A celebration of The Bicycle as muse, musical instrument, and agent of social change: SPIN is the innovative new album from this award-winning Canadian artist, featuring a bicycle as you've never heard it before.

11 MP3 Songs in this album (48:24) !
Related styles: Folk: Alternative Folk, Spoken Word: With Music, Type: Political

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Details:
SPIN is a modern concept record â a collection of catchy, hook infused songs that have at their centre, both as inspiration and instrument, one thing: the bicycle. By taking a bike â an object that hasnât changed its function or form in over 100 years â and fusing it to modern technology, we have created a contemporary instrument that is completely unique. Youâve never heard a record like SPIN.

Innovative Canadian songwriter, poet and theatre artist evalyn parry takes takes the listener on a journey through the last 150 years â tracing the bikeâs evolution and underlining itâs significance as a catalyst of social change. From 19th century womenâs emancipation to 21st century consumer culture; from social history to contemporary social comment, SPIN is build around the bicycle-as-instrument, creating a completely distinctive foundation for evalynâs awardâwinning songwriting.

The album (which is the soundtrack to the theatrical production of the same name) features evalyn parry on electric and acoustic guitars and lead vocals, Brad Hart on the 1972 CCM Galaxie Bicycle , bicycle pump and vocals, and sound artist Anna Friz on bike lights, imbira, harmonica, accordian, melodica, leatherman and vocals.

The 1972 CCM Galaxie model is hooked up to contact microphones, a loop station and reverb/delay pedal; played by percussionist Brad Hart, it becomes an evocative and versatile instrument. At times recalling the âjunkyard soundscapesâ of Tom Waits, there are moments on the record where you are not sure what you are listening to. The natural spring reverb of the vinyl bike seat creates an amazing âbass drumâ; tuned spokes play melodies; fenders, pedals and frame all make wildly different sounds when played with hands, brushes or sticks; not to mention the otherworldly noise of a violin bow playing the spokes, or the techno-beat made by the amplified buzz of bicycle lights.

On some songs, like the catchy âShe Ridesâ and the anthemic âProgressâ, the bike functions as a driving rhythm section, pushing guitars and voices forward. The bicycle also creates sinewy, hypnotic rhythms, heard on the tripâhop influenced âWorld of Spinâ as well as on the recordâs centerpiece, the 12-minute groove-heavy, radio-play styled âBallad of Annie Londonderryâ. On this track, vintage microphones and turn of the century jingles collide with modern rhythm and melody to create a unique sonic hybrid â over which evalyn spins an unforgettable tale of perseverance and adventure: Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle, in 1894.

SPIN is a collaboration between songwriter evalyn parry, musicians Brad Hart and Anna Friz and producer Don Kerr. Don brings the variety and scope of his music career to the production of SPIN. As a member of the legendary Canadian art-rock band The Rheostatics, Don is well versed in the world of progressive and conceptual music. The same spirit that lies behind that groupâs seminal âGroup of Sevenâ record can be found here â the mixing of the modern and the historical, the layering of melody, rhythm and soundscape to create a unique experience for the listener. But Don also has a keen ear for a great songwriter and song â as illustrated by his longstanding association with Ron Sexsmith â and it is with this skill that Don has helped to sculpt the great, contagious songs found at the centre of SPIN. His skill as a producer is clearly evident on this record â along with co-producers parry and Hart, Don Kerr has created deep sonic landscapes that are dense and fascinating, drawing the listener in and building that interest as the songs progress. Melodies and sounds from one song creep into another, giving the record the cohesion of a classic concept album â while still being a collection of great stand-alone songs.

Blessed with âan ethereally beautiful singing voiceâ (NOW Magazine), evalyn is a captivating performer, whoâs outspoken, personal and political performances are inspired by a powerful vision of social activism, spinning language and ideas as deftly as Hart spins, plucks and bows the wheels of the bicycle. SPIN is full of brand new ideas and sounds, unlike any record that evalyn and her collaborators have made before. For bicycle enthusiasts, and music and story lovers alike, SPIN is a uniquely captivating record: well worth taking for a ride.

Want to know more about the theatrical production SPIN? Read on!

SPIN premiered at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in March 2011, where it sold out its two week run. Now, OutSpoke Productions is taking it on the road! (For more info about tour dates, see evalynâs website)

âpart theatre, part musical gig, part spoken word poetry & part documentary...whatever it is, it is brilliant.â Toronto Star

Innovative, award-winning Toronto artist evalyn parry takes her audience on an uncommon theatrical and musical journey in SPIN, her tour-de-force performance celebrating the Bicycle as muse, â¨musical instrument and agent of social change.

â..a welcome breath of fresh airâ¦.Parry makes something beautiful⨠out of taking life into your own hands...â The Globe & Mail

Inspired in part by the incredible true tale of Annie Londonderry -â¨the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle in 1894 - parry⨠spins a web of stories which travel from 19th century womenâs emancipation to 21st century consumer culture, peeling back layers of history to ultimately reveal a profoundly contemporary and personal heart to her performance.

âthis magnetic artist and her winning production team invest the work with such intelligence and playfulness, itâs hard not to be charmed.â (NOW Magazine)

parryâs âco-starâ, a vintage bicycle, is suspended in a mechanicâs stand on stage. Backed by her unusual and highly accomplished band, the bike is played by percussionist Brad Hart, using brushes on the fenders, bows on the â¨spokes and drum sticks on a variety of tuned bells, conjures an astonishing array of sounds with this iron horse, while, on the other side of the stage sound artist Anna Friz plays instruments from the more traditional (accordion, harmonica) to the even more unusual (amplified buzz â¨from flashing bike lights), creating a richly textured and utterly unique sonic accompaniment to Parryâs songs and monologues. Projections by acclaimed designer Beth Kates add a captivating visual layer to SPIN, which directed by award-winning theatre artist Ruth Madoc-Jones.

"the depth Parry gives to the concept of the bicycle through her script is quite staggering...an ingenious mixture of songs, monologues, video projection, and modern technology " Torontoist