There’s nothing like putting in a hard day’s work – and then having something to show for it! Alvinston, ON-based Celtic-rockers the Mudmen pay tribute to the ultimate sign of hard work in their fun, toe-tapping, raucous ditty “Farmer’s Tan.”
Written by bandmembers Sandy and Robby Campbell in their mother’s old farmhouse, “Farmer’s Tan” features rockin’ guitars juxtaposed with whimsical bagpipes, and the song carries an inspirational message about friends, family, community, and a strong work ethic.
Well, they raised us right, they made us strong,
and they taught us how to get along
That our roots are deep, and promises we keep,
and I’ll roll up my sleeves to show…
“Our mom, Mary Dewar Campbell, is the one who inspired hard work and the one who tried to raise us right,” the Campbell brothers said. “Still to this day, at 80 years old, she has a large garden and gives vegetables to seniors in town and keeps her farm well maintained. She’s a strong person and has likely never missed a day of work in her life.”
The song’s corresponding music video features performances from three different festivals – the Western Fair in London, ON; The Kincardine Scottish Festival; and New Year’s Eve in Ottawa, ON – as well as scenes of folks doing actual farming. It also includes heartwarming shots of fans rolling up their sleeves to “show your farmer’s tan,” which the Mudmen often ask people do at their live shows (kids, especially, love this!).
“Hopefully ‘Farmer’s Tan’ will become a summer anthem and a song people can relate to and have fun with,” The Mudmen said.
Always entertaining and definitely unique, The Mudmen are a blast of Celtic energy whose members are known to be characters both on and off the stage. First discovered in 1993 as The Campbell Brothers, the brothers signed a record deal with EMI Records and changed their name to Mudmen. The Mudmen – consisting of Robby and Sandy Campbell, Colin Amey, Jordon Brosseau, Andy Gingerich, and Alex Showdra – believe that nice guys can finish first, and they believe deeply in connecting with their audiences. Established in 1998, Mudmen will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary in 2023.
At this point, the longstanding Mudmen are a beloved institution. Their music has been featured on Xbox and PlayStation games, NBC’s The Black Donnelly’s, WWE Wrestling, six Don Cherry’s Rock ’Em and Sock ’Em hockey videos, The Mackenzie Brothers’ TWO-FOUR Anniversary Special on CBC, HBO’s Shameless, HNIC Coach’s Corner (a special tribute to Dale Hunter), six music videos on Much Music/MTV, as well as reaching the Top 20 Countdown on Toronto’s 102.1 The Edge radio. In 2008, the Campbell brothers were asked to perform on the new “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song produced by iconic Canadian music producer Bob Rock, whereupon Ron MacLean declared to the nation, “Mudmen, we love ’em!”
Some of the best, most innovative musical acts ever started out when they were merely teens – The Runaways, The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, to name just a few – and Canada’s Teen Jam, a first-of-its-kind performance showcase, is well aware of the immense talent and creativity that can be developed during that wonderful time of life.
Canada’s Teen Jam will allow finalists to perform on a massive concert stage as an opener to this year’s Wayback Festival in Kitchener, Ontario, on July 22 featuring JUNO Award winners Kim Mitchell and Sass Jordan. The performance will allow teen artists to explore their natural musical talents in front of both their peers and industry heavyweights.
Teen Jam counts Premier Doug Ford, as well as Kitchener Councillor Bil Ioannidis, as supporters. “Music and the arts have the power to engage and inspire young people,” Ford said. “Music gives our youth a chance to express themselves, develop discipline, and excel.”
“Thank you to the wonderful team behind Canada’s Teen Jam and the Wayback Festival for giving our next generation of musicians and musical performers this platform to hone their talents and gain exposure to audiences and music industry professionals,” Ford continued. “And congratulations to all the young people taking the stage. You’re all absolute champions. Keep up the good work!”
Teen Jam was created by Mark Higgins, producer, and founder of Big Music Fests, which has featured A-listers including Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Soundgarden, The Tragically Hip, Slash, ZZ Top and many more legendary acts.
“When you support musical teens, you empower the entire teen community,” Higgins said. “Musical growth is absolutely essential for the future of our music industry. Without our up-and-coming next generation of artists being supported, the creative wall will crumble.”
Teens ages 13 to 19 can submit video performances here, along with a $10 submission fee. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best performances – $1,000 in the band category, and $500 for the solo-artist category. All sounds and musical styles are encouraged, as well as both original songs and covers. More information can also be found on Canada’s Teen Jam’s Instagram and TikTok.
The Teen Jam and corresponding Wayback Festival will also include a free concert on Saturday, July 22nd, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., featuring Kim Mitchell and very special guest Sass Jordan.
Jazz singer-songwriter Fiona Ross undertakes the difficulty of capturing the everyday – via both its birds-eye view and its sharp, minute detail – on her new album Thoughts, Conversations and To Do Lists.
She manages to crystallize the racing interior monologue, the standstill of the post-breakup blues, the gentle flow of a thirst for knowledge. She also deftly paints the party atmosphere, the easy camaraderie between friends, and the steadfast desire for truth.
The album’s opener, “When Will You Leave My Mind,” is a paradoxical song in the sense that it’s sonically full of movement – it has the pace of a cha-cha, a chugging train, a bustling city – while the lyrics capture perfectly the state of stuckness and standstill after a breakup. Replete with a catchy Latin guitar groove, the track makes the internal turmoil palpable with Ross’ syncopated singing, her words moving deftly in and out of the sensual instrumentation as she inquires, “When will you leave my mind/ You’ve spent too long in my mind/ You don’t belong in my mind.” The overall effect, however, is sassiness and steadfastness rather than wilted defeat, and the listener gets the sense that she’s going to solve this – if not right now, then quite soon.
Thoughts, Conversations and To Do Lists moves from strutting (“I Want To Know More”) to pensive and meandering (like the sax-studded “The Small Things”) to the wild, raucous and adventurous (“When You Walked In The Room”). Ross’ voice soars, strides, and shimmies through “A Single Source of Truth,” about looking for straightforwardness and low-drama in a world of melodrama and fake news.
Meanwhile, Trumpet Man” is sexy and undulating, an ode to a sort of renaissance man, with (of course) sublime trumpet accents in all the right places. “The Don’t Stop Just Breathe Ragtime” features wildly fun, almost cartoonish instrumentation with a sense of deep playfulness. And the glittering piano, danceable beats, and groovy guitar on the instrumental “#ThursdayThoughts” at the album’s conclusion replicate a mind racing with ideas and boundless energy.
Written, arranged and produced by Ross, the 14-track album is a compendium of several themes reflecting Ross’ day-to-day life. While some songs are busy, with lots going on from every angle, others are more interior and reflective, mirroring Ross’ headspace.
“Someone asked me what my new album was about and I explained that it’s just really some of my thoughts, some conversations I’ve had, and my To-Do lists,” Ross recalls. “That kind of stuck, so decided to call it exactly that – Thoughts, Conversations and To Do Lists.”
Named among the 100 Alternative Power Music List for 2020, multi-award winning jazz artist, editor-in-chief, journalist and founder of the award-winning Women in Jazz Media organization Fiona Ross never stops. As a vocalist, pianist, composer and producer, Ross has become known for creating her own contemporary jazz sound incorporating fast-paced Latin jazz, vintage jazz club, and a little bit of neo-soul along with heart wrenching ballads. She came to the world’s attention as the artist that gave Ed Sheeran his “first push,” but she very quickly established herself as an artist in her own right and has received incredible reviews and awards across the globe for all of her albums.
Ross has achieved many accolades for her work, including Best Jazz Song from the World Songwriting Awards, Outstanding Achievement awarded by the Global Music Awards, and International Female Songwriter of the Year from the International Singer-Songwriters Association. She has been featured in publications including Tinnitist, Jazziz, Record World Magazine, Jazz Corner, Ink 19 and Jazz Quarterly. Fiona’s song “Mistress” (which was recorded live in a stairwell) was selected to be included in the British Library archives for prosperity. “Ross’s lyric phrasing, vocal register and arrangements deliver brilliant presence and form,” says Music Interview Magazine.
Over the years, we’ve heard that love is the answer, the drug, can build a bridge, lifts us up where we belong, is endless, a crazy little thing and is, of course, all you need. Most certainly, this highest of emotions is at its best when it’s shared as far and wide as possible. Award-winning Canadian Singer-Songwriter Henry Lees is aiming to spread the love far beyond his own glowing heart with his funkified, grooved-up new single “Free This Love”, available everywhere on May 1, Global Love Day.
Co-written with noteworthy, award-winning Ontario singer-songwriters Heather Hill and Matt Gerber, and produced by Vancouver-based musical wunderkind Sean Thomas (Debbie Gibson, Joey McIntyre, NKOTB, New Edition), “Free This Love” was borne out of a collective wish to uplift and inspire human reconnection during a time rife with fear, isolation and uncertainty around the world.
“‘Free This Love’ is a song that celebrates and reminds us of the importance and power of brotherly love,” shares Lees. “Spotlighting that was one of our goals when Heather and I had our first writing session for the song. Then, Matt joined us to help hone things stylistically and lyrically.”
“We imagined love being ‘let out of the cage’ into a space of greater freedom and compassion,” adds Lees.
I want you by my side
I’ll never leave you behind
Let’s lift each other high
And free this, free this love
This passionate anthem about compassion mixes Lees’ warm, soulful tenor with syncopated guitar, playful keyboard riffs, dramatic percussion and a four-on-the-dance-floor, total sing-along chorus. To create the sparkling pop sound that showcases the song’s powerful message, Lees turned to his friend and frequent collaborator, Vancouver producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean Thomas.
“Sean and I have collaborated a number of times since we first met and clicked during the annual SongStudio Workshop in Toronto five years ago,” notes Lees. “He’s done amazing work in recent years with brilliant pop icons like Debbie Gibson and Joey McIntyre and I knew he would be able to transform our earnest demo into this big, beautiful banger that we’re so proud of!”
“When listening to the demo of ‘Free This Love’, I could hear the emotion that Henry was conveying through his beautiful vocal performance and the impactful message of the lyrics that he wrote along with Heather and Matt,” recalls Thomas. “It was a pleasure to produce and an honour to work with such amazing talent!”
This collaborative effort has already paid off with accolades from two major international songwriting competitions. “Free This Love” was selected as a Top 10 Finalist for the 2022 USA Songwriting Competition and was recently chosen as a Semi-Finalist for the 2022 International Songwriting Competition.
“When I think of the thousands and thousands of entries that are submitted each year for these competitions and it hits me that ‘Free This Love’ has been singled out by industry peers for recognition not once, but twice, I’m completely blown away and so grateful,” says Lees.
With three years of pandemic, war and conflict, increasing divisiveness and climate crises all playing havoc with humanity, choosing to drop this joyful jam on Global Love Day was a no-brainer and an all-heart decision for Lees.
“As I was considering potential mid-spring release dates, I discovered that May 1 is Global Love Day,” he notes. “It’s a symbolic day of unconditional love that recognizes our oneness through love. ‘Free This Love’ celebrates the same idea, so it was a drop date slam dunk!”
Global Love Day was established in 2004 by The Love Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Harold W. Becker to “inspire and remind people of the simple, practical power of loving unconditionally”. Since then, it has grown to include close to fifty local coordinators in over forty countries, including three in Canada. According to thelovefoundation.com, Global Love Day has garnered 854 proclamations and greetings from governors, mayors, city councils and other prominent elected officials over its 20-year history. In 2023, the Canadian municipalities of Oakville, Saskatoon and Victoria have all issued proclamations honouring Global Love Day.
“I was born on the first day of summer in the Summer of Love. So, I’ve always thought that the natural belief I have in the innate goodness of humanity has been with me since day one,” Lees offers. “We all have our struggles with the darker sides of human nature but, we were also born to love one another.”
The love of making music has also been with Henry Lees since day one. Writing, recording and performing everything from radio jingles to musical theatre has taken him to the national airwaves and to stages across Canada, including singing on two cross-Canada Huron Carole benefit tours with singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and Order of Canada recipient Tom Jackson. In 2022, Lees celebrated his first number ones as a songwriter when triple Maple Blues Award nominee Chris Antonik and his album “Morningstar” hit #1 for 2 weeks on Roots Music Report’s all-genre, Top 50 Canada Albums Chart and “Back to the Good”, one of six songs Lees’ co-wrote with Antonik for the album, also hit #1 on the RMR.
Also in 2022, Lees released the single “Walking With Fear”, a very personal song of support for those dealing with anxiety disorders co-written with multi-award winning singer-songwriter David Leask and co-produced with Leask and JUNO winner Steve Dawson. “Walking With Fear” was released in partnership with Anxiety Canada in support of Action Anxiety Day.
In 2021, Lees was honoured with a Top Ten Finalist Award from the International Acoustic Music Awards and a Second Place Award from the Indie International Songwriting Awards for his song “Nothing Left to Lose”, co-written and co-produced with Sean Thomas.
These recent accomplishments have led to plans to release another digital single and an EP later this year. Until then, Lees hopes “Free This Love” will spread the love groove everywhere this summer from nightclubs to backyard barbecues.
Named KISS Radio’s February and March “One to Watch 2023” artist, Fracassi’s “Dance With Myself” features her soaring vocals, detailing the feeling of regaining your sense of self and freedom after losing yourself in a relationship. Presave the single here.
“This is a song about raw, unfiltered joy. Joy that does not rely on circumstance or relationship. The unfettered sense of liberation that seeps into every fibre of your being and spills over. I wrote this song to claim territory in my life that I had lost to a broken heart, and a need to please,” said Fracassi. “‘Dance With Myself’ was, and is a stake in freedom to be who I really am. Sometimes, you find yourself in the eye of the storm. It’s in those moments that you can choose to be afraid, or throw your hands up, surrender, and dance with yourself.”
In addition to the new single release, Sophia is also ready to hit Canadian stages as the opening act for Diamond-selling and multi-JUNO Award-nominated soulful singer-songwriter Amanda Marshall on her “25 & Counting: The Heavy Lifting Tour”. The cross-country tour will kick off on June 11, 2023 in Moncton, NB with stops across Canada, including performances at Toronto’s Massey Hall and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.
Ontario-born and raised Sophia Fracassi has always turned to music to ride out life’s storms. The singer-songwriter is just 19 years old, but her voice is calm and confident, indicative of someone who has dedicated her whole life to her art. Sophia doesn’t hide from her emotions. And as a result, her stripped-back pop songs offer a soothing guide for anyone trying to navigate tough times.
Taking inspiration from icons she’s long admired, Sophia wrote about what she knew on her debut six-track EP Marathon with Steve Molella (New Friends, LOLO, Finger Eleven), released last year. Marathon authentically chronicles Sophia’s coming of age, capturing formative moments in real-time with raw instrumentation and incredible vocals to match.
Sophia’s music has caught the attention of listeners and DSPs, pushing her songs “I Lied,” “Here You Come Again,” and “But I Do” to the top of high-traffic playlists such as Radar Canada and Equal Canada on Spotify.
Sophia is no longer a little girl craving to emulate her peers, nor a teenager helplessly in love. She wants to be fully herself, and for her music to be a vessel for the empathy and empowerment she holds so close to her heart. Still, Sophia is conscious of the fact that she’s only at the beginning of her journey, and that life still has a lot to offer her. As she grows, she plans to continue surprising herself—while encouraging others to do the same.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the upcoming tour, please visit sophiafracassi.com/#tour.
CANADIAN TOUR DATES – Opening for Amanda Marshall
June 11 – Moncton, NB – Casino NB
June 12 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
June 14 – Peterborough, ON – Peterborough Memorial Centre
June 16 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
June 17 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
June 18 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
June 20 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre
June 21- Kitchener, ON – Centre In the Square
June 22 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Concert Hall
June 25 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
June 26 – Regina, SK – Conexus Arts Centre
June 29 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
June 30 – Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
July 2 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place
July 3 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
July 4 – Victoria, BC – Royal Theatre
MTV today announced the 2023 “VMAs” will return to New Jersey’s famed Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12th. Airing LIVE around the world in more than 150 countries, this year’s global fan-filled spectacle will honor the best music videos of the past year with unforgettable performances, epic tributes and show-stopping appearances from music’s biggest stars.
“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark for this year’s VMAs!” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State’s incredible fans has been our goal since last year’s highly successful event.”
“We are incredibly proud to have the Prudential Center once again serve as the home for the 40th Annual MTV Video Music Awards,” said Jake Reynolds, President, Prudential Center. “All eyes of the entertainment industry will be focused on Newark, New Jersey, as the brightest stars come together to perform at a marquee showcase within our world-class venue. This event allows us the opportunity to celebrate all genres of music for fans throughout the world, as we do all year round. We appreciate the ability to continue our long-standing partnership with MTV and look forward to an amazing evening.”
“Prudential Center is extremely excited to welcome back the VMAs to New Jersey for a second consecutive year and for the third time in the last five years,” said Sean Saadeh, EVP of Entertainment, Prudential Center. “As Prudential Center continues to position itself as a top five venue in the world, we could not be more thankful for the strong relationship we have established with the entire VMAs’ team. Last year’s show had some of the biggest superstars and legends hit the stage, and we can’t wait to see what is in store for this year!”
“The return of the VMAs to the Prudential Center testifies to New Jersey’s enduring standing as a premier venue for large-scale entertainment events,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “As the home of some of the most internationally renowned names in the music industry, New Jersey is proud to once again partner with Paramount to showcase an array of exciting performances to a global audience. By hosting this highly anticipated spectacle, our state and local economies will also benefit from the thousands of visitors who will shop, dine, and stay in our local communities.”
“Awarding Newark as host city for the 2023 “VMAs” echoes not only our selection by MTV in 2022 and 2019, but also reverberates our city’s historic vibe as a hotbed of musical genius. Starting with America’s first known composer in 1759, through the jazz explosion in the 1920s, and up to today’s full spectrum of genres from hip hop to opera, Newark has long served as America’s turntable for harmonic expression,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “The relevance of the Video Music Awards rising up today from the same city that registered the film and video industry’s first nitrocellulose patent is not lost on me as Newark continues to sit squarely at the crossroads of motion picture and music.”
The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.
Today, Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress Tiwa Savage announced her 2023 North American tour. Produced by Live Nation and Duke Concept, the 10-city tour kicks off on August 24 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Washington, making stops across North America, Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles at Belasco on September 17.
Tiwa Savage is a resilient force within Africa’s ever-growing music and entertainment industry. While conquering the charts in her home country of Nigeria and becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the popular Afrobeats scene, Tiwa has also managed to carve a career as a reputable songwriter for some of today’s biggest and most successful musicians. In addition, she is currently the most followed African female on social media. In November 2018, she was crowned Best African Act by the MTV European Music Awards and made history as the first female to win the accolade. In the same year, Tiwa became the first African female to sell out London’s IndigO2 and she was handpicked by Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin to perform alongside Beyonce, Ed Sheeran and Jay Z live at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg to an 70,000 strong audience and millions across the globe. In 2019, she made history again, by becoming the first female African artist to play at Wireless music festival in London. Later that year, she signed an exclusive recording contract with Universal Records and in September released her first global single titled ’49-99’ under Motown Records.
The singer, songwriter, philanthropist and fashion icon was named one of the world’s top 100 inspirational women in fashion for US style bible Vogue magazine and was chosen by Italian fashion giants Iceberg to perform during their spring/summer 2020 fashion show in Milan. In May 2020 Tiwa Savage, made history once again by gracing the cover of Billboard Magazine’s first issue devoted entirely to Africa. She featured alongside Afrobeat superstars Davido and Mr Eazi. Away from her successes in music, Savage has begun to take small steps into the world of acting. In 2011 she co-hosted the second season of Nigerian Idol and appeared in the stage version of ‘For Coloured Girls’ alongside Nollywood stars Joke Silva and Ireti Doyle. In 2013, she appeared in the third season of MTV’s Shuga playing Sade Banjo, which saw her stepping into a role that wasn’t specifically involved with music. “I’d like to do more acting but I’ve held back on that a little because that’s a little too predictable. It’s about timing and finding the right role but I do think I have the knack for acting.”
2023 TOUR DATES:
Thu Aug 24 – Washington, DC – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Fri Aug 25th – New York, NY – Apollo Theater*
Tue Aug 29 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
Thu Aug 31 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Sat Sep 02 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues – Chicago
Mon Sep 04 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Thu Sep 07 – Houston, TX – House of Blues – Houston
Sat Sep 09 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues – Dallas
Thu Sep 14 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Sun Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco
An avant-garde pop album rich with tension and fear, 1980’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) marked a pivotal point in David Bowie’s career. Standing at the bleeding edge of the new decade between the experimental Berlin Trilogy (Low, Heroes, and Lodger) and 1983’s wildly successful Let’s Dance, it was here Bowie sought to bury the ghosts of his past and the golden decade of the 1970s to become a global superstar reaching millions of new fans.
Featuring fresh insights and exclusive interviews with close collaborators, Adam Steiner’s Silhouettes and Shadows uncovers the studio stories, meanings behind, and secret history of Scary Monsters. Adam Steiner gives a nuanced, memorable portrait of Bowie at a personal and professional crossroads, drawing on his own struggle with addiction, growing paranoia, and political turmoil. Despite the album’s confrontational themes, it included the hit singles “Fashion” and “Ashes to Ashes,” with Bowie riding a new wave of inspiration, from the post-punk of Joy Division, The Specials’ two-tone revolution, and the stadium synth-pop of Gary Numan.
Most importantly, it marked a final goodbye to Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, and The Thin White Duke, characters and personas that had defined his career: in this rare moment, David Bowie, the costumed clown of romance, suffering, and song, let his mask slip to reveal David Jones, the man within.
