Some Pics That Didn't Get on The CD

Well now that the CD is about to be printed and duplicated, we thought we would share some pics that didn't get into the CD booklet.

It is a long story, but we started with grandiose plans of a 16 page booklet, then reality took over and we had to scale down. Here is some of the artwork that didn't make it into the booklet, maybe next time ;o)

Included in the pics is a nice one of Randy's father, a nice barn pic from Vermont, and an old abandoned tractor from somewhere (I think it is in New Hamphsire).

As I alluded to, the CD is in the hands of the duplication company now. There will be a separate posting about this shortly. Suffice to say that it has been a huge piece of work and it is nice to take a bit of a breather from it.

OSM on the Radar in Lexington, North Carolina

Hi Everyone,

What a funny journey this road has become.

Last week, right out of the blue, the band recieved an email from a free-lance music critic currently supplying reviews for "The Audiophile Voice" magazine. He is constantly in the search for cd releases that I would consider worthy of review. He specializes in several musical categories including: traditional bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, new acoustic, and progressive bluegrass.

Previously, he has been on the writing staffs of Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Now, Precious Memories, and Acoustic Musician. Due to this related experience, he feels that he can listen objectively and impartially to our soon be released CD. Never ones to miss an opportunity, we are going to give him an advanced copy of the CD, which he will consider for possible review.

If you have been following this blog, you will know that this CD is top-shelf and a real gem. Here's hoping that our reviewer feels the same.

How he heard of us, or that we were finishing up our CD remains a mystery.

OSM

For Rent - One Rhythm Guitar Player

We have tried to sell him, no luck. Will try the rental route next.

"Fretwork"

Amen to that!!!!!

Today we hunkered down and tweaked the final few songs of the CD. Randy laid down some fiddle, Matt added some dobro, and the band en masse worked up a very tastey arrangement for "Still, I Sometimes do".

Speaking on behalf of the guys, I think that I am safe in saying that there are few things as rewarding as recording a CD with friends. There were ups and downs in this process but all in all it was an amazing experience. Kudos to Brian for taking on this undertaking, and Kudos to the rest of the band for making it all happen.

Anyway, we will have a copy of the "master" to pour over as soon as next week. Once we play the hell out of it then we will give our final approval. Then it is off for duplication.

'Twas Fun...OSM

Band to Listen to Final Mixes!!!!!

Hello Everyone,

The band will be listening to the "final" mixes on Wednesday night. With any luck, we are down to only some minor tinkering and tweaking.

Here's what we can tell you. The CD is going to consist of 13 songs, three are instrumentals (and barn burners at that), some traditional bluegrass numbers, and two OSM originals. Once we see where we stand on Wednesday then we will be in a better position to assess how close we really are. We are negotiating a CD release event, but that too depends on how close we are to a finished product.

The Band

Still I Sometimes Do - Words and Music by Randy Robinson

Hey Everyone,

The CD is just about done now, all that remains is the hard stuff ;o)

In reality, most of the songs have been recorded and it should be in the hands of the mixing/mastering guru soon. We have been given snippets of songs to listen to and wow, they do sound good (ok, so we are a bit biased).

For those of you who have been following this blog, the CD will consist of some traditional bluegrass, some contemporary bluegrass, and a couple of OSM originals. Below are the words to "Still I Sometimes Do", as penned by Randy. It is a great song.



Still I Sometimes Do

I met a girl back at home
the spring I moved away
It broke my heart to leave her there
sometimes life’s that way

I went on to a good job in the city
She stayed back there in the hills to her memories
And I don’t try to think about her when I’m blue
Still I sometimes do

Chorus

Some day I’ll go back home again
Some day I’ll see all my old friends
‘till then I hope she thinks about me too
still I sometimes do

Time has a way, it’s been said
Of moving life along
I’ve heard she’s well, settled down
And life goes on

The other day I got a good raise down at work
I got an office and a title on my shirt
And I don’t try to think about her when I’m blue
Still I sometimes do

Chorus

Potential CD Covers

The band is in the throes of recording our debut album, yeah I know, I know, we have said that before but this time it is for real.

At this point we have the guts of nine songs recorded and we are hoping to record an additional four more. After much deliberation, we have settle on a mixture of origianl, some traditional, and the odd slow song for this cd.

Here are two potential CD covers. If you get a chance, drop us a line and let us which one you like, or if you don't like either.

Cheerio...OSM

Kind Words from the Organizers of the Almonte Celtfest

For those of you who didn't make it to this year's Almonte Celt festival, let me tell you that you missed a good time. This is a top notch event and we were proud to have been chosen as the first bluegrass band to perform at this festival.

We received these kind words from the organizers of this event:

"...you and your band were fabulous and I hope you'd consider a return. As the first bluegrass band ever at the Celtfest you did all bluegrass musicians justifiably proud: Bill Monroe, Lester and Earl would be proud of you guys too!"

Kudos to Jim Mountain, and the rest of the organizing committee. Looks like we are going back next year, and we are pumped already. Great job guys.

OSM

PS...pics from this event can be found in the July entries of this 'blog.

OSM at the Russell Celtic Festival, September 22nd

Just a quick post to say that the band has just signed on to perform at this year's Russell Celtic festival. All the details can be found at http://www.shawmultimedia.com/celticfest/

We love these Celitc festivals, they are all spirited affairs. Get out and support it if you can.

OSM

Video From Smiths Falls Festival

"Fox On the Run"

Here is a video from the Smiths Falls Chocolate and Railway festival. Tom is hiding behind the stack. Thanks again to Anneke for videoing this for us.

Yeehaaaa!!!!! The boys pounding out some bluegrass at today's Smiths Falls Railway and Chocolate Festival. This festival has it all, some stuff for the kids, pony rides, r/c boats, and now wicked bluegrass. It was a perfect day for a festival and there were smiles all 'round to prove it. A big round of applause has to go the organisors of this festival. We were very happy to be part of it.It is now time to start working on the CD. We are meeting tomorrow to discuss our plan of attack, but in general terms we are looking for a CD launch in late fall. Keep your eye on this blog for updates on the CD's progress.

Tom in Robotic Trance

Ok, ok, so banjo players are, ummm, well, different. Sometimes he stands there and thinks, most often he just stands there.

Randy Catching Breakfast

This picture was taken by a fan at the Amonte Celtic Festival's main stage on Saturday night. The song was likely "Catching Breakfast", the barn burning original song written by Randy.

Face to Face

Matt and Brian belt out some "high lonesome" while Tom just tries to escape the beer breath. This pic was taken at the Ironworks pub in Almonte as part of the Celtic Festival.

OSM at the Almonte Celt Fest

We had the great pleasure of playing at the Almonte Celt Fest last weekend, what a hoot!!! As part of this festival, we did two outdoor sets and one set at a local pub. The pub set was such a riot, had them dancing in the aisles. A big thanks to Jim Mountian, and the rest of the organizing committee for having us. Also kudos to the town of Almonte for staging such an event. We loved it.

We are the first bluegrass band to play at the Celtic Festival and the audience showed their appreciation.

Welcome to our blog

Hi and welcome to the official blog of One Square Mile (OSM), a hard-driving bluegrass band north of the border.

This blog has come about of necessity. We had originally hoped to use our website, www.onesquaremile.ca to keep everyone abreast of the comings and goings of the band but it now looks like that is impossible. The last few months have been a blur. Ponder this; in the past five months we have played on the national stage, our performances have been televised, we have done festivals, we have done small churches and we have loved it all.

We suspect that this blog will take on a life of it's own and chronicle the comings and goings of the band, it's members, our concerts, and other projects.