Here we go into 2019 and wishing all of you all the best and may much good music fall on your ears. Due to an ongoing medical issue, BTW is gonna become a little more limited in scope, as my situation limits the number of live gigs I’ll be able to attend. On the other hand, an increasing US profile means we’ll be able to get access to more US indie acts and that base, in turn, will continue to be exposed to more up and coming Canadian talent. 

A splash of Goth here, a greasy garage feel there. Toronto-based rock band Madame Psychosis kicks off 2019 with the release of “Just Wanna Be Myself”, the lead single off their upcoming album. With sing-along lyrics and a catchy hook, this radio-friendly single highlights the fight for individuality in a world full of predetermined expectations. The song was recorded by Alex Gamble at Union Sound Company.

The Swedish/Japanese visual pop-phenomena YOHIO has just released his second single from the new album that will be released in 2019, release date pending.

With an already impressive history to date, YOHIO has had Gold and platinum records, #1 chart hits in both 2013 and 2014, participant in the Swedish Eurovision twice, nominated for

Prestigious music awards started his own record label, toured for sold out venues, acted in an international award-winning TV Drama series, and does voice acting for Disney, signed to The Kennel as a songwriter for other artists. This is just a selection of what YOHIO has done since his solo debut in 2012 as a 16-year old releasing his Japanese Solo Debut Mini Album REACH the Sky. (Universal Music Japan).

With a family tree consisting of all musicians and actors maybe it is not that strange that the

DNA that created YOHIO turned out a multi-faceted diamond.

Photo: Michael Williams' sister Gwendolyn

Christmas to me means time passes to quickly.

It has been a hard year for my family and especially my sister Gwendolyn, who is battling cancer.
I wanted her to experience my world by having my phone stage side at Cannafest 2018 so she could hear my introduction of and me singing with Brett Michael of Poison.

She loved it as I love her; it brought a smile to her whole body...

She has been in the battle with cancer for some 20 years in its various stages so every day is a gift.

We as a family have never really celebrated Christmas, but do we celebrate Christmas Ideals daily.

So in the Spirit of Christmas and my family, we ask that you do the same...every minute is important so remember time and love are privileges, use them well.

I love you Gwendolyn you are the smartest, strongest, best person I have ever known and I was pissed that you did not accept those scholarships to Princeton, Harvard or Yale!

The world is better with you in it!

Memories are the mind’s way of reliving magical moments of the past. You can almost feel like you’re right back in that moment, the people, the sights, the smell, and the feel can be very real. And no memory is more vivid to me than my memories of Christmas’ past. I guess it’s because Christmas had so many layers for me, and still does.

Editor's Note: Cashbox Canada is on holiday! We will return on January 11, 2019, with more stories, more reviews and more personal interviews for you to enjoy. Happy New Year to all of you!

I was recently asked at an industry by an industry colleague how I keep Cashbox Canada going. Considering we have reached a ten-year mark in publishing, it is actually remarkable.

We do work hard to have advertising carry the financial burden to run a magazine while striving to be supportive of the music and the artists. Sometimes a label, artist or publicity person doesn’t understand that we have to pick our stories carefully and although it is not contingent on ad buys, obviously personal interviews do require paying a journalist for their time and efforts.

The same goes for our cover stories-there are only 51 covers a year so we choose carefully and like to make sure we give the established artists their due and perhaps be lucky enough to choose the future stars just before they break as hit artists. 

But that is just the money side and weekly logistics.

Emily King Photo Credit Bao Ngo

Grammy-nominated pop-soul vocalist Emily King’s current video for "Look At Me Now" today, directed by George Mays and filmed at Apogee Studios in Los Angeles, is out there getting attention.

It’s the teaser for upcoming album Scenery due February 1st via ATO Records. The album, produced by longtime musical cohort Jeremy Most and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie) was recorded in upstate New York, nestled in the Catskill Mountains, where Emily now makes her home after a lifetime of Lower East Side living.

Scenery follows the critically acclaimed album The Switch (2015) which included the hit "Distance" (more than 13 million streams). Following the album's release, King performed on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Conan, Prairie Home Companion, and toured with Alabama Shakes.

Sambea, an interesting name for an artist, one that sets her apart from the others swimming in the same talent pool. Sambea is a combination of Samantha and Beatrice and it’s pronounced SAMbea. May as well get it right now because you’re to be hearing a lot of this talented artist in the very near future. And thankfully it’s not just her name that sets her apart.

Sambea grew up in the Beaches area of East Toronto where a lot of talents was raised and lives and works in. Legendary pianist Glenn Gould was born and raised in the Beaches and it’s home to Canadian icons Dan Hill and Larry Gowan and Shirley Eikhard wrote her classic Something To Talk About in a tiny apartment over Stoneworks on Queen Street East. Sambea attended many of the Beach’s music schools and has had vocal training in the area as well. She has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time, performing in many of Toronto’s finer venues and has toured Russia and the Baltics.

They say that music is the language of the soul, and nothing could be truer for this Crockpop (country/rock/pop) band from south of Sweden. Composed of a dynamic duo together with inspirational musicians and skillful performers, Bara Jonson and Free are a band like no other. From live gigs to streaming sessions and more, they continue to touch fans around the world with their blend of heartfelt lyrics, strong music, and soulful messages.

The duo has played at most of southern Sweden's festivals and also had tours in Denmark, Germany and Holland. 

Bara Jonson and Free recently attended Live at Heart Newfoundland and came back from the island of the rock inspired by the welcoming community of Burin Peninsula NL. Performing at the Live at Heart in Örebro, Sweden earlier this year Bara Jonson and Free received an invitation from organizer Evan Murray to be one of only 30 acts to participate at Live At Heart Newfoundland, Marystown on the Burin Peninsula, this past October. It was to be an appearance that inspired them on many levels, and it touched the hearts of all who attended.

They say you can’t keep a good man down. The same can be said of a good music venue. In Toronto, examples of that abound. There are the multiple morphings of the Horseshoe, still rocking out after 60 plus years, the soon to rise yet again El Mocambo, the also many faces of The Great Hall, the Chinese restaurant turned dance club turned influential rock’n’roll venue Lee’s Palace, The Cameron House’s transition from dive bar to must hear music maven. Add to the top of that list Hughs’ Room, bringing the finest in acoustic and roots and folk players to the city’s west side, dealing in quality music and the pin drop acoustic supremacy.

The club was opened in 2001 by Richard Carson and named in memory of his brother Hugh, a former folk musician who had dreamed of opening his own performance venue before his death of cancer in 1999.

Before he became the Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell secretly recorded demos for several years for The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. A new album released today on Capitol/UMe aptly named Sings For The King collects together some of these rare songs that Glen sang for Elvis. Originally intended for The King’s ears only, fans of both legendary artists can now enjoy this discovered piece of history that has gone completely unknown about for more than a half a century. Many of the songs were made famous by Elvis in his movies with on-screen performances of tracks such as“Spinout,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Clambake” and “Stay Away Joe.” The album, available on CD, vinyl and digitally, opens with a newly constructed Glen-Elvis duet of the poignant gospel song “We Call on Him,” which fuses their voices together allowing listeners to hear how Glen set the stage for Elvis and how the two superstars would have sounded together.

Santa willing, this could be one hot mess of a Christmas party. The Tiki Collective (TTC) is a large ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists based in Toronto who have performed around Ontario for the past two years including jazz festivals, clubs and charity events. It is also the most slyly subversive of Jaymz Bee’s several bands and invariably brings the party. The stellar lineup is George Koller bass, Eric St-Laurent guitar, Great Bob Scott drums, Michael Davidson vibes, Bill McBirnie, flute. Vocalists include but are not limited to: Jaymz Bee, Jocelyn Barth, Lily Frost, John Finley, Heather Luckhart, Denielle Bassels, Irene Torres, Jessica Lalonde

The Tiki Collective's debut album 'Muse' has been taking North America by blizzard, charting on the Canadian "Earshot" as well as the American "Jazzweek" Charts.

It’s that time again folks, when Canada’s ambassadors of musical diversity, Sultans of String, take their show on the road with a Christmas flavour. Fresh off the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where their award-winning song "Snake Charmer" was included in the new film Hotel Mumbai, these string slingers are now set to take their Christmas Caravan show to venues across Canada and US for a special fundraising world music tour (calendar below).

The Christmas Caravan stops in Ontario with a date on Dec 13, 8pm at the Flato Markham Theatre with special guests Rebecca Campbell, Amanda Martinez, Donné Roberts, and Ken Whiteley for tickets call 905-305-7469 or log on at https://tinyurl.com/y9alew8l.

Sultans of String are fundraising partners with UNHCR, the United Nations Agency for Refugees in Canada. UNHCR is the world’s leading organization aiding and protecting people forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict and persecution. UNHCR provides shelter, food, water, medical care and other life-saving assistance to refugees around the world.

Cashbox Canada Magazine is hosting an International Indie Showcase at MIDEM June 4-7, 2019 Morrison’s Irish Pub, 10 rue Teisseire, Cannes, France. Cashbox Canada Magazine is soliciting submissions from export-ready companies with international experience who represent export-ready artists for the 17th annual showcase (formerly Canadian Blast) at Morrison’s Irish Pub (10 rue Teisseire, Cannes, France) during MIDEM.

For the past 17 years, Canada has presented showcases at MIDEM, providing Canadian music companies with a strategic opportunity to showcase their artists to the world's largest gathering of international talent and music buyers. This has emerged as the longest-running initiative at MIDEM. The tradition continues with Cashbox Canada Magazine presenting a full spectrum of indie music genres & styles from Canada and across the world.

The Showcase Package will be €1,500 (Eur) per showcase with a deposit required upon acceptance (fee schedule in the application form)

and will include the following:

Here’s a departure of sorts for singer/songwriter Andy Shauf. Growing up in scattered small towns across the Canadian prairies, the men of Foxwarren are Shauf (guitars/keys/vocals) and his childhood friends Dallas Bryson (guitar/vocals), brothers Darryl Kissick (bass) and Avery Kissick (drums & percussion) who eventually found themselves in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The initial sessions for their self-titled debut, out on Arts & Crafts in Canada, began ten years ago in the Kissicks’ parents’ farmhouse while they were away on vacation. Upon their return, Foxwarren was forced to relocate and recording resumed back in Regina in a rented house where the members lived as roommates. The band's name comes from the Kissick brothers’ family home in Foxwarren, Manitoba.

On November 22, 2018, Cashbox Magazine Canada presented another in its series of Cashbox Canada Legacy Awards in Toronto to a Canadian music industry builder and educator, John Harris. The presentation ceremony took place at Harris Institute in Toronto, a music industry school started by Harris in 1989.

The evening was attended by many of John’s contemporaries and fellow music industry icons and was highlighted by a live solo performance by Lisa Hartt, whom John managed. Hartt performed her hit ‘Old Time Movie’ and a moving version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tower of Song’, a perfect fit for John and the evening.

Cashbox CEO/Editor in Chief Sandy Graham presented the award to an emotional Harris who gave a heartfelt acceptance speech where he gave thanks to all who helped him on his journey with a special thanks to “two people who are unable to attend because of the distance, and it’s a really far distance, so thanks Mom and Dad who are up there” as he pointed up to heaven.

Momentum can be wonderful and coupled with drive, passion and talent it’s a beautiful thing to see. Myles Goodwyn, Canadian treasure and founder of legendary rock ‘n’ roll band April Wine, is riding a great wave of momentum right now that is sure to keep the light shining on him and his music.

His solo blues project, ‘Friends of the Blues’ is doing very well, probably even better than Myles expected. “I have wanted to make a blues album for a long time, I always loved the blues so it’s not like I ’m a newcomer to the genre. I grew up loving the records of Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and Muddy Waters and I would write these blues songs that weren’t suited to April Wine so I just banked them. I always knew that one day I would record them and that’s what I’ve done over the last couple of years. I’m so excited by the reaction and am just about done with Volume 2 and currently planning the third blues album.” 

The reaction commercially has been excellent, hopefully enough to get Goodwyn a Juno nomination this year. “I’ve never won a Juno, been nominated but never won. It would be an honor just to be nominated in the Blues category.”

Karimah, returned to her hometown of Edmonton, AB, after three weeks away at Calgary's National Music Centre, where she is participating in Canada's Music Incubator's Artist Entrepreneur West program.

"It was an honour to be asked to perform on the Alberta House stage, representing my province and hometown in front of audiences hailing from across Canada." - Karimah

On November 24, 7:45-8:15 PM, Karimah offered a solo performance, which doubled as a preview of her upcoming studio produced EP. She took her show one step further by performing with a American Sign Language interpreter (Nicole Sander of Nica Consolidated) an uncommon practice in the music industry.

"Accessibility is important to me, and since receiving feedback at the Black Arts Matter festival last year "Thank you for allowing me to hear music for the first time" from a deaf member of the audience, I have been interested in expanding musical reach to more audiences, namely the deaf community. I can't wait to keep working on making music more accessible and advocating for ASL interpreters to be a standard partner in live events". - Karimah