Continuing a rapid rise this year, Ontario-born vocal powerhouse Ryland James shares a new song entitled “Better Off” today.
Over soft piano and a sparse beat, his undeniable voice immediately takes flight. Intimate verses give way to a rapturous refrain accompanied by a full choir. Driven by his overpowering delivery, it culminates on the ultimate breakup postscript, “I’d be better off loving myself,” spiked with soul and spirit.
“Better Off” arrives on the heels of Ryland’s recent single “Shoulder To Cry On.” Produced by Jon Levine [Alessia Cara, Dua Lipa, Drake], it has already racked up 1.5 million YouTube views and over 3.5 million Spotify streams. In addition to praise from The Honey Pop, Canadian Beats, and more, Idolator declared “Ryland James needs to be on your radar.” The momentum only continues to ramp up.
Ryland James highlighted 2019 by crisscrossing Canada and the U.S on tour with Alessia Cara, as well as making his music festival debuts at Bumbershoot and Life Is Beautiful. Returning from the road, he released his single “In My Head” which has impressively been certified Gold in Canada. Co-written amidst trips to Stockholm and London, the track highlights Ryland’s poetic songcraft and expansive vocal range. The vocals reverberate with a combination of urgent immediacy and palpable emotion. Upon release, Billboard declared that “In My Head” was an “incredibly soulful” song, adding that Ryland “shows off Adele-like qualities with a soaring chorus and emotional, heartbreak-ridden lyrics.”
When it came to her new release “Jerusalem’s Thorns: Civilian Remix,” artist Carolyn Fe wrangled a tough decision: How does one choose between two creations cut from the same cloth?
“‘Jerusalem’s Thorns: Civilian Remix’ is closer to my heart than the version released on the album,” Fe shares candidly.
The version is aggressive with a military tone that accompanies tribal sounds alluding to a battle cry stemming from her deepest wounds, she expands. “It’s like a purging of poisons and toxins from (my) soul to rebuild a new normal.”
Originally from the album Sugat Ko — translating to ‘My Wound’ in her native tongue of Tagalog — “Jerusalem’s Thorns” was the collective choice of Fe’s bandmates. “They liked the organic and not-so aggressive vibe of the tune, which was a cry and scream of frustration as (my) wounds healed,” she offers.
In both versions of the song, those tribal percussions introduce the listener — and brings Fe closer — to her Filipino roots as she continues to further her version of the Blues genre.
Following a four-year silence to re-frame, re-energize and re-prioritize, she says, Carolyn Fe came back stronger than ever with the release of 2018’s Sugat Ko.
“I dropped my malong to reveal my truest self and to heal the wounds of the past,” she says, making note of the traditional tube skirt or dress made from a woven, multi-coloured cotton worn for warmth and/or traditional celebrations.
Familiarizing listeners to her Filipino heritage, the album ventures into new blues territory with masterful twists on the familiar forms of the genre. Infused with Filipino rhythms and sounds, and combined with timely lyrics, Sugat Ko is a poignant and unquestionably original release “not for the Blues purist,” she says.
“This is a modern album and relative to the current world climate, but at once classic with hints of tradition that is not necessarily your definition of, but also undeniably not your ‘Grandma’s blues.’
“It’s me daring you to step out of your comfort zone.”
The award-winning video for the original version of “Jerusalem’s Thorns” is akin to a short film about the Philippines’ Babaylan. “The Babaylan were almost always women. They were held in high regard and were powerful ritual specialists from the pre-colonial Philippines and were believed to have influence over the natural and spiritual realms. They were believed to possess powers that block dark magic and heal the sick or wounded, and interact with the deities of the spirit world.”
A dual-city-citizen of Montreal and Toronto, Philippine-born Carolyn Fe is a true artist: curious, adaptable, an outlier, a free-spirited visionary who questions accepted standards and pushes against established rules to bravely navigate the daunting corridors of her soul, reinventing and redefining her craft. She is an innovator who has always expressed herself through the performing arts — dance, television, film, web and music — specifically the blues, where she fully embodies her talents as an insightful lyricist, evocative interpreter, and singularly authentic performer.
Her inspirations come from being a woman of colour who grew up in a predominantly white neighbourhood where she was always on the fringe, even when she was literally in the spotlight performing. Being an outlier fuelled her determination to create her own space and freedom to blaze her own path — on her own terms. Carolyn Fe continues to write her own material and her lyrics lay comfortably on various artists’ music around the world such as Shun Kikuta (former guitarist of Koko Taylor), Finland’s Sami Joensuu, and many more.
As an actress, Carolyn Fe can be seen in both French and English productions. Catch her in her recurring role as Lola (Grandma) to the host of the show, Josh, in the children’s show Blue’s Clues and You (the reboot of the classic Blue’s Clues) on the Nickelodeon channel, as the mother to CIA agent in Condor on Amazon Prime, as Madame Z in the French web series Meilleur Avant on tv5unis.ca/meilleur-avant and more. In the theatre, Fe graces the stages of Toronto and Montreal’s most established houses.
Born to a family of entrepreneurs, whose enterprising spirit has clearly influenced her, it is no surprise that Carolyn Fe will continue to widen hers, her colleagues and her audiences’ boundaries. She defies age and challenges our stereotyped thinking about theatre, music and the performing arts in general. When working with and/or seeing Carolyn Fe in action, make sure you’ve loosened your parameters, or even better, erased the borders of what you think should be. Widen your horizons, only growth and evolution can come from being uncomfortable.
Live Nation Canada and Budweiser announced Budweiser Stage at Home, a weekly one-hour concert experience for fans to enjoy in the comfort of their own home. The iconic waterfront music venue will be transported from downtown Toronto into the homes of Canadians from coast to coast. The series premier will feature The Black Crowes with The Trews and hosted by Juno-nominated musician and Rogers Hometown Hockey host, Tara Slone. Beginning Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m., music fans can watch the special weekly concert series each Saturday on Citytv and Citytv.com. The events will also be available to stream on the Citytv iOS and AppleTV apps as well as Live Nation’s Live From Home platform, more details below.
“Budweiser Stage has a long, rich history as one of North America’s premiere concert destinations, and we know how important music is to people, especially at a difficult time. We wanted to keep the summer concert season going, even when we have to be apart,” said Riley O’Connor Chairman Live Nation Canada. “Live Nation Canada is proud to present Budweiser Stage at Home to keep our fans connected with live music. Live Nation continues to be the leader in the presentation of live music performances and looks forward to when we can all celebrate together at a live concert.”
Budweiser Stage at Home elevates the home streaming experience by delivering fully produced shows from this iconic venue. The series will celebrate music and the connection it creates as we head into another great Canadian summer. The hour-long specials will be performed remotely and feature performances and interviews with artists who were set to play Budweiser Stage this season or have previously performed at the venue. The second episode will feature Canadian favourites Blue Rodeo and Alan Doyle on June 6. Further artist performance announcements are coming in the following weeks.
“The month of May has always been the kick-off to summer with the opening of Budweiser Stage, however, during these unprecedented times we’ve all had to change how we live our lives. But it hasn’t changed Budweiser’s commitment to its community,” said Todd Allen, Vice President, Marketing, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “Budweiser Stage at Home allows us to elevate the at home music experience while creating great moments for friends to celebrate at a distance.”
Although this season may look different, Budweiser Stage at Home hopes to continue sharing music and entertainment with its community of fans.
BUDWEISER STAGE AT HOME LINEUP: Saturday, May 30th @ 8 p.m. EST:
The Black Crowes with The Trews
Saturday, June 6th @ 8 p.m. EST:
Blue Rodeo and Alan Doyle
WATCH ON:
CITY TV
Simultaneous Live Stream on Citytv.com, Citytv iOS app, AppleTV apps Live From Home – Live Nation’s All-New Virtual Music Hub
Tim Friese-Greene is best known as producer and unofficial member of Talk Talk, and for his work producing Catherine Wheel, Lush, Thomas Dolby, Sidi Bou Said and Firefly Burning. AllMusic wrote, “renowned for his unerring sense of atmosphere and nuance, Tim Friese-Greene was among the most innovative — albeit under-recognized — producers of his era”.
After 1995, he shifted his primary focus to creating music as a solo artist, issuing various releases under his own name and as Heligoland. Short-Haired Domestic is the next step in a logical progression for this producer.
A song in Latin about the importance of comfortable shoes is the first preview of the duo’s eponymous album, to release this summer:
Each track features vocals sung in a different language. At their heart are a breakbeat loop, sampled fragments, scratching, insistent funk and Latin rhythms, surprising appearances of acoustic guitar and just about every sound that’s possible to wring from a WASP synthesizer.
Short-Haired Domestic – photo by Jake Friese-Greene
“I was interested in a kind of heavy slowed-down funk, with quite a lot of abstract noise, and generally embracing dirtiness and imperfection. I had the idea around 2017 to make a slow funk album, but didn’t want to get bogged down in drummers or drum programming, so I picked 9 breakbeat loops off some 90s DJ vinyl that I had knocking about. At about the same time, Lee and I were taking Italian lessons and I was struck with how readily she adopted the nuances of the language,” says Tim Friese-Greene.
“Her gift for mimicry is what got me thinking about the possibility of using a separate language for each song. As well as utilising her skillset to the max, this would probably take her out of her comfort zone, creating different and unexpected possibilities.”
Short-Haired Domestic – photo by Jake Friese-Greene
Lee Friese-Greene was a member of early 90’s London Riot Grrl band Sidi Bou Said. 20-odd years was pre-occupied with parenting, teaching, doing up houses, and dabbling in music, including performance of back vocals for Tim’s projects. More recently, Lee is the songwriter, lead singer and guitar player for Devon-based band Pavlova.
“I am about the least bilingual person I know, but seem to be OK at mimicry, says Lee Friese-Greene, having called in favours from friends to translate her words and help her with pronunciation.
“Writing lyrics for translation was a challenge – in English I would think about all the usual literary devices- rhyme , alteration , metaphor, etc., but most of this goes out of the window once translated. So as the project progressed, I found I was writing more direct, straight forward words and then, with the help of the translators, things were tweaked to fit the melody.”
Lead track ‘A Song in Latin’was the first song Tim and Lee Friese-Greene wrote after coming up with the ‘Short-Haired Domestic’ album concept.
“Tim suggested I start with a Latin language, so I though – why not just do it Latin? We weren’t aware of any other records in Latin. I found a Latin translator tool online – no idea how accurate my translation is but having gone to what was once a rather stuffy grammar school, I did have to study Latin for a couple of years, so recall it being reasonably straightforward and easy to pronounce,” says Lee Friese-Greene.
“Anyway this is a song about always wearing your own shoes and choosing your own path, because other people’s shoes never feel right even if they appear to be the same size”.
As of June 5, ‘A song in Latin… A song in Hindi…’ will be available digitally. It is now available for pre-order via Bandcamp. Later this summer, the duo shall release their debut eponymous album on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally across the main digital platforms.
TRACK LIST
1. A song in Latin about the importance of comfortable shoes 2. A song in Hindi for insomniacs
The Kaleidoscope Orchestra performs a medley of tracks from Eminem, including Lose Yourself, Just Lose It, The Real Slim Shady, Without Me, and My Name Is.
It is evident that the twenty-first century workplace functions and operates effectively because of the impetus of new technologies which are the medium through which smooth workflow is accomplished. There are several technological infrastructures that you would see or interact with whenever you come into an office space. The larger and cumbersome part of this infrastructure is often placed in places that are out of sight to anyone visiting the workplace while others are readily available for all to see. The dependence of the workplace on computer technology to affect its operation and performance is clearly seen in the purchase of Dell Poweredge tower servers and other related materials. Read more about top-selling servers at https://redbytesite.com/dell-poweredge-rack-tower-servers/
In the world of computing, there is certain hardware that controls the effective functioning of the software. The program that runs on the various computer systems in front of the various staff members of an organization is definitely controlled from a central point which is known as the server. In most organizations, the server is placed in the server room for various reasons and purpose and it is this infrastructure that controls the operations that workers carry out on the computer system. Before anyone that access such software or program, then you have to be authorized by the server. There are three kinds of servers, namely the blade, rack, and the tower servers.
It is important to note that the server though hardware, is operated by the software itself but its job description is to run computing services to the connected computer system. The rack server is the common one used by many corporate organizations in order to save the floor space where the structure is kept. A rack is a cabinet form in which pieces of servers can be placed on top of one another and still function perfectly. The use of the rack server has been for a long period of time and most computer technology companies produce more of this type. The dell rack server has proved to be of immense benefit to those who chose to use it.
In actual fact, there are many producers of servers in the computer technology space but the Dell brand and name have always been in the lips of many people and the reason is not far-fetched. Many people can testify to the fact that Dell products in server technologies offer the best form of features that are relevant and alight after. One such feature that can be seen in the Dell Poweredge server is the uninterrupted power supply of five thousand volts and power of three thousand, seven hundred and fifty watts. This facility added to the Dell server allows the user to properly save data and to switch off the server during times of electrical or power outage.
How to create an effective workflow in your office space?
Getting the best kind of computer technology nowadays is an important part of the setup of the workplace. The twenty-first century office is one that is highly automated in almost all of its functions and operation. The rate of technological compliance among the nations of the world is quite alarming and interesting. A pointer to the fact that most administration and operations are done in the office space are overseen by software and programs that have been developed by the various software development companies. However, it is quite impossible to work in isolation in an established organization as all the office functions are often similar and have the same end in view. This makes the use of tower servers highly pertinent and recommended.
In the world of computing, servers are performance infrastructure that makes a particular service or program available to many computer systems at the same time. However, these computer systems must be connected via cables or wireless network. The use of SAS software for example, in the office space, is a common thing but you cannot install this program on a single computer because of the fact that the specification needed for its installation is far more than what one computer system can provide. Therefore, organizations make use of servers especially the dell rack server that consumes or uses up less office space and expandable to store multiple software.
The Dell brand is a household name that has entrenched itself in the sand of computer hardware technology. There are certain features you could get in a Dell product that you might not get in another server. One of these is the security that is ensured in most of the Dell rack servers. The front end of the server system has a lock and key that is unique to Dell products. Furthermore, the power management of the Dell Poweredge server is such that the cords are detachable and they are made in such a way that data protection of all cloud-based software is at the best level.
CLASH Magazine calls Canadian artist MELANIE? “defiant in her outlook, staunch in her approach, and completely, utterly ruthless in her execution.”
If that’s the homegrown Toronto-based artist’s approach to her day-to-day blues-rockin’ play, you can only imagine her new initiative — Masks for Music, a fundraising sale in support of Spotify’s COVID-19 Music Relief Project and the Unison Benevolent Fund — is given the same gusto.
“One of the communities that has been most impacted by COVID-19 is the one I’m a part of: Artists and musicians,” Melanie says. “With tours, live shows, and festivals cancelled — not to mention collaborative studio and writing sessions on hold and creative productions delayed — musicians and artists who were already struggling to make ends meet or access important resources are in need of even more assistance.
“We have an ambitious fundraising goal,” she adds, noting the campaign’s aim to raise $10,000 in the span of three weeks time. “Spotify Canada has pledged to match any donations made to Unison dollar for dollar, up to a collective $10 Million, so any money raised will be doubled!”
And so goes the genesis behind MELANIE?’s Masks for Music Campaign, featuring stunningly crafted, 100% cotton non-medical grade masks complete with filter pockets and her signature M?
“We have created about 200 custom masks, and each of them are for sale with a minimum donation of $10,” she says. “We’ve also partnered with 18 local companies in the GTA to reward our donations above $100 with a number of goods and services. There’s everything from personal training to clothing, jewelry… Even fresh, handmade pasta!”
The effort is almost there, exceeding 70% of its initial goal as of the time of writing.
Businesses featured include Alexandra-Jo Hastings, Bad Taste, Broken Cage Gallery, Cherry Gardens, Essentials by Temi, Greenhouse Juice Co., Jolene Melissa Officinalis Apothecary & Hand Dyed Goods, Laylow Bar, Lokey Cozy, Madison Makepeace, Noodle Perfect, Paulyy Fitness, Ripe X Homegrown Juices, Sam & Lance, Spin Master, Stitch n’ Bitch Apparel, Terra Media Design, and Your Clothes Friend.
“The Unison Benevolent Fund’s work is incredibly important, with or without a pandemic,” Melanie considers. “In times of darkness and despair, we have seen the light that shines through when people and communities come together.
“We want to be a part of that story.”
MELANIE?’s Masks for Music are available via GoFundMe here.
