December 24, 1967: Before George Carlin outwardly embraced his inner foul mouth, and before he decided to grow a beard and wear his hair down to there, he did characters, including Al Sleet, the Hippy-Dippy Weatherman. He was on Ed Sullivan 11 times from 1967 until the show’s wrapup in 1971.
Three months earlier, The Doors got banned from the show for Jim Morrison singing, “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” But George could say, “Mexican high” on a Christmas Eve, and still get invited back.
The search for contentment and personal freedom is often a lifelong journey that can take us to many different places along the way. Blues/Rock “Woman of the World” Caroline Cotto has lived that journey and shows us the map with her smoldering new single “A Momma To Cry To.”
The drive to find herself and develop her artistry led the New Orleans-based guitarist/vocalist and songwriter from New York to Paris to London and finally, to NOLA to signal her arrival as an artist and woman who has discovered through all her travels that she’s always carried everything she needs within herself.
“‘A Momma To Cry To’ describes a young woman on the journey to her spiritual awakening,” says Cotto. “The song’s message is about forging your own path and moving forward despite one’s past.”
Laden with feverish longing, “A Momma To Cry To” is a slow-burn ballad in 6/8 time featuring Cotto’s soulful, at times mournful, vocals over tremolo guitar arpeggios, a rich rhythm section and a few sonic surprises and nods to Cotto’s diverse influences.
“It started off as a country song,” she notes. “Then, it developed into a beautiful, atmospheric world reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s album, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ with touches of glockenspiel à la Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run.’”
Those intriguing touches she includes in her blues has helped Cotto’s music to be featured on high profile radio shows such as “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” and Genya Ravan’s “Goldie’s Garage”.
Forging her own path is something Cotto has done all her life. A lover of literature and poetry from a very early age, she became a published poet before she was 12-years-old. Then, words were not enough and Cotto looked for a vehicle for them in music. She started learning guitar and became obsessed with it, performing at local open mics. She then went on to study at Connecticut College and New York University, performing in East Village clubs like the famous Sidewalk Café.
Cotto still longed to find her voice and more artistic opportunities elsewhere. Then, just after her 22nd birthday, she bravely left New York for Europe, settling in Paris and then London to soak up their unique inspiration, growth lessons and opportunities to perform. All these experiences have helped fuel the creation of her music since, including “A Momma To Cry To”.
“I moved to Paris to find my freedom and be inspired by my literary heroes such as Rimbaud and Baudelaire,” recalls Cotto. “Then, life took me to London where I played in blues clubs. A repeating lyric in the song is, ‘Where is my home?’ My home has been in many cities, but ultimately the greatest home I discovered was within myself.”
With “A Momma To Cry To” and her raucous and self-assured previous single “Cherry Red”, that hard-earned maturity and confidence in herself and her artistry shows up all over Caroline Cotto’s music. It’s clear that she’s an artist who’s arrived at the perfect place to give herself permission to launch.
“‘A Momma To Cry To’ is about the power of a woman aware of her circumstance but rising above it in all her glory. She enters the realm of her divine path full of happiness, peace and is free.”
Like ebbing waves ready to get lost in, Indie pop-rockers SuperTonic roll out their latest single in “Wide Awake,” the latest to arrive from their recent LP, Time to Repair.
Featuring Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson, “Wide Awake” is an ethereal, indie-rock uprising that mellows out the listener while enticing them to stay and enjoy.
The complementing video for the song features SuperTonic co-fronts Jay Stiles and David Pulkingham in a room of candles as their combined vox soothes and calms over the melodies; the listener is dared to identify with the lyrics, the opening nearly melancholic, as it fades into beautiful optimism.
First forming SuperTonic during the preliminary onset of the pandemic in March of 2020, Stiles and Pulkingham wrote and recorded the 10-song-strong LP Time to Repair in the Spring of that year.
Soon, they fleshed out the group with Alan Eckert (drums), Gordie Johnson (bass, vocals), and Frank Deresti (bass); Johnson would go on to mix the album, while Howie Wienberg in Los Angeles mastered.
Based between Austin and Collingwood, ON, Jay Stiles has made himself known as the leading go-to for his impressive talents and musicianship. Having worked with Austin mainstays like Black Pumas and Shinyribs, plus Ontario songwriting giants Big Sugar and Pat Robitaille, Stiles specializes in vintage keyboards, including Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, clavinet, and Rhodes.
David Pulkingham is a Texas-native and music community heavy-weight, having spent 25 years as a guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, and teacher in Austin. With two instrumental albums to his credit, he currently tours with Patty Griffin and has played with her for the past 8 years. He co-wrote two songs on her recent Grammy winning eponymous album. In addition to his extensive touring work with Alejandro Escovedo, Carrie Rodriguez, and Sara Watkins, David has performed with both the Lampedusa and Lantern tours to benefit refugee services. On these performances he served as an accompanist for the likes of Robert Plant, EmmyLou Harris, Steve Earle, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Buddy Miller, Lucinda Williams, and Lila Downs.
Canadian radio personality Jeff Woods recently shared of SuperTonic and the release, noting “If there’s any solace to be found in isolation, it’s best spent in the company of music. And if one can be judged by the company they keep, this is an album that makes good friends.
“And so you’re invited to listen,” he continued. “And you’ll want to listen again. And when we’re all back to being social butterflies and out of the house and perhaps wide awake under the lavender moon, there’s a good chance when we slow down and spend the time once more, within the depth and richness of this new album, we’ll be glad we did.”
And therein lies the charm that is Time to Repair and its heady array of offerings. Where SuperTonic shine is their ability to push forward, then hold restraint — their eloquent musicianship taking the reign on the track. The delicate guitar flows neatly alongside the organ, the percussion rushing like an ocean tide — gently rocking the song in transcendent waves.
It’s easy to get lost in the tide of “Wide Awake”… And when you breach the shore, you find yourself diving back in all over again.
Halifax, NS-based veteran troubadour Steve Poltz has released his new album, Stardust & Satellites — available now via Red House Records.
Produced by Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, Stardust & Satellites is Poltz’s 14th solo album, and comprises another exuberant, thoughtful batch of songs that celebrate life in all of its stages — including his effervescent new single, “Can O’ Pop.” The high-spirited, syncopated track is joined by an official animated video directed by Boston-based artist/animator Duncan Hatch (Galactic, American Authors). In its premiere of the video, Rolling Stone Country called the song “a delicious delivery reminiscent of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Stardust & Satellites also includes the acclaimed singles “Conveyor Belt” and “Miles In My Heart.” Hailed by American Songwriter for “his unhinged live performances, incredible way with a comedic lyric and ability to spin a ripping tale,” Poltz is marking the album’s release with a typically busy live schedule — including seven upcoming dates in Ontario this April 2022.
// Stardust & Satellites Tracklist:
“Wrong Town”
“Conveyor Belt”
“Can O’ Pop”
“Frenemy”
“It’s Baseball Season”
“Up With People”
“Lord and Savior”
“Let’s Stay Together”
“Miles In My Heart”
“Stardust and Satellites”
Canada’s multi-award-winning beacon of the blues Kenny ‘Blues Boss” Wayne has prepared his Hall of Fame talents for takeoff with his new album, Blues From Chicago to Paris: A Tribute to Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon — is out now through Stony Plain Records.
The 17-track album pays spirited homage to the piano-pounding and bass-slapping bygone legends from a legend himself — all while serving as a rousing and riveting guide to the lively post-war blues scenes of Chicago and Paris.
“Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon were a team, and their styles worked great together,” Wayne says of the artists behind the release’s inspiration. “Out of many other blues piano players I’ve listened to, I found a unique playfulness between these two men, unlike the many other great blues pianists.”
Focused on the period when the two giants of the genre teamed up to tour the globe in the late ‘50s-early ‘60s, Blues From Chicago to Paris presents a robust collection of favourite songs, as well as the innovative tunes that have inspired and influenced artists ever since.
As was the case with his other most recent release, 2020’s Go, Just Do It, Kenny Wayne took on the role of producer once again for Blues From Chicago to Paris; he also invited bassist Russell Jackson, a veteran of the B.B. King band during the 80s, and drummer Joey DiMarco into the studio for the sessions.
Now 77, Wayne’s six-decade musical career began with him soaking up the sounds of gospel music from his father, a preacher. From there, his genre journey traversed through jazz, Latin, R&B, and soul, with explorations in swing, bebop, dance, and the standards, for good measure.
The JUNO Award-winner with multiple Maple Blues Awards and keyboard awards from Living Blues Magazine to his credit, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne was also inducted into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in 2017.
On March 11, a full-length documentary film directed by Amy Scott, entitled Sheryl about Sheryl Crow’s life and career, will premiere at SXSW, ahead of a spring premiere on SHOWTIME. An intimate story of song and sacrifice, Sheryl navigates an iconic yet arduous musical career while the artist battles sexism, ageism, depression, cancer, and the price of fame, before harnessing the power of her gift.
In conjunction, UMe/Big Machine Records will release a new album called Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary digitally and on 2CD on May 6. The release features Sheryl Crow’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up The Sun, “All I Wanna Do, “My Favorite Mistake, “Redemption Day,” and many more, as well as deep tracks and three newly recorded songs. To preorder Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary, click HERE
“I am excited for the premiere of my documentary,” said Crow. “I hope people will find strength and courage through my story. It was a journey through years and years of incredible memories, and I am proud of the beautiful documentary that Amy Scott made about my life.”
Sheryl Crow is a nine-time GRAMMY AWARD recipient and an American music icon. Her first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Crow has been feted by a new generation of singer-songwriters who have covered her songs and talked about her influence, including Phoebe Bridgers, H.E.R, Haim, Maren Morris, Lorde, Sasami, Best Coast, and Brandi Carlile.
Track Lists:
Digital:
2CD
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
SiriusXM today announced an exclusive distribution and sales agreement with reVolver Podcasts, the leading multicultural, audio-on-demand content creator and publisher in the U.S.
reVolver is home to some of the biggest Spanish-language podcasts, including Erazno y La Chokolata and El Show de Piolín. The new deal gives SXM Media, the combined advertising revenue organization of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., exclusive global ad sales rights to reVolver’s extensive lineup of podcasts. Additionally, the agreement calls for Stitcher, the Triton-ranked #1 podcast company and SiriusXM subsidiary, to distribute all reVolver content across all podcast platforms.
With more than 70 programs spanning sports, music, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, health and wellness, inspiration, news, and more, reVolver’s podcast network offers something for everyone. Listeners can continue to stream and subscribe to reVolver podcasts on Stitcher, the SXM App, Pandora, and all major podcast listening platforms.
Across the SiriusXM ecosystem, the company offers the expertise and technology that creators of all sizes need to turn their passion into a business, and a podcast business into a powerhouse audio brand. SXM Media is the gateway for marketers to the #1 U.S. podcast advertising network in reaching weekly podcast listeners, per Edison Research. The new agreement with reVolver highlights the company’s continued commitment to providing a platform to, and support for, a diverse ecosystem of voices to better serve its listeners.
The addition of reVolver follows other recent and notable podcasting announcements by SiriusXM and Stitcher, including the acquisition of 99% Invisible; a global advertising agreement with podcast company Audiochuck and its top-rated program Crime Junkie; an agreement with Tom Segura and Christine P’s YMH Studios to distribute and develop content; and an agreement for the exclusive rights to manage all audio and video ad sales for the beloved comedy horror show The Last Podcast on the Left.
In late 1982, she attended a Faith No More concert in San Francisco and convinced the members to let her join as a singer. The group recorded material with Love as a vocalist, and performed on this local TV cable show in San Francisco, but fired her soon afterwards; according to keyboardist Roddy Bottum, who remained Love’s friend in the years after, the band wanted a “male energy.”
R3DUX Studios and xystvyry Productions used past clips of The Simpsons and Futurama mashing it up with the music of Pink Floyd’s Brain Damage.
E of EELS goes shopping at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. EELS’ latest album ‘Extreme Witchcraft’ is available from E Works/PIAS Recordings. His picks:
Roberta Flack – First Take (LP)
Bobbie Gentry – The Windows Of The World (LP)
Bobby Womack – The Womack “Live” (LP)
The Beatles – Let It Be [Special Super Deluxe Edition] (LP)
Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear (LP)
Marvin Gaye – Marvin Gaye Live! (LP)
Little Richard – King of Rock and Roll (LP)
Astrud Gilberto – I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do (LP)
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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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