One of my fondest memories of growing up in Canada involves John Weldon’s 1979 short film The Log Driver’s Waltz (viewable at the National Film Board of Canada’s incredible website (here). The song (originally written by Wade Hemsworth), was performed for the film by sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle and became such a quintessential Canadian cultural artifact that I can’t think of a time when this tune hasn’t been a part of my understanding of Canada itself. For a time, we performed ‘If Only I Were a Painter, I’d Paint for You the Moon’ from Songbook as a two-part medley with ‘The Log Driver’s Waltz’, and at our 2008 Sled Island show at Central United Church in Calgary, our friend Kris Ellestad asked us to back him up on a full run-through. We post it here in memory of Kate McGarrigle, who died last week.

• The Log Driver’s Waltz [Wade Hemsworth / Kate & Anna McGarrigle]

Like it or not, Calgary is the city in which we live, and it’s the city that brought us all together. Sure, considering what’s going on up North to Alberta’s tar sands and the knowledge that by living here one is – in at least some way – attached to the disastrous oil machine, it’s sometimes hard to feel all that proud about it. But, it’s still important to look back at the good things that have come out of Calgary from time to time, right? Good things like Jann Arden, which leads to even better things like our new side project MANN HARDEN. And so, we give to you, our non-Calgary friends who doubtlessly missed our one and only show, MANN HARDEN (all songs by Jann Arden). (Foon on mandobird, Annalea on drums, Peter on guitar, Kenna on guitar, Mark on violin). This one’s for you, Calgary.

• MANN HARDEN (rehearsal space JAMZ)

Each January, our intrepid Kenna Burima puts together a festival called The Midway, held adjacent to the annual High Performance Rodeo here in Calgary. Last year, Woodpigeon performed a set of Bjork tunes, and a recording has just re-surfaced, thought earlier lost due to an exploding hard-drive. While we put some pretty big arrangements together, this stripped-down version of ‘Aurora’ has always been my favourite of the night. A guitar, some voices, and a hushed theatre (and a little demo that we worked from too).

• Aurora [Bjork] (live)
• Aurora [Bjork] (demo)

With everyone’s eyes on the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, we here at WPHQ wanted to highlight a feature-length documentary entitled Dirty Oil, directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks. You can watch some clips and catch up on some important tar sand related readings here. As Albertans, we personally can’t believe what’s happening in our gorgeous province. WP is extremely proud to be featured on the soundtrack of Dirty Oil with an instrumental version of ‘A Hymn for 2 Walks in Different Cities’. Here’s the original 2005 Sketchbook EP version of the song, to hopefully give you at least some warmth in these frustrating times.

• A Hymn For Two Walks in Different Cities [Sketchbook Version]

Late this summer, the editors of MOJO magazine asked if WP would be up for covering a song from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Without admitting I’d never actually listened to it, we set about re-building the track ‘Mother’ into something a little different from the original everyone seems to love. Talk about pressure, but it’s out at newsstands now, free with the December issue. (Otherwise, just take a listen to it here. We won’t tell).

• Mother [Pink Floyd]

Everyone in Montreal seems to be perfectly in love. It’s a city of pairs, strolling happily hand-in-hand, cooing bilingually. It’s a city of endless possibility, but even then it seems all the best ones are already taken.

• 7th Wheel (‘Mary Christa O’Keefe’ –> ‘Balladeer’ –> ‘An Entanglement of Weeds’ –> ‘Featherstone’ –> ‘Morningside’)

It seems that somehow, without fail, I make my way to Montreal each November. The annual trip, repeated so often, starts to feel like deja vu, and I think of the old things that lay forgotten. Of the first songs I ever recorded. Of the lost songs left behind in rehearsals. I fret there’s not enough time to remember them all, but little bits and melodies sometimes pop into focus.

• Au coin du Berri at Jarry (‘The Great Dictator’ –> ‘High School Dance Theme’ –> ‘I Don’t Want You To Leave’)

Our 2 week stay at the Banff Centre has come to a close, and tonight’s the final performance, the final recording. Early this afternoon our gear was loaded up and taken from the hut where we’ve spent so many hours the past 14 days. One last play at the piano, one last song. (This one’s for Analog Bell Service, The Witchies, and Basia Bulat, to the great producers we worked with, and to all of the audio engineers who laughed at us when we asked for bottles of water, but would always go and get them for us anyway).

• Only if We Must

FOON: This is the first song of my song cycle, The Mes, The Mys, and The Swimming Pool. After hammering out some lyrics, I dashed over to Hut 10, and Mark and I recorded this song at 2 in the morning. We stayed up till 4 making more beats – if you are in Calgary for the High Performance Rodeo in January, come see my song cycle at the Midway. Otherwise, catch it as the opening act for Woodpigeon’s CD release.

• FOONYAP - Intro

Late last night, I wandered from the studio after recording FOONYAP’s amazing ‘Me + You’ and stopped in my tracks, encircled by elk. They grazed and I watched, both of us calm, eventually parting ways — me towards bed, and them down the road down into Banff township. I’m sure the animals here think these surroundings are just as beautiful as we do.

• For Norman Luxton