It can be very difficult to live life on life’s terms, and so Guelph, ON-based blues artist David Deacon gives us a dose of gentle reality on his humbly philosophical song “Arc of Life” – check it out on YouTube here:

An introspective, wailing guitar ballad sung in Deacon’s signature gravely tone, “Arc of Life” encourages the listener to examine the life they’ve lived without vanity, without artifice, and with a mature, and ultimately peaceful, acceptance.

It’s the arc of life
A bright or darkened star
It’s our mark on life
What’s done is what we are
What’s done is what we are

Some breakups are mutual, some crush you, and some have you wishing the other would just go away as fast as possible. The last kind was the inspiration behind Dany Horovitz’s latest single, “Don’t Look To Me.” Check it out on YouTube here:

The first single on the Canadian singer-songwriter’s upcoming album, Phanerorhyme, “Don’t Look To Me” combines a catchy chorus and up-tempo melody with lyrics that describe someone very ready to move on from their significant other.

“Here we are stuck in old routine
I’ve had enough, do you know what I mean
You call me lover, you call me friend
I tell you I’m broken, you ask me to bend”

Everyday life is a wonder. Ottawa-based Canadian folk singer-songwriter, Christine Graves knows this well. In her new single "Keep this in Mind" an ironic perspective emerges about life and a reality that we don't get everything we dream of experiencing "before we're done".

The results are both simple and sublime, throughout the album "Everyday Life" and "Keep this in Mind" is here to serve as a musical blessing upon all those who look back on a life and ask 'did I do enough good?'

"During the pandemic, working in a mental health hospital catapulted me into intensely writing again," she says. "Believing that my gift of making music is an important healing tool is a lesson learned from the hardships we all faced in COVID times."

The album is not, however, a "COVID album," she is quick to add, though "that might come next." The album represents works from before, during, and "after" COVID, and the message of "Keep This In Mind" about finding the beauty in the mundane is about as timeless as you can get.

You’ve got to love what you do and draw inspiration from whatever drives you to be the best you can be. The love and passion for music and the art of songwriting is clearly defined by the brilliant indie-folk rock star, Aaron Wylder on his newly released single, “Don’t Let Me Down.” Check it out on YouTube here:

The Cayman Island-born, Victoria, BC-based indie-folk sensation has once again blessed our ears with this new soulful and raw introspective track that can be heard on the just-released Adventure Songs EP.

The song kicks off with a poetic and acoustic melody that instantly puts you in an upbeat mood as the soothing sound of Wyler’s voice guides you on a musical journey. “I’m looking for the sun to shine. I’m looking for words to rhyme. Oh don’t let me down. Some days I feel like. Only way that I’ll survive. Is with a guitar in hand.”

The grief from losing a loved one can often feel unbearable, but those small moments where we still sense that person’s presence in our lives can offer great comfort. Toronto-based folk-rock songstress Kari Lyn captures this duality of melancholy and comfort in her reflective new single “Anyways”. Check out YouTube:

With countrified guitar, soothing harmonies, and her straightforward vocal delivery, “Anyways” deals with the unexpected death of Kari Lyn’s father in 2017 when she was living in Australia, halfway around the world from her native PEI.

“Taking that 30-hour flight home was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” she says, “but when I returned home, the biggest thing anyone said was how proud my father was about my traveling and the fact that I was following my dreams.”

“Where Did You Go”, the new single by Ottawa, Ontario based Victa, is a masterful piece of poignant pop production. Check it out on YouTube here:

It’s a song about love, loss and heartbreak, as Victa sings over a gently strummed acoustic guitar weaved together with a catchy, afrobeat rhythm. Victa’s melodic vocal delivery lays bare the singer’s pain and confusion, as he wonders why his relationship has fallen apart.

“Where did you go?” he pleads, longing for her return and painting a vivid picture of his loneliness. He’s loved and lost before and isn’t ready to let yet another one get away.

“We were never just friends
I'm too fly to hold you down
But I hope that you stick around
Cause’ I’ve been hurt before“

The Maple Blues Band is back, and groovier than ever as they get set to drop another bluesy classic with their newest single, “Savona Shuffle” with the music video produced directed by 30-year Canadian Blues legend and recent Maple Blues Drummer of the Year winner, Jim Casson featuring all band members making cameo appearances.

Check out “Savona Shuffle” on YouTube here:

Led by musical director and bassist, Gary Kendall, and joined by an all-star cast of proud Canadian musicians – Savona Shuffle is featured on their newly released debut album, “Let’s Go,” a 10-track instrumental record that will be sure to get listeners tapping their feet and nodding their heads throughout the album’s playlist.

Montreal-based folk-pop artist Silka Weil combines unapologetic sexiness with raw vulnerability on her jangly, electric-infused new single “Unsatisfied” – available now – telling a complex story of evolving emotions.  Check it out on YouTube here:

Weil’s voice captures the perfect amount of Stevie Nicks huskiness, and “Unsatisfied” doesn’t recount a narrative so much as it captures a heady cocktail of emotions in the aftermath of a story. It’s driving and soaring, with a slinky, gritty, slightly psychedelic sensibility. Lyrically, there’s shame and anger, but also jolts of naked desire:
Sometimes I feel unreachable
But if you break me I might fall
Sometimes I’m good yes I can walk
Sometimes I just need to crawl
So push me up against the wall

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.