ROYAL CANOE RELEASES BECK’S SONG READER
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN THIS WEEK

Winnipeg’s Royal Canoe release their interpretation of Beck’s Song Reader via Bandcamp and iTunes. The seven track digital mini-album includes three cuts recorded in studio and four tracks live in concert. Fall tour dates across North America with Close Talker, The Elwins, and Rubblebucket begin September 20.

WATCH “WE ALL WEAR CLOAKS” LIVE AT THE PANTAGES THEATRE

A few years ago Beck released a collection of unrecorded, sheet-music only, songs called The Song Reader with the intention of have other artists perform his written music. And with Beck’s own release of the recorded album, Winnipeg’s Royal Canoe felt it was high-time they officially released their own interpretations of the project.

Recorded last winter at Pantages Theatre as a part of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival and Pop Nuit, Royal Canoe prepared and performed 10 selections from The Song Reader. Live footage of the band’s performance has already received attention online, including a personal shout out from Beck himself, however the recordings never got a proper release.

Four tracks recorded live at Pantages Theatre have found their way on to Royal Canoe Does Beck’s Song Reader along with three more recorded in studio, specifically for the release. “It was a new challenge, working and producing songs that were written by someone else, and with no guiding, definitive version on which to base our production and delivery,” says Matt Peters. “The clean slate was a liberating place to start.”

The mini-album is available to purchase today via Bandcamp and iTunes. Royal Canoe’s latest album, Today We’re Believers, was nominated for a 2014 Juno Award for Alternative Album Of The Year. This week the band will embark on a two month long North American tour, making stops with Close Talker, The Elwins, and Rubblebucket.