All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.
Photo Gallery: Benson Boone with Mimi Webb at Toronto’s History
Dixie D’Amelio To Launch Caffeine-Free Soda Flavor “Passion”
MyMuse, the innovative beverage brand dedicated to sparking creativity and delivering better-tasting, better-for-you functional beverages, proudly announces its collaboration with social media phenomenon, singer and reality star, Dixie D’Amelio. Together, they present “Passion,” an inspired caffeine-free, adaptogenic soda flavor crafted by Dixie and brought to life by MyMuse, now available at Target, Sprouts, GoPuff, and Amazon.
Passion will be released alongside two additional new MyMuse flavors, Black Cherry and Orange U Glad. This launch marks MyMuse’s first-ever lineup of caffeine-free Inspired Sodas. The scientifically formulated Inspired Sodas feature a distinctive blend of adaptogens, electrolytes, zinc, potassium, and magnesium, offering a refreshing and functional beverage experience that supports a happy body and mind.
The limited-time product, “Passion,” is a bubbly, subtly sweet passion fruit soda flavor that embodies D’Amelio’s creativity and individuality. This launch celebrates her passions and creative pursuits, focusing on her blossoming music career and artistic collaboration with MyMuse, where she personally formulated and designed her own flavor of inspired soda.
“I am very fortunate to collaborate with a brand that gave me complete creative freedom by ensuring that my true self was represented in the final product,” said D’Amelio. “From the taste tests, design meetings, to content production, I had so much fun creating my Passion inspired Soda flavor with MyMuse and can’t wait for everyone to try it!”
MyMuse continues to disrupt the beverage category with fresh and innovative approaches that resonate with the desire from consumers for better-for-you beverages. With just 5 grams of sugar and a mere 25 calories, the new Passion, Black Cherry and Orange U Glad flavors deliver a guilt-free indulgence for those seeking a full-flavor, better-for-you soda, with no caffeine. This reformulation also extends to MyMuse’s existing consumer favorites, Strawberry Guava and Tropical Citrus.
“MyMuse aims to fuel creativity with every sip and Dixie’s Passion soda embodies this ethos through sparking her own creativity with her hydrating soda innovation,” said Megan Robles, Vice President of Marketing at MyMuse. “Our collaboration with Dixie D’Amelio marks a significant milestone in MyMuse’s journey to provide consumers with unique and inspiring beverage options.”
MyMuse’s full portfolio includes a line of Enhanced Organic Waters and Inspired Sodas that provide targeted functionality, without compromising on taste. Designed to hydrate, refresh and inspire, these immunity-supporting and adaptogenic beverages offer delicious natural flavors.
The limited-time-only “Passion” flavor by D’Amelio, alongside the complete caffeine-free Inspired Soda lineup is available at Target, Sprouts, GoPuff, and Amazon. To learn more about MyMuse, visit https://drinkmymuse.com.
BSB Whiskey x Jamie Foxx Officially Unveil Their Collaboration With Iconic New Packaging
Fast-growing spirits incubator WES Brands, known for brand acceleration and innovation, has joined forces once again with award-winning actor, musician, and entrepreneur Jamie Foxx for the exclusive release of BSB Whiskey, an ultra-smooth flavored whiskey. Dedicating two years to the design and development of the new look and flavor, Brown Sugar Blend, affectionately dubbed “BSB,” is ready to debut and shake up the whiskey category. Foxx joins as brand owner and creative director.
“Life is precious, so I’ve always tried living it to the fullest. As an avid whiskey drinker, owning a brand that is sippable and unlike any other has been a life goal of mine; with BSB, I’m finally making that happen,” says Foxx, BSB Owner & Creative Director. “BSB is an ode to my personal philosophy – it’s about bringing people together to celebrate life and have fun.”
Embodying the essence of bolder, stronger, and better, BSB Whiskey’s 70-proof liquid is a masterpiece that perfectly blends the aromatic spice of cinnamon with the rich, comforting sweetness of brown sugar. BSB Whiskey comes in dynamic new packaging that is as innovative as the whiskey itself. The sleek, matte black bottle proudly wears a “BSB” chenille letter patch on its chest that glows in the dark, designed to captivate and intrigue. This unique, revamped touch ensures that BSB Whiskey stands out on the shelves and lights up any social gathering, making it the most coveted centerpiece of the night.
“Last year was a record year for flavored whiskies. U.S. depletions reached 18.25 million cases in 2023, up from 14 million cases in 2019*,” said Lauren Kiyak, SVP of Marketing at WES Brands. “We knew we had an incredible opportunity on our hands. With Jamie’s creative lead, BSB now sits at the intersection of fashion and sports, a modern tribute to nostalgic tech and delicious flavors.”
BSB Whiskey is a key priority in the rapidly growing WES Brands portfolio. To support the national rollout, Naeemah Leonard, a 15+ year veteran in the wine and spirits industry, joins WES Brands as their new Senior Brand Director of Whiskey. Stepping into the newly created role as Senior Brand Director of Whiskey, Naeemah will support the company’s focus on the brand, having worked in brown spirits and managed many celebrity partnerships over her career.
BSB Whiskey blends and bottles in Columbia, TN. BSB Whiskey is sold in 750ml at 70% ABV and is available nationwide online and in limited quantities in the U.S. at select retailers for $24.99.
Little Big Town Announces ‘Take Me Home’ Tour With Sugarland and The Castellows
Celebrating their 25th anniversary as one of country music’s most successful groups, multi-platinum GRAMMY Award-winning four-piece Little Big Town – comprised of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook – joined forces with longtime friends and collaborators Sugarland at last night’s CMT Music Awards to deliver a stunning world premiere performance of their new song “Take Me Home.” The two powerhouse groups are also set to embark on a U.S. tour titled Take Me Home Tour.
Little Big Town and Sugarland’s rendition of “Take Me Home”, originally written and released by Phil Collins in 1985, gives the song a fresh new meaning but leaves us with a familiar longing. The performance served as a monumental homecoming for the two country music giants as they last shared the CMTMA stage in 2008 for a rousing rendition of “Life In A Northern Town.”
“Last night felt like a real homecoming for us and a full circle moment. When we toured with Sugarland last, we would all be backstage harmonizing different cover songs to try and surprise the audience every night. There’s something about this song that feels so nostalgic of that time. It really is like coming home,” says Little Big Town. “The Take Me Home tour feels like a celebration of being a band for 25 years and we’re so excited to throw this party with our great friends Sugarland. We’ll both be playing all our biggest hits and then some. Can’t wait to see everyone!”
Fans will hear the newly released single live this fall on the Take Me Home US tour, produced by Live Nation and Sandbox Live, with special guest Sugarland and support from The Castellows. Various ticket pre-sales for the Take Me Home Tour will run throughout the week, ahead of the general sale beginning on Friday, April 12 at 10am local time at www.littlebigtown.com. The fall trek kicks off on October 24 in Greenville, SC at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and runs through December 2024, with stops in Boston, Pittsburgh, Austin, and more, before concluding on December 13 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. The closing night is a special Nashville homecoming for the band as it’ll be their first show in town since 2017’s iconic sold-out 10-night residency at Ryman Auditorium.
GRAMMY, ACM, CMA, AMA, and Emmy Award-winning group, Little Big Town – consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook – first entered the music scene 25 years ago with hit songs “Boondocks,” “Bring It OnHome,” “Good As Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Little White Church.” The band’s breakthrough albums Tornado and PainKillerproduced multiple No. 1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single of the year (2015) “Girl Crush.” 2017’s The Breaker debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts to critical acclaim. The album features their GRAMMY-winning, multi-week #1 single, “Better Man,” as well as the 2019 GRAMMY-nominated, “When Someone Stops Loving You.” The band’s self-produced ninth studio album, Nightfall, was released January 2020 and hit the top of the Billboard Country Charts. The record included critically acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated songs “The Daughters,” “Over Drinking” and “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” – the latter of which has reached almost 400 million global streams. In September 2022, they released their tenth studio album, Mr. Sun, which debuted as the Top Country Album released by a Group in 2022. Little Big Town has earned more than 45 award show nominations and has taken home over 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, AMA, People’s Choice, CMA, and ACM Awards, in addition to an Emmy award.
Since the band’s inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, achieving high-mark sales with PLATINUM-certified THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE, 2X PLATINUM LOVE ON THE INSIDE and 3X PLATINUM TWICE THE SPEED OF LIFE as well as ENJOY THE RIDE. Their most popular songs include PLATINUM-certified “All I Want to Do” and “Stay,” 2X PLATINUM “Stuck Like Glue” as well as GOLD-certified “Baby Girl,” “It Happens,” “Settlin’,” “Something More” and “Want To.” Sugarland has also earned seven No. 1 singles to date and amassed over 600 million on-demand streams. Their critical and mainstream appeal have been magnified with industry accolades – five consecutive CMA Awards for Vocal Duo of the Year (2007-2011), five ACM Awards (including Song of the Year and Single of the Year) and GRAMMY® Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Country Song for “Stay.”
Neo-Traditional Country music trio, The Castellows, bring a literal meaning to the phrase, “family tradition.” The band comprised of sisters Ellie (lead guitar), Powell (banjo) and Lily (vocals), hail from small rural Georgetown, Georgia, but now call Nashville home. The Castellows’ sound is traditional, yet modern. Authentic, yet harnessed. The common thread among the trio, other than their DNA, is their masterful three-part harmonies which blend together to create one singular, almost angelic, voice. The Castellows’ craft as songwriters is as robust as their voices, which is evident across the trio’s debut EP, A Little Goes A Long Way, which was released worldwide on February 9, 2024. The band wrote/co-wrote six of the seven songs that make up the project, with the promise of much more music to come. The band began turning heads of music industry insiders in January 2023. When spring arrived, The Castellows had signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville & Warner Records, collectively. Wasting no time on pleasantries, The Castellows immediately got to work writing, recording, and performing live. Tapping veteran producer Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow, Nanci Griffith, Queens of the Stone Age), the first fruits of labor to be harvested from 2023 is the debut A Little Goes A Long Way. One year later, the three sisters from a cattle farm in Georgia are still turning heads, landing on multiple 2024 ‘Watch Lists’ including CMT Next Women of Country, CMT ‘Listen Up,’ Pandora, Country Now, Nashville Lifestyles’ ‘Five Groups You Need To Know,’ in addition to receiving a nomination for the CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
Tour Dates
October 24 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, SC
October 25 – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC
October 26 – Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
October 31 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
November 1 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
November 2 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
November 7 – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
November 8 – Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI
November 9 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI
November 14 – T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO
November 15 – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, SD
November 16 – Vibrant Arena at The MARK – Moline, IL
November 21 – Moody Center – Austin, TX
November 22 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
November 23 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
December 11 – Mississippi Coast Coliseum – Biloxi, MS
December 12 – Gas South Arena – Duluth, GA
December 13 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Ringo Starr Releases “February Sky” On April 12 From His Upcoming EP ‘Crooked Boy’
Today Ringo Starr announces “February Sky,” the first single from his upcoming EP, Crooked Boy. This will be his fourth consecutive EP, and it includes 4 original tracks. All songs were written and produced by Linda Perry for Starr to make his own, adding vocals and playing drums. The EP will be released on a limited-edition marble vinyl on Record Store Day, April 20, 2024. The following Friday, April 26, it will be released digitally. Fans can pre-order the black vinyl and CD now, releasing May 31.
After previously collaborating on two songs that appeared on earlier Ringo EPs (“Coming Undone” on Change the World and “Everyone and Everything” on EP3), Linda approached Ringo and asked if she could produce an entire EP – and Crooked Boy, consisting of “February Sky,” “Gonna Need Someone,” “Adeline,” and “Crooked Boy” is the result.
“Linda made me a great EP – she produced it in her studio and then sent me the tracks and I added the drumming and my vocals,” Ringo said. “’February Sky’ is great – very moody – but since Linda wrote these specifically for me – it of course has to have a positive peace & love element.”
“Gonna stand up rise above the rain
Start a revolution in these brighter days
Found the missing pieces
That were vacant to the eye
Well I Had enough of February sky”
“February Sky” is available to stream and download Friday, April 12 on all platforms; fans can pre-save the track now. A visualizer was also created that includes never seen clips from Ringo’s archives.
Fans can get a first listen to the entire EP at Amoeba Music Hollywood on April 18th. Amoeba will have an exclusive “February Sky” red vinyl 7” single available for sale at this event in limited quantities. Details for the playback and single are available here.
In other Ringo news: Through Julien’s Auctions Ringo recently published his 8th book, Beats & Threads. Ringo’s trend setting threads were as signature as the beat of his drums and this book features over 200 images including never before seen photos and extensive details on his drums. Ringo–in collaboration with noted historian, author, speaker, drummer, and vintage drum collector, Gary Astridge–offers for the first-time the most comprehensive look at his legendary
Beatles-era drum kits containing decades of research-based information with curated and detailed photographs of these pieces of music history. It is available now through www.juliensauctions.com
Ringo will also be taking his All Starr Band back on the road for 12 shows this Spring – dates listed below – with additional dates in the Fall coming soon.
May 22 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
May 25 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
May 26 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
May 29 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
May 31 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
Jun 1 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian
Jun 5 Mexico City, MX – Auditorio Nacional
Jun 6 Mexico City, MX – Auditorio Nacional
Jun 7 Hidalgo, TX – Payne Arena
Jun 8 Austin, TX – The Moody Theater
Billie Eilish Announces Third Studio Album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ Out On May 17
Billie Eilish has revealed details on her highly anticipated third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT which will see its global release on May 17.
Her most daring body of work to date, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a diverse yet cohesive collection of songs, ideally listened to in its entirety from beginning to end. The album does exactly as the title suggests: hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically while bending genres and defying trends along the way. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT journeys through a vast and expansive audio landscape, immersing listeners into a full spectrum of emotions. It’s what the multiple GRAMMY® and Academy Award winner does best, continuing to affirm Billie Eilish as the most exciting songwriter of her time.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was written by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, her brother and long-time collaborator, who also produced the album. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT will be available on all digital platforms, and in a continued effort to minimize waste and combat climate change; across all physical formats in limited variants on the same day, with the same track-listing and using 100% recyclable materials.
Charli XCX To Receive ASCAP Global Impact Award
ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the only U.S. PRO that operates on a not-for-profit basis, will present pioneering pop phenomenon Charli XCX with the ASCAP Global Impact Award in honor of her tremendous impact on pop music. The prestigious award recognizes the enduring worldwide popularity of ASCAP members and their music. Charli joins a select group of acclaimed musical hitmakers who have previously received the award, including Lana Del Rey and Hillary Lindsey.
“Charli is an unstoppable creative force. Her avant-garde style is daring, authentic and infectious as she expertly infuses the best of the underground and mainstream worlds into her music. She’s not just shaping pop music – she’s redefining it,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “We are absolutely thrilled to present her with the ASCAP Global Impact Award.”
Charli XCX is an innovative pop icon, winning critical acclaim for her forward-thinking musical style and entrepreneurial spirit. Her upcoming sixth studio album BRAT is the eagerly-awaited follow up to 2022’s CRASH, which reached #1 on the UK’s official album chart. Following the breakout success of her Barbie soundtrack contribution “Speed Drive” last year, she is co-executive producing the score for the A24 film Mother Mary with Jack Antonoff and producing original music for Benito Skinner’s series Overcompensating. In addition to her chart-topping success as an artist, Charli has established a prolific songwriting career, co-writing megahits including Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes’s “Señorita” and Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love.”
Over the course of her career, Charli has received the Ivor Novello Visionary Award, Billboard Women in Music Powerhouse Award, Variety Hitmakers Innovator of Pop Award, two Billboard Music Awards, a YouTube Music Award as well as nominations at the Grammys, BRIT Awards and MTV EMAs.
“For me writing songs is not about structure or formula or doing what has previously “worked.” In my opinion, there is no special code or rule book that must be followed to obtain an amazing song. The best songs for me, are good because they can make you feel like the lead character in your own movie or because they have some kind of indescribable quality about them that makes them addictive. I’m honoured to receive this award from ASCAP; it’s cool to see them advocate for authenticity and nice to be recognised by an organization dedicated to supporting songwriters and fostering an environment where we can craft music we love,” said Charli.
The ASCAP Global Impact Award presentation takes place during an exclusive party to celebrate the ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2024 winners on Wednesday, May 8 in Los Angeles. The invitation-only event will recognize the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most-performed pop songs of the past year.
Charli XCX is an iconic figure in the arts, having helped expand the landscape of popular music over the last decade by seamlessly traversing the underground and the mainstream with her artistic output. Charli’s innovative approach has opened up new possibilities within the pop sphere for both her own career and those of the rising artists she has supported over the years.
Charli’s impending sixth studio album BRAT is the eagerly-awaited followup to 2022’s CRASH, which reached #1 on the UK’s official album chart, and promises to be an exhilarating club record built around high art references and social commentary: a new era both musically and visually.
Alongside her new album, Charli has been working on multiple film & TV projects following the breakout success of her Barbie soundtrack contribution “Speed Drive” last year. She is co-executive producing the score for the A24 film Mother Mary with Jack Antonoff and also producing original music for Benito Skinner’s series Overcompensating on Prime Video. In addition, Charli will star in the Daniel Goldhaber remake of 1978 cult horror film Faces of Death.
A singer, songwriter, documentary maker, radio host and co-owner and founder of management company Project Gold, Charli’s story is one of an artist who continues to succeed without compromise. Over the course of her trailblazing career, Charli has earned critical acclaim for her forward-thinking music style and entrepreneurial spirit. She has been recognized with the Ivor Novello Visionary Award, Billboard Women in Music Powerhouse Award, Variety Hitmakers Innovator of Pop Award. Charli has accrued two Billboard Music Awards and a YouTube Music Award, plus nominations at the Grammys, BRIT Awards and MTV EMAs. Not to mention the studio time she’s commanded with the likes of Blondie, Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes, Benny Blanco, David Guetta, Zara Larsson, Khalid and Diplo.
A one-woman force within the industry, Charli’s relentless work rate extends to writing for other artists while releasing her own music, running her own Vroom Vroom Recordings label, directing music videos and co-managing developing artists including rising alt-pop songwriter ELIO, electronic artist and producer Kelly Lee Owens and all female band Nasty Cherry – a group she formed that has been documented on the 2019 Netflix TV series I’m With the Band.
Charli started to release music in 2008 and has continuously strived to take the road less traveled throughout her career, with her debut album True Romance setting a benchmark for avant-garde pop music. This created a trajectory that has seen her write some of the world’s biggest hits (Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes’s “Senorita”), while embracing pop’s most uninhibited sounds within her own work – gaining her a following that began in an internet cult capacity before spreading worldwide – assembling her own world via her fandom, affectionately called the Angels.
Sue Foley Debuts Immersive Masterclass “Guitar Trail Blazers” Celebrating Female Pioneers of Guitar
Leveraging TrueFire Studios’ patented music learning technologies, Sue Foley’s masterclass “Guitar Trail Blazers” unveils the seminal contributions to our musical heritage from six trailblazing female guitar pioneers: Elizabeth Cotten, Memphis Minnie, Ida Presti, Charo, Maybelle Carter, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Award-winning singer, songwriter, and guitar virtuoso Sue Foley guides guitar students through a highly enlightening, immersive learning experience. Watch the trailer HERE. Order “Guitar Trail Blazers” NOW.
”I am deeply inspired by the female guitar pioneers who made timeless contributions to American music and its history. These trailblazing women weren’t just playing the guitar; they were living it, pouring their souls into every note. Their stories are not just about music but about overcoming barriers, setting new standards, and inspiring generations of players.
I’ll share some of the musical qualities that inspired me about each: their technique, energy, and style — and then I’ll play a performance study to illustrate those qualities in a musical context.”
TrueFire’s multi-angle video lessons, interactive video teaching methodologies, and intuitive learning tools have powered immersive learning experiences for millions of music learners worldwide. “Guitar Trail Blazers” performances and examples are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video lessons with looping, slow motion, and fretboard animation. Other learning tools enable students to personalize their learning experience and learn at their own pace.
TrueFire founder Brad Wendkos expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating, “Sue Foley is an exceptional multi-talented artist, brilliant singer-songwriter, master guitarist, and passionate educator. Sue personifies those qualities, as evident in ‘Guitar Trail Blazers.’ We’re proud to have worked on such an important project with Sue!”
“Guitar Trail Blazers.” is available now and can be downloaded to any desktop or mobile device, and streamed from any browser or on Apple TV and Roku. Purchase on SueFoley.com or TrueFire.com.
Texas-based singer, songwriter, and master blues guitarist Sue Foley cut her teeth amongst Texas guitar slingers like Albert Collins, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and The Vaughan Brothers. Today, Foley performs and records her brand of Texas Blues with 17 albums and multiple awards to her credit, including the coveted 2024 Lifetime Achievement Maple Blues Award, Traditional Blues Female Artist in 2023, 2022 and 2020; Guitarist of the Year and Blues Act of the Year at the 2023 Austin Music Award; Guitarist of the Year at the 2023 Maple Blues Awards; and Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2022 Blues Music Awards for Pinky’s Blues. Foley is also passionate about music history, education, and passing the torch to the next generation of blues guitarists.
Driving Ambition: Rapper Pimpton Raises The “Moonroof” On Highly Motor-Vated New Single
At first listen, Canadian rapper Pimpton’s latest single, “Moonroof,” sounds like nothing more than a seductive invitation to a cozy nighttime drive. I mean, check out that slick come-on of a chorus:
Open up the moon roof
Let ya hair down baby, we gon’ fade away
We connect like a Bluetooth
Live from the belly of the beast, but in God we pray
Pretty romantic imagery, right? But it’s just the shared victory lap for verses in which Pimpton boasts eloquently about the perseverance that put him in that car in the first place. Dropping rapid-fire references to everything from Givenchy to The Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic, he motormouths a toast to his own greatness that’s the perfect counterpoint to the lulling cruise control of the music. Long, held chords of orchestration are integrated so effectively into the mix that you barely notice when they momentarily drop out to be replaced by a collage of hushed background vocals.
This stealthily jam-packed jam is the spotlight single from Pimpton’s new album, P.T. & Kholebeatz—which just happens to be his closest collaboration yet with his musical “pen pal” of the last 13 years, the Oslo-based Kholebeatz. As album projects go, it’s one of those rare cases in which a contract dispute was actually good for music. Last year, Pimpton had been hard at work on what was to be his next release, KCMKV3, when some of the guest artists he had planned to feature on the record got signed to a major label, necessitating a renegotiation of their publishing credits. While that protracted process was working itself out, Pimpton reached out to Kholebeatz and proposed a stopgap: a collaboration on which Kholebeatz would produce every song, while Pimpton wrote, arranged, recorded and mixed.
Kholebeatz conscripted some of his own trusted collaborators to take part, Pimpton enlisted everyone from childhood friends to his touring DJ, and voilà! Eight new tracks dripping with self-belief directed both inward and outward.
“Ultimately, the album speaks to the Sisyphean journey all artists must endure on the rise to prominence,” Pimpton says—and he’s absolutely including the experience of making this particular record as well. The message to himself and others? “Keep going.”
It’s a philosophy that’s been good to the Saskatchewan-based rapper since he arrived from Trinidad & Tobago and set about combining his Caribbean culture with the contemporary hip-hop stylings of his adopted country. He’s since sold more than 20,000 copies of his previous six independently released studio albums. And just under four years ago, he wrote and directed TUNNELZ, the first visual album created and released by a Saskatchewan artist, which earned him a nomination for Video Director of the Year at the 2021 Western Canadian Music Awards.
Over the course of his career, Pimpton has performed over 500 shows across North America, including appearances at major festivals like SXSW, JunoFEST, BreakOut West, the Aftershock Festival, the Cannabis Cup and Canadian Music Week. He’s shared the stage with a host of internationally recognized acts, including the Wu-Tang Clan, Young Jeezy, Bone Thugz N Harmony, Xzibit and Warren G. In September 2019, he was the direct support act for Dizzy Wright & Madchild on a 25-date cross-Canada tour.
And since this is Pimpton’s first trip to Europe, he’s also booking a show in Oslo, so he can finally meet Kholebeatz face to face. For all they’ve shared and worked on, they’ve never been in the same room. Just shows you what believing in yourself can do.
This May, Pimpton will be heading to Rotterdam to showcase at New Skool Rules, the largest urban-music conference and festival in Europe. In preparation, he’s playing a handful of other dates in his native Canada and on the European continent:
Thursday, April 18 – Bulldog Event Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Saturday, April 20 – The Exchange, Regina, Saskatchewan
Sunday, April 21 – Penrose YXE, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Wednesday, May 15 – Milan, Italy (Barrios’s Live)
Friday, May 17- Catania, Sicily (Palestra Lupo)
Saturday, May 18- Siracusa, Sicily (Medusa)
Sunday, May 19- Santa Teresa, Sicily (Theme De Yo-Yo)
Monday, May 20- Bologna, Italy (IL Pallone)
Wednesday, May 22- Cologne, Germany (Veedel Club)
Thursday, May 23- Vienna, Austria (Na Nang Club)
Saturday, May 25- Freiburg, Germany (TBA)
Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2- Rotterdam, the Netherlands (New Skool Rules – De Doelen)
Friday, June 7- Oslo, Norway (Storgata 26)
Folk-Rock Group BROTHER BICKER BAND Releases New Single “Nothing At All” From ‘Another Kind of Train’ Album
Brother Bicker Band, the renowned Calgary-based folk-rock ensemble, releases their latest single “Nothing At All” that promises to captivate listeners with its powerful narrative and dynamic song writing.
Crafted from a riff born during band practice, “Nothing At All” shows the band’s collaborative energy and dedication. Evolving over years of live performances, the song analyzes the stages of grief and rejection, while exploring themes of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It reflects on the pain and regret of lost love, evolving into the realization that every relationship, regardless of its outcome, shapes who we are as people.
The single starts as a Memphis Blues slow jam, reminiscent of iconic acts like the Black Crowes and the Black Keys, before building into a chaotic crescendo featuring duelling vocals and soaring instrumentation. Recorded at Broken Tap Studios in Calgary, the track showcases the talents of Darryl Swart on drums, Jeremy Hrdlicka on vocals, Tom Mogan on guitars, Ben Ellard on keys, and Jim Duncan on bass.
Adding a new dimension to Brother Bicker Band’s sound, vocalists Jennele Coulson and Claire Wilkes made their recording debut on “Nothing At All.” Their contributions elevate the song to new heights infusing it with an electrifying energy and a sense of urgency.
Reflecting on the essence of the band’s music, “Nothing At All” invites listeners to embark on a nostalgic journey. With their unique blend of maple whiskey rock ‘n’ roll, Brother Bicker Band continues to redefine the roots rock genre offering a sound that is both timeless and distinctly Canadian.
Prepare to be swept away by the infectious melodies and poignant lyrics of Brother Bicker Band’s latest release. “Nothing At All” is set to leave an indelible mark on audiences reminding us of all the transformative power of music.