New Release: Richard Laviolette – “Taking The Long Way Home”

New Release: Richard Laviolette – “Taking The Long Way Home”

February 17, 2017 | Posted in: Richard Laviolette 0

In 2010 You’ve Changed Records released a record called All Of Your Raw Materials by Richard Laviolette and The Oil Spills. It’s a very special record, a rare, raw bit of truth telling, elegant in it’s melodic structure, elevated by warm and worn-in acoustic arrangements and plenty of space to sing along. (It’s out of print now but remains available on our Bandcamp page). All Of Your Raw Materials never won any awards and never topped any charts that I know of, but it’s a record that has been loved deeply by the people that have heard it; it’s attracted artists to our door, artists we’ve since worked with who loved Richard’s beautiful, honest songs and then saw a place for themselves in our community. And in the years that have passed, as much as I’ve been asked anything, I’ve been asked when Richard would be releasing another record.

So, it’s with great pleasure that I can announce the release, on March 10, 2017, of Taking The Long Way Home by Richard Laviolette. Following in the musical footsteps of his earlier, beloved album, Richard has delivered an open, graceful, powerful collection of songs, stark in their acceptance of illness and death, and profound in their celebration of family resilience, generational knowledge, and communion.

Taking The Long Way Home was conceived as a collaboration between Richard and his guitar playing father, Darrell Laviolette. Darrell was ultimately unable to participate in the recording due to his responsibilities as a caretaker for Richard’s mother, Marie (who had Huntington’s Disease), but this initial concept set the tone for the rest of the album: intimate, personal stories, marked by remarkably observed details and deeply compassionate understanding: songs “full of grief and praise; a story we all know”, as he sings on ‘Yesterday’s Gospel.’

Credit Richard’s natural grace as a person and skill as a songwriter that the album is so full of life and so uplifting. “Whether it takes guts or glory, I won’t die here feeling sorry” he sings on ‘Someone To Tell My Story When I’m Gone.’ And credit his collaborators that the album is so rich and rough and ready. Produced with Andy Magoffin, Taking The Long Way Home features Lisa Bozikovic on piano, Matthew Reeves on lead guitar, Jessy Bell Smith (Skydiggers) on vocal harmonies, Julia Narveson (Ever Lovin’ Jug Band, Lake of Stew) on fiddle and double bass, Aaron Goldstein (Cowboy Junkies, Bry Webb, Daniel Romano) on pedal steel, Heather Kirby (Ohbijou, Vag Halen) on electric bass, and Aaron Curtis (Two-minute Miracles) on drums.

Please listen to the title track ‘Taking The Long Way Home:’

Richard Laviolette – Taking The Long Way Home
(YC-029 LP/CD/Digital)

Grey Rain
Two Guitars
Someone To Tell My Story When I’m Gone
Louella Austella
Old Country Music
Taking The Long Way Home
Red-winged Blackbird
The Rock and The Moss
My Grandma’s More Punk (Than Most Punks I Know)
Yesterday’s Gospel
You’ve Really Got Me On The Run

Preorders of are available in our mail-order shop. (And if you’ve already pre-ordered our other March 10th release, Jon Mckiel – Memorial Ten Count, and would like to add Taking The Long Way Home to your shipment please contact us and we will assist you in reducing shipping costs.)

YCR 5th Anniversary Concerts

In 2014, You’ve Changed Records is celebrating five years of music, friendship, and joyful persistence with a couple of very special anniversary concerts:

Thursday, May 22 – Toronto, ON – The Horseshoe Tavern
Tickets available at Rotate This, Soundscapes, and through Ticketfly

Friday, May 23 – Ottawa, ON – St. Alban’s Church
Presented by Arboreteum Festival.
Tickets available at Antique Skate Shop, Vertigo Records, and Compact Music

The shows will feature performances from The Weather Station, Shotgun Jimmie, Baby Eagle, Richard Laviolette, and Marine Dreams; special guests may be present and presented too. It is, after all, a birthday party. And we hope you can make it!

In the meantime our Anniversary Sale continues in the Shop with all records priced at $10!

You’ve Changed Records in the Yukon

You’ve Changed Records in the Yukon

September 30, 2013 | Posted in: Baby Eagle, Marine Dreams, Richard Laviolette, Shotgun Jimmie 0

 

You’ve Changed Records is partnering with our good pals at Headless Owl Records for a very special event in the Yukon. Shotgun Jimmie, Baby Eagle, Marine Dreams, and Richard Laviolette will be joining Michael Feuerstack, The Burning Hell, Construction and Destruction, Wax Mannequin, and Kyle Cashen for a meeting of the minds and hearts, a congress of the soul, a numbering of the tribe, a collaborative recording session, and a revue show of spectacular proportions. Shary Boyle is graciously providing projected artwork and elevated vibes.

Friday, October 11 – Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse
Saturday, October 12 – KIAC Ballroom, Dawson City

Maybe this whole thing raises some questions: Why the Yukon? Is that a Sasquatch? How many songwriters does it take to change a light bulb? Who’s on bass? How many clowns will fit in that car?

Here’s what I know: We are thrilled beyond thrilled. We are over the moon. We’ve already got our bags packed. Everyone has written killer new songs for the project. And the answer to all questions is, of course, “YES”.

North!

New Release: Richard Laviolette – “All of Your Raw Materials”

New Release: Richard Laviolette – “All of Your Raw Materials”

July 7, 2010 | Posted in: Richard Laviolette 0

 

Richard Laviolette writes a hundred songs a year. Songs of clever, heartfelt, rolling lyrics, sung in a strong, full voice. Echo and melody. Laviolette’s voice is a deep well of water. His lyrics are brilliant scraps of paper. Letters written home. He sings about death, anti-colonial struggle and long distance relationships.

All Of Your Raw Materials is Laviolette’s 4th Album, and his first with The Oil Spills. Originally released independently on CD in September, 2009, the album was recorded live-off-the-floor at the legendary House of Miracles in London, ON the previous summer. We got a copy at a house show in Guelph, ON, and listened to it endlessly through the fall and winter. We loved it, and we wanted everyone to hear it. You’ve Changed Records is happy to make this album widely available and to offer it for the first time on LP.

The Oil Spills are Geordie Gordon (The Magic, Barmitzvah Brothers, the Islands), Meredith Grant, Greg Denton, Mike Brooks (Kae Sun), Lisa Bozikovic, Matt Reeves, Jenny Mitchell (Barmitzvah Brothers, The Burning Hell, Jenny Omnichord). This highly talented cast step up to the plate and deliver a darling country album inspired by a childhood full of waking up on weekends to country, gospel, and bluegrass records blasting from the living room, records such as George Jones, Tammy Wynette, The Judds, Dolly Parton, Roger Miller, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Bob Wills, Neil Young’s ‘Old Ways’, and The Nitty Gritty Dirtband’s ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’.

Richard Laviolette has previously released Aging Recycling Plant (with the Hollow Hooves, Independent 2009), Hands and Feat(s) (Burnt Oak 2007), and A Little Less Like a Rock, A Little More Like Home (Burnt Oak 2006).

Digital and CD versions contain the songs “Body Maps” and “Two Hinges” which had to be left off of the LP version due to time constraints.

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