Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson go mic-to-mic in a Mixtape Medley showdown singing their rendition of popular songs from iconic pop divas.
Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, “That’s My Jam” is an hourlong music and comedy variety game show that draws inspiration from the most popular “Tonight Show” games. Each episode features two teams of two celebrities competing for a charity of their choice in a series of music, dance, and trivia-based games and musical performances. Signature games to be played include Launch the Mic, Air Guitar, Don’t Drop the Beat, Perfect Mash-Up, Wheel of Impossible Karaoke, Slay It, Don’t Spray It and many more.
Straight from their ranch nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta folk-roots and swing duo Over The Moon deliver their signature stone-ground sound in the form of new single, āLonesome Bluebirdāā available now via Borealis Records.
āThis song is basically about a beautiful young woman who is letting the fear of failure or the impression she might be making cause her to miss out on so many of lifeās real experiences,ā co-front Craig Bignell explains. āShe makes up for it by only focusing on her outer beauty and possessions.
āWeāve always loved the movie āCat Ballouā and the way Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye are always in the shot somewhere, singing songs about the scene,ā he continues, with a nod to the duoās counterpart, Suzanne Levesque. āWe thought this would be a great concept for the āLonesome Bluebirdā video.ā
As musicians that spent their previous careers recording and performing āliveā with other artists, the multi-instrumentalists and singer/songwriters endeavoured on their own pairing ā in more ways than oneā¦ Somewhere between the milestones of having met and married, the duo discovered that, not only do they collectively draw inspiration from their surroundings, but their voices also blend together beautifully.
Creating music that reflects the pulse of life lived in a territory that is both dirt-hard rugged and breathtakingly stunning, their music is a wild ride from Appalachian old-timey 1940s-esque western swing to contemporary cowboy blues ā all woven together with a common thread that speaks of the Canadian west. And as a follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut LP, Moondancer, in 2017, nowhere is this more apparent than through the soundscape that is this yearās 10-song sophomore album, Chinook Waltz.
āOur concept for Chinook Waltz was to try and convey a feeling that one gets living in the foothills of Southwestern Albertaās ranching community,ā Bignell offers, citing the pairās home base of Longview. āItās beyond beautiful, but also rugged and unforgiving; people help each other here, and a neighbour is just as important as family.
āLike John Denverās song āCountry Roadsā says: āLife is old there.ā
āWe produce and record our music at home, which was a huge learning curve for us, but we feel that weāre able to get the songs and sounds we wanted that way. Words that come to mind to describe it are āorganicā or a āstone ground soundāā¦
āThere are no studio tricks because we donāt know any,ā he adds, with a wink.
āLonesome Bluebirdā and Chinook Waltz are available now.
Diving into the theme of self-redemption and rediscovery, multi-award nominated Canadian singer/songwriter JP Sunga inspires listeners across the board to find inner strength with his profound new single, āDirty Waterā ā available now.
“Many of us tend to collect, carry, and keep baggage as we journey through our lives from negative experiences we’ve endured,ā JP Sunga shares, āand it can really start to wear us down mentally, emotionally and even physicallyā¦
āāDirty Waterā is about self-renewal; allowing oneself the courage to accept, and the strength to heal and progress from the hurt, burdens, and regrets of their past.”
In a full-circle moment, embracing the journey towards his own self-renewal is how āDirty Waterā came to be.
While JP Sungaās career was put on a brief hold in pursuit of creating a loving family, Sunga long-felt the call of music. Launching his music career in the early 2000ās, his respective passions for his family and his craft culminated in the decision to record a legacy project for his children.
In wanting to give his children something they could remember him by forever and, after a long internal journey to prove to himself that, no matter your age or stage in life, you can and should continue to pursue anything you feel called to do, JP Sunga got to work on his upcoming album.
From there āDirty Waterā was conceptualized; featuring an interwoven message of courage and self-renewal, JP Sunga sought to deliver strength to his listeners: āstrength to heal and progress from the hurt, burdens, and regrets of their past.ā
āDirty Waterā features an eruption of texture and harmonies that pair perfectly with the explosion of joyful voices that are featured in the background. With the help of US-based gospel vocal group, STEMS Music, alternative soul singer-songwriter JP Sunga is able to deliver a mini-pop-opera that is as riveting as it is thunderous.
Pair āDirty Waterā with a music video that expertly outlines the internal struggle of moving forward, and you are graced with a truly remarkable experience. Beyond his innate ability for performance, the Toronto-born, Waterloo-based artist has found success in the scene accompanied by critical acclaim for visual storytelling; the music videos that pair with most of Sungaās releases have landed this emerging artist several Canadian Independent Music Video Award nominations.
Brazilian alternative rock band WRY blesses the musical landscape with their electric new single ĖWhere I Standā ā available now.
The latest single off of WRYās forthcoming splashy new album Reviver is a poignant love song about the complexity of relationships, and our place within them. The airy nature of the music accompanies the hopeful tone of the message embedded in the lyrics, and demonstrates the sophisticated approach to music that flourishes within the well-travelled band.
āIām going through this thing in my head
Love is here but she is in despair
I can see her in the shadows
Sheās waving in slow motion
Iāll bring her back.ā
The international appeal of WRYās unique flavour is effortlessly telegraphed through their lyrics like a warm breeze across the sands of Brazilās world-famous beaches. The fun and liberating aesthetic of the band is conveyed further through the music video by renowned director Alex Batista. The video is a callback to childhood innocence with the band riding bicycles on an airplane runway in their hometown of Sorocaba, Brazil.
ĖWhere I Standā joins nine other catchy tracks set to form Reviver ā the third in a trilogy of album releases planned by the band; the award-winning first record release, Noites Infinitas (2020), and the second remix album, Reimagining Noites Infinitas (2021) were released in the past year to critical acclaim.
For its part, Reviver is composed of musical arrangements accumulated throughout WRYās career that have been resurrected and re-recorded. WRYās philosophy is to ārescue and recycle art,ā and āto show how timeless the power of music can be.ā
While the writing process took place in multiple countries, the recording process occurred at the bandās own Deaf Haus studios in Sorocaba, Brazil.
With a culturally diverse and rich musical history, there is no shortage of inspiration for any aspiring band in Brazil. WRY was formed in the late 90s to counter conventional sound, and take cues from genre-defining artists ā including The Cure, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and The Clash.
WRYās debut album Direct (1998) would find some success locally before moving their musical operation to London, UK, to develop their artistry further. Gracing soundstages across Europe allowed the band to refine their craft while putting their music out in multiple formats on cassette, CD, and vinyl. The band is currently composed of Italo Ribeiro on drums, William Leonotti on bass, guitarist Luciano Marcello, and vocalist/instrumentalist Mario Bross rounding out the group.
WRYās infectious new single āWhere I Standā is available now!
Capturing that golden moment when you realize time truly heals and that the spiritual superglue of making new memories can actually mend a broken heart is Canadian folk-rock artist Dany Horovitz and his joyful and personal debut single, āMoving Onā ā available now.
The lead single in advance of Horovitzās forthcoming debut album, Free Times, due in early 2022, āMoving Onā takes the āmovingā part of its title ā moving, as in high energy ā very seriously. The Toronto-based singer-songwriter calls this jubilant stomper āan upbeat folk-pub song about the moment youāre no longer heartbrokenā; think The Lumineers plus a few beers.
Knowing so many playlists are packed top to bottom with romantic pathos, Horovitz gathered inspiration from personal experience for āMoving Onā and opted instead to shine a light on a bright, new day after the dark drama. āWe focus a lot on the agony of a breakup,ā he explains, ābut one day, some time after my heart had been broken, I became aware of feeling great for the first time in a while, and wanted to capture that feeling.ā
Horovitz riffed on those good feelings and wrote down everything he could about them. āThen, I worked on and refined my thoughts until it became a song,ā he says. āOur protagonist telling his tale in a pub to friends, and everyone relating, eventually joining in the chorus.ā
And all my haunting memories,
They do not mean a thing to me,
Theyāve faded and I know I lost my marbles.
But I kept my promise too,
I met the night, saw it through.
And so I pack my bags and I am leaving,
Moving on.
His father would play Beatles songs on guitar for him and his brother and eventually, Horovitz started picking up his dadās guitar and writing his own songs.
A songwriter with a gift for infusing modern takes on familiar melodies, Horovitz lists his main influences as an all-Canadian, intriguing combo of urban poets Leonard Cohen, Blue Rodeoās Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor and Bryan Adams, along with rural daydreamers Gordon Lightfoot and Stan Rogers. Horovitzās lyrics are stories of love, loss and life, drawing inspiration from ancient poets, modern philosophers and personal experiences.
āWhen you go to McGill and youāre in Literature, the ghost of Leonard Cohen is everywhere. I mean that in the best of senses!ā
However, even though this songwriter has a literature degree, donāt expect a bunch of academic and pedantic prose. First and foremost, Horowitz writes songs to be enjoyed ā and he hopes you do, starting with this one.
āMoving Onā from the forthcoming debut album Free Times is available now!
Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We discuss about the bunch of pubgoers being trapped with an Oasis cover band for 3 days by a snowstorm, try to imagine which bands we wouldn’t mind being stuck with.
Navigating the depths of reconciliation and the Indigenous struggle, Quebec-based hard alt.rock outfit Sinematic scorch the soundscape with a blistering new single, āIndigenousā ā available now.
The alter-ego of author and composer Ayden Grey, āIndigenousā is the first single to land from the artistās forthcoming sophomore album, The Dark Circus. The release was produced under NTRTNMNT.ca to craft a soundscape that complements his vision, and the visceral feel of the song was achieved by the sonic craftsmanship of Cree sound-designer/programmer Zachary Ithahokow, Metis guitar maestro Everett Mayhew, and with backing vocals provided by Janessa Von Koppen.
Armed with compositional expertise and stellar production value, Sinematic takes the stereotypical trappings of a hard rock/metal band and refines the formula. Along with the bandās signature sound, the heart-pounding lyrics are a testament to the resilience of Indigenous communities and the pride of a culture that has endured for countless generations.
āI am Indigenous
I will speak my voice out loud
So together we must rise up
After all this time in the dark
They canāt take control of our hearts
Cause we are Indigenous.ā
Sinematic released āIndigenousā on Orange Shirt Day in remembrance of all the lives lost during the prominence of Canadaās residential school system. The song is inspired by the injustices that continue to be perpetrated against all First Nations communities, and serves as an urgent call-to-action in addressing the horrors that have tormented Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations for decades.
The lyrical intensity of the track aligns with Sinematicās overarching agenda: to continue to shine a light on the darkness through the power of music so society may never again affirm a world in which cultural genocide is accepted.
Sinematic is challenging the status quo by harnessing his creative talents and aligning with other Indigenous artists to raise awareness in a genre of music typically scolded for promoting controversy and indecency.
Sophisticated compositions seamlessly weave through cerebral conversations on the fight for social justice and equality, and the unapologetic urgency with which Sinematic speaks on the most pressing issues reflects a new consciousness in the newer generation of artists.
With Ayden Greyās musical storytelling ability ensuring Sinematic will be on the frontlines of fighting for Indigenous freedom for as long as it takes, this yearās upcoming release of The Dark Circus follows Sinematicās 2020 12-track debut LP, Relentless.
āIndigenousā is available now. The Dark Circus is available December 2021.
In honouring those who have suffered within Canadaās Residential School system, as well as supporting Indigenous youth, multi-award nominated singer, songwriter, advocate and educator Buffy MacNeilās new song, āSomebody Pray,ā is available now.
āI was asked during a conversation with Dr. Isabelle Knockwood to promise not to forget her stories,ā Buffy shares of the now-late esteemed author, advocate, and Residential School survivor. āDr. Knockwoodās words resonated as I put pen to paper to honour those who have suffered so terribly in these institutions.ā
When MacNeil began to envision all the ways she could bring support to the health and well-being of Indigenous youth, the lyrics for āSomebody Prayā came pouring out as she reflected on those in her life who have been impacted by the systemās violent history.
āI felt like the song just needed to come out,ā Buffy says. āMy heart was thinking of my daughters, their families, and other relations in my life who have been affected across, and within, generations.ā
The song is part of the āSomebody Pray Project,ā which started in this past January; as part of a recently launched crowd-funding campaign, its purpose is to support the creation of a youth care and advocacy centre in the community of the Paq’tnkek Miākmaw Nation.
āAs the project moves forward, I believe that itās important to give back to the Indigenous community,ā she continues. āMy goal is to raise awareness ā both locally, as well as provincially, nationally, and globally ā about the systemic and institutional barriers and exclusion that historically and currently impact Indigenous youth, and to advocate for social change relevant to policies impacting Indigenous youth through the arts and music.
āIām hoping to promote youth engagement that focuses on mentorship, skill development, and empowerment towards community well-being, and envision the creation of a space for Indigenous youth that provides relevant traditional knowledge, support and advocacy.ā
Born in Arichat, Cape Breton ā the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Miākmaq ā Buffy MacNeilās musical roots are inspired by her Scottish, Acadian, and Miākmaw ancestry.
Her foray into music started young; encouraged to sing at age five, and receiving her first fiddle from her grandmother at age 11, she was later mentored by Cape Breton fiddle legends John Donald Cameron and Gordon Cote. Inspired by her grandfatherās love of fiddle musicians such as Winston Fitzgerald, Lee Cremo, and Ashley MacIsaac, Buffyās talent and vocals would soon soar into a unique, natural soprano so distinct, they immediately whisk audiences into her powerful and transformative world.
Landing ahead of her forthcoming album, āSomebody Prayā ā and the project at large ā joins Buffyās previous releases, including several albums with her husband, Larry Boutilier: 2014ās Surrounded and 2005ās Petals from the Roses, with the Birchmountain Bluegrass Band. The former release was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, and the latter was nominated for the East Coast Music Award.
Jesse Cook ā the multi-Platinum/Gold award-winning and internationally acclaimed producer, composer, and guitarist ā has announced his Canadian and U.S. āTempest IIā tour, alongside the release of his new music video for the song āOran,ā and another single, āUpdraftā ā available now.
The two songs arrive ahead of Jesse Cookās 11th studio album, Libre. Out Friday, December 3rd via Jesseās own Coach House label imprint, distributed by Outside Music/Redeye, the 10-track album combines Cookās iconic Spanish guitar flair with Algerian multi-instrumentalist Fethi Nadjem, modern trap rhythms and 808 beats.
āI wrote and recorded Libre during the pandemic when, like most people, I was longing for freedom,ā Cook shares of the new project. āMy music was my escape from the four walls that surrounded me, and the storm that was swirling outside.ā
The inspiration for Libre came from a long summer-day drive with his 14-year old, Cook reveals. āMy daughter entertained me with her favorite playlists, much of which were trap and 808-inspired. I loved them too, and a question was planted in my mind: āwhat would my music sound like mixed with those sounds?āā
He wasnāt short on material to draw from; itās been more than 25 years since the internationally-lauded virtuoso first stepped onto the scene with his now-iconic release, Tempest. In the time since, heās come to hold ten Gold and Platinum studio albums with a combined sales of two+ million copies, five concert DVDs and live discs, five PBS specials, and multiple awards ā a JUNO win, 11 nominations, three Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, a Gemini, and an Acoustic Guitar Magazine Playerās Choice Silver Award.
The digital convergence of the past several years has also resulted in Cookās music streamed in rather impressive numbers across a series of platforms; by September 2021, his Spotify stats had surpassed 55+ million, and plays on Pandora soaring beyond the 300+ million milestone. YouTubeās universally visual appeal has also grown steadily for Cookās connection with audiences, with his channel accumulating upwards of 25+ million views since 2010.
āOranā and āUpdraftā are available now. Libre is available December 3rd.
And Jesse Cookās Tempest II Tour officially kicks off this January.
// Track Listing for Libre
āNo. 5ā
āHEY!ā
āBoomā
āLibreā
āOnward Till Dawnā
āSolaceā
āJaleoā
āUpdraftā
āOranā
āOne World, One Voiceā
// Tempest II Tour Dates
January 17 – The Port Theatre, Nanaimo, BC
January 19 – Bing Crosby Theatre, Spokane, WA
January 20 – Edmonds Centre For the Arts, Edmonds, WA
January 21 – Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR
January 22 – Tower Theatre, Bend, OR
January 23 – Criterion Theatre, Medford, OR
January 25 – Pioneer Performing Arts Centre, Reno, NV
January 26 – The Centre for the Arts, Grass Valley, CA
January 27 – World Records, Bakersfield, CA
January 28 – Palace of the Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco, CA
January 29 – Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
January 30 – California Centre For the Arts, Escondido, CA
February 1 – Del E Webb, Wickenburg, AZ
February 2 – Virginia G Piper Theatre at the Scottsdale Centre for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, AZ
February 3 – Fox Tucson Theatre, Tucson, AZ
February 4 – National Hispanic Cultural Centre, Albuquerque, NM
February 5 – Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO
February 22 – Winspear Centre, Edmonton, AB
February 24 – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC
February 25 – The Clarke Theatre, Mission, BC
February 26 – The Centre, Vancouver, BC
March 2 – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, AB
March 3 – Knox United Church, Saskatoon, SK
March 4 – Knox United Church, Saskatoon, SK
March 5 – Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
March 30 – Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
March 31 – Wealthy Theatre, Grand Rapids, MI
April 2 – South Milwaukee Performing Arts Centre, South Milwaukee, WI
April 3 – The Sheldon, St. Louis, MO
April 6 – Lincoln Theatre, Columbus, OH
April 7 – Music Box, Cleveland, OH
April 8 – Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
April 9 – Walker Theatre, Chattanooga, TN
April 10 – Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, GA
April 11 – Franklin Theatre, Franklin TN
April 14 – Stafford Centre, Houston, TX
April 15 – The Majestic, Dallas, TX
May 11 – Centennial Hall, London, ON
May 12 – Centre in the Square, London, ON
May 13 – Meridian Hall, Toronto, ON
May 14 – The Empire Theatre, Belleville, ON
May 15 – National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON
June 8 – Salle Louis-Frechette at the Grand Theatre de Quebec, Quebec City, QC
