Tanglefoot (band)
Encyclopedia
Tanglefoot was a folk band from Ontario
, Canada
. Formed in the early 1980s by schoolteachers Joe Grant, Bob Wagar, and Tim Rowat to play traditional music, they became a five-piece band playing largely original music. They regularly toured Canada, the United States
, and the United Kingdom
.
, The War of 1812 and Laura Secord
, the first flight in Canada, and the tale of Sir John A Macdonald's wife Agnes Macdonald
riding the cowcatcher across Canada.
Tanglefoot's lineup from 2007 on was: Steve Ritchie (guitar and whistle), the band's longest-serving member, Al Parrish (double bass), Terry Young (multi-instrumentalist incl guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, whistle), Sandra Swannell (fiddle and viola), and Rob Ritchie (piano), returning after a five-year hiatus to replace departing pianist Bryan Weirmier. All the members sang and all, to varying degrees, wrote for the band.
After performing for nearly three decades, Tanglefoot ended their run with a pair of farewell concerts at the Roxy Theatre in Owen Sound, Ontario. In a comment in 27 June 2009 Al Parrish said that there was no bitterness in the breakup, but after more than twenty years the time had come to call it a day. Parrish also said there was a possibility of reunion gigs in the future, but nothing was planned.
In October 2010 all five band members appeared together back at the Roxy Theatre for a leukemia fundraiser. The concert was billed as "The My Sweet Patootie Show with special guests, Al Parrish, Rob Ritchie & Steve Ritchie". Organized by former Tanglefoot members Sandra Swannell and Terry Young (who now perform as My Sweet Patootie), the concert featured all five performers in a variety of configurations but they played only a couple of Tanglefoot songs and the event was not particularly a "Tanglefoot reunion".
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Formed in the early 1980s by schoolteachers Joe Grant, Bob Wagar, and Tim Rowat to play traditional music, they became a five-piece band playing largely original music. They regularly toured Canada, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Overview
The band has toured frequently throughout Canada and the United States, and also regularly in the UK. The band's song subjects are largely derived from history, especially Canadian history. Subject have included the Frank SlideFrank Slide
The Frank Slide is a natural landslide feature in the southern Rocky Mountains of Canada, and a significant historical event in western Canada.Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta...
, The War of 1812 and Laura Secord
Laura Secord
Laura Ingersoll Secord was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for warning British forces of an impending American attack that led to the British victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams.-Early life:...
, the first flight in Canada, and the tale of Sir John A Macdonald's wife Agnes Macdonald
Agnes Macdonald
Susan Agnes Macdonald , 1st Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe was the second wife of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada....
riding the cowcatcher across Canada.
Tanglefoot's lineup from 2007 on was: Steve Ritchie (guitar and whistle), the band's longest-serving member, Al Parrish (double bass), Terry Young (multi-instrumentalist incl guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, whistle), Sandra Swannell (fiddle and viola), and Rob Ritchie (piano), returning after a five-year hiatus to replace departing pianist Bryan Weirmier. All the members sang and all, to varying degrees, wrote for the band.
After performing for nearly three decades, Tanglefoot ended their run with a pair of farewell concerts at the Roxy Theatre in Owen Sound, Ontario. In a comment in 27 June 2009 Al Parrish said that there was no bitterness in the breakup, but after more than twenty years the time had come to call it a day. Parrish also said there was a possibility of reunion gigs in the future, but nothing was planned.
In October 2010 all five band members appeared together back at the Roxy Theatre for a leukemia fundraiser. The concert was billed as "The My Sweet Patootie Show with special guests, Al Parrish, Rob Ritchie & Steve Ritchie". Organized by former Tanglefoot members Sandra Swannell and Terry Young (who now perform as My Sweet Patootie), the concert featured all five performers in a variety of configurations but they played only a couple of Tanglefoot songs and the event was not particularly a "Tanglefoot reunion".
Discography
- Way More Live – Released on DVD by Borealis RecordsBorealis RecordsBorealis Records is a Canadian record label, founded in 1996 by four Canadian musicians. It is notable as being focused exclusively on the recording and development Canadian folk and roots music artists.- History :...
in 2004; BDVD001 - Dance Like Flames – Released by Borealis Records in 2006; BCD-179CD
- Captured Alive – Released by Borealis Records in 2003; BCD-157CD
- Agnes on the Cowcatcher – Released by Borealis Records in 2002; BCD-143CD
- Full Throated Abandon – Released by Borealis Records in 1999; BCD-115CD
- The Music in the Wood – Released by Tanglefoot Media in 1996; TML14-0896CD
- Saturday Night in Hardwood Lake – Released by Tanglefoot Media in 1994; TML12-1194CD
- Grain of Salt – Released by Ooze River Music 1992; ORM11-1192CD
- Songs of the River (cassette) - Released by Ooze River Music 1984; ORM-002
External links
- Official web site
- [ Allmusic]'s article on Tanglefoot
- My Sweet Patootie web site
- Al Parrish web site
- Steve Ritchie web site
- Rob Ritchie web site
- Bryan Weirmier web site