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F&M was so excited to play the very first SOSFEST!Be sure to check out this local festival next year. While there were a lot of folks out to see the talent we think this festival is just going to get bigger and bigger!

F&M is also excited to see our Ryan on this week's cover of our favourite local paper: VUE Weekly. Ryan especially enjoyed the photo shoot which involved scrambling in the ravine. Who knew such a sweet songwriter could be so gritty?

We are back from the road and already wishing that we had more dates to play, roads to drive and planes to catch. Our June tour taught us that: we are resilient beings; that people are loyal; and, yes, even strangers can be very generous.  We enjoyed: freely spoken exclamations of enjoyment at Hughes House, familiar faces in new places, 9000 wings, fluffy dogs and nose flutes, a falling accordion – that’s rock ‘n roll!, last minute guitar and piano at NXNE, jamming with Prism (ok just the keyboard guy, our new friend Andy), wine tastings, and harbour boats and pedicabs.

Now we are excited to play the first SOS Fest here at home in Edmonton!

SOSFest is a live music festival in the heart of Old Strathcona.
3 days, 100+ artists, 21 venues, and 2 main outdoor stages.
Featuring performances by Cadence Weapon, Ten Second Epic, Woodpigeon, Yoav, and many more--all on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta! What's even better? This event is in support of charity: for our friends at Warchild Canada and the Alberta Music Education Foundation.
Wristbands are only $30 and gets you into all the events! Or check out a single event for $10 at the door.

http://www.harveyblog.com/

F&M are excited to hit the road again and it's possible we'll be adding a few dates as we go.  Also this will be our first time performing in Toronto and our first time at NXNE. Regardless of which town or city we go to we love it when people talk to us at our shows. Please stay in touch!

Well it may have taken a bit longer, but we think the wait was worth it.

"Shy" from 'Every Light Must Fade' (2008 Shameless Records Canada)
written by Ryan C. Anderson ©2008
produced/directed by Jesse van der Schaaf/From the Plains 2010
filmed in Calgary, Canmore and Vancouver Canada

Musical performers are Ryan Anderson (Vocals), Rebecca Anderson (Vocals, Piano), Chad Androwski (Percussion), James Mallet (Double Bass). Song recorded by Bryan Reichert at Rhythm Egg Studios.

Many thanks to:
Kinsey Soykut (makeup)
Alex Wright (geophysics)
Kelly Smith and Hughes House
Marnie Dansereau and Communitea Cafe
Marquee Room
Mark Coster
Mark Freeman
Warren Heise

Click Here To View The Official Music Video for "Shy" by F&M.

My (Becky's) Grandpa Ralph Frederick Johnson had his 90th Birthday Party today!

When I think of my Grandpa, I think first of his hands. Large strong hands that held me as a child; hands that are rough from industry, and weathered from the wind and cold.  Hands that are still at work making ropes and handing out a message of God’s love. His hands represent one of my first ideas of strength and power. A Grandpa is a man who can do anything!
 
So it is with this idea of my Grandpa's hands that I wrote "The Farmer." I see in his hands not only strength, but the things that have made him strong: patience, hope and love. At the heart of these attributes is his Faith.

My Grandpa helped his father start a new ranch during the Great Depression. Originally the family was quite wealthy, but the stock market crash and the depression changed all that. As the eldest son, Ralph and his father scouted out new land - looking for a green valley. Which they found! I am so blessed to have had so many weekends out at that farm with my grandparents. What a lovely place for childhood.

During the war years, Ralph was rejected for service as a soldier due to his legs (I believe some kind of circulation problem). I know this must have been a very difficult time for him, as he was so willing to go. He does not talk about it much. He did however end up serving the war effort by farming. Canada fed much of war torn Europe at that time. It is amazing how our little country contributed so much! My Grandpa is still so proud of his country.

After the war, he married my grandmother Lydia. It was a brief courtship and after a few months he showed her his little shack on the ranch. (It had an apple box nailed to the wall for dishes!) She looked around and said that it would do and soon after they were married. (My Grandma always was gracious.)

My Grandpa remained a farmer all his life, adding school bus driving and various youth ministries to his schedule. He is an unbending man.  However, we always know where he stands. I think this is a rare quality in present times.

Today people paid tribute to Ralph's 90 years. It was amazing to see how many people his life has touched!

"The Farmer" is my tribute to his inspiring life. I have tried to use some of his own words. The hymn at the end, "It Is Well With My Soul" is his favourite song. Today I truly believe that this hymn represents his life and that it is indeed very well with Ralph's soul. There is nothing more beautiful than a life well lived.

You can hear "The Farmer" on Becky of F&M's myspace. It's a very long song - but hey my Grandpa is 90! So glad to see him so content amongst friends and family.

We've been hacked! That's why this news section is blank. We've recovered most of the site but our little music notes that were here are gone. So we'll start fresh!

NEW ALBUM COMING! F&M is gearing up for the fall release of "Sincerely, F&M." In the meantime, we hope to reach you on the road to share new songs.

VIDEO FOR SHY ALMOST COMPLETE! We are also going to be unveiling a music video sometime very soon! It's been a long time coming and was delayed - but we are so proud to have the talented Jesse van der Schaaf completing the work very soon. (Right Jesse?!)

So what can you do until then?  You can keep in touch with F&M!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/FandMtheband
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BrockRothschild
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/FM/269538170384?ref=sgm
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fandmtheband

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely, F&M