All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: Train with Blues Traveler and Will Anderson at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
Folk-Pop Duo BIG LITTLE LIONS Celebrate Radical Self-Acceptance on Exuberant “I Know I Know”
Songs about complete contentment and radical self-acceptance are few and far between, but multi-award-winning folk-pop duo Big Little Lions manage to celebrate both in their upbeat, stomping new single, “I Know I Know” — fresh from their new album Happy Accident.
With simple drums and jangly acoustic guitar, “I Know I Know” features an easy, infectious chorus and a message of positivity about following your own lackadaisical path and trusting your intuition: “Everything I’ve done so far doesn’t make any sense/ And I guess it’s just a happy accident/ That I find myself here/ I’m lucky, I know.” Helen Austin and Paul Otten’s voices blend beautifully, and they often sing in unison, inviting the listener to sing along and adopt the mantra for themselves. And what, exactly, is that mantra?
I know, I know
It’s been working, it’s been working
I know, I know
It’s been worth it, it’s been worth it
How often do we tell ourselves that? Rarely, if ever. “Oh, I like who I am,” is Austin and Otten’s answer to that attitude. Not that self-acceptance came to them easily, oh no. “It took a while to land,” they sing, though how they arrived here isn’t really all that important. “I Know I Know” is all about embracing yourself in the now.
The folk-pop duo Big Little Lions consists of Canadian Helen Austin (Royston, BC) and American Paul Otten (Springboro, Ohio). Their collaborations have earned them a JUNO Award and a John Lennon songwriting prize, and their songs have been featured in numerous commercials, films, and TV shows. Their music is jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies, the sound of two people happily working side-by-side.
Living thousands of kilometers apart, they were used to working remotely — but they had always enjoyed coming together to tour for live shows. With those shows cancelled during the pandemic, the duo pledged to release a single a month, not just to keep themselves sane, but also connected.
Collectively those songs have amassed 400,000 Spotify streams, a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, an official showcase at Folk Alliance International 2022, and a new record deal with Fallen Tree Records. They’re also back on the road again!
On Happy Accident, thirteen of those singles – songs of separation, songs of friendship and songs of love – are collected to create one captivating album; “I Know I Know” is the only song that wasn’t previously released.
Azeem Haq Debuts Talent Powerhouse with “My City” Feat. The Game, Lazarus, Fredro Starr & JRDN
Originally an anthemic ode to Toronto, Azeem Haq’s newest single, “My City” — available now — ultimately spotlights a wider sprawl with features from first-rate hip hop heavyweights The Game, Lazarus, Fredro Starr, and JRDN.
It starts with Azeem Haq’s innate ability to construct a high-octane and hard-hitting cadence, and is paralleled on “My City” by expertly-executed cypher praising some of the genre’s most influential cities — delivered by some of hip-hop’s most influential creators.
The smooth-flowing conversion from homage to his home base to a full-blown vessel for some of rap’s best talent is one of those behind-the-scenes things that make “My City” that much more enjoyable. “I was honored to hear some of my favorite artists approved to work with me,” Haq shares. “It was an interesting process to create a song with members all around the world, but it was very efficient as everyone was a pro.”
As expected, these artists deliver a performance worthy of exaltation. The Game’s matter-of-fact speakeasy flow sets the pace for the hook, which is primarily made up of JRDN’s silk-smooth vocal runs. From there, it’s rubber to the road as Lazarus and Fredro Starr take the cadence and run, manufacturing an entirely different vibe within each verse, entirely unique to each of their respective styles.
“Each artist represented their respective cities to the fullest, and brought the listeners to their hometown through the descriptive lyrics,” Haq reveals. “Everyone’s tone of voice really matched the energy of the horns and drums and it ended up being a perfect collaboration.”
The foundation of the flow, Azeem Haq rounds everything off with his original goal: praising Toronto. Woven expertly into chopper-style flow, it gives listeners that final bit of hype to send them on their way.
Azeem Haq is a producer and recording artist from Toronto, Ontario, and is the youngest child of his migrated Pakistani parents. His talents and career ambitions stem from the many generations of musical exploration and expression throughout his family.
Haq started making music when he was 13, and it quickly led to commercial success for the young producer. Finding several of his songs on the radio in the Toronto area, he learned much about grass-roots marketing and found other opportunities to expand his talents — like acting and broadcasting.
Facing spinal issues from birth, Azeem Haq has always been a champion for those with disabilities, empowering individuals like himself to power through and make their dreams and passions a reality.
Today, Azeem Haq is an award-winning audio producer and songwriter, championed by Toronto for the anthems he created for Toronto’s most beloved teams — the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
My Next Read: ‘Lightning Striking – Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll’ by Lenny Kaye
An insider’s take on the evolution and enduring legacy of the music that rocked the twentieth century.
Memphis 1954. New Orleans 1957. Philadelphia 1959. Liverpool 1962. San Francisco 1967. Detroit 1969. New York, 1975. London 1977. Los Angeles 1984 / Norway 1993. Seattle 1991.
Rock and roll was birthed in basements and garages, radio stations and dance halls, in cities where unexpected gatherings of artists and audience changed and charged the way music is heard and celebrated, capturing lightning in a bottle. Musician and writer Lenny Kaye explores ten crossroads of time and place that define rock and roll, its unforgettable flashpoints, characters, and visionaries; how each generation came to be; how it was discovered by the world. Whether describing Elvis Presley’s Memphis, the Beatles’ Liverpool, Patti Smith’s New York, or Kurt Cobain’s Seattle, Lightning Striking reveals the communal energy that creates a scene, a guided tour inside style and performance, to see who’s on stage, along with the movers and shakers, the hustlers and hangers-on–and why everybody is listening.
Grandly sweeping and minutely detailed, informed by Kaye’s acclaimed knowledge and experience as a working musician, Lightning Striking is an ear-opening insight into our shared musical and cultural history, a magic carpet ride of rock and roll’s most influential movements and moments.
Folk Icon MURRAY MCLAUCHLAN to be Inducted to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
He’s been hailed as one of Canada’s most culturally conscious songwriters of the 70s’ but Murray McLauchlan’s sympathetic song portraits of ordinary folk have appealed to our social conscience for more than five decades. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased to announce the Induction of singer-songwriter Murray McLauchlan, composer of more than 35 hit singles including the SOCAN Classics Farmer’s Song, Down by the Henry Moore, and Try Walkin’ Away.
Marking its first in-person songwriter induction ceremony since the pandemic, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is partnering with Mariposa Folk Festival to recognize McLauchlan on Saturday, July 9 on the Festival’s main stage. Since 2018, the CSHF began partnering with music events and festivals across the country to connect with fans and celebrate the songs and songwriters to their musical roots. McLauchlan will be officially inducted at Mariposa by long-time friend and CSHF Inductee Gordon Lightfoot and honoured with a special tribute performance by Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
“I am honoured to join my respected friends Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and so many others in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame,” says McLauchlan.
Murray McLauchlan was born in Scotland, and raised in Toronto ON, where he studied art and began singing in coffeehouses at age 17. He frequented Yorkville’s The Riverboat, a hub for the folk-rock music scene in the 70s where fellow singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, and other Canadian icons would play – that was also a favourite tour stop for American artists including Simon and Garfunkel, and folksinger Tom Rush. McLauchlan would play his bittersweet compositions Old Man’s Song and Child’s Song on the backsteps of The Riverboat for Tom Rush, who became the first artist to record one of McLauchlan’s insightful songs. Child’s Song was recorded by Tom Rush in 1970; and would later garner McLauchlan three JUNO Awards for Folk Single, Country Single, and Songwriter of the Year.
In 1971, McLauchlan signed with True North Records and recorded his debut album, “Song from the Street,” that reached Top 40 in Canada. His first Top 10 single came from The Farmer’s Song which drew attention to the industrial forces decimating family farms, while earning him his first JUNO Awards for Best Songwriter, Folk Single, and Country Single. His follow up album “Sweeping the Spotlight Away” earned him a JUNO for Best Country Vocalist; and his homage to Toronto, Down by the Henry Moore, became his first No. 1 hit to cross over on both pop and country charts.
McLauchlan’s first gold record came with the 1976 album “Boulevard,” which included the hit single On the Boulevard. Through the 1980s, McLauchlan enjoyed further success with hit singles like Do You Dream of Being Somebody?, Somebody’s Long Lonely Night, Little Dreamer, and Never Did Like That Train. He rounded out the decade with the anthem If the Wind Could Blow My Troubles Away,participation in Tears Are Not Enough, and his JUNO-nominated album “Swingin’ on a Star.”
His most recent endeavors include his 2012 hit albums “Human Writes” and “Love Can’t Tell Time.” and 2021’s Hourglass that has made numerous Top 10 lists in Canada, the U.S. and throughout the world. He was won 11 JUNO Awards throughout his esteemed career and is among the Top 20 most-winning JUNO artists of all time.
McLauchlan’s songwriting, whether in his earlier narrative style or his later impressionistic one, has definite grassroots appeal. And the visual sense he developed while studying art as a youth still inspires his songwriting: “I always try to write visually, to put someone into their context,” he explains.
His love for songwriting and art came together in 2021’s “A Thomson Day”, a tribute to the work of Group of Seven painter Tom Thomson that resulted in a collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Recently, Child’s Song was featured in the hit NBC TV show “This Is Us;” and Widespread Panic recorded a hit rock cover of McLauchlan’s dark ode Honky Red. Others to cover McLauchlan’s work over the decades include Bonnie Dobson, John McDermott, Renée Claude, David Wiffen, George Hamilton IV, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, David Bromberg, The Ennis Sisters, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, R. Harlan Smith, Walter Ostanek, Bob Neuwirth, 3’s a Crowd, Melanie Safka, and Junkhouse.
The 2022 Mariposa Folk Festival takes place July 8 – 10 in J.D. Tudhope Memorial Park, Orillia ON.
BLACKPINK Announces They Will Return With New Music In August
YG Entertainment has announced that BLACKPINK will make their long-awaited return this Summer. Currently in the final stages of recording a new album, BLACKPINK’s new music in August starts a continuous large-scale project which will extend through the second half of the year.
On the announcement, YG Entertainment stated, “a lot of BLACKPINK-esque music has been prepared over a long period of time. On top of new music and large-scale projects, BLACKPINK will also go on the largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group by the end of the year to expand their rapport with fans worldwide.”
Prior to the release of their first full album ‘THE ALBUM’ in 2020, BLACKPINK gained steady popularity with their pre-release single “How You Like That” and their special collaboration with Selena Gomez “Ice Cream”. Despite the restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic, BLACKPINk drew a record-breaking explosive response from global fans with only their music. ‘THE ALBUM’, which catapulted to number 2 on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and UK Official Chart, also featured standout track “Lovesick Girls”, which sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide, making BLACKPINK the first K-pop girl group to sell over a million units.
Breakout West Announces International Performers For 2022
Western Canada, their neighbours to the east, and friends from overseas will be heading to Calgary, Alberta from September 28 to October 2 for BreakOut West 2022! Together with partners from Wales, Sweden, Iceland, the Nordics and other countries from across Europe, international artists will take to Calgary stages for the music festival this fall.
This marks the first year (and second time in 2022!) that BreakOut West has partnered with Future Echoes – Sweden’s new showcase festival, which kicked off in February 2022 – and Nordic Bridges (supported by Iceland Air), an initiative to support Nordic creative industry and artists from Nordic countries performing in Canada throughout 2022.
Aimed at raising the profile of Nordic culture abroad and strengthening the interaction between Nordic cultural sectors and the rest of the world, Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre is curating a series of unique experiences that highlight contemporary Nordic arts and culture. This year, performing artists include Kid Vicious (Sweden), Kitka (Sweden), BSÍ (Iceland) and The Magnettes (Sweden).
BreakOut West continues to build their six year-long partnership with FOCUS Wales, which sees western Canadian artists showcasing each year in Wales, and Welsh artists, in turn, showcasing at BreakOut West, thanks to FOCUS Wales, Wales Arts International and the Welsh Consulate. The organizations will bring their Welsh artists, including N’famady Kouyate, Seazoo, Adwaith and Eadyth to perform and will also host a reception. In turn, BreakOut West will exchange their artists to participate and connect through programming, performances and events.
In partnership with the Welsh Government, BreakOut West will soon be announcing Indigenous programming highlighting the start of the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2023). More information on this program will be announced soon.
This is the fourth event at which BreakOut West will welcome East Coast artists as part of their East Meets West partnership with the East Coast Music Association (ECMA) – an initiative which aims to unite the far coasts of Canada, to open new markets for artists touring the country.
As part of BreakOut West’s ongoing commitment to gender parity at the annual conference and festival, their partnership with KeyChange – presented by PRS Foundation, FACTOR and SOCAN Foundation – launches the second edition of three in their program featuring performances by The Magnettes of Sweden (also on the Nordic Bridges lineup), Arya (Italy), The Rodeo (France) and Cell7 (Iceland).
BreakOut West is thrilled to welcome international KeyChange innovators, who will be bringing their expertise to the conference on panels and in one-on-one sessions. Participating international innovators are Sofie Søndervik Sæther of JM Norway and Aslı Kaymaz of AZLAY with many other international industry delegates to be announced leading up to the festival.
In February, BreakOut West returned to festival programming with an at-home winter edition, which can be experienced online here. The annual music festival and conference with be safely returning to live this fall, with events taking place in Calgary, AB from September 28 to October 2. Acts from all across western Canada will perform at venues throughout the city, along with special international guests. The annual Western Canadian Music Awards will be given out during BreakOut West. In addition, the Western Canadian Music Alliance will present the Western Canadian Music Awards during BreakOut West. Nominees were announced in June – find a complete list here.
Registration is available now. More performers will be announced soon and a full schedule of events will be available at breakoutwest.ca.
Photo Gallery: Tash Sultana with Josh Cashman at Toronto’s History July 5, 2022
No stranger to constantly sold out headline shows and tours, it may come as a surprise to some that little over two years ago Australian songstress Tash Sultana was busking on the streets of her home city of Melbourne, creating her own buzz with a DIY spirit and determination. The dynamic young performer then went viral when a homemade performance video that garnered one million views in five days, marking her as a rising star of the indie scene.
All photos by Joanna Roselli. You can find Joanna on Instagram, and through her website.
Rockers WILDSTREET “Say Goodbye” with Release of New Single
Capturing the spirit of the great ballads of the 90’s, “Say Goodbye” is the brand-new single from award-winning rockers WILDSTREET, and is available now.
Upon a backdrop of eerie strings and cranked-up hard rock guitars, the song clues us in on the end of a very sick and twisted relationship.
The fourth single WILDSTREET have released via Golden Robot Records, the song was co-written and produced by Todd Long (Ghosts Of Sunset), mixed by Jon Wyman (The Pretty Reckless), and mastered by Howie Weinberg.
WILDSTREET is a band that began in 2006 and released their self-titled debut album on Retrospect Records in 2009.
Having spent the next four years touring nonstop and performing at US festivals — including Rocklahoma (five consecutive years), SXSW, M3 Rock Festival, and more, WILDSTREET rocked alongside Black Veil Brides, Vains of Jenna, The Bouncing Souls, The Last Vegas, Twisted Sister, Michael Monroe, Crashdiet, Diemonds, Kix, LA Guns, and then some.
The band have also won the Best Buy/Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands for Rockstar Energy’s Uproar Festival and opened for Avenged Sevenfold, Sevendust, and Three Days Grace in Camden, NJ.
In 2011, the band released Wildstreet II..Faster..Louder! to widespread critical acclaim, making an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon show, and licensing songs to TV shows on E!, MTV, VH1, Oxygen, TBS, and a THQ Video game. Later that year, the band released the official music video for “Poison Kiss” which included a cameo by Don Jameson of The Metal Show.
WILDSTREET now had the attention of rock fans worldwide and, in 2012, released the single “Easy Does It” and its official music video; it went viral on YouTube, adding to their 5+ Million views and 8,000+ subscribers on that platform alone.
After taking a two-and-a-half year break, and dodging rumors of a band breakup, WILDSTREET exploded back onto the NYC scene in 2016 — headlining Gramercy Theatre with a new line-up.
In early 2017, the band rocked NYC with Faster Pussycat and Biters, and headed to Rocklahoma for the sixth time before beginning work on their single, “Raise Hell.” Released in December 2017, the track ushered in a new period for the band; they headlined Irving Plaza for the single’s release party and were handpicked by Dorothy to open for her New York City tour date at The Bowery Ballroom.
Following the single’s video release, WILDSTREET spent the remainder of 2018 in the studio recording Wildstreet III — which was released in the summer of 2021.
They’ve continued to perform regional tour dates/festival dates, including opening for Sebastian Bach & Escape The Fate, selling out The Knitting Factory Brooklyn, and heading out on their first tour in Europe — playing 10 shows in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, including Sleaze Fest 2019 in Bochum, Germany.
WILDSTREET’s massive album ‘III’ has racked up over 1.8+ million streams on Spotify since its release in June 2021. After spending most of the year on tour in the US (100+ shows including Rockfest), the band also toured Europe, bringing their music to fans in Switzerland and France for the first time ever. They concluded the year by releasing their cover of “Mrs. Sleazy,” originally recorded by The 69 Eyes back in the 90s.
WILDSTREET includes Eric Jayk, Jimmie Marlowe, Don Berger, and Dan Whitelock, and have their third studio album in the works.
Alt-Rocker Siobamm Fires Up the “Meat Machine” with New Single
The roller derby rock star from Toronto is blowing out the speakers with the latest entry in her arsenal; Siobamm’s new single “Meat Machine” is available now.
Acquiring management by Canada’s rock darling Bif Naked and Peter Karroll, Siobamm continues to blast her own path in the music community with her powerhouse vocals and undeniable songwriting and production skills.
Siobamm’s musical career was birthed from isolation caused by the pandemic, and the Roller Derby enthusiast found herself with the time to focus her attention on writing, recording and producing. By 2021, she had fully completed her self-produced debut EP, Gloom Patrol. Comprised of goth alternative undertones, laced with rock and roll and pop melodies, the four-song-strong album set the course for Siobamm’s foray into becoming music’s newest, and brightest success story.
“After my long-distance relationship ended in late 2020, I decided to focus on myself and my own creative goals for the remainder of the pandemic,” Siobamm explains. “I far prefer meeting people in person, and online dating can be really stressful and hard, so I swore off dating and sex until I finished my creative projects for myself.”
“Meat Machine” lands as a “post-punk story of a bisexual woman emerging from quarantine, on the prowl for physical connection.” It drives out of the gates with pulsating percussion, matched solely by the vulnerabilities in Siobamm’s authentic lyricism, sung in her ubiquitous vocal prowess. The song is equal parts rock, as it is sexy and alluring.
Referring to “Meat Machine” as her “horny hymn,” Siobamm says the song is a prose on feeling prepared to give dating another try. “I wrote it in the summer of 2021 when I started to seek out physical and emotional intimacy again in a post-vaccinated Toronto,” she reveals. “Interacting with men again in intimate and sexual ways after not doing so for a while was a bit of a mental adjustment. Even though I’m queer, engaging in heterosexual culture is strange. This track is me owning my bisexual thirstiness, while also accepting my physical insecurities. The best sex happens when participants are vulnerable, so I created a song reflecting on some of my weird body fixations and asking ‘who wants to fuck?’. I feel like years of being very forward in gay relationships has made me very blunt and not afraid to ask for what I want.”
And on the musical forefront, Siobamm continues to deliver on what her audiences are yearning for: good, old-fashioned rock and roll, flexed by modern flair and matched with smart lyrics and exciting vocals.
The track acts and reacts threefold: getting the sound you want, with the narrative you understand, while coercing you to fist bump and air guitar the entire track through.
All in all, Siobamm dares you to fire up the “Meat Machine” once and for all.