Sonic Reducers: 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We discuss the auction of Johnny Ramone’s iconic Mosrite guitar, debate whether rock memorabilia belongs in a museum or people’s houses, and learn that Eric could fit into Joan Jett’s old leather jacket.
Kingsville, ON’s blues alt-country soft-rock duo Fresh Breath are asking How Did I Get Here with the release of this, their new album — available now through their website or Bandcamp.
The six-song EP is a culminating reflection of the band’s married members, KT and Josh, and their own relationship stories — from the early days of when the couple first met, to their take on the world navigating isolation, all the way to the darkness they were forced to find in order to keep their own lights shining.
This year’s previously released lead single “World Gone Crazy” covered ground as an alternative protest piece around social injustices and pandemic fatigue, whereas newly unveiled songs “You & Me,” and the album’s title track, “How Did I Get Here,” land as sweetly tender and raw with revelation.
All in all, How Did I Get Here is proving to be the Kingsville, Ontario-based pair’s most revolutionary release yet.
“It’s no secret our world has changed,” Josh marvels, “and when you read through the track list of the album, it pretty much sums up what we went through in 2020.”
“It’s like the ‘World Gone Crazy,’ so we ‘Find Our Way Home,’ and worry there’s a ‘Rumour Going Round’ about ‘You & Me’…” KT adds. “And then, when we reminisce about ‘When We First Met,’ it’s hard not to think: ‘How Did I Get Here?’”
“This wasn’t actually planned!” the two insist. “We organized the tracks for the first time like this and, as we listened to the album as a whole, the flow of songs just worked so well. It all seemed too good to be true, so we stuck with it!”
It’s that same sentiment — the organic ease of things falling into place just as they should — that effortless ripples out through the husband-and-wife singing/songwriting duo’s entire artistic ethos; between Josh’s prowess on the guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, and vocals, and KT’s immersive, enveloping vox, they are a tour de force on the Canadian scene.
And with upwards of 100,000+ streams across Spotify alone, this dynamic new EP — and the pair’s previously released discography, including singles “Likes & Shares,” “Time For a Change,” and more — only further showcases the duo as the powerhouse storytelling lyricists and talented multi-instrumentalists they are.
Their collective talents don’t stop there; KT also designed the artwork for How Did I Get Here. “The idea behind the crows on the cover comes from the second track on the release, and could be said to represent Josh and I,” she explains, referencing “Find Your Way Home.” “It’s a song about wondering what it would be like if you were on Earth as something other than human… A line in the song reads, ‘I’d rather be a crow, on the side of the road; Just picking at a carcass, minding cars as they go.’
“By adding the windmills, farm fields, and telephone poles, I also wanted to represent the reality of our rural setting since we stayed so close to home during this pandemic,” she adds.
How Did I Get Here is available for digital download through Fresh Breath’s platform on Bandcamp, as well as on Apple Music; physical copies are available pressed to vinyl, as well. The release is a FACTOR-funded ‘Artist Development’ project, and was produced by Sound Foundry Studios’ Brett Humber.
How Did I Get Here is available now.
Sonic Reducers: 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
Listen in as we discuss Johnny Marr’s upcoming Fever Dreams album and go through the lengthy list of the former veteran guitarist’s post-Smiths collaborations, and beg Johnny to hit us up for interviews.
The Velvet Underground. A hypnotic new documentary and the first major film to tell the band’s legendary story. Playing in theaters and on Apple TV+ October 15.
The Velvet Underground created a new sound that changed the world of music, cementing its place as one of rock and roll’s most revered bands. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.
The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack, a 2CD and digital soundtrack that features both well-known and rare Velvet Underground tracks, will be released on October 15, 2021. Curated by the documentary’s director, Todd Haynes, and music supervisor Randall Poster, the album is the official soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Apple Original documentary.
Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), played by eight electronic devices in The Device Orchestra: two electric toothbrushes, three credit card machines, one toaster, one steam iron, and one electric typewriter.
Canadian rocker Kevin Towill may have planted his roots in the punk community, but it’s his expressive, electric guitar-laden new EP, After The Party Is Over — available now — that showcases the depths of his ability to bend genres and colour outside the lines.
Kicking off with lead track, “The Contemporary American Dream,” the Calgary-based artist’s move to write a solo album followed Towill’s decision to re-prioritize his ‘9-5’ life, shifting focus from working solely at a gig he picked up when his former punk outfit, The Reckless Heroes, disbanded in 2017, and gravitating back to music.
“Music was far too important and self-identifying to abandon completely,” he explains; knowing that music was a lifeline to the air he breathes, Towill set out to lay the tracks of his breakthrough solo project.
After The Party Is Over maximizes the time it’s afforded across five intricate songs — each rooted in electric, and each telling its own unique story. Towill shines in fluidly moving from one song to the next; some requiring vocals, others an instrumental roadmap to an artist’s mind.
Towill’s gritty, bass-heavy vox pleads, concedes, offers, and bargains across the melodies. Pulling back the instrumentation pushes Towill into a raw, sonic-sphere where his voice is forced to carry the track.
On this EP, Towill gives it all — unabashedly. His vox is brought to the spotlight; every word, and every nuance highlighted to expose him under his artistry.
And he makes this leap from punk to introspective flawlessly.
Coercing a variety of song styles, Towill preys on his influences to create an overall journey in ambiance. Some tracks are laced with upbeat, 90s vibes; others are melancholic and deeply introspective.
Percussion – including double kick, pulsating drum lines – creep in on the opening track “The Contemporary American Dream,” featuring ethereal back-up vox that equates the song as both liberating, and haunting in equal measure. Towill concludes the EP with simply “Goodbye,” an instrumental, exclusively electric guitar curtain call that wraps up the pieces of the album with a tidy bow and a nod of thanks for listening.
What Kevin Towill gleans from the album is validation. From years spent hauling the enormous space that occupies the punk scene, After The Party Is Over reiterates what fans of Kevin Towill already knew: that even in an ultraviolet, stripped back and vulnerable soundscape, he shines on with rugged talent.
And he didn’t have to wait until After The Party Was Over to tell it, but we’re glad he did.
After The Party Is Over and “The Contemporary American Dream” are available now.
Diving even deeper into his realest, rawest, and most realized artistic self yet, Canadian contemporary pop, R&B and soul artist Ezra Jordan (son of Marc Jordan and Amy Sky) releases his new single, “dollarama” — available now.
“This song was written during one of my lowest points during the pandemic,” Ezra shares. “I was suffering from a pretty significant depressive episode, my plans to move to LA had been derailed, and I had lost my job and moved back with my parents.
“I took stock of my life, my relationships, my friends, and my own self-image, and tried to figure out where this empty feeling was coming from.
“Out of that, I wrote ‘dollarama.’”
With nearly six million streams across Spotify and YouTube alone — plus appearances as a finalist on CTV’s The Launch, performing at the 2019 JUNO Awards TD Green Room, and charting at radio across the US — “dollarama” arrives ahead of Jordan’s forthcoming sophomore album, 117. Scheduled for release this Fall, the five-track EP follows 2020’s breakthrough debut, Cheap Therapy.
“This collection of songs is, without a doubt, the most meaningful and vulnerable music I’ve ever released,” he says. “I’ve been doing this ‘music thing’ for a while now, but I think it took this many years to feel fully realized as a writer and an artist.
“In so much of my other music, I’ve always felt there was a compromise; I was trying to shoehorn the music I really wanted to make into a form that was ‘cool’ or ‘poppy’ or ‘current’ enough. But when I truly faced the thought of abandoning music and finding some other way to spend my life, I felt I owed it to myself to make at least one thing that was as close to my true artistic vision as I was able to get.
“And that’s the 117 EP.”
“dollarama” is available now. 117 is available October 6, 2021.
Sonic Reducers: 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
Sit in as we get excited about Todd Haynes’ upcoming Velvet Underground documentary, tie it in with all the assorted VU rarities and reissues that have come down the pipe lately, and ponder whether this movie could have been made when Lou Reed, Nico and other principals were still around.
All photos by Mini’s Memories. If you’re an artist or band and need photos done for your next release, you can no wrong contacting her with your details: minismemories@hotmail.com
Sometimes the best things about summer are the most simple: the smell of dew in the grass, a charge in the night air, and infinite stars in a clear sky. And Nobeton, ON’s singer-songwriter Matt Morson captures these modest joys, and more, with his new single “Tailgate Patio” — available now.
All about a night of jubilant dancing and partying among friends in the bed of a truck, Matt takes us along for the ride among driving electric guitars and an easy, dashboard-thumping beat. His lyrics take us down tree-lined country roads – windows down, breeze in our hair – to the perfect spot for a bonfire and, of course, a tailgate. The headlights illuminate your crush’s smile, there’s a hint of perfume in the air, and then your favorite song comes on the radio. All in all, the perfect summer night. A singalong-ready chorus, female-backed vocal harmonies, and a wailing guitar solo make it one that’s hard to forget.
A faster, more rock-infused departure from his usual country-and-blues sound, Matt wrote “Tailgate Patio” while sitting on a hill at dusk, turkey hunting. “Not the usual place to write a song,” Matt said, “but it seemed to produce results for me.” All he knew when he started was that he really wanted to write a summer song. “Growing up, I loved those summer anthems that made you want to drive with the windows down, so I thought I would try my hand at one,” he says, adding that the resulting song is what he set out to do. “It’s fun and fast and still a little rock inspired as all my music is. It’s a summer jam that I feel is still me. Still in my lane.”
Born and raised in a small town in Ontario, Matt has always used his love of music and songwriting as a mode of self-expression. He picked up his first guitar at age 11 to master Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown,” and it all fell into place from there. Matt’s charismatic presence and ability to connect with an audience have led him to many notable performances throughout his career. Highlights include opening for Doc Walker, George Canyon, Jojo Mason, River Town Saints, Paul Brandt, and Aaron Pritchett. Most comfortable on stage, he and his band are known for a high energy and extremely passionate live show.
Not one to expect opportunities to just come looking for him, Matt spends the bulk of his free time in the studio, recording and rehearsing with his band. He’s always striving to improve his sound and hone his artistry. Hence writing a song even while turkey hunting, reaching through the dusk for that danceable summer jam.
“Tailgate Patio” is available now.
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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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