All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.
Bend Sinister Whip Up A Two-Fold Dose Of Encouragement With “Big Star” and “Gotta Get Ready”
No matter who you are, you could use a friendly but firm hand every now and then to keep your nose to the grindstone. Enter Vancouver quartet Bend Sinister, who dole out two kinds of motivation on their latest, double-A-sided single — a musical wake-up call for aspiring rockers and anybody else who needs a little bit of a fire lit under them just to take on the day.
The exuberant “Big Star” sets the pace, laying down an in-your-face groove that’s the perfect vessel for sentiments every working musician should heed:
You got to play the game
If you want people to remember your name
It’s hard to write a hit
If you give up and quit
So grab a guitar
It’s time to be a big star
Ironically, the genesis of the tune itself was a significantly less urgent process. “‘Big Star’ started as an impromptu jam session captured on an iPhone voice memo and left to simmer for months, if not years,” the band reveals. But something about it struck them as the appropriate soundtrack for a hymn to diligence: “Calling from the realms of Deep Purple and ’70s organ-rock, the song fit the vibe of either giving it your all or getting off the pot. Rock and roll life is a hard life, so suck it up and pay your dues!”
The Purple comparison is more than apt. The classic timbre of the song’s keyboard line will indeed have you picturing the dearly departed Jon Lord rocking his Hammond furiously back and forth, while the gospel-tinged vocal wouldn’t be out of place on the next Glenn Hughes tour. On the flip side, “Gotta Get Ready” applies more vintage organ squiggles to a slightly different vibe and a self-help sermon that’s a bit broader in scope. The tune is a slower, more sinuous curb creep than “Big Star,” with a repeated ascending riff that nudges the listener to commit to the not-so-simple task of getting up in the morning.
Like a bird hunts for prey
Like a star casts its rays
Its a game to be won
So son,
You gotta get ready now
Are you ready now?
You gotta get ready now
Are you ready now?
Everybody involved was definitely wide awake for the live performance videos the band shot in front of a lucky audience at Vancouver’s Tyrant Studios to promote “Big Star” and “What It Takes.” All three tracks appear on Mostly Great Things, the group’s just-released seventh album and their first full-length release since 2018. Produced by regular collaborator Ben Kaplan (Rare Americans, Five Alarm Funk), it’s the product of an eclectic set of inspirations the double single merely hints at.
“At some point in 2022, we made a giant playlist with a bunch of songs from Styx, the Doobie Brothers, Herbie Hancock, April Wine, Funkadelic … really whatever we were feeling, and just got to work,” the band says. “This record is the result. Nothing too fancy—just some good times, rock and roll and a few guitar solos!”
Creative synthesis has been Bend Sinister’s thing since 1999, when bandleader Dan Moxon (vocals/keys) conscripted three of his high-school friends to start writing and performing music influenced by math, indie, prog and alternative rock. Over the ensuing quarter-century, Moxon and bandmates Joseph Martin (guitar), Matt Rhode (bass) and Nick Petrowich (drums) have cultivated a diverse catalog that careens joyfully from influence to influence—sometimes even within the space of the same song.
As they describe it, their music can find “the tender longing of a Billy Joel piano ballad followed by the grimy, fuzzed-out riffing of Queens of the Stone Age, with the dramatic crescendo of a Mozart symphony, culminating in a fist-pumping BTO lumber-rock singalong chorus.” But you need to have plenty of musical arrows in your quiver if you want to convey the emotional peaks and valleys of a lyrical oeuvre that encompasses “love, life on the road, and dogs.” (Come to think of it, maybe there’s a stealthy conceptual motif at work here: As any pet owner will tell you, having a dog will teach you to get up good and early real quick.)
Currently signed to Cordova Bay Records, Bend Sinister have scored two Top 30 rock radio hits, and have racked up more than 5 million cumulative streams while being featured on multiple Spotify playlists. The new single and album are bound to goose those numbers even farther into the stratosphere. And the rapt crowd in those Tyrant Studios performance videos is just a hint of what the band will be seeing from the stage in 2024. Tickets are on sale now for Bend Sinister’s Thursday, June 20, headlining appearance at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver—part of the prestigious venue’s four-day 15th-anniversary celebration. Keep your eyes peeled for further dates as the year unfolds; having your attitude adjusted has never been this much fun.
Philly Electronica Artist Paul G. Marchesani Unveils His Grandiose Vision Under Forest Kids Collective
What’s in a name? To Philadelphia electronic/EDM /vaporwave artist Paul G. Marchesani, the answer is apparently “a lot”—which is why he’s had more than 20 of them.
For 10 years, Marchesani has been recording under multiple musical aliases—starting with “Crossing Bridges” and snowballing from there—which he says has been the only way to preserve the distinct character of the more than 1,500 (!) tracks he’s laid down in that time. But every once in a while, he feels the urge to compile standout recordings by his various identities under a common umbrella. Hence “Forest Kids Collective,” whose new album, Galileo Grandiose, collates some of the best of Marchesani’s work into a remarkably smooth and cohesive listen.
A 17-song instrumental suite, the album segues effortlessly from soothing electronic soundscapes to quick stabs of unsettling atmospherics and back again. Spotlight track “Eye in the Sky” is a prime example of the former, laying out a pleasant churn of synths that patter like rain falling on a window while cymbals crash in a way that feels therapeutic rather than intrusive. The acoustic guitar flourishes add just the right melodic emphasis to keep the four-minute fantasia on a path of perpetual motion.
Moments like those repay the debt Marchesani says he’s always felt to “calm and passive music.” Because it’s that style in particular that got him through when his beloved older brother, who had inspired him to take up playing, took his own life. Marchesani’s subsequent depression only subsided when he stumbled across a YouTube animated video with a particularly compelling musical soundtrack. “I still was hurting, but this felt like I was healing,” he remembers.
What proved crucial was that he reserved the right to heal in a number of ways.
“My outlook on life has always been ‘Why do I have to choose?’” Marchesani says. “If given a color choice of something as a kid, I’d want the whole collection, I’d want the whole rainbow of color. So when creating music, it’s the same idea. I can’t stick to a single style or vibe.”
Galileo Grandiose is the clearest proof yet that variety is indeed his friend. The product of five years’ worth of tweaking and tinkering, the wordless album nonetheless flows like a great story, with all the peaks and valleys one would want. And that, Marchesani says, is the true rationale for having one alias that can hold sway over all the others.
“Forest Kids Collective is a full story,” he explains. “Each alias within the collective is a character with a personality and story arc that is reflected within their discographies. When I release a Forest Kids Collective album like Galileo Grandiose, it’s almost like a special event/ movie of all the characters interacting within this fantasy world.”
High-energy peaks and respites of stillness; grooving bangers and experimental mazes to get lost in; it’s all part of the sonic experience that is the Forest Kids Collective. On Galileo Grandiose and “Eye in the Sky” in particular, that experience draws you in like never before. What you call it almost doesn’t matter; what counts is that it calls to you.
Folk/Popper Sheena Legrand Gives Herself The “Green Light” To Change
What’s in a name? To indie-folk/pop songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sheena Legrand, the answer is “Just enough to make you change it when the time has come to hit the gas.” For her return to recording activity after a 10-year hiatus, the former Sheena Grobb has taken on a whole new moniker to better reflect the direction of her life—and the updated musical approach previewed on her new single, the hauntingly beautiful “Green Light.”
In her husky, sultry semi-whisper, Legrand gives voice to the prayers of anyone who’s ever wished that life would stop throwing up roadblocks—only to realize they were the one in the driver’s seat after all.
Give me one green light
Come on let’s go
Turn turn for me
Train left long ago
What if it’s only sight we’ve been looking for
Green brings out your eyes when you realize
It’s time to let go
“When I wrote “Green Light” with Winnipeg producer Jonny Kirouac, I was pleading for some force outside myself to change my situation,” Legrand says. “However, as happens with most of my music, when I look back on what I wrote and what I was dealing with, I understand how the first green light had to come from within me.
“‘Green Light’ gives us permission to let go of old stories so we can be open to a fresh start.”
In Legrand’s case, that meant carving out a new identity to better reflect her standing in an industry that almost requires women to stay eternally youthful. After releasing three albums under the “Sheena Grobb” banner, the Manitoba-born, Winnipeg-based artist had put a pin in her career to raise a family. After a while, she found herself wondering if she still had a place in music at all. But she reached into herself and realized she was under no obligation to conform to anyone else’s stereotypes.
Instead, she set out to reaffirm the talents she had been honing since beginning to sing consistently at age 4, and which had made her a past nominee in the Western Canadian Music Awards. Some professional coaching helped her take the quality of her vocals to a new level, and with the help of producer/co-instrumentalist Kirouac, she upgraded the tenor of her music in toto.
Her forthcoming album, the appropriately named Back to Life, will show how she’s managed to retain the strengths of her earlier work—sweet melodic hooks, intricate keys and delicately layered vocals—while superimposing an electrifying live loop experience that will be sure to get bodies moving when she starts to play shows again.
At the same time, she’s continuing her side work as a public speaker who uses music, storytelling and mindfulness tools to help schoolchildren deal with mental-health struggles, bullying and issues of low self-esteem. She’s also a part-time health coach who specializes in helping patients survive autoimmune disease (which she herself has faced). The treatment regimen she advocates includes diet and lifestyle changes, plus emotional work and spiritual practices that stimulate healing from within.
The “from within” angle is big to Legrand right now: It’s the focus of “Green Light,” certainly, but also of a general attitudinal shift that sprang from bringing something quite special out of herself and into the world.
“I gave birth naturally in our living room, and I’ve never felt more powerful in my life,” she says. “That moment was a portal within my own personal growth. I will never be the same.”
No wonder she’s chosen to re-emerge under the surname of her chosen family:
“Joining my partner and son as a ‘Legrand’ felt right personally, but it also worked for where I was at professionally. I’m feeling the change, and it’s good!”
Now she’s looking forward to taking that attitude back to the stage whenever and wherever possible.
“When it comes to dreaming big, I’d say the sky is the limit. There’s been a shift in my availability, but travelling as a family is something we’re very much open to, so all of a sudden, the possibilities seem endless again. I love the spot I’m in!”
Toronto Rock Upstart DYLAN BRADLEY Unveils Cathartic Anthem “I’m Sorry” from Debut Album ‘No Turning Back’
Life has its sour moments, and it can be hard to move on when it happens with someone you love. Sometimes, hard things come before good things, and you have to work through some pain in order to get to a better place. This is showcased on Toronto based rock singer-songwriter Dylan Bradley’s new single “I’m Sorry” from his debut No Turning Back, which the album is already at over 70,000 streams on Spotify.
The song opens with some energetic guitar riffs reminiscent of pop-punk bands like Good Charlotte and Blink-182. Buffering this is Bradley’s passionate vocals as he sings of how a lover made false apologies after damaging his stuff and how he blames himself for not being the best person he could be.
When the song continues into the chorus, Bradley refuses to be guilt ridden any longer. He apologies for not being who his lover wanted him to be, but he also decides to be who he wants to be.
The song continues discussing the back and forth between Bradley and his lover as the guitar riffs have a little added flourish before the chorus comes in again. Afterwards, there is a bridge that almost feels like an apology for the song’s frivolous tone.
“I know I know I know
I’m not what you want, oh
I know I know I know
I’m insecure sometimes, oh
I know I know I know, I know”
Bradley acknowledges this tone by stating, “I’m Sorry is a song about living the way that you want to live, regardless of what other people think. It’s a sort of tongue in cheek apology to those who disagree with the way you choose to live your life. However, the lyric “one of these days I’ll get this right” brings a deeper meaning of feeling like you’re not quite who you want to be yet.”
The newfound freedom of “I’m Sorry” is captured in the song’s music video. It features Bradley happily performing the song alone under a graffiti-covered underpass and occasionally riding a skateboard. The latter demonstrates the influence of 00’s pop-punk songs like Avril Lavinge’s “Skater Boi”.
Dylan Bradley is breaking into the rock music scene with brand new singles and debut album No Turning Back. Heavily influenced by 90s and early 2000s rock music, Dylan Bradley brings an authentic and fresh sound for listeners worldwide. Dylan Bradley’s music covers genres including but not limited to soft rock, hard rock, and alternative rock.
His first single, “All Your Lies” was released in September, 2023, with the follow-up single “October” released in October of that year.
The Desperate Hours: Twin Singles By WOLFGANG WEBB Promise No Rest For The Wretched
Titling his debut album The Insomniacs’ Lullaby was the first clue that Wolfgang Webb wanted to take us on a trip through the long, dark nights of the soul. But just how long and how dark those nights can be doesn’t really hit home until you’ve heard two of its spotlight tracks, songs steeped in a melancholia that only the anguish of personal experience can convey.
Take “Before You Sleep (The Pills),” which weds some truly harrowing imagery to an uncompromising dirge with the compellingly funereal quality of Leonard Cohen—and a mournful lead vocal that has more than a tad of Tom Waits-style grit.
If you wake up before me, will you hold me?
Will you show me?
And if I can’t wait until morning, will you tell me it’ll be alright?
Hold me, hold me, my friend
The pills stopped working again
The first song written for the album, “Before You Sleep” ended up setting the pace for the entire project, not just in terms of mood but also methodology.
“[All of the writing] was done in my bedroom between 2 and 6 in the morning,” Webb reveals. “I was in a manic-depressive, insomniac state where I wasn’t sleeping, and everything was very fluid. That’s just the way it was. It was really cathartic.”
Meanwhile, “Lonely Heart” has slightly more of a spring in its step rhythmically, but its lyrical sentiments won’t get it confused with a party anthem either. Acoustic- guitar chords fall dourly as Webb declares his longing for something better, with the chilling implication that the peace he’s searching for might not be on this side of the veil.
I got feelings deep
A soul that needs
Transparency all the time
I know a place where the soul won’t break
Do you know what I mean?
I know a place where it’s not all take
Do you know what I mean?
The subject matter might be bleak, but Webb’s overdue debut as a solo artist was delayed a couple of decades not because of depression or fatigue, but because he was simply too busy in his previous career as a sound designer and soundtrack composer for films and TV. Lucrative as that hustle may have been, though, it wasn’t always the best outlet for his own tastes and emotional needs.
The lyric sheet is fraught with references to heartbreak, depression, suicide, and the ghosts of sexual abuse, but at the same time The Insomniacs’ Lullaby is not a wallow. It stares into the darkness with grace and poise and finds the transformative beauty in that darkness. Because that’s how you stop the darkness from getting the better of you.
Recorded everywhere from France to Los Angeles to Nashville Webb’s home base of Toronto, The Insomniacs’ Lullaby finds this emergent singing-songwriting talent backed by studio pros who are veterans of sessions with Johnny Cash, the Pretenders, Lucinda Williams, and others. The overall effect is as accomplished as you’d expect from that collective pedigree, and picturesque to a degree that fully befits Webb’s own CV. The songs on the album are so evocative and atmospheric, in fact, that you can easily envision them turning up in somebody else’s series or feature—perhaps as the music bed to a montage of desperate characters pacing worriedly through dimly lit rooms, with judicious jump cuts symbolizing their unraveling psyches. Maybe he could give pointers.
Whatever happens, Webb says he’s been so energized by the experience of making his own record that he now plans to release three albums in as many years. Somebody better put the coffee on, because it sounds like he’s in for a lot more all-nighters.
“New World” Man: Indigenous Folk Rocker MIKE BERN Shares A Moving Missive From The Other Side
When a child and a parent lose each other, the lines of communication are severed tragically and forever. Or are they? Indigenous folk-rocker Mike Bern volunteers his services as a spiritual middleman on his latest single, “New World,” an imagined declaration of anguish and devotion from a mother who was taken too soon.
Left my daughter behind
Now I’m drowning the sky
There’s one thing I do know
I got no place to go
Carry the love into our lives
Carry her heart
Greet her with my eyes closed
I can’t hold you no more
I love you more than you know
Kind words from above
Bern’s raspy but gentle voice carries the otherworldly communiqué with the utmost grace, his ghostly verse lines answered by reverb-heavy guitar phrases that drip like falling tears. And all of it plays out over a slow, stately beat that feels like the inexorable forward march of fate.
The song is dedicated to Bern’s adopted daughter, whose biological mother passed away in a car crash.
“There are times when my daughter says she sees her mom,” he says. “For instance, while in Montreal, she said she had seen her mom in the clouds waving to her. They both live in new worlds, but somehow, they still see each other and communicate.”
The first-person address of the lyrics reflects Bern’s deep belief that the woman he was writing about had an active hand in them: “She helped me write the song, not just for her daughter, but for her other children and ones that mourn her still.”
You’d expect no lesser level of spirituality from an artist whose roots lie deep in New Brunswick’s Tobique First Nation—situated along the Tobique and Wolastoq rivers, where the Wolastoqiyik people are known as the “people of the beautiful river.” Throughout his musical journey, Bern has maintained a strong connection to his heritage and its belief in the healing power of nature. His last album, released two years ago, was even titled Ancestors, and the single he followed it up with in 2023, “Reverberation,” was a paean to the sweat-lodge experience.
The musical vessel he’s chosen to convey those traditions is a unique brand of folk rock that melds his own background with the vocal stylings of Southern Gospel. Influences like Chris Otepka, Frankie Miller and Ben Schneider have been his North Star as he digs deep into the purity and pain only genuine songwriting can unlock.
A self-taught guitarist since he chose to follow the example of a highly musical uncle 30 years ago, Bern made the crucial step up to creating original material thanks to a rehab counselor, who read some of his writings and declared that they had a distinctly song-like cast. Over the course of Bern’s ensuing career, he’s led the outfits Kickin’ Krotch and District Avenue, the latter of whom won two awards for their “Revival” music video in 2017 and went on to hear the song featured at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics a year later.
Bern’s time as a solo artist has been marked by successes like 2021’s “First Mother,” which reached the top spot on the Indigenous Music Countdown. As an in-demand live act, he’s opened for the likes of Seaway, The Trews, One Bad Son and The Motorleague.
In the year ahead, he’ll be deepening his commitment to heartfelt originals like “New World” while dropping the occasional cover on his socials. (The first few months of 2024 have brought solo acoustic renditions of “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters, “Long as I Can See the Light” by Creedence Clearwater Revival and “She’s Electric” by Oasis.). But whatever he puts his mind and voice to, be prepared to be haunted—in all the right ways.
Martin Schiller Unveils Abstracted Album: A Journey Through Experimental Soundscapes and Emotional Landscape
Martin Schiller, the musician and composer from Windsor, Ontario, has made a mark in both performance and composition. Apart from his collaborations, Schiller has also carved out his own path as a solo artist, releasing music independently.
You probably know him for his works with the previously released album ‘Dreams Vol. 1’ (2022), with the ‘Future Prints’ single. Now he has returned with the release of his new album, ‘Abstracted’, a deeply personal endeavor.
While ‘Dreams Vol. 1’ explored traditional rock instrumentation, translating simpler melodic and rhythmic ideas into psych-rock folk tunes, ‘Abstracted’ is a collection of sound sculptures, created concurrently with ‘Dreams Vol. 1’ between 2020 and 2021, taking a more fluid approach to music; where the composition is seen as the art of organizing sound, allowing for a more open-ended exploration of sonic landscapes.
“The individual elements that make up this music were gradually constructed over several years, some dating as far back as 2016, but it was during the first pandemic lockdowns that I began editing them, carving them out, and connecting them to create this work as a whole,” comments Schiller, on the creation of the album.
Completed in 2021, the album withheld for release, reflecting a period of significant upheaval and introspection. Conceived as a unified whole, ‘Abstracted’ unfolds in two halves resembling the sides of an album.
The first half comprises a six-part sequence featuring minimalist and environmental gestures, blending playful improvisations with acousmatic computer music.
Featuring approximately 32 minutes of captivating electronic music, the whole album transcends traditional genre boundaries, incorporating elements of Ambient, Noise, Glitch, and other experimental genres; resulting on a sonic journey, weaving together layers of soundscapes and textures to create an immersive auditory experience.
Transitioning to the second half, it offers a lengthy exploration of an electronic drum breakbeat with a heavily modified violin drone in “Hyper Plaid Fulcrum,” followed by a 2-and-a-half-minute drifting ambient piece serving as a poignant outcome.
Conceived concurrently with the instrumentals of ‘Dreams Vol.1,’ but meticulously crafted over the following years, ‘Abstracted’ is a work done with all music by Martin Schiller, mastered by Matt Rideout, and artwork by Amanda Brierty.
However ready for quite some time, Schiller chose to hold the release of ‘Abstracted’ as life unfolded and presented its challenges, including the artist’s father’s diagnosis and struggle with Atypical Parkinsonism, and subsequent passing in 2023. The creation of the album itself became a refuge and a means of processing emotions.
The move from Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan, further marked this transformative period, as did the release of other music under the artist’s name, including ‘Dreams Vol.1.’
With so much changing, it’s rhetorical how the track “Gone Places” would be chosen for release from the album, as it holds profound significance amidst the artist’s journey.
“For me, this piece [Gone Places] involves themes of the passage of time, the phenomenon of memory, and symbolically being in more than one place at the same time,” says Schiller on the track’s creation.
‘Gone Places,’ the final piece of the first half of the album ‘Abstracted,’ showcases the artist’s experimental ingenuity and sonic exploration. Through meticulous sound manipulation, the track incorporates elements from diverse sources, including analog drum machines, Scottish bagpipes, and old television recordings.
These sounds undergo extensive processing techniques such as Generative Music, Max-MSP programming, Granular Synthesis, and Michael Norris’ Spectral-Audio processing, resulting in ethereal drones that evoke a sense of mystery and introspection. As a pivotal moment within the album’s narrative, ‘Gone Places’ invites listeners to delve into a world of sonic innovation and discovery.
Known for his dynamic bass performances with What Seas What Shores and contributions to the Noiseborder Ensemble’s multimedia performances, Schiller has entertained audiences globally.
Currently calling Detroit, Michigan home, Schiller continues to push the boundaries of his craft, drawing inspiration from his diverse experiences and surroundings.
Calvyn Cass Redefines Love with Debut Project ‘Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars’
Calvyn Cass’ new project “Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars” imparts a crystal-clear stance on love, and the innumerable stages it transforms into for an individual. The project boasts of themes in love that directly mimics falling in love in the real world. The highest peak in the beginning, highs and lows in the middle, and the desolating ends. In his words, “It’s just not always that simple.”
Cass first burst onto the scene back in 2020 with his debut single “ME, Myself, and I” and has continued to build a strong following in the time since. In just three years, his songs have been streamed over 1 million times on Spotify, and he’s racked up a whopping 500,000 views on Youtube. Now, he’s channeling that momentum into an ambitious two-part album that boasts production from the likes of multi-platinum producers Adam H. (Ray J, Ne-Yo, Elise Estrada, Def Leppard, and Loverboy) and Dave Genn (54/40 and Matthew Good Band).
“Tethered to You,” the 3rd single following “Hollywood Calls,” and “Ménage à Trois”, is an entrancing track that illuminates the feeling of falling in love. Cass opens his heart out about the first time he fell in love, and how intoxicating it was for him at the time. An all-consuming high that feels good on one hand, and confusing on the other.
“The experience of being in love is kind of like an out of this world experience,” he says. “The irony is, it’s probably the best thing about being in this world.”
Tunefully, “Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars” offers an eliciting mixture of funk tones, necessary adlibs in some tracks, the melancholy textures fused into the vulnerable songs– specially “Tethered to You” and “Passion to Pain.” Whereby Calvyn cleverly transports the listener to a gloomy schism about choosing between two outcomes that depend on two different decisions. Furthermore, the use of melancholic chords compels the listener to empathize with the protagonist of these storylines.
Calvyn Cass’ unending devotion to his husband is reflected well throughout this project in variety of ways. And to think he intentionally removed gender for this project, makes this body of art much more formidable. He provides this safe haven where all individuals can relate to and find some kind of solace through music.
“We have both made mistakes along the way and we almost didn’t make it through some of those moments,” he adds, “At the end of the day we always chose to stick it out.” He further expands, “It doesn’t make it hurt less and it’s really reshaped my view of love and how I understand it.”
Cass invited quite a few creative contributors to this new project like mega-producer Adam H., dynamo Taylor Allum on “Passion to Pain,” best friend and fellow songwriter Jess Edo, and some of Cass’ exemplary cinematographer friends for the music videos. For each music video concept, Cass ascertained his relationship is represented well, regardless of what the song is about.
“It’s more of a performance video,” he shares about ‘Tethered to You’ music video, “but it is representative to me of my love for my music and my artistry.”
Following his official debut in the music scene 4 years ago, Calvyn has blossomed into an artist blazing his own trail, and “leaning into the fun” as he puts it. In the same way as artists before him who learnt to embrace their gender fluidity, Cass followed suit. By shadowing musical inspirations he loves – Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams to name a few, and honing his 90-style inspired writing techniques.
This 5-track project “Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars” has something for everyone, especially those constantly excluded from relating to lyrics that target a specific gender group.
Doctor Tongue Releases Emotional Single “Green Eyes” In Tribute To Founding Member
Doctor Tongue, the eclectic musical ensemble from Hamilton, Ontario, known for blending elements of rock, funk, soul, hip-hop, and country, proudly announces the release of their latest single, “Green Eyes” – now available. “Love is a drug. When you dive in, expect the extraordinary. ‘Green Eyes’ embodies the essence of two souls revelling in mutual ecstasy. Love transcends mere sweet whispers; it’s an all-encompassing celebration, a wild ride through every emotion, fast, slow, or outright psychedelic,” the band states, capturing the song’s essence and message.
As we now pass the first anniversary of the untimely passing of guitarist and founding member Dylan Matthews, this track holds special significance. It was the last collaborative effort involving Dylan, whose vision and creativity left an indelible mark on the band. The inception of “Green Eyes” can be traced back to Dylan’s days with Torque Hound, where he crafted the song’s compelling main riff, embedding his vision of encapsulating the exhilaration and freedom found in love. His musical philosophy of finding joy and fun in all aspects of life is vividly expressed through this piece.
Lead singer George Panagopoulos found a connection to the song, seeing a reflection of his wife’s mesmerizing green eyes. He was able to craft the lyrics with bandmate Mark McMaster into something through which he could voice his own experience. George’s addition of a keyboard part significantly altered the verse melodies, deepening the narrative and allowing a fresh approach to the lyrics to fit the new melody. This made the song feel new and spontaneous, inviting the muse back to the creative process.
As the song neared completion, it still lacked some lyrics for the chorus. George, with the long drives home on his mind, focused on his anticipation of returning to his wife. The lyrics “Take me home and don’t let go” emerged as straightforward and honest additions, perfectly completing the track and encapsulating the longing and warmth of coming home.
The loss of Dylan transformed “Green Eyes” into a poignant reflection on the valued message he left behind. George explains, “The genesis of ‘Green Eyes’ is deeply intertwined with the band’s history. Like the band, it was initially sparked by Dylan but grew into something dripping in the collaboration that is now Doctor Tongue.”
The song’s studio evolution also followed the song’s philosophy of celebration. Each member was encouraged to be as much of themselves as they could be, with each contributing their unique talents. George’s evocative keyboard melodies, Mark McMaster’s robust drumming, and Olivia Brown’s energetic bass lines were carefully curated to encapsulate the song’s spirit. Guest vocalist Sheri Dunn added a layer of soul, honouring Dylan, who deeply desired multiple voices on the track. Now rich with George, Olivia, and Jethro, Sheri adds a vibrant magic and approach to her part that is unique and impossible to miss when heard.
Doctor Tongue emerged as a vibrant force during the pandemic and quickly captured the hearts of many, debuting at the Come Together festival in May 2022. Despite Dylan’s tragic loss in March 2023, the band’s sound has continued to evolve, enriched by Chris Wheeler’s skillful guitar, Olivia Brown’s dynamic bass and vocals, and Jethro Mann’s dedicated rhythm guitar.
With a significant Spotify following and a studio that bridges musical eras, Doctor Tongue delivers immersive performances that transport audiences across time and space. Their commitment to their art and fans guarantees every concert is an unforgettable experience.