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One Ugly Cowboy – The Little Band That Could

Roman Mitz
One Ugly Cowboy – The Little Band That Could
(Photo: Jim Ziegler) Toronto-based country rockers One Ugly Cowboy (OUC) have been honing their craft for some time now, and it’s beginning to pay off as 2023 has turned out to be a stellar year. The group is fronted by dynamic vocalist ‘Hurricane’ Jane Sowerby and her axe-wielding soul mate/producer Richard Zwic.  Bass player Rick Ottenbrite and drummer Mike Mann... Read More

Jess Moskaluke – Holiday Heartbreaker   

Roman Mitz
Jess Moskaluke – Holiday Heartbreaker   
‘Tis the season. While it’s a little early, Jess Moskaluke already has visions of sugar plums dancing in her head as the dates for her “Winter Wonderland” tour have been scheduled, and she’s dropped an early Christmas present in the form of her new record “Heartbreaker”.  The album contains her latest three singles and is rounded out by a handful... Read More

The Glorious Sons – Glory Days  

Roman Mitz
The Glorious Sons – Glory Days  
“Glory” is the 4th studio album from Kingston’s The Glorious Sons, co-produced by long-time collaborator Frederik Thaae. The album, which was recorded over a two-year period, is the band’s most intimate effort to date, yet it still blazes with outsized melodies that their fan base has come to love since their inception in 2011. Founded by guitarist Jay Emmons and... Read More

Charley Crockett – King Of The Wild Frontier

Roman Mitz
Charley Crockett – King Of The Wild Frontier
Photo: Bobby Cochran The accolades have been coming a mile a minute for Americana singer/songwriter Charley Crockett for his 2022 breakthrough album “The Man From Waco”. He is among the most nominated for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards with nominations for “Artist Of The Year”, “Album of The Year” and “Song Of The Year”. “The Man From Waco” was... Read More

Injustice Corrected – Trooper is Inducted into Canada’s Music Hall of Fame

Keith Sharp
Injustice Corrected – Trooper is Inducted into Canada’s Music Hall of Fame
By Keith Sharp Outrageous negligence will finally be corrected Thursday, May 18th, when Vancouver’s Trooper is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Calgary’s Studio Bell Centre. They, along with Country Artist Terri Clark, Francophone star Diane Dufresne and noted jazz pianist Oliver Jones will join Nickelback, who have already been inducted into the hall during this year’s... Read More

A Buzz Of Sweet New Country Releases For Spring 2023       

Roman Mitz
A Buzz Of Sweet New Country Releases For Spring 2023       
by Roman Mitz As people are buzzing with excitement as the NCAA tournament gets Stateside underway, there’s also a beehive of activity north of the border as our finest Canadian country acts race for the number one sweet spot on the country charts. Here are some of the hottest new entries to consider when filling in your bracket. With powerhouse... Read More

Lee Aaron Elevates Her Game 

Roman Mitz
Lee Aaron Elevates Her Game 
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

Country & Roots – Audio Treats – Happy New Year!

Roman Mitz
Country & Roots – Audio Treats – Happy New Year!
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

Madeline Merlo Rides High With ‘Slide’  

Roman Mitz
Madeline Merlo Rides High With ‘Slide’  
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

Jully Black – R&B Queen Still Reigns  

Roman Mitz
Jully Black – R&B Queen Still Reigns  
by Roman Mitz for Open Spaces Long live the Queen, Jully Black, Canada’s Queen of R&B and Soul.  A true icon, and long-time advocate of female empowerment through her music, spirit and activism, Jully champions important causes and uses her career as a platform to celebrate and inspire greatness. Along the way the multiple Gemini and Juno award winner has... Read More

Sykamore’s ‘Pinto’ Fires On all Cylinders By Roman Mitz

Roman Mitz
Sykamore’s ‘Pinto’ Fires On all Cylinders By Roman Mitz
Born in a small town outside of Calgary, pop/country vocalist Sykamore grew up on a cattle ranch surrounded by country music which laid the groundwork for her to start writing her own songs. Soon her songwriting would garner attention in Canada, leading her to be nominated for the Canadian Country Music Association’s (CCMA) coveted Discovery Award in 2015. Her biggest... Read More

Canadian Country Summer Round-Up 2022 by Roman Mitz

Roman Mitz
Canadian Country Summer Round-Up 2022 by Roman Mitz
Hot Fun Country Summertime Sounds to Round Up the Summer of 2022 Singer-songwriter Riley Taylor pictured above, has just released his debut single, “Good Things.”  The 24-year-old, hailing from Burton, New Brunswick, grew up surrounded by music from a young age. His influences from the country classics being played on his uncle and grandfather’s guitars at bonfires are apparent in his... Read More

Sass Jordan – Still Alive & Well

Roman Mitz
Sass Jordan – Still Alive & Well
Sass Jordan can be a little bit sassy. Calling to talk about her terrific new album “Bitches Blues”, the free-spirited Sass is not averse to dropping the occasional colourful adjective in order to make a point, and she often punctuates the conversation with her extremely infectious high-pitched laugh. Her new album can almost be considered part two of 2020’s “Rebel... Read More

High Valley – Way Back & Way Cool.

Roman Mitz
High Valley – Way Back & Way Cool.
Have a little faith. This may well be the signature catchphrase of High Valley, the country band which originated in a small Mennonite community in Alberta and is now based in Nashville. Family values have always been an integral part of the band’s music and this remains an important underlying theme on their latest album ‘Way Back’.  Lead singer Brad... Read More

Spring Country Round-up  

Roman Mitz
Spring Country Round-up  
Gord Bamford’s “I Ain’t Drunk” featuring celebrated Canadian country star Terri Clark By Roman Mitz Spring is a time of rebirth so we’ll begin with the rebirth of Gord Bamford’s album “Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass” in an expanded Diamond Deluxe Edition. Spring is a time of rebirth so we’ll begin with the rebirth of Gord Bamford’s album “Diamonds In... Read More

Hailey Whitters – Raised On Country Sunshine

Roman Mitz
Hailey Whitters – Raised On Country Sunshine
You can take the girl out of the cornfield, but you can’t take the cornfield out of the girl. Hailey Whitters represents small town America at its finest as she hails from Shueyville Iowa, population 731. The singer/song writer has just released a new album called “Raised” and like Hailey herself, the record is steeped in the culture of the... Read More

Amanda Jordan – Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Roman Mitz
Amanda Jordan – Everything’s Coming Up Roses
by Roman Mitz Smith Falls native and Nashville transplant Amanda Jordan has been on a pretty wild ride as of late. The country chanteuse released the singles “Pretty Girl” and “Love You To Pieces” in March and August of 2021. It ended up being a breakout year for Amanda which saw the two songs amass over half a million streams... Read More

Roman Mitz’ Open Spaces – Country Holiday Wrap 2021!     

Roman Mitz
Roman Mitz’ Open Spaces – Country Holiday Wrap 2021!     
Petric End-of-year music releases are typically few and far between, but this year we’ve seen a plethora of country recordings from both emerging artists and go-to favourites. This may be due to the fact that performers are preparing to hit the road again now or in the New Year, and they need some new product to trot out before the... Read More