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MuchMusic’s INTIMATE AND INTERACTIVE Returns October 21 with Rising Star Coi Leray

Eric Alper
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MuchMusic’s INTIMATE AND INTERACTIVE Returns October 21 with Rising Star Coi Leray

MuchMusic announced today the seminal concert series INTIMATE AND INTERACTIVE makes its triumphant return this month, with Coi Leray (@coileray) confirmed as the first featured artist. Streaming live on Thursday, October 21 at 7 p.m. ET, the half-hour special is available exclusively on @much to more than one billion TikTok users around the world. Currently on tour with Lil Baby and Lil Durk, and on the heels of her latest single release, “Twinnem,” the singer and rapper joins MuchMusic’s Kwesi Kwarko-Fosu in Los Angeles for an interview and live performance featuring two of her latest hits.

With 6.5 million followers on TikTok, Coi Leray’s music has exploded on platform, with her hit song “No More Parties” generating 900,000 video creates to date and “Ocean Prime” (feat. Coi Leray) at almost 485,000 creates. Most recently, her song “Twinnem” became the backing track to the viral “TWINNEM Challenge,” and currently sits at more than 1.65 million video creates.

Since the brand’s relaunch on July 7, MuchMusic has amassed more than 300,000 followers on TikTok, making it the #2 Canadian broadcast brand on the platform second only to TSN. In just over three months, MuchMusic’s VJs have firmly established themselves within the music industry, landing one-on-one interviews with some of popular music’s biggest superstars and up-and-comers including Alessia Cara, Camilla Cabello, Jack Antonoff, Tate McRae, Roy Woods, and more. From providing commentary on music and pop culture’s biggest events, to live-streamed interviews at Honey Jam 2021 in Toronto, or on the ground at OSHEAGA in Montréal – MuchMusic. Is. Back.

Debuting 30 years ago this month, MuchMusic’s legendary INTIMATE AND INTERACTIVE concert series picks up upon its legacy of featuring Canadian and international contemporary trendsetting artists, from long-established superstars to legends in the making. With Leroy adding her name to its impressive roster, the list of past performers includes the likes of Prince, Destiny’s Child, Sloan, Joni Mitchell, The Tragically Hip, Alanis Morissette, Coldplay, No Doubt, Spice Girls, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Bryan Adams, its inaugural performer, Bruce Cockburn, and more.

With raw rhymes, traffic-stopping vocals, and inimitable energy, Coi Leray carves out a lane of her own as a dynamic, dangerous, and different kind of pop star. The platinum-certified New Jersey-born and Los Angeles-based rapper, singer, and all-around firebrand first sunk her claws into the culture with the 2018 independent breakout mixtape, “Everythingcoz”. In its wake, she unleashed the acclaimed sequel “EC2” (2019) and “Now Or Never” EP (2020) and racked up a total of 124 million cumulative streams and counting. Beyond collaborating with everyone from Gunna and Fetty Wap to Kiana Lede, she appeared on the blockbuster Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack. Along the way, she also become a 2021 XXL Freshman, graced the cover of KAZI and garnered plugs and praise from HYPEBAE, Essence, BET, REVOLT, Def Pen, PAPER, and Cosmopolitan who put it best, “The girl has got pipes y’all!” Plus, Pitchfork went so far as to christen her “the sing-rap queen of TikTok.” She ignited 2021 with her biggest and boldest banger to date the chantable “No More Parties,” which is RIAA Platinum Certified. Upon release, it landed on the Billboard Hot 100, Rolling Stone 100, Apple Music Top 20, and Spotify’s Viral Hits!, and YouTube’s Top 100. On TikTok, the song has already inspired 457K videos in addition to cracking over 250 million views and 50 million-plus likes. On its heels, RIAA Gold Certified single, “BIG PURR (Prrdd)” (feat. Pooh Shiesty) only increased her momentum with 20 million streams, 645,000 TikTok videos, and 84 million views right out of the gate. Plus, she vaulted into the Top 10 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. Most importantly, these songs bulldozed the path for her next full-length project in 2021. Coi’s traveling her own lane at high speed and simply leaving the competition in the dust.

Sonic Reducers: Paul McCartney Says John Lennon Split Up The Beatles

Eric Alper
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Sonic Reducers: Paul McCartney Says John Lennon Split Up The Beatles

Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We dissect Paul McCartney’s new claim that John Lennon broke up The Beatles, and discuss other instances of possible Fab Four revisionist history.

Ohio State University Marching Band Performs Medley Of Rush Songs

Eric Alper
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Ohio State University Marching Band Performs Medley Of Rush Songs

Join the Ohio State University Marching Band as they salute Rush, one of history’s great rock bands. They play lots of the band’s hits including “2112,” “YYZ,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight” and more, and leaves me wondering, how can 43 people not like this?

The Children Will Rise Up!” Anthem Featuring Nandi Bushell, Roman and Tom Morello, Jack Black and Greta Thunberg

Eric Alper
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The Children Will Rise Up!” Anthem Featuring Nandi Bushell, Roman and Tom Morello, Jack Black and Greta Thunberg

Drummer legend in the making Nandi Bushell, 10-year-old Roman Morrello (son of Tom), Greta Thunberg, and Jack Black created this fun video about climate change (not fun.)

Bryan Adams Set To Release 15th Album “So Happy It Hurts” March 2022

Eric Alper
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Known the world over for his signature brand of feel-good rock music, today acclaimed singer/songwriter Bryan Adams releases the title track from his forthcoming studio album, So Happy It Hurt.

The “So Happy it Hurts” official music video directed by Adams can be viewed below.

“The pandemic and lockdown really brought home the truth that spontaneity can be taken away. Suddenly all touring stopped, no one could jump in the car and go,” says Adams. “The title song ‘So Happy It Hurts’ is about freedom, autonomy, spontaneity, and the thrill of the open road. The album of the same name, touches on many of the ephemeral things in life that are really the secret to happiness, most importantly, human connection.”

The album So Happy it Hurts, scheduled for release March 11, 2022, marks Bryan Adams’ 15th release and features 12 new songs co-written by him. The album will be available on all digital platforms, as well as in a variety of physical formats including standard CD, deluxe CD with a lenticular cover and hardbound book and vinyl. Exclusive color vinyl and a limited edition box set which includes the deluxe CD, vinyl, hardbound book and signed photo are also available for pre-order HERE.

Adams, whose live concerts have established him as one of the world’s best rock singers of our time, will be performing in Las Vegas, NV with a residency at the Wynn beginning November 10, 2021.

Bryan Adams’ music has achieved #1 status in over 40 countries. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and has garnered many awards and accolades including 3 Academy Award nominations, 20 JUNO Awards, 36 Socan Awards, 5 Golden Globe nominations, a Grammy award, an American Music Award, ASCAP Film and Television Music Award, the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

My Next Read: “Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With The Doors” by Robby Krieger

Eric Alper
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My Next Read: “Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With The Doors” by Robby Krieger

In his tell-all, legendary Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger, one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” opens up about his band’s meteoric career, his own darkest moments, and the most famous black eye in rock ‘n’ roll.

Few bands are as shrouded in the murky haze of rock mythology as The Doors, and parsing fact from fiction has been a virtually impossible task. But now, after fifty years, The Doors’ notoriously quiet guitarist is finally breaking his silence to set the record straight.

Through a series of vignettes, Robby Krieger takes readers back to where it all happened: the pawn shop where he bought his first guitar; the jail cell he was tossed into after a teenage drug bust; his parents’ living room where his first songwriting sessions with Jim Morrison took place; the empty bars and backyard parties where The Doors played their first awkward gigs; the studios where their iconic songs were recorded; and the many concert venues that erupted into historic riots. SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE is packed with never-before-told stories from The Doors’ most vital years, and offers a fresh perspective on the most infamous moments of the band’s career.

Krieger also goes into heartbreaking detail about his life’s most difficult struggles, ranging from drug addiction to cancer, but he balances out the sorrow with humorous anecdotes about run-ins with unstable fans, famous musicians, and one really angry monk. SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE is at once an insightful time capsule of the ‘60s counterculture, a moving reflection on what it means to find oneself as a musician, and a touching tale of a life lived non-traditionally. It’s not only a must-read for Doors fans, but an essential volume of American pop culture history.

Canadian Family Pop-Rockers Patrick McCormack and Eric Warner are MACARONI BIRTHDAY Serving Up “Dessert First”

Eric Alper
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Canadian Family Pop-Rockers Patrick McCormack and Eric Warner are MACARONI BIRTHDAY Serving Up “Dessert First”

It’s the magic words every kid, and the kid in all of us, wants to hear: Canadian family pop-rockers Macaroni Birthday are serving up a heaping portion of “Dessert First” with this, their debut single — available now.

Friends for two decades, singers/songwriters Patrick McCormack and Eric Warner have come together as the fresh, new, exciting, and upbeat voices of children’s entertainment in the form of Macaroni Birthday. The pair fuse their love of rock music, with the hilarity of children’s themed music that’s bound to endear parents as it entertains kids.

And there’s an album coming soon; Macaroni Birthday Time is set to be available this October. Bursting with songs that are punch-driven, light-hearted electric rock riffs mingled with silly themes and even sillier lyrics, (yes, they say “booger” on “My Body Is So Loud Today”), Macaroni Birthday leave it all on the tracks.

The 15-track song LP is chock full of odes to the nagging responsibility of eating vegetables, or having to take a bath. The eponymous lead track is an invitation to the party of the century — akin to your parents surprising you with the McDonald’s caboose with fifteen of your closest friends.

Produced by Feurd, and mastered by Noah Mintz, Eric and Patrick share writing creds on the album — with the help of Jonathan Richman on “I’m A Little Dinosaur”. The colourful illustration gracing the cover is the creativity of Bryan Neufeld and features a dancing macaroni noodle, complete with Corey Hart-esque Wayfarers.

In a land of The Wiggles and Splash ‘n Boots, firmly footed on a foundation planted by the Sharon, Lois & Bram’s and the Fred Penner’s, Macaroni Birthday encapsulate all the fun of music for littles.

A record you can press play on, and let it roll through, the tunes are quick, fun, catchy, and short. From just a mere thirty seconds on some, to less than three minutes on others, Macaroni Birthday understand the assignment: create ditties that kids will love, and time it to the length of their attention.

“Whether it’s tackling the (not so) age old conundrum of which to eat first, your salad or dessert, trying to escape the dreaded bath time or learning to feel confident with yourself, Macaroni Birthday delivers positive messaging wrapped in a delicious and humorous rock and roll form for young viewers,” the group says.

From “Meatball Sundae” to “Going to the Zoo”, Macaroni Salad manage to interpolate the mundanity of everyday life and set it to a super sonic tongue-in-cheek soundtrack meant for laughs, and for dancing; for a time where parents and kids can press play together.

As the duo set on path to promote the album and all its zaniest, wackiest and ultimately funniest story telling time, be prepared to be invited to the party. The party where we are the guests, but the hosts are the ones bringing the presents!

Halifax Rockers DALI VAN GOGH Persist through Fire & Brimstone with New High Octane “Little Hell”

Eric Alper
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Halifax Rockers DALI VAN GOGH Persist through Fire & Brimstone with New High Octane “Little Hell”

With electricity surging from the moment Canadian rockers Dali Van Gogh’s new single first hits your ear, “Little Hell” is here, and available now.

“Little Hell” is the latest song presented through the band’s unique sonic framework, The Testimony — a collection of songs more cerebral than your average rock ballad.

Thanks to Isaac Kent’s liberating guitar expertise that is so naturally arranged, audiences are immediately entranced by the high octane track rife with determination and persistence through fire and brimstone, start to finish. From there, the thunderous drum-work of Johnny Moore effortlessly accompanies Lance Hicks’ deceptively catchy bassline to render the backbone of this fiery track. The searing vocals of newly promoted frontwoman Rachelle Moreau round out this blessing to the rock gods.

Solidifying this super-charged new single is the expert craftsmanship and confidence of multi-Grammy and JUNO-winning music engineer, Eric Ratz (Enrique Iglesias, Billy Talent). A real emphasis on musical detail, along with stellar production value, ensures Dali Van Gogh continues to be one of the hottest bands out of the east coast with a sound Fireworks Rock & Metal Magazine’s Bruce EJ Atkinson calls “a monstrous river of sound that occasionally flows to some unlikely places.”

As if life during the pandemic for a musical act couldn’t be any more complex, the journey to putting together “Little Hell” was the most extensive test of mettle for Dail Van Gogh in an already long and winding road of ups and downs for the Halifax natives. After tremendous effort and resources were committed to recording the single last year, “Little Hell” was mixed and mastered, with the final embellishments in place for the initial release. That was when lead vocalist John Scotto made the impossible decision to leave the band due to health concerns, thus throwing their new song into limbo. The choice to promote their new female lead would follow soon after.

While Dali Van Gogh continues to demonstrate their dedication to composing the highest quality rock music possible, they also take the same meticulous approach to the visual components of their sound. Hiring a pair of well-known music video producers, the band set out to create compelling imagery that would accompany the song upon release. “Little Hell” was elaborately shot at Chebucto Head Lighthouse on an old Canadian Armed Forces Gun Battery. Little did they know that a massive technical mishap with the video production company would effectively drive all of Dali Van Gogh’s efforts into the ground.

Where other bands would have accepted defeat, Dali Van Gogh refused to let it get in the way of the significant opportunities on their horizon, so they did it themselves. A relentless work ethic led the band to research, plan, and execute every aspect of the video shoot personally. Despite the hurricane-force winds on location nearly leading to a cymbal decapitation, everything came together on schedule — a testament to the band’s perseverance and commitment to their music.

#1 Jazz iTunes Canada! ORI DAGAN Reimagines 80s Classic “Video Killed The Radio Star”

Eric Alper
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#1 Jazz iTunes Canada! ORI DAGAN Reimagines 80s Classic “Video Killed The Radio Star”

Trends come and go. Fads fire up and fizzle out. Technology advances. The times are always changing, and so is the soundtrack. Therefore, if reinvention is key to the unstoppable tide of progress, then multi-award winning Canadian jazz singer-songwriter Ori Dagan is right on top of a big new wave with his inspired reimagining of the ‘80s synth-pop classic, “Video Killed the Radio Star” — available now.

A duet with multi-award winning Canadian dance music vocalist Simone Denny, Dagan’s new single is much more than a jazzy take on tech. The update on The Buggles’ 1979 one-hit-wonder swings back in time to marry the big band ‘40s to the electronic ‘80s, giving birth to a bit of 21st century musical magic.

“I was looking for a tune to do this with when all of a sudden ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ came on in a department store,” recalls Dagan. “I just thought, Eureka! Perfect!

“I love this song for being so prophetic, catchy and just plain fun.”

The inspiration didn’t stop in that department store, however; Dagan also wanted to ‘shop’ for the perfect singing partner to turn the song into a killer duet.

Then, Eureka again! Simone Denny, JUNO and MMVA Award winning vocalist, and former singer-songwriter for ‘90s hitmakers, Love Inc., was on his radar. “I met Simone Denny in 2019 at an event,” Dagan shares. “I remember nervously asking her to take a selfie together…

“Growing up, I loved her voice and songs when I was addicted to the MuchMusic Countdown. She has one of the most beautiful instruments in the business, as far as I’m concerned.”

How did the desire to sing with Denny turn into reality? Dagan simply ‘clicked right there’ on Denny’s Instagram account, and sent her a private message with his request.

“To my delight, she agreed to be part of this,” says Dagan. “Working with her in the studio was a real blast; she is a very generous artist.

“I have to confess,” he continues, “I had no idea if she could sing jazz because I had never heard her do it, but MAN she nailed every take! I loved feeding off her energy.”

While the innovative contemporizing of retro cover songs and jazz standards has become a signature for the Toronto-based, internationally known singer-songwriter, “Video Killed the Radio Star” is the sole reimagined cover Dagan includes on his upcoming and fourth studio album, Click Right Here. In addition to this bonus track, the album, Dagan’s first FACTOR funded project, also features 10 original jazz songs with the central theme of technology, and is set for release April 1, 2022.

Written and recorded over the last year and a half, Click Right Here has been a pandemic-inspired joyride for Dagan, putting the singer-songwriter and skilled improviser in the spotlight as a unique storyteller. Full of bright moments of humour and surprise, the new album highlights and reflects on the shortcomings of technology, the trappings of social media and other modern life blues.

Recorded in adherence to COVID protocols at Toronto’s highly regarded Canterbury Sound Company, Click Right Here’s tracks feature some of Canada’s finest musicians: Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Attila Fias (piano); Alex Bellegarde (bass); Ben Wittman (drums); Alison Young (alto saxophone); Colleen Allen (tenor saxophone); William Carn (trombone); and Andrew McAnsh (trumpet) — with arrangements by Nathan Hiltz and Rebecca Hennessy.

Click Right Here isn’t the only creative project the very busy and energetic artist has taken on during the pandemic; Dagan’s online weekly live-streamed concert JAZZ IT UP has garnered over 1 million views collectively with episodes that have covered everything from traditional jazz icons Nat King Cole, The Rat Pack, Peggy Lee, and Louis Armstrong to songs of Disney, the 80’s, and the 90’s, to name a few. He has used the show as an opportunity to connect with viewers across the world, making new fans across Canada, the United states, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal and beyond, all while staying connected to his home base.

Dagan’s previous albums Scat Got My Tongue (2009), Less Than Three (2012), and Nathaniel: A Tribute to Nat King Cole (2017) have received critical acclaim and radio play worldwide.

“Video Killed the Radio Star,” from the forthcoming album, Click Right Here, is available now.

Montreal’s SCOTT COOK Keeps from Exploding New Single “The Pin in My Grenade”

Eric Alper
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Montreal’s SCOTT COOK Keeps from Exploding New Single “The Pin in My Grenade”

Canadian artist Scott Cook isn’t afraid to thank the ‘pin’ in a hazy, lo-fi electric guitar riff kind of way; available now, his new single “The Pin in My Grenade” extends gratitude to his ‘better half’ for keeping him from exploding.

The indie musician from the heart of Quebec is a classically trained artist, holding a PhD in classical music theory. Taking a spin through rock and jazz over most of his extensive career, Cook turned his sights on a solo offering during the pandemic of 2020. This ultimately became his forthcoming eponymous six-song EP — set to drop October 2021 — with “The Pin in My Grenade” as its third track release.

Simply put, Cook refers to “The Pin in My Grenade” as a love song. “But it’s also about perspective, understanding what is important to us, and knowing where to focus our energy,” he adds. “This song took very little time to write. As soon as I came up with the analogy that is the song’s title, I had a concept for the song and the lyrics just flowed quite easily. Then, I picked up my guitar, played the first progression that came to mind, and, within a half hour, the song was complete.”

The songwriter pushes the edges on the lyrics, incorporating heavy themes into a melodic ode to finding ‘the one.’ As in, the one who can pull us back from the ledge, no matter how far we dare to lean. “If I were a pill, I could make someone choke,” he surmises on the melody, “and if I were a bag, I could suffocate …”

“The lyrics are a little intense,” Cook admits, “but meant to be tongue in cheek. The idea of contrasting something violent with something beautiful is not new, but I find it works. So, once I started recording the song, I wanted something to soften the overall feel, which is why the lap steel (performed by fellow Montreal musician, Joe Grass) was used since it’s one of the most beautiful sounding instruments.”

The sonic sound of Cook’s solo EP is a near stripped-back version from the Cook fans will recognize as the lead of post-hardcore band, Colonel Sun. But for Cook, creating, concocting, and constructing an EP all his own became a masterfully minded project he recorded, mixed, engineered and produced all himself; even collaborations on the tracks were done with the luxury of technology, given the severity of the pandemic. “Guest appearances on the project were managed remotely,” he reveals.

“If I were an axe, I could chop and swing
Removing a limb, there’s so much pain I could bring
If I were a gun, I could shoot to kill
My aim is spot on and so the blood, it would spill …”

Cook’s chiding on the verse, ultimately surmising that his love is what keeps him from “exploding,” being that his muse is, in fact, the pin in the very threatening grenade of his personality. Influenced by songwriting giants such as Bowie, and Pink Floyd, he lends himself to the dark and foreboding in words, while juxtaposing the narrative with enchanting melodies that flow majestically around them. It’s that beauty inside the beast which makes Scott Cook so devilishly clever and desirable as both a lyricist and a musician.

“The Pin in My Grenade” is available now.

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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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