Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
Congrats to Galaxie Supernova Award winners Gordie Mackeeman and His Rhythm Boys!
Monday, September 10, 2012
From the opening note of the National Anthem by Arthur McGregor (of the festival’s founding sponsor the Ottawa Folklore Centre) to the closing tunes of Bon Iver, the line-up was universally praised as very inclusive and highly entertaining.
Another aspect of the ‘fest that was of great interest to music fans was the Galaxie Rising Star Program, which presents the Supernova Award for outstanding live performance. This award provides bursaries to rising Canadian music talent at festivals and events across Canada.
Chosen by a jury appointed by the Ottawa Folk Festival, eligible artists were expected to meet four criteria: 1) be part of the 2012 Ottawa Folk Festival line-up; 2) be Canadian; 3) have released at least one album and 4) have not previously won a Galaxie Rising Star Award. Jurors were required to watch performances by all eligible acts over the course of the festival and then met to deliberate and choose a winner. On the final night of the festival, Gordie Mackeeman and His Rhythm Boys were announced as the winner for their riveting performance and awarded a $1,500 bursary, as well as potential airplay on the Galaxie channels.
“The competition for this award included some amazing talent,” says Ottawa Musician and Folk Festival staffer Ana Miura. “Having seen Gordie Mackeeman and His Rhythm Boys at this year’s Ottawa Folk Festival, I would say the jury got it right.”
-30- - Ottawa Folk Festival
Gordie and his crowd are from PEI, and they look like a group of misfits that would've gotten arrested in Mayberry by Andy Griffith. Bowler ties, cowboy shirts, fedoras belie the true impact and musicianship of this group. Gordie is a masterful fiddler, but more Bob Wills than Natalie McMaster. The Rhythm Boys are made up of some of the top country backers in all of the East Coast. They play hot country, bluegrass and western swing like it was played in the 1930s. You won't believe it until you see it. - Tom Power, CBC's Deep Roots
Gordie and his crowd are from PEI, and they look like a group of misfits that would've gotten arrested in Mayberry by Andy Griffith. Bowler ties, cowboy shirts, fedoras belie the true impact and musicianship of this group. Gordie is a masterful fiddler, but more Bob Wills than Natalie McMaster. The Rhythm Boys are made up of some of the top country backers in all of the East Coast. They play hot country, bluegrass and western swing like it was played in the 1930s. You won't believe it until you see it. - Tom Power, CBC's Deep Roots
Star of the lineup for me was Gordie MacKeeman on fiddle. With a style reminiscent of the late John Hartford, he whipped up a storm and delivered new licks in just about every tune, with high energy, the occasional buck dance step and an obvious relish for the music. - Tim Sokell
Star of the lineup for me was Gordie MacKeeman on fiddle. With a style reminiscent of the late John Hartford, he whipped up a storm and delivered new licks in just about every tune, with high energy, the occasional buck dance step and an obvious relish for the music. - Tim Sokell
Discography
Pickin n Clickin - July 2013
Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys - October 2010
- Winner of 2 Music PEI Awards and nominated for an East Coast Music Award!
Photos
Bio
With a slight bend of his knee, Gordie MacKeeman launches into a song. Guided by the sharp cuts of his fiddle, his famous crazy legs shake and twist with a laughing regard for physics. The whole time, his Rhythm Boys deliver a surefooted roots instrumentation to accompany the spectacle. It's a joyful sight that divides the line between the band and the audience. It is this pomp and spirit that Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys set out to capture on their new album, Pickin' n Clickin'.
Hailing from Prince Edward Island, The Rhythm Boys' exhilarating live show has drawn international attention. They were given the Galaxie Supernova Award at the 2012 Ottawa Folk Festival for their outstanding performance. Tom Power, host of CBC Radio's Deep Roots, recently called them his "Best Discovery Band" at the 2012 East Coast Music Awards. The group toured the United Kingdom three times last year, including performing on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
Produced by award winning artist Nathan Wiley and mixed by renowned musician Dale Murray, Pickin' n Clickin' features guest appearances from Dale DesRoches (drums), Michael Pendergast (Accordion), Hannah Rose (vocals), Meaghan Blanchard (vocals), Jon Matthews (low D' whistle), and Nathan Wiley (lap steel, guitar, vocal, percussion). Over the course of fifteen tracks, the album offers up rockabilly-inspired rhythms and of course, MacKeeman's perfectly executed fiddle work. There's upbeat reels and weighted laments. Somehow, the band still makes each new tone and style sound like an expression made in the same voice.
The band adeptly delivers original compositions ("Gonna Get Out," "Jim's Lament," "Hay Boys," "Scrape the Paint," "Working Title") as well as covers such as Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Polka" and Two Hours Traffics's "Heroes of the Sidewalk."
It's roots music that sets its goals much higher than simple reproductions of the past. MacKeeman overseas the alchemistic mixture of stringed acrobatics like a modern day Bob Wills.
Pickin' n Clickin' will be released this fall. In 2014, they will embark on tours throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.
"These lads from PEI have taken their great musical skill and love for the repertiore and added engaging, sometimes jaw-dropping, stagecraft and showmanship. Man for man there may not be a better roots band playing in Canada today. Booking them is a no-brainer." Matthew Large, Montreal's Folk Festival on the Canal
Band Members
Links
