UK Band Pays Tribute To Canada With WONDERS OF THE YUKON Name, But Makes Alt.Folk For The World

Fri Jun 05, 2020

British alt-folk, alt-Americana ‘Indie for Grownups’ act Wonders of the Yukon have released their newest single, “Cartoon Dreams.” They’ve also revealed Woty.

“It’s a tale of existential angst with a liberal sprinkling of surrealism and absurdism,” band co-front Andy Campbell shares. “It considers the dichotomy between religion and evolution, and pits God against Darwin.

“Faith against genetics,” counterpart Dave Langdale adds.

Watch and listen to “Cartoon Dreams” here:

Set on a bouncing backdrop of squelching guitars and laser-guided melodies, “Cartoon Dreams” captures the stark sense of one’s own mortality. “But this is balanced with random meanings using the William Burrough’s ‘cut up’ technique famously employed by David Bowie,” Langdale continues of the dream-like quality the track takes on. “Afterall, what is life but a sequence of random events?”

“Life is but a dream, right…?” Campbell offers.

Winnipeg Rockers D2UR Know Where They’re Going with NEW Video, “Little Sunshine”

Fri Jun 05, 2020

Insatiable Canadian modern rock outfit  D2UR show little mercy in their haunting, textured and sensory-laden new single, “Little Sunshine”.

Co-fronts Diane Isbister and Mike Isbister — plus Dave Sikorski-Thorn, John Colburn, and Stephen Broadhurst — bring their signature driven rhythms to the forefront in the riff-filled rock piece and serve “Little Sunshine” as the latest in a trifecta of their most recently released new tracks.

“‘Little Sunshine’ spins a tale of deceit and lies,” Diane says of “Little Sunshine.”

“It’s a rock n’ roll tale of abuse and sadness,” Mike adds. “Draped in bombastic rock layers, of course.”

Watch and listen to “Little Sunshine” here:

Such sound is par for the course for the no-nonsense, fluff-free and straight-to-the-point singer/songwriters who draw inspiration from the likes of Aerosmith, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Whitesnake, and Sass Jordan, to name a few.

Carolyn Fe Releases “Jerusalem’s Thorns: Civilian Remix” in Honour of Asian Heritage Month

Fri Jun 05, 2020

When it came to her new release “Jerusalem’s Thorns: Civilian Remix,” artist Carolyn Fe wrangled a tough decision: How does one choose between two creations cut from the same cloth?

“‘Jerusalem’s Thorns: Civilian Remix’ is closer to my heart than the version released on the album,” Fe shares candidly. The version is aggressive with a military tone that accompanies tribal sounds alluding to a battle cry stemming from her deepest wounds, she expands. “It’s like a purging of poisons and toxins from (my) soul to rebuild a new normal.”

Originally from the album Sugat Ko — translating to ‘My Wound’ in her native tongue of Tagalog — “Jerusalem’s Thorns” was the collective choice of Fe’s bandmates. “They liked the organic and not-so aggressive vibe of the tune, which was a cry and scream of frustration as (my) wounds healed,” she offers.

In both versions of the song, those tribal percussions introduce the listener — and brings Fe closer — to her Filipino roots as she continues to further her version of the Blues genre.

Award-Winning Toronto Rock Trio Black Creek Reign Release NEW Single “The Rain”

Fri Jun 05, 2020

Award-winning and critically acclaimed Canadian band Black Creek Reign have unleashed their newest single, “The Rain”.

Beckoning back to the glory days of guitar-centric bar rock — we’re talking inspirational nods to the likes of Santana, Hendrix and Chicago — Black Creek Reign and members Darren Armoogam, Lex Stultz, and Jake Birman harness their signature blend of rock, funk, with dashes of reggae, pop and jazz, in this, their latest sonic offering.

“We captured ‘The Rain’ on purely analogue equipment,” the band says of the track. “The melodic idea was conceived almost instantly while rehearsing in a studio downtown Toronto… We wanted to blend both old and new sounds.

“Lyrically, though, we took our time,” they add. “We wanted the song to have a deeper resonance that’s more personal to us.

“That said, we also tried to follow in the footsteps of legendary songwriters like The Beatles and the Eagles and leave the meaning of the song open to the interpretation of the audience.

“Like, is it a cathartic call to a past lover? A fractured relationship being dealt a final nail in the coffin? Is it about the weather?

Canadian Alt. Pop/Rockers Century Surfers Release The Wave!

Fri Jun 05, 2020

Canadian alt/pop/rockers Century Surfers - made up of 10 year multi-band scene staple musician and Howard Stern Comedy Contributor Roddy Colmer along with popular News Anchor and Toronto Guitarist Jamie Gutfreund have released their newest single and video, "The Wave".

Roddy: Jamie and I were both grunge kids so we grew up listening to Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and Alice In Chains etc. Those bands are definitely noticeable influences in our music, but we’re not really trying to sound like any of them. I think if you try too hard to sound like another band you end up just becoming a watered-down version of them. It’s more of the spirit and energy those bands had that we feel is missing in rock music today…that’s what we are trying to capture.

We obviously want to sound current too, we listen to a lot of the new rock and pop music that is coming out and our producer Dusty Chesterfield has been doing some really cool things on the production side with some of the sounds and techniques that he is using to keep it sounding like it was recorded in 2019 even though the music itself feels like a throwback.

David Knopfler Last Train Leaving

Fri May 29, 2020

Submitted by Iain Patience

David Knopfler is a UK musician who probably needs little introduction. A founding member of the legendary rock outfit, Dire Straits, he left his brother, Mark and the band behind many years ago, long before it met its inevitable demise,  to pursue his own independent music career. And it must be said maybe the music world has benefitted from his free-spirited outlook. With many solo albums behind him, Knopfler has carved out a successful career across much of Europe where his gigs are invariably sold out and his fan-base eagerly anticipate his regular tours.

With ‘Last Train Leaving,’ Knopfler delivers an album that at times feature his fine keyboard skills and always his elegant fretwork, never overpowering but always skilfully and masterfully understated. Surprisingly there’s even some Dylanesque harp at times. It’s hard not to love particular tracks above others, and for me, ‘All The Fun Of The Fair,’ is one of those simply wonderful cuts, poignant recollections and a warmth at its heart making it little short of irresistible.

Alt-Folk Rock-Country Duo FRESH BREATH Share Fresh & Positive Perspective in Two New Singles

Fri May 29, 2020

With over 100,000+ streams across Spotify, award-winning Canadian alt-folk rock-to-blues country duo Fresh Breath are sharing some fresh and positive perspective in their two new singles, “Tomorrow Today” and “Make It Together” — both available now.

“‘Tomorrow Today’ was written during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Katie Pascoe recalls. “Josh was playing the piano riff one day during our isolation, and I thought of the lyrics on the spot.

“The song is inspired directly by the health care heroes and front line workers out there that are choosing daily courage over fear, and fighting for our ‘Tomorrow Today.’”

Watch “Tomorrow Today” by Fresh Breath (Official Video)

“Production was unique to this track,” Josh Pascoe adds, citing the restrictions that come with social distancing and isolation. “We recorded at our home studio and shared the files to our producer, Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios.”

Electro Artist Fonkynson Releases Genre-Bending, Thought-Provoking LP, Falling

Fri May 29, 2020

Canadian future house electro artist Fonkynson’s genre-pushing creative heavy lifting is Falling into place with the release of his newest album.

Falling is an album where I took time and perspective about my music,” the Montreal-based artist says of the LP, touching on how it weaves a series of social flash points into a genre that doesn’t often touch such. “It reflects what I have been through the past years, musically and personally.

Watch “Falling” here:

“I wanted something else, more ‘mature’ music and less ‘club’ music. Music you can listen to on your couch and is still relevant.”

Like the album’s title track, designed to serve as an immersive, self-reflective sonic cocoon. “I wanted it to be a song you can lose yourself into, let your feelings be expressed, go inward… An introspection, of sorts, but also a song you can close your eyes and dance to and let yourself go.

Crystal Shawanda Releases “When It Comes To Love” Video from Her Church House Blues Album

Fri May 29, 2020

Penned by Shawanda and her husband/guitarist/producer Dewayne Strobel, the bittersweet ballad “When It Comes To Love” was the first single released from Church House Blues.

Watch and listen to “When It Comes To Love” here:

With regard to the video, Shawanda says, “For this song we initially had different ideas for the video, and planned to shoot it at home in Nashville, but due to the pandemic we’ve sort of been stuck in my hometown Wiikwemkoong reserve, in Canada, and were limited. So some of the footage is from a live show last year, and the rest was filmed by my Husband/guitar player Dewayne Strobel, and he and our little girl Zhaa Zhaa became my costars. I realize now it turned out the way it was meant to, because that’s what this song is all about, holding on for love. Kieth Holding was the video editor, and took all our home footage in a very creative way and made magic.

Jeff Orson Releases New Single “Pray” to Raise Funds Towards COVID-19 Relief

Fri May 22, 2020

With 18,000+ views and counting, Oakville, ON-based contemporary country singer/songwriter Jeff Orson and his new single “Pray” is connecting fans around the world while raising funds towards COVID-19 relief.

“I received an email from the editor-in-chief of a popular travel e-zine, The Moodie Davitt Report,” Orson recalls on “Pray” and its original origins. “Martin Moodie asked me to compose an anthem for the hard-hit travel industry in Europe, and other parts of the world.”

“I went away with the idea and really thought about it… I really started to take in what the scope of the virus was, and the impact it was having on the world.”

“It really struck me how — even beyond the travel industry — the song could serve as a way of reaching out to people feeling isolated and uncertain.”

“From there, I wrote ‘Pray’ in a few days,” he continues. “Martin’s idea was to hold a remarkable fundraiser and share the song with the world to raise money for the UNICEF COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”

British Art-Psych Jazz-Rockers Hill Take You On an Avant-Garde Trip in New Video “We Are In Your Garden”

Fri May 22, 2020

You can’t say they didn’t announce themselves or weren’t polite about it: British avant-garde jazz-rockers Hill have released their cosmically surfable new video for “We Are In Your Garden”.

“‘We Are In Your Garden’ is thematically centred on an allegory of gnomes in a garden,” frontman Pete The Beet — known to his library card as Maltese-born Russian multi-instrumentalist Pete Piskov. “We are all the gnomes and the garden is the world.

“Some ‘velvet capped,’ and others who ‘don’t want to disturb.’”

If it sounds trippy, it’s because it is.

That’s who Hill is, from main composer, string strummer, vocalizer and flautist Mr. Beet, to cosmic mumbler, bassista and dancer Willow Bumble, to tom tom and symbolist James the Seel.

Their burgeoning brand of psychedelic sojourns look deeply into the future and the past, lucidly laying claim to inspiration in everything around them. “Our music isn’t just for the sake of sound,” Piskov offers. “But for the sake of life.”

Matriarch of the Blues Dalannah Asks What We’re ALL Thinking In 2020: “What The Hell Is That”

Fri May 22, 2020

Canadian matriarch of the blues and veritable force of musical nature Vancouver-based Dalannah wants to know “What The Hell Is That” when it comes to the state of the world in her empowering single and exceptionally powerful video.

Watch and Listen to “What The Hell Is That” here:

“This song is simple in its structure with a message of disdain for what is,” she says. “It’s a musical commentary on the state we are in.

“This conspired notion that everything is a commodity and ‘for sale’ in today’s landscape? Some of us who have been through the wars of change, resistance, and honouring our time have gone ‘under cover,’ so to speak, but still holding on to what we hold dear: The ability and opportunity to live beyond the manipulation of society with our core values and beliefs, (and that) every person has the right to live in a land of equality and equal freedoms.”

Montreal’s Alt Rock Artist & Hoan Frontman Alex Nicol Says it’s All For Nada

Fri May 22, 2020

Canadian alt-rock singer/songwriter and Hoan frontman Alex Nicol has released a new album All For Nada — and single “Two Times A Charm” — via Anniversary and Michel Records.

Directed and edited by Alexander Maxim Seltzer, and produced by Nada Termerinski and AMS Films, the video for “Two Times A Charm” serves as a lushly fevered, retro-drenched dream into the prickly and uncomfortable deception of understanding.

Watch and listen to “Two Times A Charm” here:

“We know that we don’t control the flow of our ideas, and that they are, by nature, difficult to understand,” Nicol expands. “And sometimes, even if we like to think we have ‘overcome’ feelings, thoughts or behaviours from the past, we are actually deceived by a false sense of self-awareness.

A Love Song Gone Wrong - “All Fall Down” Released by Joshua Sade James

Fri May 15, 2020

It’s a love song gone wrong for Kitchener/Waterloo’s singer/songwriter and multi-talented artist Joshua Sade James and his new single, “All Fall Down.

Fresh from his forthcoming sophomore album release, JSJ — slated for June of this year — “All Fall Down” was written about mistrust, dishonesty, and miscommunication in a relationship. “Without these core attributes enforced by love, we… ‘All Fall Down,” he explains.

Watch and listen to “All Fall Down” here:

First written about three years ago, the song’s bittersweet inspiration was related to a relationship and breakup he’d had while in college. “It allowed me to do a lot of self-reflection,” he shares.  “I wrote the song after the second time we broke up, and just got to think about how truly toxic we were towards each other. “All Fall Down” serves as a preview for what’s to come from the artist’s upcoming EP, JSJ (Joshua Sade James).

JONT's Releases Exuberant New Single, "Thank You For My Happiness"

Fri May 15, 2020

Overflowing with unbridled joy and cheerfully unexpected moments, Canadian alt-folk and dance-pop artist Jont delivers a candid message with the release of his new single, “Thank You For My Happiness” — available now!

Electronic beats — plus a choir, string quartet, sitar and harmonium for good measure — all hold and share space on the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based singer/songwriter’s most recent sonic offering. The track follows this spring’s latest single, “I Think It Could Be Possible” and accompanying video that included sing-along submissions from around the world.

That said: Despite “Thank You For My Happiness” being one of the catchiest, most infectious and jubilant tunes Jont credits to his repertoire, its genesis stems from feeling decidedly the opposite. “It’s inspired by opening my heart to my lover about something I thought they would reject me for,” he shares. “Instead, I found acceptance and empathy.

Watch and Listen to “Thank You For My Happiness” here:

Baroque-Pop Art-Rocker GROTOKO Starkly Symbolic in New Video, “Mister”

Fri May 15, 2020

When it comes to Grotoko, the new single and video “Mister” offers a landmark in the art-rock, baroque-pop artist’s growing and ever-fluid body of work.

The brainchild of Montreal-based, Winnipeg-born multi-instrumentalist, composer and visual artist Blue McLeod, Grotoko’s sound pulls from grunge, folk, punk, and classical genres and kneads them together with the artist’s experiences and the world around. “I often use confessional, optimistic, sarcastic, or sometimes nearly nonsensical lyrics to describe various experiences and emotions,” McLeod says of the multifaceted creative outlay. “There’s also a wide variety of musical colours and textures to create a sort of collage of sounds, when words might not necessarily be enough.

“‘Mister’ was written almost entirely on the spot,” McLeod continues, adding that it was written about a highly personal experience. “Now it’s a song that seems to change tone every time I perform it.

Watch and listen to “Mister” here:

Glen Foster is ‘Not Far Away’ with new single “Do Like You Do”

Fri May 15, 2020

Life and death. Love and hate. Wealth and poverty. Sickness and health. Whatever it is you want in this life — or want to avoid in this life — it might be closer than you think. "Time, distance, events: They're all relative," he says. "Some things seem like they're a long way off when in fact they're very close, while other things seem so close when they're actually far off. Life is full of coincidences and connections and uncertainty."

That's never been truer than today. Even so, there are still some things you can count on — like the impeccable craftsmanship, stellar musicianship and life-affirming positivity this respected B.C. veteran always brings to the table.

Watch and Listen to “Do Like You Do.” Here:

Francine Honey Releases a Double Single of “I Can Carry On”

Fri May 15, 2020

International award-winning Leamington, ON-based singer/songwriter and recording artist Francine Honey has released a double single — both solo and a duet — for her newest song, “I Carry On” and it is available now.

The song is a testament to the human spirit and its ability to overcome the challenges that life throws our way. It asks the question: Where does this courage come from?

Co-written and recorded with Honey’s songwriting friend and neighbour, Robert Gray, “I Carry On” is the second single released in anticipation of Honey’s upcoming fifth project, 2020 Vision — a chronicle of her life story so far in song. The double album due out later this year follows the Fall 2019 single release of “Red Sky” and full-length Holiday album, Take Me To The North Pole.

Watch and listen to “I Carry On” here:

Alt Pop/EDM Prodigy Mikalyn Lands Global Remix for Single “Close”

Fri May 08, 2020

Canadian dark-pop/alt prodigy Mikalyn Hay — and co-write partner EDM and pop artist Xtro (Chris Graham) — has dusted off an earlier fave for a fresh remix with a global vibe in “Close” — available now!

Discovered by International label and management outpost Reven, “Close feat. Mikalyn & Xtro” was reimagined by Brazilian bass/future/tech house artist RQntz (Requintes) and Russian EDM duo 39 Kingdom for the Spring 2020 release.

RQntz, 39 Kingdom - CLOSE (Lyric Video) ft. Mikalyn & Xtro
https://youtu.be/a3MpfdmOy80

Toronto Swamp Rockers Flamingo Bay Release New Single "Capiche"

Fri May 08, 2020

Quoted from their website: “Stumblin' out of the Canadian swamps; Flamingo Báy plays bad ass rock n' roll. Your favourite band's favourite band was born in the Prairies but have been based in Toronto for a few years now. They have recently recorded some new tunes with producer Moe Berg and engineer Robert Nation at E-MAC Studios in London, Ontario. Crank 'em up and enjoy the ride. Dig it.”

The new track "Capiche" was produced by Moe Berg and recorded by Robert Nation at E-Mac Studio in London, Ontario, the 3 minute track is 100% Canadian content!

Watch and listen to "Capiche" here:
https://youtu.be/Gsk-EX6QKIo

Flamingo Bay are:
Dillon Henningson - Guitar/Vocals
Kris Gies - The Bass/Vocals
Vince Rankin - Drums/Vocals