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Alt-Folk Artist Maureen Trainor Guides Us Through an Internal Seascape of Mood & Emotion on Pandemic-Inspired New Song, “Adrift”

Eric Alper
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Alt-Folk Artist Maureen Trainor Guides Us Through an Internal Seascape of Mood & Emotion on Pandemic-Inspired New Song, “Adrift”

The ocean is always an apt metaphor for our internal swells, ebbs, and tides, and that’s likely why it transfixes us so much. Charlottetown, PEI-based alt-folk artist Maureen Trainor found herself particularly taken with the sea during the early days of the pandemic, resulting in her nautical-themed interior soundscape of a single “Adrift.”

“Adrift” begins with a mellow, acoustic strum and somber introspection as Trainor narrates, “I’ve been staring at the ocean/ While it sets its sights on me/ My heart adrift without direction/ Salt spray rapture on the sea.” The song takes us over rocking waves of mood and emotion, and on a gliding journey of self-reflection.

“Like most people, I became very introspective during the pandemic — most likely caused by sudden isolation,” Trainor shares. “During those strange, new times, I took almost daily trips to the shore where the water has always centered me.

“It was there that the song was born,” she continues. “I imagined my heart afloat, at the mercy of the tides and weather conditions, rolling gently on the soft waves and tossed about in violent squall.”

The song really came to life, however, during the recording process, via a collaborative effort between Trainor and her producer Erin Costelo. “A trombone evoking the nautical feeling, a cello keeping things flowing with the additional colorful elements that could be whales or wind or gulls,” Trainor says of the various decisions made during the process. “The bass and percussion accentuating the relentless rhythm of the ocean’s pull. And the deliberate choice to have the vocals front and center accentuates the storytelling in an authentic and unadorned way.”

Trainor provided the guitar and lead vocals, Jordi Comstock the drums and percussion, Tom Easley the bass, Andrew Jackson the trombone, Natalie Williams Calhoun on the cello, and Erin Costelo the background vocals.

Maureen Trainor has been writing songs for close to three decades. Her writing style most closely aligns with folk, although she enjoys listening to a variety of genres and has an eclectic music collection from which she draws influence. Garnering a national semi-final result in CBC Music’s 2017 Searchlight Competition with her song “Goodbye”, Trainor decided to embark on a journey to record more of her music, and her debut CD Nothing But The Stars was nominated for two Music PEI Awards in 2020. A lover of the arts in general, Maureen enjoys taking in live shows from other exceptionally talented and vibrant members of the Island music scene.

Martin Schiller Transports Listeners Back in Time with Psychedelic New Post-Jazz-Rock “Future Prints”

Eric Alper
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Martin Schiller Transports Listeners Back in Time with Psychedelic New Post-Jazz-Rock “Future Prints”

Canadian multi-instrumentalist Martin Schiller takes a musical idea for an internet sketch comedy series and turns it into a psychedelic jam session, transporting listeners to a time of carpeted walls and smoke-filled rooms with the bodacious new single, “Future Prints.”

The song sees Schiller whisk listeners on a sonic journey through space and time as part of his groovy new LP, Dreams vol. 1 (2022). An instrumental post-jazz-rock opus with equal parts Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, and something entirely new, the eight-song album also features cover art designed and created by his wife, artist Amanda Brierty.

The textured sounds of “Future Prints” is best described by Schiller himself as “somewhere between Chicago Post-Rock (Tortoise), Ethiopian Jazz (Mulatu Astatke), and 1970s Japanese surf-rock (Takeshi Terauchi).” Across the song, Schiller’s visceral percussion and guitar work are seamlessly interwoven with heart-pumping saxophone riffs provided by the only guest instrumentalist on the album, collaborator Theodore Hogan.

As Schiller says, the thematic nature of “Future Prints” was initially conceived to serve another purpose. “Back in 2019, I contributed some musical ideas to an internet sketch comedy series my brother Eric was working on, and this idea was used as the theme music,” he shares.

With the world still reeling from the Covid-19, Dreams Vol. 1 is meant to act as a soundtrack to Schiller’s emotional experiences during the first year and a half of the pandemic — also, incidentally, when Brierty first inked the cover art concept. “It begins with a foreboding sound with doom and worry, then a feeling of urgency, giving way to a feeling of appreciation of some positivity, eventually being able to live in the moment,” says Schiller of the release.

The recording process initially started with a series of drum sessions that would provide the rhythmic foundation for the album. With the exception of the sensational saxophone track on “Future Prints,” the entirety of the album was recorded in Schiller’s basement and bedroom studio.

Dreams Vol. 1 was also mixed by Schiller, who employed sound engineer Matt Rideout to master the album and elevate the production.

Hailing from Windsor, Ontario, Martin Schiller has been on the Canadian post-rock scene for some time. Graduating from the University of Windsor with a BA in Music, Schiller has performed throughout Canada and abroad as the bassist of post-rock bands such as What Seas, What Shores, and multimedia performance group Noiseborder Ensemble. With film and television credits already under his belt, Schiller also leads instrumental post-rock outfit The Greedy Echoes.

Photo Gallery: City and Colour with Broken Social Scene, Moneen and Dooms Children at St. Catharines’ Montebello Park

Eric Alper
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Photo Gallery: City and Colour with Broken Social Scene, Moneen and Dooms Children at St. Catharines’ Montebello Park

All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com

City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Moneen
Moneen
Moneen
Moneen
Moneen
Dooms Children
Dooms Children
Dooms Children

My Next Read: “Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones: The Authorized Biography of Charlie Watts” by Paul Sexton

Eric Alper
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My Next Read: “Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones: The Authorized Biography of Charlie Watts” by Paul Sexton

Paul Sexton has written the fully authorized and official biography of legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, one of the world’s most revered and celebrated musicians of the last half century. It gets released on October 11, 2022 and includes forwards from Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.

Charlie Watts was one of the most decorated musicians in the world, having joined the Rolling Stones, a few months after their formation, early in 1963.

A student of jazz drumming, he was headhunted by the band after bumping into them regularly in London’s rhythm and blues clubs. Once installed at the drum seat, he didn’t miss a gig, album or tour in his 60 years in the band. He was there throughout the swinging sixties, the early shot at superstardom and the Stones’ world conquest; and throughout the debauchery of the 1970s, typified by 1972’s Exile on Main St., considered one of the great albums of the century. By the 1980s, Charlie was battling his own demons, but emerged unscathed to enhance his unparalleled reputation even further over the ensuing decades.

Watts went through band bust-ups, bereavements and changes in personnel, managers, guitarists and rhythm sections, but remained the rock at the heart of the Rolling Stones for nearly 60 years—the thoughtful, intellectual but no less compelling counterpoint to the raucousness of his bandmates Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood. And this is his story.

 

2022 CBC Searchlight Winner Chad Price’s New Single “Broken Open” Captures Resilience & Self-Healing

Eric Alper
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2022 CBC Searchlight Winner Chad Price’s New Single “Broken Open” Captures Resilience & Self-Healing

2022 CBC Searchlight winner Chad Price draws on the battles with inner demons to manifest his introspective journey of self-healing into an uplifting tale of resilience in a new single, “Broken Open.”

Recorded with producer Matthew Johnston, “Broken Open” is anthemic with its gospel-tinged choral background vocals, brutally honest and intimate with its heart-breaking and confessional lyrics, and — ultimately — optimistic, unifying, and healing with its message of acknowledgment and collective vulnerability.

“‘Broken Open’ allows me to get pretty deep and dark in terms of the things I wanted to express”, Price shares. “I’m vulnerable about emotional trauma, deteriorating mental health, and some negative self-image/self-acceptance issues in the song… But being open about these things, and admitting that I’m just trying to stay above water like everyone else, hopefully makes people know they’re not alone in their suffering and constant efforts.

“Everyone is dealing with something and this song, to me, ultimately feels like a warm, tearful embrace and encouragement to keep going,” he continues. “Sometimes being ‘Broken Open’ is necessary to open up and evolve into the best versions of ourselves.”

Fearlessly vibrant, Price’s impassioned new song arrives ahead of his forthcoming album set to arrive this Summer. With the complexities of self-actualization and overcoming internal struggles potently captured and conveyed, the Ontario-based artist’s soothing vocal harmonies are enhanced by the heartwarming message embedded within the lyrics.

“Love surrounds but I don’t notice
Call me out and say I’m hopeless
But I still got some fight left in me
And now I’m beginning to see
Maybe heaven’s under my feet and over our head
Wait for the disconnect”

Chad Price has been steadily on the road less traveled from the beginning of his career. Representing himself in both the creative and business aspects of the music industry, Price has found much success as an independent artist charting his own path.

Securing multiple national and international television deals across various networks as well as the millions of streams he’s accumulated, Price is a creative force to be reckoned with. He’s already been invited to share the stage or collaborate with notable acts like Ben Harper, The National, Loud Luxury, Walk Off The Earth, Lights, JP Saxe, and Donovan Woods, to name a few.

With tour stops in North America, Asia, and Europe on top of being a featured artist on CTV’s hit TV show “The Launch,” Chad Price has been on an upward trajectory with no signs of stopping any time soon.

Indigenous Canadian Pop-Trap Artist Mattmac Sits Down For Heart To Heart With Listeners on Newest Single, “Isolation”

Eric Alper
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Indigenous Canadian Pop-Trap Artist Mattmac Sits Down For Heart To Heart With Listeners on Newest Single, “Isolation”

There are few things in this world as cold as isolation… And Mattmac’s ambition to bring warmth to such a dark concept is what makes his newest hard-hitting rap single, “Isolation,” so powerful.

As Mattmac’s music has always showcased, life isn’t always as easy as “point A to point B;” in fact, it’s a long and self-conscious road of struggles. Mattmac’s ability to express his grievances in such a vulnerable and heartwarming way is what makes his music so special. Add the fact that he was born blind into the mix and you’ve got a fairytale story of rags to riches.

“Isolation” encapsulates that messaging perfectly. As a music producer located in the rural area of Garden Hill First Nation on a Canadian Reservation, Mattmac found himself struggling with a lack of fundamental resources — like he was set up to fail from the beginning.

“I’ve been able to achieve some of my goals and build some demand for my music and skill sets, but the pressure has been building up,” he reflects on the feeling. “The lack of fundamental resources on my reserve has not only been frustrating and challenging but has made me realize that where I’m from is set up for people to fail.

“This feeling has left me feeling really isolated,” he continues. “I’m disconnected from the world that is calling upon me, but still doesn’t reach out in a way that helps people who desperately need change.”

While “Isolation” is a traditional trap production, the lyrics portray a story of hardship and separation. Mattmac’s story draws the listener in, sharing the weight of the world with them for a moment of respite. Deep 808s and atmospheric ad-libs add to the lingering sense of dread as options start to run dry and the situation becomes make or break.

“What’s really interesting is that so much has changed in the past six months since I wrote ‘Isolation,’” he shares. “I’ve been able to find an apartment in Winnipeg, and recently moved in; I was able to go back to Garden Hill a week before I moved, and it was a really emotional time for me…

“Just thinking about all the struggles and challenges I faced with my family — to think I made it out and I am now starting my own life… It’s really a lot for a kid on the reserve.

“A kid like me didn’t know if it would be possible.

“I’ve had a lot of support in the last few years, and that has made all the difference,” he continues. “My hope is that more kids can get that kind of support for their dreams and goals. I am still young, but this whole journey has made me start to think and plan about how I can contribute to that change.”

This powerful single is the third release connected to Mattmac’s upcoming album, BLURRED VISIONS, which is set to release just before the summer. “Isolation” also has its own stand-alone music video, produced by Indigenous filmmaker Skye Spence.

“We are working on a digital series of themed videos set to release over the summer and a documentary film called ‘FEEL THE WORLD’ — set to release next year — that takes a closer look at my life over the last few years.”

Mattmac is a blind music producer and recording artist from Garden Hill First Nation, Manitoba. Mattmac was born blind, and, at a young age, he struggled with depression. Growing up surrounded by music, Mattmac quickly found it to be an effective coping mechanism and took to singing in his community’s gospel choir.

From there, he started making beats and writing songs, teaching himself how to play piano and guitar along the way. He attributes his competencies to the support of the Bling & Famous group — a USA-based collective of blind music artists who collaborate and connect with one another through the internet.

Mattmac debuted his entry to the music scene in 2016 when N’we Jinan, a travelling music studio program, visited his community and invited him to collaborate on a project. Pulling inspiration from his personal story, they created a song and video titled “Help You See” that has received over 250,000 views on YouTube and Facebook. From there, Mattmac has connected with international artist Nelly Furtado and performed alongside her at Indigenous day Live and We Day Canada Day in 2017; they continue to work together.

Mattmac hopes to continue to use his platform to inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to.

Rocker Josh Ritchie Is Looking for “Love at the End of the World”

Eric Alper
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Rocker Josh Ritchie Is Looking for “Love at the End of the World”

Josh Ritchie, the insightful, curious, inquisitive, and mega-talented rock star from rural Ontario, has released his soulful title track, “Love at the End of the World” LIVE from Old Bank Studios.

“I’m really excited to have a live version of this song out in the world,” Ritchie says of the soul-wrenching think-piece rife with heart-stopping wonderment, stripped down and beautifully performed. “The magic of it really is in the live performance of it. The band and I, we just get lost in the build and the drama of it. I can’t wait to share it with people.”

The sophomore release from Ritchie couldn’t have been better timed; the world is searching for an artist who lays it bare on the lyric sheet, and Ritchie’s no-nonsense approach to communicating the realness of today’s societal climate is a welcomed breath of fresh air.

“It really is a simple song but there’s so much room to let it take you to new places,” Ritchie muses. “The best thing about a live version of any song really is when you jam out on it – extend it out a little longer with pure improvisation. That’s when a song becomes a moment, a completely unique and independent passage of history and if you’re lucky enough to witness it, it’ll stay with you forever. That’s what we tried to do with this video, capture one of those moments.”

Ritchie’s quaint and elegant approach to songwriting is humbling. He’s an old soul with wisdom far beyond his youthful years — as heard across the song’s titular album, Love at the End of the World.

A born performer with a song on his heart, Ritchie’s electric guitar sees through the message he’s purported to write, and his words are the thoughts we’re each thinking but too abashed to share. The balance between Ritchie’s own introspective view on the world, knitted among the fiber of what needs to be said, is his magic: charisma, plus the ability to see a need and have the courage to remark on it.

“There is a lot at stake in this song,” he says of the good, old-fashioned power ballad about feeling exhausted by the harshness of the modern world. “We wanted to present it in a way that expressed those stakes and the rawness of the emotion.”

Ritchie’s music video for the song is an experience he feels lucky to have been a part of. “I was so lucky to be able to work with the amazing team at CTRE Productions. They are not only great at what they do but they’ve become dear friends to me and the band. When you really get along with the people you work with, the project is always a success, and I’m so grateful to have been able to collaborate.

“It was an interesting process making this video,” he continues. “We really wanted to capture a live experience, so there was literally no scripting or planning ahead of a take. We’d play the song live off the floor and the film team would shoot and make the edits in real-time as we played.”

With that, it’s time to take a trip with Josh Ritchie. He’s looking for “Love at the End of the World” and there’s room for one more to go find it.

“Volume 1” From Strongman Blues Remedy Feat Steve Strongman, Harrison Kennedy Release New “I Like To Ride” Video

Eric Alper
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“Volume 1” From Strongman Blues Remedy Feat Steve Strongman, Harrison Kennedy Release New “I Like To Ride” Video

Readying itself as an antidote for the weariness worn on the sleeves of blues music lovers everywhere, a new collective project makes its way to the scene with the Strongman Blues Remedy, Volume 1 —available June 17 via Stony Plain Records.

Conceived by producer, songwriter and artist Steve Strongman, the “collective” features a veritable who’s who of the blues, including Dawn Tyler Watson, Crystal Shawanda, Steve Marriner, Jesse O’Brien, Alec Fraser, and Harrison Kennedy — who can be heard on the album’s newly released single, “I Like To Ride.”

With seven albums as a solo artist — plus Canada’s JUNO Award, the Mel Brown Blues Award, International Blues Challenge’s Best Guitarist winner, four Maple Blues Awards, and more — deep into his career Strongman is an acclaimed bluesman known for liberally applying swampy swagger and sweetness to shuffles, blues ballads, and four-on-the-floor chuggers alike. The Strongman Blues Remedy, Volume 1 is the Hamilton, Ontario-based musician’s first time producing, a process he calls “a huge learning curve, but incredibly rewarding.”

By doing songwriting sessions with a stellar cast of multi-award-winning and -nominated Canadian blues artists, he developed an album that touches on a wide cross-section of experiences and viewpoints. The result is an expansive 10-track album with one overarching message within: the best remedy for the world we’re living in right now is to fill it with music that celebrates life and focuses on the joys of being on the other side.

Halifax’s Lisa Richard’s New Country Single Has “News You Can Use”

Eric Alper
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Halifax’s Lisa Richard’s New Country Single Has “News You Can Use”

Talk about Promises Kept… Downhome Canadian country maven Lisa Richard is back with some “News You Can Use” — her new album and single are available now.

The East Coast crooner shares a deeply personal, uplifting, and uptempo track that shines a light on homegrown values, staying optimistic, and finding the good in the everyday.

The magic behind Lisa Richard’s heartfelt songwriting is the authenticity that oozes from every note; her vocal prowess delivers on the melody, unearthing what matters most to each of us. Matched with her ability to write a track that is equal parts catchy as it is sincere, “News You Can Use” is another capturing of the moments that matter the most. Richard is spellbinding, and captivating; coercing you to swim in nostalgia, and you appreciate the world at present.

“News You Can Use” arrives alongside her new release, Promises Kept; produced by CCMA Hall of Famer Jason Barry (Dean Brody, Terri Clarke, Charlie Major, Michelle Wright, Tenille Arts, Jason Blaine), the debut full-length album follows Richard’s well-received EP, Tangled Up (2017), and marks a promising journey for the gifted musician.

Richard’s mark on the country music community stretches far past her native province. In 2017 she performed for the first time in Nashville alongside Vince Gill and The Time Jumpers, sharing the stage several times with them since her debut — including one special performance with Wendy Moten (2nd place finalist of The Voice, Season 2).

In addition to her impressive repertoire of musical guest cameos, Richard has also snagged the attention of domestic and international radio — including the Grand Ol’ Opry Radio WSM 650, where she was also featured as a guest. Nominated for Country Artist of the Year at the 2018 Nova Scotia Awards, Richard continues to make waves with her music, earning accolades and nominations for her songs — including “Tangled Up” and “Uniforms.”

With “News You Can Use”’s lyrics spellbinding from the start, Richard’s collection of songs from Promises Kept usher a new melodic chapter for Lisa Richards. A palpable tour de force, mashed with a little country reckoning, and a big, big voice calling all to step up and listen — there’s a new cowgirl in town, and that’s “News You Can Use.”

Singer-Songwriter Jeff Hope Delivers a Country Rock Kiss Off with “Goodbye Baby”

Eric Alper
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Singer-Songwriter Jeff Hope Delivers a Country Rock Kiss Off with “Goodbye Baby”

While analogies and metaphors can be pretty and poetic and all, sometimes you just have to tell it like it is. And there’s no mistaking that Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Jeff Hope is giving a bad relationship the hook, both literally and musically, with his new single, “Goodbye Baby.”

The “Goodbye, baby, goodbye” in the chorus is anthemic and instantly relatable as Hope’s expressive tenor kicks into the chorus after a spate of done-me-wrong epithets. We’ve all been there and this super catchy song’s four-on-the-floor rhythm is bound to have everyone involuntarily nodding in agreement.

‘I’d rather be flat broke, stuck in the cold
Then waste my time growing old with you.’

Ouch!

In broader terms, Hope describes “Goodbye Baby” as a “timeless breakup song with a punchy up-tempo feel” and big, harmony vocals.

“It’s a ‘get over it, I’m taking my love back’ kinda story that I think we can all relate to at some point in our journey as lovers and fighters,” he says, adding sardonically, “The kind of song Johnny Depp should post on Amber Heard’s wall.”

While the subject matter may be bitter, “Goodbye Baby” is bathed in smooth, polished production with melodic guitar riffs and rich harmonies thanks to Hope’s good friend and former bandmate, Nova Scotia multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Matt Muise-Dillan. The song’s production is thanks to another talented Maritimer, Kris Richards.

“He’s a Nova Scotia-born guitarist extraordinaire now living in Nashville and currently on tour with Clay Walker,” Hope notes. “Kris added a dimension to this song that is undeniable.”

Hope also keeps it very close to home when it comes to the inspiration behind recording and releasing his first album in nearly two decades, Fill the Void — which includes “Goodbye Baby”.

Calling the album “the most honest work of his career,” Hope says he owes it all to his father and primary musical inspiration Robert Hope, who passed away in 2017. Robert Hope was a member of the revered East Coast rock group, The Five Sounds. After having success with their 1962 single, “Peanut Butter,” they toured the U.S. with the Lovin’ Spoonful, The Mamas & The Papas, and Three Dog Night.

“I really hadn’t done much musically for a few years,” Hope recalls. “But after he passed away, I was gathering up some of his belongings and, while playing with some of his guitars, I started noodling around.

“The next thing I knew, I had an album.”

While that’s simplifying the whole process, the veteran singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and audio-engineer had crafted most of his latest album in the space of just two weeks. Fill The Void’s 18 tracks crackle with Hope’s renewed inspiration and creative energy and run the gamut from old-school rock to country, to pop.

The album prompted The East Magazine’s Maggie McLean to write, “while the more country-influenced tracks certainly have their place on the album, Hope’s talents really shine when he leads fully into the wails and high energy of 70s and 80s rock. You’ll have to hear it to believe it.”

“I believe my father was there with me,” Hope says. “I believe this is a record of ghosts.”

In a way, it is… On two of the tracks, Robert Hope actually performs with his son; the slow-burning country-rock waltz, “God As My Witness,” and the piano-driven power ballad, “Rely On Your Old Friends,” both feature Hope’s father on harmonica.

“I actually recorded the original versions of those songs 20-some years ago,” Hope explains. “I was able to extract his harp and my vocal, and then I was able to re-record all the music. It was just a chance to connect to Dad in a strange way.”

The musical connection he shared with his father first kicked in when Hope was in his teens. “I started getting serious around the time I was 13,” he recalls. “Then my father and I built a recording studio in the basement of our convenience store in the early ’90s.”

Hope was teaching recording and working as a soundman by the age of 17. Over the years since, he has played with a number of country and Celtic bands — including The Frequency and Barnacle. He has recorded with well-known Maritime artists Louisa Manuel and Grassfire and produced Chelsea Nisbett’s East Coast Music Award-winning 2008 gospel album, New Beginnings.

In 2002, Hope recorded and produced his debut album, the blues-rock collection, The Show Must Go On. Now, 20 years later with Fill the Void, Hope’s show continues on with renewed vigor and creativity as he looks forward to returning to the stage as live music is returning on the whole.

“I feel this is the start of a new chapter,” Hope says. “I’ve got another record or two in me for sure. I don’t want to put this out and walk away from it again.”

He might be saying goodbye to a bad love in his new single, but it’s also a big hello to creating more music ahead.

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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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