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About Drog theme albums:
These projects are intended to provide an interim showcase for songwriting,
music composition, and performance art. The theme albums also create
opportunities to interact with people outside of their usual circle
of activity, serving as a catalyst for writing new material, as
well as increasing the communication between artists working in
different styles.
In these projects the contributors are invited to write and record
a single song or create a performance piece on the chosen topic,
and a deadline is set for completion. The artist is responsible
for recording their own work. From the songwriter's perspective
it is an exercise that allows the writer to compare the results
with those of their peers working under a similar set of conditions.
Though it is by no means a complete picture, previous theme albums
are a great snapshot of our community at a particular moment in
time.
These albums have been have been extremely successful and popular,
both with critics and fans alike. They demonstrate a tremendous
diversity of talent, and the high quality of the production and
music, all done quickly on a shoestring (or no) budget, is indicative
of the skill level and creative abilities of the artists who have
contributed over the years.
The majority of the production work for these albums has been donated,
and the hundreds of artists found performing on these songs have
all contributed their time and creative energy. All of the proceeds
from the albums are donated to various benevolent organizations,
and the artists retain all of their copyright.
List
of Recent Donations
DROG theme albums are available at the Maple
Music website in the Lewis Melville artist listing.
Truck Songs (1996).
The first of the theme albums, and still a favourite. (recently featured
in a special on trucking on CBC television's the National.
You Buy From Me (1998)
Created to raise awareness about the proliferation of land mines in
the world, this benefit album was recorded live over three days at
the legendary Gas Station studio by wizard engineer Dale Morningstar.
Members of Toronto's Woodchoppers Association twisted every imaginable
instrument into a pot-pourri of jazz, acoustic country blues, ear-crunching
rock-and-blues-funk, and spaced out psychedelic dreamscapes. Live
sampling and dub poetry substructure underscore these energetic and
exciting spontaneous performances.
Music for Peace (1999).
A benefit project with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders and
the Red Cross International relief program. This double album was
recorded during the Nato war in Yugoslavia, and completed on the same
day the bombing of Serbia stopped.
Food Songs (1999). 24 songs
about food on a single CD. This project culminated in a gala concert
at Guelph's River Run Centre at which all the contributors performed
their song. The centrepiece of the show featured an exploding haggis,
and included a gigantic feast in which both performers and audience
participated heartily.
Work Songs (2001). A benefit CD for the
Developing Countries Farm Radio Network and Doctors Without Borders.
Recorded through October to November 2000, this collection of 59 songs
(on 3 CDs) was released in early 2001.
60 Second Songs (2002)
This double album includes 88 new songs written specifically for this
project by 88 different artists. Each song is an exercise in efficiency:
a concentrated musical statement (one minute in length or less) containing
the naked essence of unadulterated music. While the collection clearly
demonstrates the diversity and high calibre of musicians from the
extended Guelph community, many of the regions veteran national and
international musical ambassadors are also represented, including
James Gordon, Stephen Fearing, Jimmie Guthrie, and Tannis Slimmon,
as well as members of popular bands like Royal City, the Constantines,
Dinner is Ruined, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, and the Cowboy Junkies.
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