The Wainwright Sisters
Fri Nov 06, 2015

Fall is prime time for sweater-folk music and the perfect time to release the mucho anticipated debut album 'Songs In The Dark' from The Wainwright Sisters, out Nov. 13, 2015.

Although they're sisters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche didn't grow up together.

Aside from genetics, their true bond was a musical one, both growing up in families steeped in songwriting. Both their mothers would sing them lullabies (Kate McGarrigle to Martha and Suzzy Roche to Lucy). Now to honour that, 30 years later, Martha and Lucy are singing many of these same songs, some penned by their mothers and father (Loudon Wainwright III) on 'Songs In The Dark.'

The record also includes songs that shaped their childhoods, made famous by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rogers. When Martha and Lucy grew up and become songwriters of their own, they discovered their physical separation was trumped by their shared musical DNA. On 'Songs In The Dark,' this is captured in its elemental essence: dark, mysterious, and beautiful.

The Wainwright Sisters - Upcoming Showcase Dates
11/07 - City Winery, New York, New York
11/10 - St. Stephens Church, London, England
12/1 - Phi Centre, Montreal, Quebec

RITUAL is the brainchild of former Dead and Divine vocalist, Matt Ryan Tobin. After the untimely demise of Dead and Divine's decade long career, Tobin found himself far from finished. With little to no time spent mourning, he threw himself head first into a new musical endeavour with the aid of four musicians who found themselves feeling all too similar. RITUAL is a band without guidelines or limitations, chalked full of raw and untainted passion; this was the band Tobin always set out to create. "We were born from waste. We are the product of broken bands, miles traveled and mistakes made." They are RITUAL and their brand of blown up protopunk is very welcome on the scene.The band has been busy playing live with Protest The Hero and Silverstein and just played Riot Fest in Toronto with Weezer, Motorhead, Thrice, All Time Low and more.

Geographer
Geographer

It's early I know but this is a big one for some folks. On December 4, Geographer will release 'Endless Motion EP Vol.1' on Fontana North. The San Francisco-based romantic indie pop artist Geographer (aka Mike Deni) creates timeless compositions by fusing blossoming synths with precise orchestral arrangements. With the release of his third LP 'Ghost Modern' earlier this year, Geographer fashioned his most cohesive and compelling work to date out of a desire to instill thoughtful songwriting back into today's popular music.

Deni, out of an almost Freudian attraction to water, wrote much of the record during trips to a cliff overlooking the beach in the Presidio of San Francisco to write lyrics in the back of his car.

Despite the cleansing nature of the scenery, he considers the meticulous writing process one of the most difficult and greatest learning experiences of his life.

While taking time off to craft material for the follow-up this summer, Deni recalled a cover he produced last year of the Arthur Russell track 'This Is How We Walk On The Moon.' The re-working had been so inspiring for Deni that he decided to record an entire oeuvre of covers featuring re-workings of tracks by Felix Da Housecat, New Order, Kate Bush, and Paul Simon. five strong tracks long.

Geographer - 'Endless Motion EP Vol. 1' Tracklist
01. Ready 2 Wear (Felix Da Housecat)
02. This Is How We Walk On The Moon (Arthur Russell)
03. Age Of Consent (New Order)
04. Cloudbusting (Kate Bush)
05. I Know What I Know (Paul Simon)

You may think you know those songs. You may change your mind after checking 'em out Geographer style.

Autopilot
Autopilot

Straight outa da Prairies comes Autopilot, an indie alternative rock band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with more than a little wheatfield soul in its DNA Their latest release, Desert Dreams, encompasses a wide range of musical influence while incorporating layers of guitar effects and dynamic drum beats. It highlights the band's progressive style which includes captivating pop hooks, memorable vocal lines, and out of the ordinary touches like a bow used on the guitar.

Desert Dreams was produced, recorded and mixed by S.J. Kardash at Full Color Studios in Saskatoon and mastered by Dave Greenberg at Sonopod Mastering in St. Petersburg, FL.

Autopilot are Marlon Harder - Vocals/Guitar, Jose Antonio Fuenzalida - Drums, Colton Fehr - Bass, Jeremy Rigby - Guitar/Backing vocals

Desert Dreams is a follow up to the band’s full length album, Diamond Rough, which received a great response across North America, charting on Earshot charts (Canada) and CMJ stations (USA) as well as being featured on commercial rock radio and CBC Radio. The album also received a great deal of coverage from print and online media.

Touring has taken the band across the United States and coast to coast in Canada playing a variety of venues from small clubs to major festivals including MoSoFest, Junofest and Canadian Music Week. Autopilot has shared the stage with notable artists including Hollerado, You Say Party!, Sylvie, David Usher, Highkicks, The Albertans and The Tontons.

Just around the corner from where power pop and progressive rock meet up, Autopilot is crafting a sound that's hook-laden, slickly arranged, ethereal, sparkling and doom laden. Highlight tracks include This City, Oceanside and Battles

Thur, Nov 5 - Indianapolis, IN -the Melody Inn
Fri, Nov 6 - Toronto - Tennessee - TWiMFeST
Sat, Nov 7 - Utica - The Dev
Sun, Nov 8 - NYC - Pianos
Mon, Nov 9 - Kent OH - The Stone Tavern
Tues, Nov 10 - Muncie, IN - Be Here Now
Fri, - Nov 13 - Winnipeg - the Cavern
Sat, Nov 14 - Saskatoon, Vangelis

Concealer
Concealer

Edmonton synthpop due Concealer have already carved out a rep as purveyors of sinister electronica, minimalist drum 'n'base passages and the classic Goth vocals-from-another dimension of Mark Davis. All of that and more comes together on recent debut album Feted:Fetid, from which the pair pulled "Sank" for the new single.

“Sank” is a song about “devotion and commotion,” says vocalist Mark Davis. “It's a very simple and straightforward ditty about a very difficult and complicated situation. A skeletal narrative outlines the often insoluble dilemma of the dysfunctional relationship: does one maintain it or be alone?"

On the heels of last month’s successful Western Canadian tour with Rae Spoon, Concealer heads to Ontario and Quebec beginning November 11, supporting their latest LP, Fêted:Fetid. They land in Toronto on November 15 at The Handlebar: check tour dates below.

Concealer, consisting of Davis singing and playing treated bass while missmannered supplies keyboard drones, and dial-twisting shrieks and blips, is an unlikely combination. While Davis’ past work with Old Reliable and his solo albums, including the 2012 Polaris Music Prize listed Eliminate The Toxins, exist in realms of roots-rock experimentalism, Concealer moves from sinister to soothing, then dances back and forth again, smashing together sleazy rock and proto-punk along the way.

“I remember the first time I saw Concealer play live,” says Rae Spoon. “I was blown away by the combination of roots and electronic music that elevated instead of clashed with each other. They are a band that displays the kind of musical innovation that I admire so much. When I decided to set up a record label and release albums from other artists they were at the top of my list for bands to work with.”

STREAM “FÊTED:FETID” HERE

TOUR DATES
Nov 11 - Montreal, QC - La Vitriola ^
Nov 12 - Ottawa, ON - Raw Sugar ^
Nov 13 - Wakefield, ON -Kaffe 1870 ^
Nov 14 - Kingston, ON - The Artel ^
Nov 15 - Toronto, ON - The Handlebar

Cécile Doo-Kingué
Cécile Doo-Kingué

Since 1987, The Toronto Blues Society’s Women’s Blues Revue has wowed Toronto audiences with performances from some of the most accomplished women in Canadian blues. The featured vocalists of this year’s Women’s Blues Revue include Rita Chiarelli, Terra Lightfoot, Crystal Shawanda and Suzie Vinnick.

Rebecca Hennessy (trumpet, band leader), Suzie Vinnick (guitar), Emily Burgess (guitar), Carlie Howell (bass), Morgan Doctor (drums), Colleen Allen (sax), Carrie Chesnutt (sax) and Lily Sazz (keyboards) return to form this year’s all-star Women’s Blues Revue Band. This year's show's at Massey Hall, Nov. 28 with an 8 pm showtime.

Rita Chiarelli, Canada’s most highly acclaimed female roots and blues artist, has just released the soundtrack for her award winning documentary, Music From The Big House, her 9th recording. With a JUNO award and 4 subsequent JUNO nominations, she is known across Canada as the “Goddess of the Blues.” Chiarelli is a gifted songwriter and an entertaining performer, but it is her soaring three-octave voice that sets her apart from her peers.

Rita Chiarelli
Rita Chiarelli

Considered one of Canada’s most electrifying and versatile guitarists, Montreal-based guitarist/singer-songwriter Cécile Doo-Kingué blends blues, her Cameroonian roots and soul to create a unique sound that has blossomed over three albums, garnering a long trail of critical acclaim and awards. She has shared a stage and/or recorded with Montreal Jubilation Choir, Blind Boys of Alabama, Bernard Purdie, Michael Jerome Brown, Tricia Foster, Scarlett Jane, United Steel Workers of Montreal, amongst many, and has opened for many icons including Canned Heat, Eric Andersen, Angélique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour and Manu Dibango.

Whether you’re talking about her as a songwriter, guitarist or vocalist, one thing is indisputable: Hamilton’s Terra Lightfoot is a ferocious talent. Her songs tap into the raw emotion of hearts supercharged by love, lust, loneliness and temptation. Her playing melds expert finger-picking and distorted, hook-heavy melodies. And her elemental voice commands attention and awe, whether on slow-burning soul ballads or hard-charging rock numbers.

Crystal Shawanda
Crystal Shawanda

Crystal Shawanda grew up on the Wikwemikong reserve on an island in Ontario, Canada. Her parents raised her on Country music and taught her to sing and play guitar, but it was her oldest brother who introduced her to the blues. He would hang out in the basement cranking Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Etta James, and Crystal would sit at the top of the stairs, straining to hear those soulful sounds. There was a part of her that often wandered if she would ever be able to sing like that. And when no one was home, Crystal would practice singing the blues.
Crystal Shawanda is reminiscent of a time gone by. She will make you feel every word with a powerful voice that never fails, pure and gritty at the same time

A Saskatoon native living in Ontario, Suzie Vinnick is the owner of a gorgeous, powerful voice and performs with a sweet mixture of engaging candidness and unparalleled musicianship. Suzie has been featured nationally on CBC Radio on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe, and has performed across Canada and the US, as well as for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. Suzie’s accolades include ten Maple Blues Awards and three Juno nominations.