NEWSLETTER - May 22, 2023 |
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It's Victoria Day in Canada, or May 2-4 as it's commonly known. For my non-Canadian friends, that refers to the number of beers in a case, since the holiday rarely falls on May 24. It's also the unofficial start of summer, and this month's newsletter contains a lot of great music to get you primed for it. So listen while you're poppin' some tops, and as always, thanks for the support! JS
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JEREMIE & THE DELICIOUS HOUNDS / Cruel
Put simply, Jérémie & The Delicious Hounds are part of the new generation carrying the torch for classic Soul Music. But their kind of Soul has a distinctive Canadian twist. Hailing from St. Boniface, the old French quarter of Winnipeg, they have cemented their identity as bilingual artists with their first full-length LP Cruel, a 9-song collection of fun-loving songs about amour and heartbreak delivered in both English and French.
However, the language of funk is universal, something the band’s lead singer and guitarist Jérémie Brémault has been demonstrating since his emergence on the Winnipeg music scene in 2013. After winning a local talent competition by relying solely on his natural singing talent, Jérémie started his own eight-piece band (including a brass section), each member hand-picked, and they’ve been tearing up dance floors all across Canada ever since.
Starting in 2021, The Hounds put all their energy and focus into making Cruel with veteran Winnipeg producer Murray Pulver (Crash Test Dummies, The Bros. Landreth, Ariel Posen), capturing songs “live off the floor” in vintage Soul style, and as a reflection of the chemistry the band has created through their dedication to playing live anywhere and everywhere.
EPK :: LINKTREE
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JOHN HEWITT / Broken Rebels
Edmonton singer/songwriter John Hewitt's Broken Rebels is a nine-song collection out May 24 that he says comes closest to achieving the perfect balance between folk and rock that he’s always strived for in his work.
Supporting John on Broken Rebels are drummer Jordan Dempster and upright bassist Konnor Miskiman, with mixing handled by Brendan Lyons. Overall, the entire process took about a month, and was finished in time for John to embark on his busy Spring/Summer 2023 tour schedule. In fact, John says that much of the album was inspired by his ever-expanding circuit in the U.S.
Among the songs on Broken Rebels that emerged out of these travels are “City Lights (North Country Girl),” in which he channeled his own restless spirit into a portrait of a Midwestern girl looking to reinvent herself in the big city. Hewitt also tips his hat to the great Midwestern bard John Prine on the new single “Before The Well Runs Dry,” while the stark “Oklahoma” stands out as an album highlight in terms of both its melody and lyrics.
EPK :: BANDCAMP
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MALLORY CHIPMAN / As Though I Had Wings
As half of the rising alt-country duo The Goddamsels, listeners around the world are quickly getting to know and love Mallory Chipman as one of the vital new voices on the Canadian scene. Now, the ever-prolific Alberta singer/songwriter is taking flight—metaphorically at least—on a new solo project, As Though I Had Wings, an EP reflecting her love of nature, and specifically, birdcalls.
Each of the four songs on As Though I Had Wings is based on sounds of birds native to Alberta, all of which are endangered or threatened, such as the burrowing owl, the black tern, the red-winged blackbird, and the peregrine falcon. Mallory says that the inspiration for the project struck one day when she heard a common birdcall and it suddenly reminded her of a film score buried deep in her memory. From there, she began tuning in more closely to birdcalls on her regular hikes, while thinking of how to transcribe them into playable music by establishing a key and making sense of their rhythm.
As such a personal project, it made sense for Mallory to serve as her own producer for the first time on As Though I Had Wings. The songs were laid down in April 2021 with engineer Scott Franchuk at Edmonton’s Riverdale Recorders. Accompanying her were Brett Hansen on guitar, Nico Humby on bass and backing vocals, Esther Forseth on backing vocals, and Jon Guenter on drums. For Mallory, the sessions were a way to maintain her creative energy during the pandemic, but perhaps more importantly the songs reconnected her with the feeling of writing and performing as a true solo artist.
EPK :: LINKTREE
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MARK BRAGG / Ashes
Ashes is another unique addition to Mark Bragg’s singular body of work, which Exclaim’s Vish Khanna compared to, “Beefheart, Waits, Springsteen, Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano, and Bobcat Goldthwait maybe,” while praising Bragg for his “completely unhinged imagination.” If you’re able to wrap your head around that, then steel yourself for a song cycle centred around fictional female characters trying their best to navigate the rampant misogyny on the mean streets of St. John’s, Bragg's hometown.
To record Ashes, Bragg once again teamed up with veteran Toronto producer Daryn Barry, who had helped make Bragg’s previous albums Winter (2018), Your Kiss (2011) and The Reckless Kind (2002). Tracks were recorded at Terra Bruce Studios in St. John’s by engineer Mark Feener, with Bragg’s usual cast of players anchored by drummer Chris Donnelly (Tim Baker, Kellie Loder), along with guitarist Brad Power, bassist Mark Neary and keyboardist Luke Power.
As we follow the characters’ progress throughout Ashes, from first single “Dead Boy Man” to “The Planet Crumbled,” the scenes grow increasingly chaotic until it’s clear that some kind of apocalyptic event has occurred, and the dead continue to pursue these women. As someone who copes with epilepsy, Bragg is used to feeling as if the world could change in the blink of an eye. This, in some ways, explains his reputation as an uninhibited live performer. Seeing Bragg in concert can often be cathartic for audiences, and with Ashes, he has finally translated that experience in the studio.
EPK :: LINKTREE
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MORE NEW MUSIC (Click covers for EPKs) |
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DEL BARBER / Almanac
The Canadian Prairie troubadour's latest collection has received rave reviews around the globe, proof that he's a true heir to John Prine, Ian Tyson and Gordon Lightfoot.
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ANDRINA TURENNE / Bold As Logs
The full-length solo debut by co-founder of Juno winners Chic Gamine, Bold As Logs showcases her songwriting talent in both French and English.
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NADJIWAN / The Great Sea
The latest from Indigenous Toronto singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Marc Merilainen is a love letter to his northern Ontario roots, recorded in Thunder Bay.
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JEROME FORDE / Jerome Forde
On the U.S. side of Lake Superior, you'll find Jerome Forde in Traverse City, Michigan. His haunting folk rock will conjure echoes of Elliott Smith and Jason Molina.
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NORTHUMBERLAND - Northumberland :: EPK
DAVID JAMES ALLEN - By The Summertime :: EPK
JOHNNY EATON - Here's The Thing :: EPK
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SUMMER'S HERE!
If you've been paying attention, you'll know how much I love Chris Picco's latest album Split Down The Middle. It's a power pop classic, channelling Big Star, Todd Rundgren, Emmitt Rhodes, early solo McCartney, Teenage Fanclub, etc etc. Of course, no great power pop album is complete with a summer song, and Split Down The Middle's is "Summer's Here." It's a wistful piano track, built on memories of endless, carefree days, with just a touch of melancholy that would have made Chilton and Bell proud. Please consider adding it to your summer playlists, and take a listen to the full album if you haven't already.
EPK :: LINKTREE
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PODCASTS GALORE!
I really admire everyone doing music podcasts these days. With the decline of traditional media, it really means a lot for artists to have a platform for meaningful conversations.
There's a bunch of good ones that I had a hand in arranging recently, starting with Del Barber's visit to Toronto Mike'd during his tour stop last month.
LISTEN HERE
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No one works harder at promoting Canadian indie artists than Jenna Melanson and her website Canadian Beats. Her new Zoomies feature has provided further opportunities to get to know up-and-coming artists.
First up, Orchard Sky vocalist Krystle Dos Santos talks about the band's self-titled debut EP, and her unique position as a Black Canadian woman in the traditionally white-dominated roots rock world. WATCH HERE
Then, Mallory Chipman discusses how she was inspired by birdsong to create her new EP As Though I Had Wings. WATCH HERE
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John Borra was recently a guest on the great Toronto podcast Music Buddy. He spoke about his long and fascinating career in the Toronto alt-rock scene dating back to the early 1980s, and his transition to playing alt-country. It all ties together with his new album Cassettes In Common, an homage to some of Toronto's great forgotten singer/songwriters. John also recorded an exclusive new song for the episode, "Did What I Could." LISTEN HERE
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Lily Frost was also recently featured on Wecome To The Music with Karim Kanji. They did a deep dive into her diverse career, up to the making of her incredible new album Decompression. WATCH HERE
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Lastly, it's again worth noting the passing of Gordon Lightfoot. Like most Canadians, his music was a part of my DNA growing up, and his impact can never be fully measured. Along with seeing him live on many occasions, I was fortunate to meet him a few times -- often facilitated by my friend who briefly worked for his Toronto tailor. Here's an interview I did with him for Exclaim! at Massey Hall to mark the release of the 2012 album All Live. READ IT HERE
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Member of the Americana Music Association |
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