Sloan

Thanks to everybody who came out to the War Child benefit at the Dakota on Monday night. Sloan were happy to help raise awareness and funds for War Child and the evening also resulted in a few nice blog mentions and photos. Special thanks to BNL, Panic Manual and to Sara Collaton for taking some fine photos of the proceedings.

We are on the verge of confirming some more tour dates which should make our western Canadian friends happy. Perhaps a few more for the states as well while we are at it...I appreciate all of the input on where you would like to see the band play. Even if it may seem futile, it really does remind me of the places we have not visited for awhile.

CBC Radio 2 have recently announced their Great Canadian Song Quest competition in which a song will be commissioned to honour a specific location in each of our nation's provinces and territories.

Sloan have been selected as one of five potential songsmiths who will be tasked with penning a song to commemorate Nova Scotia's winning locale.

As it stands we have some very competent competition, and I would not be surprised if this is the last you hear from me on this matter. However, should we garner the most votes, I will be compelled to sequester Sloan until they come up with a suitably reverent and quintessentially Haligonian song about their home province.

The fate of this competition is in your good hands. I believe that this is one of those quasi-democratic contests in which the dedicated may vote daily. Onwards...

We are happy to finally be able to shed some light on some of our upcoming tour dates. We are hoping to announce a few more shows soon. The ones that were announced today include:

Nov 28 - Detroit, MI
Nov 29 - Columbus, OH
Nov 30 - Hoboken, NJ
Dec 01 - Vienna, VA
Dec 03 - Cambridge, MA
Dec 04 - Brooklyn, NY
Dec 05 - Philadelphia, PA

In this age of social media, we would really appreciate any efforts that our fans make to spread the word among their local music communities. We would be happy to post links to any of your blogs or groups right here as news comments. Please feel free to forward them along and perhaps together we can make sure that Sloan can keep visiting the cities near you!

Sloan are happy to announce a benefit concert at Toronto's Dakota Tavern Monday, October 19, 2009. This very special night is part of Dakota Nights for War Child, a unique benefit concert series featuring intimate performances by celebrated artists. Doors will open at 8:00 pm and the show will begin at 9:00 pm. All proceeds will support War Child Canada, a registered charity that provides humanitarian assistance to war-affected children in some of the most devastated regions of the world. Tickets for An Evening with Sloan are $30 and can be purchased at www.maplemusic.com

For this special performance, Sloan is rehearsing a unique set of brand new songs and fan favorites which have rarely been performed live. The Dakota Tavern stage lends itself to more acoustic guitar and piano-driven arrangements. This performance will certainly be a rare opportunity for the band and audience alike. The Dakota is a cozy room and tickets are very limited. Buy early to avoid disappointment!

War Child Canada is an award-winning charity which provides opportunities and long term solutions for war-affected children, focusing on education, strengthening children's rights, reducing poverty and fostering self reliance. War Child Canada works in partnership with local people and organizations to build sustainable programming that empowers children and their communities.

Sloan have been busy in their studio putting the finishing touches on some new songs and rehearsing for fall touring.

As reported earlier, Chris Murphy was injured in a hit and run incident in late July. He needed shoulder surgery to repair some of the bone damage, and the band were forced to cancel some summer shows. We are happy to report that Chris is recovering well and will be ready to perform as usual on our fall and winter dates.

We would like to thank our friends Kevin Hilliard (Galore, Small Sins, MRCH) and Taylor Knox (Major Grange, Golden Dogs) for rounding out the lineup on the few shows we have been able to play through Chris' recovery. We'd also like to acknowledge the efforts of our own esteemed colleague Gregory Macdonald who redoubled his efforts on these shows taking shifts on piano, bass, drums, vocals and percussion. Finally, Chris would like to thank all of the friends and fans for their kindness and support through this difficult time.

Sloan are looking forward to resuming their touring schedule on the release of their new EP. While there are only a couple of shows listed in the calendar right now, we are on the verge of confirming a bunch of dates which will hopefully bring Sloan to a city near you.

Onwards and upwards. More news soon!

mn

Sloan have just released their new song "Take It Upon Yourself". It is available for free when you sign up for our new and improved fan mailing list.

This single will be included on a five-song internet-only EP to be released later this autumn.

We have a lot of interesting news on the horizon and will soon be announcing new fall and winter tour dates.

You can also help spread the word about the new song by using the feature to embed it into your favorite social networking sites.

Please enjoy the new song and feel free to post your feedback below.

Sloan's Chris Murphy was thrown from his bicycle when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver on the night of Friday, July 24th.

Chris is recovering at home having being released from the hospital the following morning. The impact resulted in a broken collarbone and an assortment of cuts and bruises. We're confident that he will have a full recovery and he has not sustained any critical injuries.

Witnesses were able to report the license number and model of the vehicle, and police are now investigating.

Sloan have had to cancel a number of their upcoming performances as Chris is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair his collarbone. The band hope to be back on schedule by the end of August, and currently intend to return to the stage for their V-fest performance in Burl’s Creek, ON on August 29th. The band plan to resume regular touring in October.

Please encourage your friends to bike safely. Always wear a helmet and use front and back lights and reflectors when driving at night.