RON Sexsmith who plays live at Dolans this Saturday April 29 has been recognised for his songwriting talent by the likes of Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, receiving accolades such as the Juno Award for Best Songwriter and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame’s Allan Waters Humanitarian Award.
With seventeen albums to his name and a reputation as one of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriters, Sexsmith remains an influential figure in the world of music.
The Vivian Line is Ron Sexsmith’s 17th album. It features 12 new songs written and performed by Ron.
“The Vivian Line is a rural route right near where we live in Stratford (Ontario). Whenever we have to get out of the city we jump on The Vivian Line and it dumps us out onto the highway. I wondered about the name when we first moved there and thought it was intriguing… it sort of represents escaping from our old life in Toronto to this new phase we’re in.
“And it’s also like a portal to my old life when I have to get back there. I recorded it (The Vivian Line) with Brad Jones in Nashville. (Brad played bass on 3 of my earlier records “Other Songs”, “Whereabouts” and “Blue Boy”) and it’s a very lush sounding almost baroque pop record. (a distant cousin of “Whereabouts”).
“The songs were mostly inspired by this stage in life that I find myself in and trying to figure it all out.”
Ron Sexsmith is one of Canada’s most accomplished singer-songwriters. Born and bred in St Catherine’s near Niagara Falls and currently resident in Stratford, Ontario.
In the early 2000s, Sexsmith collaborated with producer Mitchell Froom on his album ‘Cobblestone Runway.’ The album received widespread critical acclaim and earned him a devoted fanbase.
Sexsmith has continued to release a steady stream of albums, including “Long Player Late Bloomer,” which was produced by Bob Rock, and “Carousel One,” which was produced by Jim Scott. His songwriting continued to evolve, and he began to experiment with new sounds and styles while still maintaining his signature melodic sensibility.”
For an intimate look at how Ron Sexsmith prepares for and records an album, the 2010 documentary ‘ Love Shines’, directed by Douglas Arrowsmith on Paperny Films is a must see.
Ron TweetSmith
Ron’s Twitter account is full of “Sexsmith-isms” and quirky stuff he encounters on tour or just the first thing that comes into his head. The self described “Half Man, Half Melody” is funny and charming in equal balance to his 60,000 followers. Here are a few of our favourites ….
The woman at the front desk just handed me my receipt
Hmmm…so she was checking me out RS
I guess if a billboard ever fell on my head
That would be a sign from above RS
Apparently they’ve discovered water on Mars!
That’s great,
but I ain’t setting foot there until they discover coffee RS
I worked on a movie set one time where all I had to do was watch the star’s bag for her
It was a job that required purse-ssistance RS
I wanted to buy a postcard from the hotel lobby
But the ones they had were nothing to write home about RS
Being a songwriter these days can be like a conflict of interest
You’re conflicted but nobody’s interested RS
So you’re telling me that if I ever get caught between the moon and New York City
That the absolute best that I can do is fall in love? RS
When God created the orgasm
Nobody saw that coming RS
Just read that Lenny Kravitz’s pants split open at a concert and exposed his manhood!
Now I’m not sure if I wanna go his way RS
