As the unpredictability of this new world continues to spiral, London, Ontario-based Pop/R&B vocal quartet The McAuley Boys are back to remind us about the importance of family and human connection with their uplifting new single “I Can’t Wait To See You Smile” – check it out on YouTube here:

Real-life brothers Gary, George, Mark, and Randy McAuley deliver a silky-smooth auditory experience with “I Can’t Wait To See You Smile” while reckoning with the cold new reality forced upon us by the polarizing global pandemic. George McAuley captures the spirit of the music when he says, “It’s a timeless song that has a far-reaching sentiment. We need more smiling and more love in our world today…and always.”

Award-winning singer/songwriter and Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Sarantos uses his charm to let the genie out of the bottle on his new single about the universal desire to achieve happiness with the retro-inspired EDM pop song “I Wish” – check it out on YouTube here:

Known for tackling deeply rich subjects through the magic of music, Sarantos delivers yet another profoundly personal song touching on the quest we’re all on to attain happiness. Sarantos captures the melancholy nature of life on “I Wish,” a track brimming with sonic personality that hooks you in with its catchy beat and synthy vibes.

Osas Igbinosun is a Nigerian-born artist based in Edmonton, AB who started his career by teaching himself songs on YouTube. His love for music began when he picked up his brother's abandoned guitar, and from the age of 16, he has been immersed in music, playing for his local church and worship team as a guitarist and singer. From there, it was a goal to only write songs that showcases Osasioo’s expansive voice like no other.

Listen to “Gravity” on YouTube here:

“I realized I was a trans woman between finishing and releasing this album. That presented me with an issue: I was ready to release this album but didn’t want to go through the release process under that old identity.”

Check it out on YouTube:

Those inspiring words come from Chicago-based Vanessa Thurlow aka co-founder of Opal Voss along with Kate Nikles, and as you can imagine, it’s as brave and bold as her 11-track pop-synth album that sheds light on her realized identity and viewing life through a lens of loss.

“Only in making these songs to work through the years of loss I’d experienced was I able to get a look at who I am separated from the circumstances of my life: Coming to terms with my identity as a trans woman, losing my father, COVID, difficult breakups, etc. I have always had a fair bit of distance from my identity.”

Your past doesn’t determine your future, you do - that’s the message of New Brunswick artist Upkvst’s newly-released single, “Midnight Club.”

Over a murky boom-bap beat that leaps the listener into a nighttime vibe, Upkvst delivers meaningful bars explaining the diamond in the rough mentality, shining in the dark, and pushing forward to forge a brighter future.

A Moncton-native, Upkvst has dealt with his share of troubles in his lifetime. The 24-year-old felt misunderstood and outcasted growing up, and it led to a dark path of substance abuse. But years of growth and reflection have lifted him from that place, and his confidence for his future will never falter. Everything moves up for Upkvst, the inspiration for the first two letters of his music moniker.

That mindset is central to “Midnight Club.”

Listen to “Midnight Club” on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/6YhznebFLTMCtgdcp3Lzsv?si=68adc7e05f764206&nd=1

The human cost of political inaction on gun violence and the meaningless “Thoughts and Prayers” from leaders that follow inevitable tragedy is the subject of Orangeville, Ontario-based rock band The Discarded and their provocative new single -

Inspired by the heavy toll and senselessness of gun violence across North America and the family unit within the band, The Discarded’s latest song, “Thoughts and Prayers,” accompanies a collection of exquisitely constructed tracks on the highly anticipated new album and soundtrack to the upcoming animated feature film, “The Getgoes.” The new record was produced, engineered, and mixed by JUNO award-winner and founder/owner of Green Door Studios, John Critchley (Elliott BROOD, Dan Mangan).

Indie folk-rocker Taylor Simpson is proud to announce the upcoming release of his sophomore album, “New Sights in a Familiar Place” on November 18, 2022.

Ahead of “New Sights in a Familiar Place,” Simpson has released the album’s first single, “Long Time Coming,” a nostalgia-riddled hymn to youth and indecision written and composed by Simpson and produced by Adriano Loparco of Stone Roof Studios.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Simpson’s new album will continue the concept and storyline introduced earlier this year in his full-length debut “Learning to Live with Precious Time,” diving deeper into his struggles with mental health issues, the complications of modern romance and the death of his parents.

Singer/songwriter Mark Oproiu and his mononymous named band – featuring Chris Tondreau (lead/rhythm guitars, production); Calvin Beale (bass guitar); Michael Farina (drums/percussion); and Joel Joseph (keyboards) have released their debut single “Need Your Love.” The incessant, groove-oriented rock pastiche finds Mark Oproiu snarling over a tribal beat while guitars are ablaze. The band perfectly emulates the raw emotion and drive that Mark dreamed of as a child.

Check it out on YouTube here:

The ever-collaborative methods of artist/producer nasmore and his chameleon-esque approach to the art of making music have seen his songs find incredible success in a stunning variety of different styles over the course of the past year. As he surges into 2022, he’s returned with a slice of Stadium Rock.

Check it out on YouTube here:

It’s getting harder and harder to trust in the political process these days, no matter where you are, and German alt-rock band Joe’s Groove Huddle captures some of that distrust and uncertainty in their pumping new single “Believe Me” –

Combining the driving, hard-hitting pound of stadium heavy metal with the funktastic groove of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Believe Me” treats the topic of a politician speaking out of both sides of his mouth. “Writing the lyrics, I was wondering how many political decisions are influenced by lobbyists, and where that will lead in the decades to come,” said bassist Jochen “Joe” Kinzig.

Hear my message in disguise
On the radio
And I’m sure you’ll pay the price
When it comes to show

The fire of passion and desire is perhaps no more evident in a dance form than it is in flamenco. The famous, entrancing Spanish dance has been deemed part of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage for its spirited incorporation of poetry, singing or cante, specific flamenco style guitar and the dance movements themselves.  It’s much more than a dance style and a perfect way for international award winning, multi-disciplinary singer-songwriter, actor and dancer Harriet Chung to present her songwriting debut, “Place for Dreams”.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/7fuhIVc87Qct2OH5RkUA2H?si=sfhDkJCOQjGSK6gJpwMoxg&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1

A captivating tale of love and loss conveyed through the rhythmic hand claps and percussive guitar that are hallmarks of flamenco, “Place For Dreams” is an ideal showcase for Chung to channel her own creative fire.

Comprised of an intricate blend of pop fundamentals and Waterloo, ON’s Jai Bentley’s unique brand of laid-back heartbreak, this breakout artist brings a one-of-a-kind stylization to the ever-shifting plain of pop music with his newest single, “I Met The Devil,” – check it out on YouTube here:

Known primarily for his contributions to the rap genre, Jai Bentley is no stranger to genre-bending to tell a convincing story. Bentley’s stories of heartbreak and love are riveting, to say the least, making “I Met The Devil” a welcome addition to this young artist’s ever-growing catalog of music.

Singer/Songwriter/Square Dance Caller/Early Childhood Musician Hannah Shira Naiman is releasing her 3^rd full length album out October 7^th. Alongside is a video for the sprightly song “The Grouse.” Check it out on YouTube here:

The Wheels Won’t Go will be available on all major platforms and the video will be on YouTube.

Honoured with Traditional Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for her album Know the Mountain (2016), Hannah Shira Naiman combines her powerful songwriting and impressive musicianship to deliver exciting contemporary versions of traditional music she was raised on.

Probing intensely poignant themes of self-destruction and relationship turmoil, Chris Caulfield turns pain into alleviative art in “Walls Come Down,” a new single out September 2nd, 2022. The track melds unblemished trap beats with impassioned, 2000s emo-rock sensibilities, akin to the genre-bending amalgam of artists like Machine Gun Kelly and iann dior.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/artist/7g3mUTTgFVHHjfSW8UUXRU

The single chronicles a harrowing conversation between Caulfield and his wife, who sings alongside him on the song. In the Fall and Winter of 2021, the couple experienced a trying strife that tested their 12 years of marriage, but they came out stronger on the other side, creating a contemplative, conversational song that pulls at the heartstrings with the umbra of achingly familiar pain.

Chris Antonik, whose album, Morningstar, still sits at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report, has released a blues/hip hop hybrid single, “Trust in Me,” something a little different for the chart-topping blues-rock guitarist who has always pushed the boundaries of blues.

Check it out on YouTube here:

"I wrote this song as a commentary on how toxic, childish, and mean politicians were becoming in the media in the years leading up to the pandemic,” says the Toronto-based musician. “As a single parent, I needed to work extra hard to drown it out and outweigh it with positive behaviour examples for my kids because there was no help from the top.  How we talk to people is important and it's incredible how crazy the world was getting in this respect."

Toronto-based musical collective, Art of Time Ensemble, come together to celebrate Canada’s best poetic export, Leonard Cohen, with their album ‘Songs of Leonard Cohen Live'. Released on September 29th. The collaborative group of Canadian musicians from the world of jazz and classical music came together in 2018 and over three nights recorded the live album in front of a captive audience.

They also partnered with fifteen Canadian authors and poets on this album, many of whom knew Leonard Cohen personally.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Tim “Timber” Masterson has been in and amongst Toronto, ON’s music scene for as long as he could remember. His earliest memories came from listening to his mother play the family’s 100-year-old Steinway piano, an instrument he now uses to compose his own songs. As a young adult, Masterson was a part of the city’s art party scene where he was inspired to make his own music. Heavens So Dark is Masterson’s first attempt at a full album. It’s the result of his artistic journey up to this point – playing piano at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, guitar at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, and organizing warehouse jams in Toronto and New York.

The Damn Truth, celebrated Montreal rock and roll band, today announced a September 10, 2022 show in Toronto at the storied venue El Mocambo before launching their United Kingdom Tour in October 2022.

The Damn Truth includes Lee-la Baum (lead vocals, guitars), Tom Shemer (lead guitar, vocals), PY Letellier (bass, vocals), and Dave Traina (drums, vocals). The band’s third album, Now or Nowhere, showcases their definitive sound and explores the deeper side of the band, current times, and everything else in today’s tumultuous world. In addition, three noted Grammy Award winners are featured on the album: Bob Rock, Vance Powell, and Nick DiDia.

Lead singer Lee-la Baum says, “I believe that we are here on this planet to connect with one another and leave this world a better place once we've left  it. That is our mission in every Damn Truth concert- to connect and share love wherever we go.”

Check out YouTube:

Award-winning, JUNO-nominated, Oshawa-native group Wednesday is set to be named a Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame Award recipient at this year’s Oshawa Music Awards - The OMAs.

The 2022 Oshawa Music Awards will take place Thursday, September 29th, and are proudly presented by Durham Region Economic Development and Tourism, 360insights, Spark Centre, Trent University Durham GTA, and Durham College.

A chance meeting in Oshawa in July 1967 of Paul Andrew Smith and Randy Begg set the seed that became Wednesday. Randy and Paul spent the summer hanging out, playing impromptu concerts at local Oshawa parks and drop-in centres until meeting up with Mike O’Neil and John Dufek. The Cellophane Spoon was formed and managed by John Hall until 1971 when the task was taken over by Bill Diel, a former keyboardist with Ronnie Hawkins and Fats Domino. In 1970 the name was changed to Wednesday with the release of their first single ‘Hang On Girl’, recorded in Toronto and produced by John Driscoll and released on Ampex Records.

Pianist Taurey Butler is a native of East Orange, New Jersey and now makes his home in Montreal. During his last year of high school, a prescient teacher, who was also a distinguished percussionist, Barry Centanni handed Butler a CD of Oscar Peterson and advised him to listen. He did, and from then on, he knew where he was going. ”I didn't know a piano could do that!" he recalls and began to focus more on jazz studies.

With his self-titled debut, released on Justin Time Records in 2011, Butler firmly established his signature artistry in his adopted home base – he is a well-known and favorite performer in Montreal’s preeminent jazz clubs, including Dièse Onze, the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill and the illustrious Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. He has toured internationally with stops in Asia, the Middle East, and in the USA including New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club and The Cotton Club in New Orleans as well as the Detroit and JVC Jazz Festivals.