The Lonesome Valley Singers have been described as Canada's weirdest band. Led by David Chenery, the death-country originators have accumulated a loyal fan base of folkies, country, bluegrass and blues aficionados, punks and degenerates. They have become regulars in the Victoria scene and have shared the stage with The Sadies, Nathan, Chet, Hank & Lily and the Pack A.D. Formed in 2004, the Lonesome Valley Singers’ eclectic mix of styles creates a dichotomy of lush arrangements and stark vocal melodies, creating contrast like pallbearers cutting into a parade. Late that year they released their debut EP, ‘Memorial’, on Self Righteous Records. After tasting the touring life with a winter a mini-tour of the Gulf Islands, the Singers hit the road in ‘07 with label mates MeatDraw and Amy Honey, playing sold-out shows through BC and Alberta in support of their sophomore release 'Corpse Circus Revue'. Taking off from where 'Memorial' faded out, the full-length is filled with dense melodic explorations of love, death, alcoholism and the apocalypse. In 2008 the Singers sought a more dynamic sound and added raunchy lapsteel and electric guitars. Giving a nod to more recent influences, they have begun experimenting with early psych-metal sounds and released their "Mary Bell" EP cassette in late 2010. They are booked to record with Ryan Beattie (Chet, Himalayan Bear) at the helm and hope to release more material later in 2011.
The Lonesome Valley Singers
Corpse Circus Revue (SRR006)
$15.00 (Plus S&H)
1. Corpse Circus Revue
2. I Often Long For Home
3. When Will I Be Loved (Download MP3)
4. Children's Death March Through A Grey November Pts. 1&2
5. There Are Ghosts In These Places
6. Tombstone Yodel
7. This Is For The Aftermath
8. Every Time The Sun Goes Down (I Fall On My Knees & Cry)
9. House Of Meat (Download MP3)
10. The Long Misery
The Lonesome Valley Singers
Memorial EP (SRR001)
$8.00 (Plus S&H)
1. Dead Birds (Download MP3)
2. In The Morning
3. Blackbird's Refrain
4. Sunday2:11
5. Late September
6. When God Comes And Gathers His Jewels
7. St. James Infirmary
8. The Last Parade
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PRESS
“Corpse Circus Revue, LVS’ second release, shows why Chenery’s fellow songwriters have so much respect for this self-described “misfit fiend turned haggard crooner.” The title track, an appropriately macabre circus tune, opens the album and sets the stage for the ensuing nine tales of death, ghosts and booze.”
- Neil McDonald - Exclaim Magazine
"Like a mutant bluegrass outfit marching into the bum's big top of Swordfishtrombones-era Tom Waits, Chenery and his bandmates concoct a beggar's banquet of guitar, fiddle, accordion, glockenspiel, horns, and saw. The effect is to uplift literate tales of woe like “Children's Death March Through a Grey November Pts. 1&2”—as succinct a threnody of life and grim death as you're ever likely to hear."
- Adrian Mack - The Georgia Straight
“’Memorial’ shies away from "Dead Birds”’ sinister, implicit threat: tracks like "In The Morning" and the gentle perfection of "Late September" recast the group as a tender, folky outfit highlighted by the interplay of Chenery's vocals and some beautiful female backing vox. There are only eight tracks on Memorial, but each one is a highlight in its own way…. Chenery's vocals sound just on the edge of cracking, which lends them a poignancy that's hard to describe, and the aforementioned vocal interplay never disappoints.”
- Brett McCallon - Splendid Zine
"A time comes when aging punks pour whiskey over their wounds and cast off their chains. In such times it is a special breed that picks up the acoustic guitar and plays melodies haunted by tradition, to words written in the flames of their own lost youth. Victorian David Chenery is one such man. Chenery imbues the haunting spectre of tradition with a beautifully sad and wandering soul, to which his original songs are equal testament. If you find yourself drawn towards the destitute, or simply see better in the dark, make your way to the Lonesome Valley and the tattered hymnal of David Chenery."
- Travis Richey - Exclaim Magazine
