JAMES CULLETON Uses AR Technology to Bring Children’s Concept Album to Life

Fri Dec 11 2020
James Culleton

Winnipeg-based folk musician James Culleton has used AR technology to bring his new children’s concept album, Unusual Friendships, to life.

Unusual Friendships is based on the children’s story Unusual Friendships: A Little Black Cat and a Little White Rat, written by the award-winning Métis author Beatrice Mosionier — who is also Culleton’s aunt; the 71-year-old novelist wrote the rhyme-heavy book as symbolism for difficulties Métis persons experience.

With a collection of 14 original songs, Culleton effectively turned pen; to paper, back to pen; to paper; to ear drums. The 36 minute-spanning record features a mixture of traditional and contemporary roots song while succinctly retelling the symbolic tale of acceptance and equality relayed through a peculiar friendship which blossoms unexpectedly between a black cat and a white rat. Though rats and cats are thought to be enemies, the dynamic duo stick together throughout Unusual Friendships to fight and earn the respect of others.

Learn How James Culleton Brought Unusual Friendships to Live via YouTube here:

Glass Tiger Release “Songs For A Winter’s Night” With Guest Artists

Fri Dec 11, 2020

“We’ve waited 34 years to create an original release for Christmas and this Christmas, is one that most people will never forget.”

Created during the summer of 2020, with the world continuing its fight to recover from the massive impact of a global pandemic, “Songs For A Winter’s Night” is primarily a collection of original Christmas/Holiday songs written by Glass Tiger and joined by guest artists such as Roch Voisine, Natalie MacMaster, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Steve Sidwell Orchestra and of course the legendary Gordon  adds his voice to a very special poem written by Alan Frew, “Ode For A Winter’s Night”.

In doing so, the legendary Mr Lightfoot, is giving his personal thumbs up to the lads, for their covering of his classic hit, “A Song For A Winter’s Night.” With this eclectic mix of holiday music, Songs For A Winter’s Night, stirs the spirit and soul with the central theme focussing on gratitude for the things in life that matter most, like love and kindness; equality & friendship; and of course, family.

The single release is Happy Holiday (Joyeux Noel Mes Amis) Glass Tiger & Roch Voisine – check it out here:

Taking The Measure of Countermeasure

Fri Dec 04 2020
Countermeasure

Carry Away CountermeasureAcapella is the high wire act of vocalizing, You’re out there all alone, just you and your voice and a tonne of expectations; you will rekindle old emotions, awaken the sleeping dogs of memory and bring fresh dynamics to songs your audience thought they knew inside out. That tall order is tough for most acapella crews. For Countermeasure, it’s their specialty, made possible by voices that replicate the sounds of guitar, bass, percussion, trombone and more.

Here’s why there’s not another like this 13 member Toronto-based group. They’re fearless. Their live sets and album are primarily original material, an act bordering on heresy in a genre where idiosyncratic arrangements of popular standards is the norm.

Which Artists Will Survive COVID-19?

Fri Dec 04 2020
Peter Åstedt

I have been talking to many festivals organizers over the past weeks. Mainly I wanted to ask if they are going to try to do them in the summer of 2021 or push them to 2022 or just close altogether. That has been the debate the whole time which bars, gig venues and festivals will survive. The other discussion is which artists will survive has not been covered much in the media but has been discussed behind the scenes activelu in the industry.

Many festivals are taking the same line-up with them from 2020 until 2021. Now of course if they move to 2022, that line-up is not that current. Even if you have the line-up from last year who knows which artists will still be active.

Janelle Monae’s Guitarist & Collaborator Kellindo Steps into His Own with New Single, “Long Gone”

Fri Dec 04 2020
Kellindo Photo Credit Scott Murry

Kellindo is best known as energetic side-man and collaborator to Janelle Monae, playing guitar on her four GRAMMY Award-nominated records and touring the world on some of the biggest stages — including the Oscars and GRAMMYs, and for everyone from David Letterman to Karl Largerfeld to The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Not only is he currently putting the final touches to his epic rock-opera album debut, Shattered Rhapsody, but he can also be heard on Janelle’s new single, “Turntables.”

His musical story however, starts way before that...

Born from a gifted bloodline that includes James Brown band members Melvin and Maceo Parker, and the first black law professor at Columbia University — his father, Kellis Parker — Kellindo was just eight years old when he first picked up guitar.

Now, after over a decade of performing with geniuses like Prince and Stevie Wonder, he’s ready to strike out on his own with his own distinctive brand of soul inflected rock ’n’ roll.

Check out his New Single Release , “Long Gone” here:

The Guess Who's Leonard Shaw with Sandy Chochinov Release Self-Titled Album as Displaced Pieces

Fri Dec 04 2020
Leonard Shaw and Sandy Chochinov

“Be Strong” is the newest single by Displaced Pieces — Leonard Shaw and Sandy Chochinov — from their album, Displaced Pieces. Available now on streaming services Spotify, Amazon Music, and available as a music video on YouTube, this new rock/jazz single was written to remind everyone to not give up in the face of adversity.

Check out “Be Strong” here:

“The music has been developed over the past few years, but not without its challenges. Sandy and I thought it appropriate - even in this difficult time of social distancing - to celebrate what we have accomplished, and some of our shared history,” says Shaw about the new single.

Andy Kim Christmas Special Presented By The Air Miles® Reward Program

Fri Dec 04, 2020

The 16th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Special, presented by AIR MILES will make its national television debut on Citytv and Citytv.com as well as streamed globally at LiveNation.com. The two-hour music special will broadcast from Toronto’s one and only, El Mocambo on December 19 at 8 p.m

The Television Special in support of Crew Nation, CAMH Gifts of Light and Food Banks Canada airs Saturday, December 19 at 8 p.m. on Citytv and Citytv.com

BTW-The Wilderness, Universal Honey, Taylor Abrahamse, Colleen Brown, Keith Richards, Duke Robillard, Unison

Fri Nov 27 2020
Thw Wilderne3ss1_Credit-BobbiShewchuck

This week we highlight North York Harvest Food Bank, 116 Industry Street, Toronto, ON, Telephone: 416-635-7771.
Email: info@northyorkharvest.com
Main Office Hours: Monday to Friday – 9 am to 5 pm
Food Drop off Hours: Monday to Friday – 9:30 am to 3 pm
Support your local food bank. The need is dire.

Kingston indie rockers The Wilderness did a slick version of turning lemons into lemonade this past summer. Instead of being upset that they can't play live shows and tour, they decided to take it to the studio and record a live EP.

The result is Live at the Bathouse, featuring live versions of select songs from their recently released album, Until Tomorrow. The EP is set for release on December 4th with the first official single 'Fire and the Wolves' out today on all digital platforms.

Watch the video here.

The Biggest Destroyer Of Careers Are Artists Themselves!

Fri Nov 27 2020
Peter Åstedt

It just comes in waves. Suddenly you have a couple of artists just destroying their careers. The methods are quite varied and there is not a shortage of intriguing ways that they do it. The funny thing is these mistakes are always blamed on the industry itself. Also many times the artist totally ignores advice and does things anyways, blames the industry, and then just does exactly as the advice says and then acts like they invented sliced bread. I guess my list could be be very long. I just will take the ones that happened in the past two weeks have been discussed in different managers forums around the internet.

BTW - Stewart Goodyear, Cat and The Queen, Micah Barnes, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, Kayla Diamond, Justine Tyrell, Dolly Parton

Fri Nov 20 2020
Stewart Goodyear

This week we spotlight Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank 784 1/2 Crawford St, Toronto. Please phone ahead as hours may vary: 647-878-6516,

Usually, Toronto born virtuoso pianist Stewart Goodyear would be busy blitzing the world and performing at some of the most prestigious venues around the globe. However, not happening, so Goodyear is using this opportunity to get his daring, distinctive sound out to as wide an audience as possible. He’s released a new single “Congotay” with his quintet, which includes masterful musicians Michael Occhipinti (electric guitar), Joy Lapps-Lewis (steel drums), Larnell Lewis (drums) and Roberto Occhipinti (electric bass).

I Need Some Action!

Fri Nov 20 2020
Peter Åstedt

Last story I wrote was about numbers. I said there that numbers are different than statistics. I have a problem also with statistics in one way. You can get things out of statistics so don’t discard them, use all the tools to collect whatever facts are out there. Still have one thing in your mind. Statistics are only available on action taken.

There won’t be any statistics if you don’t do anything. More or less no action, zero statistics. Or even just a small bit of action the data that comes in will be too little to draw any conclusions. And of course, if you cheat then your data will be not correct either.

I think many people today are not using the data that is actually out there. You should monitor a release and see what is getting any tractions. Most of the time I mainly see artists just count interviews or anything where they can pose and be a star counting. They never check if that interview is read or even lead to some new people getting to the music. That is so easy today, but yes vanity and ego is still big in many ways.

Indie Week Canada’s 2020 Online Conference Huge Success!

Fri Nov 20 2020
Indie Week

The annual Indie Week Canada conference has come to a close and attendees showed their support by rating the sessions with 5 star reviews giving approval of the new, fully virtual approach.

Indie Week 2020 (Virtual) brought together music industry, artists in globe-spanning fashion, garnering a 5-star review and created a new way of offering all the ways of communicating in a stellar way.

Indie Week Canada began in 2003, founded by industry icon Darryl Hurs who created an event that had Showcases that invited artists to travel from around the world to perform in front of industry professionals. Indie Week has been known as the premiere emerging artist festival in Canada where it had a schedule of five days and nights of music, showcases, the Indie 101 conference, Official VIP Launch Party, Indie Week Awards show and more.

Actor, Singer & Philanthropist TOM JACKSON Announces 33rd Season Of Huron Carole – The Light Inside

Fri Nov 20, 2020

For 32 Christmases Tom Jackson’s Huron Carole has been a staple in Canada, touring the country bringing cheer and hope to the nation. But with the current pandemic, what will happen to Year 33? The need to social distance and travel limitations made for a huge obstacle in continuing this tradition.

Festivals and live events were being cancelled and postponed across the board but this was Tom Jackson we are talking about here. Tom is no stranger to stones in the road and fallen trees in his path. We caught up with him at his home in Calgary and the calmness and sense of resolve in his voice is something that soothes the nerves and gives a sense that every problem has a solution.

BTW - Iskwe and Tom Wilson, The Barrel Boys, LAL, Chairmen Of The Boards, Mark Diamond, AC/DC, Valerie Shearman

Fri Nov 13 2020
Iskwe and Tom Wilson Photo Credit Jose Crespo

Greetings. Today we spotlight the Ryerson Food Bank 55 Gould Street.

Food bank runs Mondays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Serving takeaway meals on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The Ryerson University Students' Union supports the Good Food Centre at 55 Gould Street.

Support your local food bank. The need is dire.

Here’s a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong.  Juno award-winning artists iskwē and Tom Wilson have released their new single "Blue Moon Drive" featuring trumpeter Chuck Copenace with Red Music Rising.

The lyric video dropped November 12th and the collaboration began as a gig at the 2020 Indspire Awards. "We happened to be asked to perform together at the Indspire Awards in Ottawa. We had never sung together so until we actually stepped up to the microphone and started to sing we didn’t know that we had a little bit of magic going on between us;" shares Tom Wilson. "We are able to now share that magic with you.”

thechroniclesofcure Connect for a Cause with Debut Album, 'Social Distant Story Book'

Fri Nov 13 2020
thechroniclesofcure

With a heady combo of edgy synth pop, alt rock, and singer-songwriter vibes, Canadian trio thechroniclesofcure have combined quarantine-created music with a quarantine-related cause for their debut album Social Distant Story Book — available now!

Bandmates Claire Warren, James Feschuk, and Camille Irvine — who also produced the record — came together in April 2020 with a mission of making great music and donating to a great cause: providing elderly residents of long-term care facilities with technology to stay socially connected during COVID-19.

“We didn’t really know each other at all beforehand,” Irvine says, “but we ended up having a really fun time working with each other.

“We found that sending each other tracks back and forth was the best part of our socially isolated weeks.”

Watch Thechroniclesofcure - Playground Fantasy here:

Fans or Just Numbers?

Fri Nov 13 2020
Peter Åstedt

You know what? Your song might not be a flop just because it doesn’t have any numbers. The numbers just show how much marketing that has been done. The numbers don’t tell you if the song is good or bad. The numbers just tell you how many that listened to it and that doesn’t even tell how long they spent of their time listening to the song.

We have a problem in the music industry because too many people believe that they can find the next thing strictly by the numbers. Not statistics, you can actually get info from statistics. Only information on things that are not the future (yet). I have seen new programs that can predict a little bit of how songs will perform in the future from the statistics, but just if nothing major happens.

Montreal’s Harmonium Goes Symphonic After 44 Years!

Fri Nov 13 2020
Harmonium

Imagine the unforgettable repertoire of the legendary Quebec group Harmonium – the eponymous debut album HarmoniumEt si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison and L'Heptade – revisited and orchestrated by talented music arranger Simon Leclerc.

And, now imagine this timeless music performed by 68 musicians of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), conducted by Maestro Leclerc, and you get Histoires sans paroles - Harmonium symphonique co-produced by Serge Fiori and Simon Leclerc, under the artistic direction of Nicolas Lemieux, president of GSI Musique.

Kim Mitchell 2UP2BEDOWN

Fri Nov 13, 2020

If you’re a Kim Mitchell fan then you’re in for a treat and if you’re not a Kim Mitchell fan yet then you will be after listening to this latest offering from this legendary Canadian icon.

This latest album, ‘The Big Fantasize’, is his eighth studio collection as a solo artist, having  previously had five albums as the front man of the highly successful band Max Webster. The last time his fans heard from Mitchell was his 2007 album ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’, an album of rock tunes in the tried and true Kim Mitchell style.

BTW - Kruder & Dorfmeister, Al Qahwa Ensemble, Espresso, Floating Room, Eels, Beauty In Chaos, The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

Fri Nov 06 2020
Kruder & Dorfmeister Photo Credit Max Parovsky

This week we salute the venerable Yonge Street Mission. 381 Yonge St, Toronto 416-977-7259. Open Mon-Fri. 9-5.

The Davis Centre usually feeds 6-800 people a week with its grocery services. Because of COVID-19, chief executive Angie Peters said demand has skyrocketed and the food bank is now stretching to feed nearly twice as many. Between the heightened need and a reduction in fundraising, Ms. Peters said Yonge Street Mission needs an additional $400,000 to cover a budget deficit. She hopes government funding will help with some of the costs, but has also appealed to the public for donations.