While Dave Findlay and I were working on Craftsman, we were confident we had a good album. The music was good, the performances from all the musicians were good, the artwork was good, but there's always a feeling of trepidation when you show off your baby to the world for the first time. We needn't have worried. We've just had the first review and the news is good. Bill Binkleman likes it too. Cue the huge sigh of relief.
Here's a couple of snippets from Bill's review:
Craftsman is a delightful album,
one that, if you are a fan of "down home" acoustic music,
with influences from the rich tradition of folk and roots music, as
well as hints of Appalachian hill music, you are certain to enjoy it.
Craftsman is an apt title for
this highly listenable and hugely entertaining recording. Bob Ardern
takes the making of music seriously, but not the music itself, i.e.
there is a lot of fun present on the recording, and while there are
some quieter or slightly darker moments, they are few and far
between. Along with his guest players, Ardern puts his "craft"
on display throughout the album, not in an overly showy "look-at-me"
way, but in simple, unostentatious fashion that leaves no doubt as to
the quality of the "product."
The review will be posted on Binkleman's Corner at Zone Music Reporter in a few weeks, but in the meantime you can read the entire review on my website at:
http://www.bobardern.ca/reviews/binklemancraftsman.html
Our Indiegogo fundraising campaign is winding down. We haven't raised as much as we'd have liked so we're asking one more time for any support you can provide. Many thanks to those who have pre-ordered the CD and thanks in advance if you're planning to join in the next few days.
The manufacturing is done for Craftsman and I have copies of the disk in my office so if you order the CD before the end of the campaign, an autographed copy will be sent to you as soon as we process the order.
Now, in an agony of haste, I have to get ready to go out on tour. At the end of the month, I'm hitting the road for three weeks to do a couple of solo shows and several double bill shows with my good friend Manitoba Hal. The All Day Breakfast Tour will take us into New England, New York and New Jersey.
We're still looking into the details but there may be a stop in Lunenburg at the end of the tour as well. Watch this space.
