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Molly Johnson’s Cool Yule Record

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

MacKenzie Porter – A 90 Proof Collection

MacKenzie Porter – A 90 Proof Collection
Singer-songwriter MacKenzie Porter sure has come a long way from the ranch where she was raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Since moving to Nashville in 2014, she’s developed a unique style that may best be described as a traditional country with a contemporary edge. Her hook-laden songs have sparked a list of accolades including multiple Canadian Country Music Award nominations... Read More

Dallas Smith – Country Music Awards Continue To ‘Drop’.

Dallas Smith – Country Music Awards Continue To ‘Drop’.
Dallas Smith has won a lot of Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards. In fact, he has more hardware on his den shelf than you’ll find in aisle nine of your local home improvement store. His latest CCMA wins came on September 27 for Entertainer of the Year, Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year (“The Fall”) and Top Selling... Read More

Lindsay Ell – Songs From and For The Heart

Lindsay Ell – Songs From and For The Heart
Lindsay Ell – Heart Theory – Photo by Jeremy Cowart In a short period of time, Lindsay Ell has compiled a mind-blowing list of accomplishments. Lindsay’s last recording, “The Project” her first full-length album, debuted at No. 1 on the Country Album Sales Chart and was named Billboard’s Best Country Album of 2017. Over the course of her career, she... Read More

Glen Washington – Still Having The Time Of His Life

Glen Washington – Still Having The Time Of His Life
This month Open Spaces ditches its cowboy hat in favour of a Red Stripe cap, as we were fortunate enough to speak with Reggae superstar Glen Washington, who’s recording some new tracks in the south of France. Specifically, he’s at the renowned Irie Ites studio in the Pays De La Loire region, about two hours south-east of Paris.  The studio... Read More

Country Round-up with Brett Kissel, Karli June, Jason Blaine, Don Amero and Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion, and more

Country Round-up with Brett Kissel, Karli June, Jason Blaine, Don Amero and Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion, and more
Brett Kissel As we make our way out of the traditional winter freeze of new releases, a couple of recent recordings have made a splash on streaming services beginning with Brett Kissel’s latest album “Now or Never”.  Last year was a huge one for Brett, who won the JUNO Award for Country Album of the Year and earned the Canadian... Read More

Madison Kozak: The Next Big Thing

Madison Kozak: The Next Big Thing
Madison Kozak has had a terrific year. The budding country star signed a deal with U.S. record label Songs & Daughters (a subsidiary of Big Loud Records), made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, recently released three radio-friendly singles and was selected by Nashville’s Country Music Network to be a member of CMT’s Next Wave of Country, Class of... Read More

Jason Benoit – Country From The Rock

Jason Benoit – Country From The Rock
To coin one of Willie Nelson’s signature lines, Jason Benoit can’t wait to get on the road again. Actually Jason is already on the road, travelling from his home in Newfoundland to Southern Ontario then on to Alberta, where he is playing a string of dates with his fellow Canadian country troubadours and good buddies, The Washboard Union. Jason will... Read More

Johnson’s Creek – Making A Splash

Johnson’s Creek – Making A Splash
The first song on Johnson’s Creek’s self-titled debut EP is ‘Light Up The Honky Tonk’, and when the boys drop an early reference to Hank Jr.’s ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’, you get the picture of what they’re all about.  The group proudly declares itself to be the purveyors of ‘redneck rock’, and they wrote all of the tunes and... Read More

Don’t Mess With Meghan Patrick

Don’t Mess With Meghan Patrick
Alongside Kasey Musgraves and Ashley McBride, Meghan Patrick is among a handful of fiercely independent women that are blazing new trails in country music. Born and raised in Bowmanville Ontario and now residing in Nashville, Meghan has honed her singing and songwriting skills to a tee and the results are proudly on display on her latest recording, the six-song EP... Read More

Austin Jenckes – The Voice That Roared by Roman Mitz for Open Spaces

Austin Jenckes – The Voice That Roared by Roman Mitz for Open Spaces
When Austin Jenckes wrapped his gravelly pipes around covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Simple Man’ and The Bee Gees’ ‘To Love Somebody’ during season five of the television series ‘The Voice’, you simply knew you were hearing someone special who would soon be on the radio with original material.  The only thing you did not expect was that it would take... Read More