Well, as expected, Record Store Day was a great success again this year: lots of great titles to choose from and lots of great customers to pick them up. The day was made even more fun by the special guests in the afternoon: DJ Nu Rock ran the decks for a while and then former Fred’s employee Matt Hornell performed a stripped down solo set.
If that wasn’t enough, we had the Pathological Lovers in the store the very next day! Katie took some snaps and a video on her phone. Here’s a few choice pics of the fun:
Last year, as you know, we celebrated our 40th Anniversary. We featured many fantastic events over the course of the year, The Tenors global launch of “Lead With Your Heart”, Ron Hynes signing copies of the DVD “Man of a Thousand songs”, the debut CD launch of City on the Coast and a rockin’ live show from Long Distance Runners, to name a few.
But my personal favourite event was the performance from Rose Cousins, who took home the Folk Album of the Year award at the Juno’s this past weekend.
When I first asked Rose if she would do a set at Fred’s, I thought, “Yeah, in my dreams”. But I was knocked back by her considering it an honour to perform at our humble record store.
Giving us a six song set from her stunning album, “We Have Made a Spark” joined by Andrew Dale (from The Once), Andrew James O’Brien and Don Brownrigg. I was on the verge of tears, consumed by her perfect voice, emotional lyrics and the sheer intimacy of her performance. It was one of those surreal moments where I had to pinch myself and marvel at how fortunate I was to be here taking in these moments, having introduced her to a lovely group of familiar faces on that dreamy Thursday evening in May.
Congratulations, Rose. A well-deserved award and national recognition for her brilliant and gorgeous CD.
Congratulations to all the the recipients of the 2013 Juno awards!
Special shout outs are due to Rose Cousins for taking the “Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, Solo”. who performed live in-store in last May (see a video of her performance here). It was a huge blast to have her in-store and we can’t wait for her next visit.
A shout out is also due to James Ehnes for winning “Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment”. James has frequented the store on his visits to St. John’s to perform with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
Big congratulations to The Tenors for winning the Juno for “Best Adult Contemporary”. Their CD “Lead with your Heart” was launched at Fred’s on October 28th, 2012.
The Tenors are honorary Newfoundlanders. Clifton Murray was christened in St. John’s, hometown of his mother, Deborah Davis.
Congrats, boys! This is a crowning honour to a great year.
Their CD is available in-store and online, click here.
First an ECMA and now this?! We’re pleased to announce that we’ve been nominated for a 2013 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry award for Independent Record Store of the Year.
It’s fantastic to be nominated in a group of such heavyweight indie retailers.
Wow! What a way to cap our 40th Anniversary! At the 2013 ECMAs in Halifax, Nova Scotia, among a a seething throng of Maritime musicians and industry professionals we emerged with trophy in hand!
It’s really gratifying to know that our peers recognize out dedication and hard work. We have the best customers in the world. Thank you all!
A wonderful afternoon at the store with the always amazing Ron Hynes. Hundreds of people went through to say hello to Ron, and get an autograph on their copy of the MAN OF A THOUSAND SONGS DVD that tells the story of his life in his own words.
