All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: Imagine Dragons with Macklemore and Kings Elliot at Toronto’s Rogers Centre
Montreal Alt-Rapper Shades Lawrence Delivers Hard-Hitting Lyricism & Expert Flow In “Other Side”
Sometimes we feel closer than ever, and sometimes we feel worlds apart – despite our physical distances and emotional blockades. Shades Lawrence does what she does best as she delivers a lyrical journey through the deepest rivers and over the highest mountains in her newest single, “Other Side.”
Shades Lawrence is an artist who prides herself on her heart-wrenching lyrics and sharp delivery. Her newest single “Other Side” is a perfect example of this attention to detail; despite its refined and polished sonic appearance, the song was recorded rather quickly, but the emotion behind the production is clear and hits hard.
“‘Other Side,’ was written very fast, with emotion as the foundation,” Shades Lawrence shares. “I’m happy it hits so hard on the production side, and hits in the heart, lyrically.”
The production is clean and features professionally delivered cadence that does an excellent job at uplifting the narrative. Shades Lawrence’s story tells a tale of the oceans that can exist between people who care for each other. “Other Side” alludes to the issues that may arise when you focus too hard on something and the themes of unrequited love that comes with a ride-or-die partner.
Shades Lawrence is a queer, Montreal-born hip-hop artist of mixed British, Jamaican, Irish, and Scottish descent. Priding herself on her lyrical prowess, Lawrence finds her words tend to uplift others – even as she keeps environmental justice at the forefront of her messaging. Lawrence’s overall production style can be described as alternative hip-hop, helping her fuse her lyrics, and messaging together almost seamlessly.
Her music has drawn the attention of multiple online press outlets, including the Toronto-based Aesthetic Magazine, Canadian Beats, and NYC-based Audiofemme, among other publications as well.
As she’s progressed through the journey of finding her sound, Shades Lawrence has performed over 40 plus shows as a spoken word poet and hip-hop artist. She has shared the stage with a variety of artists including Princess Nokia, Big Freedia, and Cakes da Killa. Her pure lyricism does a great job at uplifting her listeners while ensuring the culture of hip hop is pushed forward.
Rocker HARKNESS Juxtaposes Gorgeous Melodies with Tales of Struggled Love in “Sugar Bitch”
Canadian rocker Harkness is out with his sultry and sweet alternative anthem, “Sugar Bitch” — available now.
Harkness’ agility to write a beautiful song, while simultaneously casting a net of sobering lyrics sets the artist apart in his fantastical foray of songwriting. In “Sugar Bitch”, he juxtaposes a track slung together of gorgeous melodies while regaling the tale of struggling with love.
“Usually when I write a song it comes straight from my own personal experience, be it from my romantic relationships or my general inner world exploration,” reveals Harkness, adding: “‘Sugar Bitch’ was very different in that regard as it was inspired by my observations of what appeared to be a very painful situation that a friend of mine was going through with her ‘lover.’”
The result is enchanting and whimsical, utilizing a variety of sounds like only Harkness can deliver. “‘Sugar Bitch’ was also one of the earliest songs I recorded when I was just learning the studio gear and experimenting with various recording techniques,” he says. “One interesting thing I did that creates the song’s signature sound is, instead of strumming the rhythm guitar part as you normally would, I recorded one string at a time and layered many tracks to create much more sheen to the sound.”
“I promise not to tell no one if you’ll come ‘round again, you may not love me but I’m free to pretend,” he haunts on the lyrics.
“Sugar Bitch” was written and produced by Harkness at Anonymous Studios, Toronto for WINDCHILD Records with additional percussion by Lorne Grossman, additional guitar by Rich Pell, Natalie Kemerer and Ed Roman on acoustic bass, Alexandra McMaster on cello with Dave Dunlop and Gord Myers on trumpet and trombone, respectively.
The Toronto native, turned indie alternative leader says the song will resonate introspectively, but also on a global scale. “As much as the song is veiled in a romantic story, it deals with topics of illusion and loneliness and the pain of separation on a much more universal level. The rampant fragmentation in this world and all of the havoc it is creating both socially and environmentally aches for a coming together,” Harkness explains, “‘It’s a Sugar Bitch when we’re apart’ is a rally cry and call for Unity on a much more worldly level.”
The song serves as the second single off the forthcoming 2023 release, Ciao To The Beauty. An artist born of two musical parents, Harkness has spent the better part of his life honing his talent and harnessing his creativity in his own home studio. He’s taken stages across Canada, the U.S., U.K., and Europe with various musicians and bands including Paul Humphrey, Sara Craig, Nicolette, and Chunk o’ Funk.
As he settles into forming his originals into a sonic collective think piece, Harkness is gearing up to lead the charge on an entirely new genre devised of his eclecticism and musical prowess. And it includes a “Sugar Bitch”.
From Macleans Magazine to the Charts: Canadian Americana Rocker Marshall Potts Strives For Healing on Hit “Heaven Or Home”
Finding a home inside oneself is never an easy task, and making that home inhabitable, much less a ‘heaven,’ is even harder. Yet Canadian Americana rocker Marshall Potts – seen this month as part of Macleans feature story on the B.C. wildfires here – is up to the task of trying in his thunderous new hit single, “Heaven Or Home.”
Fresh from his 10-track 2022 LP release, The Storm, and complete with lush guitars and a roaring stadium sound, “Heaven Or Home” is about an inward journey of intense self-discovery:
Follow your heart it will lead you there
Take a trip inside
Take this time to become aware
Take this time to decide
It’s the story of Potts’ waking up to his soul’s purpose. “‘Heaven Or Home’ shares the process of taking the time out of my busy life to look inside and see where I’ve been, and where I’m going,” he shares. “To take stock of my life and analyze the reason I’m even here and how the experiences have molded my belief systems.”
Most of us, once we reach middle adulthood, have some traumas and metaphorical (or literal) scars, and tending to those was part of Potts’ process as well: “My aim was to reconnect to the original child inside before life took control away from the dreamer and fear stole the feeling that all things are possible.”
A rural songwriting superstar living on his then 160-acre oasis in his native BC, Potts treads the line on folk, country, and rousing rock n’ roll on a new album, The Storm, drenched with his powerhouse vocals. Delivering on his commitment to convey the universal messages of positivity and optimism, Potts creates music he calls “moving beyond your past, taking back your power, embracing the moment and living in the here and now.”
Potts strives for powerful yet tender vocals that share both the experience of saving himself, as well as a message of universal positivity and optimism. His music is about moving beyond your past, taking back your power, embracing the moment, and living in the here and now.
Long Island Alt-Rockers LAST CHARGE OF THE LIGHT HORSE Capture Everyday Life on “Torricelli’s Ocean”
There’s a staggering beauty and profundity to the everyday ebb and flow of life, and Long Island-based alt-rockers Last Charge of the Light Horse capture the simultaneous complexity and simplicity on their new single “Torricelli’s Ocean” from their new album Octet.
Named for Torricelli’s quote “we live at the bottom of an ocean of air” — with respect to a theorem in fluid dynamics having to do with the velocity of liquid — the song begins with a driving rhythm that settles into a cascade; from there, the overall mood of the song is a sunny shimmer, like light skittering across water, rounded out by wailing guitar and full, honeyed harmonies. It’s contemplative and reflectively celebratory at the same time:
Put the past behind us
Try to live in kindness
This quarantine feels like a marathon Turing Test at times
We live down at the bottom
of an ocean of air
in a sea of problems
But when the pressure doesn’t get us
we learn to fly (sometimes)
As the lyrics divulge, this album, Octet, was written with the pandemic as an immediate backdrop. In 2020, songwriter Jean-Paul Vest and his family were not only in the midst of the global health crisis, like the rest of us — but also moving house after 20 years in the same place.
“Our new place came with a stray cat, a black-and-white Tuxedo who had befriended the previous residents. He and I cautiously got to know each other as our family unpacked our old life, finding spots for some of our belongings and discovering we had outgrown others,” Vest recalls. “Gradually we collected those crumbs of familiarity that make a home, and at the same time, I began collecting little snippets of musical ideas on the acoustic guitar hanging on the wall by my desk.”
Not typically a prolific songwriter, Vest experienced the eight songs on Octet flowing to him in a wild deluge over a period of a mere four days. “Broadly, the songs are about the ebb and flow of human connection and isolation,” he says. “But the view is from a close perspective, focusing in on the moments when you’re lying awake with your worries at night, or laughing at a table with dear friends who you’ve sorely missed, or navigating the pitfalls of attempting to provide tech support via telephone to an elderly relative two time zones away.”
Last Charge of the Light Horse was formed in 2004 as a vehicle for songwriter Jean-Paul Vest’s offbeat tunes. The lineup of the group evolved in the early years before stabilizing for the past decade as a quartet, with Vest currently joined by drummer Shawn Murray, lead guitarist Bob Stander, and bassist Pemberton Roach. West Coast pals Jim Watts and Pam Aronoff have also become regular contributors on the group’s releases, with Watts also mixing and co-producing every Last Charge release since 2011’s Curve EP.
To date, the group has released five albums and two EPs, gaining mention in several “Best of the Year” lists and heavy rotation on college radio, charting as high as No. 1 on stations in the United States.
Photo Gallery: Scorpions at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Paramount, Foo Fighters and the Hawkins Family Join Forces to Present THE TAYLOR HAWKINS TRIBUTE CONCERT
Paramount will join forces with Foo Fighters and the Hawkins Family to present the all-star global music event, The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, across the global media and entertainment company’s portfolio of leading broadcast, cable, streaming and digital brands. Captured live September 3rd at Wembley Stadium in London, directed by Joel Gallen and produced by Emer Patten for EP-PIC Films & Creative, the concert will feature the biggest names in music joining together in celebration of the life, music and love of one of modern music’s most beloved figures.
The concert will feature performances by Foo Fighters, Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell, Martin Chambers, Chris Chaney, Chevy Metal, Stewart Copeland, Josh Freese, Liam Gallagher, James Gang, Violet Grohl, Omar Hakim, Justin Hawkins, Shane Hawkins, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, Alain Johannes, Brian Johnson, John Paul Jones, KESHA, Greg Kurstin, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Krist Novoselic, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Luke Spiller, Supergrass, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Lars Ulrich, Wolfgang Van Halen with a special appearance by Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock
The full Wembley Stadium show will be available to stream live and on demand across Paramount’s streaming and digital platforms, including:
- Live coverage across Paramount+ (domestically), Pluto TV (internationally) and MTV Brand YouTube Channels (globally) beginning Saturday, September 3rd (11:30 AM EDT / 4:30 PM BST).
- On-demand access globally via Paramount+ on Saturday, September 3rd and on Pluto TV and MTV TV VOD starting the week of September 5th.
Special editions of the concert will air in prime time across Paramount’s broadcast and cable channels globally:
- CBS Television Network will broadcast highlights from the tribute concert on Saturday, September 3rd (10:00-11:00 PM EDT).
- MTV will also air the one-hour special across its channels around the world starting in Latin America on Saturday, September 3 and other international territories on Sunday, September 4th, followed by an extended two-hour compilation that will air globally in September.
The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts ticket and merchandise sales will benefit charities chosen by the Hawkins family: Music Support and MusiCares. For further information or to make a donation, visit MusicSupport.org and MusiCares.org.
*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to the simulcast stream via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service.
My Next Read: “Hey Hi Hello: Five Decades of Pop Culture from Britain’s First Female DJ” by Annie Nightingale
As a DJ and broadcaster on radio, tv and the live music scene, Annie Nightingale has been an invigorating and necessarily disruptive force. She walked in the door at Radio One in 1970 as its first female broadcaster. Fifty years later she continues to be a DJ and tastemaker who commands the respect of artists, listeners and peers across the world.
Hey Hi Hello tells the story of those early days at Radio One, the Ground Zero moment of punk and the arrival of acid house and the Second Summer of Love in the late 80s. Funny, warm and candid to a fault, including encounters with Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, The Beatles and interviews with Little Simz and Billie Eilish, this is a portrait of an artist without whom the past fifty years of British culture would have looked very different indeed.
Annie Nightingale CBE is Britain’s first female DJ, and longest serving broadcaster on BBC Radio 1. She celebrated her 50th anniversary in 2020. Her radio shows are listed among 50 cultural highlights by the Observer critics’ panel, March 2020. A presenter, documentarian and journalist, she was the sole anchor of BBC’s music TV show The Old Grey Whistle Test and associated TV programmes for 11 years during 1970s and 80s. Her previous published memoirs are Chase The Fade (1982) and Wicked Speed (2000).As well as touring the world as a live DJ, she has also released music compilation collections, including Annie On One (Heavenly) and Masterpiece (Ministry Of Sound).Annie was born in South West London and lives in West London.
It’s Time to “Yell!” with St. Louis Electronic Trip-Hop Artist MODERN ANDY’s New Single
Enthralling and mysterious, it’s time to “Yell!” with breakthrough electronic trip-hop artist Modern Andy’s new single.
“Yell!” is an interesting specimen to try and take apart, which really adds to the replayability of the St. Louis-based artist’s newest single. Instantly, Andy’s unique sound becomes very apparent, and you are introduced to his distinguishing production style.
The brainchild of a collaboration between Lowlegs, a Portland band, and Modern Andy, the group had an idea they felt fit into Andy’s style and brought a distinct twist to the overall soundscape. With oceans between them, the musicians got to work, crafting an innovative and satirical take on pop music.
“Moaning like a zombie but you don’t want brains you want stupid boys and stupid girls /
Cheap like a melody that gets stuck in your head ‘cause it’s bubblegum it’s bubblegum…”
“Yell!” has a mysterious aura about it that absorbs the listener into its deep grasp. Throughout the production, you catch little glimpses of moving melodies or distant harmonies that fight for your attention surreptitiously. Underneath it all are captivating lyrics molded gently into hypnotic vocal deliveries, giving the entire single an air of ethereality.
“The single artwork for ‘Yell!’ speaks to our method of song creation,” Modern Andy shares. “Having each member cutout of their reality and placed in a make-believe world is how we made ‘Yell!’”
Modern Andy’s signature sound is derived from a combination of analog instruments and recording techniques fused with electronic music roots, giving each release its own heartbeat. Andy’s experience in audio engineering, television broadcast engineering, and event production drives him to create songs that are hand-tailored for individual listeners, resulting in a deeply personal listening experience for everyone.
Modern Andy draws inspiration from the late Andy Warhol, aiming to poke fun at Pop music while using it as a creative vessel for satire. If you’ve ever wondered what Andy Warhol’s take on popular music would be then you’ll want to give Modern Andy a try.
Alt-Folk Artist Jackie K Releases Heartwarming New Single, “Night At The Opry”
From the scenic banks of Battleford, Saskatchewan comes alt-folk singer/songwriter Jackie K and her song about loss and the light that continues to exist in the absence of our loved ones with the heartwarming single “Night At The Opry.”
Initially released on her 2021 EP, Look for the Little Things, Jackie K glistens on the re-recording of “Night at the Opry” — a captivating musical composition that tugs on the heartstrings and was written as a tribute to her late father.
Rising to #4 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown Top 100, “Night at the Opry” was inspired by the high school music class Jackie K teaches and the trip she took them to the world-famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Taking place roughly one year after her father’s passing, the “Night At The Opry” reminded Jackie K of how big a country music fan her father was. “My Dad would have loved it there,” she shares. “The sense of community, the music, the jokes. I really missed him, and I wished that he would have had that opportunity.”
Shortly after she returned home from Nashville, Jackie K began to pen her latest single, “Night At The Opry,” as the pandemic started to affect the world. “It was about my trip, but more about my Dad, Jake.”
Jackie K harnesses all of her experience as a professional music and visual arts educator to produce an ode to her dad that communicates the love and longing she feels as passionately as he lived.
“Without him, the circle feels broken
I look for his light and it’s gone
This music brings him to me
It joins our whole family
His records will keep bringing him home.”
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Jackie Kroczynski learned to love music from an early age with a broad spectrum of influences, including Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, and Ron Sexsmith. Jackie K would earn her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art to pave her way into the artist she is today.
When she isn’t playing the “Unplugged” show on CJWW Radio in Saskatoon, or performing for Colonel Chris Hadfield with her New Orleans-inspired band, Jivin’ Jackie & Big Baby T, she’s teaching band and guitar at North Battleford Comprehensive High School. Her life-long connection to music ensures that the best is yet to come for Jackie K.