BTW-Altameda, Morgan Rider and The Deep Dark River, iskwē, Amigo The Devil, Sven Gali, The Box/ Images In Vogue, Julian Taylor Band, Joanne Powell

Fri Nov 22 2019
Altameda

Hailed in some quarters as the best touring band in the West, Edmonton-based rockers Altameda is hitting the road again. This fall, they’re out supporting critically-acclaimed soph album Time Hasn't Changed You.

Altameda has become a must-see live act, winning fans with each show and impressing audiences in North America and recently, Germany.

Since the release of Time Hasn't Changed You, the band performed live sessions for Toronto rock station The Edge, and a special set for SiriusXM's North Americana station. They also landed coveted opening slots with Sheepdogs and The Trewsearlier this year.

As prolific as they are melodic, Altameda also released More Time: B-Sides from Time Hasn’t Changed You as a companion to their full album. The EP included three unreleased B-Sides from the Time Hasn't Changed You recording sessions and was also produced by Aaron Goldstein.

Julian Taylor Band – Avalanche

Fri Sep 13, 2019

The voice drifting into the lobby from the soundcheck sounds so timeless it might be emerging from some ancient well of souls at the end of the world, but it’s also fresh and vulnerable.

Sometimes he sings in riddles celebrating sexuality, courting, pleading, lonesome and profound.  Other times, lost in the dreads, the voice comes up out of the shadow summoning ancestral tones of Maroon resistance or slipping into a high Mohawk register.

So…not a monotone experience at all. And well beyond stereo. In fact not of any one genre. Not limited that way. You get doors opening on doors. There’s no dissonance. In fact it’s a harmonic whole.

Not a revivalist, but a musical revisionist, Julian Taylor masterfully re-combines and updates the vintage sounds that inspired him, to create bold, innovative songs.

BTW - Emily King, Royal Tusk, Atlas: Empire, U.N. Jefferson, The Trews, Simone Morris, Big Sugar, Julian Taylor Band, Lisa Weitz

Fri Dec 21 2018
Emily King Photo Credit Bao Ngo

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.

BTW- Wax Mannequin, Dan Mangan, The Hearts, John Orpheus, Lucy Rose, Church of Trees, Cordovas, Julian Taylor Band

Fri Jun 29 2018
Wax Mannequin

The oft enigmatic Wax Mannequin (aka Hamilton, Ontario's Christopher Adeney) dropped his seventh album, Have A New Name, on June 22 through Coax Records/Outside Music The album was launched with Wax Mannequin's June 23 show at This Ain't Hollywood in Hamilton, followed by a full Canadian tour that kicks off July 14 at The Rivoli in Toronto.

As Wax Mannequin, Adeney has established himself as a profound lyricist and songsmith, as well as a self-effacing showman. His music also reveals him to be a student of the human psyche, constantly finding fresh and interesting ways to frame the people we are and the things we encounter. All of that is gloriously displayed on Have A New Name, the result of Adeney reuniting with producer Edwin Burnett, with whom he made some of the first Wax Mannequin recordings in the early 2000s.

BTW - Kayla Diamond, Phantom Phunk, The Achromatics, Chad VanGaalen, Sarah Hiltz, Julian Taylor Band, Yukon Blonde, Sin City Boys, Riverdale Share

Fri Nov 24 2017
Kayla Diamond

Toronto pop artist, Kayla Diamond has shared new single "What You're Made Of." This second single comes from her anticipated debut EP Beautiful Chaos, out November 24 via Cadence Music.

Listen to "What You're Made Of"

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the track, Kayla says, "Growing up, it wasn't particularly easy being part of a community that didn't encourage young women to follow their dreams- especially the dream of being a pop artist. Thankfully, my family saw past that and my father always told me that nothing is unattainable. While dedicated to my father, this song is for all the young women that could have been something more had they been given the right push, and for anyone who doesn't believe they deserve to achieve their dream."

Her debut single "Carnival Hearts" has over a million streams and was a smash hit of the summer, spending the season on the CHR Top 40 chart, peaking at #26.

Julian Taylor Hits the Road Again

Fri Sep 15, 2017

After a highly successful summer tour that highlighted shows with Marianas Trench, a showcase at Carleton University and the brand new Sawdust City Music Festival in Gravenhurst, the Julian Taylor Band’s on the road again. Ontario dates include some of the band’s favourite spots at Owen Sound, Newmarket, Hamilton, London, Ottawa and Corbyville.

Self-described as “pilgrims of funk, soul ‘n’ roll,” the Julian Taylor Band makes music as eclectic and all-encompassing as their taste will allow. They move effortlessly between vintage soul, tasty funk, tender balladry, indie rock, and even the occasional foray into social comment, solo acoustic, reggae and psychedelia – all done expertly. Leading the band, Taylor boasts a drop-dead killer voice, impressive guitar work, and a knack for writing catchy, earworm choruses – all of which pegs him as an authentic, eclectic talent for anyone’s palate.

Julian Taylor BandUPCOMING TOUR DATES:

BTW Greg Allman, Van William, Nick Hakim, The Wilderness of Manitoba, Chad VanGaalen, Jordana Talsky, Julian Taylor Band

Fri Sep 15 2017
Photo: Greg Allman Credit Rolling Stone

So it's September and new releases are falling like leaves in my inbox. Love it. In no particular order, this week's sampling.

The final testament from an artist who shaped rock'n'roll, Southern Blood is Gregg Allman’s newest release since the 2011 Grammy Award-nominated solo landmark, Low Country Blues. It serves as a uniquely personal piece, featuring songs written by his friends and admirers (Jackson Browne, Willie Dixon, Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, Lowell George and Spooner Oldham & Dan Penn) and is a mix of classic rock & roll, blues, and funk, with emotional texture and powerful subject matter. Produced by Don Was, and recorded at the renowned FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, Southern Blood highlights Allman’s legacy as an iconic singer/songwriter and exceptional practitioner of the American blues tradition. Harley Davidson will be honouring Gregg, a longtime motorcycle enthusiast, with special events across North America on release day.

BTW The Julian Taylor Band, Five Alarm Funk, Sammy Duke, Party Of One, Odu, Linda Carone

Fri Mar 10 2017
The Julian Taylor Band

Self-described as “pilgrims of funk, soul ‘n’ roll,” the Julian Taylor Band makes music as eclectic and all-encompassing as its taste will allow. They move effortlessly between vintage soul, tasty funk, tender balladry, indie rock, and even the occasional foray into social comment, solo acoustic, reggae and psychedelia all done expertly. Leading the band, Taylor boasts a drop-dead killer voice, impressive guitar work and a knack for writing catchy, earworm choruses – all of which pegs him as an authentic, eclectic talent foranyone’s palate. Current opus is the stellar double album Desert Star, a self-described labour of love for Taylor and the band, clearly evident by the prolific flurry of songs that resulted from their hard work. Now they’ll be bringing the new music to fresh audiences on the upcoming 401 Tour.

Julian Taylor Band: Desert Star

Fri Sep 16, 2016

Give me a minute....a paragraph to gush. Desert Star is, by a country mile, one of my favourite albums of all time. This is music I will be listening to for years to come. Why? Because it speaks to me both musically and lyrically. It's insightful (House Is A Garden), honest (Glass House), romantic (Take Me (Stay), Say Goodnight), playful (Hot Heels, Coke Bottle Candy) loving (One Time), a touch nostalgic (Chemical Low) and of course, has my favourite summer dance song, Just A Little Bit, as part of this marvelous collection of songs. It touches all my senses. Many of the songs are simple, every day observances or comparisons (back to House Is a Garden)....beautiful songwriting that connects. I absolutely love every beat, every note, every nuance....Julian Taylor's voice just soars, penetrates and washes over you. Jeremy Elliott's drumming is superb....solid, tight, kicking ass one minute, subtle the next. You can sometimes feel him almost caressing them. The keyboards and horns fill you up in all the right places. Full on where required and filling tiny pockets that, without them, the song would feel somewhat empty.