Toronto rock duo The Manic Boys and Girls Club’s sonic distress call dressed up as a high-voltage dance banger receives thrilling new treatment from composer, producer, and musician Paul Andrews with the release of “Blacked Out (Paul Andrews Remix)”.

“’Blacked Out’ is a cry for help in disguise,” The Manic Boys and Girls Club admits. “We're lost, overmedicated, depressed and hiding behind bathroom selfies, late nights, and lip gloss.

Check out “Blacked Out” here:

Stony Plain Records announces a March 18 release date for They Called It Rhythm & Blues, the exciting new CD from two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Blues Music Award-winning guitarist Duke Robillard. The 18 tracks on the new album will be released also as a vinyl LP on August 5^th.

Joining the guitar maestro (who also produced) on They Called It Rhythm & Blues is an all-star cast of special guests, including John Hammond, Kim Wilson, Sue Foley, Sugar Ray Norcia, Michelle Willson, Chris Cote, Bruce Bears, Marty Ballou, Mark Teixeira, Doug James, Mike Flanigin, Mark Earley, Doug Woolverton and Matt McCabe. 

The Duke Robillard Band will celebrate the release of the new album with two special shows in March: The Narrows in Fall River, Mass. On March 25th and The Center for the Arts in Natick, Mass. on March 26th.

Leaning into the fact that life is crazy-busy for all couples with kids, Canadian singer/songwriter Francine Honey offers a solution for partners needing to rekindle and reconnect with the release of her whimsical new single and video, “Hunker Down” – watch it here:

Leading the way to finding passion again, this upbeat new single and video blend the very best of Americana, Country, and Roots with layers of guitar, fiddle, and smooth, honeyed, soaring vocals.

Focusing on the romantic side of a long-term couple hunkering down at home, Honey observes ‘Between the bills, kids and work, there’s not much time for me and you’ as she reminds us that, every once in a while, couples need to put the concept of ‘life’ back into the term ‘life together.’

Keeping one foot in front of the other is easier said than done for many of us, especially throughout the past two pandemic years. Finding a new song that moves us can certainly help, so here comes rising Americana artist Doug Schmude with a roots rock anthem that walks the uplifting talk in the catchiest way possible — “It Takes a Little Faith”.

Check out the “It Takes a Little Faith” on YouTube here:

Landing alongside his new EP, One Shy of a Six Pack, Schmude  — pronounced ‘moody’ — says “some songs follow the 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration rule and some pretty much fall straight from the ether and out of your guitar; ‘It Takes a Little Faith’ is the latter.”

These days, our hope reserves could all use a little extra top up and Schmude believes that intrinsic need in all of us is what helped fuel this song’s birth.

Parsing through the endless avalanche of head-spinning data and around-the-clock updates, Toronto-based electro post-punkers AUS!Funkt get you up and grooving to pandemic-overload with the release of their new dark, danceable single and video, “Information YEAH!”.

Landing alongside the release of their freshly minted EP, Post-Stagnation, “Information YEAH!” begins with distortion and a tinny beat. From there, the bassline comes in, followed by rhythmic guitar, and then pulsing percussion that evokes a heartbeat; it builds and builds, and then come the vocals — spare and spoken and monotone, evoking a feeling of detached isolation and the quiet, repressed desperation of the modern age.

Check out “Information YEAH!” on YouTube here:

Multi-disciplined Canadian Blues matriarch Dalannah is celebrating an extraordinary career while serenading a song of sorrow with the release of her silky-smooth new single, “Blues Keep Knockin’”.

“Blues Keep Knockin’” is the new original song capping off 15 incredible years with Quest Records on her new album, In My Own Words. The record is an anthology of Dalannah’s greatest hits on Quest, with the new song serving as a bonus track that rounds off an outstanding collection.

Check out the live performance of “Blues Keep Knockin’” on YouTube here:

Listeners will experience 75 minutes of emotionally resonant music in honour of Dalannah’s 75 years of life well-lived. Her latest song is a testament to the philosophy of love for life and the gift of melody.

For Canadian alt. pop-punk artist Victoria Alex, the unleashing of her debut new single “Screaming” lands very much as an anthem — both personally, and professionally.

Available now, the unapologetic and piercingly magnetic release comes out swinging, setting a new stage for the Toronto-based singer/songwriter and former Mini Pop Kid who also appeared as an inaugural contestant on the premiere season of CTV’s The Launch.

Check out “Screaming” on YouTube here:

With love being a fire capable of breathing life into even the coldest and most dismal of circumstances, Canadian-American roots-folk duo Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen channel its vitality in their new single, “Make Me Come Alive”.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Serving as preview to this January 2022’s forthcoming new album, After the Fire, “Make Me Come Alive” begins abruptly with a storm — a gorgeous, noisy crashing together of violin and guitar — before organizing into an easy, rockin’ groove. Pinawa, Manitoba-born Dan sings the lead, and we learn about this exciting woman who’s caught his fancy, while Monterey, California-born Laurel punctuates the song with shimmering vocal harmonies and deft, elegant violin.

I've got my hands on my destiny
She's the one who heats my every chill
I've got a feeling deep inside me
She's always bound to be my thrill

Marking the legendary guitarist’s 19th studio album in his 35+ year career in music, Joe Satriani is kicking off the new year with a brand-new single and newly announced release; “Sahara” is available now, and lands ahead of The Elephants of Mars -set to land April 8th, 2022.

With “Sahara”s video directed by ZZ Satriani, The Elephants of Mars album release also marks the debut of his new label partnership with earMUSIC — the international rock label of entertainment group Edel. Pre-orders are available now and include a special limited digi-pack cd release featuring seven double sided cards of original artwork by Satriani representing each song from the album. In addition, several colored vinyl options will be available as well to pre-order including an orange, pink (D2C only) and a Guitar Center Exclusive purple version.

Check out “Sahara” on YouTube here:

“Will I ever be good enough?; Will I ever be wise enough…for anyone?” Multi-award-winning contemporary jazz artist Fiona Ross launches her heartfelt new single with these two intensely personal questions, bravely throwing the doors open to examine self-doubt with “Good Enough” from her recently released album, Red Flags and High Heels.

Check out “Good Enough” on YouTube here:

“We all have moments of doubt and wonder if we are good enough — whether this is as a musician, an artist, a parent or just a human being,” Ross offers. “It’s what it says on the tin, really: a song about being good enough or, more precisely, not being good enough.

“This song is just me and how I feel.”

Sometimes the only way to feel happy again is to just fake it ‘till you make it. Montreal-based pop artist Condor Matador, a.k.a Jeremie Legault, addresses that very process in his violin-studded, disco-infused earworm of a new single “The ’90s Song”  - check it out here on YouTube here:

Legault had been in a funk; it was the pandemic, which is funk-inducing for all of us, and he was also working a job he didn’t like and was just feeling blah. Working on Condor Matador was one of the few things that brought him joy and kept him sane during that time; he wrote “The ‘90s Song” when he began making steps toward feeling better and taking hold of his own destiny. The opening lyrics – “As I walked along/Hummed a ’90s song/It was Cher/Do you believe in life after love” – inspired him to apply the disco treatment to the song, because who’s more disco than the diva Cher?

Fighting for one’s mental health can be a lonely endeavor; one made much easier when you have at least one person in your corner. Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Sarah Tolle gives voice to that fight through the perspective of a loved one or a friend in her cascading new single, “Fight For You”.

Check it out on YouTube here:

A piano-driven electronic pop ballad, the song’s standout feature is its deeply heartfelt vocals. “For me, the song is sung by a caregiver — someone in a support role,” Tolle says.

“Fight For You” begins with one rolling, harmonious word: You. It’s the word that provided an entry point to the song Tolle wanted to write, but that she then got stuck on. So, she asked her mom for help.

Toronto-based Ian Lake is one of Canada’s most gifted actors, and now he can add musician to the mix. His highly acclaimed single “The Bottom” was released in 2021, from his upcoming debut album What It Is, set for release in 2022. His new single and video “EASIER,” is a letter of encouragement to himself and to all of us struggling through this difficult time.

Listen and enjoy “Easier” on YouTube here:

There’s no better time to want to be Together than when you feel “Apart,” which is why the lead single off the brand new album from Dracula Jackson couldn’t have landed at a better point in human history, when both feelings are churning inside of each of us simultaneously.

Available now, “Apart” highlights Jackson “lamenting the discomfort of waiting for his love, and longs for the relief following their return.”

Watch and listen to “Apart” here:

And it isn’t simply clever songwriting; as art interprets life, Jackson himself drew from his reality — a divorce that struck during songwriting. Though, the artist says he met his true love in the process, and this inspiration drew Jackson to completing the album in its entirety.

Universally, lost love is a difficult thing to come to terms with, but singer/songwriter Derek Helm is making it a little bit easier with the release of his beachy, sun-soaked new single, “Gone to the Sea”.

Starring a plugged-in acoustic guitar, ukulele, and some very smooth saxophone, “Gone to the Sea” tells the wistful story of taking beachside vacations with a lover — only for that love to have slipped away.

We used to go out every Saturday night
Mix margaritas and sway in the moonlight
Man, I miss that blue agave gaze
I wish I could go back and re-live those days

“Three Quarter Time” - The stunning, poignant new video from Nashville local songbird Callie McCullough to be released in celebration of McCullough’s 2021 CMAA award nominated album ‘After Midnight’ (Best Alternative Country Album).

“Three Quarter Time” is a traditional country/roots ballad. The video, filmed on location at Madison, Tennessee’s much adored local hang Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, provides the perfect backdrop for McCullough to dazzle and engage viewers as she leads a stellar band through a biographical account of her life working in the Nashville music scene.

“The song and video really is a snap shot of “New Nashville”. It’s sharing a glimpse of our reality as musicians moving to town trying to make it. The driving message is just... the truth. And my unapologetic lament for traditional country music.” Callie McCullough.

McCullough’s own sonic identity, encapsulates the legends who came before her and her deep appreciation for their ground-breaking legacies.

If you’re feeling funky, high-energy soul-funk electro outfit Ishi has a Sweet Gold mine of tracks ready and waiting to get your groove on.

Available now, the U.S.-based artist’s third full length album Sweet Gold, featuring track “Pro’s & Con’s” with Nia Brock, has landed — and not a moment too soon. Noting the project took two years to complete, Ishi says, “We haven't released a full length in over seven years, and honestly could have done so. I had the material, but it did not feel right. I'm glad I took the time to wait, and to allow this record to come to life.”

Watch “Fly Away” on YouTube here:

As we look ahead to 2022 and the tumultuous journey the world is embarking on for the nth time in history, it’s words of encouragement from activists, free thinkers, and musicians like Canadian singer/songwriter Kelly Besd, and her new single “Dreamin’,” that remind us to keep pushing forward.

Fresh from her newly released debut album, Back To Me, “Dreamin'” is a poignant and hard-hitting track shining the spotlight on racial injustice and discrimination.  Harnessing the use of slow drums and her signature R&B vocal structures, Besd creates a warm, open, and ethereal listening experience for audiences while highlighting the need for change.

Check out “Dreamin’” on YouTube here:

In keeping with how the best and most enduring folk songs oblige audiences to take a closer look at history, society, and ourselves, Canadian duo The Co-Conspirators deliver their poignant and riveting new album, The Unreliable Narrators, and its pull-no-punches first single, “The Lonesome Death of Elijah McClain” – watch and listen here:

Training a modern-day lens on folk’s deeply rooted tradition of storytelling through song, the Quebec-based band’s sophomore album offers 12 ‘chapters’ of compelling stories — whether fictional or real — that orbit around hardscrabble characters, troubled lives, social injustices, personal struggle, and more.

Vulnerable and raw, riveting and real, multi-talented Canadian folk singer/songwriter Faeya explores resilience and perseverance with the release of her new single, “Brave Obsession” — available now.

As one-third of her most recent EP release, The Blue Period: Volume 1, the Toronto-based indie artist lays it all bare on “Brave Obsession”’s melody, donning a courageous face as she boldly goes where so few have the resolve to venture: the inner workings of one’s heart.

“I wrote this on my acoustic guitar, inspired by the feeling of hopeless dependency of a young infatuation,” Faeya explains. “This song flowered into its folk-inspired sound over several late- summer days at Dream House Studios in Toronto.”

From there, it was between her, recording engineer, Calvin Hartwick, and instrumentalist, Sean Royle, that “Brave Obsession” grew to the sounds and textures we hear on the final cut. “I had been listening to a lot of music by great folk artists like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake while writing this song, which influenced its sound,” she adds.