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".
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS10794
