Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy Create A Musical Canvas With New Studio Album

February 4, 2023February 4, 2023 Eric Alper

Photos Credit Rebekah Littlejohn A blank canvas is full of possibilities—much like the partnership of Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, whose new album Canvas comes out on March 17, 2023. They are two of the world’s top Celtic fiddlers: she is a renowned, award-winning solo artist from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; he is from the legendary Leahy family of Ontario,... Read More

Nominations and New Performers Revealed for The 2023 JUNO Awards

February 1, 2023February 4, 2023 Music Express

The Weeknd Leads With Six Nominations, and Avril Lavigne and Tate McRae follow with five. As Juno Nominations Announced The nominees for The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards were announced today by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) at a press conference attended by media and industry notables inside the CBC’s Canadian Broadcasting Centre in downtown Toronto. This year’s winners will be unveiled in Edmonton,... Read More

McBowl Concert Series Has North American Appeal

January 30, 2023February 1, 2023 Keith Sharp

Photo by Andrew Clowater By Keith Sharp The 6th Annual McBowl Concert, in support of Ronald McDonald House promoter Ed Sousa can usually tell how well his annual concert festival is doing by how many tickets are sold nationally and throughout the United States. “Last year, we sold tickets to 20 U.S. states and every province in Canada. So far... Read More

City and Colour Announces New LP ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ Out March 31

January 25, 2023January 25, 2023 Music Express

City and Colour – The Love Still Held Me Near – Art by Kit King City and Colour – acclaimed singer, songwriter, and performer Dallas Green has announced the highly-anticipated new album ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ will be released on March 31 via Still Records, an imprint of Dine Alone Records. ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ is a deeply personal and cathartic offering and the most... Read More

NICKELBACK Announce 2023 Get Rollin’ Tour

January 24, 2023January 26, 2023 Music Express

Acclaimed rock band Nickelback announced their 2023 Get Rollin’ Tour in support of their most recent 10th studio album, Get Rollin’. Produced by Live Nation, the massive run will hit 38 cities this summer, kicking off on Monday, June 12, in Quebec City, QC, at Videotron Centre, with stops across North America in Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Nashville and more before wrapping up on Wednesday, August... Read More

Bryan Adams Releases Re-Recordings Of Classic Hits

January 22, 2023January 26, 2023 Music Express

Photo Credit: Bryan Adams Las Vegas Residency At The Wynn Kicks Off Jan 25 Acclaimed GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Bryan Adams has released the 2LP version of Classic (Parts 1 & 2), a 2LP package featuring 14 classic re-recordings and an exclusive etching via BMG. Classic 2LP Vinyl Tracklisting Side A 1. Summer of ‘69 2. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 3. Run... Read More

Lee Aaron Elevates Her Game

January 13, 2023January 15, 2023 Roman Mitz

By Roman Mitz Lee Aaron has a new album called “Elevate,” and the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that verb means “To raise in rank or status” or “To raise the spirits of.” Well, her new album certainly succeeds on both counts. The award-winning songwriter, producer and Canadian vocalist blazed back onto the rock scene in 2016 (after a ten-year hiatus to... Read More

Grammy® Award-Winning Icon Shania Twain Releases New Single “Giddy Up!”

January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 Music Express

Photos by – Louie Banks Strutting into 2023, five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning legend and the best-selling female artist in country music history Shania Twain, shares a brand-new single entitled “Giddy Up!” today. Listen to “Giddy Up!” HERE and watch the video HERE. The track sets the stage for her eagerly awaited new album, Queen of Me, arriving on February 3, 2023. It notably stands out as her sixth original full-length offering,... Read More

Big Sugar Revisits Classic Release With New Tour And Band Lineup

January 2, 2023January 8, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson isn’t prepared to idly sit back and play out a pandemic. Even during an enforced two-year layoff, he was releasing his GJ SoundShack video series and was even able to execute a One Man Big Sugar Show. So as soon as he was able to get back on the road, Johnson jumped at... Read More

Country & Roots – Audio Treats – Happy New Year!

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023 Roman Mitz

Open Spaces – By Roman Mitz New releases drop down to a trickle toward the end of the year and the beginning of the next, but Open Spaces has brushed away a layer of snow and found a few cool audio treats that we wouldn’t want you to miss out on. Multi-platinum hit-making trio Cheat Codes, popularly known for their smash... Read More

Greetings! And the Best of the Season & a Happy New Year to You All!

December 22, 2022January 1, 2023 Music Express

Coney Hatch’s UK Tour 40 Years In The Making

December 5, 2022December 25, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp The invitation came right out of the blue. When Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran touched base with Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris during his band’s Toronto and Hamilton dates (as part of Maiden’s global Legacy Of The Beast tour), Harris mentioned he would be taking his British Lions’ side project on a brief but intense 11 dates... Read More

Blakk Turns Traumatic Childhood Experience Into Moving Emotional Vignettes

November 26, 2022November 27, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Considering Forest Blakk’s traumatic childhood upbringing, it would have come as no surprise if his musical influences had been Thrash Metal or Gangsta Rap. Yet his third EP, ‘Every Little Detail’ contains eight emotional introspective compositions which rank highly on wedding musical theme lists, an image which belies his gruff, tattooed physique. Blakk grew up in Montreal,... Read More

Workaholic Hugh Dillon Balances New Album And Tour With High Profile TV Roles

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022 Music Express

Sound Of Music 2019 – Photo by Corey Kelly By Keith Sharp The big question is where the Headstones’ Hugh Dillon finds the time to record a new album,`Flight Risk,’ and plan a 17-date Canadian tour (with two dates in Buffalo) while at the same time completing the second season of The Mayor Of Kingstown TV series with season five... Read More

Madeline Merlo Rides High With ‘Slide’

November 15, 2022January 15, 2023 Roman Mitz

by Roman Mitz for Open Spaces. Raised in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, near Vancouver, Madeline Merlo has been on a fast track after being discovered on YouTube and signed to a record label at only 18. Radio success, tour dates and awards quickly followed, and she was honoured with the Canadian Country Music Association’s Rising Star Award in 2015. In... Read More

Love Of Spaghetti Westerns Spawn Novel Single

November 14, 2022November 22, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp On Saturday November 26th at Toronto’s El Mocambo Tavern and on Sunday November 27th at Mississauga’s Classic Bowl venue, Boys Don’t Cry will open for Spandau Ballet saxophonist Steve Norman. Most musicologists may not recognize the name Boys Don’t Cry or its principal member, Nick Richards but possibly the band’s debut 1986 single; “I Wanna Be A... Read More

CARAS to induct Nickelback into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards, live on CBC

November 14, 2022November 17, 2022 Music Express

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and CBC announced today that globally renowned rock band Nickelback will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as part of The 2023 JUNO Awards. The news was shared during a press conference at Rogers Place in Edmonton, where next year’s award show will be held. Taking place in Nickelback’s home province of... Read More

Barney Bentall’s Cariboo Express Puts A New Twist On Fundraising

November 7, 2022November 8, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp It was one of those eureka moments. Barney Bentall and his son Dustin were watching a YouTube episode of The Grand Ole Opry when they heard the MC say, “and the next song by Mel Tillis is sponsored by Gillette.” Songs sponsored by corporations, what a novel concept! “It was 2006, we were planning on doing a... Read More

Crown Lands Unleash Ferocious Cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” at The Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022

October 28, 2022 Music Express

Juno Award-winning powerhouse rock duo Crown Lands – Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) and Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys)—reveal a raw rendition of The Beatles’ quintessential rally song, “Come Together,” released in partnership with TSN as part of a campaign for the Canadian Men’s National Team as they gear up for the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ starting November 20. Starting today,... Read More

Canadian indie-rock royalty Sloan releases their remarkable 13th studio album ‘Steady’

October 27, 2022October 28, 2022 Music Express

Canadian indie-rock royalty Sloan releases their remarkable 13th studio album ‘Steady’ through Murderecords/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Steady follows Sloan’s 2018 record 12 and marks the 30th anniversary of their beloved debut record, Smeared, which came out in October 1992. Sloan are one of the rare bands to make it to their 13th album, with all four original members who are equally prolific songwriters and all still working at the... Read More

Category: New Releases