Music releases

Released

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Producers

Lloyd Peterson and Dust Poets

Wonder Dog Recording

Productive Apathy

Catalog No.

1024

World at Large is the fourth record by the irreverent chamber folk ensemble the Dust Poets. The record's 12 tracks are born out of the band's experiences traveling and performing in all corners of Canada and the US throughout the past years. Themes of loss and longing are played against wry social commentary, and songwriter Murray D. Evans is as sharp as a stick witching for water in a prairie desert. The record also includes a song by Sean McManus and a Woody Guthrie/Billy Brag cover from the Mermaid Avenue project.

The Dust Poets are made up of songwriter Murray D. Evans (vocals, guitar), Karla Ferguson (vocals, accordion, piano), Sean McManus (vocals, drums, winds), Gord Mowat (bass), and Corey Ticknor (mandolin, brass). The record also features guest performances by Allison De Groot, Rosalyn Dennett and Damon Mitchel.

World at Large was produced by Lloyd Peterson and the Dust Poets and recorded by Lloyd Peterson at Wonder Dog Recording in Winnipeg, MB. The record was mixed by Grammy Award nominee Shawn Pierce in Winnipeg, and mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in New York, NY.

The title of the record is taken from the lyrics of the opening track, Big World. The song gently nudges at the disparity between rich and poor that exists in our own Canadian cities and features a wonderfully surprising clarinet quartet. Opening Day (56 Year Old Wig) features the band�s female lead vocalist, Karla, and tells the tale of a deceased mother�s saved braids of hair finding their way into the wigs of a high profile theatrical production of Sound of Music. Showcasing Murray�s powerhouse talent for ballad writing, Hold Out for Love is ultimately about temptation, real or imagined. The group channeled Motown soul with beautifully arranged horns and soaring vocals.

World at Large follows the 2003 release Lovesick Town. That record documented the band members� troubled relationship with their small town roots and was called a �masterpiece� by the Toronto Star. The group�s earlier releases are Four Legs Good, and the live off the floor basement debut one night in Berlin. Originating in Brandon, Manitoba, the Dust Poets currently has members spread across the continent, from Toronto, to Winnipeg to rural Manitoba, to Colorado.