Watch this clip of The Beatles writing and rehearsing the track “Something” from Peter Jackson’s Get Back. Part Two of the three-part Original Docuseries is now streaming on Disney Plus.
The Super Bob Einstein Movie Trailer Is Here
“It was Bob’s world, we’re only living in it.”
The Super Bob Einstein Movie, an HBO original documentary and celebration of the beloved comedian, actor, producer, and writer from the people that knew him best, premieres December 28 at 9PM on HBO Max.
Billie Eilish: Same Interview, The Fifth Year from Vanity Fair
“I’m so much more open to stuff now.” On the verge of 100 million followers, Billie Eilish is ready to step back into the world as the most comfortable version of herself. Filled with new life experience, two more Grammys than last year, and a few less of her infamous one-liners, Billie Eilish truly is happier than ever. From hosting the Met Gala to being the reason Oscar de la Renta no longer sells fur, watch to see how much Billie has grown since her first interview in 2017 with Vanity Fair.
Street Gang: The Story Of Sesame Street Is Now On HBO
Sunny days, furry friends, classic songs, and a whole lot of heart. Street Gang, an HBO original documentary about the most impactful children’s program in television history, Sesame Street, premieres December 13 on HBO Max.
Sonic Reducers: 2021’s Best Music Documentaries
Sonic Reducers. One topic. Two music nerds. Five minutes. Everything you need to know.
Listen up as we rewind some of our favourite music documentaries and concert videos of 2021, and wonder what 2022 holds in store.
Sonic Reducers: Anyone Can Make Music. But Should They?
Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We talk about new gadgets that will let you make music with body movements, debate whether this is progress or not, and watch me go into an old-man snit about kids these days. Grrr.
Hayley Wallis Captures Plight of the Everyday Struggle with “Coffee Cup”
Singer/songwriter Hayley Wallis captures the plight of everyday struggles when it comes to mental health with this, the release of her emotional and captivating debut single, “Coffee Cup” — available now.
Relatable and moving start to finish, the multi-talented artist’s rich, textured tone soars across the soulful and poignant pop anthem that softly encourages and supports reaching out for help.
“I allowed myself to fall into a very vulnerable place with this song,” Wallis shares of the track’s origins. “I truly believe music is therapy, and I wrote ‘Coffee Cup’ while struggling with my own mental health during these trying times.
“I find it important to be honest with my songwriting so that it may resonate with — and hopefully help — others on their life’s journey.”
Now based in Vancouver, Hayley Wallis began her musical journey at a young age singing for her family and community in a small, isolated island known as Klemtu, located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Being part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation has ultimately shaped who Hayley is today, and helped carve a path for where she is bravely steering her journey with her debut single and video; passionate about leaving a strong legacy, she sings for herself, her children, and her people, and hopes to set an example that will empower the young generation of her community to pursue their dreams.
“Coffee Cup” was produced by David Hodges, recorded by Nathan Turner, and mastered by Jon Tornblom; the video was directed by Drei Media, and filmed on unceded traditional and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
She recently performed at the 2021 Canned Salmon Music Festival, and is set to release a debut EP this Spring 2022.
R&B Powerhouse & Star Acadamie Contestant Annabel Oreste Reimagines Timeless Classic “Body And Soul”
Showcasing her powerhouse prowess for R&B, Montreal singer/songwriter Annabel Oreste and her inimitable soaring vocals channel Anita Baker’s classic with the release of new single and video for “Body And Soul” — available now.
While her music warrants adoration in and of itself, Oreste has captivated the hearts and support of Canadians during her participation on the popular reality TV series, Star Acadamie, in 2021. Showcasing her vocal talent and range via Sia’s “Bird Set Free” and Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, Oreste successfully demanded the attention and affection of an entire nation.
Riding the momentum from her success on Star Acadamie, Annabel Oreste was featured in a TedxWaterStreet talk, performing Ed Sheeran’s “Make it Rain”; she was then invited to the performance by Mike Jean, signed by MLife Music Group, and expanded her network to include industry legend Humberto Gatica, Kenn Hicks, who is now her vocal coach, The Fugees’ Jerry Wonda, with whom she’s soon to enter the studio with, and singer/songwriter Denise Rich, with whom she’s set to be collaborating with for songwriting.
All these fantastic performances highlight everything that Annabel Oreste stands for as a musician and performing artist: incredibly lush, immersive musical productions and vocal arrangements.
With a style that is both melodic and catchy, complementing her powerhouse vocals with a fresh modern edge, Oreste possesses an uncanny talent for conveying massive amounts of information via her body language and eye contact that is present through all her performances. Couple her dreamy and sultry vocal style with her governing stage presence, and you’ve got a powerful recipe for success.
Every bit of Annabel Oreste’s musical experience and prowess culminates itself in her newest release, “Body And Soul.” No stranger to performing cover songs with her own personal twist on the original arrangement, Oreste often finds her vocal style compared to R&B legends such as Celine Dion, Adele, and Whitney Houston, which makes sense when listening to her cover of “Body And Soul.”
However, it’s the unique modernized riffage and vocalization that Annabel Oreste throws into her performances that really re-sells this timeless arrangement, and helps her connect with her audience. When you pair her alluring and warm vocal performance with the ability to tell a story via body language, it is almost impossible to step away.
Annabel Oreste reflects on the production of “Body And Soul,” saying “My motto when making a video is: ‘Make me feel what you feel’. It always reminds me how important it is to find ways to evoke change in my viewers so they can relate and connect with my message. The video shows how I express myself through my eyes and ears while also attempting to reach a level of engagement that absorbs the listener.”
It is only a heavily anticipated matter of time before Annabel Oreste starts her own musical journey. While we keep our eyes peeled for original releases from the artist, there are plenty of soulful covers to enjoy in the meantime.
Sonic Reducers: Our Breakout Stars Of 2022
Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We about some of our favourite breakout artists of 2021: Olivia Rodrigo, Mustafa The Poet, Wet Leg, and Geese, and which ones we’ll be leaving the house for to see live in 2022.
Steven Heighton Embraces Uncertain Days with Love in “New Year Song”
Through two years of pandemic-fuelled anxiety, political and social upheaval, and deepening social divides, maintaining hope and optimism has been a monumentally tall order. Having eagerly hoped 2021 would bring with it a cure for what ails us, enter award-winning Canadian author and rising singer/songwriter Steven Heighton and his new single, “New Year Song” — available now.
With the song poetically turning the page to what matters most on any and every day — the love we give — the profoundly moving single arrives from Heighton’s recent debut LP, The Devil’s Share, out now via Wolfe Island Records/CRS Europe.
Written near the end of 2020, “New Year Song” is Heighton’s defiantly hopeful, optimistic embrace of the year ahead, despite the pandemic and worsening political strife. With a steady acoustic strum behind his clear, confident vocal, Heighton keenly observes love’s enduring and paramount importance through examples of those on the precipice of death, under the weight of despair, questioning their purpose or steadfast in their faith and conviction. As each expository verse of “New Year Song” closes the singer finds himself answering the call to live a loving life in a more resolute and open way.
Now I understand the gospel choir
And the Muslim cantor’s singing
The chant of freedom marchers when
The bells of change are ringing
The sentenced one who greets the sun
Though he knows what dawn is bringing
Repeat the call, I swear that I’ll
Embrace this new beginning
Repeat the call, repeat the call
And I’ll come forward singing
The second single from Heighton’s highly praised debut album, The Devil’s Share, “New Year Song” follows “Don’t Remember Me.” In a short time, his music has made an impressive impact on reviewers and revered artist contemporaries alike; The Queen’s Journal calls the collection “a terrific blend of folk, rock, and blues built on the foundation of Heighton’s tender-yet-searing poetry,” and internationally-renowned Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith writes, “Steven Heighton’s songs and voice truly resonate with me. They give me a sort of ‘Where have you been all my life?’ feeling.”
In the tradition of “Let It Be,” “Let It Grow,” “Peace Train,” or Sexsmith’s own “Gold in Them Hills,” Heighton has created an anthem that celebrates surrendering to life despite all its dangers, divisions, and griefs. This is perhaps most beautifully encapsulated in the song’s bridge.
I once believed in love received
You’re saved by the love they gave you.
Now I see it the other way
Only love you give can save you.
The closing chorus of “New Year Song” hits an emotional apex when the great gospel and blues artist Sherman Holmes adds his voice to the choir, inviting both personal and collective healing while celebrating the potential aftermath of that change – a new year, truly.
Love, gratitude and a commitment to healing have already been hard at work in Heighton’s own life as he triumphantly overcame a tragic accident that almost took his voice away. In 2010, the Toronto-born, Kingston-based artist suffered a laryngeal fracture — a crushed voice box — while playing recreational hockey, and doctors told him he might never talk normally, and most certainly wouldn’t sing again. Heighton took that diagnosis as a challenge to rebuild rather than as a sentence of lifelong silence; he picked up his guitar again and returned to writing words to be sung in addition to the ones he was writing to be read.
As his voice gained strength, Heighton finished old songs, wrote new ones and felt compelled to record them. The Devil’s Share, Heighton’s first album of original songs, was recorded at Post Office Studio on Wolfe Island near Kingston with veteran producer Hugh Christopher Brown. It features Brown on keyboards (Barenaked Ladies, BB King, Tragically Hip, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), bassist Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Ani DiFranco, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), and lead guitarist Tony Scherr (Norah Jones, Keith Richards).
The album follows a prolific and celebrated writing career for Heighton, during which he has authored and published eighteen books of poetry, fiction and essays including the 2016 Governor General’s Award-winning The Waking Comes Late. Heighton’s novel Afterlands was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a best-of-year selection in several countries, and is in pre-production for film.
It’s truly a new year for Steven Heighton, and his artistry, as well. Thirty years ago, he began his career as a songwriter busking around Europe and Australia. Now, after a successful literary career and recovering from a life-altering accident, he views his return to music as coming home to his roots and “making good on the sort of promise you vow to yourself in your early years without knowing you’ve done it.”
“New Year Song” and The Devil’s Share are both available now.