Halifax, NS-based veteran troubadour Steve Poltz has released his new album, Stardust & Satellites — available now via Red House Records.
Produced by Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, Stardust & Satellites is Poltz’s 14th solo album, and comprises another exuberant, thoughtful batch of songs that celebrate life in all of its stages — including his effervescent new single, “Can O’ Pop.” The high-spirited, syncopated track is joined by an official animated video directed by Boston-based artist/animator Duncan Hatch (Galactic, American Authors). In its premiere of the video, Rolling Stone Country called the song “a delicious delivery reminiscent of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Stardust & Satellites also includes the acclaimed singles “Conveyor Belt” and “Miles In My Heart.” Hailed by American Songwriter for “his unhinged live performances, incredible way with a comedic lyric and ability to spin a ripping tale,” Poltz is marking the album’s release with a typically busy live schedule — including seven upcoming dates in Ontario this April 2022.
// Stardust & Satellites Tracklist:
“Wrong Town”
“Conveyor Belt”
“Can O’ Pop”
“Frenemy”
“It’s Baseball Season”
“Up With People”
“Lord and Savior”
“Let’s Stay Together”
“Miles In My Heart”
“Stardust and Satellites”
Canada’s multi-award-winning beacon of the blues Kenny ‘Blues Boss” Wayne has prepared his Hall of Fame talents for takeoff with his new album, Blues From Chicago to Paris: A Tribute to Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon — is out now through Stony Plain Records.
The 17-track album pays spirited homage to the piano-pounding and bass-slapping bygone legends from a legend himself — all while serving as a rousing and riveting guide to the lively post-war blues scenes of Chicago and Paris.
“Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon were a team, and their styles worked great together,” Wayne says of the artists behind the release’s inspiration. “Out of many other blues piano players I’ve listened to, I found a unique playfulness between these two men, unlike the many other great blues pianists.”
Focused on the period when the two giants of the genre teamed up to tour the globe in the late ‘50s-early ‘60s, Blues From Chicago to Paris presents a robust collection of favourite songs, as well as the innovative tunes that have inspired and influenced artists ever since.
As was the case with his other most recent release, 2020’s Go, Just Do It, Kenny Wayne took on the role of producer once again for Blues From Chicago to Paris; he also invited bassist Russell Jackson, a veteran of the B.B. King band during the 80s, and drummer Joey DiMarco into the studio for the sessions.
Now 77, Wayne’s six-decade musical career began with him soaking up the sounds of gospel music from his father, a preacher. From there, his genre journey traversed through jazz, Latin, R&B, and soul, with explorations in swing, bebop, dance, and the standards, for good measure.
The JUNO Award-winner with multiple Maple Blues Awards and keyboard awards from Living Blues Magazine to his credit, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne was also inducted into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in 2017.
On March 11, a full-length documentary film directed by Amy Scott, entitled Sheryl about Sheryl Crow’s life and career, will premiere at SXSW, ahead of a spring premiere on SHOWTIME. An intimate story of song and sacrifice, Sheryl navigates an iconic yet arduous musical career while the artist battles sexism, ageism, depression, cancer, and the price of fame, before harnessing the power of her gift.
In conjunction, UMe/Big Machine Records will release a new album called Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary digitally and on 2CD on May 6. The release features Sheryl Crow’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up The Sun, “All I Wanna Do, “My Favorite Mistake, “Redemption Day,” and many more, as well as deep tracks and three newly recorded songs. To preorder Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary, click HERE
“I am excited for the premiere of my documentary,” said Crow. “I hope people will find strength and courage through my story. It was a journey through years and years of incredible memories, and I am proud of the beautiful documentary that Amy Scott made about my life.”
Sheryl Crow is a nine-time GRAMMY AWARD recipient and an American music icon. Her first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Crow has been feted by a new generation of singer-songwriters who have covered her songs and talked about her influence, including Phoebe Bridgers, H.E.R, Haim, Maren Morris, Lorde, Sasami, Best Coast, and Brandi Carlile.
Track Lists:
Digital:
If It Makes You Happy
Leaving Las Vegas
All I Wanna Do
What Can I Do For You
Run, Baby, Run
Hard To Make A Stand
Sweet Rosalyn
A Change Would Do You Good
Home
Love Is A Good Thing
Strong Enough
Can’t Cry Anymore
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Redemption Day
The Difficult Kind (Live with Sarah McLachlan)
I Shall Believe
Real Gone (Live)
My Favorite Mistake
Riverwide
Crash And Burn
Steve McQueen
Soak Up The Sun
Out Of Our Heads
Detours
Be Myself
Prove You Wrong (feat. Stevie Nicks & Maren Morris)
Tell Me When It’s Over (feat. Chris Stapleton)
Beware of Darkness (feat. Brandi Carlile, Eric Clapton, and Sting)
The Worst (feat. Keith Richards)
Story of Everything (feat. Gary Clark Jr., Chuck D, Andra Day)
Everything Is Broken (Live with Jason Isbell at The Ryman)
Redemption Day (with Johnny Cash)
Forever
Still The Same
Live With Me
2CD Disc 1:
If It Makes You Happy
Leaving Las Vegas
All I Wanna Do
What Can I Do For You
Run, Baby, Run
Hard To Make A Stand
Sweet Rosalyn
A Change Would Do You Good
Home
Love Is A Good Thing
Strong Enough
Can’t Cry Anymore
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Redemption Day
The Difficult Kind (Live with Sarah McLachlan)
I Shall Believe
Real Gone (Live)
Disc 2:
My Favorite Mistake
Riverwide
Crash And Burn
Steve McQueen
Soak Up The Sun
Out Of Our Heads
Detours
Be Myself
Prove You Wrong (feat. Stevie Nicks & Maren Morris)
Tell Me When It’s Over (feat. Chris Stapleton)
Beware of Darkness (feat. Brandi Carlile, Eric Clapton, and Sting)
The Worst (feat. Keith Richards)
Story of Everything (feat. Gary Clark Jr., Chuck D, Andra Day)
Everything Is Broken (Live with Jason Isbell at The Ryman)
SiriusXM today announced an exclusive distribution and sales agreement with reVolver Podcasts, the leading multicultural, audio-on-demand content creator and publisher in the U.S.
reVolver is home to some of the biggest Spanish-language podcasts, including Erazno y La Chokolata and El Show de Piolín. The new deal gives SXM Media, the combined advertising revenue organization of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., exclusive global ad sales rights to reVolver’s extensive lineup of podcasts. Additionally, the agreement calls for Stitcher, the Triton-ranked #1 podcast company and SiriusXM subsidiary, to distribute all reVolver content across all podcast platforms.
With more than 70 programs spanning sports, music, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, health and wellness, inspiration, news, and more, reVolver’s podcast network offers something for everyone. Listeners can continue to stream and subscribe to reVolver podcasts on Stitcher, the SXM App, Pandora, and all major podcast listening platforms.
Across the SiriusXM ecosystem, the company offers the expertise and technology that creators of all sizes need to turn their passion into a business, and a podcast business into a powerhouse audio brand. SXM Media is the gateway for marketers to the #1 U.S. podcast advertising network in reaching weekly podcast listeners, per Edison Research. The new agreement with reVolver highlights the company’s continued commitment to providing a platform to, and support for, a diverse ecosystem of voices to better serve its listeners.
The addition of reVolver follows other recent and notable podcasting announcements by SiriusXM and Stitcher, including the acquisition of 99% Invisible; a global advertising agreement with podcast company Audiochuck and its top-rated program Crime Junkie; an agreement with Tom Segura and Christine P’s YMH Studios to distribute and develop content; and an agreement for the exclusive rights to manage all audio and video ad sales for the beloved comedy horror show The Last Podcast on the Left.
In late 1982, she attended a Faith No More concert in San Francisco and convinced the members to let her join as a singer. The group recorded material with Love as a vocalist, and performed on this local TV cable show in San Francisco, but fired her soon afterwards; according to keyboardist Roddy Bottum, who remained Love’s friend in the years after, the band wanted a “male energy.”
E of EELS goes shopping at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. EELS’ latest album ‘Extreme Witchcraft’ is available from E Works/PIAS Recordings. His picks:
Roberta Flack – First Take (LP)
Bobbie Gentry – The Windows Of The World (LP)
Bobby Womack – The Womack “Live” (LP)
The Beatles – Let It Be [Special Super Deluxe Edition] (LP)
Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear (LP)
Marvin Gaye – Marvin Gaye Live! (LP)
Little Richard – King of Rock and Roll (LP)
Astrud Gilberto – I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do (LP)
Although the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock may have receded from the press and faded from public memory, they continue to have an enormous impact on how many of us now think about the environment and our natural resources. With that, Thompson, Manitoba-based folk duo Spirit Trail pays tribute to that Sioux legacy via their rocking-and-soaring new single, “Water Protectors.”
“Water Protectors” begins with a rhythmic, full-bodied acoustic guitar that soon surrenders the spotlight to the seamless interplay of Destiny Fiddler and Chas Piper’s voices. Their harmonies are like an elegant, deftly choreographed dance — with Fiddler’s vibrato soprano blending and dissolving into Piper’s earnest alto, and vice versa, so that at many points it’s impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins.
Punctuated by tambourine as well as wailing electric guitar, the message of “Water Protectors” is one of continuing the fight, the mission, that began at Standing Rock:
Out on the frontline
Rockin’ in the street it’s time
The Water Protectors
Of the Sky and Earth
From Standing Rock, North Dakota
It ain’t over till it’s over
Oh sister and brother
We’ve got to stand
Defend the sacred Mother
That’s because water is a precious resource that Spirit Trail refuses to take for granted. “Water is our lifeblood and it is our responsibility to care for and protect it before it is too late,” Destiny says. “There’s no time to take lightly the degradation and poisoning of our sacred waters. Where will we be when there’s nothing clean to drink and the medicine won’t grow?”
It’s a message the duo hopes will be heard around the globe. “The song was written to inspire the kind of revolutionary response at Standing Rock here in Canada and all over the world,” Chas says, adding that right now the Wet’suwet’en are defending their sacred headwaters from another pipeline. “People need to wake up and realize this fight is theirs, whether they are in a city, on the res, or wherever.”
Spirit Trail began in 2019 when Destiny Fiddler and Chas Piper met at a tree-planting camp outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Destiny is Cree, Mathias Colomb First Nation from Pukatawagan, Manitoba, and she grew up in Thompson and Flin Flon, Manitoba. Chas was born in Windsor, Ontario, was raised by a single mom, and also spent some time in foster care; Chas left home at 14 and survived the streets by busking until he made his way to Alberta at 17.
Although they have different backgrounds, their shared experiences of social injustice created an instant connection — as well as their love for poetry and music. They fell madly in love and decided to head west, embarking on a road trip across Canada and writing songs along the way. The mountains and the forests provided inspiration, fueling artistic creativity and writing.
Being young often means dealing with emotions you don’t fully understand; it’s only with age that real perspective and true maturity can be gained. Ottawa-based HemlockHotel captures that conundrum with their melodic, smooth-rockin’ Americana anthem “Angry Young Man.”
A warm blend of rich, full-bodied acoustic guitar, wailing electric guitar, and easy beats, “Angry Young Man” tells the first-person narrative about a confused young man in conflict with the people he loves, even though he knows it isn’t deserved.
Well, I am a soldier
Without a cause
Well, I keep on fightin’
The people I love
Come on dear Jesus
I’m not a saint
The chorus kicks in and that’s when the narrator admits in honeyed, soaring melody, “Well, I’m an angry young man/Fighting for something I can’t understand.” The inspiration for the song sprung from Greek philosophy, of all places – though it’s not all that surprising when you consider how the Greeks had a word to identify every nuance of emotion.
“I remember taking this course on ancient Greek philosophy,” frontman Rod Leggett says, “and the teacher was going on about thumos.”
Thumos is an old word for the concept of “spiritedness.” “At its worst, it’s rage — like the rage of Achilles,” Leggett continues. “At its best, it becomes courage.”
At one point, Leggett’s teacher told the class that young men are especially prone to thumos. “That stuck with me,” Leggett recalls. “He’s right, I mean, young men really are prone to being angry.”
Not long after HemlockHotel recorded the song, Leggett knew the band was on the right track as he was listening to another song by another band, “(Nothing But) Flowers” by Talking Heads. Leggett heard the opening lyrics — “‘Years ago, I was an angry young man/And I’d pretend/That I was a billboard/Standing tall” — and smiled. “I thought, ok, David Byrne gets it. I’m good with that,” he says. “You know, I really look up to that guy.”
HemlockHotel proudly calls Ottawa home, and recently added TJ Jones, formerly of the band Dynasty, on bass. The band also consists of Rod Leggett, Mark Paré on lead guitar, and Danny Lee Duke on drums. Despite the pandemic, the now four-piece band is managing to give the occasional live performance and spend time in the studio.
“Angry Young Man” is the band’s first release since their 2020 eponymous album. It will be followed by a second single to be released in April 2022. Both songs were recorded with Steve Foley at Audio Valley Studios in Ottawa, and HemlockHotel plans to return to the studio in the Spring to record another suite of songs.
Possessing a unique talent for approaching sensitive and relevant issues within the Black community, multi-GRAMMY Award-winning hip hop, rap and soul group Arrested Development channel their trailblazing and history-making talents into the poignant hymn “Never Had Your Back.”
Fresh from their newest album, For The FKN Love, and featuring lyrics from Speech and background vocals from Ke’Andra, legendary British Boom-Bap producer Configa wraps everything up in a well-executed production.
“Never Had Your Back” features a compelling overall concern for the way that Black women are portrayed in modern media and music. Noticing how depictions were demeaning, the group says they went to work crafting a production that would empower “Melanated Black Queens” and raise social awareness.
‘Then pitted your light kids against
The darker kids
Now were conditioned to keeping sparking this
Hating our own women’
“We were excited to make this tune,” Speech shares. “It’s a powerful anthem for all women at the end of the day, but it really is a letter from me to my own daughter. I’m on the turntables and I wanted to hear literal scratching. Then, to top it off, Ke’Andra’s vocals are powerful and complement mine for the chorus!”
Working with British boombap extraordinaire Configa led to some exciting opportunities; the group found themselves recording this song in two different countries — both the UK to work with Configa on the beat, and Georgia to record with Ke’Andra and turntable scratches. They even found themselves working with JG Biggs, who directed the song’s video.
“I immediately put him up at a local hotel and we started shooting immediately; he brought his portable Insta360 camera which shoots literally everywhere at once. I knew we had to get the whole group over, plus Ke’Andra, the guest vocalists, and just do some impromptu performances.”
Arrested Development’s unique catalog of positive and afrocentric music creates an alternative to gangsta rap, and the group continues to dominate the counterculture meant to inspire others.
With 30 years of scene-shaping experience to their credit, Arrested Development was the first hip hop group to ever receive the GRAMMY for Best New Artist while also receiving a Best Rap Single Award after the release of “Tennessee” — a single that went on to be named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
While they’ve continued to perform in sold-out venues across every part of the world for three decades and counting, the group’s introspective yet positive social theming has also been a strong foundation for Arrested Development throughout the years. In September of 2019, the Black Music Honors Awards recognized this timeless group of performers and collaborators with an award that acknowledges artists who have made a significant contribution to African American music.
