Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
" Whiskey Stars’ is Canadian roots rocker Joe Fournier's second offering. Recorded over an eight-month period, he plays most of the instruments himself. Oddly, this suggests a protracted & layered recording process at stark contrast with the loose, organic feel of the album. It sounds more like it was thrown down in a four day drinking binge with minimum overdubs. It has dirt under its fingernails. The title track is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It’s pile-driving rhythm reminds me of how I felt on first hearing Springsteen's 'The Promised Land' or Uncle Tupelo's 'Chickamauga' ... it is that good. I don't know what a Whiskey Star is, but I want one... Think of Haggard or Kristofferson & you are almost there. This is hard living, hard drinking blue collar America. "
-Peter Gow, Americana UK - americana uk
" Joe Fournier offers up a second effort, Whiskey Stars, that just may outshine his great debut, Raw Sugar Shed. "I Like Junk", a swampy, ramshackle ode to treasures in the trash, leads an album packed with robust songwriting and enthusiastic performances. His vocals, tinged with Dave Edmonds, Tom Petty and Elvis Costello, belt out over everything from straight-ahead, energetic roots rock to crisp Americana ballads and rollicking country-folk. The themes are familiar, but Fournier crafts some catchy as hell hooks and puts his own indelible stamp on the package."
- Miles of Music.com - miles of music
" Fournier has just released Whiskey Stars, an album which is every bit as good as its predecessor, if not better... one hell of a songwriter, capable of producing rootsy little gems that stop you in your tracks, make you grin like an idiot, and hit the repeat button to hear them again. Almost Got It Made, the story of a wannabe music star who refuses to pack it in, is like that. So too are I Like Junk, the unabashed confession of a man who sees treasure in other people’s trash, The Adventures of Joe and Marie, the jealous lament of a man who can’t sleep because the couple upstairs are going for Olympic gold all night and Two Sandwiches Short, the sorry tale of a man whose girlfriend has done far too many recreational drugs for her own good. There isn’t a discard on this album, which once again showcases Fournier’s versatility as a musical jack of all trades. More of the same please."
- Doug Gallant, The Guardian (PEI) - the Guardian
" Raw amplified guitars, with an occasional nod to Scotty Moore, Link Wray and Chuck Berry. Prime cuts include a wry take on the vicissitudes of fame and fortune, Almost Got It Made, the high octane Deluxe Ride and the Shel Silverstein drug era inspired Two Sandwiches Short concerning his girlfriend's injudicious over-indulgence of marijuana. Like his first album, there are a couple of country items, but again filtered through the Fournier prism. She's Gone Bad is a slow/mid pacer with a suggestion of a Johnny Cash backbeat, and a morose and dejected divorce ballad, My New Life, with some great lines proving that a good writer can always find something new to say when dealing with the most overused themes. I suspect he is a man whose shows are hot, sweaty beer-fueled affairs not to be missed."
- Jon Phillbert, Country Music People (UK) - CMP
"With his distinctive voice and passionate delivery of his own style of alt-roadhouse-twang-rock Fournier evokes the spirit of John Fogarty without ever being considered some wannabe clone. The title tune ballad is straightforward traditional country while Darlene (don't wear that dress) has a misplaced '50's vibe with an undercurrent edginess that's quite irresistable. A million light years away from today's country or rock music, but just a stone's throw from the Sun Studios circa 1955 or Clovis, New Mexico or the Capitol Studios where Gene VIncent, Eddie Cochrane or the Burnette Brothers cut their classics. Good stuff!
- Maverick Magazine - maverick
"... a funky Canadian singer/songwriter whose music is swampy, greasy and loaded with wry social commentary. There’s a musical debt evident to Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Bobby Fuller and Buddy Holly, mixed with serious blues, R&B and country twang influences. Raw Sugar Shed is a great record."
- Bob Cianci, Music Scene, River Reporter - music scene
Discography
Raw Sugar Shed - June 2002
Whiskey Stars - June 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Joes musical education came from stealing songs and stories from the many road-worn acts that, week after week, rolled through the local beer joint his family ran. Every night he'd fall asleep to the sound of country music filtering up through the floorboards and every morning a new Merle Haggard, Charley Pride or Credence Clearwater Revival tune would be stuck in his head. It's bound to have an effect on a kid. An avid collector of country, roots and rock and roll 45s, a motorcycle enthusiast, amateur photographer and spicy food freak, Joe's been a tentmaker, soundman, writer, Beatle impersonator, record producer, pizza cook, disc jockey, graphic designer and furniture maker. Now he has the songs to prove it!Joe received rave reviews for Raw Sugar Shed, released in the summer of 2002. The next 12 months were spent touring around Canada, England and Sweden to enthusiastic crowds. He showcased on three stages at the 2003 East Coast Music Awards and received MIANS nominations for best songwriter, best male vocalist and best country/roots album. In London he was invited to perform at the famed Borderline with Sarah Harmer, Josh Ritter and Brian Houston as part of their Americana festival. Joe also appeared in May at Canada's National Arts Centre when they hosted the Atlantic Music Scene festival and shared stages throughout the year with the likes of Fred Eaglesmith, Tom Russell, Robbie Fulks, A3 and to name a few.
His new CD, Whiskey Stars, covers a wide range of americana, roots rock, raw country and swampy blues using baritone, lap steel and acoustic guitars, gut bucket bass, drum loops and plenty of found noises ...even the occasional dog bark! Once again, the disc was recorded at the infamous Eight Track Shack with Joe playing almost everything himself. If you're a fan of what we like to call music with dirt under it's fingernails, then you ought to order your copy today!
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