Following hot on the heels of 2008’s Life Is Legal EP, Paper Bag Records will release the highly anticipated debut album from Josh Reichmann Oracle Band on March 10th in Canada. The band will celebrate the release of Crazy Power with a date at Canadian Music Fest’s Eye Weekly showcase at Gladstone Hotel in Toronto on March 13th. The album was self-produced and recorded with Ian McGettigan at Giant Studios in Toronto.

Josh Reichmann Oracle Band is a five piece band incorporating heavy saxophone, Stevie Wonder-meets-The Stooges keyboards, soul-style drumming, a live dancer, thick roots bass. The sound is heart wrenching and darkly enchanting. The album is a sprawling, ambitious and cohesive record tied together by sonic themes with distorted hooks and a nod to early funk/soul production and feel.

Like a band from another world aping the sounds of the 20th century with manic intensity and passion. Josh is joined in the studio by Ian Maggetigan on bass, James Sayce (of Tangiers) on bass, Sebastien Grainger on drums, Steve Singh on keyboards, and Joseph Shabason on sax.

Live the band can be an entirely different animal. Fleshed out by a six peace band - Josh Reichmann Oracle Band is comprised of Steve Singh on keys, Jon Hynes on bass, Joseph Shabason on sax, Vince Spilchuc on trumpet, Kieran Adams on drums, Josh Reichmann on guitar, and Laura Bolton often accompanies with dance. It is a warped soul revival rock show with dark echoes and haunting energy.

Matthew Barber capped off a successful year with the announcement that his most recent album, Ghost Notes, has been nominated for a Juno Award in the Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo category. 2008 saw the Outside Music artist complete two cross-Canada tours. Barber also just returned from The Sibling Rivalry Australian tour with his sister and label-mate, Jill Barber; will be performing at SXSW next month in Texas, and will see Ghost Notes released in the United States on April 14th through Outside Music and Redeye Distribution.

Ghost Notes was self-produced and stands as Matthew’s most mature collection of songs to date. Recorded over six gray November days at the rustic and secluded Bathouse Studio near Kingston, Ontario, the songs on Ghost Notes were cut mainly live-off-the-floor and entirely to analog tape. The result is a sound that tips its hat to many of the records of the 1970’s that Barber adores. While no attempt was made to sound specifically “retro”, it was a conscious decision on the part of Barber and veteran engineer Ken Friesen to avoid computers and the modern “pro-tools sound” as much as possible. In keeping with this approach, the arrangements are deliberately sparse and purely supportive of Barber’s vocals which, prominently mixed, carry the tunes and tell the stories. What emerges is a rich, natural-sounding record with classic touches that serve to embellish an honest core of songs that transcend eras.

“I'm thrilled to be nominated - I didn't see it coming,” says Barber. “It's an honour to be recognized alongside people like Old Man Luedecke and Fred Eaglesmith. Hopefully it will open a few more doors for me as a musician.” The 2009 Juno Awards will be broadcast on CTV on Sunday, March 29 from General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC.