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Blues Legend Eric Bibb Announces New “Ridin'” Album To Be Released On March 24, 2023

Eric Alper
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Blues Legend Eric Bibb Announces New “Ridin'” Album To Be Released On March 24, 2023

Stony Plain Records announces a March 24, 2023, release date for Ridin’, the new album from two-time Grammy nominee and Blues/Roots music legend Eric Bibb. The label released the album’s first single, “Family,” on December 8. Eric Bibb has already scheduled lengthy tours of Europe and Australia in the first quarter of 2023 to support the new album’s release.

The follow-up to his multiple award-winning, critically-acclaimed 2021 album, Dear America, Ridin’ is a continuation of the vision that informs Bibb’s artistry as a modern-day Blues troubadour. Grounded in the folk and blues tradition with contemporary sensibilities, Bibb’s music continues to reflect his thoughts on current world events and his own lived experiences, whilst remaining entertaining, uplifting, inspirational and relevant.

“As a songwriter, studying African American history has always been a deep well of inspiration. The true stories of my ancestors and their communities are at the heart of many of the songs on my new album – Ridin’. Together with co-writer/producer Glen Scott, we’ve created a concept album focusing on the ongoing task of understanding systemic racism and purging it from our world. For all its seriousness, Ridin’ is a funky, groovy, hopeful collection of songs that feature stellar guest appearances by Taj Mahal, Jontavious Willis, Russell Malone and Habib Koité. At a time when popular political movements are attempting to delete truth from the historical record, I feel called upon to sing songs that contribute to greater understanding and much-needed unity. The making of Ridin’ has been a labor of love. We hope you’ll enjoy the journey.” – Eric Bibb

The ethos for Ridin’ was hugely inspired by the oil painting by Eastman Johnson, “A Ride for Liberty (1862),” that depicts an African American family fleeing enslavement in the southern USA during the American Civil War. In Eric’s own words: “Johnson’s painting embodies all the hope, determination and courage that is at the core of the African American experience and needed now throughout the world.”

Ridin’ was produced by Glen Scott and features Habib Koité, Taj Mahal, Steve Jordan, Tommy Sims, Harrison Kennedy, Russell Malone and Jontavious Willis, as well as a host of brilliant session musicians and singers from around the globe.

A two-time Grammy Award nominee with multiple Blues Foundation awards, Eric Bibb is known and revered globally for having carved his own musical destiny with honesty and power. Eric’s father, the late Leon Bibb, was an activist, actor, and folk singer who marched at Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King. Eric’s youth was spent immersed in the Greenwich Village folk scene. Names like Dylan, Baez, and Seeger were visitors to his home. He was deeply influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, and Taj Mahal – who guests on Ridin’ – and he has synthesized all of that into his very own style.

ERIC BIBB RIDIN’ TRACK LIST

01 Family
02 Ridin’
03 Blues Funky Like Dat (featuring Taj Mahal & Jontavious Willis)
04 The Ballad of John Howard Griffin (featuring Russell Malone)
05 500 Miles
06 Tulsa Town
07 Onwards (Interlude)
08 Hold the Line (featuring Russell Malone)
09 I Got My Own (featuring Amar Sundy)
10 Call Me By My Name (featuring Harrison Kennedy)
11 Joybells
12 Sinner Man with Eric Bibb String Band (Live at Wheatland Festival)
13 Free (featuring Habib Koité)
14 People You Love
15 Church Bells (Interlude)

Lasso Is Back For 2023 With Headliners Kane Brown And Chris Stapleton August 18 & 19, 2023

Eric Alper
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Lasso Is Back For 2023 With Headliners Kane Brown And Chris Stapleton August 18 & 19, 2023

The inaugural LASSO Montréal festival, presented by Bell in collaboration with Coors Original was such a massive success last summer for fans and artists alike, that there was no question they’d be doing it again! The LASSO experience was pure country gold – a chance to celebrate the power of live music surrounded by friends, family, and fellow fans at Parc Jean-Drapeau, one of the most picturesque festival sites in North America. Last year’s LASSO brought out over 35,000 music fans, some of whom experienced a summer music festival for the first time, and it was a revelation for many, with reverence for live music at the very heart of it.

If there was ever a question, Montreal is now most definitely a country music town, and LASSO Montreal has proven to be one of the most exciting country music events in North America! With some of the top talent in country music booked for 2023, next summer’s edition looks to be an even bigger, unforgettable country event. From August 18-19, 2023, Montreal’s Espace 67 festival site on beautiful Île Sainte-Hélène (a quick 10 minutes from downtown by metro) will once again be home to a massive hoedown to celebrate the power of live music!

“Montreal has always been a music city, but this city is clearly now a country capital as well. Last year’s kickoff edition of LASSO was a revelation and a hell of a good time! We can’t wait to do it again.” – Nick Farkas, Senior Vice-President, Booking, Concerts and Events, evenko.

Friday Night ‘s headliner Kane Brown is the first artist to have simultaneous Number Ones on all five main Billboard country charts at the same time. Born in Georgia, and then relocating to Tennessee with his family as a young man, Brown eventually found fame online, publishing videos of himself covering country legends like Alan Jackson, George Strait and Blake Shelton, to name a few. His baritone voice is pure country gold which has resonated with audiences worldwide, garnering Brown an unprecedented string of eight No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay songs. However, Kane has also forged new roads, collaborating with the likes of Khalid, Marshmello and Becky G, and playing around with trap beats, mixtapes, and more of a futuristic and diverse approach to country music. The young performer also launched his own record label, 1021 Entertainment, in a joint venture with Sony Music Nashville, and was the first male country artist to perform at the recent MTV Video Music Awards. Recently, Kane took center stage at the Bell Centre on December 2nd and the crowd was ecstatic! So, fans looking for the future of country music won’t want to miss Kane Brown when he headlines LASSO Montréal 2023.

On Saturday night, hot on the spurred-heels of a sold out Bell Centre show in September, Chris Stapleton, one of country music’s finest, will be taking the stage at LASSO 2023. Born and raised in Kentucky, Stapleton ranks among the most authentic and successful country stars in the world. The singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer was recognized by the Academy of Country Music as the inaugural ACM artist-songwriter of the decade, having written over 170 songs for a variety of country legends and newcomers, including six #1 chart toppers. His debut solo album, 2015’s Traveller (recognised by Billboard as Top Country Album of the Decade) reached Number One on the US Billboard 200 and was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Since then, every one of Stapleton’s albums has been a huge success – in 2018, he actually held the top three spots on the Billboard’s Top Country Albums charts with three different albums. His soulful countrified voice (which has been compared to the late Chris Cornell’s) has accompanied the likes of Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Justin Timberlake, and Adele (to name a few), and his all American roadshow is not to be missed.

Global Music Act DR. ZOO Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Buoyant “We May Win”

Eric Alper
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Global Music Act DR. ZOO Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Buoyant “We May Win”

Boasting one of the most irresistible names on the planet, family-friendly global music folk band DR. ZOO presents an anthemic new single, “We May Win.”

Front man Randal Arsenault’s clarion call of a voice rides over the African/Celtic arrangement, featuring powerful drum work from Barry Van Zyl, formerly with Johnny Clegg, and stirring backing vocals from the South African Singers Choir. (You’ll be tempted to sing along. Give in!) His skills as songwriter and educator are on vivid display as he looks toward the better world that we all want:

We may win, we may lose
It don’t matter, matter at all
It ain’t no sin, if we choose
To be together, we can have it all.

But why isn’t the title “We Will Win”?

Because nothing in life is guaranteed, and Arsenault’s realistic take offers a jolt of inspiration and optimism at a time when both are sorely needed.

DR. ZOO is a multinational, multicultural ensemble of Canadians, Africans, and positive thinkers of many stripes. The band has been nominated for numerous awards and have toured internationally with iconic acts including Clegg, Hugh Masekela, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. When he’s not on the road, Randal Arsenault teaches at the University of PEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation.

Iconic Canadian Singer/Songwriter Lisa Hartt Releases Heartwrenching “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” Ahead Of ‘Arrival’ EP

Eric Alper
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Iconic Canadian Singer/Songwriter Lisa Hartt Releases Heartwrenching “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” Ahead Of ‘Arrival’ EP

Lisa Hartt lays every single emotion on the table with her new heartfelt EP ‘Arrival’. Landing on January 2023, this EP is forty years in the making. Drawing on every raw emotion, Lisa has produced a storytelling masterpiece that delivers the themes of health, mindfulness, body, and spirit. The first single, “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” is out now.

Born in Montreal, Lisa grew up in La Tuque and Dorval, Quebec, where she started an early career in music in 1960 at the young age of just 10. Lisa then went on to have a wide and varied career that spanned the world, from London to Cairo. Throughout the 60s and 70s, Lisa toured with a score of seasoned musicians before coming back to Canada and setting up The Lisa Hartt Band. With a varied vocation in music through the 80s and 90s, Lisa eventually developed her sounds into holistic and transformative living to become a Sound Practitioner and Reiki Master, combining her vocal talents with world instruments and the ancient practice of Reiki.

Now making a home in Port Credit, ON, ‘Arrival’ is Lisa’s first outing for several years where she has delved deep into her soul to bring a very personal and sensitive reflection on 40 years of recovery and sobriety. These tracks have been floating around Lisa’s mind and it wasn’t until the pandemic, she decided to record them.

The vocals and acoustics were recorded by Lisa in her home studio before sending them off to Chris Birkett, a multi-talented producer, and musician from 2Mounties. This collaboration allowed Lisa to explore her folk, soul, jazz, and rock roots.

Lisa’s influences of gentle folk, soul, rhythm, and blues with a rock edge give a backbone that runs right through her EP.

The first single, “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” reflects on her relationship with her brother and his mental illness which he finally succumbed to. A strong bond between the two, Lisa explains that it was never about trying to ‘fix him’ but just to hear him.

Don’t judge me by the way I look, or by the words I use
Don’t think you know my feelings until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes.

‘Wasted’ is a tale of Lisa’s battle with self-sabotage while she was out on the road in the 60s and 70s. Hard touring and hard drinking took its toll, with Lisa’s family reaching out to help.

Cinderella, where you been all night?
I’ve been to a show mama,
Telling everyone where to go mama,
Now I am coming home to you… wasted.

‘Sail Away’ laments a tale of a powerful overbearing sea and storm. Crashing in the hold is effective at manifesting this rage and despair that finally takes the protagonist into its deep dark depths.

Finally, ‘Tell the Truth’ is about Lisa’s realization and reflection on her long and winding journey. An adventure that takes you to the lowest of the lows before rising like a phoenix from the other side.

Lisa Hartt puts everything on the line here with her ‘Arrival’ EP. Welcome to the next journey of Lisa’s life and expect more music to be released in the months ahead.

The first single “Don’t Tell Me How I Feel” was released on November 11, 2022 while ‘Arrival’ will be released in January, 2023.

Neon Bloom Singer Jen Simpson Steps Out As Kit Vale For Solo Project

Eric Alper
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Neon Bloom Singer Jen Simpson Steps Out As Kit Vale For Solo Project

Kit Vale is the solo project of Toronto-based singer/songwriter Jen Simpson, whom you may know as the stunning voice of Canadian rockers Neon Bloom. Inspired by a diverse mix of musical tastes ranging from post-punk to hip-hop, Simpson uses Kit Vale as a project that combines elements of these influences and every genre in between. They have culminated in a melodic synthesis of sound filtered through her distinct gothic, garage-glam style.

“Pet” is Simpson’s second single under the Kit Vale moniker and was produced by the legendary Rob Sanzo. The track was co-written with bassist Robert Lechner, Simpson’s bandmate from her former group, along with Tony Sjoman and Walter Gardner, the Brooklyn-based The Never Evers. While The Never Evers thought they would never ever release the eight songs they recorded together, the powerful performance on “Pet” could no longer be contained.

“I always wanted to hear an unabashed celebration of femininity expressed in a loud, raw, and intense way,” said Simpson. “‘Pet’ is a swaggering expression of sexuality from a woman’s perspective. It flips the typical masculine rock n’ roll lyricism I grew up listening to by focusing on the woman in a way that subverts the stereotype of women as passive, chaste, or removed from their sexuality.”

The video for the Riot Grrrl-influenced “Pet” was directed by long-time friend and collaborator Ingrid J. Monday (aka Miz Monday). The video is a fun, tongue-in-cheek nod to 90s grunge aesthetic and was inspired by the famous photography scene in ‘Blow Up,’ the 1966 film by Michelangelo Antonioni.

“She’s amazing at capturing images that reflect your vision while also incorporating her signature, fashion-conscious style,” said Simpson. “As two women who used to model, we had a lot of fun flipping the gender dynamics in this video, with myself playing the lecherous photographer, while Alex Ryfka played the part of a somewhat preyed-upon male model.”

Simpson plans to release more music as Kit Vale, with another single, music video, and album on the way in 2023. Fans of bands and musicians like Pixies, Peaches, Joy Division, and Bikini Kill will be chomping at the bit to hear more of what Kit Vale has up her sleeve.

Atlas To Earth Continues Based Kele Fleming Collaboration With “Reprieve” Remix

Eric Alper
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Atlas To Earth Continues Based Kele Fleming Collaboration With “Reprieve” Remix

Victoria, BC-based Kele Fleming is a profoundly gifted singer-songwriter with a mesmerizing voice. Fleming gracefully weaves the vulnerability of traditional folk with the raw power of rock and roll, reminiscent of the works of powerhouses like Neko Case, Lucina Williams, and Kate Bush. Yet, her sound is entirely her own. As a songwriter, Fleming is notably sincere, heartfelt, and bold, exposing the inner workings of her soul through her music.

Kele continues her series of collaborations with electronic artists, as she is once again remixed by talented Atlas to Earth, this time on her song “Reprieve,” originally found on her 2020 album The Song I Will Write for My Whole Life.

“For this remix, I wanted to capture the emotion of the original yet bring it into a new light,” said Brent Janzen aka Atlas to Earth. “The lyrics are poetic and deep, while the concept of a reprieve offers a sense of total relief. To capture this, I kept the remix on the intense side, while the grander parts instill a feeling of dancing and freedom within a darker context.”

Atlas to Earth’s remix is a tremendous departure from the indie folk of the original. The pulsating synth surrounds Fleming’s voice, creating a hypnotic, techno-influenced track. When Fleming sings, “In the dark, dark night / Look real hard / And you’ll find a light,” it hits you so much harder, becoming a track on the level of electronic groups like Röyksopp and Justice.

You may recognize Kele Fleming as a member of Hazel Motes, whose music emulated a ferocious haunting quality and helped shape Vancouver’s early 90s indie scene. Her solo work is inspired by navigating life as a queer woman, casting off the shackles of our modern world, and, as a self-proclaimed environmentalist, giving a voice to the pain mother nature feels from what humanity has done to her.

Her voice is a thunderstorm of emotion, and with electronic beats backing it, the track is overflowing with complexity. Kele’s work explores deeply personal themes, and Altas To Earth executes it flawlessly, making “Reprieve” a flawless club banger.

Chris Birkett Releases Holiday Song “Hear The Angels Sing”

Eric Alper
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Chris Birkett Releases Holiday Song “Hear The Angels Sing”

In the 1990s Chris Birkett was working around the clock as the UK’s go-to-producer/engineer working on legendary projects, such as Sinead O’Connor’s album I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got, that featured the massive hit single, Nothing Compares 2 U. With artists and labels taking most of his time Birkett had little to spare for his two young children.

Feeling he was missing key moments in their life, the Toronto-based renaissance artist reflects on the importance of work-life balance with his heartwarming new single “Hear The Angels Sing.” Birkett wrote the opening lyrics late one night as his career was taking shape.

Why does it take all of my time,
To go out there and be someone?
There’s nothing left at the end of the line
Nothing left for the ones that you love.

“It’s a question and sentiment people are feeling today” says Birkett. “The music and lyrics of Hear the Angels Sing are an example of angelic gifts, especially during the holiday season.”

Birkett’s musical expertise is on full display with his signature cadence on the latest studio recording. When talking about the sweet sound of music, Birkett explains that his songs “come through me, not from me.”

In the three decades that have passed since the original lyric came to him, Birkett has amassed countless musical accolades. This includes but is not limited to the release of his first solo album “Men from the Sky,” relocation to the South of France with his wife and children and opening a studio.

When talking about “Hear The Angels Sing,” Birkett says “This song was one of the many I have heard listening to the sounds around me. Music is a gift and is everywhere. You just have to listen.”

Drawing on lyrical ideas he manifested long ago, Birkett returned to the original verse that changed his life’s course forever. He finished the song with words of enlightenment and reflection, coming from more than 30 years of spiritual study and songwriting.

Chris finished the lyrics and music to Hear the Angels Sing in 2021 and began a search for a choir to sing the chorus. On Easter Sunday in 2022, he attended one of the only churches holding in-person services. Chris approached the music director, Lianne Tan. She was open to the idea and began rehearsing with the sensational choir to record the song with Chris earlier this year.

This Christmas release and video is the resulting collaboration, featuring the West Plains United Church Choir from Burlington, Ontario.

Birkett is a multi-talented, award-winning producer, singer/songwriter, composer, and sound engineer. His music collaborations with A-list international artists like Sinead O’Connor, Alison Moyet, Dexys Midnight Runners, Talking Heads, The Pogues, Bob Geldof, Quincy Jones, Mel Brooks and Steve Earle. Birkett’s projects have sold over 100 million records and earned four JUNOs, a Grammy, a Polaris Music Prize and three international AMPEX Golden Reel Awards for excellence in the music business.

Birkett’s career began as a guitarist, playing in London clubs before touring with Memphis artists Rufus Thomas, Ann Peebles and King Floyd. At 23, Chris was performing with the pop group Love Affair, whose song “Everlasting Love” ruled the UK charts.

Birkett is currently creating new recordings for a range of talented Canadian and European musicians and mentoring and producing Inuit artists through the Hitzmaker’s label.

Songstress Tonia Cianciulli Looks Back On Her Grandparents’ Loss Of A Child In “Churchyard Roses”

Eric Alper
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Songstress Tonia Cianciulli Looks Back On Her Grandparents’ Loss Of A Child In “Churchyard Roses”

Acclaimed Canadian songstress Tonia Cianciulli is going where few artists dare to go, speaking to the impossible agony of losing a child on her heartfelt new single “Churchyard Roses.”

“Churchyard Roses” is inspired by Tonia’s own personal family tragedy– In 1935, her grandparents Chesley and Elsie Dyke lost their four-year-old son Edward when he drowned in their Newfoundland ocean backyard. Tonia collaborated with poet Vaughn Harbin on the lyrics for the piece, attempting to express together what could have possibly been in the hearts and minds of Ches and Elsie upon the loss of their precious son. The results are all at once haunting and humble, fresh and folkloric, and make an admirable contribution to Newfoundland’s legendary musical canon.

Coincidentally, while Tonia was writing and recording “Churchyard Roses,” her father Fred Dyke was writing a biography about his parents and their Newfoundland story. In Skipper Ches, As Tough As It Gets (fresh off the press from Flanker Press Ltd!), Fred captures the joys and struggles of what it was like to live in the rugged Newfoundland outport of Pool’s Island in the early 1900s, the Great Depression and into the 1950s and 1960s. Like father like daughter, the book mirrors much of Tonia’s music, leaning into heartfelt musings, bittersweet memories, and of course, their great love of The Rock.

“Churchyard Roses” features the guitar stylings of Jesse Fegelman, cello contributions from Erika Nielsen, and was recorded, mixed and mastered with Dima Graziaani. It follows Tonia’s previously released 2022 singles “My Voice Belongs To Him”, “Always Her Home” and “Hold His Heart.” The track will feature on her forthcoming album Love Me ‘Till I’m Me Again, a collection of her original musical meditations on her beloved Newfoundland roots.

Tonia has recently performed as a soloist with the Casa Loma Symphony, the Southern Ontario Lyric Opera Company, and visited Newfoundland in September 2022 for a range of concerts, book signings and as the keynote singer at the Century 21 National Convention held at the St. John’s Convention Centre. Tonia will be performing an East Coast Christmas concert with the Cambridge Symphony in December 2022 and is planning a new tour of her Nightingale Sings program for Newfoundland and beyond in 2023. She is honoured to have recently received Brilliant Minded Women’s prestigious award in the Arts & Entertainment category and will be a keynote performer at their 2022 gala.

Suzanne Cook Honors a Friend’s Life – And Perhaps Ours as Well – With “Same Old Tune”

Eric Alper
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Suzanne Cook Honors a Friend’s Life – And Perhaps Ours as Well – With “Same Old Tune”

Suzanne Cook’s new single “Same Old Tune” is a tribute to a late friend that celebrates hope and enduring love – reaffirming what matters most and a refusal to concede ground to life’s impermanence.

Suzanne’s down-to-earth yet confident performance delivers the song’s lyrical music and poetic structure in a heartfelt, genuine way that reflects the singer’s and composer’s shared admiration of Bob Dylan—and the art of the wandering troubadour:

And the words that he’d write
For the love that he’ll share with you
And he’ll dream of a life as he sings the song.

Cook’s folk-hewn voice hits the notes dead on, bringing the young man’s tale alive and taking us on his personal journey – hinted at, musically, by Charlie Giordano’s virtuoso organ, which evokes the church, the road, and the sea. As rendered by the singer, the message is clear: life is impermanent, but the power of love, words and dreams endures. The subject of the song may be long gone, but you’ll remember him all the same.

Cook crossed the miles via technology to record this track with an international cast of players directed by the capable producer Mark Plati whose credits include David Bowie among other well-known artists. Now she looks ahead to literal travel: “Our next objective is to play our material live in the USA and Canada. We can’t wait to share our music with new audiences.”

Roots Rockers RUSTY CREEK Salute The Tall Ships In Newfoundland For New Single ‘White Sails’

Eric Alper
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Roots Rockers RUSTY CREEK Salute The Tall Ships In Newfoundland For New Single ‘White Sails’

Vancouver Roots Band Rusty Creek’s latest single, ‘White Sails’ is a rousing salute to the tall ships that came to fish the waters off Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The third single from the band’s 2022 album The Road of Life — lead singer and songwriter Alex Deeth’s “audio autobiography” — the song paints a vivid picture of the abundant landscape and waters that drew the first Europeans to Newfoundland.

Deeth reaches far back in history to write his lyrical “Chapter 1,” painting a vivid scene of early Western European fishermen who took safe harbor to fish for cod to bring back to the Old World each year. “‘White Sails’ is in reference to the tall ships that came in the Spring and left in the Fall to fish the amazing bounty in Trinity Bay,” explains the lead vocalist and guitarist, who grew up in Vancouver, B.C., and toured Canada extensively with a variety of successful bands including Wicked Orange and NQR before forming Rusty Creek.

While it chronicles times past, ‘White Sails’ is nonetheless a modern-day sea shanty. The band weaves a musical net consisting of resonator guitar, fiddle by guest musician Mike Sanyshyn, and hand percussion, as Deeth sings of “sailing through the mist,” and sun rising “o’er the waves /Like a morning kiss.”

‘White Sails’ is the latest single from Rusty Creek’s second album, The Road of Life, released in June 2022. With a wide variety of musical influences including bluegrass, country blues, western swing, rockabilly and Cajun, the band describes their latest work as “Roots Re-Mastered,” with songs ranging from barnburners to ballads.

Formed in 2016, Rusty Creek is a collection of lifelong musicians Alex Deeth, Peter Callaway, Lee Stephens, and Leonard Saidman who have all had a variety of success in the music industry since the 1960s. Their experience adds up to a polished performance and an entertaining and wide-ranging collection of original roots music.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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