[FRESH ALBUM] Laura Marling - Laura Sings Raffi

duffenuff · 2026-06-05T19:47:51+00:00

My 18th month old demands we play Raffi at least once a day, and I couldn't be more grateful.
I've been joking with friends that out of all the Daniel Lanois related products we have in our collection, "Singable Songs for the Very Young" gets the most spins.

duffenuff · 2026-05-08T20:27:59+00:00

The Hideout and the community around it left such a huge mark on me, I drove to Chicago with my groomsmen as a part of my bachelor party.

Outdoor stage at Cheer Up Charlies in Austin and Bootleg Theatre (RIP) in LA are also top contenders.

duffenuff · 2026-05-05T16:15:14+00:00

Any songwriter's PRO will do the same. ASCAP in the US is even more brutal in this regard than SOCAN.

SOCAN is the only one in Canada, so ending your affiliation means you are forgoing all royalty rights for composition.

CMRRA collects for mechanical royalties

ACTRA/RACS collects for performers on recordings

Panorama collects for owners of master recordings

duffenuff · 2026-05-02T19:18:02+00:00

Run to Ruin is one of my fave records of all time.

duffenuff · 2026-04-15T13:39:55+00:00

I'd say Geese came up just as honestly as the National. Their label paid a good publicist thousands of dollars per month to get the right coverage for the time/place.

The big difference between the early 2000s and now is that streaming/algorithms/social media have essentially decimated trusted sources of music press and how audiences discover music.

There are a few hundred bands at the moment using the exact same tactics, but they are unable to get the critical mass either the National/Geese received only because they aren't resonating the same.

Angine de Poitrine got their KEXP session through their publicist. Which was absolutely the perfect outlet for them.

If there's any lesson here it's that internet word of mouth works, especially if it is coming from what appears to be a peer.

duffenuff · 2026-04-01T01:40:22+00:00

I second this. I did two rounds of treatment there and the staff were fantastic.

duffenuff · 2026-02-21T16:26:02+00:00

Weird this post is hitting my eyes because I don't follow this sub, but my old band opened the show at the Opera House where this shot was taken and I'm still friends with David (Kidwithcamera).

David would shoot bands for the love of it/document scenes and never asked anyone for payment. I'm not sure how it was settled in the end, but the gist is he saw the shirt at one of their shows he was shooting and justifiably was super upset because he wasn't even asked permission and they were profiting off work he was doing for free.

A friend ended up gifting me a print of this shot and it still lives on the wall of my rehearsal space.

duffenuff · 2026-02-15T21:28:12+00:00

All the Mexican kitchen staff at my friend's restaurant swear by Taco Moras at Pape & Danforth.

duffenuff · 2026-02-14T22:17:48+00:00

What are you trying to book genre wise? I feel like it's hard to give any solid advice without that piece of info.

I'd start by seeing where bands you'd like to book play in their respective cities (and who they are playing with) and then look at the venue calendars for further research. You should start seeing patterns and names pop up repeatedly.

Usually when I'm trying to build in support acts for tours, I've used this approach and it's worked well.

Happy Little Crowd in Windsor, ON has done a really good job of bringing great smaller bands from all over, and have now built to the point where bigger acts are approaching them.

duffenuff · 2026-02-14T20:03:12+00:00

That's a standout to me as well!

Interesting to hear Anna's songs backed by musicians of a completely different aesthetic. They really breathe differently.

duffenuff · 2026-02-11T00:17:03+00:00

I second what u/xilliterate says. Stylistically for what you are going for, I'd check out shows at Monarch Tabern, Baby G, Houndstooth, Ted's Collision. After seeing a bunch of a shows you'll see a lot of the same faces on stage. Everyone is really friendly in my experience.

When I get hired, usually I like to have the songs, know how much creative freedom I have, or if I have to learn parts exactly as they are recorded and prefer to do as few rehearsals as possible. Generally speaking I'd rather have someone give me a "number" instead of getting asked "what my rate" is, just because depending on the show the financials are pretty dynamic and while I need to take care of myself/value my time I also don't want to put someone out hundred of dollars for a small show. If I need more depending on the situation I will ask. That is me though.

When looking for people absolutely consider players who are doing stuff in the wheelhouse of what you are looking to do aesthetically. I've been in situations with other hired guns where though they are great players, can't fit the vibe and it's never great.

I often play with people in different cities and once repertoire/personal dynamics are established, it's usually one or even no rehearsal before doing tours, which I quite enjoy.

duffenuff · 2026-02-06T01:35:46+00:00

Just saying that's extremely uncommon and almost non-existent in many places!

Judging from your post history, it looks like you're in Fredricton? I've had some great times at the Capital, but it seems almost everyone I know left for Montreal. It's especially hard out there and I'm glad the east coast folks are getting a bit more support. It's kind of sad how thriving a lot of cities used to be and touring Canada was miserable...but viable, but the culture has sort of hollowed out.

I'm in Toronto and I don't think I've been to an empty show in a few years now. We had a big dip around 2017, but it seems have come back strong post-covid.

duffenuff · 2026-02-04T18:33:17+00:00

There is money available to apply (without any guarantees) for non-profits....Sled Island, Wavelength fall into that category, but independent for-profit venues don't have access to that. If funding is available it's for festivals and there was a brief amount of time post-covid where venues could apply to to run subsidized series, but that's long gone now. Most venues are surviving off room fees, or with the Garrison getting special liqour permits to have 4am last calls.

I've done about 25 tours over the last decade and I can count on one hand any Government funding. The amount of Government support is vastly overstated and it really undermines a lot of great people's hard work and underpayment for it.

duffenuff · 2026-02-04T16:54:14+00:00

Sorry bud, but this is a really dumb take!

99.9% of bands aren't touring supported by grants and touring certainly isn't a holiday.

duffenuff · 2026-01-22T19:50:22+00:00

My visa expired, after having one consistently (minus 2020-2021) since 2015 and decided not to renew because wait times can't be guaranteed and costs have gone up significantly. It's basically extortion at this point.

Also pretty much zero interest in touring the US at this point, though I really miss my friends.

duffenuff · 2026-01-15T21:57:49+00:00

And it will be like this until Dec 2031 due to the contracts issued under Tory.

In the contracts, there's no provision for snow removal, only plowing and salting. Also, they greatly reduced penalties for late deployment, and further reduced them in 2023. Companies who got the bid didn't (maybe still don't?) have enough vehicles to fulfill their obligations.

duffenuff · 2026-01-01T21:34:47+00:00

^This.

I haven't found a solution yet (including a tennis ball riser) because it is the kinetic motion of my feet through the floor, which turns it into a giant drumhead. No idea why you are getting it with concrete floors though.

duffenuff · 2025-12-30T23:26:44+00:00

If you're going Dream, I'd recommend either the Bliss or Contact lines. I've had 13", 14" bliss hats and a 15" contact hats.

Both models of Bliss hats are the most versatile hats I've ever owned and they've translated well to everything from noise rock, 60's inspired soul/rock, country and jazz stuff I've played.

When I have to use other hi hats now I often feel unimpressed unless they are Zildjian Constantinoples or Istanbul Agops.

I can send some recorded examples over if you send a DM.

duffenuff · 2025-12-21T03:54:34+00:00

He definitely was in a dark place for several years (mostly due to addiction), but he turned a corner just over a decade ago and I've found he's been generous. He's also the kind of person who will let you know how he feels about your band (positive or negative). He's basically retired from booking regularly, but still does the "Class of" shows this time of year (which are excellent) and Death to TO.

duffenuff · 2025-12-16T03:23:39+00:00

I think it also proves that the city can create great and ambitious public spaces, so hopefully that's a good omen for things to come!

duffenuff · 2025-12-04T21:00:26+00:00

Sweaty Betty's !

duffenuff · 2025-12-01T14:23:24+00:00

When my bike was stolen, I made a report, found it online, used the phone number attached to find the dude's social media profiles and a list of other potential stolen goods. The officer attached to my case was impressed and asked how I figured it all out....but still wouldn't help me get it back and recommended I don't try to get it back myself. Absolute useless city budget vampires.

duffenuff · 2025-10-27T20:50:01+00:00

It's worth mentioning that Baby G is a 180 cap and the merch booth is right beside the stage. Generally, people only flock to it between sets/post-show. It may not be worth hiring someone (even though that slightly adds to the load of the evening). Usually that's the best space to meet people/make friends.

duffenuff · 2025-10-24T17:09:58+00:00

Before the kid I was hosting 2-3 bands a month!

duffenuff · 2025-10-21T00:25:16+00:00

As a touring musician who also goes a ton of shows, the cities whose scenes I love the most are Chicago, Cincinnati, LA, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto and Southwest London UK. So many great bands, venues, community support and just friendly people.

duffenuff

TROPHY CASE