Oct 15, 2011
My new CD ‘Song For The Sea’ is now available online for purchase. You can buy a physical CD here at CD BABY or download the mp3s here on iTunes.
Enjoy!
Aug 14, 2011
The CD is finally being released in Rome on Sept 9th, 2011. It’s called “Song For The Sea”. The CD was recorded in room 501 at the Hotel Ripa in Rome. How’s that for an interesting recording set-up? It’s a very charming and very organic sound that Francesco and I were after. The end result is much bigger than I thought it would be. I am proud to release this CD with Francesco in Rome. Please see the SHOWS page for more info and the FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE. The album will be for sale online in October. In the meantime you can preview tracks on Sound Cloud. Click here to go to the preview page.
Jul 23, 2011
At last, an update for the few of you out there who still visit the site. The album is being finished, finally, in the next two weeks. Apologies again for those who have been waiting. My love of archaeology and linguistics has been taking a lot of my attention away from music during the last few years. I am finding some balance now between my music, my studies, and taking a third language, Italian, under my belt.
The songs on the new CD go to master in Turin, Italy, on August 3rd. Then the CD will be manufactured in the USA. I hope to have the finished product in my hands by the 4th week of August. I’ll be performing at the Jazz Cellar here in Vancouver on August 25th playing some of the new tracks from the new album. If you’re around, I’d love to see you there.
The title of the new CD is ‘Song For The Sea’, and this is also the premiere track on the album. Most of the songs on the album were written in Ireland and recorded in Italy. They seem to feature alot of the usual topics that haunt me: Love, love lost, love found again… as well as the sea… something one cannot avoid being enamoured and amazed by when living in Ireland and Italy. And by God, these songs are very pretty. I don’t know why I held on to them for as long as I did before releasing them. Perhaps I was afraid or worried. They’re very personal songs and, as usual, quite heart-wrenching, cathartic and bittersweet. You may need your tissues again, folks, for this release. But it’ll be a good cry, I assure you! There’s much more light and hope in these songs than on ‘A Town Called Hell’. I’ll be releasing the CD in Rome on September 16th with Francesco Forni, Raffaela Misiti and some of my other esteemed Italian musician friends. I look forward to returning after two years away from Rome, my home away from home. Rome is where the heart is!
In the meantime I’ll be previewing some of the unmastered tracks on Sound Cloud as it seems that MySpace has seen it’s day and most folks there have jumped ship. If you’d like to hear some of the material before it’s released please visit my Sound Cloud page at: http://soundcloud.com/farrell-spence and let me know what you think of the previews. You can email me at: farrell@farrellspence.com
In other news, and on a sad note, I want to acknowledge and pay tribute, in words, to the most beautiful songbird whom we all lost today: Amy Winehouse. Her voice, her style and her contribution to the music scene will be missed so tremendously. Her voice and her lyrics were like no other. Her struggles and her weaknesses, however, are very common to artists and musicians, as well as the average joe. We all know someone like her. Some of us have even been through similar struggles ourselves. Some of us have seen the light and have survived while others succumb to their demons and never find a way out. Regardless, it is fair to say that we all lost a beautiful soul today who gave so much, inspired so many, and likely had little support from her peers in return. May she rest in peace and may we always remember what a HUGE voice she had and what an impact she made on us all. And if you know someone like her, who needs a helping hand, please reach out and help them stay afloat. Don’t leave it up to them to sort themselves out. Lend a hand and intervene. Too many beautiful lives and talented people have been lost to addiction and lack of support and understanding within their own families and communities. Don’t be quiet about these issues. Speak up, address this problem and help those whom you know who are struggling. You just might save a life.
Good-night all.
Farrell
Nov 5, 2010
It’s been a long while since I’ve blogged about what I’ve been up to.
My Space has died and I don’t know how many people visit the Reverbnation site so I thought I’d post something for those who are visiting the site and are wondering what is going on with the second CD.
I am continuing to work on my second CD. I am back in Vancouver, working, writing, cooking, walking the dog, spending time with family and friends and enjoying life back on the west coast. I returned from Ireland in late 2009 with a lot of terrific material and recordings that were made in Rome with my friend and mentor, Francesco Forni. <- Check him out on the net! I was happy with most the material I wrote and recorded but am still revising and bettering it all as any artist should for their second release! I am a perfectionist to a fault. I hope those of you who really give a damn will forgive me for the delays. I just want it to be good… and this has involved revisiting the material, rerecording, writing more lyrics, and making it what I had envisioned it to be: Something truly honest, genuine and something I am also happy with… A good follow-up to A Town Called Hell.
On that note… Simon Kendall (of Doug and The Slugs fame here in Canada) is working with me to make it so. He’s also good and honest! He’s a genius, a champion of my music and has also been incredibly creative and patient with me. With his expertise and talent I should have something that I am truly proud of to (finally) offer up in the next few months. Come hell or high water I will return to Rome to launch this next CD in summer of 2011 and also hope to do another live spot on the BBC with Cherrie McIlwaine in Belfast and some shows there as well during the release next summer.
If we good folks lose touch please be sure to email me at info@farrellspence.com or find me on Reverbnation at: http://www.reverbnation.com/farrellspence I’ll create a Facebook page when my ego permits… 
In the meantime… I’ll keep making music and keep the home fires burning… if you continue to do so as well. Let me know where you are online! And please keep in touch!
All my love,
Farrell
Oct 8, 2009
Release of the new CD pushed to July 2010
Due to some schedule conflicts, small technical issues, some delightful surprises, a change in creative direction, and a change in my location… the CD release is being pushed until July 2010.
It’ll be worth the wait, I hope! I’ll be flying back to Rome in July to release the CD and play some dates in Italy, the UK and Ireland. And a much welcomed addition of Vancouver piano player, Simon Kendall, to the recordings to be made in Vancouver will round this whole project off into one hell of an international effort.
I look forward to the finished product.
Farrell
Wow. Thank you Malcolm Carter!
Penny Black Music – Best Albums of 2008
Between Cork, Rome and Manchester, we’ll be laying down tracks in the next month and I hope to have it all mixed, mastered, in the can and on the air in late September.
Nose to the grindstone, and the slaving away infront of waveforms begins again!
May 10, 2009
I am back in Cork, exhausted and happy as a clam.
The show dates in Dublin and Belfast and Rathfriland were so enjoyable. The audiences were lovely and it was nothing short of golden opening for The Paperboys and watching their shows after our sets. Jesus H, they’re great fun to watch…
In Dublin I was accompanied by an amazing local guitarist called NC Lawlor. An Irish bluesman with the blood of Lousiana pumping through his veins… but he’s a born Dubliner. Go figure. I have never seen a guy this side of the Atlantic play slide guitar like this before, I swear this man sold his soul at the crossroads. At any rate it was a pleasure to play with him and to see him play a few shows the following nights after my show in Dublin. Check him out here: http://www.myspace.com/nclawlor
On the 5th Francesco Forni flew in from Rome and joined me for my shows in Belfast and Rathfriland at The Errigle Inn and The Bronte Arts Centre. We had such a good time and it was so much fun playing for the full houses and meeting such lovely audience members… including the folks who drove us back to our hotel in Rathfriland after the Bronte gig…
On May 6th we recorded a session on BBC Radio Ulster with the lovely Cherrie McIlwaine. Great coffee was served, good conversation was had and we ended up playing two songs live on air and talking about the next album, etc. Such an honour for us both. The interview can be heard by clicking the link below:
http://www.farrellspence.com/media/FarrellSpence_BBCradioIreland_Lateshow_06-05-09-96kb-01.mp3
And now it is time to really get cracking and set out to record the next CD. The songs are written, the work has been done and it’s time to lay it all down. I am really excited to see how it all turns out.
April 26, 2009
It’s been a very busy 2009 thus far and we’ve been going at a good click this year here in Ireland! Most of the news and all of the show-dates and the new blog entries can be found on my My Space page. But here’s what we’ve been up to since my last post:
In February we did some shows here in Cork with Francesco Forni, an Italian folk musician from Rome. He blew audiences away with his gorgeous voice and amazing guitar playing. We did a live spot on UCC Radio as well on Ken Cotter’s Big Brunch show and this was a gas despite the fact we couldn’t find parking, or the studio for that matter, and nearly missed the show altogether! In March, Eoghan, David and I drove out to Clonakilty to play at the legendary De Barra Folk Club and it was a night to be remembered. The audience there was something else and the room itself is a gorgeous and intimate venue that is just as much a pleasure for the musician to play in as it is for the audience to watch in. Tim Peacock wrote a very flattering review of the show on Suite 101. Thank-you, Tim. In April I flew off to Rome to do a show there with Francesco Forni and Giovanni Mancini at Ombre Rosse and soak up a bit of much needed sun and heat and to also spend time with friends and see a few shows myself! …All the while penning a few more tunes to add to the next album which is due to be recorded this summer in either the UK or Rome… or both. To be determined very soon. In a week Francesco and I will be headed up to Dublin and Belfast to support The Paperboys for a few shows at The Rua Red Theatre, The Errigle Inn and The Bronte Arts Centre, and while we’re there we’ll be popping in to BBC Radio Ulster to do an interview and play some songs on air on Cherrie McIlwaine’s Late Show on Wednesday May 6th from 10 pm to 12 midnight GMT. I hope you’ll tune in.
XO from Cork.
January 13, 2009
Happy New Year, one and all. Have not been blogging or posting to the news section of late as I have been preoccupied with a few other more important things like recording the next album, setting up a studio space in Cork and other New Years things like learning how to meditate and live mindfully and all that other sort of new Years gobbledy-goop. There are some new reviews on the site and also on the My Space page, all of which I am proud to say, are terrific! Click here to read them in the reviews section. I am excited to start the New Year off as the forst six months in Cork involved a fair bit of adjusting, homesickness and getting used to how things work around here. I have written some good songs, and some crap songs too… but that’s how it goes. I am now at a place where I feel I can now whittle it all down into a pretty decent album. I think Ireland will reflect a fair bit in this body of work. As for shows, I am pleased as punch to announce that my good friend Farncesco Forni and I will be playing some dates in Cork in February. See the SHOWS page for dates and venues. So far we’re playing The Roundy in Cork on Feb 26th and will also likely do a show at the college (UCC) that week and in Dublin the weekend following. Italy will meet Canada in a folk-acoustic double header in Cork, Ireland that is sure to please! Che bello, like!
Sept 10 , 2008
New review in Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (Ireland). Click here to read it in the reviews section.
July 24th, 2008
The Evening Echo (Ireland) published a 2 page article in the entertainment section on Farrell, her new album and her move to Ireland. Click here to read it in the press section.
July 10, 2008
New review in NetRhythms – UK. Click here to read it in the reviews section.
June 2, 2008
New Review from The Line of Best Fit in England! Click here to read it in the reviews section.
May 12, 2008
A glowing review of A Town Called Hell was published online for Pennyblack Music Magazine. Click HERE to read it on the Pennyblack site or read it in the REVIEWSsection of this web site.
Apr 18, 2008
Farrell was the feature artist on CMR Nashville today. CLICK HERE to check out their website and tune in to CMR Nashville broadcasting 24/7 online from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Apr 10, 2008
Farrell’s tunes are being aired on Whole Wheat Radio online. CLICK HERE to check out their website and tune in to this station that broadcasts 24/7 online from Talkeetna, Alaska.
Feb 28, 2008
Album reviews and press page now fully functional. CLICK HERE to view.
August 15, 2007
A Town Called Hell - Now available on iTunes
Download away, kidlets!
Aug 16th, 2007 – Interview in The Evening Echo – Cork, Ireland
The Evening Echo edition (Cork, IE) will feature a spread on Farrell and her upcoming shows in Cork and Ballycotton in Ireland.
Article can be read here in the PRESS section of this website.
May 28th, 2007
“A Town Called Hell” Now Available at HMV…
…well in Canada anyways.
Shop away, people… you can buy it in HMV stores or order it online here:http://www.hmv.ca/hmvcaweb/en_CA/simpleSearch.do?keywords=farrell+spence&searchType=2
May 28th, 2007
“A Town Called Hell” Now Available at HMV…
…well in Canada anyways.
Shop away, people… you can buy it in HMV stores or order it online here:http://www.hmv.ca/hmvcaweb/en_CA/simpleSearch.do?keywords=farrell+spence&searchType=2
May 9, 2007
“A Town Called Hell” is now also available to buy on Amazon at:http://www.amazon.ca/Town-Called-Hell-Farrell-Spence/dp/B000PTYKKW , I’m not quite sure how these things work but it’s pretty cool none the less!
Also, if you’re back in the prairies and up on time, CBC Radio in Winnipeg will be interviewing me this Friday morning on the morning show with Terry McLeod. They’re also playing one of my tracks. It’ll be on at 8 am, CST. If you’re out of the Manitoba area or if you’re further west and feel ambitious enough to get up and listen, you can hear it online here: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/streams/r1_winnipeg_32.html I’ll still be in my PJs when I do this interview, should be interesting!
Apr 26th, 2007
A Town Called Hell – CD Release party and live show at The Yale!
On Wednesday, May 23rd we’ll be at The Yale launching the CD and doing a live show. Doors are at 6 pm, show is at 7 pm. Mark your calendars!
The Yale Hotel
1300 Granville Street @ Drake
Vancouver, BC
V6Z 1M7
Tel: 604-681-9253
Fax: 604-681-9353
Web: www.theyale.ca
May 9, 2007
I\if you’re back in the prairies and up on time, CBC Radio in Winnipeg will be interviewing me this Friday morning on the morning show with Terry McLeod. They’re also playing one of my tracks. It’ll be on at 8 am, CST. If you’re out of the Manitoba area or if you’re further west and feel ambitious enough to get up and listen, you can hear it online here: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/streams/r1_winnipeg_32.html I’ll still be in my PJs when I do this interview, should be interesting!
Apr 26th, 2007
A Town Called Hell – CD Release party and live show at The Yale!
On Wednesday, May 23rd we’ll be at The Yale launching the CD and doing a live show. Doors are at 6 pm, show is at 7 pm. Mark your calendars!
The Yale Hotel
1300 Granville Street @ Drake
Vancouver, BC
V6Z 1M7
Tel: 604-681-9253
Fax: 604-681-9353
Web: www.theyale.ca
Apr 24, 2007
To purchase A TOWN CALLED HELL:
Buy from CD BABY at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/farrellspence
March 30, 2007
Farrell Spence and The Widowmakers to air on ANET STATION. Net-Radio based out of Antarctica.
A NET STATION is a creative construct of George Maat. The Station has been, and continues to be a popular informational, educational and musical resource. Antarctica has been put on the map in a way no one ever expected due to the popularity of this station.
The station was one of the first Web radio stations in the world, and it’s still number one in the world for streaming audio playback quality, and frequently among the 10 most listened to stations in the world.
Tune into ANET STATION and hear Farrell Spence among many other world folk, roots and blues musicians by clicking here: http://www.anetstation.com/
November 16, 2006
I’m back from Europe!! We had a great time in London, Dublin and Rome and met so many amazing folks along the way.
Anyways, news from the front: A Town Called Hell is going to Master! FINALLY!
I’ll be working with Suite Sound Labs in Vancouver to master the album on November 29th and then it’s off to Digital Distribution after that. What does this mean? The album will be available first online through iTunes and all the download sites listed below. Then the actual CDs will be coming out in the New Year.
Sept 14, 2006
It’s been a while in the making and a lot of hard work. Some hurdles, some re-takes and some last-minute studio sessions. A Town Called Hell is officially on the horizon. It has been an incredible learning experience starting this project on my own, recording during the wee hours, laying down guitar tracks and learning how to engineer the audio and grasp the technical side of making an album. And spending some serious cash! Arriving at mistakes and also some stunning revelations is part of this process but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. The album cover art is complete and the last song on the album was re-recorded in the studio last week. Then we go to mix and master… then manufacturing! Needless to say, the coffee is on. I have no idea how long this last leg of the process will take but I am going to try to make it as fast as possible, while ensuring the integrity and quality of the final product.
Keep your eyes peeled and ears opened. This puppy will be in the can very soon.
Thanks for all your emails and support.
Farrell
June 19th, 2006
FARRELL SPENCE AND THE WIDOWMAKERS
MARINE CLUB FUNDRAISER- T-Paul Ste. Marie Benefit Show*
Appearing with Los Alleycatz, Big Joe Burke and LA Burlesque star, Scarlett Rebelle.
Friday June 30th, The Marine Club
573 Homer St, Vancouver, BC. – 9:00 PM
Admission: $10
For more info see: www.farrellspence.com or call: 604-683-1720
*On Sunday May 28, T. Paul Ste. Marie suffered a brain aneurism while hosting his regular open mic Thundering Word Heard at the Cafe Montmartre on Main street in Vancouver. A suggested donation/cover of $10 will help keep T. Paul and his cat, Lucky, with a roof over head and some groceries in the fridge while he recovers.
