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Legendary Award Winning & JUNO Nominated JAY DOUGLAS Says Things “Muschange” in New Double-Single — with Lord Sassafrass

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Legendary Award Winning & JUNO Nominated JAY DOUGLAS Says Things “Muschange” in New Double-Single — with Lord Sassafrass

Multi-award winning and 2 x JUNO Award nominee Toronto-based reggae master Jay Douglas says things “Muschange” in this, his new double-single — available now from Slammin Media and distributed worldwide by Believe Distribution.

“‘Muschange’ means that nothing stays the same forever,” Douglas muses on the song’s meaning. “There must be a change, and it is happening right in front of our eyes. The greatest teacher of all is Mother Nature and the teacher will be there when the students show up for the lesson.

“We must not be afraid of changes, we must embrace it,” he adds. “As a collective, we have been forced to slow down the pace of which we live and it has given many a chance to reflect on the good in their lives and focus on what really matters.”

This is a man who is long known for sharing his perspective through art and sound. Having first appeared on stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in his over 45 years of entertaining since, Jay Douglas has developed into an Internationally idolized musical renaissance man thanks to his wide-ranging repertoire of reggae, American blues, West Indian rhythms, and jazz standards. He has performed around the world — including but nowhere limited to the Beaches Jazz Festival, Jerk Fest, Canadian National Exhibition, Roy Thomson Hall, the Light in the Attic’s ‘From Jamaica to Toronto’ concert series, and fronting The Cougars, a circa-1960s/1970s R&B act whose skill and verve lit the stage wherever they performed, including the first ever Caribana Festival.

The recipient of two JUNO Award nominations — including last year’s “Jah Children” featuring General Trees — Douglas has also won NOW Magazine’s ‘Best R&B Act,’ the Annual Toronto Reggae Awards’ ‘Male Reggae Vocalist of the Year,’ and the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards’ ‘G98.7 Entertainment Award.’

Co-produced by Sly & Robbie’s Sly Dunbar, “Muschange”’s two tracks feature Carl Harvey (Toots & the Maytals) on guitar and 40-year veteran dancehall DJ, reggae artist and rapper Lord Sassafrass (Black Scorpio Sound System) on one of the freshly pressed versions.

“I called up Lord Sassafrass, who I’ve known on and off as he travels back and forth between Jamaica and Canada,” Douglas shares. “I’ve always wanted to collaborate with him, and this is the first time we’ve gotten to do so.

“We’re in the middle of some troubling times,” Douglas continues, considering the track’s timing. “But we have to remember there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Give thanks to the most high.”

Boutique Guitar Pedals – Top 7 Brands to Choose From

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Over the years, simple devices with analogue circuits have been used to alter the tone and character of a guitar. These are called pedals or stompboxes. Every guitar player has come across guitar effects pedals at one point in their career. Pedals can be stacked with each other to produce unique and exciting sounds to truly emphasize a riff or solo and capture the attention of the audience.
There are some pedals that many consider as top-tier – these are referred to as “boutique” pedals. Because of their fantastic sound quality, high-quality electronics, and excellent build quality, boutique guitar effects pedals may be more expensive than your average stompbox but will elevate your guitar’s tone. Here are the top 7 manufacturers of boutique guitar pedals:

1. Keeley Electronics
Many guitar players may have heard of the name “Keeley” because of the renowned Keeley Katana boost pedal – which is, in my opinion, the greatest clean boost pedal you can get today. However, Keeley Electronics has even more great pedals to choose from that offer great sounds to take to your next gig. Keeley Electronics was founded by Robert Keeley. Keeley has done a lot of pedal modifications throughout the years and is known to provide artists and customers with high-quality modded pedals as well as his original ones. Some of the most excellent pedals from the Keeley lineup include the wet-dry Compressor Plus, D&M drive, Keeley Katana, and the Caverns delay. When it comes to modified or original stompboxes, Keeley Electronics has done a great job of satisfying even the strictest tastes in guitar tone.

2. Strymon
This Southern California-based pedal manufacturer has made its name in the production of great-sounding digital pedals. Many professional artists can be seen with Strymon pedals in their rigs, and for a good reason. Strymon has a wide range of high-performance pedals including their Big Sky pedal and the Flint tremolo and reverb pedal. Their circuits are one of the best in the industry, and the tones you’ll be getting from their pedals are well worth the price.

3. Walrus Audio
Since being founded in 2011, Walrus Audio has gotten a steady growth in the boutique pedal industry. With their reputation getting built by their Warhorn overdrive pedal, Fathom reverb pedal, and the ARP-87 delay, Walrus Audio has made their way into the boutique pedal brand status and secured the spot as one of the trusted brands among guitar players looking for high-quality stompboxes. Their pedals are known to have great artwork done by commissioned artists and will surely be enjoyed by those who love building pedalboards that not only sound great but look impressive.

4. Wampler
Wampler has built its reputation with a reliable connection to many guitar players online. While engaging with guitar players to find what want or look for in a pedal, Brian Wampler has come up with some of the best original pedals and clones that you can find when it comes to “grail” tones. The brand is known for its amazing Tumnus overdrive, which is a clone of the much-coveted Klon Centaur transparent overdrive. With other stompboxes such as the Ego compressor and the Ethereal delay, Wampler has provided guitar players with great-sounding pedals that have top-tier electronics and build quality. Plus, owner Brian Wampler is an absolute monster at playing the guitar and is an expert when it comes to tones. When it comes to pedals that are tastefully designed for versatility and excellent tone, Wampler is one of your best bets.

5. Fulltone Musical Products
Michael Fuller of Fulltone is one of the most recognizable people in the boutique pedal market. Based in Southern California, Fulltone pedals can be seen on rigs of professional musicians and touring artists because of intuitive layouts, great controls, innovative implementations, and excellent sound quality. Fulltone has some of the most iconic boutique pedals ever made, such as the OCD pedal, which is sought after by many guitar players. The Full-Drive is also one of the greatest overdrives, featuring two footswitches for the main overdrive and a boost. Their pedals are also known to have high-quality electronics that offer great versatility when adjusting effect parameters.

6. Morgan Amplification
One of the more underrated boutique guitar pedal brands is Morgan Amplification. Founded by Joe Morgan, Morgan pedals are known for their innovative and interesting pedals. Morgan pedals have very intuitive and minimalist layouts, but pack a huge punch when it comes to tone. Some of the best include the NK275 fuzz pedal and the OD drive. Using discrete circuits and great electronic components, Morgan pedals deliver some modern and experimental effects that lean more towards “futuristic” rather than classic and vintage. Because of this, Morgan pedals are popular among artists trying to experiment with various music genres and elevate their tone with truly unique pieces of art from this Californian manufacturer.

7. JHS Pedals
Founded by Josh Scott, JHS pedals are well-known and well-loved by guitar players and tone hunters around the globe – including myself. With a team of 25, the Missouri based manufacturer is known for being very active on the JHS YouTube Channel providing pedal reviews, tone tips, and general guitar-related talk. With amazing pedals in their lineup, JHS has made a solid reputation in the industry.The JHS Bonsai, is a very good clone of every Ibanez Tubescreamer you could ever want to use such as the TS808, TS9, and TS10 – all in one stompbox. The brand also has a Klon Centaur clone called the Morning Glory, which is an excellent transparent overdrive. When it comes to top-tier sound quality, build quality, electronics, and features, JHS is one of the greatest brands out there.

https://www.youtube.com/user/jhspedals

Conclusion
With all these boutique pedal manufacturers, tone hunters and guitar players have a wide range of pedals to choose from among the lineup of all these great brands. No matter what effect you’re after, you surely won’t be disappointed picking a pedal from any of these trusted and reputable pedal makers.

1-minute tip for artists: #WithoutMusic

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1-minute tip for artists: #WithoutMusic

– Unison Benevolent Fund – an assistance program that provides discreet relief to music industry professionals in times of crisis – is pleased to announce the launch of #WithoutMusic, a new collaborative social media campaign designed with both the music industry and fans in mind. As part of Unison’s ongoing efforts to combat the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian music industry, #WithoutMusic encourages participants to detail the positive and lasting impact of music on both their own lives and the world, and why supporting organizations like Unison is vital to the continuation of that. Participants can voice their thoughts and experiences and empower others to do so by sharing the graphic, photos, videos and stories on social media using the #WithoutMusic hashtag and tagging @UnisonFund.

As venues, tours and festivals have shut down in response to public health measures to flatten the curve and limit the spread of COVID-19, those in the music industry who rely on the live business for revenue have been severely impacted, leaving numerous entertainment professionals out of work and requiring the emergency relief assistance that Unison provides. Since the beginning of the outbreak, Unison has received an overwhelming number of requests for assistance from the music community, seeing an increase of 3500% per week.

#WithoutMusic strives to engage both industry professionals and fans in their shared loved of music, broadening the overall awareness of Unison Benevolent Fund and encouraging both those that are in need to apply and those that can to donate, all while highlighting the everlasting positive impact of music in daily life.

“I know my own story would be completely rewritten #WithoutMusic, and I’m sure many feel the same,” says Unison Executive Director Amanda Power. “It is times like these where we need to come together to support those who are struggling, and we are proud to launch the #WithoutMusic campaign to raise awareness of Unison’s mission in the Canadian Music Industry, so that we can continue to provide critical assistance for as many people as possible during this difficult time.”

Donations collected from the #WithoutMusic campaign will be included as part of the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief project, which was created to amplify the efforts of organizations that focus on helping those most in need, like the Unison Benevolent Fund. Spotify will match donations made to Unison dollar for dollar up to a collective total of $10 million USD.

DOWNLOAD #WithoutMusic Social Graphics HERE.

DONATE HERE.

With More than 40+ Million Streams, Montreal’s ALEXIANE New EP ‘Bad Sounds’ Promises to Be Anything But

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With More than 40+ Million Streams, Montreal’s ALEXIANE New EP ‘Bad Sounds’ Promises to Be Anything But

With more than 41+ million streams across platforms — including her chart-rising breakthrough hit “A Million on My Soul” — Canadian alt-pop singer/songwriter and producer Alexiane has ushered a new six-track EP to the table; Bad Sounds is available now.

“We all have different demons to face,” Alexiane says of her music and the new release. “Music is the best way I know to look those demons in the eye.

“For me, advancing is writing, and fighting is creating.”

Born in Montmagny, Quebec to a Senegalese father and Canadian mother, Alexiane is no stranger to shuttling between Montreal and Senegal, in West Africa, soaking up the Afro-Latin, French, and North American soundscape along the way. With her style self-described as “dark, cinematic pop with African undertones” and her alumni stacking as UCLA’s Music Business & Music Production, Bad Sounds serves as a good showcase for the multi-faceted, emotively astute artist’s breadth of talent.

“Although I have always had a shy and reserved temperament, all the challenges of life pushed me at a very early age to sing and write lyrics and melodies from a personal perspective. It helped me overcome life’s challenges.”

Packed with unflinching honesty and a knack for finding hope in the darkest of places, Bad Sounds serves as an aperitif of sorts, set to both tease and ease earnest ears as an introduction ahead of her 2021 album, Into the Sun; the forthcoming full-length — slated for co-production by Carla Bruni alongside Alexiane under the Montreal-based artist’s label Gion Records — will feature all six songs from Bad Sounds.

There’s an ode to courage and confidence in “Soldier” — complete with a self-produced video made solely on her phone. There’s a stunning duet with Malian singer Salif Keita to be found in “Gold.”

And also not to be missed: a stripped, laid-bare revisit of “A Million on My Soul” — her 2017 single featured in Luc Besson’s blockbuster film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets that holds 24+ million streams on YouTube plus 8.5+ million more on Spotify, and growing.

Alexiane’s Bad Sounds is available now.

Halifax’s JONT Says Thank You For The Medicine in Jubilant, Joyful New Album — Available Now!

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Halifax’s JONT Says Thank You For The Medicine in Jubilant, Joyful New Album — Available Now!

Stacked at 10 tracks teeming with unbridled jubilance and heart-bursting bliss, Canadian alt-folk and dance-pop artist Jont says Thank You For The Medicine with his new album release — available now!

Electronic beats — plus a choir, string quartet, sitar and harmonium for good measure — all hold and share space on the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based singer/songwriter’s 11th and most recent sonic offering. “There is so much joy in these tunes…” Jont muses about the release as a whole. “They are the antidote to the tough side of what we’re going through right now.”

One such song is “Surrounded By Love,” complete with a newly released video reminding audiences about the most important things in life while encouraging them to “sing along,” Jont says, and “have a dance, wherever you are.

“This song is about friendship,” he says. “It’s about remembering to live, every day, and remembering that every day is a bonus and we get to jump around, and dance for joy, and sing, and be human!

“The beauty doesn’t go away or stop, we just stop seeing it.”

The video for “Surrounded By Love” has been in the can for a long time; Summer 2019, to be exact. “It was filmed in Halifax before we offered the first live show with the new sound,” Jont recalls. “And speaking of the song being about friendship, my friends Matthew Ingraham and Lee Lester shot and edited the video, and did some really fun animation work on it, respectively, and now it really pops!

“In the video, you can see some of the brilliant people who have made Thank You For The Medicine the album that it is,” he continues. “It really demonstrates the feel-good anthem of oneness and joy that we know as ‘Surrounded By Love.’”

While he has more than two handfuls on the shelf, as far as album releases go, Jont’s Thank You For The Medicine penning and completion was a journey all its own. Written following Jont’s own time of turmoil and triumph — from pausing his globetrotting life after connecting with his young daughter, to his father’s passing, to a series of transformative meditation/Vipassana retreats — that the record has been released during a time of shared societal difficulty is not lost on the mindful musician.

“I know there’s a huge variety of situations being experienced right now, with some feeling trapped or lonely, some working in very stressful environments, and others feeling they’re having an enlightening break from the norm,” he considers. “It’s obviously not easy for any of us as time drags us out of our peaceful place, even when that’s where we most need to be.

“But we are in charge of how we react to any given situation and right now, to be happy, the same timeless rules exist that have been taught by all the great masters for thousands of years.

“And most especially, music helps! It’s a tool that allows us to drop into the moment of ‘now’ very easily.

“Perhaps this is the sort of record the world needs right now,” he adds, which is a sentiment he’d considered even before now. “Never before has the world’s conversation been as aware and tuned into issues of healing, trauma, and the power of the human heart as it is now.”

The LP features contributions from a bevy of Jont’s talented and musically inclined friends from around the world, including GRAMMY Award-winning mix engineer Mark Lawson. “If I count it up, I think there were 28 people involved in making this recording,” he marvels. “So much love and good energy has gone into this, and it’s literally bursting at the seams with the capacity to really help shift one’s energy.”

“Surrounded By Love” and Thank You For The Medicine are available now.

Lana Del Rey set to release her debut book of poetry Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass

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Lana Del Rey set to release her debut book of poetry Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass

Lana Del Rey, Grammy nominated, Brit Award Winner and international multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter is set to release her debut book of Poetry – Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass.

The collection features more than thirty poems, including Never to Heaven, The Land of 1,000 Fires, Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving, LA Who Am I to Love You?, Tessa DiPietro, Happy, Paradise is Very Fragile, Bare Feet on Linoleum, and many more. The beautiful hardcover edition showcases Lana’s typewritten manuscript pages alongside her original photography. The hardcover edition will be available on 29th September 2020.

In addition to the print book, Lana Del Rey brings her poetry to life in an unprecedented audiobook. In this spoken word performance, Lana Del Rey reads fourteen select poems from Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass accompanied by music from her frequent collaborator, Grammy Award-winning musician Jack Antonoff. The spoken word album will be available on 28th July 2020 for electronic download from all major audiobook retailers. A vinyl pressing and CD of the spoken word performance will be available on October 2nd 2020 on Interscope / Polydor Records.

Lana Del Rey comments – “Violet bent backwards over the grass is the title poem of the book and the first poem I wrote of many. Some of which came to me in their entirety, which I dictated and then typed out, and some that I worked laboriously picking apart each word to make the perfect poem. They are eclectic and honest and not trying to be anything other than what they are and for that reason I’m proud of them, especially because the spirit in which they were written was very authentic. I’m happy to donate a substantial portion of the proceeds to go to some Native American organisations I have always wanted to donate to, because of the experiences that I’ve had which have greatly shaped my own life course.”

Del Rey’s sixth and most recent studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell was released last August to high praise, with Pitchfork calling her ‘one of America’s greatest living songwriters’ and it reached number one in the UK. The highly anticipated album was mainly produced and co-written with Jack Antonoff and includes previously released songs ‘Venice Bitch’, ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’, ‘Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it’ and her hit cover of Sublime’s ‘Doin’ Time’. The album was nominated for ‘Album of The Year’ at the 2019 Grammys along with Song of The Year.

Her debut album, Born To Die, was released in January 2012 and charted at number one on the Official UK Album Chart and went on to win two Brit Awards, peaked number two on the US charts, and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. Her extended play ‘Paradise’ followed that November, garnering her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Ultraviolence (2014), her third studio album, became her first album to reach number one in the US as well as in the UK. In 2015, she released her fourth studio album, Honeymoon. Both albums received positive critical response. Lana’s fifth studio album, Lust For Life, was released in 2017. The album received critical acclaim, and became her second album to reach No. 1 in the United States, and topped the charts in the UK while also reaching the top ten in almost every other country it charted in. The album was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2018 Grammys.

Raffi And Yo-Yo Ma Duet Marks 40th Anniversary Of “Baby Beluga”

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Raffi And Yo-Yo Ma Duet Marks 40th Anniversary Of “Baby Beluga”

It’s been nearly 40 years since Raffi, the internationally renowned children’s entertainer and advocate, released his iconic album Baby Beluga. Millions of people grew up with the words of the title song, which follows a little white whale through his happy day, and which helped spark both a public appreciation of a threatened species and Raffi’s own climate activism.

To celebrate the anniversary of the song and album, Raffi sings “Baby Beluga” accompanied by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a new video that continues the series of recorded-at-home musical offerings that Yo-Yo began in March. This unique performance of two musical legends includes a new verse for adults: “Now you’re grown and you’re on your way, making waves in the boundless bay, with your shining light and your dreams alive, for the ones you’ve brought this way. Grown up beluga, grown up beluga…”

The video will also be available on the brand-new official Raffi You Tube channel, and the audio will be available as a digital single on all services later this month. Profits will benefit The Climate Mobilization, a grassroots group working to restore a safe climate, and which has contributed to more than 1700 Climate Emergency Declarations around the world.

Raffi also invites #BelugaGrads and children of all abilities to submit their drawings for an upcoming “Baby Beluga” music video. Sketches of belugas or anything else they find inspiring are welcome. Go to BabyBeluga40.com for more information about how to submit artwork.

For two generations now Raffi has been the world’s best-selling and most influential children’s entertainer, delighting successive generations of kids—and their parents—with his playful, exuberant personality and his irresistibly infectious songs. “Baby Beluga” is one of the most enduring songs in the children’s music canon. Just since 2015, it has been streamed more than 25 million times on Apple Music and Spotify, and more than two million copies of the album have been sold since the original release on July 10, 1980. “I think that kids love how the song makes them feel,” Raffi says. “The song plants a seed of love in young children, love for a magnificent aquatic creature. What you love, you want to protect. So, love for a beluga is symbolic for a greater love of our world of wonders, our big beautiful planet.”

Over the years, Raffi has emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children, lending his voice, insight and experience to a number of crucial issues through the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, a unifying vision with the child at its heart by which societies can re-order their priorities to restore our planet and build community. As a writer for the National Association for Music Education recently wrote, the song “resonated with generations of young ones in its simple, deeper under-the-surface charm.”

Child Honouring is also at the heart of a new children’s album that Raffi produced and released on his Troubadour Music label this year: Lindsay Munroe’s I Am Kind. This critically acclaimed album features Raffi’s instrumental and vocal performances. In Raffi’s words, “This is a collection of endearing songs that kids, parents and teachers will love. I was delighted to join Lindsay on this unique album.”

Lindsay also sings on a new Raffi song that offers thanks to all the essential workers who help us every day. In our interconnected world we all have a role to play in helping each other. “For All You Do” will be released later this summer, and download sales will benefit Direct Relief as they work to provide equipment and medication to health care workers around the world.

Last fall, Raffi released two new climate action songs: “Young People Marching” and “Do We Love Enough” (a ballad). “Young People Marching” was inspired by Greta Thunberg and highlights the passion and energy of young people in awakening adults to do their duty in stabilizing the climate.

Marty Robbins’ Isolated Vocals For “Big Iron”

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Marty Robbins’ Isolated Vocals For “Big Iron”

To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day
Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn’t have too much to say
No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip
The stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip

The Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” Played By Dozens Of Musicians Including David Crosby, Jimmy Buffett and Bill Kreutzmann

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The Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” Played By Dozens Of Musicians Including David Crosby, Jimmy Buffett and Bill Kreutzmann

“Ripple” is in support of the Playing For Change Foundation’s music schools and programs for children worldwide and they need your help. Watch the video and then let’s turn that inspiration we all share into something bigger. Join the “Ripple Effect” campaign so we can all leave the world better than we found it, one heart and one song at a time. As Jerry Garcia said, “Let there be songs to fill the air…”

Sony Advertisement, 1973

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Sony Advertisement, 1973
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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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