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Pop Artist Harriet Chung Explores the Longing Ache of Fairytale Lovers on Celestial New Single, “Through My Tears”

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Based on a Chinese fairytale about literal star-crossed lovers, Toronto-based award-winning pop artist Harriet Chung’s new single “Through My Tears” – available now – pays tribute to the aching bitter-sweetness of being far apart from the person you love.

On “Through My Tears,” Chung’s ethereal vocals float above dreamy piano and soaring, meandering flute as she narrates the story of the Cowboy and the Weaving Girl who fell in love on earth but were separated against their will. “I dream as the wind blows/ Across the heavens through the skies/ Your voice sewn in my memories/ Your face locked in my eyes.”

Chung explains the fairy tale as she remembers hearing it: “The Weaving Girl was forced back to heaven by her mother, and the cowherd remained on earth,” she said. “Their love was so strong that they remained faithful to each other for eternity. And once a year they appear in the night sky as the stars Vega and Altair.”

In fact, those stars form a bridge of stars that we all know as the Milky Way. “Together they form a bridge to reunite and dance the night away until they are forced to disappear with the rising of the sun,” she said.

Chung was attracted to the sad longing and the relatable universality of the tale. “The song is like a dream about missing the one you love,” she explains. “And in that dream, you reunite in the sky like the Cowboy and Weaving Girl.” Her angelic singing on the song is accompanied by Christopher Siu’s arrangement and piano, and Mailynn Jenkin’s beautiful flute.

Harriet Chung is an international singer, actress, and award-winning performer. Her debut single “A World Away (Remix)” won Best Original Song at the Hollywood Gold Awards, and its music video has won 10 Best Music Video awards from film festivals around the world. She has appeared in many musical theatre productions, including The Phantom of the Opera (Toronto), Cats (Germany), The King and I, Iron Road, and Golden Lotus, for which she has received numerous awards and nominations for Best Actress on both stage and screen for her portrayal of the titular role.

She is also an accomplished dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher. She shares her love and experience as a triple-threat performer with students all over the world through her school, Harriet Chung Performing Arts (HCPA).

Alt-Country Duo Fresh Breath Ask the Tough Questions on Bluesy, Harmonica-Studded “Find Your Way Home”

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Some songs become known for one standout, dramatic element – a scream, for example – and Ontario-based alt-country duo Fresh Breath’s new single “Find Your Way Home” – available now – just might be one of them. It’s bluesy, it’s catchy, it’s harmony and harmonica-infused, and it also stops the action in the middle of everything for a memorable husky, guttural YEAHHHHHHH.

From their 2021 EP, How Did I Get Here, “Find Your Way Home” explores the question of what it might have been like to have not been born human – “Sometimes I wonder/ How my life would have been/ Had my soul not been placed down here/ In this body wrapped with skin.” The song questions how it might have been to have been born a deer rather than someone who spends their day in an office, a dolphin rather than a factory worker, or even a river whose only job is to rage on.

“I’d still help you find your/ Find your way home,” the duo concludes.

Overall, the song is about reclaiming and rediscovering one’s humanity by philosophically going outside of it for a little while. “It’s a hypothetical question about having your own mind but in a different body,” Fresh Breath explain. “Perhaps a bird or dolphin. Realizing that all living things have their own unique issues and struggles and maybe it would be easier to be a bridge or a river that helps you ‘Find Your Way Home.’”

Although it deals with lofty and difficult questions, “Find Your Way Home” doesn’t take itself too seriously. The earthiness of the exercise is reflected in the music video, shot exclusively on an iPhone 12 mini by the band themselves. It shows Josh and Katie Pascoe hanging out on their family farm, chillin’ in the hayloft and the old cow shed, and playing in the sunshine. When that aforementioned YEAHHHH comes, they stop to do a little bit of hair-flipping and headbanging in glorious slow motion.

At the end of the video, they even include a funny blooper. “When we did the slow-motion shot, Katie thought it would be a cool effect to toss her hat – not realizing that it would surely smack Josh directly in the face as he came back up violently fast,” the duo said. “Luckily he wasn’t hurt or injured, but what we managed to grab on film was too good not to include as a blooper at the end of the video.”

It’s just one of those things that reflect the duo’s ethos. “We ultimately love to have fun, and try not to take ourselves too seriously,” they share.

Downchild Leader And Founder Donnie Walsh To Be Inducted Into North Bay Musicians & Entertainers Hall Of Recognition

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Donnie Walsh has experienced a lot of things in his over 53 years of playing the blues, since forming The Legendary Downchild Blues Band in 1969 with his brother, Hock Walsh. Perhaps none more rewarding than getting the call that he will be inducted into the North Bay Musicians & Entertainers Hall of Recognition on September 1, 2022, at Downchild’s performance at the Capitol Centre in North Bay as part of the Capitol Centre Bluesfest.

“It’s really exciting to be inducted to the Hall in North Bay as it’s where, as a kid, I started to actually listen to music and began to play guitar” states Donnie Walsh.

Donnie spent his formative years in North Bay, when his parents moved to the city in 1957 and bought The Lakeview Inn in West Ferris, Ontario, now part of North Bay, as it was known then. It was at the infamous Lakeview Inn where Donnie and Hock discovered music on the jukebox. “At 11:30 every Saturday night it was closing time” says Walsh. “People would load up the jukebox throughout the night to play well past the time we shut down for the evening. Hock and I would sneak in there on Sunday mornings and plug it back in and listen to hours and hours of great music by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley and the Comets, Louis Prima, and Keeley Smith, to name a few. It was around this time that I got a steel guitar one Christmas and quickly exchanged it for a regular guitar. Then I took guitar lessons for almost a year from local guitar legend, Russ Smith, who played guitar on a TV show with Irwin Prescott and His Mellowtones.”

He attended grade 7 and 8 at Tweedsmuir Public School in West Ferris and then spent two years at Algonquin Composite Collegiate in North Bay, before heading to Toronto in 1962. Two year later, Walsh began his journey to becoming a full-time musician, forming Downchild in 1969 with Hock, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Downchild has long been known as the inspiration for Hollywood stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s hit film The Blues Brothers. In fact, two Downchild songs “I Got Everything I Need (Almost)” and “Shotgun Blues” are found on The Blues Brothers smash album Briefcase Full of Blues.

Downchild has released 19 albums, including their 50th Anniversary Live At The Toronto Jazz Festival recording (featuring special guests Dan Aykroyd, Paul Shaffer, David Wilcox, Kenny Neal, Gene Taylor and Erja Lyytinen), won 2 JUNO Awards and over 26 Maple Blues Awards.

Donnie Walsh wrote Downchild’s song “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)” that was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, where he joined some of the greatest songwriters of our time, including Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen.

Downchild is a Canadian blues institution with an international reputation. They have shared the stage with blues icons B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and John Lee Hooker to name a few and have performed around the world, leaving fans thoroughly entertained wherever they go. The band continues to perform regularly and are currently on The Longest 50th Anniversary Tour Ever!

Rockers TAMING SARI Get Vulnerable in a Hyper-Exposed World with Supercharged “No Shelter”

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Canadian rock/blues band Taming Sari releases their rippin’ new song about being vulnerable in a hyper-exposed world where there are fewer places to hide with the supercharged new single, “No Shelter.”

A hard-hitting anthem of compassion and connectedness, “No Shelter” acts as a visceral reminder to cherish the people in your life — especially during an era filled with social trauma. “Things will never be the same, but we still need that crucial support to get through life and be happy.”

Beyond its commentary, “No Shelter” is a blistering track that showcases the exceptional musicianship and vocal prowess of each member of Taming Sari. Listeners are treated to a sonically sophisticated song that is the culmination of Taming Sari’s pent-up creativity and energy during the pandemic; as the band says, “‘No Shelter’ is three minutes of pure mental and physical release that we all so desperately need in these times.”

The backdrop of the Polson Pier in downtown Toronto set the stage for the recording of “No Shelter” earlier this year in the dead of winter as light at the end of the tunnel came shining through. Drummer Adam Ouellette and bassist Alex Pellerin-Auprix provide the tight backbone of the new single, while guitarist Miguel Kingsberry-Brunette rounds out the rhythm section. The earth-shattering vocals of Warren Meredith pave the way for Taming Sari’s new lead guitarist, Joe Fraser.

“No Shelter” effortlessly exudes youthful energy through its meticulous guitar riffs and thunderous drums. “It’s also about forming strong relationships that make us feel connected.” Anyone with a penchant for raw, melodic craftsmanship can be assured that the harmonies embedded in the music are as potent as the message.

“Let’s settle the score
know who to blame
how long can it last?
thing’s will never be the same.”

Hailing from across Canada, Taming Sari is a collection of eclectic artists hell-bent on refining their distinct blend of classic rock and blues. This bilingual band has been on fire since the release of their debut album, Thirsty From The Drought, in 2019.

They have since performed during the intermission of an Ottawa Senators game, made it on the Canadian Active Rock charts, and racked up 200,000 streams and 70k listeners on Spotify with their last single alone. With a long list of recognitions and accolades, the release of their latest single ensures that Taming Sari is one of the most exciting Canadian acts today.

Astrid Tanton Takes Us On A Journey of Self Respect with New Single “Comfort”

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Sometimes the wrong person can give us what at first seems like comfort, and it’s up to us to get right in our heads and figure out how to not abandon our self-regard. That’s what the new single by Canadian pop songstress Astrid Tanton, appropriately titled “Comfort” – available now – is all about: finding a home within ourselves.

“Comfort” is at varying points talk-sing introspective, lounge-y, and then pulsing dance track. It’s warm and fuzzy at the edges, and the overall mood is, indeed, comfort despite the fact that it deals with getting dissed by someone who’s not all in. “But you are just so comforting to me,” Tanton tries to persuade herself for a while until she just can’t anymore. The comfort, ultimately, lies in the song’s self-awareness, and the narrator’s prevailing self-respect.

The lyrics deal with a love interest who’s likely just looking for late-night, no-strings sex – “You’ll text me at one/ Then call me at two/ I’ll be ready by three/ Then over by four” – but Tanton is wise to this, and tired of it. “It’s time to let you go/ I can’t answer the phone/ I got to let you go/ It’s time to let you go,” she sings.

The corresponding video shows Tanton alone in a cozy apartment at night, with mood lighting that keeps changing color – from purple to pink to blue to yellow to green. She has a low-key dance party by herself, on the bed, in front of the TV, and then finally on the roof in the early light. There’s an unforced evolution, with Tanton dancing with her arms raised in victory at the end, the slowly waking city behind her, and a new day for the taking.

The entire EP, From My Eyes, on which the song appears was recorded in Tanton’s bedroom, due to the pandemic, and so the video is fitting. And the comfort that can be felt viscerally through the song is no mistake. “All my music comes from life experiences and what I genuinely feel,” Tanton says. “Whether it’s something that directly happens to me or to someone I care about deeply, I write to express and connect with people.”

“I’ve always wanted my music to be that shoulder to cry on, that dance party in your bedroom, or that song you scream while driving,” she continues. “I want my music to be a reminder that you aren’t alone. And so I try to write to help myself and anyone who listens find the words that are sometimes harder just to speak.”

A rising Canadian pop sensation, Astrid Tanton is unafraid to step forward and share her heart and her passion as an independent singer/songwriter representing the youth LGBTQ+ community.

My Next Read: “The Magnificent Seven: The Waterboys Fisherman’s Blues/Room To Roam Band, 1989-90” by Mike Scott

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This 240-page book contains a 50,000 word narrative from Waterboys founder/leader, Mike Scott telling the story of the Waterboys great seven-piece band from 1989 through to the release of their 1990 album, Room to Roam. Covering the band members backgrounds, places they played, how they discovered traditional songs & recording at Spiddal House in the West of Ireland. The also features contributions by band members, an incredible collection of photographs, maps, lyrics, manuscripts, master tapes and other archival material.

And if you love this, check out The Magnificent Seven – The Waterboys Fisherman’s Blues / Room To Roam Band, 1989-90 is a new 145 track 5CD / 1DVD box set box set and book which tells the story of the seven-piece line up from the Fisherman’s Blues 1989 tour through to the release of the bands 5th album, Room to Roam in 1990. As well as the remastered Room To Roam album, this set contains 80+ previously unreleased tracks over 4CDs packed from demos, unreleased studio tracks, live and informal jams/sessions. The DVD contains two complete 1989 audience films of Glastonbury Festival and Milan, home movies and professional footage at Spiddal House during the making of Room To Roam, plus film shots of The Waterboys visits to Spiddal in 2010 and 2012.

Paramore Announce Exclusive 12-Show Run This Fall

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Paramore has announced their return to the road with 12 special performances throughout North America this fall. Produced by Live Nation, the band’s first outing since 2018 kicks off in Bakersfield on October 2nd and makes stops across theaters in Omaha, Chicago, Toronto, and Atlanta as well as festival appearances at Austin City Limits, When We Were Young and Corona Capital Festival before wrapping up in St. Augustine on November 16th. These select shows offer fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Paramore in a range of intimate venues.

To ensure tickets get into the hands of fans, Paramore has partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform. Fans can register now HERE through Sunday, July 17 at 10pm PT for the Verified Fan presale. Registered fans who receive a code will have access to purchase tickets before the general public on Wednesday, July 20 at 10am local time through Thursday, July 21 at 10pm local time. Only fans that have received a unique code will have the chance to purchase tickets for performances on a first come, first served basis.

PARAMORE SHOW DATES
October 2, 2022 – Bakersfield, CA – Mechanics Bank Theater
October 4, 2022 – Magna, UT – The Great SaltAir
October 6, 2022 – Omaha, NE – Orpheum Theater Omaha
October 8, 2022 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
October 9, 2022 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
October 11, 2022 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory
October 14, 2022 – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheater
October 16, 2022 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
October 22, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival
October 23, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival
October 29, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival
November 7, 2022 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
November 9, 2022 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
November 11, 2022 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
November 15, 2022 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
November 16, 2022 – St. Augustine, FL – The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
November 19, 2022 – Mexico City, MX – Corona Capital Festival

Regina Spektor‘s ’11:11′ Special Edition Box Set Coming August 26 For 20th Anniversary

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Regina Spektor is set to release a limited-edition box set of her beloved self-released debut album 11:11 in celebration of its 20th anniversary, due on August 26.

The special box set includes a remastered vinyl edition of 11:11, 2xLP collection of live performances entitled Papa’s Bootlegs including never before heard or released songs from the 11:11 era—recorded by Regina’s father—a full color lyric booklet with liner notes, reproductions of original fliers, art, doodles and photos. The album cover for Papa’s Bootlegs was hand drawn by Spektor’s friend Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers.

“For years I was relieved that this little record, made with friends while at university, got lost to time. It felt more like an old yearbook photo than something to be shared,” says Spektor.

She explains, “When I listened for the first time in almost 20 years, I realized how special it was to have this snapshot of my younger self, and of a time that’s now completely gone. I had very little from this era, but my dad remembered that he had recorded all my earliest shows and shared those camcorder videos with me.”

“I discovered dozens of songs I had completely forgotten about. As I listened, I was surprised that instead of cringing I was filled with gratitude. I finally got to thank that young girl for spending so much of her time working on art and for setting me on a lifelong path of songwriting and music making.”

Spektor hits the road this fall for a U.S. headline tour, kicking off October 9 in Chicago with stops in 11 cities. See below for a complete list of dates.

Regina Spektor is synonymous with New York City. The Russian-Jewish-American singer, songwriter and pianist got her own Sign on the Bronx Walk of Fame, as well as “Regina Spektor Day,” (June 11, 2019) proclaimed by Mayor Bill DeBlasio. The Grammy Award nominee first saw commercial success with the RIAA Gold-certified LP Begin to Hope which includes the singles “On the Radio,” “Better” and “Samson,” as well as “Fidelity” which climbed the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Spektor’s fifth album, Far (2009), and sixth album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats (2012), both debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Spektor has performed at The White House as well as on Broadway, “Saturday Night Live” and contributed to many projects spanning film, television, and music including The Hamilton Mixtape.

11:11—TRACKLISTING
1. Love Affair
2. Rejazz
3. Back of A Truck
4. Buildings
5. Marry Ann
6. Flynn
7. Wasteside
8. Pavlov’s Daughter
9. 2.99 Cent Blues
10. Braille
11. I Want To Sing
12. Sunshine

Papa’s Bootlegs—TRACKLISTING
13. Back of A Truck
14. Love Affair
15. Trigger Happy
16. Wastewide
17. Cyclone
18. Pavlov’s Daugther
19. Mocking Bird
20. Train Ballad
21. Rejazz
22. Quarters
23. Cradle
24. Little Girls
25. Mustard Muskateers
26. Amplifiers
27. Sunshine
28. False Intro to Braille
29. Braille
30. Marry Ann
31. Long Brown Hair
32. Flyin’
33. Down By The River

TOUR DATES
July 19—Carnegie Hall—New York, NY
July 24—The Mann Center—Philadelphia, PA*
July 26—The Pines Theater—Northampton, MA
July 30—Bethel Woods Center For The Arts—Bethel, NY*
August 1—Saratoga Performing Arts Center—Saratoga Springs, NY*
August 2—Leader Bank Pavilion—Boston, MA*
August 4—Forest Hills Stadium—Forest Hills, NY*
October 9—Chicago Theater—Chicago, IL
October 11—Michigan Theater—Ann Arbor, MI
October 12—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
October 14—State Theater—Ithaca, NY
October 15—Wellmont Theater—Montclair, NJ
October 16—Warner Theatre—Washington DC
October 18—Tabernacle—Atlanta, GA
October 19—Belk Theatre—Charlotte, NC
October 20—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
October 25—The Warfield—San Francisco, CA
October 27—Walt Disney Concert Hall—Los Angeles, CA
*with Norah Jones

Bella Poarch Set To Release Highly Anticipated Debut EP ‘Dolls’ On August 12

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Breakout global superstar Bella Poarch’s highly anticipated debut EP Dolls is set for release on August 12 via Warner Records. Today, Bella unveils the title track, “Dolls,” alongside an epic video reminiscent of a big budget summer blockbuster. Conceptualized by Bella herself and directed by Andrew Donoho, “Dolls” serves as a sequel to Bella’s record-breaking Platinum debut “Build a Bitch,” and features cameos from many of her friends and collaborators including Grimes, Bretman Rock, Dream, Valkyrae, Chloe Cherry, Ludwig, Madison Beer and more. “Dolls” made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV Biggest Pop and on the Paramount Times Square billboards, along with a Twitch Livestream in partnership with Cashapp where Bella gave away $100,000!

“‘Dolls’ is all about self-empowerment and confidence,” says Bella. “It’s a follow up to my song ‘Build A Bitch’ but it stands out on its own as well by being gentle but fierce, beautiful but deadly. The importance of helping one another while also not letting anyone make you feel weak or worthless.”

As a lifelong musician, Bella Poarch has been working on her EP for over a year alongside frequent collaborator, producer and fellow Warner Records artist Sub Urban. The groundbreaking project sets the stage for Bella to showcase her lofty range as an artist and creator while growing her already fiercely passionate fanbase.

Dolls serves as Bella’s first full body of work, following a handful of wildly acclaimed singles. In early 2021, she released her debut track “Build a Bitch” – upon its release, the music video for the song hit #1 on the Global and U.S. YouTube video charts, marking the biggest debut ever for a new artist with over 400 million views to date. The video hit 50 million likes on TikTok, becoming the first in history to do so, and has been streamed more than 885 million times to date. Its follow up, “Inferno” with Sub Urban, was met with similar praise and peaked in the top five on YouTube’s video charts.

Bella Poarch is a Filipina-American singer and songwriter who served in the military as a teenager and has been quickly rising since breaking out on TikTok in 2020. With TikTok’s most liked video of all time, Bella is the #3 most-followed creator on the platform and the #1 Asian-American influencer in the world with more than 90 million followers.

Bella was recently named to the 2022 Gold House A100 List, aiming to uplift and invest in the AAPI community and its future. In addition, she was nominated for “Best Visual Effects” at the VMAs and “New Artist Of 2021” at the People’s Choice Awards​ and won a 2022 MTV Movie Award for “Breakout Social Star.”

Ovo Sound’s Roy Woods Drops Emotional New Single “Bad Bad”

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Toronto R&B heartthrob Roy Woods releases his stirring new single “Bad Bad” via OVO Sound as well as announces an August 5th release date for his highly anticipated second album, Mixed Emotions. Built around dark, bass-heavy percussion and elevated by sultry guitar notes, the song captures the feeling of someone special slipping through your fingers. The song’s tone is perfectly reflected in the video, which finds the Toronto crooner processing the end of a relationship.

A rhythmic blend of Caribbean and R&B influences, “Bad Bad” is a full sensory experience over multi-layered production and adds some color to the subject matter “It’s a song about when I learned to feel love again but realized that I wasn’t ready for what that came with,” the Canadian artist says. “I fell for them and they fell for me, but we just couldn’t be.”

Following May’s “Insecure,” “Bad Bad” is the second single from Woods’ forthcoming LP, Mixed Emotions, which is slated to release on August 5th. Mixed Emotions arrives five years after the star’s critically acclaimed debut LP, Say Less, which charted at #11 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In 2020, Woods followed it up with his Dem Times EP. To date, he has garnered nearly 2 billion total global streams and 1.2 billion total US streams.

 
Roy Woods is a shapeshifter. The Brampton, Ontario, native’s music has never been just one thing, but as he’s released more hit records, he’s been able to fuse even more new sounds and styles to his lovelorn R&B. Since signing to Drake’s OVO Sound in 2015, he’s darted between brash rap tracks, ecstatic EDM, low-key dancehall (a nod to his Guyanese heritage and his Toronto roots), and even gleaming pop. Roy’s next phase continues a period of growth that began with his 2020 Dem Times EP and the unpredictable nature of life. Throughout his career, Roy Woods has demonstrated his boundary-pushing approach to R&B since he released his 2015 debut Exis, which peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums Chart. His work has connected with fans too—he now has over 2 billion streams across platforms and over 1 million Instagram followers. It’s all the result of being unafraid to push himself. For Roy, nothing is off-limits.