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2022 Humanitarian Award Recipient SUSAN AGLUKARK Releases “Tikitaummata” From ‘The Crossing’

Eric Alper
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2022 Humanitarian Award Recipient SUSAN AGLUKARK Releases “Tikitaummata” From ‘The Crossing’

The wonderous Susan Aglukark once again arrives with an ear-popping delight in the form of her latest single ‘Tikitaummata.’

Released November 23rd, 2022, the Inuk singer songwriter is one of Canada’s most extraordinary artists today, effortlessly blending Inuktitut, Indigenous, and English languages in her lyrics and phrasing, Susan offers something special with the arrival of her latest single, delivering a masterpiece of blended sounds.

Born in Churchill, Manitoba, and raised in Arviat, Nunavut, Susan draws on her rich Inuit of Arctic Canada heritage to produce a unique mix of contemporary pop and melodic vocals that delights and draws her audience. Her career spans three decades, with her first album ‘Arctic Rose’ being released in 1992 after she appeared on CBC Radio.

In 1995 Susan released ‘This Child’, her definitive breakthrough second album with the first single from that album, ‘O Siem’ landing at number one on the Canadian adult contemporary and country charts that year, making her the first Inuk artist to have a Top 40 hit. Throughout her 30-year music career, Susan delivered a number of albums and singles in her signature visionary style, with each one nodding to her Inuk roots and ideals.

Now residing in Oakville, Ontario, Susan’s next venture was the release of her 10th studio album ‘The Crossing’. ‘The Crossing’ features 12 songs, 2 covers and 10 originals crafted in Susan’s style of Inuit folk, country, and pop music. Recorded with veteran producer and musician Chad Irschick — who also produced Aglukark’s triple-Platinum-selling release, ‘This Child’ – ‘The Crossing’ tells us the story of what her Inuit ancestors’ experience might have been, and why we should listen to it from the Inuit perspective.

“Writing this album through our contemporary Inuit lens has been a lesson in belonging,” says Aglukark. “As we correct the narrative, we are also finding puzzle pieces in our own healing journeys — and what a privilege it is to have this platform to share these lessons from.”

‘Tikitaummata’ is a jazz-infused pop piece, with a rhythmic drum and bass backline supported by a gentle acoustic guitar. Classic Hammond delivers some welcoming solo action as does clean electric which has that Santana-style vibes going on. Susan’s vocals in the Inuit language bounce along to the song’s beat and foundation.

Susan’s vocals and lyrics have a similar clarity throughout the album. Pure with emotional depth, Susan draws themes of inspiration, hope, and spirit from all over that give us a single that flows gently along like a babbling brook.

In 2022 Susan Aglukark’s other passion was also recognized with the 2022 Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada at the 51st annual JUNO Awards in May. This award was presented to Susan due to her dedication and hard work in improving the lives of children and youth in Northern Indigenous communities. This includes her organisation ‘The Arctic Rose Foundation’ which supports Northern Inuit, First Nations, and Metis youth through Indigenous-led arts-orientated after-school programs, alongside other creative and culture-led projects.

“It is an honor to receive this award, and a privilege to have had the opportunity to help create safe spaces for Northern Inuit and Indigenous youth to explore their own potential and forge connections through Indigenous-led programs,” Aglukark says.

“I am proud of the work our team at the Arctic Rose Foundation has achieved so far and look forward to expanding our footprint across the North to bring more culturally-grounded, adaptable programming to young people, and help engage, support, and inspire them in all aspects of their lives.”

Kendrick Lamar’s Isolated Vocals For “N95”

Eric Alper
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Kendrick Lamar’s Isolated Vocals For “N95”

Kendrick Lamar’s “N95” was the lead single from his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and produced by Boi-1da, Sounwave, and Jahaan Sweet, while it was additionally produced by Lamar’s cousin, fellow American rapper and record producer Baby Keem.

Gorrilaz Revolutionize The Concept Of Music Video And Performances In New York And London

Eric Alper
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Gorrilaz Revolutionize The Concept Of Music Video And Performances In New York And London

Gorillaz will revolutionize the very concept of musical performance, as they transform the streets of New York and London into stages for two groundbreaking performances of their brand new track ‘Skinny Ape’. Taking place at 2:30 pm ET on December 17th in Times Square and 14:00 GMT on December 18th in Piccadilly Circus, these first-of-their-kind immersive experiences will allow fans to gather together to witness Gorillaz play in real life – actually larger than life – as Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel literally tower over them, playing in the midst of two of the world’s most iconic skylines.

Directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and the Emmy nominated director Fx Goby, the ‘Skinny Ape’ performances are created by Nexus Studios and utilize Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, using AR to transforms public spaces with cultural experiences, bringing ‘Skinny Ape’ and the world of Gorillaz to life as never before.

Music’s most (in)famous virtual bass player Murdoc Niccals commented – “To all our followers, get ready for the biggest Times Square takeover since that other gorilla smashed the place up. Bigger in fact cos there’s four of us. Thanks to the techies at Google, we’ve created the music video event of the century, so don your pink robes and come see Gorillaz like you’ve never seen us before. The future is nigh!”

‘Skinny Ape’ is the fourth single from Gorillaz upcoming new album Cracker Island and is already a fan favorite having debuted live on the band’s hugely successful 2022 World Tour. Cracker Island, out February 24th 2023 on Warner Records, is the eighth studio album from Gorillaz, an energetic, upbeat, genre-expansive collection of 10 tracks featuring yet another stellar lineup of artist collaborators: Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny and Bootie Brown and Beck. Recorded in London and L.A. earlier this year, it is produced by eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer/ multi-instrumentalist/ songwriter extraordinaire Greg Kurstin, Gorillaz and Remi Kabaka Jr.

Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colorful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways. Based at Kong Studios in West London, Gorillaz settled into a life of musical innovation with an eye-wateringly exciting roster of collaborators, a list that includes musical legends, geniuses and future stars from Elton John to Little Simz, MF Doom to Jean-Michel Jarre, Grace Jones to slowthai, Kali Uchis to Sidiki Diabaté, plus so many more. With seven albums to their name, Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018) and Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez (2020), Gorillaz is a truly global phenomenon, achieving success in entirely new and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.

Dermot Kennedy Announces 2023 North American ‘Sonder’ Tour

Eric Alper
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Dermot Kennedy Announces 2023 North American ‘Sonder’ Tour

(October 24, 2022) – Today, Platinum-selling singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy officially announces his upcoming The Sonder Tour – a North American run taking place this Spring. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date tour run will kick off in Vancouver making stops at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City and additional stops in Dallas, Nashville, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston before wrapping up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in mid-June.

Nominated for the “Best International Male” BRIT Award in 2020, Dermot has now amassed nearly 4 billion streams across platforms and has the best-selling debut album in Ireland of this millennium, making him a platinum-selling artist in over 12 countries. His unique ability to unify and heal through his music has been apparent since the inception of his organic and meteoric rise. His poetic, compelling music has resonated with music lovers across the globe, with notables including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Shawn Mendes all calling themselves fans.

The tour comes in celebration of the acclaimed artist’s new album, Sonder, to be released November 4th on Island Records/Interscope. Pre-order ‘Sonder’ here. Sonder, which means “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own,” resonated deeply with Dermot and is an exciting new musical chapter for him. Highlights from the album include the beautiful piano ballad “Innocence and Sadness” recorded fully live in one take, the infectious “Kiss Me,” the lead single ‘Something to Someone’ which has topped over 20 million streams, and “Dreamer,” which he recently performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert watch it HERE. The Sonder 2023 Tour will bring some of Kennedy’s first live performances of songs from the new album to North American fans for the first time.

Check out the full tour routing below and stay tuned for more from Dermot Kennedy coming soon.

Upcoming Live Dates
Sat, May 06 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue, May 09 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
Wed, May 10 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium
Fri, May 12 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
Mon, May 15 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Wed, May 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Fri, May 19 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Sat, May 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Tue, May 23 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Wed, May 24 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
Fri, May 26 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Sat, May 27 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore
Tue, May 30 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Wed, May 31 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Fri, Jun 02 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sat, Jun 03 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
Tue, Jun 06 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Wed, Jun 07 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Fri, Jun 09 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Sat, Jun 10 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sun, Jun 11 – Montreal, QC – Place Bell
Tue, Jun 13 – Washington DC – The Anthem
Wed, Jun 14 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Fri, Jun 16 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Mon, Jun 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Tue, Jun 20 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

Alvvays Announce 2023 Spring Tour

Eric Alper
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Alvvays Announce 2023 Spring Tour

Today, JUNO Award winning Toronto-based outfit Alvvays announce their spring 2023 tour in support of their globally acclaimed third studio album Blue Rev, out now via Polyvinyl Records/Celsius Girls. Kicking off in Ottawa on March 2, the tour will make its way across Canada before wrapping at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom on March 17th.

The Toronto quintet are currently on the road for their fall tour in support of Blue Rev, recently wrapping dates in the UK and travelling through the United States and South America before ending the year at home with back-to-back shows at Toronto’s HISTORY.

2023 SPRING TOUR
March 2 – Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre
March 3 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
March 4 – London, ON – London Music Hall
March 5 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
March 8 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
March 9 – Saskatoon, SK – Coors Event Centre
March 10 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall
March 11 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall
March 13 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
March 15 – Victoria, BC – Capital Ballroom
March 16 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
March 17 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom

Alvvays never intended to take five years to finish their third album, the nervy joyride that is the compulsively lovable Blue Rev. In fact, the band began writing and cutting its first bits soon after releasing 2017’s Antisocialites, that stunning sophomore record that confirmed the their status atop a new generation of winning and whip-smart indie rock.

Global lockdowns notwithstanding, circumstances both ordinary and entirely unpredictable stunted those sessions. Alvvays toured more than expected, a surefire interruption for a band that doesn’t write on the road. A watchful thief then broke into singer Molly Rankin’s apartment and swiped a recorder full of demos, one day before a basement flood nearly ruined all the band’s gear. They subsequently lost a rhythm section and, due to border closures, couldn’t rehearse for months with their masterful new one, drummer Sheridan Riley and bassist Abbey Blackwell.

The songs of Blue Rev thrive on immediacy and intricacy, so good on first listen that the subsequent spins where you hear all the details are an inevitability. This perfectly dovetailed sound stems from an unorthodox—and, for Alvvays, wholly surprising—recording process, unlike anything they’ve ever done. Alvvays are fans of fastidious demos, making maps of new tunes so complete they might as well have topographical contour lines.

But in October 2021, when they arrived at a Los Angeles studio with fellow Canadian Shawn Everett, he urged them to forget the careful planning they’d done and just play the stuff, straight to tape. On the second day, they ripped through Blue Rev front-to-back twice, pausing only 15 seconds between songs and only 30 minutes between full album takes. And then, as Everett has done on recent albums by The War on Drugs and Kacey Musgraves, he spent an obsessive amount of time alongside Alvvays filling in the cracks, roughing up the surfaces, and mixing the results.

Every element of Alvvays leveled up in the long interim between albums: Riley is a classic dynamo of a drummer, with the power of a rock deity and the finesse of a jazz pedigree. Their roommate, in-demand bassist Blackwell, finds the center of a song and entrenches it. Keyboardist Kerri MacLellan joined Rankin and guitarist Alec O’Hanley to write more this time, reinforcing the band’s collective quest to break patterns heard on their first two albums.

Alvvays’ self-titled debut, released when much of the band was still in its early 20s, offered speculation about a distant future—marriage, professionalism, interplanetary citizenship. Antisocialites wrestled with the woes of the now, especially the anxieties of inching toward adulthood. Named for the sugary alcoholic beverage Rankin and MacLellan used to drink as teens on rural Cape Breton, Blue Rev looks both back at that country past and forward at an uncertain world, reckoning with what we lose whenever we make a choice about what we want to become.

Sure, it arrives a few years later than expected, but the answer for Alvvays is actually simple: They’ve changed gradually, growing on Blue Rev into one of their generation’s most complete and riveting rock bands.

2022 FALL TOUR DATES
October 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ^ [SOLD OUT]
October 27 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ^ [SOLD OUT]
October 28 – Pomona, CA – Glass House ^
October 29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern ^ [SOLD OUT]
October 30 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park ^ [SOLD OUT]
November 02 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater ^
November 04 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall – Downstairs ^
November 05 – Dallas, TX – The Studio at The Factory ^
November 07 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ^ [SOLD OUT]
November 08 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works ^
November 09 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel ^
November 11 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^ [SOLD OUT]
November 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall ^
November 15 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall ^
November 16 – New York, NY – Kings Theater ^
November 18 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner ^
December 7 – Santiago, CL – Fauna Primavera Festival
December 10 – Buenos Aires, AR – Music Wins Festival
December 11 – São Paulo, BR – Balaclava Fest
December 15 – Toronto, ON – History ^
December 16 – Toronto, ON – History ^ [SOLD OUT]
^ w/ Slow Pulp

FOLLOW ALVVAYS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Louis Tomlinson Announces “Faith In The Future” World Tour In 2023

Eric Alper
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Louis Tomlinson Announces “Faith In The Future” World Tour In 2023

Today, Louis Tomlinson announced the North American Tour dates for his headlining world tour in addition to his recently announced UK and European Arena tour for 2023. The “Faith In The Future World Tour” tour will span across North America from May to July and include shows at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Forest Hills Stadium in New York City, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and more before bringing the singer-songwriter to Europe from August to November next year including a date at London’s O2 Arena. See below for the full tour routing.

Yesterday, Louis Tomlinson unveiled one final taste of his upcoming album with the release of ‘Silver Tongues’ – listen here. ‘Silver Tongues’ is a rousing earworm, bursting at the seams with joyful nostalgic energy. Written with Joe Cross (Lana Del Ray, Courteeners) and Theo Hutchcraft from Hurts, the track is another bold step forward sonically for Louis.

“Silver Tongues’ is probably the song I’m most proud of on the record”, says Louis.

This Friday sees the release of Louis’s long awaited second album ‘Faith In The Future’. The title epitomizes Louis’s optimistic worldview, producing a collection of songs designed for the live environment. After spending the first portion of his adult life working 100 miles per hour, Louis reveled in taking his time to make sure he got his sophomore album right. He’s made Faith In The Future on his watch, and collaborators include Mike Crossey (The 1975, Wolf Alice), Rob Harvey, Dan Grech (The Killers, The Vaccines, Halsey), Nico Rebscher (Alice Merton) and the aforementioned Joe Cross and Theo Hutchcraft.

In celebration of the new album, Louis will perform “Silver Tongues” on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon tomorrow on NBC at 11:35pm ET/10:35pm CT. He will also celebrate album release with a special, one-night only, sold out show tomorrow night at New York City’s Irving Plaza.

Featuring both the anthemic first single ‘Bigger Than Me’ and indie punk fan favorite ‘Out Of My System’, the album begins in emphatic style with the pounding drums of ‘The Greatest’, which Tomlinson says is a celebration of the relationship has amassed with his avid fanbase. Other stand out tracks include indie floor-filler, ‘Written All Over Your Face’, blissful roof-down summer anthem, ‘Lucky Again’, tearjerkers ‘Angels Fly’ and ‘Holding On To Heartache’, alongside the retrospective ‘Common People’, a beautiful and poignant homage to his hometown Doncaster.

There’s a delicate balance to ‘Faith In The Future’, with Louis exhibiting the full capability of his talents whilst never refraining from sounding unapologetically like him for a nanosecond. ‘All This Time’ sees Louis dip his toes back into dance music, whilst ‘She Is Beauty We Are World Class’ is a full-blown dance track perfect for an Iberian sunset, yet still feels genuine and honest.

‘Walls’ was an album Louis needed to get off his chest, but he now has uncompromisingly expanded his wings and evolved.

In 2021, Louis was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records for breaking the record for the most livestreamed concert by a solo male artist. Louis hosted one of the biggest live stream concert events ever held, selling over 160,000 tickets to fans in over 110 countries and raising funds for several important charities and touring crew affected by the pandemic. Following the huge success of the festival’s 2021 debut, August also saw the return of Louis’ highly successful The Away From Home Festival. The one-day event was staged this year at the stunning Marenostrum Fuengirola in Malaga Spain, hosting 18,000 fans and selling out in just 24hrs with a line-up of some of the best new British bands.

US & Canada Tour Dates
05.26.2023 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
05.27.2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
05.29.2023 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
05.30.2023 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
06.01.2023 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
06.02.2023 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
06.03.2023 – Cincinnati, OH – The ICON Festival Stage
06.06.2023 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! Outdoor
06.07.2023 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
06.09.2023 – St. Louis, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
06.10.2023 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
06.13.2023- Milwaukee, WI – BMO Pavilion
06.15.2023 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion
06.16.2023 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
06.17.2023 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Cove
06.19.2023 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
06.21.2023 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06.24.2023 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
06.26.2023 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
06.27.2023 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Concerts
06.29.2023 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
06.30.2023 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hollywood Bowl
07.01.2023 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
07.03.2023 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
07.06.2023 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
07.07.2023 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
07.08.2023 – Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07.11.2023 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
07.13.2023 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
07.14.2023 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Center
07.15.2023 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
07.18.2023 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
07.19.2023 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
07.21.2023 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
07.22.2023- Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
07.24.2023 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
07.27.2023 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
07.28.2023 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
07.29.2023 – New York, NY – Forest Hills Stadium

UK & EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
08.29.2023 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
08.31.2023 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
09.01.2023 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
09.02.2023 – Stockholm, Sweden – Hovet
09.04.2023 – Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
09.05.2023 – Tallinn, Estonia – Saku Arena
09.07.2023 – Riga, Latvia – Arena Riga
09.08.2023 – Kaunas, Lithuania – Zalgiris Arena
09.10.2023 – Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena
09.11.2023 – Lodsz, Poland – Atlas Arena
09.13.2023 – Vienna, Austria – Wiener Stadthalle
09.14.2023 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Stozice Arena
09.15.2023 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena
09.17.2023 – Bucharest, Romania – Arenele Romane
09.18.2023 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Arena Armeec
09.20.2023 – Athens, Greece – Petras Theater
10.01.2023 – Bilbao, Spain – Bilbao Arena Miribilla
10.03.2023 – Lisbon, Portugal – Altice Arena
10.05.2023 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center
10.06.2023 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi
10.08.2023 – Turin, Italy – Palau Alpitour
10.09.2023 – Bologna, Italy – Unipol Arena
10.11.2023 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
10.12.2023 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
10.14.2023 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
10.15.2023 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
10.17.2023 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
10.19.2023 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena
10.20.2023 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena
10.22.2023 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
10.23.2023 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
11.08.2023 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
11.10.2023 – Sheffield, United Kingdom – Utilita Arena
11.11.2023 – Manchester, United Kingdom – AO Arena
11.12.2023 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – OVO Hydro
11.14.2023 – Brighton, United Kingdom – Brighton Centre
11.15.2023 – Cardiff, United Kingdom – International Arena
11.17.2023 – London, United Kingdom – The O2
11.18.2023 – Birmingham, United Kingdom – Resorts World Arena

MATELL Mourns Loss of AARON CARTER With Release of “Honest Man” and “Something To Fk With” Singles

Eric Alper
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MATELL Mourns Loss of AARON CARTER With Release of “Honest Man” and “Something To Fk With” Singles

The power of music has always been a vessel for connecting with others – it supersedes language, indifference, and beliefs. It is a method that has brought the farthest ends of the world closer together, and Matell’s newest releases, “Honest Man (DJ Tremelo Remix)” and “Something To Fk With (DJ Tremelo Remix)” embody that very sentiment.

Matell’s passion for music has always been clear. However, there were few people who influenced him as much as actor and rapper, Aaron Carter. A handful of conversations fueled by a deep connection with music between Carter and Matell made the Colorado-based artist want to release the singles now.

After Carter’s untimely passing, it became a fire that will burn forever within Matell.

Matell reflects on his light-hearted conversations with Carter, saying, “We tossed around ideas and talked about other things along the way. Aaron would want me to talk about music, which was a shared passion between us. His spirit carries on in his music. My heart goes out to his son Prince Lyric Carter.”

Matell’s collaborative effort embody the spirit of Carter’s music and general take on life. Matell wrote these songs exclusively for Aaron to sing and produce on his Rakkaus Records. “‘Honest Man’ came from a conversation about people taking you seriously. Carter told me he would stay home and work on his music, despite what people said – and that’s where I got that concept.”

““Something To Fk With” came from our messages online. We would go back and forth writing instrumentals to lyrics or vice versa, and I decide to change one of those compositions to reflect the current climate in the news and the chaos in the world.”

Matell has appeared as a featured performer in tribute to iconic jazz singer Nancy Wilson at the BMA Music Awards, and as a special guest on Minnie Foxx’s Los Angeles concert tour. He has been honored by VH-1’s Save The Music and nominated for Song of the Year as a lyricist for “We Will Survive.” Matell was also nominated for the Best Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Writing for “Eastern Trees” by the American Poetry Society.

Matell says, “Rest In Peace, Aaron Carter. Your family, your fans, and the world truly mourns for you. Your spirit lives on through your artistic integrity.”

Alt.Rockers Friendly Giants Releases Haunting Call To The Past With “Dancing By Myself”

Eric Alper
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Alt.Rockers Friendly Giants Releases Haunting Call To The Past With “Dancing By Myself”

Friendly Giants boomed to life during the mandatory lockdown of 2020 when John Wittmayer and Shawn Fisher met and workshopped each other’s songs. As bands go, the duo added more talent to their collective, adding James Stephens, Barry Jones, Amy Heasman and Holly Schweitzer. Trevor Yost incorporates drums into some of the band’s discography. Each member lends their respective talent, be it Fisher on violin, Jones on trumpet, or Wittmayer on vocals.

“The sum of our parts creates music that we all identify with, and this sharing is what thrills us to keep creating,” Wittmayer says.

On their new track, “Dancing By Myself,” Heasman leads the vocal track with a dark, haunting call to a past lover or close friend. She croons, “What do you see when you look inside me? What do you feel when you brush up beside me? Why can’t you know if you can dance by my side? I’m not a muse for your own gain. I’m not a fool to play your games.”

The revenge saga crescendos into a brooding synth wonderland full of hollow bass drumbeats and consistent hi-hat hits. Jones’ trumpet licks mesh with Heasman’s croony questions throughout the outro, where the title comes into the spotlight.

“I’m dancing by myself,” Heasman exclaims while Jones trills through his trumpet melody, pungently trilling under the pensive refrain.

Although Heasman contributes her evocative lyrics to Dancing By Myself, Wittamayer conceived the tune. “I had the initial idea and music for Dancing by Myself. I was awkwardly trying to learn Cubase 10 during the long dark winter months of the Great Covid Lockdown. I was exploring electronica and beats and worked at composing semi-organic melodic statements accompanied by hypnotic beats on a computer,” he said.

Wittmayer added the band prides itself on running an open and non-judgmental environment where each member can pitch their ideas. Our musical collaboration allows room that no idea is not worth exploring. We try it out, and if it sticks, we all embrace it. So far, so good,” he said.

Once Heasman penned the perfect lyrics for the tune, Fisher and Jones took to production, and Wittmayer recorded his “delicious, dirty guitar riffs.” The band stated this single elicits a “gypsy influenced-polyrhythmic Moroccan groove, with a powerful homage to a Bulgarian sounding women’s choir.”

Friendly Giants favors a genre-blending atmosphere of indie tones and free-sounding hippie-pop. “The band is endlessly inspired by the Slocan Valley’s lively artistic communities and their surrounding landscape where music brings people together,” Wittamayer said.

“Dancing By Myself” is out now, and keep your eyes peeled for Friendly Giants’ debut album dropping in spring 2023.

Bree Taylor Offers Hope for the Lonely-Hearted in Soaring Single “My Last Breath” from New Album ‘Dauntless’

Eric Alper
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Bree Taylor Offers Hope for the Lonely-Hearted in Soaring Single “My Last Breath” from New Album ‘Dauntless’

It can be demoralizing to go through a string of disappointing dating experiences and be left empty-hearted and empty-handed. Pop-country songstress Bree Taylor wrote her latest single “My Last Breath” – available now – with that frustration in mind, and as a salve for the desire to give up. “My Last Breath” is merely one song of perseverance on an entire album, Dauntless, dedicated to fearlessness.

A soaring pop song with just the right amount of country jangle and twang, “My Last Breath” is a stream of sunlight in a dark room, a ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

“Have you found that special someone that you’ll love until your last breath after tons of heartbreak?” Taylor inquires in the adjoining caption to the music video on her YouTube channel. “Maybe you’re still going through disappointing dating experiences and haven’t found them yet. I hope this song resonates with you no matter your relationship status, because I wrote it when I was not in a place of feeling this beautiful love, but it gave me HOPE that I could one day have that BIG ‘love you until my very last breath’ kind of love.”

Even with its big, bold production and wailing guitars, the shining star of “My Last Breath” is Taylor’s voice, captured in its rich honey tones and whiskey notes, and also in its deep empathy and feeling. In the video, Taylor walks through sunflower fields during the golden hour, enjoying the beauty of her surroundings – and the beauty of her own company. You get the distinct sense that Bree Taylor is rooting for your lonely heart – even if it’s on the other side of the world – and that big, beautiful love she knows you’re going to find, even if right now that just means a deeper relationship with yourself.

“My Last Breath” is the final single off Taylor’s debut album Dauntless, representing her metamorphosis as a person and an artist. “Dauntless was chosen as a title because the word encompasses who I have become as a person and as an artist in being bold, fearless, courageous and unapologetically me,” Taylor explains. “It represents coming into who I am and standing up for myself and what I believe in and not being told who to be or having to fit someone else’s mold of who they think I should be.”

Dauntless kicks off on an upbeat, exuberant note with “Turn It Up” – “I need a guitar/ pedal to the metal/ and a fast car” – celebrating life, and the love of music. “Burning Bridges” (which soared to No. 1 on the Canadian Indie charts in October 2020) promotes forward movement, and the willingness to keep going despite any roadblocks. Then, with its laid-back chorus of “put your beers up in the air,” “Sha La La” comes along as an ode to fun, and memorable nights out full of live music, karaoke, and, yes, plenty of beer! The smash hit “Kryptonite” – which yielded a second No. 1 hit on the charts, along with nominations for “Song of the Year,” “Video of the Year,” and “Best New Artist” from the Mississauga Music Awards – is about an addictive relationship that’s wrong even though it feels so right.

Meanwhile, the heartbreaking “Cry” hit No. 2 on the Indie charts, and it captures the healing power of a good cry before you dust yourself off and move on. The shimmering “Drive” goes back to the theme of putting the pedal to the metal, about a revitalizing road trip with your best girlfriends. “On My Own” further encapsulates dauntlessness, in an introspective examination of trusting oneself and going it alone. The album concludes on the aforementioned “My Last Breath,” simultaneously about a life-changing love, and the aching desire for it before it arrives.

With commanding vocals, and ability to resonate, Taylor is an ode to a young Shania, or Trisha Yearwood. For Taylor, singing, writing, and performing were built into her DNA and, by the age of six, the soon-to-be breakout artist was already exhibiting signs of being a musician. Despite her hearing impairment, she found her voice, and eventually trained with the legendary vocal coach to the stars, Bob Garrett (Los Angeles) and Lorraine Lawson (Toronto, ‘The Launch’), and released a debut EP Unbreakable in 2019, before releasing her full debut this year.

Bree also holds philanthropic causes close to her heart. Supporting and bringing awareness to mental health, human equality and poverty, Bree recently kicked off her new concert series ‘Cheers & Beers’ on June 10th, 2022, in support of TenFed and Kids Against Hunger Canada, helping to feed children and families suffering from food insensitivity in Canada and across the globe.

Burna Boy Releases New Mini-Documentary “Whiskey” On Hometown Of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Eric Alper
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Burna Boy Releases New Mini-Documentary “Whiskey” On Hometown Of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Burna Boy has released “Whiskey” – a hard-hitting mini-documentary that displays gripping visuals of the continued pollution, flooding, and overall negligence in his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. “Whiskey” also appears as one of the Grammy-winning musicians most poignant songs on his sixth studio album, Love, Damini.

The mini-doc features first-hand accounts from members of the community, giving form to the realities they face including: an inconsolable mother who tearfully recounts the loss of her son due to sickness as a result of the pollution and a lack of medicine, a doctor reiterating the extreme effects of the damage to the oil city — with the water surrounding the city polluted by crude waste, to an old truck driver complaining about the bad roads, which has claimed the lives of people who have no choice but to use boats to be able to cross to the other side.

At an exclusive screening of the mini-doc in London last night, Burna Boy went on to say, “Everything was a lot worse than the way I left it. The air was fully polluted, everything would be black when you wake up, even the cars. It’s really what you see in the documentary. This is real life, everyday life for my people. I feel like we’ll make songs about everything else, so why not make songs about what’s really going on and what’s really affecting the people in real time. That’s what the song ‘Whiskey’ is. I hope it does its job and creates the necessary awareness and some type of change comes from this. If you don’t know, now you know.”

Burna Boy, who frequently partners with philanthropic initiatives, highlights The R.E.A.C.H. (Reach Every Available Communal Household) – a charitable organization based in Nigeria which helps to provide resources to the community that raised the African Giant. All donations to The R.E.A.C.H. go directly to victims of the community as they work to provide aid via food, clean water, household necessities and medicine.

Highlighting specific issues his hometown community is facing, Burna Boy hopes to shed light on other parts of Nigeria & Africa, the Caribbean, and the rest of world that suffers similar environmental issues. A proud Rivers State indigene who has been awarded a Distinguished Service Star (DSSRS), Burna Boy opens himself up to the world to show where he comes from, the part he’s played as an influential member of his society, and where he’s going – first as an individual, and then as an artist. Afterall, his first ever song was made in a tree house built on the pipelines in Port Harcourt.

For more information on The R.E.A.C.H. or to contribute with a donation please visit https://thereach.ng/.

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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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