As part of the recent Yamaha Guitars ‘Open House Online’ event, Former Joy Division and New Order co-founder and bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light performed a socially distanced live version of Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Toronto Funeral Director SAGEN PEARSE Drops “Haunted” Music Video Under His HOLLOWSAGE Moniker
Funeral director by day, songwriter by night, Toronto singer/songwriter Sagen Pearse has just released the latest music video from his debut album, Nuclear Home. The three-minute, 15-second spanning folk song is called “Haunted” and was released under the moniker Hollowsage & the Three Mile Islanders.
“Haunted,” some might ask?
As someone who clocks in and bears witness to the frontlines of human grief on a near-daily basis, it’s understandable that the up-and-coming musician would cover the ground of dark subject matter.
Monsters, death and darkness… You name it, he’s written it.
Ultimately though, Sagen always wanted to use his platform and natural storytelling abilities to share soothing songs for people who are struggling with the unfortunate and necessary truths of life; as a body of art that might help them cope with the bittersweet nature of reality.
Sagen began performing covers at a local open mic night hosted by producer Kevin Ker (Future History) a few years back. After his debut performance, he was encouraged to attend weekly and play some of his original music. Since then, Sagen has garnered a dedicated following across Canada by playing intimate shows to crowds all across Ontario and beyond.
Prior to “Haunted,” “Monsters” and “Naturally Disastrous” were released as standalone singles before the release of Hollowsage & the Three Mile Islanders’ debut album, Nuclear Home, this past February. As described by Sagen, Nuclear Home is a collection of folk tracks filled with stories of heartache, honesty and overall hope.
Along with “Haunted,” the remainder of Hollowsage’s record was recorded in the span of only three days at Union Sound Studio in Toronto. Sagen wrote the entire 12-track release, while Ker produced it. Additionally, Ker contributes electric guitar in the band.
The two remaining Three Mile Islanders, as Sagen calls them, are Markham-based drummer Justin Dillon and bassist/keyboardist Quincy Bullen, also from Markham.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Sagen has encouraged his fans to stay safe by staying at home to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. As an added measure, the Sault Ste. Marie-born, Markham-based musician opted to play online shows only until the global health crisis is merely an issue of the past.
Linus Entertainment Acquires Borealis Records Catalog
After 25 years of proudly putting out some of the best Canadian folk and roots music, the principles of Borealis Records – Grit Laskin and Bill Garrett – have announced that as of January 1, 2021 the Borealis catalogue will shift to the management of Linus Entertainment, a leading Canadian rights management company whose portfolio of labels includes True North Records, Stony Plain Records, The Children’s Group, and Solid Gold Records.
In a joint statement, Laskin and Garrett said of the transition, “We have partnered with Linus Entertainment for some 13 years in distribution and they have been our partners in the best sense.”
Geoff Kulawick, President and CEO of Linus Entertainment, said of the transition, “It has been a joy to work with Grit and Bill and their wonderful artists. Taking on the responsibility of managing the Borealis catalog, which includes many ever-green musical gems of Canadian culture and folklore was a natural fit as we know the music well, so transition for the artists and our global distribution partners will be seamless.”
Laskin and Garrett continued, “We have been most fortunate in being able to work with a large number of very fine artists over the years. Their music has been a constant source of inspiration and the friendships made will be life-long. Although we leave the business of running a record company behind we by no means will be leaving music.”
Grit Laskin continues to craft some of the best acoustic guitars made anywhere and Bill Garrett is in demand as a producer.
Virtual Maple Blues Awards Launch From Four Cities
The Toronto Blues Society’s annual Maple Blues Awards will be a little different this year in that, like many arts awards and programs, it will be held virtually and streamed from four cities across Canada on each Monday of the month of February.
Multiple Maple Blues Awards have been selected to host and perform for the awards events beginning with Alana Bridgewater and Johnny Max hosting from Toronto on Monday, February 1st with a performance from Dione Taylor, who has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, new Artist / Group of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. Also performing is Jack de Keyzer, who has been nominated along with his bandmates for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Recording / Producer of the Year, Guitarist of the Year, Horn Player of the Year (for Richard Thornton), and Bassist of the Year (for Alan Duffy).
On Monday, February 8th Angelique Francis and Matt Sobb will be hosting the stream from Ottawa and the evening will feature a performance from JW-Jones, who has been nominated along with his bandmates for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, New Artist / Group of the Year (for Jones’ other project HOROJO Trio), and Recording / Producer of the Year. Also streaming a performance from Ottawa is Nashville-based Indigenous artist Crystal Shawanda, who has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Recording / Producer of the Year.
Monday, February 15th the Maple Blues Awards will be streamed from Montreal and hosted by Dawn Tyler Watson and Ben Racine and will feature a performance from Durham County Poets, who are nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Recording / Producer of the Year. Matt Andersen, who has been nominated for Acoustic Act of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year will also be performing.
The final night of the Maple Blues Awards stream will be coming from Vancouver Island on Monday, February 22 and will be hosted by Dalannah Gail Bowen and Jim Byrnes and will have performances from 13-year old New Artist / Group of the Year nominee Liam Docherty and Drummer of the Year nominee Lindsay Beaver, streaming from Halifax for a true coast-to-coast MBA experience.
The 24th Annual Maple Blues Awards will be streamed at 8:00 PM Eastern via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TorontoBluesSociety
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Performs An Even Happier Version of Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’
This week’s Sunday offering from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a clip taken from their 2018 Le Poisson Rouge, NYC show. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain live streamed a concert to promote their upcoming US tour. This version of ‘Happy’ is taken from that live show.
UOGBTV presents the Ukulele World Service Episode 2, our second pay-per-view show, available to stream now from their website. For £5 you will be able to access the video stream for 5 days. You can watch as many times as you like within those 5 days.
Get your Virtual Tickets here – https://www.ukuleleorchestra.com/world-service.
OutKast’s Isolated Vocals For “Ms. Jackson”
OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” was released as the second single from their fourth album, Stankonia, and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week on February 17, 2001, and also reached number one in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. In October 2015, NME placed it at number 81 on its list of the, “150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years” and in June of the same year Rolling Stone ranked it at number 55 in their, “100 Best Songs of the 2000s”
Video: Vintage Footage Of Robin Williams And Jim Varney Hanging Out Together Will Make You Miss Them Both
Robin Williams and Jim Varney hang out backstage and riff off each other for a minute and half.
Nominations for the 20th Anniversary INDIES are Now Open!
Canadian Music Week announces the 20th Anniversary Canadian Independent Music Awards – Live Streamed on Friday, May 21st, 2021.
Part concert and part awards, the 2021 Jim Beam Indie Awards are a celebration of new music and the artists who inspire the independent spirit, both nationally and internationally. Submit your nomination(s) today for a chance to be recognized among industry peers, media and fans alike. Submissions are being accepted through indies.ca until February 5, 2021. Artists or their representatives (including labels, agents, managers, and publishers) can submit nominations on their behalf. The eligibility period for all awards categories runs from January 1, 2019 through January 1, 2021. Nominees must have been active during the eligibility period and are based on the performance of the group or artist. For complete submission details, eligibility criteria and award categories, see “Criteria” on the Indies website.
Past winners include The Weeknd, Arcade Fire, Carly Rae Jepsen, Deadmau5, Alexisonfire, Lights, Marianas Trench, Mother Mother, Arkells, Jessie Reyez, KAYTRANADA, Death From Above, The Strumbellas, Crystal Castles, and many more! Past nominees include Daniel Caesar, City and Colour, MAGIC!, Alvvays, Purity Ring, Coeur de Pirate, BADBADNOTGOOD, Chromeo, Bob Moses, Mac DeMarco, and more.
Past performers include Janelle Monae, Tokyo Police Club, Billy Talent, Metric, The New Pornographers, Passion Pit, Rural Alberta Advantage, Bombay Bicycle Club, Born Ruffians, Arkells, and many others!
Calgary’s K BESD nominated at 3rd Annual Canadian Independent Music Video Awards for Cover of Goddo’s “TUFF TIMES”
Canadian singer/songwriter dynamo K BESD has turned rock, pop, and hip hop genres on their heads as she pays homage to Goddo’s 1978 iconic hit in “TUFF TIMES” — available now.
This week, the video has been announced as a finalist for The Canadian Independent Video Awards, conceived to share a spotlight on the incredible videos that are created by independent artists across the country. Last year the contest received over 100,000 votes and this year is set to be higher.
Round one ends with four finalists chosen, per genre. Two videos will move forward based on Judges choices and two based on fans votes. These finalists will move on to round two. The finalists will be decided between a combination of Judge and fan votes. The winners will be announced at a live (and potentially virtual) event in 2021, the date and venue for this event have yet to be announced at www.independentmusicvideoawards.com.
Executive produced by Goddo’s Greg Godovitz himself — and co-produced by Trey Mills (KRS One, Canadian Brass, Forest Blakk) and Eddie Kramer (The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix) — the track was mastered by multi-GRAMMY Award-winning engineer John Greenham (Billie Eillish).
“I’ve known Greg since I was a kid, and ‘Tough Times’ has always been one of my favourite songs of Goddo’s,” K BESD (Kelly Abesdris) recalls. “My producer and I were sitting at the studio brainstorming ideas and played the beginnings of Post Malone’s ‘Take What You Want’ and Goddo’s ‘Tough Times’ — they both have a great guitar riff in the intro, and I love the idea of blending genres to create what Post Malone calls ‘shmusic.’ We realized it was time for me to make a call to Greg and luckily he said yes to allowing me to rework his song.
“A lot of magic happened right from the beginning,” she recalls. “Trey started working on the beat and soon enough, the lyrics simply flowed out of me. I knew I wanted the original hook, and to incorporate some of the other lyrics — but also make them my own.
The rap feature involves Calgary-based artist Jackie Art. “I felt the way he wrote and delivered his lyrics would fit perfectly so I reached out to him on Instagram and, within 24 hours, he had written and sent over his idea.
“It was perfect.”
The pieces had come together but, before releasing “TUFF TIMES” to the world, K BESD was keen to glean Godovitz’s thoughts on the reimagined track. “Once we had it somewhat put together, I sent it to Greg on my way home from the studio one night. He called shortly after and said, ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!’
“I held my breath for a moment,” she reveals. “I was wondering if this was a good or bad reaction? It turns out it was good, and he immediately sent it over to his pals Paul Dean (Loverboy) and Eddie Kramer, both of whom shared his enthusiasm.”
So much so that Kramer would come aboard to co-produce the track. “He really had a hand in shaping the vision and the sound of the single.”
At 15,000+ streams across platforms, “TUFF TIMES” is K BESD’s sophomore single release; it follows this year’s hit “L.I.Y.E. (Lights in Your Eyes),” and lands ahead of the Toronto-based artist’s forthcoming EP.
Alexandria, ON’s Contemporary Jazz-Pop Artist KATIE DITSCHUN Releases Ethereal New Single, “The Moon”
Artfully ominous and delicately foreboding, Alexandria, ON’s contemporary jazz-pop artist Katie Ditschun steps surely into winter’s evening glow with the release of “The Moon” — her moody, ethereal new single and video available now.
“This song came to me in a sudden rush,” the multi-talented Canadian singer/songwriter recalls. “I sat at the piano and was astonished at how quickly it flowed out of me.
“It was like it had been poured into me.”
The third single to shine from the Alexandria, Ontario-based artist’s debut album, Spare Skirt, “The Moon” is a song about secrets, and reflects the anxieties of these inauspicious times. There are three characters in the lyric: “I,” “you,” and “the moon” — the narrator, someone who keeps secrets, and someone who knows everybody’s secrets, respectively.
“I’m fascinated when people tell me which character they identify with, and whom they cast in the other roles,” Ditschun explains. “It’s definitely open to interpretation; one friend said they thought it was about the loss of privacy in the digital age, and another said it resonated with her experience growing up closeted in a small town.
“Given its relatively simple song structure, I realized I needed to stretch it out when it came time to record,” she continues. “The idea of this enchanting extended cello solo as a middle section just struck me as perfect for the song as a whole.”
Cellist Noël Campbell stepped into the moonlight, per se, to fill the role; he also stars in the video. Filmed amongst the marshes on the Glengarry Trails in North Glengarry, Ontario, the video also features a goat named after one of the G.O.A.T.’s — Johnny Cash.
Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Ditschun spent time in Montreal, Quebec following her studies at Berklee College of Music for jazz and contemporary vocals before returning to her home province; she is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association. Though she was diagnosed at 18 months old with juvenile arthritis, beginning piano lessons at age four to keep her fingers moving, it was the onset of her mother’s terminal illness that gave Ditschun the push to pursue music full-time.
As an artist featured across radio nationwide, including CBC and with 15,000+ streams across platforms, “The Moon” follows Ditschun’s previous singles “Here We Are,” “This Is That,” and “Be Still.”