Semko Fontaine Taylor is an eclectic roots/folk trio featuring spine -
tingling 3-part harmonies with 3 distinct personalities relating
emotional, humorous and ethereal tales of love, life, and the unexpected
- great songs, combined with the honesty and bird's-eye views of 3 true
prairie souls
Saskatchewan's new trio Semko Fontaine Taylor
release their first full-length album "Heartaches and Numbers" (Busted
Flat Records/Universal) on November 16th, 2010.
Semko Fontaine
Taylor (SFT) is a new trio from Saskatchewan consisting of core
members-veteran singer/songwriters Jay Semko, Kim Fontaine and David j
Taylor, alongside live touring drummer Charles Dumont (Emm Gryner, Brad
Johner, Cody Prevost).
The group, who are longtime musical
friends, made it official at the annual University of Saskatchewan Emma
Lake Songwriting Retreat, where they are also songwriting
instructors/mentors. Saskatoon-based singer/songwriter Lyn McGinnis
threw down a challenge when she said, "You 3 Amigos should really make
an album together". SFT took up the challenge; each bringing 3 songs to
the table. Heartaches & Numbers is the byproduct of that recording
project.
The album was recorded old school, mostly
live-off-the-floor using 2 microphones placed in Jay's open concept
living room in Saskatoon. Canadian recording legend Peter j Moore
(producer of Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Sessions") mastered the album
in Toronto. SFT have played across the prairies and look forward to
their upcoming tours/music conference/festival appearances for 2011 in
support of their new album release.
Who are these people anyway?
Jay
Semko is one of Canada’s most significant songwriters. As a founding
member and vocalist/bassist of The Northern Pikes, Jay and the band
scored numerous top-10 radio hits and sold over 750,000 units of their 7
studio albums, recording with such legends as Garth Hudson and John
Sebastian, and touring with David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Peter Frampton
and many others. A number of Jay's hit songs are now, and forever shall
be, a part of Canada's musical landscape (Things I do for Money, Girl
with a Problem, Teenland). As a solo artist, Jay has released six
critically acclaimed studio albums (his most recent in 2010), and as a
twice Gemini-nominated film/TV composer (Due South), Jay has had his
music featured in countless TV programs and films. Jay currently resides
in Saskatoon - Saskatchewan's "Bridge City".
Kim Fontaine is a
Canadian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who began touring Canada
in the early '80s as a bassist. In the early 2000s Kim, who kept herself
busy as a sideman throughout the 90s, got the itch to finally step up
to the microphone and record her debut solo album. She enlisted Shaun
Verrault (Wide Mouth Mason) and David j Taylor to co-produce her first
album, the critically acclaimed Morning Pages. Kim released her 2nd
album Life Happens in 2006 and her 3rd album Blue Sky Girl (co-produced
by Semko and Taylor) in 2010. Kim has also developed songwriting
programs for the University of Saskatchewan.
David j Taylor is an
award winning (WCMA Producer of the Year Winner ‘07) Record Producer
(Geoff Berner, Despistado), Re-Recording Mixer/Engineer/Sound Designer
(Corner Gas and 2010 Gemini Award Nominee for The Saskatchewan River
Delta), Music Supervisor (renegadepress.com) and a Singer-Songwriter (15
album releases from 92-10) who lives off the beaten path on a 20 acre
farm at Milestone, SK. David cut his teeth in the music business in
Vancouver BC, working for Greenhouse Studios (K.D. Lang, Nickelback) in
the 90s. He fronted the Vancouver band Big Cookie, (releasing 4 albums, 3
music videos from 94-00). In 2000 he and his partner moved to Regina
where David began working in audio post for TV and film. In the 2000s,
David released albums with the groups Dollar Store Mary and Generals and
Majors. During that time, he also released 7 solo albums. David writes a
lot of songs and currently works as an in-house producer/engineer for
Twisted Pair Productions in Regina, Saskatchewan's "Queen City".
SFT are the "Crosby, Stills and Nash" of the new Millennium
Instrumentation
Jay Semko - Vocals, guitars, Bass
Kim Fontaine - Vocals, piano, mandolin, guitars, cajon/percussion, Bass
David j Taylor - Vocals, piano, Guitar
Charles Dumont - drums and percussion
Warren Rutherford - Pedal Steel, Banjo
Discography
Heartaches & Numbers - released on Busted Flat Records/Sonic Unyon/Universal on November 16th, 2010.