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Old 05-20-2013, 11:23 PM   #1
charlene
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Default Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...new_roots.html
video @ link

By: Nick Krewen Music, Published on Wed May 08 2013

The debut album from Canada’s equivalent of the Carter Family has been a long time in the making.

Although they’ve performed live together in different configurations, The Good Family, which collectively includes veteran country and bluegrass legends The Good Brothers and the torrentially industrious, alt-country, indie-rock workhorses known as The Sadies, have finally combined forces in the studio.

Released last week by Latent Recordings label, The Good Family Album is a 10-song, 30-minute roots roulette of bluegrass, country and folk excellence that goes a long way in explaining why, in some European circles, the Good clan has been labelled the Canadian version of the Carter Family.

The parent-and-progeny lineup, which will showcase the new album Thursday and Friday night at the Dakota Tavern, includes Sadies Dallas and Travis Good; father Bruce and uncle Larry from Juno Award-winning icons The Good Brothers; mother Margaret (a support singer for two seasons of the 1970s TV series Grand Ole Country with Ronnie Prophet) and cousin D’Arcy of Badly Bent; as well as the extended Sadies family of bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky.

Photos View gallery - @ link above.

The Good Family consists of members of the Sadies, The Good Brothers and other musicians associated with the musical clan.zoom

But if you’re thinking there’s someone prominent missing from the ranks, you’d be right: Bruce’s twin Brian, a key fixture of the eight-time Juno recipients The Good Brothers since their 1967 inception — and Brian’s wife Susan — are notably absent.

In an interview from his Hastings, Ont., homestead, Travis Good says the initial germ for The Good Family Album project came from an invitation that he and Dallas extended to their parents to join them on tour in the U.K. back in 2003.

“We billed them as the Good Family for the opening band,” Travis explains. “That’s when we started thinking of doing something with it. That’s why uncle Brian wasn’t on this one — it sort of started with the immediate family. Before that, the idea was to do it as The Sadies with Margaret Good.”

Obviously, the addition of Larry as well as Brian’s daughter D’Arcy expanded the project’s parameters. What changed?

“It was easier to do with more people,” Travis chuckles.

How much easier? When the project was finally green-lighted, shoehorned between constant Sadies projects and Good Brothers tours, producer Dallas doled out assignments.

“He called meetings and said, ‘OK guys, we’ve all got a job to do: everybody write a couple songs and nail ‘em down and let’s record them,’” recalls patriarch Bruce, 67, from the Newmarket home he shares with wife Margaret.

“So that’s exactly what we did and this is the result.”

And an intriguing result it is.

There’s the Sadies’ electrifying twang on “Coal Black Hills” additionally powered by the frenetic picking of Larry Good’s banjo and his daughter D’Arcy’s soulful singing; the country fire stoking “Life Passes (And Old Fires Die),” sung by Dallas and co-written by Daniel Romano; the up tempo bluegrass flair of “Outside Of Saskatoon;” the beguiling “Restless River” shuffle showcasing the two elder statesmen — Bruce and Larry; and the fiery “Instantmental” that concludes with an unearthed tape of a two-year-old Dallas and a seven-year-old Travis hamming it up in the studio.

“Isn’t that wild?” asks Bruce. “To find a tape from 1970-god-knows-when, to find those words on a tape. It was quite a surprise for Margaret and I because we didn’t know that was going on there. Dallas just slipped that in as a little treat at the end.”

There are also other symbolic sentimental undertones to The Good Family Album: fiddler and singer D’Arcy’s participation marks the completion of a journey that began following a return from Vancouver and an especially dark period in her life.

“We lost her for a few years due to drug addiction,” Margaret explains. “We tried to bring her back a few times. Her mom and I then went out and found her and it was just in time, and since then, she never looked back.”

And Margaret has one of her own: “Same Old Song” is not only the first song she ever wrote, but features the original 1978 guitar track demoed by Terry Clements, a close family friend who served as Gordon Lightfoot’s guitarist until Clements passed away in 2011.

“Terry encouraged me to do a demo of the song, and so I did,” Margaret recalls. “Then I put the cassette tape up in the cupboard and forgot all about it until Dallas suggested recording it for The Good Family Album. They took quite a bit of time in the studio ensuring that Terry’s part stayed on there.”

Travis Good says the new album has strengthened the family bond.

“We’re seeing each other more than just at Christmas and Thanksgiving now. But I guess we’ll find out when we start doing shows — that’s when a band really finds out if you’re family or not,” he laughs.

And for future project, father Brian assures even more Goods will be introduced, rhyming off another 13 that could participate.

“We’ve got a pretty deep well to dig from,” he notes.
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Old 05-25-2013, 03:59 PM   #2
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

I was doing a routine google for Lightfoot items and I unearthed a rather nice tribute to Terry at:-

http://rs7273.wordpress.com/2011/03/...don-lightfoot/

A blog piece entitled:-
in great appreciation terry clements guitarist for gordon lightfoot
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(where Sir does not signify that I am a fully benighted Knight just a Bt which signifies a humble Baronet -?? read the wiki!)
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Last edited by johnfowles; 05-25-2013 at 04:03 PM.
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Old 05-26-2013, 08:46 AM   #3
KHester
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

Thanks John,

That was a great well written article. Gordon's songs have had a influence on all of us. The lead guitar in a Lightfoot song never overpowers, but does add depth and richness. Gordon had the good fortune and wisdom to have three wonderful lead guitarists in Red Shea, Terry Clements, and now Carter Lancaster. I been to about 15 Lightfoot concerts, and the band is always professional and right on in everything they play. They all add pieces to make the whole, knowing it's a group not solo project, yet when it comes to a emphasized line or two they absolutely shine.
Barry Keane said in the Soundstage Video
"When Gordon asked me to join the group, I was used to beating the tar out of the drums in the studio. Playing drums for Gordon, I think, is different than playing drums for anybody. It's really not so much what I play, but what I don't play, with Gordon. Every note almost has to be thought out and it has to have some importance to it and if it doesn't have importance, then I shouldn't play it."
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Old 05-27-2013, 02:48 PM   #4
JohninCt.
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

Wow, I really like that last line by Barry. I never thought about his drumming with Gordon, as he always was right there and doing fine. I know he has played on over 300 albums in his career, but saying he plays different for Gordon is really something.
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Old 05-28-2013, 02:14 AM   #5
Lisa J
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

yes, Barry's last line is a good one and it explains a lot about why the music in Gordon's songs stands out. I have spent most of my life listening to Gordon Lightfoot songs, as most here have, and I never tire of finding the different instruments as they play through the songs. Terry's guitar has always facinated me as he infused the music seamlessly through each piece. I agree with the songs that the tribute author mentioned, and I would like to add one of my own. I listen to "Rainy Day People," live daily and his playing there is exemplary. thanks for posting this tribute. it made my day.
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Old 05-28-2013, 07:43 AM   #6
charlene
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

http://www.thespec.com/whatson-story...e-good-family/
Good old country from The Good Family

THE GOOD FAMILY ALBUM
Dale Bolivar
On 2013-05-16,at 10:50 AM Rockingham, Graham (GRockingham@thespec.com)
Coal Black Hills by The Good Family
The Sadies and The Good Brothers combine on record as The Good Family

ByGraham Rockingham

When you get to the end of the new Good Family Album — and you will because it is, indeed, a very good album — you'll find the giggling voices of two small children and the patient voice of an older man, presumably their dad.

"Say goodbye to everybody," says the father's voice. "Goodbye," respond the giggling little voices. "Thank you for listening."

The track is buried at the back of a spirited bluegrass instrumental (Instantmental Breakdown) that features two generations of the best pickers in the land — brothers Dallas and Travis Good of The Sadies on guitar and mandolin, and Larry and Bruce Good, of The Good Brothers, on banjo and Dobro guitar. D'Arcy Good, niece of Larry and Bruce and cousin to Dallas and Travis, is playing fiddle.

As you may have figured by now the two generations of Goods — eight-time Juno winning Good Brothers and the critically acclaimed alt-rock band The Sadies — have joined together to produce a 10-track album, called The Good Family Album. All of the songs are fresh, most written expressly for the record.

The aforementioned bluegrass breakdown was recorded last year, but the children's voices tacked on to it were recorded almost 40 years ago. The dad's voice is Bruce Good. The giggling kids' voices belong to Travis and Dallas.

"That was about 1975, maybe," laughs Travis Good in an interview from his home near Peterborough. "I was probably six and Dallas was about two. I don't remember the exact details. I was partying a lot back then."

Margaret Good is Bruce's wife, mother to Travis and Dallas. Margaret doesn't appear on the Instantmental Breakdown but she does take the lead vocals on three other tracks on The Good Family Album — Paradise written for her by Blue Rodeo's Greg Keeler, Secrets which she cowrote with Keeler, and Same Old Song, a track she wrote in 1978 with the accompaniment of Gordon Lightfoot guitarist Terry Clements but never released on record. (It's hard not to name drop when discussing The Good Family Album).

Margaret, who lives with Bruce in the family home in Newmarket, loves the kiddie recording session like only a mother could.

"Aren't they cute?" she says on the phone from Newmarket. "Dallas was two and Travis was seven. They grew up with music everywhere, so they loved to go in front of the microphone and record."

Cute? This isn't a word that most fans would use to describe the two frontmen of The Sadies. For the past 15 years, The Sadies have been exploring the dark, psychedelic side of country music. Tall, lean and grim, maybe. Cute? Nope.

Dallas found the old recording while rummaging through boxes of reel-to-reel tapes in the basement of his parents' house. Dallas not only found the kiddie tape, he also came upon a long-lost demo of his mother singing Same Old Song (the one with Terry Clements accompanying Margaret on guitar).

It was a no-brainer putting Same Old Song on the Good Family album. The tough part was trying to keep Clements' guitar line. He was a close family friend, who died two years ago at the age of 63.

"It was the first song I ever wrote," recalls Margaret. "I had been singing back up vocals for two seasons on (the CTV TV show) Grand Old Country with Ronnie Prophet. We were over at Terry's place and I sang this song for him. He said 'let's put it down as a demo.'

"So I did but we never really finished it. So we put it away and I forgot about it. When we were looking for material, Dallas suggested pulling it out and using it. I never dreamed they'd keep Terry's part, but they did a little magic in the studio so you could keep that special lick."

The real surprise about the Good Family Album is that it took so many years to happen.

"That's what happens when you've got two bands combining into one," explains Bruce Good. "Especially when you've got two bands that are still working regularly."

The Good Family — The Good Brothers and The Sadies playing as one band with Margaret and D'Arcy Good — is only doing a limited number of southern Ontario shows, including a special night at The Casbah in Hamilton on Saturday, June 1, headlining the club's two-day Brews N Bands Beerfest, which combines live music with beer-tasting sessions from 20 Ontario craft breweries.

Advance tickets available at Casbah, Dr. Disc (905-523-1010), Naroma Pizza Bar (905-525-6699) & online at casbahlounge.ca/UPCOMING_SHOWS.html

grockingham@thespec.com

905-526-3331 | @RockatTheSpec
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Old 05-29-2014, 09:26 PM   #7
charlene
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

new article: http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslif...ti-track-world

For Dallas, the pinnacle of this achievement can be summed up by Same Old Song, which was co-written by Margaret and family friend and former Gordon Lightfoot guitarist Terry Clements, who died in 2011.

The song even includes a guitar part by Clements from a 1978 demo of the song that had been sitting on a shelf at Margaret’s house for three decades.

“We had to mix a cassette tape into the recording, and what it meant was we all had to tune to the original recording,” recalls Dallas.

“My concept wasn’t airtight, but it was very important for us to include him literally, as well as with a songwriting credit, because he was such an important person in the Good Brothers’ and the Good family’s lives.

“We all knew him quite well; he was a really great man.”
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Old 05-31-2014, 12:56 PM   #8
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Default Re: Terry Clements on the new Good Brothers and Family CD

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnfowles View Post
I was doing a routine google for Lightfoot items and I unearthed a rather nice tribute to Terry at:-

http://rs7273.wordpress.com/2011/03/...don-lightfoot/

A blog piece entitled:-
in great appreciation terry clements guitarist for gordon lightfoot

nice… i think it was Red Shea's electric guitar that we all know from Sundown … Terry acoustic licks are in there too

I'm surprised he didn't mention John Stockfish infectious bass on that track

Sundown:
Twelve-string Guitar, Voice – Gordon Lightfoot
Electric Guitar – Red Shea
Bass – John Stockfish
Drums – Jim Gordon
Acoustic Guitar – Terry Clements


i love Terry's and Red's work on Too Late For Prayin (the solo that plays out)
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