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Harry Styles Updates “Love On Tour Fall 2021” Tour Dates, Plus Three New Shows Added

Eric Alper
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Harry Styles Updates “Love On Tour Fall 2021” Tour Dates, Plus Three New Shows Added

Grammy Award-winning global superstar Harry Styles is back on stage this Fall as he announces his updated set of US tour dates today. For the first time, the multi-platinum singer will perform all the hits from his double platinum album FINE LINE in front of fans from around the country. Love On Tour was set to begin next month but due to COVID-19 restrictions varying by state, all dates have been rescheduled for later this year. The tour will now kick off on September 4 in Las Vegas with Special Guest Jenny Lewis. Love On Tour includes 5 dates in New York City at Madison Square Garden, 2 of which are special Harryween shows on October 30 and 31 with Special Guest Orville Peck. See the full new dates below.

Registration to purchase tickets for the new tour dates will begin on Wednesday, July 14 at 9am PT through Sunday, July 18 at 10pm PT. To ensure fans get tickets in their hands directly, presale registration for the newly-added tour dates is available now here through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program. Verified Fan on sale begins Wednesday, July 21 with the General Public on sale Friday, July 23.

In compliance with global COVID-19 guidelines, international tour dates are not possible at this time. Refunds are available from point of purchase and Harry plans to travel and perform again once it’s deemed safe to do.

The tour will be following all local and public health guidelines as well as venue protocols set forth at the time of each show. Fans are encouraged to visit their local venue’s website ahead of each show for the latest health & safety details and requirements for their date.

Love On Tour 2021 US Tour Dates:

DATE CITY, STATE VENUE
9/4/21 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/7/21 Denver, CO Ball Arena
9/9/21 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
9/11/21 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
9/13/21 Houston, TX Toyota Center
9/15/21 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
9/17/21 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
9/18/21 Washington, DC Capital One Arena
9/20/21 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
9/22/21 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
9/24/21 Chicago, IL United Center
9/25/21 Chicago, IL United Center
9/29/21 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena – NEW SHOW
10/1/21 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
10/3/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
10/4/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
10/7/21 Orlando, FL Amway Center
10/8/21 Ft. Lauderdale, FL BB&T Center
10/10/21 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
10/12/21 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
10/14/21 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
10/16/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
10/18/21 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
10/21/21 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena – NEW SHOW
10/23/21 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
10/25/21 Boston, MA TD Garden
10/27/21 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
10/28/21 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
10/30/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
10/31/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
11/3/21 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum – NEW SHOW
11/7/21 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
11/8/21 Portland, OR Moda Center
11/10/21 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
11/11/21 San Jose, CA SAP Center
11/13/21 Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena
11/15/21 San Diego, CA Pechanga Arena
11/17/21 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
11/19/21 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
11/20/21 Los Angeles, CA The Forum

Juanes Announces 2021 U.S. “Origen Tour”

Eric Alper
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Juanes Announces 2021 U.S. “Origen Tour”

Today Latin rock icon and multiple Grammy & Latin Grammy award-winning artist Juanes announced his 2021 U.S. “ORIGEN TOUR” –an up close & immersive journey through all the greatest hits of his past, combined with the first live performances of the songs from his recently released & critically praised ORIGEN album & documentary.

Hailed as a “Masterpiece” by Rolling Stone, ORIGEN finds Juanes returning to his earliest roots in order to share a scintillating collection that reimagines some of the most important songs and artists that shaped his own early musical vision.

“This project is built upon a love of music instilled by my family, appreciation of my culture, and the discovery of the songs and artists that first completely stirred my soul. ‘These are the songs that reside deep in my heart and continue to be a map to which I constantly return to remember who I am, where I come from, and where I am going. These songs were all recorded live, with the intention from the very beginning of performing them in a very special concert setting. Now, as we are able to start coming together again, I am incredibly excited to bring the intimacy and strong guitar driven energy of these songs directly to fans across the United States.”– Juanes

Produced by Live Nation, the 20-date ORIGEN TOUR will kick-off September 16th with two nights at The Filmore In Miami, and make stops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Houston, Dallas and many more cities across the country. (See Full dated Below)

Look for artist presale tickets to be available beginning Wednesday, July 14 10am to Thursday 10pm local time, and Live Nation/venue presale tickets available Thursday, July 15 10am – 10pm local time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, July 16th at 10am local time at ticketmaster.com.

While announcing this very special tour today from his rehearsal studio in Miami, Juanes not only showed his dedication to celebrating the Origens of Latin Music’s greatest songs, but also his commitment to also ensure the genre’s creative future, as he also named the winning music student of a four-year scholarship to The Berklee College of Music he has provided in partnership with the Latin Recording Academy.

– – – – – – – – – –

JUANES’ 2021 U.S. “ORIGEN TOUR”

DATE CITY VENUE / FESTIVAL
Thu-Sep-16-21 Miami The Fillmore
Fri-Sep-17-21 Miami The Fillmore
Sat-Sep-18-21 Orlando House of Blues
Sun-Sep-19-21 Atlanta Tabernacle
Tue-Sep-21-21 Washington The Anthem
Wed-Sep-22-21 New York Terminal 5 (*Loud & Live Date)
Fri-Sep-24-21 Seattle Moore Theatre
Sat-Sep-25-21 Portland Roseland Theatre
Wed-Sep-29-21 San Francisco The Masonic
Fri-Oct-01-21 Las Vegas House of Blues
Sat-Oct-02-21 Los Angeles YouTube Theatre
Sun-Oct-03-21 Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Tue-Oct-05-21 Anaheim House of Blues
Wed-Oct-06-21 San Diego SOMA
Thu-Oct-07-21 Santa Ana The Observatory
Sat-Oct-09-21 San Antonio Majestic Theatre
Sun-Oct-10-21 Dallas Toyota Music Factory
Tue-Oct-12-21 Houston House of Blues
Wed-Oct-13-21 Houston House of Blues
Fri-Oct-15-21 Chicago Rosemont Theatre

Singer/Songwriter Gabriella Verdugo Is Out to “Finish Strong” with New Single

Eric Alper
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Singer/Songwriter Gabriella Verdugo Is Out to “Finish Strong” with New Single

Canadian pop singer/songwriter Gabriella Verdugo embraces living life to its fullest with the release of this, her new single “Finish Strong” — available now.

Produced by Grammy-nominated and multi-award winning producer Roy Hamilton III, the song is inspiring, radiant, and refreshingly reflective.

It also weaves neatly with the Milton, Ontario-based multi-talented artist’s musical passion to help others thrive.

Where the acoustic guitar forms the threading melody of the track, and Verdugo’s soprano vocal delivery keeps the track trendy and light, the track’s lyrics play like a deeply personal letter informing listeners that life is worth living.

“‘Finish Strong’ was written during a low point in my life,” Verdugo shares. “I felt alone, scared, and confused. During that time, music is what helped me through it. Listening to different artists and their songs touched me, in a way, and helped me to not feel alone.

“Music is my outlet, and always has been,” she continues. “I want to do the same for other people, and to inspire them and help them to believe in themselves. I wanted to write something that anybody could relate to no matter the circumstance.

“I wrote ‘Finish Strong’ in the hope that it would help to uplift others — give them hope, give them a sense of support, and give them a sense of belonging, so they wouldn’t feel alone.”

“Finish Strong” is available now.

Trevor Owen Releases ASL-Enhanced Videos from Debut Album “And the Moon Rising”

Eric Alper
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Trevor Owen Releases ASL-Enhanced Videos from Debut Album “And the Moon Rising”

Since the stirring and sterling release of his debut album, And the Moon Rising, Canadian musician Trevor Owen has been keen to incorporate American Sign Language into his music videos. The time has finally arrived, and the complete 10-track set of his ASL-enhanced music videos are available now.

The brimming double-handful of videos — including “Not the Only One,” “Fire Moon,” and the album’s title track, “And the Moon Rising” — feature actress and Deaf rights advocate Dawn Jani Birley, who Owen ultimately connected with through the Canadian Hearing Society.

“It turned out to be more involved than I had imagined,” Owen revealed of the process of finding the right translator for the job. “A common response I received was ‘I don’t do music.’

“Indeed, I could not find anyone who would do it.”

Birley, however? “She said, ‘I’d love to,’” he recalls.

It was a perfect fit from the start. Thanks to Birley’s adroit and emotive signing, Owen’s lyrics are elevated to another level of expression. The delicate swoon of “Sweet Bitter,” for example — originally sung in Owen’s soothing rasp — lays out lyrics such as ‘Is it possible to take the truth/In any story, fiction is the truth/The truth is in the story’ in a translation that directly targets the tear ducts.

“As you might imagine, I was thrilled with Dawn’s work,” Owen enthuses, noting this realm is her forte. “She does ASL interpretation in the arts, like theatre performance.

“Though I’ve been a happy participant at signing classes in the past, my own capabilities with American Sign Language are halting, at best; I thought it would be a matter of translating the lyrics, but it is more than that — like gesture, for instance, and responding to, and conveying a sense of the music. As a producer I know noted, there is a certain peculiarity in the process of developing a Deaf audience for my music; it was the ASL interpretation I sought.

“ASL is a different kind of language, and gesture plays a large part in conveying meaning,” he continues. “For my part, I see it as integral to the meaning conveyed, and I hoped its warmth and heartfelt nature might come across.”

And the Moon Rising was produced by Marcus Vichert, and features fellow veteran Toronto musicians Donavon LeNabat, Jamie Bird, Jeff Beauchamp, and Owen Sound’s Keira McArthur alongside Owen’s vocals and distinctive guitar. The release was engineered by Braden Sauder at Marquee Sound in Toronto, and the record was mastered by Stephen Stepanic at João Carvalho Mastering.

As a young schoolboy, Owen made the decision to drop out of school back in the 1960s in order to pursue a career in music. He started playing in Yorkville clubs and pubs before landing gigs all across Canada. He played cover sets, his own original music, with bands and many other acts, until finally recording and releasing And the Moon Rising in 2020. His long-lasting career ended up paying for a post-secondary education, which resulted in him becoming a teacher in Toronto.

The complete set of ASL-enhanced music videos for And the Moon Rising are available now.

Folk Singer/Songwriter Raina Krangle Takes You On A Road Trip With “West Coast Huck Finn”

Eric Alper
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Folk Singer/Songwriter Raina Krangle Takes You On A Road Trip With “West Coast Huck Finn”

Grab the keys to your imagination, fill your tank with wanderlust, and get ready to hit the Trans-Canada Highway westbound; Canadian folk rock artist Raina Krangle has your ticket for a super-naturally satisfying trip to the Pacific with this, her new single, “West Coast Huck Finn” — available now.

From the top of the majestic Rocky Mountains to the tip of the sea-sprayed haven of Vancouver Island, Canada’s westernmost provinces have a special magic all their own. Sensing the area’s magic in its ancient, dense B.C. forests, or high up on a snowy mountain pass, or in the soul-stirring sunsets that bathe English Bay in a rosy glow, and beyond, Toronto-based artist Raina Krangle fell under the region’s spell a few summers ago while sitting on the stage at the historic Duncan Showroom. There, the initial melody and chorus for “West Coast Huck Finn” surfaced in her mind, brought on by the warm, welcoming experience of the venue and exploring its unique collection of antiques.

“My travel partner and I explored the antiques with excitement all night, jamming out with old pipe organs, trying on vintage hats and playing old records,” recalls the 2020 Blues & Roots Radio International Songwriting Contest Finalist. “There was something very unique and spiritual about this place. You could just feel it!”

Tide’s comin’ in
I’m a West Coast Huck Finn
Lost in wonder
Kicking Horse thunder
Rain pouring down on a west coast surfin’ town
On the beaches of Tofino

From Duncan, BC, Krangle and her friend set out for the wildly beautiful western shore of the island and Tofino, which is where the song really found its sea legs. “Blessed to get a rare sunny day on Chesterman’s Beach, I tried out the chorus again standing with my feet in the sand of the Pacific Ocean,” she remembers. “Recalling this adventurous west coast road trip, from Calgary to Tofino, the rest of the song was written back home in Ontario.” That moment of musical connection on Chesterman’s Beach is recaptured in the photograph in the single art for “West Coast Huck Finn.”

Much like the young Mississippi River adventurer in Mark Twain’s Great American Novel, Raina Krangle’s journey in “West Coast Huck Finn” is rooted in soul-satisfying escapism and wonder. On her way to land’s end in Tofino, there are sight-singing stops in storied places like Lake Louise, Revelstoke, the Okanagan Valley, and Whistler that will conjure up fond memories for anyone familiar.

Tastily flavoured with shades of classic country rock artists like Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow, Krangle’s new single gets its roots rock edge from her producer, friend and long-time collaborator, Brian Siegel. “I asked him if he could do a guitar solo for a musical interlude,” Krangle recalls. “A week later, he sent back the song complete with electric rock flare and the warning, ’I turned it into a rock song. I hope you like it.’

“I loved it! I think the best part of working with a producer is when they challenge you to go outside your comfort zone.”

“West Coast Huck Finn” follows Krangle’s previous offering, “My Beautiful Dear,” released in March, and both singles prelude an upcoming third album for the Folk Music Ontario Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award nominee. Headbangers, A Musical Recovery of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury will be a collection of eight songs and an artistic journal reflective of Krangle’s recovery from a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) she experienced around two years ago.

“The injury happened while I was at work as an educator,” she says of the accident. “From there, my road to recovery included lots of yoga, nature walks, photography, meditation, and journaling. The act of completely slowing down opened the window to self-reflection, vivid dreams and a vast amount of creative flow.”

This summer, follow Raina Krangle’s adventurous, creative flow to the wondrous west side of Canada. “West Coast Huck Finn” is available now!

 

Enigmatic & Genre-Bending, Experimental Canadian Rocker JJ’s Music Retaliation Ushers In My Blue Beat

Eric Alper
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Enigmatic & Genre-Bending, Experimental Canadian Rocker JJ’s Music Retaliation Ushers In My Blue Beat

More than a decade after the release of his sophomore album, Ancient Futures (2010), Toronto-based musician Daniel Greenwood has released his highly-anticipated third record, My Blue Beat, under a brand-new moniker: JJ’s Music Retaliation.

Even with the name JJ’s Music Retaliation, it’s quite clear that My Blue Beat could undoubtedly be Greenwood’s most ambitious musical project to date. The experimental sonic mastermind has received great acclaim over the years and after much time away, began brewing an unstoppable wave of rampant inspiration and experimentation. With that, he decided it was time to make a bold comeback to the scene.

First and foremost, the self-titled single of this rollercoaster of a record, sticks out as one of the most experimental pieces Greenwood has ever written. It hones an intensely electronic sound in comparison to the other nine originals. The droning instrumentals and wacky lyrical dynamics leaves the listener in a bit of a dark and mysterious atmosphere, but because it works so well and feels completely different from anything else you have probably ever heard, it really works.

Take this concept and throw in soaring synth sounds, crushing rhythms, endlessly soulful and head-crushing solos, and some 1970’s inspired funk bass grooves sprinkled on top and you’ve got what is Greenwood’s “retaliation.” Musical chaos, in the finest form possible.

Further to his credit, it’s always been this eclectic songwriter’s intent to bend, mix and mash genres like a mad scientist to show that there are still uncovered sounds out there. And what he’s done with this project, is prove just that, all while shaking the traditions of generic rock music to the core.

Seriously, if you’re struggling to find something new to listen to because you feel like you’ve heard all the sounds modern rock has to offer, My Blue Beat is the album for you. Yes, there are clear electronic, rock and grunge inspirations — heck, there are even a few infectious guitar hooks that could come right from one of the great American alt-rock bands prominent at the turn of the millennium (think The Rapture, or Interpol) — but there’s nothing unoriginal here. Greenwood, or “JJ,” really succeeded in his goal of making a project completely original and innovative. He took the general conventions of music and simply said, “no,” let’s try this instead. And boom! That’s how an all-new genre starts off.

Gael MacGregor, a Professional Music Supervisor for major blockbuster films, gave two thumbs up to My Blue Beat, accrediting the consistently and instantaneous catchy hooks for its quality. He added that while typically a “mix of genres and musical eras shouldn’t work, but (in this case), they do.” In conclusion, MacGregor joked that Greenwood’s work could be what would happen if “David Bowie, Thomas Dolby, and Carlos Santana met up for a night at a Nora En Pure party.”

Thanks to his intrepid, yet trademark, sound that drips and oozes from each and every song he pens, Greenwood has never struggled to make a name for himself among bands in Ontario’s indie music circuit, but with the COVID-19 pandemic winding down and this brand-new, powerful project, it’s safe to say he’s about to get a whole lot bigger.

For those who may not know, Greenwood earned the “JJ” nickname from fellow musician and producer Scott Hill, of Astranova Records. He labelled him “JJ Hendrix,” after hearing his advanced guitar skills

As well as the self-titled single, the long-awaited comeback album from JJ’s Music Retaliation also features nine other extraordinary pieces, including: “We Have to Make it Better Every Day,” “You Can’t Treat Me Like That Anymore” and “Slim Beat.”

My Blue Beat is available now!

Toronto Alt.Rockers The High Loves Say Hey, “Call Me Back”

Eric Alper
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Toronto Alt.Rockers The High Loves Say Hey, “Call Me Back”

Hear that? It’s The High Loves calling you. You should probably answer.

Alt-rock five-piece The High Loves lend credence to the connotation that Toronto is the creative capital of Canada with this, their new single “Call Me Back” — available now!

Freshly pressed from their forthcoming album, Too Much Of A Good Thing, this electric groove-laden rockin’ offering is one of the “catchiest songs” lead guitarist and vocalist Noah Monckton has ever written, he says.

“When I first wrote the hook, I wasn’t able to get it out of my head for weeks,” he adds. “For better, or for worse.”

Whittling away at the riffs and lyrics on voice note app on his phone, Monckton would bring together the rest of the group to flesh out the high-energy, souped-up summer bop. “’Call Me Back’ was around for a while,” lead guitarist Marko Stojanovic recalls. “At least, the melody to the chorus was. It didn’t really come together until a little under a year ago and we’re really happy with how it turned out. It’s a fun and groovy bopper you can blast in the car, on the patio, at the beach or anywhere you can have a good time.”

Originally founded in 2018, keyboardist Jeremy Urgo, bassist Jake St. Jean, and drummer Jaden Spanier round out Toronto-based band making waves for their up-tempo, 80’s soundscape fathered by early 2000s dance rock. The band found early success in their career, having penned their debut single “Perils of Passion” in January 2018, followed by their debut EP, Serotonin, later that same year. In support of the new music and fans that flocked to their high-energy vibe, The High Loves took a tour of Ontario in 2019 before taking home the coveted top prize in the rock category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in November. Not satisfied to slow down, the band headed the music mecca Grammy Week in Los Angeles in January of 2020.

“Call Me Back” was the high note for The High Loves as the world was settling into a global pandemic, forcing the music industry to lock into a standstill. The band remembers playing the unfinished tune to a hungry crowd before the live music scene officially took a hiatus in March of last year. “We performed ‘Call Me Back’ live only once — at the Monarch Tavern,” Monckton shares. “The song was still unfinished, but it instantly connected with the audience and was easily our best received songs that evening. It was our last show before the pandemic shut the city down.”

The time spent isolating gave the band room to breathe out the song and give it the time and attention it deserved. Recorded at River Radcliffe’s home studio, the guitar-heavy summertime banger is a clever juxtaposition of danceable beats interspersed with a melancholy message. The song speaks to the unravelling of a romantic relationship and conceding that it may not have been healthy for either partner all along.

“Lockdown allowed us to really stress about the little details of the arrangement,” Monckton says. “We had time to perfectly craft a very tight, high energy ‘bop’ coming in at two minutes and 57 seconds. No fat on this song! It’s always a ton of fun for me to play this song with the guys.”

The High Loves recruited Seattle’s Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy, Strumbellas) of Bear Creek Studios to mix the track and brought in John & Tess Greenham (Billie Eilish) to handle the mastering. What they’ve managed to produce is an artistic throwdown of nostalgia mixed with new-wave hooks, uniquely blending the band’s soaring vocals with their intuitive synth and melodic beats that draw in a listener and keep them firmly planted on the dance floor.

“’Call Me Back’ is the sonic equivalent of stealing from Hollister with your best friend in grade nine,” Urgo laughs. “The song of the summer of 2002 coming out in 2021! The sound of being at a pool party in grade seven! Uh oh, your crush just walked in!”

“Call Me Back” is available now.

George Harrison’s Isolated Vocals In The Beatles’ ‘Something’

Eric Alper
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George Harrison’s Isolated Vocals In The Beatles’ ‘Something’

The vocals from the George Harrison track ”Something”, from the multi-tracks of the Beatles Rock Band videogame.

Indie Rocker Sharkorama Invents a ‘Wicked Machine’ in His Basement

Eric Alper
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Indie Rocker Sharkorama Invents a ‘Wicked Machine’ in His Basement

While life was put on pandemic pause for most of us during the past 15 months, Chicago-based indie rock artist Sharkorama kicked quarantine into creative high gear, building a new album from the first note up from down in his basement; Wicked Machine is available now.

Sharkorama is the solo vehicle of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cody Knauer, who says he “crafts earnest rock ‘n’ roll for slackers.”

Slackers take heed though… Knauer’s productivity is far more earnest than slack: Wicked Machine was built completely during a string of all-nighters Knauer pulled over the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 2020.

“I wrote, performed, and produced Wicked Machine entirely in my unfinished Chicago basement,” Knauer explains. “I think the setting gives the album a raw, earnest quality to the tracks, and the tight window lends a sense of urgency.”

From sweet, sensitive acoustic folk-pop to full-on garage rock gusto, Sharkorama covers wide ranging yet cohesive territory in this 12-track offering and, yes, there is plenty of wry humour amongst Knauer’s hyperliterate lyrics.

‘Cause I want to be miserable and I want everyone to be jealous

And I don’t want to seem overzealous but I am champing at the bit,

wondering how those worms hold on to their fish’ 

— “Don’t Trust the Warden”

“In this project, I sing songs about frivolities such as unrequited teenage love, first cars, and broken household appliances,” Knauer notes. “But I also use it to dabble in honest introspection and themes of religious disillusionment, aging, and alcoholism.

“It’s a joyous, shapeshifting indie/slacker/lo-fi/anything-goes-rock record with a lyrical focus that, even when the subject is serious, is committed to not taking itself too seriously.”

Song inspiration is everywhere for this observant artist. In the album’s nostalgic title track, Knauer sings about his first car, which happened to be a gigantic conversion van, set to a driving, ‘90s era post punk soundtrack. In the funky “The Dishwasher Sounds Like Bob Seger”, he finds music in the sounds of kitchen appliances. “Some Days I Feel Like Pete Best” gives a lo-fi treatment to feeling inadequate and comparing yourself to others. “All My Favorite Bands” is an upbeat indie-pop track Knauer wrote about “meeting the drummer from one of my favorite (disbanded) bands while he was working a retail job in suburban Chicago.”

“These tracks are all about looking backward while living in the moment, embracing your flaws and regrets, and hoping that growing older means growing wiser,” explains Knauer. “I have a strong DIY aesthetic, and the scars of this approach are undeniably apparent but, hey, that’s life.”

The inspiration Knauer gains from living in Chicago is also undeniably apparent in his music. “This is a ‘city of neighborhoods,’ each with its own character and flaws, but still undeniably Chicago,” he says. “I like to compile projects with that mindset; each track has its own voice and perspective but with a distinctive sound and spirit that makes it all fit together.”

That unifying spirit of invention is alive and well, and spent seven days at the end of 2020 living with Cody Knauer/Sharkorama in his unfinished basement.

Sharkorama’s Wicked Machine is available now!

 

 

Country Singer/Songwriter Tommy John Ehman is All About the Journey with “Road Band 101”

Eric Alper
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Country Singer/Songwriter Tommy John Ehman is All About the Journey with “Road Band 101”

Canadian country singer/songwriter Tommy John Ehman takes you on a revved up journey down the hard highway of a touring musician’s life with this, his new single, “Road Band 101” — available now.

According to Albert Einstein, “the only source of knowledge is experience.” Therefore, longtime recording and touring artist Ehman (pronounced ēmn, with a hard ‘e’), needed only to look in his rearview mirror to rediscover the rich road life experiences that have been the most challenging and cherished parts of his career.

Playing gigs all over Western Canada and beyond since 1988 has given the multiple SCMA nominee a great perspective on the passion, commitment and drive it takes to survive, thrive, and be able to give it your all, night after night after night.

“‘Road Band 101’ is about the journey, the life, the music and ‘the road’, where dreams are created and where dreams can be crushed,” Ehman says. “But no matter how hard it can get or how long it can take, the music will always win out when you’re obsessed with it — right down to your very heart and soul.”

A musician’s life on the road is decidedly unglamorous — even punishing at times — and not for the faint of heart. Chasing dreams and feeding his insatiable musical appetite, Ehman toughed it out through eight years as a full time touring musician in the ‘90s; the first three-and-a-half years on the road with big pressure and four or five sets a night almost did him in. “I was completely burned out,” he recalls. “I weighed under 130 pounds; was gaunt and white as a ghost.

“It was an amazing run, but I was WAY overdue for a rest.”

After some recuperation at home, Ehman went back on the road for a five year run with a fresh, healthier approach and an understanding that the music is as much a source of fuel as it is a passionate pursuit. “It can beat you up, tear you down and completely and utterly tire you out,” he says. “But then there’s the music. Ah, THE MUSIC. That’s what keeps you motivated.”

Ehman has been very musically motivated with six studio albums in his ever expanding catalogue, including his most recent 2019 album, Day Night. Throughout, Ehman has scored multiple Top 100 charting songs, radio placements and media features nationwide. He’s also been honoured with a number of Saskatchewan Country Music Award nominations including this year’s nods for Songwriter of the Year and Male Artist of the Year and he and his band have shared the stage with Canadian country luminaries like Doc Walker, Aaron Pritchett, Michelle Wright, and more.

Born and raised in Craik, Saskatchewan, and still living on his family’s fifth-generation farm, Ehman is as deeply connected to his home and he is to his music and the stage. While a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa has reduced his day-to-day activities on the farm, it hasn’t precluded him from writing songs, performing and paying tribute with his latest single to those musical roots — and routes — that have shaped his artistry and life.

“I still have an overwhelming number of memories from those early days on the road, some good, some bad, but all part of a musical journey that I wouldn’t change for anything in the world,” Ehman says. “Would I do it all over again? I guess the answer is (and was) yes!”

“Road Band 101” 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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