This is Steel Rail's first recording, released in Canada in June 1995.

Availability

This recording may be ordered from our Recordings page.

Reviews of A Thousand Miles of Snow

Mitch Potter, Toronto Star

"The words are shot through with visions of a cold land, but a blanket of close harmony and acoustic warmth makes this one of the coziest releases in recent memory from the realm of Canadian folk-country.

"That's a big realm, one that hasn't really dared speak its name since the high-water marks of Ian Tyson and Gordon Lightfoot.

"But Steel Rail, a Montreal trio touting itself by turns as "folkgrass" and "alternative country," puts a fine point on the finer points of that buried sound, bringing it into the '90s with tender, fret-perfect elegance.

"What sets the Montrealers apart is a bluegrass sensivility, a sort of pared-down, chop-heavy Seldom Scene style that is unmatched by anything we've heard previously north of the 49th. And with bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss only just having knocked down the walls of Nashville, maybe the time is right for Steel Rail to do the same on the Canadian side."

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Bluegrass Unlimited

"I have to confess that my eyes glaze over and my ears wax up if I'm forced to listen to the shallow stylings of yet more modern folk singer/songwriters. But Steel Rail is a Canadian threesome whose music is lovely, well-played and genuinely touching. 

"You couldn't hear a better example of this than the title track, co-penned by singer-guitarist Dave Clarke with Lucinda Chodan. Even if you've never had a long, lonely drive through snow-filled nights, you'll get the feeling perfectly from this one. This songwriting team has also produced the wonderful vignette of a mother and child reunion Hard Oak Bench and several others on this CD. Guitarist Tod Gorr has captured images of childhood remembered (Milkweed Pods) and childhood lost (There Was a Time, with its powerful images of a treasured country landscape changed forever by development but still containing tantalizing reminders of the old days). Ellen Shizgal proves herself an able phrase-turner (in Solitaire, a potential lover is reluctantly rejected with the observation that 'solitaire's a game that's just not meant for two'; in Lay Me Down With the Blues, Shizgal vows to 'unplug the phone and disconnect my heart').  

"The instrumental arrangements are spare and largely acoustic, with some especially tasteful fiddle work by backup player Don Reed. The finely shaded guitar instrumental Katherine brings the proceedings to a mellow close. If modern folk singer/songwriters are your thing, put your ear to the Steel Rail and hear the good sounds coming down the line from way up north."

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Brant Zwicker, Bluegrass Canada

“One of the musical trends of the '90s has been a blurring of the boundaries between different styles of music, and a keen willingness of the musicians in those styles to cross over and play together. Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac is happy to get on stage with a rap group, and so-called new age now incorporates large doses of Celtic and roots influences. The result is a richer, more interesting tapestry for music fans.

"Acoustic musicians have been leading this process of assimilation for years, unafraid to draw from backgrounds of folk, old-time, country, bluegrass and Celtic, to name but a few. Steel Rail, consciously or unconsciously, has produced an album that is proof of this ability to draw from a wide range of influences and to create a work that defies precise categorization. The album A Thousand Miles of Snow is a delightful mix of, well, acoustic music. No question, the strongest influences are those of country and bluegrass, but there's folk in there as well, even a bluesy feel at times.

"A Thousand Miles of Snow is a wonderfully low-key album with just the right amount of understatement. The vocals, performed by all three members of Steel Rail, are mellow yet passionate, and the musicianship is excellent all-round. The trio -- Tod Gorr, Ellen Shizgal and Dave Clarke -- supplies guitars and bass, and is supported by a cast of no fewer than 10 guest players, including Randall Prescott of the Canadian country group Prescott Brown. The album was recorded in the small town of Clayton, Ontario, and Bill Garrett deserves a hand for his production skills, which have given A Thousand Miles of Snow its warmth and natural feel. All 12 of the tunes are band originals, with Dave writing or co-writing six and Tod and Ellen contributing three apiece.

"Don’t label Steel Rail as any kind of specific musical style. It’s simply an excellent band that has drawn from its (musical) past, written and performed from the heart, and given us an album that is as current-sounding as acoustic can be nowadays."

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Mark Lepage, Montreal Gazette

"Steel Rail rides the forlorn winter country of the heart for you ... (in) melodies haunted by heartache and wistful memories.” 

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Susan Beyer, Ottawa Citizen                 

“Forgoing the loud for the intricate, Steel Rail delivers a set that is gentle and smart lyrically ... Straddling the line between folk and country acceptance, Steel Rail makes a promising debut.”

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Brendan Kelly, CBC Radio, Montreal

“(A Thousand Miles of Snow is) one of the 10 best albums of the year.”