The Kings: Live at Heatwave is Set to Add to The Kings’ Already 7.3+ Million Streams Across Spotify & YouTube.

August 2020 marks not one, not two, but three crown-worthy milestones in the land of Canada’s long-iconic band, The Kings:

1. 40 years ago this month, they released their Bob Ezrin produced debut album, The Kings Are Here on US major label Elektra Records.
2. That same month, their smash hit single “This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide” first entered the BillboardHot 100.
3. And on August 23rd, 1980, The Kings closed the now-legendary Heatwave Festival, holding court alongside fellow rock royalty Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Nick Lowe and Rockpile, Teenage Head, the B-52’s, and more

It’s that third one — their midnight appearance at the now-storied Toronto-area festival — produced by John Brower--that’s inspired the exclusive release of The Kings: Live at Heatwave, a 30-minute concert movie available in a premiere at 8pm on August 23rd.

Watch and listen to “California Girls” (Live at Heatwave) here:

Hunger never takes a holiday. Highlighting Thistletown  Community Services Unit (22) Food Bank 248 Jamestown Crescent. Hours may have changed to COVID. Please call (416) 745-2822.

Rain Coast Altrock heavies Yukon Blonde shared their first music of 2020 with the single “Get Precious”, already climbed to #2 on the CBC Music Top 20 and is rapidly climbing up the Top 20 at the National Alternative Radio Chart in Canada. The Vancouver band shares another new track, “In Love Again”, which sees keyboardist/vocalist Rebecca Gray take over on lead vocals for the first time.

This week we spotlight the Parkdale Community Food Bank, formerly St. Phillip’s Pantry and serving West Side needy for 38 years. 416-532-2375  1499 Queen Street West

Open to the public for food service Wednesday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Thursday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Friday 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM (Seniors & People with Disabilities only) Saturday 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

Is the battle to take The Tragically Hip’s place on? Hailed as the next big band you haven't heard yet, Kingston indie rock sextet The Wilderness are set to release their first full-length album Until Tomorrow August 21st. The 2nd single from the album 'If I Have To Die' is out today on all digital platforms, along with the official music video created by Chris Mills of Number Four Films (Modest Mouse, Interpol, Metric).

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW6Zdd3ugyA

It’s a very uncertain world we now currently find ourselves living in. On one hand, the music industry feels so far away right now. It’s now summer and no shows and more or lesser releases. At the same time, the whole machinery is going on under the surface.

Negotiations are ongoing with new clubs, festivals, and other outlets. The difference is that during the planning we don’t know if it will happen with the dates we are discussing. It will all eventually happen but when?

I guess it is all one's death and the other one's bread. I just recently got several jobs during this crisis. Probably because people that didn’t make it want to move over to another business.  I also think this will be the time where we see who will remain on the stage for a living and who are just there because they think it’s a fun hobby that they just keep up while they work in their ‘real job.’

36 years on, that headline above makes the fact all the more impressive. canadian classic rockers honeymoon suite hope you “find what you’re looking for” in this, “latest release previewing new album, their first since 2008.

The newest preview for the iconic band’s forthcoming album, “Find What You’re Looking For” has been eagerly ushered in by fans and critics alike, hitting the Top 30 rock charts in Canada in no time flat. It’s their first chart-climber in 19 years, and follows late 2019’s “Tell Me What You Want” — their first single release since 1992.

Watch and listen to “Find What You’re Looking For” here:

The two tracks lift the curtain, revealing the latest in what’s to come from the band who’ve long made themselves a household name. Early listens show the release has an unmistakably fresh energy to it, while still keeping true to the classic Honeymoon Suite sound fans have loved for nearly four decades.

This week we spotlight Thornhill Food Bank 1 Leaside Park Dr Unit 5B, Toronto, East YorkOffice phone647-428-9755

Email: thorncliffefb@icnareliefcanada.ca

COVID19 -- Food bank open by appointment only, call and leave message at any time but please do not call Mon or Thurs * counselling service by phone -- call for appointment or visit website to register.

Stepping off to the beat of JUNO Award-winning Toronto-based singer, songwriter and harmonica master Paul Reddick lauds life’s bounties of great friendship, great music, and great surroundings in this, his new release — Alive in Italia — available now.

“This record is somewhat of a love letter to Italy and our friends there,” Reddick muses. “If I had one wish come true today, I would be sitting on a patio on the narrow, cobbled streets of Italy’s SestriLevante…. I’d be kept cool by a sea breeze, and be drinking a glass of red wine.

Lately, I have seen some really smart new things that bigger artists are doing. They just quit the current social media frenzy that has been going on.  I can really see this breaking through as a lifestyle after the pandemic.

For the past ten years record labels, managers and others have told artists that they should own their fans and a lot of the success has been how many followers you have on different social media accounts. Right now it seems like all the bigger labels have a race to pick up things form TikTok. It has been this way in all parts of the music industry with the exception the live scene.

Don McLean is hardly known for his blues work or output. But as the guy who wrote one of the most important songs of a generation, around fifty years ago, with ‘American Pie,’ he hit the global charts, the airwaves and the world for a cert home-run.  One copy of the original, hand-written lyrics alone fetched over a million bucks at auction and McLean laughs at the thought and says he has a few other hand-written copies still on hand.

When the opportunity again arose to speak with McLean at home (one of four houses, he tells me) in California’s Palm Springs area, I couldn’t pass up the chance of catching up with the guy, picking up on themes we touched on when his last album, ‘Botanical Gardens’ launched in 2018. McLean is always warmly friendly, much as might be expected from a modern US roots music master who generally keeps one strict personal rule in place - writing his own material and seldom, if ever, recording the work of others.

This week we spotlight North York Harvest Food Bank 116 Industry St, Toronto 416-635-7771.
Usually open Mon-Fri 9 to 5 but CoVid hours may vary.
Please call ahead.

Looks like another week with an all-female cast. Lessons in life can come of this. Elusive Canadian pop-soul artist Tali is stepping out of the shadows with the release of new single, “(Don’t) Wanna Be Yours” — available now.

An old soul in a modern world, hopeless romantic in a heartless era, and a timeless artist in a disposable age, the emerging Toronto singer-songwriter introduces us to them all on her darkly compelling (and aptly titled) forthcoming EP, Shadows.

A gifted, dynamic talent whose boundless creativity and presence are matched by a spiritual commitment to her calling. "When I sing, I feel like I connect to my source, to my higher self. It's like a channel for me. One of my favourite quotes — I forget who said it — is 'The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.' That speaks to me. I've been carrying those words with me ever since I first read them."

I actually had the time to clean out the old shed that sits in our backyard. That is the last thing you really schedule for a cleanout. I can’t even remember if I have ever cleaned it out when we moved here thirteen years ago.

I also had time to sort out my comic book collection and put the ones of value in plastic sheets. You know when you have time to do things like this, you really have too much time on your hands. Lockdown was not fun, but right now my house looks as best as it ever did; I even had time to build my greenhouse.

But now I feel the isolation time has really gone on too long. I have my projects rolling, many though sit at a standstill because of the holidays. I finally feel kind of bored. I was thinking to myself, why do I feel bored? You have all these small projects that never end, and you are not experiencing any stress. At first, I could not pinpoint what it was. Then it hit me.

Canadian JUNO Award-nominated world ensemble Toronto Tabla Ensemble is having a party with some Unexpected Guests in this, their newest album release — available now!

Across the release’s seven tracks, the critically acclaimed group of artists weave a variety of instruments, from percussion to bagpipe, piano to taiko, sarod to flute, and more, with their signature sound rooted by the traditional tabla.

"This album is a simple one," TTE Founder and Artistic Director and Roy Thomson Hall Award winner Ritesh Das says. ”Most of the tracks are in very straightforward 4/4 grooves. On our other albums, you had tracks with different time signatures that made it really intellectual and complicated.

“I wanted this one to be something that anyone can sit back and listen to and enjoy." 

This week we spotlight Flemingdon Community Food Bank
10 Gateway Blvd, Basement North York, ON (416) 422-4322
info@fcfoodbank.com

Monday’s 1:30 to 3:30 Singles
Tuesday’s 1:30 to 3:30 Families
Wednesday’s 1:30 to 3:30 Families
Thursday’s 1:30 to 3:30 Families

Thanks for your help.

Stepping in with girls, girls, girls. Leading off, Aussie singer/songwriter Julia Stone and her new single "Break" and the accompanying music video via Arts &Crafts. In a shift from her folk origins, Stone has shed a proverbial skin to emerge in an entirely new form. With its surreal, metallic synths and horns, the single is reminiscent of David Byrne’s ensemble work, and is the perfect introduction to Stone's new era.

With over 100,000+ streams across Spotify, award-winning Kingsville, ON’s alt-folk rock-to-blues duo Fresh Breath direct urgent attention to the world’s obsession with social media in this upbeat, sing-along new single, “Likes & Shares”.

“A single event inspired me to write this song,” Fresh Breath co-front Josh Pascoe recalls. “It happened at one of our performances; we were playing and an audience member, I could see, perked up at the very first note.”

“She reached for her phone with excitement and began to film,” co-front Katie Pascoe adds. “You could obviously tell this person took a short video, posted it to social media, and then proceeded to talk through the rest of the song.”

“There wasn’t a single hoot, holler or clap (from her) once the song was complete,” Josh continues. “I thought to myself: nobody cares, it’s all about the likes and the shares.”

Another clickbait headline.Yes, I have been experimenting with things like that. But the whole new world that we see after COVID-19 is starting to be interesting.

I'm in a secret forum with other colleagues in the music industry and there the chatter right now is much how lower Spotify still is in their payment per stream. At the same time, Spotify just launched that you could have one account for two people to the price of one. That will not get more money into Spotify to raise the other. And as many have said the streams are going down during the crisis since people have stopped listening to music to work and from work, since they’re not commuting that much at this time.

This week we spotlight The Sharing Place. It’s an essential resource for the Junction and Bloor West area providing food, clothing, items for home and other supports including showers and laundry for those in need.  Regular meals weekly on Thursdays. They accept donations from the community for all of the items and families can get free winter clothing items

624 Annette Street Toronto. Open Thursdays 9.00 am-8 pm. (416) 762-3322

Stepping in with a never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklin’s riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” is very much getting heard...

 Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song aligning with the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage.

“Never Gonna Break My Faith” resonates today, featuring lyrics like: “You can lie to a child with a smiling face/Tell me that color ain’t about a race.”