All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: The Trews with Crown Lands at Toronto’s OLG Play Stage
Prince Edward County’s Alt.Rocker ROGOV Questions Life & Celebrates its Flow in NEW Single “Mistakes are Beautiful”
Canadian artist ROGOV and former frontman of 80s-era rockers ARKITEX questions life and celebrates its flow as he unveils his stunning, take-pause new single, “Mistakes Are Beautiful” — available now.
“Looking back at 36 years of living in California, where the ceaseless sun blurs the seasons and melts the years into long view, a question of mistakes swept over me,” ROGOV — nee Vladymir Rogov — considers. “I mused on the things that had become of me and wondered: what if my entire life is made out of mistakes?”
Collaborating with former Bowie lead guitarist, plus long-time friend and collaborator, Gold- and Platinum-selling, award-winning Canadian producer Stacy Heydon (Teenage Head, Sheriff, Long John Baldry), the song lands ahead of his forthcoming EP, Tourist.
The video, helmed by Canadian photographic artist Deborah Samual, showcases the journey and insight ROGOV gleaned upon his return to Prince Edward County, Ontario after living for years in San Diego, California.
Early praise for the song and video abound; “‘Mistakes are Beautiful’ is a visual work of modern film art,” Alannah Myles enthuses. “Beautifully shot and edited, (like) ‘Steve McQueen late-60s chic, desert’ cool.
“I loved the track,” she adds. “(The) audio mix was thoughtful, complicated, and extremely interesting.”
“Mistakes are Beautiful” is available now.
Charlottetown Rockers ARSENAL MILLS Break Onto the Scene with Groove-Laden Debut Single, “Lovesick & Broke”
Rock/blues band Arsenal Mills — featuring Brad Milligan, Griffen Arsenault, Josh MacNeil, and André Uyterlinde — have arrived on the Canadian scene with the release of their groove-laden debut single, “Lovesick & Broke” — available now.
“This song is a true story about a close friend of mine,” Milligan shares of the song’s origins. “He ended up losing someone special to him, which then caused a downward spiral of depression and drinking.
“We approached this song with the idea of making it as relatable as possible — the most important aspect of any song in any genre — but ’Lovesick & Broke’ was written with the hopes it would be sort of therapeutic for him.”
“If you keep telling yourself you’ll be okay, you will… Right?” Arsenault adds.
The single is the first of a few to land ahead of the Prince Edward Island-based band’s forthcoming debut EP, set for release this Fall 2020.
“‘Lovesick & Broke’ helped us find our sound as a collective,” Arsenault says. “It paved the way for the rest of the album.”
“It creates an interesting, contrasting image,” Uyterlinde offers. “It’s one of those songs that sounds very positive and energetic yet, at the same time, the lyrics are the opposite.
“But the groove is infectious… Nothing beats a rock n’ roll tune that makes you want to dance.”
“When the chorus hits, you can’t help but sing along,” MacNeil adds. “‘Lovesick & Broke’ is one of my absolute favourite songs to play; there’s just such an unmatched, fun energy to it.”
“This song is the perfect single to showcase what the album has to offer,” Milligan agrees. “We’ve been working tirelessly to deliver the best debut EP we possibly can; one that’s full of originality, energy and style.”
“Lovesick & Broke” is available now.
British Columbia-Born, World/Jazz Singer NANCY RUTH Urges to “Turn The Lights Back Down” in Sultry New Single
Canadian singer/songwriter Nancy Ruth has set forth her fourth single of the year into the world, a sultry ballad straight from her renowned repertoire of jazz, latin, and flamenco influences: “Turn the Lights Back Down” is available now.
“It invites us to take pause during this time of global chaos, and tap into the love that connects us all,” she shares of the inspiration behind the song.
Nancy Ruth, of all people, knows very much about this concept firsthand. “I recorded this song between New York, Vancouver, and Spain, both before and during COVID-19 confinement,” she recalls of the process. “The onset of travel restrictions caught me while I was in Malaga, Spain, which delayed my return to Canada.”
Originally from British Columbia, Nancy Ruth has made the world her stage, travelling to perform or reside in Morocco, Brunei, Polynesia, Panama, Spain, and more following esteemed studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Douglas College, and Berklee College of Music.
Since her self-titled debut release in 1998, Ruth has released four additional titles — It’s Got To Be Love (2004), Me Quedo (2008), Para Ti (2014), Sangria Jam (2016) — as well as a series of critically acclaimed singles, each embodying her fearless, fiery yet elegant signature sound.
“I write what flows freely,” she muses of her music. “I’m not trying to create a fusion, I just play what I feel.
“I’m a product of my experience and surroundings.”
Those experiences stack up, indeed… Most recently, and having spent a shining part of 2019 in New York City to record new works with arranger Joe Gianono (Blood Sweat and Tears, Michel Camilo) and GRAMMY Award-winning engineer Oscar Zambrano — including a soundtrack piece, “Where the Sea Melts to Sky,” featuring members of the New York Philharmonic — she was a featured composer and artist at Africa’s biggest jazz festival, Festival du Saint Louis in Senegal.
Before that, she’s both crooned for the Sultan of Brunei’s harem, had to sign a ‘high risk activity clause’ during a stint in the Yukon due to her penchant for skydiving, river-rafting, and bear watching, and legally changed her name to drop the last name of Trump; these, and more stories, are all worth an ask.
She’s currently working on a documentary detailing her some-18 years of travels through Morocco cross-culturally collaborating with musicians in Berber tribes, deserts, towns and cities from Tangier to Tiznit.
“Turn the Lights Back Down” is available now.
CHARU SURI, Multi-Award Winning & FIRST FEMALE Indian American Jazz Composer to Premier Work at Carnegie Hall Celebrates Recent Double Release
As the first female Indian American jazz composer to premier work at Carnegie Hall, multi-award winning artist Charu Suri continues to celebrate the launch of her most recent releases, The Book of Ragas and New American Songbook — available now!
The Book of Ragas is a completely original sound in jazz, using a jazz trio with a Sufi singer, which six-time GRAMMY Award winner Arturo O’Farrill has described as “singular.” New American Songbook, her nod to the more classic sound in jazz, was released in a double bill at Weill Recital Hall on Dec. 20th, 2019.
“The Book of Ragas is the culmination of a long journey to develop a new sound in jazz,” Suri shares. “It blends my beloved jazz trio idiom with the Carnatic ragas I grew up listening to in my childhood.
“I wanted to make it interesting and approachable,” she continues, adding that in India, ragas are meant to be played and performed at a certain time of day. “I wanted The Book of Ragas to be jazz-y, yet soulful with ghazals borrowed from the Sufi mystical tradition, so there’s also a layer of Sufi sounds.
“It was hard to achieve a fine balance between the band and singer, but I think, after many jam sessions, we did it. The lyrics, sung in Punjabi, are from timeless Sufi ghazals, and because the band was new to Indian rhythms and ragas, there was a bit of groundwork that needed to be achieved.
“New American Songbook is a quest for more nostalgia,” Suri contrasts. “It’s a more traditional way of looking at the jazz trio and vocal idiom.
“I grew up on Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, so I wanted these original songs to be a tribute and continuation of that timeless genre. New American Songbook was composed as an ode to nostalgia and a continuation of the trend.”
Born in Madurai in South India, Charu Suri has been playing the piano since the age of five and performing since the age of nine. She won an international piano competition at the age of 15.
Charu Suri’s piece for chamber orchestra, The Shield of Achilles, was performed by the Princeton University Chamber Ensemble. As part of an atelier workshop with Toni Morrison at Princeton, two of her original pieces were performed by a chamber ensemble, along with cellist Yo Yo Ma and double bass player, Edgar Meyer.
The band consists of Charu Suri on the piano, J. Brunka on the double bass, Jay O’Brien on the drums and the vocal talents of Sufi singer Umer Piracha and Songbook vocalist Danielle Erin Rhodes. Formed in the spring of 2018, the ensemble has received praise from jazz critics and audience members for renditions of standards and original music.
Suri’s debut album, Lollipops for Breakfast, launched in November 2018 and won a Global Music Award. The Book of Ragas recently snagged two Global Music Awards. Suri was invited to join the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS) as a voting member.
She and her band are set to return to Carnegie Hall on July 3, 2021. In the meantime, Suri has been performing an ongoing series of wildly popular virtual concerts via her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The Book of Ragas and New American Songbook are available now.
After A Record-Breaking Billboard #1 Chart Hit, Billy Ray Cyrus Returns With Canadian-Exclusive Single “Country Twisted”
Multi-Platinum selling, GRAMMY Award-winning and Billboard chart topping artist Billy Ray Cyrus is circling back to his roots in Canada in this, his newest single, “Country Twisted” — available now!
The newly minted country anthem is straight out of the long-iconic American singer/songwriter’s wheelhouse, and sure to inspire a line dance redux as he first did in his unforgettable 1992 hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.” And “Country Twisted” is Canadian – the writers and producers are Vancouver-based Peter Gibson and Morris Tancredi and was recorded in that city.
While that track in particular was the first single ever to achieve triple Platinum status in Australia, Cyrus’ hat-tips extend to include going nine-times Platinum for his groundbreaking debut, Some Gave All (1992), eight Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 17 Top 40 tracks, 36 charted singles, starring in television shows like the Pax TV, Canadian-filmed Doc, Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana and CMT’s Still the King, and much more.
Last year, he perked ears again as a featured artist on a remix of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” a contribution which added a first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 list to his list of accolades.
Cyrus helped make history with the collaboration; the song spent a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and also 19 weeks and the top spot on the Billboard R&B / Hip Hop Songs and Billboard Hot Rap Songs charts. The song also topped the national singles charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It was awarded diamond certification by the RIAA for moving ten million total units in the United States, the fastest song to be awarded diamond certification.
Also thanks to the song, Billy Ray Cyrus won his first two GRAMMY Awards (Best Pop/Duo Group Performance and Best Music Video).
“Country Twisted” is available now.
Lou Reed’s ‘New York’ Re-Released In 3CD/DVD/2LP Deluxe Edition
Lou Reed struck a chord with critics and fans alike more than 30 years ago with New York, his Sire Records debut and 15th solo studio album overall. Its raw sound and evocative lyrics would go on to earn the legendary singer-songwriter-poet a gold record, a Grammy® nomination, and a #1 hit on the Modern Rock charts with “Dirty Blvd.”
Rhino explores this gritty classic on an expansive collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original 1989 album on CD and – for the first time – on double 180-gram audiophile vinyl. The set also includes 26 unreleased studio and live recordings of album tracks from the Lou Reed Archive, as well as the DVD-debut of “The New York Album,” a long-out-of-print concert video recorded during the New York tour. In addition, audio from the set will be available through digital and streaming services.
NEW YORK: DELUXE EDITION will be available from Rhino on September 25. The 3CD/DVD/2LP set comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book that includes new liner notes written by music journalist David Fricke, essays from archivist Don Fleming, and was produced for release by Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Bill Ingot, Jason Stern, and Hal Willner.
New York captures Reed in exceptional form and is packed with incredible songs like “Busload Of Faith,” “Halloween Parade” and “Dirty Blvd.” The entire album has been remastered for the first time ever for this collection. The second disc presents unreleased live versions from the Lou Reed Archive of every album track compiled from multiple performances. To avoid duplication, none of these live tracks were taken from the set’s accompanying DVD.
The third disc showcases unreleased early versions of several album tracks from the Lou Reed Archive, including “Last Great American Whale,” “Sick Of You” and “Dirty Blvd.” Also featured is the non-LP track “The Room,” as well as live versions of “Sweet Jane,” a song Reed originally recorded with The Velvet Underground, and “Walk On The Wild Side,” from his second solo album, Transformer (1972.)
This set also includes “The New York Album,” a concert video that was originally released in 1990 on VHS and Laserdisc. It has never been available on DVD, until now. It features Reed performing the entire New York album live in Montreal at the Theatre St. Denis. The DVD concludes with an audio-only interview with Reed. Pre-Order here.
NEW YORK: DELUXE EDITION
Track Listing:
Disc One: Original Album (2020 Remaster)
“Romeo Had Juliette”
“Halloween Parade”
“Dirty Blvd.”
“Endless Cycle”
“There Is No Time”
“Last Great American Whale”
“Beginning Of A Great Adventure”
“Busload Of Faith”
“Sick Of You”
“Hold On”
“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”
“Xmas In February”
“Strawman”
“Dime Store Mystery”
Disc Two: “New York” – Live
“Romeo Had Juliette” *
“Halloween Parade” *
“Dirty Blvd.” *
“Endless Cycle” *
“There Is No Time” *
“Last Great American Whale” *
“Beginning Of A Great Adventure” *
“Busload Of Faith” *
“Sick Of You” *
“Hold On” *
“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim” *
“Xmas In February” *
“Strawman” *
“Dime Store Mystery” *
Disc Three: Works In Progress/Singles/Encore
“Romeo Had Juliette” (7” Version)
“Dirty Blvd.” (Work Tape) *
“Dirty Blvd.” (Rough Mix) *
“Endless Cycle” (Work Tape) *
“Last Great American Whale” (Work Tape) *
“Beginning Of A Great Adventure” (Rough Mix) *
“Busload Of Faith” (Solo Version) *
“Sick Of You” (Work Tape) *
“Sick Of You” (Rough Mix) *
“Hold On” (Rough Mix) *
“Strawman” (Rough Mix) *
“The Room” (Non-LP Track)
“Sweet Jane” (Live Encore) *
“Walk On The Wild Side” (Live Encore) *
DVD
“Romeo Had Juliette”
“Halloween Parade”
“Dirty Blvd.”
“Endless Cycle”
“There Is No Time”
“Last Great American Whale”
“Beginning Of A Great Adventure”
“Busload Of Faith”
“Sick Of You”
“Hold On”
“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”
“Xmas In February”
“Strawman”
“Dime Store Mystery”
Audio Only Bonus
A Conversation with Lou Reed
Vinyl Track Listing
Side A
“Romeo Had Juliette”
“Halloween Parade”
“Dirty Blvd.”
“Endless Cycle”
Side B
“There Is No Time”
“Last Great American Whale”
“Beginning of a Great Adventure”
Side C
“Busload of Faith”
“Sick of You”
“Hold On”
“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”
Side D
“Xmas In February”
“Strawman”
“Dime Store Mystery”
* previously unreleased
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto Moves 2020 Edition Online
The biannual Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO), originally scheduled for May of this year, has re-envisioned its 2020 edition as an online presentation from November 26 – 29. The four-day festival will goe live at IFWtoronto.com and include: cinematically produced fashion films featuring 19 designers; 50+ limited edition Indigenous-made collections, which will then retail in a virtual pop-up marketplace; a digital art exhibition; and a critical discourse about fashion and the arts through Indigenous leadership in a series of panel discussions. This year’s edition of IFWTO continues to celebrate Indigenous-made fashion, craft and textiles, share Indigenous visual narratives and create opportunities for global community engagement through a screen-based experience.
“At a time when physical gatherings are difficult and the online market is saturated, carving out innovative digital spaces for Indigenous creators to gather and share our work is vital,” says IFWTO Artistic Director Sage Paul. “IFWTO has brought together a talented multidisciplinary team to reimagine how audiences experience and interact with Indigenous-made fashion, craft and textiles online. I hope the four-day experience is a cathartic experience of getting dressed up for something special and celebrating Indigenous art and culture.”
Bringing together fashion, theatre, dance and film, the IFWTO Fashion Films are curatorially underscored by our interconnectedness to water. The IFWTO Selections Committee recognizes mainstream and Indigenous fashion as it relates to climate seasons that correspond to the land, water, harvests and moon. Water is a vital resource and is sacred for Indigenous peoples around the world. It is protected and nurtured by women and carries metaphorical and literal connections to blood and life. In relation to fashion, both Indigenous and mainstream, water is an undeniable resource, connector and life force that must be protected and nurtured. The four programs feature:
Day 1: Tu Gh’eh Nah (Water is Life)
Miss Chief Rocka
Mobilize
Jason Baerg
Section 35
Skawennati
Day 2: Tu Cho (Lake) – Global Program
Bobby Itta
Murrii Quu
Maru Creations
Margaret Jacobs
Kandama
Day 3: Tu Gh’eh Tl’e’th (Streams)
Warren Steven Scott
Curtis Oland
Evan Ducharme
Indi City
Hand of Solomon
Day 4: Tu Gh’el T’ilhn (Water Carriers) – Women’s Program
Ay Lelum – The Good House of Design
Anne Mullaire
Lesley Hampton
Celeste Pedri-Spade
Elton John Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of His Legendary Troubadour Performance With Record Store Day Exclusive Of ‘Elton John’
Today, Elton John celebrates the 50th Anniversary of his career-catapulting performance at the historic Troubadour, in Los Angeles, CA. On August 25, 1970, Elton took the stage for the first time in the United States, a gig that would quickly mark the beginning of his legendary career. Playing to a star-studded, packed house of 300 people, Elton was introduced by Neil Diamond before performing for the likes of Quincy Jones, Peggy Lipton, Linda Ronstandt, Brian Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, Don Henley, Randy Newman, David Crosby, Leon Russell, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. His set consisted of songs off his debut album, in addition to many unreleased tracks such as the timeless “Your Song,” from his then forthcoming eponymous album Elton John. The concert was highlighted by an extraordinary review from the Los Angeles Times’s music critic, Robert Hilburn, and has since been heralded as one of the greatest concerts of the rock era.
Also celebrating its 50th anniversary is the aforementioned, critically acclaimed debut album, Elton John. In celebration of this golden anniversary, a limited edition Record Store Day exclusive deluxe gatefold 2LP version of the record will be available on August 29, 2020. Pressed on transparent purple vinyl, the first disc features the 2016 remaster of the original album, while the second contains a selection of bonus tracks off the 2008 CD Deluxe Edition, never released on vinyl, as well as two previously unreleased demos of “Border Song” and “Bad Side Of The Moon.” On 30th October the original Elton John album will also be released as a limited-edition gatefold 1LP gold 180 gram vinyl edition with download code.
Elton John will be available in the following formats:
Record Store Day 2LP Purple Vinyl Set
LP1
SIDE A
1. Your Song
2. I Need You To Turn To
3. Take Me To The Pilot
4. No Shoe Strings On Louise
5. First Episode At Hienton
SIDE B
1. Sixty Years On
2. Border Song
3. The Greatest Discovery
4. The Cage
5. The King Must Die
LP2
SIDE A
1. Your Song (Piano Demo)
2. I Need You To Turn To (Piano Demo)
3. Take Me To The Pilot (Piano Demo)
4. Sixty Years On (Piano Demo)
5. Border Song (Piano Demo)
6. Bad Side Of The Moon (Piano Demo)
SIDE B
1. Thank You Mama (Piano Demo)
2. All The Way Down To El Paso (Piano Demo)
3. I’m Going Home (Piano Demo)
4. Bad Side Of The Moon
5. Grey Seal
6. Rock And Roll Madonna
Limited Edition 1LP Gold Vinyl Set
LP1
SIDE A
1. Your Song
2. I Need You To Turn To
3. Take Me To The Pilot
4. No Shoe Strings On Louise
5. First Episode At Hienton
SIDE B
1. Sixty Years On
2. Border Song
3. The Greatest Discovery
4. The Cage
5. The King Must Die
New Ronnie Wood Film Tracing His 50-Year Journey Announced, ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’
Eagle Rock Entertainment/Universal Music Canada proudly presents the first in-depth film biography of iconic musician Ronnie Wood with the release of Somebody Up There Likes Me. An official selection at both the Tribeca Film Festival 2020 and the BFI London Film Festival 2019, the film (by acclaimed director Mike Figgis) will be available in North America as a Virtual Cinema release starting September 18 at www.ronniewoodmovie.com, running through October. This will be followed by a DVD, Blu-ray and deluxe hardback book release on October 9.
Pre-orders are available now. Those who purchase a ticket ($11) will also be treated to a Q&A with Wood and Figgis.
As an artist, musician, producer and author, Ronnie Wood has made countless contributions to the cultural zeitgeist. Yet, there is so much more to know about the man himself. This intimate portrait traces the many lives and careers of one of the most important guitarists in music, capturing what it means to be a rock ‘n’ roll icon.
Somebody Up There Likes Me traces Wood’s 50-year musical history, from The Birds, The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces (with Rod Stewart), and The New Barbarians, to becoming a permanent member of The Rolling Stones. Additionally, Mike Figgis captures Wood’s charismatic warmth, energy and honesty as he speaks openly about his battles with drink and drugs. The film takes its title from a conversation with Wood about surviving his chronic smoking habit: “When they operated on my cancer, they took away my emphysema. They said my lungs were as if I’d never smoked. I thought: ‘How’s that for a Get Out Of Jail Free card?’ Somebody up there likes me, and somebody down here likes me too.”
The documentary features brand new interviews with Wood’s Rolling Stones bandmates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, as well as his Faces bandmate, Rod Stewart. Other interviewees include Wood’s wife Sally Wood, singer Imelda May and artist Damien Hirst, alongside both present-day performances and archive footage from Wood’s stellar multi-band career.
These interviews and performance segments blend with footage of Wood playing guitar and harmonica (a reminder of his talents as a versatile instrumentalist), as well as quiet, personal moments while he paints in his studio. It climaxes with Wood giving a beautiful, intimate performance of “Breathe On Me” from his 1975 solo album New Look.
The DVD, blu-ray and deluxe formats all feature bonus performances by Ronnie, plus two mini-features. The deluxe is a special limited edition 40-page hardback book featuring pictures, paintings and annotations by Ronnie which are exclusive to this format. It also features an exclusive essay by Paul Sexton, with DVD and blu-ray of the documentary.
Somebody Up There Likes Me is a fresh look at Ronnie Wood – a rewarding and compelling insight into one of music’s most likeable, successful and complex key players.
Ronnie describes the film as summing up “the essence of survival” in a life he continues to live to the fullest, without regrets, “I wouldn’t change anything except I’d do it with my eyes open a bit more,” he says, “I was in the hands of destiny all my life…and being in the right place at the right time”.