Yay! You got press or a Spotify playlist. Here’s your next step.
STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE Raises Over $6 Million So Far for Food Banks Canada as Historic Broadcast Reaches 11.5 Million Canadians
Following Sunday night’s historic all-Canadian special, STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE, it was announced today that more than $6 million has been raised to date to provide immediate support to Food Banks Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. With donations still being tallied, more than 140,000 individuals were inspired and reached out to support the good works by local food banks. Canadians can continue to donate to Food Banks Canada by texting COVID to 30333 or visiting FoodBanksCanada.ca/StrongerTogether.
The biggest multi-platform broadcast ever is now the most-watched (non-sports) Canadian broadcast on record. Nearly one in three Canadians watched some part of the broadcast on 44 television networks, reaching 11.5 million viewers overall. Audiences peaked at more than 6.1 million viewers during the world premiere of ArtistsCAN’s multi-artist “Lean on Me” charity single. Overall, the 90-minute special has a preliminary overnight audience of 5.6 million viewers on multiple television networks. The special also reached hundreds of thousands of others on radio and digital platforms.
STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE is now available on demand on CBC Gem, Crave, CTV.ca, CTV app, GlobalTV.com, Global TV App, ICI TOU.TV, iHeartRadio.ca, iHeartRadio Canada app, Stingray Qello, and Super Channel On Demand.
“Although we have always known that Canadians are amongst the kindest people on earth and we hoped and planned for our neighbours’ generosity, we were brought to our knees with gratitude by the overwhelming caring of our communities across Canada,” said Chris Hatch, Chief Executive Officer, Food Banks Canada. “Our staff team voluntarily jumped on the phones as we were working through technical challenges. Nobody could have anticipated the numbers of generous souls inspired to give last night. That giving continues today, on our website, and will remain open. In partnership with Bell Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, Corus Entertainment, Group V Média, Rogers Sports & Media and all other media partners, we are grateful for the bright light that shone on the need to support our most vulnerable neighbours.”
The unprecedented event was the biggest multi-platform broadcast in Canadian history, with 15 broadcasting groups led by Bell Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, Corus Entertainment, Groupe V Média, and Rogers Sports & Media presenting the star-studded show on hundreds of TV, radio, streaming, and on demand platforms. Nearly one hundred Canadian artists, activists, actors, and athletes shared their stories of hope and inspiration in a national salute to frontline workers combatting COVID-19, including the 3,000 local food bank organization Food Banks Canada supports across Canada (see full participant list below).
The complete list of participants in STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE are Alessia Cara, Amy Poehler, Andre De Grasse, Anne Murray, Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Bad Child, Barenaked Ladies, Bianca Andreescu, Bryan Adams, Burton Cummings, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Céline Dion, Charlotte Cardin, Chris Hadfield, Christine Sinclair, Cirque du Soleil, Command Sisters, Connor McDavid, Dallas Green, Dan Kanter, David Foster, David Suzuki, Desiire, Donovan Woods, Drake, Eric McCormack, Fefe Dobson, Geddy Lee, Georges St-Pierre, Hamza Haq, Hayley Wickenheiser, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Howie Mandel, Jann Arden, Jason Priestley, Johnny Orlando, Josh Ramsay, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Katharine McPhee Foster, Kiefer Sutherland, Lilly Singh, Margaret Atwood, Marie-Mai, Measha Brueggergosman, Michael Bublé, Mike Myers, Morgan Rielly, National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Olivia Lunny, Pascal Siakam, Penny Oleksiak, Rick Hansen, Randy Bachman, Rick Mercer, Robbie Robertson, Russell Peters, Ryan Reynolds, Ryland James, Sam Roberts, Sarah McLachlan, Scott Helman, Serena Ryder, Serge Ibaka, Shania Twain, Shawn Hook, Sofia Reyes, TIKA, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, The Tenors, Tessa Virtue, Tom Cochrane, Tyler Shaw, Walk off the Earth, Will Arnett, William Prince, and the cast of SCHITT’S CREEK including Annie Murphy, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Elliott, Dan Levy, Dustin Milligan, Emily Hampshire, Eugene Levy, Jenn Robertson, John Hemphill, Karen Robinson, Noah Reid, Rizwan Manji, and Sarah Levy.
The broadcast featured the world premiere of a new rendition of the treasured Bill Withers classic “Lean On Me”, performed virtually by more than two dozen of Canada’s biggest international stars, homegrown favourites, and brightest newcomers. The charitable endeavor, conceptualized by JUNO-award nominated musicians Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson of ArtistsCAN, aims to support the Canadian Red Cross and their COVID-19 efforts. The single and video are now available on all digital retail platforms, and can be streamed here.
TORONTO POOR BOY Pauses in a Moment of Appreciation for his Rise From the Straits to the Stage on New Single, “Low Key”
Canadian hip hop artist Toronto Poor Boy takes a moment to appreciate a hard-earned life and all its triumphs in this, his newest single, “Low Key” — available now!
“It’s easy to be so focused on the future,” he offers. “We can all use a little reminder to celebrate the hard work, the time, and the effort we’ve put towards our goals, and our life.”
“Low Key” is the second to land this month from the Toronto-based rapper, and the latest in his inspiring set of lyrics that often draw from his complex past.
“These are messages that are very personal to me,” the Toronto-based rap master says. “They bring the new decade’s energy into focus, and talk about the struggles to become the best version of yourself.
“It’s about being proud in the present as we look towards building the future.”
With almost 350,000+ total views across YouTube, and radio airplay throughout Toronto, Australia and the UK, Toronto Poor Boy’s “Low Key” continues to set the stage ahead of his forthcoming debut studio album — available this Spring via Canyon Entertainment Group.
Hot on the heels of his late 2019’s single release, “Karma,” and 2020’s kick-off with “Big Dreams,” “Stronger Now” and “Low Key” continue to amplify the Jamaican-born entertainer’s dynamic blend of hip hop, rock and reggae, while drawing audiences to his magnetic online presence.
Together, they’ve all become something of a mantra when it comes to Toronto Poor Boy’s own story. His music has its own unique sound of hip hop mixed with reggae, rock and even pop, based on being born in Jamaica and immigrating to Canada as a young teen.
Making his way on his own in Toronto, he tells stories through his lyrics that listeners can relate to based on their own, individual struggles and triumphs. A ‘put your head down’ and make it happen kind of guy, his hard work and dedication to making a living, and making music at the same time, has produced interesting, powerful and meaningful songs, with a unique sound unlike most other artists.
It’s this come up — from straits to the stage — that magnifies Toronto Poor Boy’s achievements in working hard to pursue his dream of writing and performing. It’s his personal story that creates such a rich and dynamic storytelling within the rapper’s music.
Toronto Poor Boy’s music is very much a reflection of his complex identity; “I’m very much two people,” he says. “Not innocent or bad, but both parts exist simultaneously.”
“Ultimately, it’s my goal to inspire those in my community. My message to everyone is to never give up, and keep working on those ‘Big Dreams.’”
“Low Key” is available now.
Orillia’s Folk Rock Singer/Songwriter Shane Cloutier Releases New Video for “Red Wagon”
Orillia’s folk rock singer/songwriter Shane Cloutier takes a break from penning new material to saunter the memory lane of childhood simplicity in this, his new video for “Red Wagon” — available now.
The title track from his sophomore album of the same name, the single and album as a whole embodies Cloutier’s emotive voice and unique folk approach, complete with his own heavy metal influence and collaborations with multi-award winning blues drummer Tom Bona, and legendary guitarist Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush.
“The album Red Wagon is very much a prequel and sequel to In Light,” Cloutier shares, referring to his debut release. “When I wrote In Light, it was very much a cathartic response to some traumatic events in my life, facing the death of my wife and mother of my children. It is very much an album of perseverance and strength, as well as surrendering to vulnerability.
“When I wrote Red Wagon, I was in a much happier place, and I feel I had a much more enlightened perspective,” he continues. “Both albums helped me emotionally, physically, and spiritually move forward. They tethered me to real life, sort of, and didn’t allow me to sink — which was exactly where I felt like I was heading.”
Sinking has never ultimately been an option for Cloutier, who was once told he’d never ‘make it.’ “My grade 12 music teacher was a narrow-minded, mediocre teacher who only listened to classical music,” Cloutier recalls. “He told me at the end of grade 12 that I’m a great student, but I’d never make it as a musician for a living.
“Every day being a full-time, professional musician is me giving him the proverbial finger… Especially being asked to join Mahogany Rush and playing for Frank Marino, who is my guitar idol. It still doesn’t feel real, and might never feel completely real to me.
“This is important to me to hold onto because, in life, we are continuously met by individuals who doubt us.
“I believe everybody has an outlet that they have found — or need to find — and this is mine.”
“Red Wagon” and Red Wagon are available now.
Meet Britain’s First Female Rock Band
It’s hard to say what, exactly, was in the water in Liverpool in the early 1960s that wound up producing the Merseybeat sound and hundreds of groups of varying success. Four teenagers caught the scene by surprise and found screaming fans at every turn. Their names were Mary, Sylvia, Pam and Val.
It wasn’t only their sound that turned heads. They were The Liverbirds, Britain’s first all-female rock ’n’ roll band. Sitting down with surviving members Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders, you’d never know these two exceedingly charming Scouse (that means they come from Liverpool) matriarchs rocked a tour with The Rolling Stones. Lent their instruments to The Kinks. Rolled joints for Jimi Hendrix.
John Lennon himself told them that girls don’t play guitar. Well, John, they did. Imagine that.
“Almost Famous” is a special Op-Docs series of short films directed by Ben Proudfoot featuring people who nearly made history — only to fall short. These are tales of overcoming disappointment at its most epic, from an astronaut who never flew to a superstar who never was.
Toronto’s Alt.Rock Artist One Eyed Oracle Welcomes You to His Really Small Town
Five years in the making, Canadian experimental alt pop-rock artist One Eyed Oracle has set free his vibrantly dynamic, resoundingly socially conscious debut LP, Really Small Town — available now.
The ‘Town’ may be ‘Really Small,’ but the ground covered is vast: the brainchild of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Boris Rene Buhot, One Eyed Oracle’s premiere album ushers a multi-genre odyssey with sounds of heavy alt rock, explorative pop — not to mention influences of eastern European folk and Island reggae.
The ultimately danceable release is also politically charged, created — according to Buhot — with “the intent of stirring an unsuspecting public, one that’s strung up by class and form, to the greater aspect of our parts hidden beneath the waves of our unconscious mind.”
Among the album’s nine tracks, stand-out singles include the capitalistic shakedown and reggae-dipped title track “Really Small Town,” featuring Toronto/Jamaica-based artist Kalask (David Dawkins), and “She’s Everything,” a touching tribute for the late spiritual guru, Rev. D. Bauld.
Between the two — and the album’s remaining seven songs — Buhot worked tirelessly with co-producers Diamond Award-winning Jeff McCulloch (Wellesley Sound Studios) and Musicians Institute of LA alum Matt O’Rourke on percussion, to affirm: “Love doesn’t just make the world go ‘round, it holds it together.”
“You have no idea what you will find until you look within,” he adds.
That’s just what Buhot drew on, and more; it was a deeply personal handful of perspective-altering experiences that helped shape Really Small Town. “At an early age, I saw the ghostly-shadow of a fully grown bear, standing on its hind legs with both paws outstretched high over its head,” he recalls. Another: “As a child, a branch I held strongly reacted toward an underground stream and twisted in my palm. The pain from the friction stuck in my memory until I realized: water plays a song and all life is tuned to its frequency.“
“Recently, I heard the words ‘one eyed oracle’ spoken into my waking conscious mind.
“All in all, I’ve always kept an open tuning to all naturally unexplained phenomena.”
The sentiment resonates strongly among those who’ve had an early spin of Really Small Town… “One Eyed Oracle is a formidable tunesmith whose lyrics, like his somewhat heavy-mooded musical delivery, is direct, visceral, and resonant,” says TorontoMoon.ca’s, Gary 17. “Alternating between the grunge folk vibe and what you might call ‘stark rock,’ his songs punch through any film of complacency that might be obscuring your vision, presenting boldly and plainly the plight of the modern human.”
If Really Small Town fails to fit in one genre category, that means it has succeeded in bringing to life Buhot’s creative ethos and energy. “I used to tape songs every Thursday night during CFNY’s Top 30 Countdowns to learn new songs on bass,” he recalls. “They were the first radio station to broadcast punk and new wave in Toronto.”
“This thirst for new music led me to places like Nuts n’ Bolts and The Domino Club where I was exposed to carefree people ‘dancing’ with themselves.”
“They didn’t fit into any of the stereotypes I’d seen before,” Buhot continues. “That became the ‘primordial stew’ whose metamorphosis imprinted deep within my songwriting.”
The fruits of which can be heard now on Really Small Town — available now.
1-minute tip for artists: Blog posts
Here’s your chance to tell your story, on your own site. Tell a road story, post photos from your last show, talk about your favourite albums, new instruments, anything goes!
8 Reasons Why Your Website Needs A Promo Video!
In the current era, we are looking at the future of marketing where people and advertising experts are trying tactics top to bottom to juice out the best results from social media.
Brands are leaving no stone unturned to promote their services and products in front of the audience to get the best of results from the market. From social media platform postings and story creating to handling their ranks in SEO, brands are trying to set the mark as take it up high as possible
Although there are some tricks which they are missing out on to promote their brand and services, they need to understand the importance of a promo video and the kind of wonders it can do. Be it a small business or a large empire; a video can take the level of their marketing to 10x. If a buyer is giving positive feedback about your product through a testimonial and a free promo video, this can help your brand become more credible and trustworthy to invest the buyer’s money in.
If you are looking at the current trends, promo video tops the chart of popularity and demand among the brands and services. It is worth it to take all those efforts and create content for a website video.
Let us try to understand why you need a promo video for your website.
- First & Foremost – The platform for trust
When a brand creates a video for their audience and followers, the brand must understand that the more they give a human touch to the video, the more trust would be built on that specific brand. When real people and real humans would come up to speak the words which you have been saying till date via your posts and social media creatives, it will create the right amount of difference. Your audience would tend to trust a talking human more than a talking image comparatively.
If you show all the employees and team members in your organisation while working, or in activities where they are strategizing their next commercial move, it will start developing faith in your audiences for the kind of hard work you put in making in every product. So, indirectly, if you show them what you “actually” do, it would help them trust you and your brand more and ultimately, this may take your sales to the next level.
- A fantastic video invites for amazing shares
If you are successful in creating a good video, there are high chances that it may also become viral; if you must have noticed that the record and charts are proof that more than a picture post, there are high chances for a video to go viral in a positive way.
- A real testimonial of the client can go beyond the way
There are several options and ways to create a video for your websites, such as engagement video, office culture video, behind the scenes of product making, interview video and testimonial video.
A testimonial video is basically a happy customer talking about the services and product you provide into the market.
- Skip the monotony and stand tall
As mentioned above, irrespective of what size business you own, there has to be competition among. Creating a brand and website video with the help of professionals or youtube video maker would help you stand tall among them all. If the video is good in content quality and videography, there are chances that it may receive more views and likes as compared to popular posts.
- Helps you bring in more engagement
A video can attract even the laziest of viewers on social media; research says that in the current generation, around 6 out of 10 people prefer watching an online video instead of television! Imagine, such is the power of good quality content and an online platform.
- Satiate the hunger of ranking well on Google
We all know that it is our topmost desire and priority to rank well on Google and increase our visibility among the audience worldwide. Here’s a fantastic fact – did you know that you tend to show on the top list for about 53% if you have a video on your website? Surprised, aren’t you?
Well, such is the magic of videos, with the help of a video you can appear more in front of the audience if the relevant search is done and it will ultimately help you increase your Google ranking and SEO as well.
- You can explain almost everything!
Let’s say if you have made a product and you wish to promote its features and abilities in front of the world, how would you plan to do it? You must have seen that big brands nowadays release a trailer of their product in which they promote the features and benefits of owning that particular product in front of the audience- ever imagined why they do it?
The only reason for this is that via a video, they will be able to explain the quality and benefits of the products in a better way compared to conventional promotion strategies.
- The best way to earn ROI for your brand
If you do thorough research on how videos act as a promotional tactic for your website and can benefit you with ROI, you will find that around 88% out of 100 marketers are satisfied with their ROI which they received on behalf of a video.
Conclusion –
If you look in the market, you will find several video makers and a few of them are actually trustworthy. InVideo is one such brand and shining name in the market of video makers, as it comes with several categories of video making such as Promotional, Video ads, youtube intro videos, Classifieds and much more.
Video: Jeff Tweedy – Live from the Lavatory
Jeff Tweedy and his sons Sam and Spencer perform the Wilco song “Evergreen” from their bathroom during the coronavirus quarantine.
My Next Read: 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History
Born out of a union of club bands on the burgeoning Austin bohemian scene and a pronounced taste for hallucinogens, the 13th Floor Elevators were formed in late 1965 when lyricist Tommy Hall asked a local singer named Roky Erickson to join up with his new rock outfit. Four years, three official albums, and countless acid trips later, it was over: the Elevators’ pioneering first run ended in a dizzying jumble of professional mismanagement, internal arguments, drug busts, and forced psychiatric imprisonments. In their short existence, however, the group succeeded in blowing the lid off the budding musical underground, logging early salvos in the countercultural struggle against state authorities, and turning their deeply hallucinatory take on jug-band garage rock into a new American institution called psychedelic music. Writer Paul Drummond has gathered an unprecedented catalog of primary materials—including scores of previously-unseen band photographs, rare and iconic artwork of the era, items from family scrapbooks and personal diaries, new and archival interviews, dozens of contemporaneous press accounts, and no shortage of Austin Police Department records—to tell the complete and unvarnished story of a band which, until now, has been tragically underdocumented. Before the hippies, before the punks, there were the 13th Floor Elevators: an unlikely crew of outcast weirdo geniuses who changed culture.