Ottawa singer Sherri Harding has paid her dues.

After years on the road in various bands, playing everything from juke joints in the Northwest Territories to Armed Forces shows in Bosnia and the Middle East, home beckoned, and she finally returned to Ottawa. Eventually, like many in a government town, she ended up in the Public Service, but lived a double life, often having her guitar under her desk, ready to head out to a gig directly after the 9 to 5 grind.

Check out “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” on YouTube here:

Sherri is thrilled to showcase her debut album A Million Pieces with a CD Release Party at The Gladstone Theatre on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:30 PM with special guest, Jeff Rogers.

Everyone has a few moments when everything falls into place and you feel really good about your life. Toronto based pop singer embodies this feeling with her new single, "Zone", a catchy pop song with hip-hop elements. Check it out on YouTube:

The song opens with an easygoing chorus that features the singer boasting about how in the zone she is and how she feels everything is going right for her. The song then transitions to the first verse, where the singer continues to ooze confidence with a carefree attitude.

"Doing me and feeling lovely, its on
Vibe all day then go from dusk until dawn
See no haters poof like nothing they gone
Live my life in the above and beyond"

Need a pick-me-up? “Regrets and Cigarettes” is what you need. The debut single by Toronto artist Nice Vice (a.k.a Seth Horst), out now, is a fiery radio-friendly rocker dedicated to everyone who’s “still in debt and making bets and trying to live that dream.”

Nice Vice is making their dream happen. His debut gig in January 2023 was sold out with the full-length coming out in May. And their riff-heavy take on honest rock’n’roll comes through loud and clear on “Regrets and Cigarettes.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Though the upbeat pop anthem sounds made for the dance floor, “C’est La Vie” was inspired by the isolation of Covid. Montt describes music as “what I breathe…what I live for.” And during difficult times like the pandemic, she says it provides a much-needed escape. Check it out on YouTube here:

Montt has been recognized for her singing from an early age. Her elementary and high school music teachers encouraged the talent, forming a band in which she performed lead vocals. When Montt was chosen as a finalist in a citywide school music competition in Buenos Aires, she decided singing wasn’t just a hobby for her – it was a profession.

Then, the pandemic hit. Separated from her family during the long months of strict lockdowns in her native Argentina, Montt found a lifeline when she turned to the web to connect with others through music.

It’s the year 2023, and the age of ironic, self-aware sarcasm in music seems to be fading into the rearview like a nighttime neon skyline. If there was ever a time for a callback to a more earnest and vulnerable vibe to music – pop, rock or otherwise – it’s now, and Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds are here to answer that call.

“In My Head” is a smooth, refined, and heartfelt ballad, one that feels as timeless as it does vintage. Frontman Jackson Reed’s decisive delivery is backed by warm harmonies and a subtle Rhodes synth, a sonic bedrock that marries a purely nostalgic form of pop and rock with an emotional frankness that resists the most alienating elements of 21st-century life. Check it out on YouTube here:

Niagara Falls, ON’s singer-songwriter and activist Danny Lamb is on a mission to make the world a better place for all. His latest effort is an anthemic blast of pure positivity called “Unique 2 Yourself.” It’s a reminder to follow your heart, to stay true to yourself, and to be patient with the process that it takes to discover your true, best self. Check it out on YouTube here:

 Growing up amongst the vineyards and wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lamb couldn’t help but be inspired by the lengthy journey it takes, from farm to table, for a wine to fully develop to its fullest potential.

“Cuz like wine gets better with age,” Lamb sings, “can’t be rushed, so stay inspired, in time, the world gets lighter, don’t lose your love in the face of a pressure, to be like everyone else.”

Vancouver-based rapper BLAK ACE has created a whirlwind of swagger and confidence in his new single "Blak Majik". Written by  BLAK ACE and the beat was produced alongside DJ KEMO, the song was recorded at Vanguard Music Studios. Check it out on YouTube here:

Most notably, the track features a fusion of jazzy horns and a steady hip-hop backbeat that compliments BLAK ACE's resolute rap delivery. Lyrically, the song discusses the personal obstacles that BLAK ACE has overcome in order to get to where he is now, before discussing broader issues that affect people's drive.

"Everyday expedition paid my tuition
I didn't pass math, but my art was pimpin'
Self-expression they say that we lack
I make them take those words back
When I spit these raps”

If you’ve ever really lived, then at some point you’ve had one of those wildly tumultuous relationships where you can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em. Toronto-based alt-rockers The Drifts capture such a bittersweet, intoxicating situation with their shimmery-and-shadowy new single “Breaking Every Bone” – check it out on YouTube here:

Featuring a dark, grungy bassline under glittering guitar, “Breaking Every Bone” explores the layers of an on-and-off relationship as singer Alyssa Holmes alternates between a near-whisper and a stadium wail. “It’s just so easy to crawl back to you/ I always stumble and fall back to you,” she confesses, and then the song builds and dissolves over the chorus:

The reggae vibe of Suzanne Cook’s new single, “Red Wine and Red Roses,” evokes sunshine, warm weather, and falling in love on the beach. It’s a fusion of Britpop and Reggae, the London sound shaking hands with the Caribbean.

Check out “Red Wine and Red Roses” on YouTube here:

Written by the British singer’s guitarist and regular collaborator Tim Devereaux, it’s the second single from Cook’s upcoming album, Waking Dream.

Cook says “Red Wine and Red Roses” was originally written to be a heavy rock song, but inspiration struck as the crack band she and Devereaux had assembled in a London studio began talking about their mutual love of Bob Marley.

You can feel it coming alright! You can literally feel that heavy drumbeat taking you on a journey, just before the electric sounds of the guitar relinquishes that angst in Midnight Miles’ newest single, “Coming On” – check it out on YouTube here:

The 5-piece vintage rock band from Montréal, Quebec lets it all out as they get set to introduce their Steal Away debut EP, dropping this Spring.

The latest release “Birthday” by Swedish alt-pop group The Magnettes at their finest and fiercest, merges their breezy melancholia with hard-hitting electronic drum beats, pulsating arpeggios, fiery guitar chords and howling synth pads in a do-or-die escapist anthem.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/4A4tYamkZHln1O4ZmEu9rw

Released and promoted by K51 Records and Warner Music Sweden, this track offers a taste of their upcoming sophomore album, kicking off a new year of live shows including stops at in UK, Canada, Czech Republic and Scandinavia.

The Magnettes hail from Pajala, Sweden, and have toured in 20 countries including performances at SXSW, Summerfest, Euro Pride, Golden Melody Awards, Canadian Music Week, Glasontonbury, Eurosonic, and The Great Escape.

A musician’s influence can be incredibly apparent in their sound but Albuquerque, New Mexico singer-songwriter Kàsh Mojo takes it one step further with a live electric cover of Sparklehorse’s 1999 live at Leeds indie clanger “Cow.” Check it out on YouTube here:

From Mojo’s debut album Buried or Replaced, he adds to Sparklehorse’s alluring dark landscapes, created in the original version of “Cow,” with his baritone voice building on the song’s already haunting lyrics with an addition of harmonious electric guitars.

The song builds with the listener being introduced to Mojo’s post-rock universe as it reaches a slow crescendo of emotions and brooding visions. Backed by a group of musicians from Austin, Texas, Mojo breathes new life into an indie classic.

The truth is out there - it just depends on where you look for it. If you are searching for the answers to some serious questions about the world we live in today, then look no further than the “Newspaper Man”, the newly released single by the talented rocker Scot Sier – check it out on YouTube here:

Sier sets the tone on his new track with a variety of fast-paced heavy guitar riffs that electrify your musical senses as he begins to tell the story of “Newspaper Man.”

“Newspaper Man on the corner.
I still don't know your name.
I see your face on the front page.
You look the same.”

Sometimes, the grind of everyday life can be overwhelming. When that happens, almost everyone has a place, thing, or person they turn to for a sense of comfort and peace.

Nigerian-born, Edmonton based pop singer Osasioo conveys this yearning for comfort in his new single, "Home". Written alongside his friend and manager Femi Sobaki, "Home" expresses the weariness and stress of everyday working people and how they cope.

Check it out on YouTube here:

With R&B influenced pop vocals that are reminiscent of Miguel's sultriness mixed with Owl City's down-to-earth whimsiness, Osasioo croons about the difficulty of getting by when everything seems to be going wrong.

Sony/Concore Entertainment recording artist John Preston announces new single “Be Real” off his upcoming album God Magik, both out now.

Check out “Be Real” on YouTube here:

Since 2014, when John Preston emerged into the music scene, the full-time Firefighter and Marine Corps Combat Veteran has been using his platform to advocate against suicide and open up the conversation surrounding mental health. He is also the founder of 22 and You, a movement to save the lives of first responders and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. His music focuses on making positive impacts in the world, and “Be Real” is another single making a difference.

True love can be a very powerful thing. It can make you feel complete, and provide you with purpose and strength. It’s something that you can’t let go of when you have it, and Harry Hannah certainly shows why on his latest single called, “Orion and Alya” – check it out on YouTube here:

 Even before the words come out of lead singer, Harry Hannah’s mouth, you can feel the love through the piano keys as it gently sways your mind into a sense of calm and then you hear the lyrics begin: “Darling I got a lot of feelings on my mind. Thinking you’re the one that I might never ever leave behind. And I think I can admit that even if you doubt that.”

Every human being is a miracle in their own right, and pop songstress Anna Goldsmith celebrates her own and others’ uniqueness in her high-energy, pop-punk and positivity-infused new single “Miracle” – check it out on YouTube here:

“Miracle” starts out with a driving beat and an infectious, Blondie-esque melody, and Anna talk-sings and then soars into the story of learning to discover her own way, and her own special gifts:

I am blinded
But it isn’t from the light
I don't understand myself
I’m gonna have to try
I can see it happening
My miracle’s inside 

Paris-born. Montreal, QC-based Jean-Michel Pilc’s artistry comes from an expansive imagination and a fearless sensibility of musical exploration. He is self-taught as a piano player and composer. There is liberty that comes with that, an unobstructed view of the palette of music and harmony. On his latest release, Symphony, Pilc realizes that fearlessness and freedom completely. As he explains, the genesis of the recording came in November 2021:

“Right after recording Spanish saxophonist Xose Miguelez’s excellent album Contradictio, and inspired by the perfect conditions at OJM Studios in Portugal - beautiful Steinway piano, perfect acoustics and technical conditions - I decided it was time for a 'special' session as part of my solo project, so Xose and José Trincado, our sound engineer, were kind enough to let me sit at the piano for as long as I wanted, improvise freely, and be recorded. 

Jean-Michel Pilc at The Crescent (first clip)

Wrené Nova’s latest “Deflect, Dissolve” is an anti-pop single weaving experimental electronica, ambient, and avant-garde elements through a haunting four-minute ballad that explores the pain of heartache and disconnection. The single also reinforces the concept of her forthcominalbum Metamorphosis which will be a sonic exploration through the process of change and the perspective that comes with passing time. Check out “Deflect, Dissolve” on YouTube here:

 “Deflect, Dissolve” may have been written during the recovery process of an emotionally wounding relationship but for the Toronto-based talent, Wrené hopes it “offers more than it being my own self-serving ‘breakup song,’” and that it can bring its own meaning to the listener.

Nostalgic cityscapes and urban grit inform “Fictional Dreamer,” the single from Toronto electro-shoegazers Jo Ryder. Check out on YouTube here:

 An audio-visual project that began when two friends were reminiscing about Toronto’s DIY music scene circa 2009, Jo Ryder is the duo of Lauralee Sheehan and Owen Norquay, two unique artists with interdisciplinary minds: Sheehan is an award-winning entrepreneur working in digital media who used to front the Lovely Killbots; Norquay is a music producer and photographer who plays bass in the Mooks and Simple Sailor. Together, they toy with analog and digital tools to create a mesmerizing soundscape that reflects on the isolation of modern life in a super-connected world. Fans of Beach House, Purity Ring and 1970s film soundtracks will find plenty to love here.