Winnipeg’s James Cohen and the Prairie Roots Rockers have dipped into their archives once again to release a new video for their critically acclaimed single, “Dreaming My Life Away.”
A pull from their self-titled 2011 12-track LP, the song follows the album’s master missive, along with this year’s earlier re-release, “These Long Nights.”
“The origins of these songs go back several years,” frontman and band namesake James Cohen considers. “The general themes are one of loneliness and isolation which, unfortunately, are sentiments many of us can relate to during these difficult times currently.”
First on the scene for their 2011 self-titled debut via Soccermom Records / Warner Music Canada, the album’s banner single “So Long Sweet Deception” charted for 16 weeks, hitting the Rock Top 50 along the way.
An alumnus of Hollywood, California’s prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology, Cohen and co have performed at Canadian Music Week, the Grey Cup Festival, and more. A forthcoming album in the works, James Cohen and the Prairie Roots Rockers are also set to perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2021.
At over 100,000+ streams and climbing, Ottawa’s classic folk rockers Terrence & The High Flyers are groovin’ at their Butterfly Window wondering if “This Could Be The One” with the release of their newest album and single.
“Butterfly Window started with a surplus of songs I’d been writing for another project,” Terrence says of the 12-track release. “I had this collection of tunes I was happy with, but didn’t quite fit the current band I was a part of.
“One day I decided I would try recording a number of them just for fun, and that I’d take the offcuts to my good friend Jasen Colson who lived just down the hill and across the highway from me here in the east end of Ottawa. We’d jam them out a couple of times and he would lay down some tracks on the kit, but ultimately these demos would go in a folder on my laptop and only see the light of day once in a blue moon.”
“Sometime in the Fall of 2019 I began feeling like I wanted to do something with them, though,” Terrence continues. “I just didn’t know what. I had been feeling pretty down about the state of things in my life and, for the first time in a while, I felt this surge of excitement. Jasen was immediately on board and we got to work tracking enough songs to fill out an LP just before COVID-19 hit and the world ground to a halt; miraculously, Jasen and I had finished tracking all of the drums before the lockdown began.
“When I look back at the idea for the album, the timeline just seems too perfect,” he muses. “Like things lined up just the way they needed to for it to work, and I feel good knowing I decided to go for it. It was a huge period of learning and growth for me, and I’m happy I was able to use the time for something creative and meaningful.
“The title refers to the songs and how they all went through a period of metamorphosis before they found their way out through the window that is the album. They all have their unique stories but, at the same time, they were born out of a time of trial and uncertainty.
“It’s a nod to the saving grace and universal language that is music.”
“This Could Be The One” and Butterfly Window are available now.
Multi-award nominated Canadian folk singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff details the special kind of unabashed bliss that accompanies summer romance with the release of his new single and video, Emm & May.
Calling on inspiration for everything from those first kisses to late-night bonfires, to lean-close hand holding and gazing up endlessly at the stars, Emm & May is a rambunctious, enveloping folk refrain about a budding love observed through the eyes of someone who loves to share a good story.
The song — the second to arrive ahead of his forthcoming album, All This Time Running — is instantly in keeping with Cardiff’s signature style of songwriting inspired by the sights and souls around him; for almost a decade, the Arnprior, Ontario-based artist has passed around a notebook titled ‘Book of Truths’ during shows, encouraging the audience to write and share something — a story, a confession, a hope or a secret — they might be too afraid to say out loud.
As a result, Cardiff — dubbed by Gordon Lightfoot as a “songwriter who needs to be heard” — often finds himself responding by writing songs that offer glimmers of hope for people to hold onto.
The video for Emm & May features songwriter and actor Lane Webber and is directed by Jennifer Besworth. Cardiff is notably absent from the video, a decision the songwriter says was obvious. “The song might be from my brain, but I wanted to capture it from a completely different perspective,” Cardiff shares. “The song isn’t about me, it’s about this beautiful, sweet, short love story, so it was important for me to let them — the actors and the director — tell it.”
Craig Cardiff is a certified Gold-selling artist for his single Dirty Old Town, as well as a JUNO Award (Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo) and Canadian Folk Music Award (Contemporary Singer of the Year) nominee. His growing library of releases have been streamed more than 100 million times, including on NBC’s award-winning television series, This Is Us.
All This Time Running is set to be Cardiff’s 19th album release; previous in his extensive archive are Cut to Ribbons (2019), Love is Louder (Than All the Noise) Pt. 1 & 2 (2019), Winter! Winter! Winter! (2018), This is Craig Cardiff: Collected Works (2018), Auberge Blacksheep (2018), An AntiFragile Christmas (2018), Upstream Fishing All the Words He Is – Birthday Cards to Bob Dylan (2018), Floods & Fires (2011), Songs For Lucy (2011), Mothers & Daughters (2010), Kissing Songs (Mistletoe) (2008), Judy Garland (You’re Never Home…) (2008), Easter Eggs (2007), Goodnight (Go Home) (2007), Happy (2007), Live at the Boehmer Box Company (2006), Fistful Of Flowers (2005), Soda (2003), and Great American White Trash Novel (1997).
He has played with and opened for artists such as Justin Nozuka, Glen Phillips, Lucy Kaplansky, Dan Bern, Natalia Zukerman, Andy Stochansky, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, Blue Rodeo, Gordon Downie, Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Skydiggers, 54-40, and more, helmed a growing list of workshops and talks at schools, camps, festivals, and churches throughout North America and Hong Kong, as well as TED x University of Western Ontario, TED x Kanata and TED x KitchenerED.
Craig Cardiff is signed to True North Records, and represented by APA Agency, and Tom Sarig and his Esther Creative Group in New York City.
Multi-GRAMMY and JUNO Award-winning artist Chin Injeti processes grief and healing in this, his new single release, “Falling” — available now.
Featuring Esthero on accompanying vocals and Delhi 2 Dublin’s Tarun Nayer on tabla, “‘Falling’ was a cathartic experience for me,” he says. “It was my way of dealing with my Father’s passing, and is a bird’s eye view of the whole experience — both good and bad.”
On reflection, harnessing the power of collaboration and healing power of music as part of processing grief is in line with Injeti’s inimitably successful lifelong path. Music has always been something of a balm for the Toronto-bred, now-Vancouver based artist; born in Hyderabad, India and having to survive polio from birth, music therapy treatments helped facilitate his motor skills, ultimately changing his life.
“My father was a classical vocalist who ensured the family was always surrounded by music,” he shares. “It ranged from classical to folk, ragas to Stevie Wonder, to my parents favourite, ABBA. At every turn there was a rhythm or melody that would draw me in — footsteps down the hall, heart monitors, the sound of passing cars… It was everywhere.
“Then, it was more than just something I heard day to day; it became a healing force that started to transform my body and help it realize its full capacity.
“With this embodied renewal came a clarity of purpose.”
His purpose, indeed, became crystal clear when Injeti teamed up with then-partner DJ Khalil with whom he made multi-GRAMMY and JUNO Award-winning music with and for the likes of Dr Dre, Eminem, Drake, Pink, Aloe Blacc, The Clipse, Lecrae, K’Naan, and more. Getting his official start in an in-home studio built by his father and brother, he also fronted the JUNO and Much Music Video Award-winning band Bass is Base, won SOCAN’s Songwriter of the Year Award, and enjoyed years of creating, touring and performing with the likes of The Fugees, The Roots, Jamiroquoi, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and more.
Further, Injeti has created and taught curriculum for Vancouver’s NIMBUS, been a featured speaker at TEDx discussing the healing properties of music, and long recognized for his life’s work as an inspiration, teacher, mentor, leader, innovator, singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, collaborator, student, and yes, icon, with a star on Vancouver’s prestigious Walk of Fame.
With the onset of COVID-19, he found himself self-isolating in Toronto with his mother for three months, during which “Falling” came to be. “Tarun was on Gambier Island in British Columbia, and Esthero was in Los Angeles,” he explains. “The video is simple and authentic to the moment, just each of us in our respective locations recording our parts.
“This version of the song was such a pleasure and honour to record,” Injeti continues of the song’s acoustic version. “To have my friend Tarun bless the track with his tabla, and my favourite singer ever, Esthero, sing on it…
Multi-award winning soul and blues singer/songwriter Miss Emily has released a live version of her beloved 2014 single release, ”The Sellout.”
It’s not a one-off; the song lands ahead of the Kingston-based artist Emily Fennell’s forthcoming and first-ever live album release, Live at The Isabel — available October 30th, 2020.
An enthralling compilation of songs, stories, and captivating moments, the live LP is a sonic snapshot spanning two+ years of record-setting sold-out performances at one of Ontario’s most prestigious venues, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
As the first preview for what’s to come, “The Sellout” soars thanks to Miss Emily’s signature breathtaking vocals and Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair’s stellar accompaniments — guitar and bass, respectively.
From there, Live at The Isabel mines Miss Emily’s most noted archives, documenting two extraordinary periods and cross-sections in her award-winning career, including 2014’s Rise and 2017’s In Between.
The backing band for Live at The Isabel is the same crew of road-tested musicians who supported her throughout 2019’s Maple Blues Award-winning festival circuit; guest appearances by Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker of The Tragically Hip, and CCMA-nominated artists Kelly Prescott and Chad Murphy add what Fennell dubs as “musical muscle” on many of the tracks.
“I’ve worked with many of these musicians for more than a decade and, when I’m on stage with them, it’s like easing back into your favourite armchair…
“Except,” she adds,” that armchair is an incredible group of talented musicians.”
Miss Emily has won 2019’s Maple Blues Female Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and the Sapphire Video Award. A frequent favourite on festival and venue stages nationwide, KISS’ Gene Simmons describes her pipes as “the best we have ever heard in an unsigned artist!”
It’s all par for the course for the multi-talented artist; “being on stage is the most confident version of me,” Fennell shares. “Performing transports me to another place… A place best described as ‘Neverland.’”
While the live performances are where Miss Emily feels most fearless, her production credits — especially as they relate to Live at The Isabel — are striking in and of themselves. To set the scene, Fennell released her most recent album, In Between, in the Fall of 2017. For touring, she felt it “only made sense,” she recalls, to produce the shows herself.
The result was back-to-back sellout shows at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts — a benchmark that has yet to be equaled, and one that prompted a second set of sold-out shows at the same venue, six in total.
“They were thrilling to perform and, when I reviewed the recordings from each show recently, I realized they had the makings of a live album that could help those nights live on forever.”
“The Sellout” is available now. Miss Emily — Live at The Isabel is available October 30th, 2020.
Canadian rockers Dali Van Gogh have released a high-energy and poignant ode to our times in “Boneyard” — their new single produced by JUNO-nominated songwriter Rob Laidlaw (Platinum Blonde, Honeymoon Suite) available now.
The song is the latest instalment into The Testimony, a story being delivered through both music and a digitally-issued tie-in novel unveiled in parts every Friday by the Halifax-based band — Isaac Kent, John Scotto, Johnny Moore, Rachelle Moreau, and Lance Hicks — as part of their intricate and innovative concept release.
“‘Boneyard’ is a special song for us,” Kent considers. “It was created entirely during the pandemic; from sitting at home and mucking about with the first guitar riff during the shutdown, through to the finished product and video. It’s very reflective of where the band is emotionally during such a strange time.”
“The song is heavily inspired by the world and times we live in,” Scotto agrees. “That, and music that came from other times of turmoil in our history.”
“The interior of the building we shot in was dark and foreboding, and conveyed this deep sense of history and tragedy that perfectly fit the tone of the song,” he adds of the video’s location — an abandoned cold-war era radar base in Beaverbank, Nova Scotia. In it, Scotto resurrects a character from Dali Van Gogh’s previous album — a sermon-conducting preacher who’s plot line very much evolves through The Testimony.
Featuring a lone survivor and mysterious stranger from times past, The Testimony delivers accounts of those who have come into contact with ‘The Preacher’ — an enigmatic figure whose very presence alters the world around him. At 30+ pages so far, the novel-in-progress, delivered as a first person journal of sorts, ventures to ask who the authors are and what happened to the world they live in, all through weekly page releases and intermittent singles that piece it all together.
“Sure, there have been lots of concept records over the years, but what we’ve created with The Testimony is fairly unique,” Hicks explains. “We are building the story across various media; songs, the novel and art, videos, even cryptic posts on our website and social media. We’re engaging people every way that we can.”
“It’s definitely something a bit different for us,” Scotto adds. “It’s challenging in some ways because we didn’t go into this saying, ‘hey, let’s make a graphic novel, concept album,’ or anything like that, but one of the great things about working on a creative endeavour of any kind is that it sometimes takes you places you aren’t expecting to go.”
“The story is unfolding slowly, which gives people something to look forward to, as well as eventually to look back on as a finished project when we eventually reach the end,” says Moore. “You could compare it to long-form art similar to a regular YouTube series.”
“You don’t stand out from the pack unless you do things differently than everyone around you,” Kent squares up. “I get that from my grandmother, a champion 100 meter runner in her youth who trained with all the boys during a time when that was incredibly frowned upon. I’ve always taken a lot of inspiration from her story, right from the day I started the band 10 years ago.
“She always broke with the norm, and I think that’s what we’re doing here.”
“We were determined to not let COVID-19 put us at a standstill,” Moreau shares. “I think, if anything, it motivated us even more to put something super special out once our other opportunities had to be cancelled or rescheduled due to the circumstances.”
Evolving from Kent’s previous project — the pop rock band Eight Days To Saturday which also featured Moreau on keyboard — Dali Van Gogh was first formed in 2008. In 2015, his house and recording studio caught fire: every instrument, computer, and master disk, not to mention the contents from the rest of his family’s home, were lost. “Almost nothing was recovered,” he recalls. “Needless to say, it was a major roadblock.”
Just over a year later, however, and with renewed drive and focus, the band returned to the stage. With a sound best described as “infectious, gritty, and surprising” by Recording Artists Guild founder Byron Booker, Dali Van Gogh have received international radio play and charting status, over 500,000+ streams across platforms, were named semi-finalists in the SOCAN Canadian Songwriting Competition, and have released five records — Verbal Warning (2010), Mask Identity (2012), Wild Blue City (2012), From Ashes (2017), and Under Her Spell (2019) — the latter two of which were recorded at Kent’s newly minted HouseFire Studio One after the fire.
This was “a band that had found its way home,” said Brian Lush of RockWired Magazine.
“‘Boneyard’ is hook-laden with new rock energy,” producer and JUNO Award-nominated songwriter Rob Laidlaw (Platinum Blonde, Honeymoon Suite) says of the track. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of Canada’s best enduring bands, and this outfit is perched to make a major impact on the universal rock scene.”
Hip hop R&B artist and producer Keith Phelps and his visionary insights and prescient lyricism are once again front and center for the song, “Harlins Renaissance” — a track co-produced by his brother, Brendan Phelps, and featured in the Oscar-winning film, The Dope Years: The Untold Story of Latasha Harlins.
Directed by Allison A. Waite of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, the film was recently announced as a top finalist for the Student Academy Awards, and won an Oscar in the Best Documentary category. It tells the story of Latasha Harlins who, at the age of 15, was shot in the back of the head by a Korean liquor store clerk in Los Angeles after being wrongfully accused of stealing orange juice. Her passing not only aided in inciting the LA riots, but also brought to light the tensions between the Korean and Black communities in South Central LA in 1991.
“I was commissioned by August K. Burton, who is the film’s music supervisor and composer,” Phelps recalls of how he became involved in the project. “Prior to writing the song, I was completely unaware of Latasha Harlins’ existence, or how much her death played a role in the inciting of the LA riots.
“I spent two weeks researching her brief life and death, and became so emotional over the subject matter that I felt it necessary to personalize the writing in the form of a letter,” he continues. “I really wanted the song to be sincere and somber, and to make something that would touch her close friends and family, as well as provoke others to either seek out the film or find out more about her story.
“The song was co-produced by my youngest brother, Brendan, and we went for subversive artistic commitment; Latasha’s childhood best friend and cousin both heard the track and were really surprised I went to the lengths of sourcing her childhood nickname, even.
“‘Harlins Renaissance’ is the only song in the film, aside from the underscore, and I was so connected to the story that landing it in the film was enough for me. To see the film honoured by the Academy, though, is just a confirmation of what creating for what you believe in can and will do for you.”
To be very honest, the music business cannot give you any guarantees. This is because there are too many elements that determine how successful you will ultimately be. Some of these elements you can control, and some are not. So, the best thing you can do for your career is to put effort into the elements you can control. Which is what this article is all about. While the following suggestions cannot guarantee that you will turn into a successful rapper, they do cover steps that are considered effective.
1. Master Your Art As A Rapper
Before you can begin your journey as a rapper, you have to be honest with yourself in terms of talent. Because you might feel you have what it takes but do others agree? Accepting what you are capable of is half the battle. And this does not mean you should compare yourself to other rappers. If you can bring something unique and different to the world of rapping, you have a much better chance of turning into a success.
After being honest with yourself, it is critical to master your rapping talent. Practice your style and do your best to be creative in terms of writing lyrics. Come up with a rap name, which is cool and catchy. Search for an online rap name generator where you can generate your unique rap name. You also want your punchlines to linger in the mind of the listener. But this cannot happen if you don’t actively try to better yourself with every song you write.
2. Participate In Live Gigs
Musicians and singers are usually judged by their live performances. If they are unable to draw and keep the audience’s attention, it means you have another area you need to work on. Having a stage presence needs to be part of the package you provide. And while you might not have it right now, it can always be developed.
How exactly do you develop a more enticing stage presence? By putting yourself out there as much as possible. When the opportunity to perform presents itself, take it. Get used to the crowd and build confidence with every show if you are serious about being a successful rapper.
3. Lay Down Some Professional Tracks
There is no doubt that independent artists are getting a lot more traction these days. However, they are not exempt from recording bad-quality tracks. While your recordings’ quality is not a dictating factor on your road to success, it helps to sound professional from the start.
If it is possible, get professional help when you record your demo tracks. Otherwise, potential fans are not going to take you seriously.
4. Build An Online Following
The internet is a powerful tool for all types of entrepreneurs and artists. More specifically, it allows you to cross borders and oceans without leaving your home. For example, you can use social media platforms to spread the word. Yes, this can take some time. But once you have a small following, it is much easier to grow that number. And the more followers you can get online, the better the odds of you turning into a successful rapper.
5. Consider Current Trends And Markets
Whether you want to believe it or not, there is a business side to music. If you do not bring in money, you cannot continue with your career as a rapper. And one reality you have to face when working in entertainment is that trends matter. If you are not able to set them, you have to be able to follow them. Hence the reason for building a strong following. They can help you create a new trend if your style is truly unique and sets you apart. Alternatively, you might have to compromise to get your foot in the door of success.
6. Start Selling Independently
There used to be a time when rappers focused heavily on signing with big record labels. But even the most successful rappers will tell you how many complications are involved. Not only do you have to be creative within the framework the label gives you, but you run the risk of getting cut loose if your albums don’t sell quickly enough.
This is why many rappers and other musicians choose to do things without the help of influential labels. As mentioned earlier, the internet provides many opportunities for you to sell your music. And with more and more people shopping for music online, you have a much better chance now than ten years ago to support your rap career.
7. Be Confident In Your Ability
Finally, you have to be confident when you decide to rap for a living. Because if you don’t have enough confidence, people are going to sense it. When you take a look at some of the biggest rappers in the business, it is clear they never lack confidence in their ability to rap. Can you say the same?
Now in its tenth edition and its biggest revise ever, Donald Passman’s classic guide returns with the most changes in the book’s and music’s history, due to how streaming has turned the industry upside down. This is a must read to navigate those changes and thrive in the rapidly changing music industry.
Nobody knows the music business like Don Passman. The first edition of ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS was released in 1991, quickly being dubbed the “industry bible” by the Los Angeles Times. Over the next 28 years and many editions, Donald Passman’s roadmap on how to succeed in music has only become sharper and more insightful. Now, in its tenth and most comprehensive update yet, Passman guides readers once more through the constantly shifting landscape of the music industry—through all the digital and streaming jungles and mystifying legalese and royalties—to teach music-loving hopefuls everything they could possibly need to know to not only survive, but to strike it big.
But this book isn’t only for those just starting out. Whether you’re a novice taking your first look into the music world or you’ve been in the business for a while but are mystified by the massive upheaval around you, you will find that the newest update to Passman’s guide offers the same gold-standard of timely, trustworthy guidance from a universally respected veteran of the industry. He teaches new talent how to choose a winning team of advisors; how to structure their commissions and fees; and how to navigate the ins and outs of record deals. Higher-ups can find authoritative advice on maximizing profits through concerts, touring, and merchandising deals. But most importantly, while this tenth revamp of Passman’s indispensable guidebook retains the sage lessons from past editions, it also indicates how professionals can navigate the biggest shift the industry has faced since the phonograph: teaching us all how to play the game even after the streaming revolution completely changed the rules.
The music industry has gone through a period of unprecedented upheaval in the last twenty years. The advent of streaming threw the musical ecosystem completely on its head. Suddenly, musicians don’t earn money through the number of units they sell, but rather by how many times their audiences listen to their songs. Now that this major transformation has occurred, changing everything we thought we knew about how the industry operates, the only question left to ask yourself is: how do I make streaming work for me? The tenth edition of ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS definitively answers this question—and so many more.
ARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT, DO SOMETHING is the inspiring story of Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/activist Harry Chapin (“Cat’s in the Cradle”). Chapin sold over 16 million albums and was one of his generation’s most beloved artist-activists who spent his fame and fortune trying to end world hunger before his tragic passing.
The film features Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Peter Seeger, Sir Bob Geldof, Kenny Rogers, Graham Nash, Pat Benatar, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Robert Lamm, Richie Havens, and Harry Belafonte intimately reflecting on Chapin’s larger-than-life impact on music and the world including his founding, along with Bill Ayres, of WhyHunger – the nonprofit organization leading the movement to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world.
