Tod Hughes: Time Slow Down

Tod Hughes: Time Slow Down

                                                                                           By: Ralph Greco


Canadian roots-rock songwriter Tod Hughes has released his new album Time Slow Down. The flicky and fun title track opens with Hughes featuring a strong female backing vocalist in the singable chorus with a fiddle lead; it’s a nice, positive, simple, funky, folk-rock opener. “Nothing to Obscure” is a sweet acoustic tune, with mainly Hughes’ delicate, slightly sad vocals, and sweet fiddle, electric, and drums slowly slipping in behind him as the song opens up in some very solid, lyrical, subtle ways; it’s a wonderful tune. 

“Drinking Coffee in a Hipster Place” is a heavy percussion tune, with fun, slightly wry spoken lyrics, those backing female vocals again, and clean guitar lead slipping around, while a horn beats in the background. It’s wacky, wild stuff to be sure. “Real You and Me” is a nice, quick love song, again featuring the fiddle and backing vocals. One needs to listen a little deeper to Hughes’ lyrics here (as well as every other place on Time Slow Down). His seemingly oft-mined light-hearted sensibility is not all it seems. “Darkness That Cries” ends the album and it is a killer, really. Hughes croaks the lyrics out, talks some of it, strumming slowly before we get the big folk-country, commercial chorus. This is an expansive tune, if not in production, in lyrics and intent, just as on-par with classic country songwriting and delivery. It’s a wonderful end to a very good album indeed.   Check out his website here: http://www.todhughes.ca

The Crowd Goes Wild! -Crowdfunding Success Story for Alberta Musicians

Calgary's Tod Hughes of The Tod Hughes Project 

When Sierra Jamerson of Edmonton started her Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, to raise funds for her second radio release scheduled to go out this October, fans and friends all knew she would be successful. As a nominee for The Western Canada Music Awards (#BOW2015) Jamerson has already proven she can make things happen. However, she did not expect to receive a huge outpouring of  support from fellow musician and Calgary businessman Tod Hughes. Seeing she was already 39% funded, Hughes stepped up and donated the remaining 61%.

Tod's generosity toward other musicians fits with his personality on stage and off. One reviewer said of Tod "There needs to be more space in the world for warm, unpretentious acts like this."  Alonzo Evans was referring to Tod's musical act, but the same could be said of his act of generosity toward Jamerson. He did not make a big deal about the donation, but simply put up the money when it was needed.

Tod's music can be heard on radio stations around the world; it's about time we heard more of it here at home.  

Here is a list of things you can do to support musicians like Tod and Sierra:

1. Call your local radio station and ask to hear Tod's song "The Only One Who Won't Drink With Me is You" 
2. Invite your friends to like like both of their Fan pages on Facebook.
• The Tod Hughes Project Facebook
• Sierra Jamerson Facebook Fan Page
3. Share this post to spread the word about (hashtags #BOW2015 and #Crowdfunding will help get it noticed)    

In her Indiegogo campaign Jamerson said "I'm on a mission". Her friends and fans at Rosner Management, as well as those across the country are all glad to be part of that mission. Congratulations on the nomination and the successful crowdfunding campaign! 

Edmonton's Sierra Jamerson Nominee for Western Canada Music Award 2015