Sometimes there’s nothing like a house party among close friends to crystallize one of your life’s chapters and put everything into sharp, prismatic relief. Montreal-based alt-folk artist Sunray Minor captures all the important characters and warm relational dynamics of his youth in his sunny, shimmering new single, “Life of the Party.”
With beautiful guitar fingerpicking, smooth crystalline vocals, and an easy-flowing narrative, “Life of the Party” combines a savoring of the here-and-now with a tinge of melancholy, the knowledge that all of this will eventually pass; “and to think everyone of us will die, someday/ I’m just glad we took this night to celebrate our lives, hooray!” goes the sincere, unironic chorus.
Through the song’s meandering telling, we learn that Kenny now has a baby son – “And he looks just like Charlie Brown.” And that Will has lost his job, “but I never saw him frown.” And that the twins – who remain unnamed – are still disagreeing about everything, from politics to cigarettes. Diane made her famous apple pie, which everyone is devouring. The party gets too loud, and the cops are called. And then, as he’s saying goodbye, the narrator drunkenly kicks the neighbor’s garden gnome. “Either way it’s getting late and I best be getting home,” he sings.
The song is filled with real-time little noises of ambiance, imparting an air of charming imperfection and immediacy to the recording. “’Life of the Party’ was recorded all on the first night I rented the studio, and is actually the only song on the album that remained mostly untouched from those sessions,” Sunray Minor says. “We recorded it off of a live take, and you can really hear the studio in that song, most of the background noise is just us walking around and touching the space. I also played an acoustic guitar from the 1940s called the Kay Craft.”
“Life of the Party” is one of 10 songs on an ambitious, four-part epic-narrative of an album, One Day, Maybe, slated for release on August 7th. Inspired by Pink Floyd, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles, the record took four years to make, and Sunray Minor has also written a corresponding novella that will be released alongside the album. Visual artist Elena Terife brought the stories to life for the cover art, and Sunray’s cousin Valentina Tross created the art for the back cover.
“It’s a story where I am the main character and I’m searching through life and the world for someone I think I love – her name is Loretta – and in my head she’s the person that is supposed to save me from all my problems,” Sunray relays. “After reaching every corner of the world, I realize that the solution isn’t with her but instead within myself. I experience so many things along the way however – death and rebirth underwater, a party full of spirits, and a graveyard bash.”
Accompanying himself on trumpets, a solo Horn, flugelhorn, and soprano trombone, Seb Skelly performs a cover of Tears for Fears song Everybody Wants to Rule the World, a tune that is currently in the Top 50 on the US Spotfy Charts, some 38 years after release.
Check out the Scottish documentary by Austen McCowan and Will Hewitt of Melt the Fly about Sean, who navigates between the pulls of solitude and partnership. ‘My music tells me more about myself than what I can guess.’
In a storied career of many accolades and firsts, celebrated seven-time Blues Music Award-winner Rory Block will release perhaps her most-ambitious album yet, with Ain’t Nobody Worried, coming October 7th on Stony Plain Records.
As the third volume of her “Power Women of the Blues Series,” Ain’t Nobody Worried follows the logical course of its predecessors. Produced by Rory Block and Rob Davis for Aurora Productions, Ain’t Nobody Worried was recorded and mixed by Rob Davis at Kentucky Studios, Sandy Hook, Kentucky; and mastered by Toby Mountain of Northeastern Digital. Rory Block sang all the vocals, played all the guitar parts, slide, bass and percussion.
“The inspiration for this recording was born during the dreaded shutdowns,” recalls Rory Block about the album’s genesis. “Being quarantined led us to the idea of Home Broadcasts, which soon blossomed into two concerts per week over two years with an incredible following of viewers from around the world. We were all hungry for togetherness and music and found ourselves clinging to the idea that some form of normalcy still existed, somewhere, almost certainly in music. After covering just about every blues, folk and Old Timey song I ever knew, the idea popped into my head to reach into the iconic songbook of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. That meant music that was on the radio over 50 years ago. It could be called historic, early American music. Viewer requests for their own favorites strengthened and expanded this idea, turning the concerts into a major potpourri of material. It was challenging, satisfying, and inspiring. The consensus was that it was time to hear these incredible songs again.
“While it was challenging, and I never had enough time to really learn the songs properly, no one minded or expected my acoustic versions to be replicas of the originals. We wanted to remember, celebrate, and cling to the emotions and memories these great songs embodied. We wanted to sing along. We wanted it to be a sentimental journey with an unexpected twist. That’s what this record is all about.
“I started referring to it as ‘The Campfire Sessions.’ That meant ‘Hey, pass me the guitar… lemme try that one!’ I was the person saying pass me the guitar- and that was just alright with everyone.
“In keeping with my latest ongoing project, ‘Power Women of the Blues,’ and inspired by the enthusiasm generated by the Home Concerts, I chose hit songs performed or written by female artists whose music changed the world. I could do multiple volumes easily as there are, as always, just too many great songs to choose from.
“There will be those who will question why I would decide to do songs by legends such as Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Mary Wells and others. Why attempt to resurrect such untouchable greatness? I suppose the answer is the same reason I dare to do Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith and other early blues legends. I do not do these songs to create a better version than the original. Those versions are enshrined in the halls of Musical Heaven. I do these songs because I play the music I love the most. Creating new versions honors the original artists. And, as I learned during the Home Concerts, it’s time we thought about these amazing songs again.”
Life can be incredibly difficult just in terms of trying to survive, and children often aren’t blind to their parents’ struggles. In their hopeful-melancholy new single “Just Smile” – available now – Toronto folk-rockers Village Manor explore the routine of the daily grind from both the parents’ and a child’s perspective, and sometimes simultaneously.
With beautiful guitar fingerpicking, piano, and frayed-edges vocals soaked in experience, “Just Smile” is a beautiful, cascading ballad that gives voice to a sleep-deprived, working-class existence. “Well it’s four in the morning, waking up for us/ The stars are still shining as you run to catch the bus/ You’re young but getting older with hard times/ One more dream will make your whole life shine.”
The bills are stacking up, and all the parents can manage each night is a few minutes to read a bedtime story with their child. The next day, the entire routine is repeated all over again. At this point, a representation of the child’s voice comes in – “My book, please read it slowly, and listen to what it says/ It says you think you’re going somewhere, but you’re going nowhere fast.” There’s sadness in both the parents and the child, but there’s also a prompt to enjoy these small moments of togetherness and try to weave them into dreams.
Ultimately, the song contains feelings of both discouragement and hope, and the desire of both the parents and the child to make each other’s lives easier: “And if I can make it happen, I would make your dreams come true/ Just smile, as we wipe the tears away, smile.”
Village Manor wrote the song to spread a message to not take our children’s love for granted. “The child keeps hoping and wishing that the parents will find their dream,” the band explained. “Listen to them and give them the unconditional love and time they so rightly deserve. From the parents’ perspective, they’re sacrificing so much for their love of their children.”
Village Manor started in Toronto in 2018 before founding members Sam Kay and John Weinberg would meet the other bandmates through a series of chance and cosmic encounters. Village Manor acquired singer Dr. Mike Levine, a Veterinarian with Wychwood Veterinarian Hospital — as well as a gifted and amazing singer and stage man — as he was performing with his Tragically Hip tribute band. The group quickly rounded out with the artistic talents of bassist/sound engineer Mike Grundy (Wychwood Sound) and renowned Toronto percussionist Corey Weinberg (Numb Tongues).
Starting as an open mic/cover band, Village Manor tackled important subject matter right out the gate with their debut single “Gunsaway” earlier this year about the prevalence of gun violence in society today. They are currently writing and recording the rest of their debut album.
Alternative indie darling Fox Fagan invites you, saying “Let’s Get Lost” with the release of new single — available now! It’s a mystical joyride through disco and modern rock flavouring, sprinkled with a catchy hook and plenty of highs that’ll have you choosing to accept the invite time and again.
The multi-instrumentalist from Portsmouth U.K. turned Los Angeles-transplant hangs it out to dry on his latest offering — escapism that delights and serves in a variety of genres cleverly carved to break the mold while designing a new one. His new solo EP Daydream Mindtones is Fagan’s first completely self-produced collection of tracks with eclectic forays into psych-rock, chamber-pop, and alternative.
Fagan’s diversity in music and his extraordinary talent have rendered him a variety of major gigs and guest spots for celebrity artists. Currently, the musician plays bass for Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), multi-platinum selling Israeli artist Ninet Tayeb, and 90s pop icons, Wilson Phillips. Fagan also found himself in front of sell-out shows during his 2022 tour of Australia. Additionally, Fagan is also a member of Teleskopes — the critically acclaimed LA-based “shoe-gazing space rock group”.
The spotlight has now reshifted its focus and is pointing directly to Fagan, who found himself in solace during the pandemic of 2020. The unexpected solitude gave the musician the freedom to write and produce a record that was solely his own; experimenting with his favourite sounds and creating a subgenre all his own.
“At one point I wasn’t sure if I should release this stuff under my name, or start a new artist project and give it a name,” Fagan confides. “One name I had come up with was The Daydream Mindtones. I ended up using that as the name of this first EP. I call it my first because it’s the first one I’ve really created, and produced it all.
“I’ve gone through a lot with these songs and it’s definitely time to let them go and find new homes with whoever is listening.”
His first single off the album, “Gotta Get Out,” was met with praise and covered extensively by reputable music blogs. Now out with “Let’s Get Lost”, fans are noting Fagan’s insatiable synth work and love for disco in the classic Manchester Club fashion.
“Gotta Get Out” would unleash the artistic freedom Fagan was seeking to continue writing songs with an unending creative license. “It led to hitting the guitar a certain way that sounded cool enough and then going to a song with two chords, my one four banger ‘Let’s Get Lost’,” says Fagan, adding: “I was binging disco, chic mostly and wrote a song about wanting to leave, and leave the world and my phone behind.”
What he achieved was a dance-floor anthem; an up-tempo disco meets indie rock soundscape that showcases Fox Fagan’s dedication to good-time vibes with a beat. You’ll find yourself locked in his musical lair. The one with the sign suggesting: “Let’s Get Lost.”
Rooted in the duo’s unique ability to create musical experiences that are highly relatable, MC Pipo and Doc Filo debut their newest single, “No Lo Consigo,” just in time for summer love – and summer loss.
MC Pipo (Rick Alfaro) is a Venezuelan rapper based in Montreal, Canada who found himself drawn to urban music at a young age. Working alongside Pipo is Doc Filo (José Emilio Rivera), a Salvadoran rapper also based in Montreal, Canada, Filo found himself singing and making music as a child; into his early teenage years, he decided to look at music from a professional angle.
In 1995, the two young rappers met. It didn’t take long for MC Pipo and Doc Filo to realize their similar ambitions and deep-rooted passion for music, particularly fascinated by Bolero – a bittersweet yet alluring collection of love songs inspired primarily by Spanish musical styles. The two up-and-coming rappers faced many struggles on their journey to a successful musical career is metaphorical for the struggle people go through to find love – and the potential pitfalls that await new lovers.
Despite the ups and downs that come with a musical career, MC Pipo and Doc Filo are going strong and the production value of their newest single, “No Lo Consigo,” speaks for itself. Driven to be the best at what they do, MC Pipo and Doc Filo are persistently and consistently showing the world – and their listeners – there is nothing in the way of your dreams.
The group set out to create a mash-up of reggaeton and tropical music, reaching out to KingAlexBeats for inspiration. Alex’s production inspired Pipo and Filo to drum up a sweet yet sour tale of a romantic relationship that ended but was not easy to forget. This is the finessed summer anthem that is “No Lo Consigo.”
“No Lo Consigo” is a massive production that spotlights the magic behind Island trumpets and Reggae breakbeat. The single has an undeniable tropical heat that delivers a warm dance groove despite the underlying tones of heartache, arguably best medicated with tropical paradise and a dance partner. Coincidentally enough, these are the themes presented in the accompanying music video for “No Lo Consigo.”
After producing the first version of this summer single, MC Pipo and Doc Filo wanted to take it to another level. As if heaven sent, Dariel Mur Velazco (Dimelo Mur) from Cuba offered his services to the duo. Acclaimed as a talented young musician with a passion for music, the group didn’t hesitate to give him a chance to add the bit of flavor Pipo and Filo were looking for.
“Dariel gave it a spectacular twist and we knew at that moment we had a great song with huge potential,” the duo reflects on Velazco’s performance. “Afterward, when our label Dance Plant Records heard the track, they liked it instantly and decided to take the gang to Cuba to shoot the video for this amazing single.”
The group knew the song needed a beautiful video filled with extravagant images, so they opted to shoot the music video in Havana, Cuba, and Varadero. Featuring small cafes and intimate scenery, “No Lo Consigo” has a perfect counterpart for its beautiful tale and imagery.
“It’s as if the planets had lined up for this song to be a possible success,” the group shares, expressing their gratitude. “Honestly, it was a very nice experience. We had a lot of fun from the beginning of the creation of the song until the production of this incredible video. We are truly grateful to all the people who participated and made this possible.”
While these two rappers complement each other’s strengths and bolster each other’s weaknesses, no team is complete without a competent engineer; the group credits their more recent singles’ clean and executed sound to producer KingAlexBeats, who can provide complete productions with a great mix of musical styles.
The groups proficiencies and talent are presented expertly in their newest summer single, “No Lo Consigo.”
Feeling the presence of a lost loved one and the inexpressible joy of reminiscing good times is the subject of award-winning Indigenous singer/songwriter Mike Bern’s latest heartwarming single, “Shrine of Shirl.”
Drawing on his own experience with loss, Mike Bern takes listeners on an emotional journey using his signature sonic palette of folk-rock harmonies with a sprinkle of southern gospel. “Shrine of Shirl” is a testament to Bern’s ability to fuse his distinct musical style while harnessing the influence of artists such as Ben Schneider and Frankie Miller.
While “Shrine of Shirl” is based on a personal experience and inspired by his late uncle’s ashes which hang in his truck by the rearview mirror, the song is about all the souls that are no longer here. “He always wanted to listen to music while he was here,” Bern shares. “Now, when his favourite song comes on, I know he’s with me.”
The musical composition of “Shrine of Shirl” elevates the story being told through its charming instrumentation and touching narrative. The song’s message is beautifully told through Bern’s perspective of sorrow and seeing the world’s magnificence through the eyes of our lost loved ones.
“I know you’re driving next to me
The feeling puts me at ease
I start swerving to the right
Someone grabs the wheel
I know you’re here with me.”
Hailing from Tobique First Nation, NB-based Indigenous singer/songwriter Mike Bern has been carving his own path in music after departing as the singer of award-winning bands like Kickin Krotch and District Avenue.
Bern’s artistry has also been showcased at the 2018 Olympic Games, along with multiple Native American Music Awards nominations. During his stint as a singer before going solo, Bern also had the charting single “Mother First,” which rose on the Indigenous Music Countdown list. He has also played more prominent stages, opening up for bands like Seaway, The Trews, One Bad Son, and The Motorleague.
It’s a case of a kismet-style meeting 20 years ago, a like-minded connection and an inevitable reconnection 20 years later that produced musical magic over just one week in Nashville. That’s the distilled down story of how NYC folk-jazz artist Jae Ordon forged a creative partnership with legendary Broadway guitarist and composer Laurent Medelgi to record his new album Artificially Natural and its captivating lead single, “Life Whispers On.”
A multi-layered, genre-bending tune trip that journeys from time travel through a couple’s whirlwind romance and eventual dissolution, “Life Whispers On” explores the fleetingness of life and relationships with a chorus that anchors down a central idea of the power of love.
Life whispers on
She was here before the day begun
You’ll find your answers in love before your days are done
No sun is born in the sky before the dark is through
Life whispers on
She’s in love with you
“‘Life Whispers On’ had come to me in sort of a dream state in pieces over a few years’ time,” recalls Ordon. “A reflection on life’s relentless yet delicate and unwavering march forward, getting older in a whispering sentimental way of sometimes unnoticed motion wrapping around us while both caressing and weathering.”
It took the aforementioned connection and collaboration with Medelgi to give “Life Whispers On” its full voice though.
In 2002, while looking for a fourth member for his trio Mascot’s Distance, Ordon put the word out on Craig’s List and Medelgi was the first to answer the ad. At the same time, Ordon’s drummer Yutaka Uchida had suggested that Ordon meet his guitarist friend, Laurent, as a potential new band member.
“That led me to believe it was a sign — if you believe in that sort of thing,” says Ordon.
Ordon and Medelgi met up at a coffee shop in Chelsea, discovered a kinship and how much they had in common musically and Medelgi joined the band in the studio. Mascot’s Distance continued playing gigs with Medelgi at such legendary NYC venues as the Cutting Room, Bitter End, Joe’s Pub, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Living Room. A few more records were cut including Chasing Pixie Dust which spawned some radio play including on Albany’s WEXT, where DJ Dave Michaels called the album “a masterpiece!”
Even so, losing their bass player and other setbacks caused Mascot’s Distance to disband some months later and Medelgi moved back to his home city of Paris.
Fast forward to 2020 and, after reminiscing about the magic Mascot’s Distance made 18 years prior, Medelgi reached out to Ordon to tell him that his girlfriend had been crying after listening to their Chasing Pixie Dust album.
“Why was she crying?” Ordon asked Medelgi. “She thought it was so tragic that Mascot’s Distance never got the acclaim and visibility it deserved, and that it would be great if we could get back in the studio.”
Ordon agreed to send Medelgi some of his new songs and asked him to pick his favourites that they could record. Medelgi chose “Life Whispers On” as one of them. Medelgi asked if he could do some arrangements of Ordon’s new songs and, after a false start with acclaimed London-based producer Rick James, the duo focused on Nashville as a recording locale, where Medelgi had some remarkable connections.
Medelgi’s connections were utilized to negotiate and procure a group of top-shelf session musicians including Toto/Steely Dan drummer Keith Carlock, Michael McDonald’s horn section, piano player Pat Coil who was voted by Keyboard magazine ”world’s best keyboardist”, and Christopher Cross and Robben Ford’s bass player Brian Allen.
Ordon and Medelgi booked an ambitious and economical four days of recording time at Nashville’s Coop de Ville Studios and hunkered down at Ordon’s place in Queens for a week of 14-hour-day song woodshedding before the trip to Music City. Notably, Steely Dan pianist Jim Beard was almost part of the project but opted out because he thought the music was too complicated to record in just one session that was allocated to recording auxiliary keyboards.
“Jim said it seemed like the project was a ‘runaway horse’, which turned out to be a marvelous challenge for us, as well as the source of a lot of laughing,” recalls Ordon.
After hearing some of the studio results, Beard texted Medelgi to say, “Congratulations on a marvelous album.” Artificially Natural had been borne out of true kismet, determination, expert musicianship, and a desire to get ‘er done.
“I guess we tamed the horse,” muses Ordon.
The star-aligning experience of recording Artificially Natural is just one in a long line of achievements for the Long Island composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter. Ordon has been featured in Time Out New York magazine and has worked as a composer with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, the broadway musical Wicked’s composer Stephen Schwartz, as well as actors Hugh Jackman, Taye Diggs, the late Brittany Murphy and organizations such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Folger’s Coffee and The New School. A classically trained pianist who majored in music at Syracuse University, Ordon went on to earn a Master’s degree from Columbia University in music education.
Artificially Natural and its lead single “Life Whispers On” is actually on the second of three projects that the Nashville sessions form part of. “The first being a four song EP entitled Life Whispers On (released in 2021), the 2nd is a full length album entitled Artificially Natural comprising the four EP songs from Nashville sessions, as well as singles and songs from my earlier albums,” explains Ordon. “And lastly a 3rd album called Berdache which will have the remaining three unreleased Nashville songs, also songs which I recorded on my own, and four songs yet to be recorded. I am aiming to release Berdache in October of 2022.”
Ordon is nothing short of very busy and creatively productive, and that’s just the way to be as life whispers on.
Of all the songs to break through again on the charts, Metallica’s Master Of Puppets would have been waaaaay down on anyone’s list. But then, smart move to the music supervisors featuring this classic in the fourth season finale of the Netflix series Stranger Things, where Eddie Munson is seen playing the track in the Upside Down to attract the Demobats. It’s thrilling to see the song find a new audience. MASTER!
