With a voice CBC calls “incredibly earnest” with an “honest purity,” Canadian singer/songwriter Alex Whorms continues to shine in her favourite holiday song, releasing a video covering Joni Mitchell’s “River” as the season swings into full-gear. 

“Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ has been my favourite Christmas song for years,” says the Ajax-born, the Hamilton-based artist of her affections for the track, originally released in 1971. “I heard it for the first time when I was about 13… My family was watching an old rerun of ‘Ally McBeal’ — it was the episode where Robert Downey Jr’s character sang it, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful the song was. 

“I immediately looked up the lyrics and taught myself how to play it on the piano. 

“I’ve pulled it out, again and again, every year.” 

“It’s cool for me that the lyrics mention ‘skating away’ because I was a competitive figure skater for most of my life,” she marvels. “Skating is extremely therapeutic for me… It feels like flying.

Watch “River” here: https://youtu.be/XlqH7o77D8A

Royal Tusk are ready to share a new lyric video for their song, Die Knowing. The track is from their latest project, Tusk II, released via Entertainment One in 2018. In addition, Royal Tusk will kick off a new decade with a coast-to-coast tour across Canada for their Thunder on the Tundra tour, alongside Brkn Love, Sights & Sounds and Ready The Prince. See below for full details.

Watch Die Knowing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu-qpkzSIJQ

Blue-collar troubadours from the Great White North, Royal Tusk are steadfast champions of the majesty of kickass riffs, meaty hooks, a thick bottom end, and loud guitars. The four-piece band born in Edmonton, Alberta mount a high-octane assault on the lazy security blanket, self-aware irony of hipsters and the disingenuous commercial pandering of rock poseurs alike.

Canadian indie folk-rocker Antoine Perreault has released his newest album, Folks I Know, and acoustic video for “My Something”.

Watch “My Something” (Acoustic version) here:
https://youtu.be/5miOo886xQE

Antoine Perreault Is a Montreal singer-songwriter, who started his love of vocals when he sang in choirs as a young boy. As a teen, beatbox and guitar we’re his two ways to get through high school. Then, he went to study music in college, but couldn’t dive in the institutionalized perspective of it.

You may have seen Eric Schenkman on stages before thousands of fans worldwide with the Spin Doctors. He is one of the band’s not-so-secret weapons — a vital songwriter and a virtuoso guitarist who crafted the ‘90s band and co-wrote all five of their Top 100 hits. He also worked with Chico Hamilton, Carly Simon, Natalie Merchant, Noel Redding, Phoebe Snow, and Corky Laing, among many other notable musicians.

His self-produced third solo album, WHO SHOT JOHN? showcases the many sides of Schenkman, from raw, rockin’ blues to funk/soul/pop. With its elemental lineup of guitar, bass and drums, and songs that seldom stray beyond three chords, it’s radio-friendly and familiar enough to draw listeners in. After that, the complexities reveal themselves. The proof is in the beats, in the intimacy of those late nights on stage and through every moment of WHO SHOT JOHN? Every track digs in deep and doesn’t let go, thanks to Schenkman’s voice, commanding guitar and powerfully emotional lyrics.

It’s album number 17 for Canada’s best-selling and longest-running kid’s music group! MINI POP KIDS have officially released their newest takes on today’s hottest pop songs, including the original track “Who You Are”.

Watch Who You Are - Mini Pop Kids (Original Song) [Official Music Video] here:
https://youtu.be/bgIEpZ9wbis

The latest in the now-iconic compilation series lands as the legendary family entertainment group head south to perform in California and Minnesota to perform the album on their biggest release weekend in history. The MINI POP KIDS has officially announced The Bright Lights Concert Tour with more than 45 shows in over 30 cities across the country and U.S. — including the first-time tour stops in Newfoundland, Quebec, Vancouver, Sault Ste. Marie, Ft. McMurray, Prince Albert, Lloydminster, and MORE!

Myles Goodwyn brought his blues band to Toronto’s iconic listening venue Hugh’s Room for one night only and it was epic. Goodwyn and his stellar four-piece band, consisting of drummer J.R. Smith, Bruce Dixon on bass, Warren Robert on lead guitar and Ross Billard on keys were in town to promote Myles’ standout new album Friends of the Blues 2. I arrived early, at about 7 PM for an 8:30 PM start and was pleased to see the room already packed with an enthusiastic and anticipatory crowd. The age demographic was wide, some older and some kids and some happy couples enjoying seeing rock royalty up close and personal.

Award-winning avant-garde electro-popstress Mauve ushers in a “Brand New” era with the release of her newest single — as well as her debut EP, Palette.

The Canadian singer/songwriter best known for infusing chill-bop pop tracks with distinctly infectious hints of tropical house and RnB, is quickly garnering recognition. Mauve was nominated for a 2018 Niagara Music Award for “Best New Artist” and her single “Come Around” won top honours at the 2019 InterContinental Music Awards for “Best of North America.”

With tracks topping upwards of 450,000 streams across Spotify, she has also been featured by NBC-2, FOX40 News, ABC7 News, CBC Music, 107.3 Virgin Radio, Buzz Music LA, Talk About Pop Music, WFMZ-TV 69, Best Kept Montreal, Tinnitist, KOTV-TV CBS-6, IndieCan Radio on SiriusXM and many more.

A Tribe Called Red have released the official music video for their latest single, Ba Na Na. The video follows track vocalists, Haviah Mighty and Odario, as strangers who are unwittingly brought together by Toronto’s Caribana Festival and end up joining forces to celebrate the day. Have a look here.

The video was produced by Jon Riera and Connor Illsley and directed by Jon Riera and Aidan Shipley from Toronto based company, COMBO BRAVO – who have teamed up with Tribe in the past for their videos, Indian City and Suplex. Taking place at Caribana – as Haviah Mighty references in the song’s chorus – the video visually reflects the track’s lyrical themes of coming together in celebration and enjoyment. 

Known for his catchy pop melodies, Peter Foldy has enjoyed musical success on labels such as Capitol/EMI and Quality Records in Canada as well as Polydor and RCA Records in the US. Following the warm reception for his 2016 CD, “Nine Lives,” the two-time Juno Award nominee is back with an infectious, thought-provoking, three-part CanCon pop/dance single, TOXIC WORLD.

JUNO Award-nominated and award-winning reggae and music master Jay Douglas drops “Jah Children” available now from Slammin Media and worldwide by Believe Distribution.

The track features iconic Jamaican dance hall DJ General Trees and a remix by JUNO Award-winning Canadian reggae artist Dubmatix.

As Douglas sings, “we live in a land, we got so much to give thanks for,” the track lands as an optimistic ode, aiming to shine light through the many social and political issues plaguing the world.

“Three years ago, I performed at a reggae festival in Toronto with General Trees as the headliner,” Douglas recalls how “Jah Children” and the collaboration came to be. “I was so impressed with his performance… He had the audience in his hands.

“Red Sky is a gritty, dreamy and ethereal flight echoing the fear, exhilaration and transformation experienced during times of change. As the sunset sky transitions to red, you free fall into change. On the other side of the red sunset sky is the red sky of dawn.  You find your wings and enjoy flying and soaring within your experience.” — Francine Honey

"Red Sky" is the first single that follows Honey's critically acclaimed album 'To be continued…' which continues to see airplay from CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, SiriusXM, Folk Roots Radio ++ across Canada, the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Netherlands & more.

Watch Red Sky (Official Music Video) here:
https://youtu.be/osnFr90VpQo

Canadian hip hop artist Rawmny Wildcat is laying the groundwork for his “Legacy” — releasing the first single off his forthcoming LP of the same name.

The bright chord riffs on “Legacy” bring the track back to an 80s, near-vintage sound while carrying elements from the current state of trap. Produced alongside Nabil ‘Nabsolut’ Benmiloud, the song started as just an experiment when the two were jamming, and discussing dreams.

Speaking of experimenting, that “Legacy” would start that way mirrors how Rawmny Wildcat — pronounced ‘Raw Money’ and formerly known as Rasselas — first started; the Toronto-based rapper took to playing around with music after his family relocated to Montreal from Ethiopia.

Influenced by soul, Motown, 80s and 90s hip hop and traditional Ethiopian sounds, Wildcat took to the craft during his younger school years in the Canadian metropolis.

Canadian singer/songwriter Joshua James can look to one thing in common with Julius Caesar, circa 49 BC; after a solid decade of self-proclaimed stalemates, the Saskatoon-based rocker has readied a mission to the point of his own ‘no return’ with the forthcoming release of Crossing the Rubicon, and the new single "Diana” is available now.

“The story goes, as the water rushed past their feet in Gaul, Caesar and his army knew there was no going back,” James says of the long-late figurehead’s historic passage into Rome. “This album symbolizes something similar to me.”

After ten years of James feeling like he was starting over, falling flat on his face, he started “leaning into new perspectives and shaking the ‘Etch A Sketch’ of life,” he says. “It finally became time to lay it all on the line.

“I put everything I could into releasing one of the most emotionally charged — yet microscopically complex — albums in me.”

That Emmy Award-winning actor, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter Brittany Allen refers to “Monster” as ‘vicious’ not once, but twice, should shed light on what internal hurdles the Canadian artist aims to overcome through her newest single’s lyrical themes.

The track lands ahead of her forthcoming debut EP, Khamai Lion (December 2019) under the moniker of Britt. Perched to the left of pop, the full-bodied EP features the Torontonian’s unique brand of sound, and delves deep into the darkness to find an unexpected light.

“I wrote this song with Nygel Asselin (NYG) at his studio in Vancouver,” Britt recalls of “Monster” and its process. “I came in that morning knowing I wanted to explore the feeling of taking your pain out on the person you’re with. We jammed about the idea and found the song together. It was a great collaboration.

“I was working through my own inner demons,” she continues, confiding that taking things out on her partner was something she contended with at the time. “I had woken up with the clarity to recognize where it was coming from, but I still didn’t know how to stop it. It felt like something other than me was taking over…

When asked why he chose the stage name 'Catahoula Brown', Chris simply said, "Well...I have a Catahoula dog, and he's mostly brown...and besides, al lot of the early Blues artists had aliases...Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor...and some of my early songs were influenced by those artists."

His earliest influence, however, came from his father Bob Weagle, who loved to sing songs by Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Hank Williams and Hank Snow (the latter was actually born near his own birthplace in Nova Scotia). As a young man, his father performed at a local radio station on Saturday afternoons. "I was no bigger than a guitar when my father taught me to play...he tuned the guitar 'Hawaiian-style', and I played it with a slide made from a butter knife, 'cause my fingers were too small to make chords."

Swedish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Simon Alexander emerged in 2017 with the self-released debut EP ’Won't Be Found’, breathing new air into the modern folk scene.

By continuously releasing several self-recorded acoustic tracks he quickly gained recognition for his profound lyrics and heartfelt vocal melodies, getting comparisons to Matt Corby and Dylan LeBlanc.

After a collaboration with producer Tobias Ekqvist, from Hurricane Love, two singles, ’Slide' and ’Last Dance', was released in 2018 after signing with Swedish record label Rehn Music Group. The new singles showed a wider range of songwriting, venturing into a more pop-infused direction, and was featured on Spotify curated playlists such as New Music Friday in several countries.

MAZACOTE is a hard-hitting world Latin party band playing brass soaked tropical dance beats. Inspired by the sounds of Colombia, Mozambique and Nicaragua, they weave driving rhythms and heavy grooves with a socially conscious message.  The band is set to release their 3rd album Patria set for release on Justin Time/Nettwerk in October 2019.

Award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade have released their newest single and video, “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” — the latest off 2019’s Just Like A Woman - Songs of Bob Dylan.

And prompt dreams, it does. The video — backlit with star-like twinkle lights, not unlike Rhaye’s own connection to the track — invites viewers into the band’s intimate performance of the 1967 classic. “I’ve always pictured Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ when I listen to this song,” says Rhaye. “Dylan talks about the John Wesley Harding album and, at the time, his increased interests in painting and his work to sharpen the imagery in his lyrics.”

“I think our version helps capture the lyrical imagery of the song.”

“Our version of this classic Dylan tune also takes on more of a ballad feel than the original version,” she continues, considering additional creative differences between the two. “Chris’ beautiful guitar solo — along with the delicate cymbal work and bowed bass — gives our version a very lush and dreamy feel.”

With the release of her eagerly anticipated Album (Jan 2020) acclaimed Calgary-based country singer/songwriter Lauren Mayell takes her craft to the next level. Already a staple at country radio with six singles issued to date, she has shared marquee stages with everyone from Dean Brody to Meghan Patrick to Kane Brown.  Lauren is the 2018 ACMA Female Artist of the Year. She was also named Country 105’s Rising Star for 2017. Her New Album, featuring previously released singles plus new songs, several penned in Nashville, ties everything together.

Working with in-demand producers Dan Swinimer (JoJo Mason, Madeline Merlo) and Jeff Johnson (Dallas Smith, George Canyon, Wes Mack), Mayell has assembled a dazzling collection of honky-tonk corkers and poignant ballads, each propelled by her electrifying voice. With her sights firmly set on the Grand Ole Opry stage — where she hopes to wear her beloved musician grandfather’s “Pure Country” belt buckle — Mayell is dedicated 2019 to touring & promoting her New Album to fans old & new. 

Catherine MacLellan, one of Canadian folk music’s true gems, returns with her anticipated seventh album, COYOTE. This self-produced release is a travelogue through heartbreak, loss and the joy of life.