Style wondered if any of his late heroes left any cool songs unrecorded...
They did.
As heard on the Cowboy Jack Clement Show on Outlaw Radio - Sirius/XM...
From the author of "Ain't Got No Cigarettes - Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller" comes the first of its kind CD project inspired from experiences writing the book...
"Cutting Room Floor"
Featuring Style's Versions of UNRELEASED songs written by:
Waylon Jennings
Roger Miller
Buddy Holly
Roy Orbison
A killer cover of Tompall Glaser's hit "Put Another Log On The Fire"
plus nine originals!
14 songs in a beautiful digipak design
"5 out of 5 Stars... Being a really fine, and indeed intriguing album, Cutting Room Floor is definitely worth catching that will surely not disappoint. His surname sums this guy up perfectly: Style. And there’s plenty to go around." - Maverick Magazine, May 2009
Check out my other items for details.
Signed by Style upon request!
Includes booklet with the stories behind the unreleased songs & more!
CD REVIEWS:
5 out of 5 Stars! Outrageously brilliant album that tips its Stetson to the past giants of both country and rock and roll.
This fourteen-track release by Style is simply something else. A man who obviously doesn’t make an album by conventional methods of obtaining some material, whether it be their own or by other writers, then recording it until it sounds about right and then releasing it. Although eight of the songs are originals by Style, there are three which are his versions of unreleased tracks by some legendary and much-missed artists.
Am I Ever Gonna Find It is one such unreleased track by Buddy Holly. Given permission to record his own interpretation by Buddy’s widow Maria Elena Holly as he sung it to her over the phone, this is a version which I’m sure the great man would not disapprove of. Having wanted his music to become loved, this wish has achieved even further recognition by Style’s efforts. Being just over 2 ½ minutes long, it’s length is very apt of Holly’s work and is full of some Buddy style picking and helped out by backing singers sounding much better than The Picks ever did. As I have found out most recently, it is a great driving song that anybody would find difficult not to enjoy. Roy Orbison and Bill Dees’ Hold Onto That Feeling starts off the album with a very fine country rock sound that resonates Orbison’s style which he was most famous for producing. Like Holly’s track, it too has a short duration but the quality it packs into that small space of time is phenomenal. Harmonies are superb once again and with a stonking guitar solo in the middle it really is quite a track to hear. Like many songs’s recorded by Orbison and his rock and roll contemporaries it could have been extended to being much longer. Waylon Jennings’s Ain’t That A Hoot also finds itself appearing on the album. It too an unreleased track, it has a stuttering but effective beat that, as with Holly’s and Orbison’s songs, excels quality from every angle you can find. Great harmonies, as well as what can only be described as exceedingly good electric guitar picking finds itself included in this track that barely lasts the 2 ½ minute mark. Oh how I wish for this song to be longer.
The material of Holly, Jennings and Orbison aren’t just the only guys covered but also some of Style’s own work. You might ask does it match up to the legends he has decided to cover? Damn right it does. I Look At My Wife has a very rolling-off-the-tongue batch of lyrics that are downright hilarious. Telling of the possible drudgery of married life, it is to Style’s credit that he makes what could have turned out to be a depressive scenario into a song which must have been listened near on a dozen times by yours truly. I’m sure that the same has happened to others who have heard this quite sublime track. Until Next Time really is an oddball of a tune that is just so appealing and quite excellent. A combination of a pep talk and thanking you for buying this album, it enters Twin Peaks territory when you hear towards its conclusion a random voice talking. As he writes in the album sleeve, this is the voice of his Grandfather Gido who Style had recorded. Sadly passed away and despite Style regarding him as "the most miserable man I’ve ever met or heard of in my life", this different approach to song crafting certainly works. If a lesser-talented artist had attempted this, they would have failed. But with Style, he excels beyond all expectations.
Being a really fine, and indeed intriguing album, Cutting Room Floor is definitely worth catching and will surely not disappoint. His surname sums this guy up perfectly: Style. And there’s plenty to go around. RH
- MAVERICK MAGAZINE
Canadian singer/songwriter and author, Lyle E Style’s new release “Cutting Room Floor” on Absurd Machine Records is a gem, full of songs written by many of my all time songwriters. If you have read Lyle’s book, “Ain’t Got No Cigarettes”, about the one and only Roger Miller, you’ve got to add “Cutting Room Floor” to your musical collection. If you haven’t read the book, you should give it a try.
Well written songs, many written several years back, that for whatever reason never made it to a major label, were selected by Lyle for this album. Lyle added his own “style” and painted the songs with a 2008 coat, to come up with a “must have” musical expression.
Lyle has spent many years interviewing friends and acquaintances of the great Roger Miller for his book, and accidentally found many of the songs for this album. A song like, “Am I Ever Gonna Find It”, co-written by Buddy Holly, Graham Kilsby and Scotty Turner, had been misplaced, but not forgotten, when Scotty found the lyrics in an old worn out guitar case of his. Are we glad he did! The song captures a raw Buddy Holly early contribution to the Treasury of Rockabilly. Scotty Turner is considered to be one of the pioneers of Rockabilly music.
Bill Dees, who co-wrote many hits with Roy Orbison, wrote the first cut on the CD, “Hold Onto That Feeling”, and also co-wrote “River Queen” with Lyle. A Waylon Jennings and Troy Seals uncut song “Ain’t That a Hoot”, didn’t pass the record company’s editing team back when it was first written, but is starting to fit in today.
Lyle wrote many of the clever and entertaining songs himself, and surrounded himself with the finest musicians, to finalize a product that stacks up very well with other releases this year. “Ghost Story”, an uncut demo by Roger Miller, had great “style”.
For more information on Lyle E Style’s CDs and books, go to his official site
-Tony Ansems (President of the Songwriters of Wisconsin International)
When country singer-songwriter Lyle E Style asked whether his musical heroes had any unrecorded songs, he got the answer he was hoping for: they did. And so Cutting Room Floor was born. The album contains unreleased songs written by legends Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, along with nine originals. With those names come mighty big boots to fill, but there’s a lot of cowboy under Style’s hat. The whiskey-soaked vocals sound at times reminiscent of Kenny Chesney and at other times like Jeff Tweedy, all the while remaining unique. Style shows great respect for his musical forefathers while carving out his own path in the industry and on the scene. While it’s no Mermaid Avenue, this serving of songs by renowned writers and performers is pretty OK.
—Brandon Bertram, The Uniter
Lyle E Style occupies that increasingly rare point on the country music continuum that’s far away from generic Top 40 pop country - and that’s exactly how he likes it.
After living in Vancouver and Nashville, trying to catch his big break, the 37-year-old returned to his native Winnipeg and signed to Absurd Machine Records. That label has released his new album, Cutting Room Floor.
Style’s musical career began nearly 20 years ago, performing in high school rock bands. Speaking by phone from his vacation spot in Palm Springs, Style said that at that time, country music was the cringe-inducing music his parents listened to. Like so many country song clichés, Style got into the genre after an encounter with an early girlfriend.
“I think [I got into country music] when I broke up with my first girlfriend. I never understood country music whatsoever… Once I got dumped, I started to understand all those country songs and I started realizing that a lot of those songs were stories and I really got hooked on them,” Style said.
Since that initial heartbreak, Style has been perfecting his brand of stripped down Americana and digging deep into country music’s history. His research culminated in his first book, 2005’s Ain’t Got No Cigarettes: Memoirs of Music Legend Roger Miller and his record Cutting Room Floor.
Style said artists like Miller, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were huge influences and sources of inspiration on his own music—and he’s always preferred the rare, hard-to-find tracks from his favourite artists.
“I just found that some of the stuff that wasn’t commercial was just so creative and so cool and I just try to take pieces of that and throw it into my music.”
Cutting Room Floor harnesses Style’s love for obscure songs, as it features renditions of previously unreleased songs by Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and the aforementioned Miller and Jennings. Relying on his industry connections, most notably producing and songwriting legend Bill Dees, Style poured over dusty demo tapes and even gained permission from Buddy Holly’s widow to compile these rare tracks. The result is an album that’s at once refreshing and historic.
“One of the reasons behind putting out this release is its uniqueness,” said Colin Musulak of Absurd Machine Records. “The fact that there’s a story behind it makes it special.”
Style said he always tries to do things that haven’t been done before.
“The one thing I’ve heard time and time again from spending so much time in Nashville and Branson, and I was lucky enough to spend time with my heroes, and they’ve all said there’s a ‘sameness’ in country music,” Style said.
Ain’t Got No Cigarettes and Cutting Room Floor are his way of combating that sameness.
“Nobody has ever written a book on Roger Miller and nobody has ever released a record like I’ve just released…No one has ever found unreleased songs by Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller and Buddy Holly, so I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’ve hunted these songs down.”
Cutting Room Floor is available now.
"Lyle has a sound that makes every song unique. He has uncovered some real gems by some great songwriters in this CD. Great listening!" - Music Legend Bobby Goldsboro
TRACK LISTING:
1. Hold Onto That Feeling (unreleased song written by Roy Orbison & Bill Dees)
2. River Queen (written by Bill Dees, Val Dees & Lyle E Style)
3. Am I Ever Gonna Find It (unreleased song written by Buddy Holly, Scott Turner, Graham Kilsby)
4. I Look At My Wife (Lyle E Style)
5. Ain't That A Hoot (unreleased song written by Waylon Jennings & Troy Seals)
6. Your Love Is Like (Lyle E Style)
7. Looneyville (Lyle E Style, Louie Lawent)
8. Cut & Paste (Lyle E Style)
9. Christmas (Lyle E Style)
10. Spy Girl (Lyle E Style, Eugene Baraniuk, Brent Jeffery)
11. Put Another Log On The Fire (Shel Silverstein)
12. The Love That's Left Over (Lyle E Style)
13. Ghost Story (unreleased songs written by Roger Miller)
14. Until Next Time (Lyle E Style) featuring a visit to Baba & Gido's
Biography of Lyle E Style
“No period after E or the show is cancelled!” barks Kitsalano, Lyle E Style’s manager since the early 90s and then slams down the phone. He shoves an aged, half-smoked, unlit Cohiba cigar back in his mouth and mumbles “The kid’s gonna be big! Not huge, but big.”
I left Kitsalano’s office to meet with the relatively unknown singer, songwriter, author and actor to ask him how it all started. “I took music lessons since I was a kid but never played for anyone until 1986 when my parents sent me to a minor seminary. To raise money for the school, we did concerts across North America. I played guitar and loved playing to a live audience so I decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry instead of the priesthood.”
The reality of making a successful career doing what he loved came from a chance encounter in Branson, Missouri with legendary songwriter Bill Dees (Oh, Pretty Woman, It’s Over) which led to a writing partnership and ongoing friendship. Dees comments, “Lyle is the first artist that I have written with since Roy Orbison. His determination, respect of his predecessors and attention to detail express what is needed to succeed as a singer/songwriter.”
Style demonstrates that respect to his predecessors in the book he wrote, Ain’t Got No Cigarettes: Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller. Style’s book, the first one ever written on “The King of the Road” has been receiving impressive reviews and attention worldwide. The New York Times noted the dual nature of Style's literary contribution: On the surface, it's a book about Roger Miller, "but through a quirk of deliberate or accidental genius, what Style has actually assembled is a living document of country music in its hootin', hollerin' outlaw heyday…"
The book is a collection of absorbing stories from Roger’s close friends and peers including Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam and over ninety more. Also included are some of the last interviews ever given by artists like Buck Owens, Mickey Newbury and Waylon Jennings. Style even managed to get country superstar Toby Keith to write the foreword. When asked, “Why Roger Miller?” Style responded, “Roger Miller is one of the most talented and intriguing people in the history of entertainment. After becoming a huge fan of his, I wanted to know more about the man behind the music. Unfortunately, no book had ever been written about him, so I decided to write one myself.” Undoubtedly, this Canadian has captured and preserved an important piece of Americana history.
Style is currently promoting the release of his new CD, Cutting Room Floor, an innovative project where he has chosen to pay tribute to some of the artists who have inspired him to contribute to the music industry. Style explains, “I always wondered if any of my late heroes had any cool songs that weren’t recorded because of their untimely passing or because the songs were too outlaw or dark. As fate would have it, they did. For the new CD, I recorded my versions of unreleased songs written by Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Roger Miller, along with nine originals and a cover of the track that arguably started the outlaw movement, ‘Put Another Log On The Fire’. After a lot of research, I found quite a few unreleased songs by these legends. These tracks are the one’s that really hit me as a fan. I’m really proud and blessed to be the first to release these gems.”
The CD is a co-production release with Electric Recordings and Absurd Machine Records. Style explains, “I was looking for the right label to do this project with for some time now. A while back, I was working on a film at a new production studio called Absurd Machine Studios. It turns out it was located in the exact building my Dad worked at some forty years ago where he met my Mom. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that building (and a faulty prophylactic). I told that story to the owner of the studio and convinced him that this was a sign and it was, the CD turned out exactly as I had envisioned.”
Mr. E Style is making his mark in the industry by showcasing what Nashville record producer Larry Butler explains as “an original sound that exhibits his own way of presenting stories through his songs. He is a true crooner and stylist.” With influences ranging from Andy Kaufman to Johnny Cash to Alice Cooper, it’s no wonder that the end result is quite different from the mainstream. Lyle’s unique style is what makes him a distinct alternative country music artist.
When asked about his headstrong manager, with a somber look in his eyes he said, “Kitsalano has caused me more problems in my career than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Due to his Colonel Parker style demands, I’ve lost two major record label deals, countless acting parts including being left on the cutting room floor for my portrayal of ‘Larry’ on NBC’s Three’s Company movie of the week. Who in their right mind would demand my name being the first to appear on the opening credits? I was a supporting character! Between you and me, I’m looking for a new manager.”
-Johnny Marsala
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