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Month: December 2020

2020: That Was The Year That Was! And Music Lives Lost.

Keith Sharp
2020: That Was The Year That Was! And Music Lives Lost.
By Keith Sharp There’s no two ways about it, 2020 was a crap year. Who could have predicted that this COVID-19 pandemic could do so much damage on a global scale? The entire live music scene shuddered to a halt, major festivals cancelled, key live venues forced to restrict their attendances and then closed altogether, musicians and music industry personnel... Read More

Classic Rocker Leslie West Dies From Heart Attack

by Best Classic Bands Staff
Classic Rocker Leslie West Dies From Heart Attack
Mountain (L to R): Felix Pappalardi, Leslie West, Corky Laing By Jeff Tamarkin Leslie West, best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of hard-rock progenitors Mountain, died today (Dec. 23, 2020) due to cardiac arrest. West, who was in Palm Coast, Fla., at the time of his passing, was 75. On Monday night, Dec. 21, West’s brother, Larry West... Read More

Pajama Party Provides New Year’s Eve Alternative

Keith Sharp
Pajama Party Provides New Year’s Eve Alternative
By Keith Sharp Okay, so you are wondering what you are going to do on New Year’s Eve 2020! No clubs to go to, all the regular outdoor gatherings restricted and you can’t handle Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s CNN television countdown. So, courtesy of ace fund-raiser Ed Sousa you can tune into his `New Year’s Eve’ Pajama Party, to... Read More

Christmas Special Caps Spoons Innovative Schedule

Keith Sharp
Christmas Special Caps Spoons Innovative Schedule
By Keith Sharp While other bands and artists have spent this year-long pandemic sitting on their hands, Burlington Ontario’s The Spoons have executed a number of performances playing to restricted audiences, mainly for charity events. Their latest creation is simply called The Spoons Holiday Special and is a pre-taped performance of the band playing Christmas favourites from home with a... Read More

Loverboy Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of their Debut Album

Keith Sharp
Loverboy Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of their Debut Album
Mike Reno of Loverboy – Photo by Ted Van Boort By Keith Sharp Former co-manager, the late Lou Blair called it the half-million-dollar review! A glowing review of Loverboy’s U.S debut single, “Turn Me Loose” in the U.S. tip sheet `Friday Morning Quarterback’ announcing that the lone surviving new single from the 1980 Christmas period is “Turn Me Loose” by... Read More

Snotty Nose Rez Kids Drop Official Music Video For “Where They At”

Music Express
Snotty Nose Rez Kids Drop Official Music Video For “Where They At”
LISTEN/SHARE WHERE THEY AT HERE  “With fierce rhymes committed to the cause of decolonization, Snotty Nose Rez Kids simultaneously nod to the contemporary hip-hop sound they employ and to environmental issues directly affecting Indigenous people.” – Complex  “kinetic and cartoonish chemistry similar to Flatbush Zombies, as well as a bold confrontation of white supremacy with classic hip-hop tropes.” – The... Read More

Molly Johnson’s Cool Yule Record

Roman Mitz
Molly Johnson’s Cool Yule Record
Molly Johnson – Photo by Chris Nicholls Photography It seems fitting that our chat with Molly Johnson takes place the day after the legendary Canadian songstress’s annual Christmas cookie baking session. Her new EP “This Holiday Season” evokes festive images that are as pleasant as the smell of gingerbread and macaroon treats wafting from the oven. “The cookies turned out... Read More

Hook Set To Participate In Unison Live Stream Broadcast

Keith Sharp
Hook Set To Participate In Unison Live Stream Broadcast
By Keith Sharp As a highly regarded singer/songwriter, multi-musician recording artist, Shawn Hook is fully aware of the ravages that the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted on Canada’s music industry. As a board member of the Unison Benevolent Fund, he is in a position to do something positive to raise much-needed funds to aid this ailing industry. This Thursday he will... Read More

Matt Mays’ Dog Rhuby Stars In “Talking To The Sky” Music Video, Directed By July Talk’s Leah Fay And Peter Dreimanis

Music Express
Matt Mays’ Dog Rhuby Stars In “Talking To The Sky” Music Video, Directed By July Talk’s Leah Fay And Peter Dreimanis
Matt Mays shares the video for the song “Talking to The Sky” from his latest album Dog City. The video is a collaboration between Matt and his friends Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis of July Talk. Both Leah and Peter contributed vocals to the project. Says Matt of the collaboration: “Leah and Peter are some of the most magical people... Read More

Charley Pride, Country Music Legend, Dies at 86

by Best Classic Bands Staff
Charley Pride, Country Music Legend, Dies at 86
Charley Pride, whose rich baritone voice and impeccable song-sense altered American culture, died today (December 12, 2020) in Dallas, Tex., of complications from Covid-19. The country music legend was 86. Born a sharecropper’s son in Sledge, Mississippi, on March 18, 1934, Pride emerged from Southern cotton fields to become country music’s first Black superstar and the first Black member of the Country... Read More

Country Music Group Of The Year The Washboard Union To Host Corus Country Radio Christmas Special

Music Express
Country Music Group Of The Year The Washboard Union To Host Corus Country Radio Christmas Special
Special Airs On Country 105 Calgary, CISN 103.9 Edmonton and Country 104 London on December 25 Corus Radio announced today that Juno award-winning and three-time Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Group of the Year Award winners, The Washboard Union will host A Washboard Union Christmas on Corus Radio country stations across Canada.  The two-hour radio special will air on December... Read More

A Is For Arrows Shoots Straight From The Heart

Keith Sharp
A Is For Arrows Shoots Straight From The Heart
By Keith Sharp Alessia Balasbas is aware that one of the first questions asked of her as she debuts her six-track EP titled ‘Roses” is to explain her performance name ‘A Is For Arrows‘. “It came from a quote awhile back that an arrow can only be shot by pulling the bow backwards,” noted Balasbas from her Toronto residence in... Read More

Platinum Selling Singer-Songwriter Tebey Announces “The Good Ones” Album For January 22

Music Express
Platinum Selling Singer-Songwriter Tebey Announces “The Good Ones” Album For January 22
Canadian platinum-selling singer-songwriter and award-winning artist Tebey releases his new album The Good Ones on January 22 via Jayward Artist Group/ The Orchard/ Sony Music Canada and all streaming services. The new album pairs Tebey’s pop roots with his cool, contemporary country voice and signature catchy choruses. The Good Ones, an album that offers 3 popular hit songs and a buzzing new track, proudly highlights the title track; a powerful duet with Quebec pop superstar Marie Mai that... Read More

bülow Shares New Music, Cover Of Frank Ocean’s “Lost” Out Now

Music Express
bülow Shares New Music, Cover Of Frank Ocean’s “Lost” Out Now
Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artist bülow shared new music, a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Lost” via Republic Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Listen to “Lost” HERE On the song choice, bülow commented, “I haven’t done a lot of covers but I brought the idea to IG and someone asked me to cover it. I had the song stuck in my head for... Read More

Joel Plaskett Delivers “Benefit 4 Dreamland” Video

Music Express
Joel Plaskett Delivers “Benefit 4 Dreamland” Video
Joel Plaskett Shares Live Off The Floor Video of “A Benefit 4 Dreamland” Featuring Rose Cousins, Mo Kenney, Erin Costelo And More Special Guests Joel Plaskett delivers another visual for his latest project 44, watch the live off the floor video for the album’s last song, “A Benefit 4 Dreamland.” Shot at his studio New Scotland Yard in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, the performance features guests: Rose Cousins,... Read More

Late Show With James Corden / Grammy Nominated Album ‘Unfollow The Rules’

Music Express
Late Show With James Corden / Grammy Nominated Album ‘Unfollow The Rules’
Recent GRAMMY® Award nominee for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Rufus Wainwright was the music and talk guest on Late Late Show With James Corden this past Thursday, December 3. Wainwright performed the song, “Alone Time” from the GRAMMY® nominated album Unfollow The Rules. Along with the song, Wainwright was interviewed by the host about the nomination among other things. You can watch the performance here and interview here. Wainwright,... Read More

Meghan Patrick Releases Powerful Cover of “Black Velvet”

Music Express
Meghan Patrick Releases Powerful Cover of “Black Velvet”
Juno Award-Winning Track Recorded As Part Of Juno 365 Sessions Stream / download:  https://MeghanPatrick.lnk.to/BlackVelvetPR In the lead-up to her 2020 Juno Award win for Country Album of the Year, Meghan Patrick stopped into the CBC studios to record the Grammy and Juno Award-winning Alannah Myles classic “Black Velvet” for their Junos 365 Sessions series. Meghan recently posted a clip of... Read More

Lee Aaron Serves Up Eclectic Christmas Album Grab Bag Of Tracks

Keith Sharp
Lee Aaron Serves Up Eclectic Christmas Album Grab Bag Of Tracks
By Keith Sharp Hot news flash! Lee Aaron covers Slade! This writer’s bucket list is now complete. The above statement may be more than a little facetious but to have Lee Aaron cover Slade’s proverbial annual Christmas chestnut, ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ on her band’s latest 10 track `Almost Christmas’ album serves as a special treat for this writer who is... Read More

Canadian Music Hall Of Fame Group Loverboy Releases 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition of Multi-Platinum Certified Self-Titled Album Loverboy

Music Express
Canadian Music Hall Of Fame Group Loverboy Releases 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition of Multi-Platinum Certified Self-Titled Album Loverboy
Canadian Music Hall of Fame group, LOVERBOY, celebrates the 40th anniversary of their 5x Platinum-certified, self-titled album Loverboy this year. To commemorate this sonic work of art, the group releases a special limited-edition vinyl of the legendary rock classic today via Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. Loverboy the album is available for purchase now HERE. Originally released in October 1980,... Read More

The 16th Annual Andy Kim Christmas is going National on Saturday, December 19th

Music Express
The 16th Annual Andy Kim Christmas is going National on Saturday, December 19th
ANDY KIM CHRISTMAS TELEVISION SPECIAL  in support of Crew Nation, CAMH Gifts of Light and Food Banks Canada airs Saturday, December 19 at 8 pm on Citytv and Citytv.com Featuring performances by Andy Kim, Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene, Buffy Sainte-Marie, City and Colour, Glass Tiger & Roch Voisine, Jully Black, Ron Sexsmith, Sam Roberts, Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder &... Read More