angry y...