by Sheldon Birnie
A new website is holding official launch parties across the country this weekend. PinballSessions.com is set to deliver Canadian music fans live, unique recordings from various artists of interest, in a similar manner that Daytrotter delivers regular, fresh lives sessions to listeners in the States.
The team behind the Pinball Sessions are pulling out all the stops trying to get their dream off the ground. With a launch slated in Winnipeg for Friday May 31 at the Folk Exchange with performances from the JD Edwards Band (JD already has a Pinball Session in the can), Gourmet Scum, and the F-Holes, and further events in Toronto, Guelph, Halifax, and Calgary, they’re not messing around.
“This is my baby project and I just want it to stand alone,” co-founder Daniel Cooper told Stylus. “I’m really excited about it and have a lot of faith in it.”
According to the official release, the Pinball Sessions is designed as
An interesting opportunity for an artist to come into the studio and try stuff out, perhaps playing a song differently than its been previously recorded, or recording songs that have not yet been released. Recording in this way, without the pressure of creating a product to market and sell is a different experience for many artists.
“The idea really got fleshed out around this time last year,” explained Cooper. “Me and a musician friend of mine and a friend at the local radio were hanging out by the river and hatched the idea. There may or may not have been beers involved. We began recording the sessions in Magnetic Sound studios in December and have been going ever since.”
Starting on Friday, the website will be streaming two sessions a week, and the list of upcoming sessions to be released is impressive: Daniel Romano, The Magic, John K. Samson, Legato Vipers, Matt the Electrician, Shotgun Jimmie, Gangstagrass, The Highest Order, CR Avery, Baskery, Rachel Sermanni, and By Divine Right are all slated to appear in June, which the developers are keen to let listeners know is only the beginning of the fun.
“I’m currently trying to get FIDLAR (killer thrashy-punk band from California) into the studio and I’m really stoked about that, their album has been on constant rotation in my house and at work since I got it in February,” Cooper explains, when asked who he’d like to see in the studio soon. “I’d love to get the Growlers and Andrew Jackson Jihad into the studio at some point, oh and Mean Jeans because I think it would be a blast to have those guys in. First Aid Kit too because I’d like to do a raw intimate session with those gals.”
If you’re in Winnipeg, head over to the Folk Exchange Friday to celebrate the launch and learn more. If you can’t make it, check out PinballSessions.com for more info.