30th Anniversary SOCAN Awards Featuring Canada’s Brightest Stars

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 Music Express

30th Anniversary SOCANs Shimmer with Songwriting, Composing, Music Publishing, Licensing Success Opens with a “Call Me Maybe” winner; Barenaked Ladies end with a Bang. Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger celebrated as Most-Performed Songwriter. Murda Beatz, Drake, Frank Dukes, Jack Lenz, Red Brick Songs, Jessie Reyez, Bell Media also honoured. Buffy Sainte-Marie inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. – More than 700... Read More

Corey’s Hart-felt Juno Tribute

March 18, 2019March 19, 2019 Keith Sharp

The 2019 Juno Awards, staged Sunday at London’s Budweiser Gardens may have evolved into a showcase for new talent but it was the hosting stint by Sarah McLachlan and the (long overdue) inducting Corey Hart in The Canadian Music Hall Of Fame which gave the event credibility. McLachlan proved to be a polished host and provided one of the two-hour... Read More

NEW MUSIC: Alessia Cara / The Pains of Growing (Deluxe) (November 30)

December 1, 2018December 1, 2018 Keith Sharp

Alessia Car Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Alessia Cara releases her highly anticipated second album The Pains of Growing (Deluxe), today via Def Jam Recordings/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. The run-up to today’s highly-anticipated release of The Pains of Growing began as far back as July, when Alessia first performed “Growing Pains” on Fallon and Colbert, then in September on The Today Show‘s outdoor... Read More

Tètè : Say Hello to The French Bob Dylan…Or Is That Jeff Buckley!

June 13, 2017June 15, 2017 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Thursday April 20th at Toronto’s Rivoli Theatre. As part of the annual Canadian Music Week Festivities, a delegation from France (along with a similar delegation from Italy) were showcasing a lineup of domestic artists at the venue. Public Relations person extraordinaire, Joanne Smale had convinced yours truly to write about the delegation and to check... Read More

Pistolwhips Tour New Album

May 12, 2017 Music Express

Saskatoon alternative rockers, The Pistolwhips have announced that their sophomore album, Voices will be released worldwide on May 26, 2017. To celebrate the release, the band will begin a month long tour across Canada kicking things off with a hometown release show at Amigos Cantina on May 26. Voices, produced by JUNO award winner, Eric Ratz (Arkells, Monster Truck, Billy... Read More

New Faces: Montreal’s Fleece Set Sail With Voyageur Debut

November 21, 2016November 23, 2016 Music Express

Montreal’s Fleece are excited to announce details of their sophomore album Voyager which will be released on January 19th, 2017 via their own Fleece Music imprint. Listen to the album’s first single “What You’ve Done” here via Brooklyn Vegan who had this to say about the song: “The track really shows off what Fleece do well, bringing a tropical rhythm to a bright, joyous pop song... Read More

Dani & Lizzy: Keeping Things Positive

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp In the fall of 2013 it was just a simple little song recorded by Vancouver’s Lizzy Nelson on her home computer. Titled “Dancing In The Sky”, the composition was dedicated to a friend who had recently passed away, yet neither she nor her twin sister Dani could have possibly anticipated what would happen when that song... Read More

Neon Dreams Gets Kardinal’s Seal Of Approval

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp When you’re a burgeoning EDM band from the Maritimes hitting the new music charts with a follow-up EP to an already promising debut album, it doesn’t hurt to have the likes of Kardinal Offishall place his seal of approval on your latest single release. Such is the case with Halifax quarter Neon Dreams who are... Read More

New Faces – LAST HOLOGRAM Brave New Universe

August 30, 2016August 30, 2016 Music Express

2016 sees the launch of Toronto indie band Last Hologram’s album Brave New Universe. But not before a death match with Toronto indie band Lickpenny Loafer. Okay, it was a metaphorical cage match. We used to be called Lickpenny Loafer. But that ran its course. In our defense, our singer and fearless leader, Arunachal Subramanian, was inspired by an O.... Read More

New Faces – Diggin Roots Open Fire On Hate

August 2, 2016August 2, 2016 Keith Sharp

Digging Roots has an answer to the gun violence plaguing the world today: more love, more truth, more music. “I think we can use the word ‘epidemic’ when it comes to gun violence in society today,” says Singer ShoShona Kish of DiggingRoots whose powerful and inspirational new video AK-47 calls for an end to violence and oppression through love and understanding. The new video is available on YouTube and already... Read More

Rising Rap Star Raz Fresco Details His 5% Nation Journey In God Body Video

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016 Music Express

What do Jay Z, Nas, Joey Badass, Erykah Badu, Jay Electronica, Wu Tang Clan and Rakim have in common? Outside of the fact that they have all created enduring music, if you dig a little deeper you will have also noticed that they have either used Five Percent Nation slang repeatedly or referenced their teachings in their rhymes. Toronto-based rapper Raz... Read More

NEW FACES – THE DAMN TRUTH – RELEASE NEW ALBUM “DEVILISH FOLK”

July 11, 2016July 12, 2016 Music Express

BAND TO RELEASE VIDEO OF “LOVE IS BLINDNESS” FOLLOWING PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO YVES SAINT LAURENT COMMERCIAL SUMMER/FALL 2016 TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED BAND PERFORMS JULY 30 AT OSHEAGA Montreal, July 7, 2016. If you haven’t already, you’re going to hear Montreal’s The Damn Truth soon. And even if you have, you’re about to hear them with... Read More

HARRISON DEBUTS WITH CHECKPOINT TITANIUM

June 28, 2016June 28, 2016 Music Express

(NEW FACES) Toronto, ON – JUNE 24, 2016 – Today, Toronto producer, Harrison, announced the release of his debut LP, Checkpoint Titanium, which will arrive September 9th, via Last Gang Records. To coincide with the album, Harrison shares a new single, So Far From Home, featuring Young Guv (Ben Cook of Fucked Up, No Warning, etc.)., Listen to the track... Read More

NEW FACES – LIKE A MOTORCYCLE – HIGH HOPES FOR NEW RELEASE

June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 Music Express

Hot on the heels of wowing international delegates at East Coast Music Week 2016, Halifax punk-rock quartet Like A Motorcycle are stoked to announce the September 2, 2016 launch date of their long-awaited debut LP High Hopes.The album will be made available through GroundSwell Music internationally in partnership via a newly minted deal with legendary Hamburg punk rock label Rookie... Read More

New Faces Hillsburn: Playing Off A Hunch

May 17, 2016May 17, 2016 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Call it a hunch if you will. When Paul Aarntzen piled brother and sister Clayton and Rosanna Burrill and Jackson Fairfax-Perry into his two-door hatchback in the spring of 2014 along with an assortment of musical instruments for a drive to the village of Hillsburn, New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy, (Aarntzen’s former residence) he had... Read More

New Faces – Amanda Thomson

May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 Music Express

Amanda Thomson began singing at the age of 4, when she started piano lessons through the Royal Conservatory of Music. “Growing up in musical theatre I’ve always been comfortable performing. And we lived in a musical household so I was always playing piano, saxophone, guitar and drums alongside my father.”, says the 23 yr-old Mississauga born singer. After watching a... Read More

NEW FACES – Rain Over St Ambrose

April 26, 2016April 27, 2016 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Formed in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, this six-piece outfit have been building a strong reputation in the Martimes since launching their recording career in 2012 with the release of their debut release, `Truth For News’. Band members; Cory LeBlanc (guitar/vocals), Marc Durkee (guitar/vocals), Curt LeBlanc (guitar), Luke Amirault (drums), Spencer Muise (bass) and Matt Amirault (keyboards) have... Read More

New Faces – A Taste Of Honey

April 12, 2016April 20, 2016 Keith Sharp

So what do Dan Volj and Francois Bruneau do in their spare time when not performing with Montreal’s The Box? Start their own band of course! Volj, who plays bass for The Box and Bruneau, who plays guitar, switch instruments for their side project called Atoh with Volj also handling lead vocals. Before you ask, this odd moniker is short... Read More

New Faces – The New Electric

March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 Keith Sharp

It’s amazing how much mileage you can get with a little exposure on DMDS. When Calgary’s The New Electric release an indie single”Life’s What You Make It” in mid 2015, the melodic, mid-tempo track reached #18 on the Hot A/C chart, #24 on the Main A/C chart and #26 on the Top 40 Canadian Radio chart.It also didn’t hurt that... Read More

THE DEAD SOUTH

March 21, 2016March 22, 2016 Keith Sharp

Sometimes described as Mumford & Sons’ evil twins, the Regina quartet of Nate Hills (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin), Colton Crawford (banjo, kick drum), Scott Pringle (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Doug Kenyon (cello, vocals), these self-professed `modern hillbillies’ have just re-mastered their debut full album recording, `Good Company’ (Curve Music/Entertainment One), originally release in 2014, with “Honey You” serving as the... Read More

Category: New Faces