Mother Love, by iskwē / Tom Wilson

Mother Love

by iskwē / Tom Wilson

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1.	Blue Moon Drive 04:08	lyrics	buy track
Blue Moon Drive   (T. Wilson)  ©2016 Sony ATV Music Publishing Canada Every stranger has a home  Like a Ghost in passing chrome Ran once but I ran too slow So right back the suitcase goes Lay your big beat down Hang your sins on a thorny crown [Chorus]  Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive [Verse 2]  I saw an angel on the silent road So keep your faith and tow the load  The road is long but the coast is far It’s hanging under the western star Lay your darkness down  Hang your sins on a thorny crown [Chorus]  Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive [Verse 3] Hey Jim, where’s your ride Where did you finally run and hide In motels and your girls are old Your night is long and the storm is cold Lay your sickness down Hang your sins on a thorny crown [Chorus]  Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive Yeah yeah dead or alive Every night we take that Blue Moon drive
2.	Rolling In My Dreams 02:59	lyrics	buy track
Rolling In My Dream © 2022 (S.Ryder) Oooo Oooo Oooo I ain’t the girl that I used to be My own two hands My own two feet I look like you But I move like them And I love all the people That I’ve never met Don’t know where I come from Somebody tell me The puzzle pieces are Rollin in my dreams Oooo Oooo Oooo Well I was looking for truth (I was looking for truth) But I lost myself (But I lost myself) I was drowning in the water of a deeper well (I was drowning in the water of a deeper well) I forgot about love (I forgot about love) And then the answers came (And then the answers came) And I realized I didn’t want them anyway (I realized I didn’t want them anyway) Don’t know where I come from Somebody tell me The puzzle pieces are rollin in my dream I want a family People to help me The puzzle pieces are Rollin in my dreams Rollin in my dreams In my dreams Oooo Oooo Oooo I ain’t the girl I used to be My own two hands My own two feet I look like you But I move like them I love like all the people that I’ve never met
3.	Mother Love 04:28	lyrics	buy track
Mother Love (T.Wilson/C.Linden/S.Ryder) When I got branded Where were you My mother love When the world turned blue Were you swinging From a star Across some windshield Of some parked car All returns to pieces They turn to gold All the different reasons That you never told So mama dry your eyes And rest your soul Mmm Come back home Ohhhh Ohhhh Mother love My ??? Can you hear This heart of stone You came late But you left me clean Lift me up With your ??? All your tiny pieces They return to gold And all your different reasons That you never told So mama dry your eyes And rest your soul Oooo Come back home Ohhhh Come back home Ohhhh Ohhhh Take my hand I’ll watch you breathe Though the stars Please wait for me Hear my voice Break my chains When your lost You can call my name All your tiny pieces They return to gold All your different reasons That you never told So mama dry your eyes And rest your soul Oooo Come back home Ohhh Come back home Ohhh Come back home Ohhh Come back home Ohhh
4.	Long Way Down 03:18	lyrics	buy track
Long Way Down (S..Ryder/T.Wilson) Daddy don’t need to fight Why don’t you come inside I can tell you’re slipping Slipping out of sight And when you stagger I help you find the light Cuz it’s a long way down tonight You been diggin this hole In the cold cold earth Diggin down in your well For the saviours birth You’re coming in hot I’m gonna make this right Cuz it’s a long way down tonight Mother mother mercy Lets your hands lead me I can be your vessel I can be your prodigy Let me be your freedom Let me see the signs Cuz it’s a long way down tonight Sixteen candles Lonely and bright You blew em all to pieces Cuz your dynamite You don’t need to be sorry It’s gonna be just fine Cuz it’s a long way down tonight Mother mother mercy Lets your hands lead me I can be your vessel I can be your prodigy Let me be your freedom Let me see the signs Cuz it’s a long way down tonight Look out momma Kickin at your door You carry a message From a sad sad world Full of last words Long out of sight It’s a long way down tonight Cuz it’s a long way down tonight Mmm-right Cuz it’s a long way down tonight
5.	Stir The Ashes 02:52	lyrics	buy track
Stir the Ashes (S.Ryder) Oooo Your hair is gold like sweet grass darling Your love is just like sage I’ll pull your smoke over my body And watch the way I change I’m using my own two hands darling I’m building up a man A tower and a beacon darling So you’ll know where I stand Heartbeats beating the drum Lets scatter the ashes Spirit will come and take us dancing This love is magic Magic I am so many people darling I have so many lands Not sure which one I’m right now but I promise you I care I lean towards far away places I’m trying to find myself Fantasy’s where my escape is, no I don’t want your help No I don’t need your wealth Heartbeats beating the drum Lets scatter the ashes Spirit will come and take us dancing This love is magic Magic Your hair is gold like sweet grass darling Your love is just like sage I’ll pull your smoke over my body And watch the way I change I promise you I’ll change
6.	Coal Mine 04:23	lyrics	buy track
Coal Mine (T. Wilson/S. Marriner/J.O’Brien) Oooo Oooo Oooo Oooo Can’t hear her calling from down in this hole Every day turns to night, every night turns cold Don’t feel the sun, I don’t see no sign I need relief before I lose my mind My my baby oh my This ain’t no holy road Stone salvation and I’m sinking low Diggin in this coal mine lookin for gold My my baby come and save my soul Diggin in this coal mine lookin for gold Diggin in this coal mine Oooo Oooo Oooo Oooo I see her shinin in the darkness where there ain’t no stars No escape from love when I’m covered in scars A foot from the gutter and a mile from hell Diggin this hole from the day I fell My my baby oh my This ain’t no holy road Stone salvation and I’m sinking low Diggin in this coal mine looking for gold My my baby come and save my soul Diggin in this coal mine lookin for gold Diggin in this coal mine One man walks Far from his home But I’m a man that’s lost Everywhere I go Diggin in this coal mine My my baby oh my This ain’t no holy road Stone salvation and I’m sinkin low Diggin in this coal mine looking for gold My my baby come and save my soul Diggin in this coal mine lookin for gold Diggin in this coal mine lookin for gold Diggin in this coal mine Lookin for gold Oooo Oooo Oooo Oooo
7.	Starless Nights 05:33	lyrics	buy track
STARLESS NIGHTS ( Misha Bower) I never wanted anymore Than anyone who came before Yeah life was good and fine and time was empty Till a letter by mistake one day From a shiny town not far away Came signed with love and lipstick and perfume It said I know the lonesome glow Of country moons and slow rising suns that make our dreaming longer It said I never see the stars And all the wishing in my heart Has gone away except the one for you.. My love… I always liked my company And in loneliness felt truly free Of other people’s gazes in the mirror Till a story came into my head Of another life I could’ve led That put a chase for change inside my heart I left behind the lonesome glow Of country moons and slow rising suns that make our dreaming longer And now I never see the stars And all the wishing in my heart Has gone away except the one for you... My love... Big city lights and starless nights And the shadow of another love Big city lights and starless nights Led me there and led me on (reprinted by permission)
8.	Dream You Home 03:41	lyrics	buy track
Dream You Home (T. Wilson/D. Thompson) You live like Brian Jones And I can’t go like the Rolling Stones Stay down here on the ground Like Amelia Earhart you never came down Now Walls are talking to floors And everybody’s asking why I don’t see you anymore So I just close my eyes Will you let me Dream you home tonight Your mystery I can’t explain A flash flood out on a desert plain Every time I hear your name It sounds just like a passing train I’ll ask the man up on the moon Yeah maybe Andy Kaufman knows what happened to you Or I could close my eyes If you let me I’ll dream you home tonight Tried swinging from every star Looking for you out there in the dark Midnight rides to distant shores This broken heart can’t look no more I’ll ask the man up on the moon Yeah maybe Andy Kaufman knows what happened to you Or I could close my eyes If you let me I’ll dream you home tonight I’ll ask the man up on the moon Yeah maybe Andy Kaufman knows what happened to you Or I could close my eyes If you let me I’ll dream you home tonight

about

Far from being a traditional duets record, Mother Love reads like a set of spirituals; a sonic landscape that hints at the different sensibilities they bring to their individual work but blurs the lines between genres in a way that’s entirely organic and eminently satisfying.

Nowhere is that clearer than on ‘Rolling in My Dreams’ - a track, iskwē says, “hits very close to home for me” and speaks to the fact that “our experiences in life are vastly different but oddly similar. We both grew up in blue-collar, working-class cities, Tom in Hamilton, and me in Winnipeg. His connection with (the Indigenous) community is newer, whereas I grew up in the community. I don’t look Indigenous, and Tom didn’t know he was Indigenous. So there's these elements, these experiences – a push/pull for each of us within that community – that's familiar to both of us.”

In large part, Mother Love is about finding, celebrating, and sharing who you are. An effort that's right in line with Wilson’s approach to everything he’s done over time, particularly since discovering his Mohawk roots. “The job I’ve had for the last eight years, after finding out I wasn’t the big sweaty Irish guy I thought I was, is to tell my story, share it, and shine a light on Mohawk culture. The whole record, to me it's about identity and truth. Finding out who my biological mother is in my fifties, telling that story of our relationship and its progression... hopefully that inspires other adoptees and Indigenous people in our communities.”

When Wilson and iskwē first met, they had no idea they’d discover a new world of creativity and collaboration years later. Then, on a baseball field in Hamilton in 2016, the two were simply in the same place at the same time, cheering on family members during a beer league softball game. “We met as human beings; not at a conference or backstage, but in our leisure time,” iskwē says. “And we just hit it off.”

“It was completely uncontrived,” Wilson adds. “It’s not like we ran into each other and said, 'hey, we should make a record.'" Instead, it was the kind of natural starting point that's characterized the beginnings of some of the most satisfying and enduring creative partnerships he's developed over his career. “It’s not about 'who’s gonna stand in the centre?” Wilson says. “It’s about love and commitment, knowing the importance of honouring your identity, and not taking it for granted."

That’s a hallmark of Wilson and iskwē’s previous efforts and a preoccupation reflected not only in their music but in their overall artistic approach and output; in iskwē’s blending of movement, visuals, poetry, and prose, and in Wilson’s work as a painter and author.

There’s undeniable chemistry between the two on the record and on stage. Their shows are dynamic, playful, and powerful and fuelled as much by the magic they create in the moment as by the substantial chops they’ve developed individually over years of live performance. “It’s one thing to see iskwē from twenty rows from the stage,” Wilson says, “another to be standing beside her. The energy, the intent, iskwē sings every song with everything she’s got.” Anyone who’s seen Wilson perform – alone or with Junkhouse, Canadian folk supergroup Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, or Lee Harvey Osmond – would say the same about him. He’s impossible to take your eyes off, a larger-than-life presence with one of the biggest hearts in the business.

Over time, their individual work has earned them critical acclaim, widespread recognition, and numerous awards and accolades, including multiple JUNO Awards. More importantly, however, it’s allowed them to explore and celebrate their own identities as artists and individuals and encourage others to do the same. In the end, Mother Love – the song itself and the record as a whole – speaks to the benefits of undertaking a personal journey to discover where and how you fit into the world, and, critically, offers welcome solace to those still searching.

“It’s a very personal record for everyone involved, but for different reasons,” iskwē says, and one with songs that provide plenty of room for listeners to superimpose their own experiences and struggles on. “We’re sharing stories that everyone will interpret differently. That, to me, is the beauty of this record. It’s specific enough to draw you into these personal tales but ambiguous enough that there’s room for people to get what they personally need from them.”

Ultimately, Mother Love is an immensely powerful, unapologetically vulnerable and honest melding of voices and spirits across the board, between Wilson, iskwē, Copenace, as well as Ryder and every musician who contributed to the record. By turns spare and lush, the result is spectacular without being showy. A record that’s as much a product of Wilson and iskwē’s unique experiences as it is a celebration of the commonalities they share as artists, storytellers, and, at the most basic level, as individual human beings looking for a place to call home.

That’s something they hope listeners will take from Mother Love, a sense of being at peace with who they are that’s perhaps best summed up in the album’s closer, ‘Dream You Home’, a song that speaks to the vulnerabilities and uncertainties we all experience from time to time...

“We’re all kind of alone in this world and can only rely on ourselves at the end of the day,” iskwē explains, “even if we have a group of good people (around us). But the sensation of community, of being a part of something – that can help make you feel like you belong somewhere all the time. And that’s integral to our being able to thrive.

credits

released July 20, 2022

1.Blue Moon Drive
iskwē – vocal
Tom Wilson – vocal, acoustic guitar
Chuck Copenace – trumpet
Jesse O’Brien–keyboards
Ray Farrugia – drums/percussion
Anna Ruddick – bass
Bill Dillon – guitars
Produced by: iskwē and Tom Wilson
Recorded at: Jukasa Studios
Recorded by: Darren Magierowski
Assisted by Jill Zimmermann
Mixed by Dave Schiffman
Mastered at João Carvalho Mastering
Composer: Tom Wilson
Lyricist: Tom Wilson

2.Rolling In My Dreams
iskwē -vocals
Tom Wilson – vocals, acoustic guitar
Jesse O’Brien – keyboards
Serena Ryder – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar
Anna Ruddick – bass
Produced by Serena Ryder
Recorded at ArtHaus Studio
Recorded by Sameer Cash
Mixed by/at Dan Hosh at Double Car Recording
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Composer: Serena Ryder
Lyricist: Serena Ryder

3.Mother Love
iskwē – vocals
Tom Wilson – vocals
Serena Ryder – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, marimba
Anna Ruddick – bass
Produced by Serena Ryder
Recorded at ArtHaus Studio
Recorded by Sameer Cash
Mixed by Dan Hosh at Double Car Recording
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Written by Tom Wilson/Colin Linden/Serena Ryder

4.Long Way Down
iskwē – vocals
Tom Wilson – vocals, acoustic guitar
Jesse O’Brien – keyboards
Serena Ryder – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Anna Ruddick – bass
Produced by Serena Ryder
Recorded at ArtHaus Studio
Recorded by Sameer Cash
Mixed by Dan Hoshat Double Car Recording
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Written by: Tom Wilson/ Serena Ryder

5.Stir The Ashes
iskwē – vocal
Tom Wilson – vocal, acoustic guitar
Jesse O’Brien – piano
Serena Ryder – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Anna Ruddick – bass
Produced by Serena Ryder
Recorded at ArtHaus Studio
Recorded by Sameer Cash
Mixed by Dan Hosh at Double Car Recording
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Written by: Serena Ryder

6.
Coal Mine
iskwē – vocal
Tom Wilson – vocal, acoustic guitar
Jesse O’Brien – keyboards
Ray Farrugia – drums/percussion
Anna Ruddick – bass
Bill Dillon – guitars
Produced by iskwē and Tom Wilson
Recorded at Jukasa Studios
Recorded by Darren Magierowski
Assisted by Jill Zimmermann
Mastered at João Carvalho Mastering
Written by Tom Wilson / Steve Marriner / Jesse O'Brien

7. Starless Nights
iskwē – vocal
Tom Wilson – vocal, acoustic guitar
Chuck Copenace – trumpet
Jesse O’Brien – keyboards
Ray Farrugia – drums/percussion
Anna Ruddick – bass
Bill Dillon – guitars
Produced by iskwē and Tom Wilson
Recorded at Jukasa Studios
Recorded by Darren Magierowski
Assisted by Jill Zimmermann
Mixed by Dave Schiffman
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Composer : Misha Bower
Lyricist: Misha Bower

8. Dream You Home
iskwē – vocal
Tom Wilson – vocal, acoustic guitar
Jesse O’Brien – keyboards
Serena Ryder –drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Anna Ruddick – bass
Produced by Serena Ryder
Recorded at ArtHaus Studio
Recorded by Sameer Cash
Mixed by Dan Hosh at Double Car Recording
Mastered by/at João Carvalho Mastering
Written by Tom Wilson/ Dave Thompson

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about

Tom Wilson Hamilton, Ontario

“Over the course of discovering my true identity, the intention of my writing, my music and my art is to reduce the gap between my indigenous culture and colonialists to make a more patient, loving community.” A best selling author and award winning musician. He has recorded songs with Sarah McLachlan, City and Colour, Jason Isbel, Colin James, Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples to name a few. ... more

tomwilsononline.com

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