M.D. Dunn

For new stuff, check out the blog:
   http://markddunn.blogspot.com

Four Songs from the Peacock Owl Reading Series: September 21, 2020
         Hello. I hope everyone is doing well. I was thrilled to perform for The Peacock Owl Reading series, organized by poet Shannon Moan, featuring poets Sheri-D Wilson and Teddy Syrette. Here are some not great recordings of the four new songs I played. In this batch:
1. Rootless, an introduction;
2. White Boys With Rifles;
3. People Talk;
4. Rootless, a coda.
    Hope you enjoy.

Below is a recent performance of "The Story Begins" from my visit to ONN TV. Thank you, Tim Murphy and crew for having me in.

Your Life For Money

Will you trade your life for money?
They say it’s just a little
bit of poison, nothing you can’t swallow.
You might lose a hand, and keep the middle finger.
It will hurt a lot at first, then the pain is going to linger.
When you trade life for money.

            How far does the water flow?
            How deep does the poison go?

Will you sell your blood to vampires,
who dig up the wilds
who spread contagion building empires,
who solve their problems by writing out cheques?
They look you in the eye while they size up your neck.
When you sell blood to vampires.

            How far does the water flow?
            How deep does the poison go?

Will you trade your life for money,
to drive a big truck,
pay for your funeral, and keep pushing your luck
with the billionaires who make holes in the ground?
They got a grave dug for you when you finally fall down.
When you trade your life for money.

            How far does the water flow?
            How deep does the poison go?
            How far does the water flow?
            How deep does the poison go?

"Landlords and Grocery Stores"
Live on ONNTV. Thank you, Tim Murphy, for having me in to talk about the fundraiser and play for you. The song starts at 9:20.

To listen to the full song, or to download: www.tiwemusic.bandcamp.com

Summer, 2019:
Summer is here after one of the most brutal winters I recall, and a new single is available for your dancing pleasure. Money from paid downloads will go to The Soup Kitchen Community Centre, a vital support service for hundreds of families in the Sault Ste. Marie area.
The song was written shortly after we wrapped The River Lately. I thought this might be worth a try. So, you can listen for free and download knowing that most of the money will go to feeding people and providing a safe space for everyone. I say part of the money because all of these digital platforms (bandcamp, iTunes, all of them) take a percentage. Bandcamp is the best, with a service charge of 15%. You can also donate any amount, or just support the Soup Kitchen or its equivalent in your community directly.
Invest in people. Invest in education. Because in this current system, all the money from social support goes to landlords and grocery stores. Here's the tune for download: "Landlords and Grocery Stores," http://www.tiwemusic.bandcamp.com/track/landlords-and-grocery-stores

Here is article about the song and the fundraiser from The Sault Star

CBC Radio interview about "Landlords and Grocery Stores," poverty, songwriting, and guaranteed income.

   New Album The River Lately

REVIEWS: Michael Doherty's Music Log

The River Lately, download and CD through:
~ Bandcamp (for CD and download)
  ~ iTunes (download only)
~ Direct Contact below
~ Spotify

I hope you like it. The album and the songs mean a great deal to me. I don't like to saddle my music with "meaning," and especially not what I think it "means," but this one has been a powerful experience. The songs, apart from one redo and one older song, were written between March 2016 and August 2017, recorded at Reveal Music in Sault Ste Marie between September 2017 and January 2018.
Overall, the album deals with mental illness, survival, healing, and the realization that love is the engine of the universe.
This is my ninth album since 1993, including a few cassette releases back then. I'm not sure what comes next. Having fired my agent last year, there really are no dates. But these things can change, and maybe I'll give him another chance. [Editor's note: Mr. Dunn has always been self-agented until he fired himself after waking up in strange place, after another strange gig in a strange town.]
    Thank you

Song List
01 The River Lately
02 War in Me
03 The Story Begins
04 Ghost Water
05 Barn Swallow's Dance
06 The Cowardice of Kings
07 When I Fall Away
08 Only in Summer
09 Dragonfly
10 We Need Everyone

The Innocent Weapon Ensemble:
Ken Coulter, drums
Warren Reville, bass, background vocals
Craig West, bass
Lynne Reville, background vocals, piano
Lindsay Pugh, lapsteel, resonator guitar
Josh Norling, saxophones, trumpet
MD Dunn, vocals, electric and acoustic guitars

Recorded by Warren Reville at Reveal Studios
Mixed by Craig West
Mastered by Will Geraldo at Cantara Lab, S.P, Brazil
Produced by MD Dunn and Warren Reville
Photography by Maria Parrella-Ilaria and MD Dunn
Design by Manafest Design

February 25, 2018 ~ Hi,, Happy New Year! A little late with new year wishes because we've been busy with the new recordings. Full details will be available soon. The first single should arrive in late March. I will let you know.
In the meantime, here is an interview I did with the incredible Canadian songwriter, guitarist, and all-around decent human Mr. Bruce Cockburn

December 22, 2017 ~ Happy Solstice, everyone. I wish you all a peaceful year's end and many wonders in 2018. The new album is coming along. We should have a single out early in the new year.

September 13, 2017 ~ Autumn is needling on the warm wind. Ambient heat from afternoon sun turns heavy with the river's cold. Chilled from a long walk, thought I would update things here. New stuff in the (WE)BLOG.

September 4, 2017 ~ We are leaning toward autumn, and I have begun work toward a new album. All I can say at this point is that it will be heavier, in a musical sense, than maybe anything I've done before. Lucky to be working with fun people and fantastic musicians. Too early to say what it'll be, but I look forward to finding out.
   Watch out for a few reviews I've written for Exclaim, including one about the new album from a Canadian songwriting hero. More on that later. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Nor do i want to violate the agreement of confidentiality with the magazine.
   I will attend this year's Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto in a few weeks. Very excited. If time allows, I will write a blog about it.
   Peace.

August 18, 2017 ~ A quick note to say thank you to everyone who came out to listen, who didn't come out to listen but listened anyway, to all the phenomenal musicians and writers I heard and met this summer, to the venues and organizers who hosted concerts. By supporting my music, you have contributed $508 among the following organizations: : USC Canada - Seeds of Survival, United Way of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District; Canadian Red Cross; Food Bank Farm (https://foodbankfarm.ca/), and Northern Lights Festival Boréal. Way to go, people! Peace.

August 1, 2017 ~ Hello,  Thanks for checking in. There are new gigs posted in the Gigs and Reading Section and new stuff in the yet-to-be-named-officially (We)Blog. Enjoy.

Some reviews of the new album, SOLACE:

"There's an echo of Bruce Cockburn in Dunn's guitar work...The instrumentals are engaging guitar journeys that explore sound and acoustic space. By themselves they would be a compelling reason to acquire this album, but that's only scratching the surface...The combination of strong lyrics and compelling guitar work make this album shine...This one's a keeper." ~Gene Wilburn, Penguin Eggs Magazine, Autumn 2016.

"The album opens with “Beauty,” which begins with some excellent work on acoustic guitar. It eases in, the guitar taking you on a little journey. And then when the vocals come in, you find yourself on a familiar road: 'You’re a little too tired/You know you’re too stoned to drive/So you pull over to the shoulder of a road you’ve known all your life.' The song kicks in and features something of a driving beat and energy, with passion behind the vocal delivery. 'Come on and be the beauty/Heal this wounded world.'"
~ Michael Doherty's Music Log

M.D. Dunn

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