Lisette Xavier is an artist I have written of in the past. She has been a fixture on the Calgary music scene for many years now, and I figured it was time to catch up. My last article was in 2014 and is available here, if you are interested.
Her latest work is the featured tune “Rise Up”, with was released in February 2021. Catchy tune, well written and a pretty cool video. I’ve always been impressed with her vocals and she keeps one interested throughout. Nice job!
If you choose to do so, the song, and her past catalogue are available at all the usual places, Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, Tidal and Google Play.
The first entry into our top 100 is Honeymoon Suite and their song Love Changes Everything.
Back in the hair band days of the 1980’s, Honeymoon Suite was formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The name and the place share a connection, very witty. They had a string of hits in Canada throughout the 80’s and even had some traction in the USA, highlighted by performing the title track for the movie Lethal Weapon.
Love Changes Everything was released in 1988 and is on their album Racing After Midnight. The song reached number 9 in Canada, 13 on the US Rock and 91 on the US chart, all by Billboard. The band is still recording, it’s latest release was in 2019.
Get ready to rock to a live version of the tune, live is always best.
Today I chatted with Adam Johnson. He is an indie artist out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, who just recently charted as number 1 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown. Quite an accomplishment as you will read.Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada who just recently charted as number 1 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown. Quite an accomplishment as you will read.
The song is “Come On Let’s Go” and is available at all the regular streaming sites. Kat Country Radio will also be playing it, so tune in on Live365 or www.thedonpearsestudios.com
Adam’s music roots stemmed from an interesting combination of a CoVid break from playing, and using it to write some tunes. Although he primarily played in rock bands, once the pandemic hit, he turned to songwriting while awaiting the return of live music. After completing a few tunes, he realized that they sounded country, sending him into that direction. It definitely seems to be working for him based on his first ever single reaching number 1.
While having only released the one single, his intent is to generate more buzz through the release of a series of songs, culminating in an EP package at a future time. This is not new to our industry as streaming has effectively changed everything, especially for new artists or non-chart topping superstars.
I asked who is influences are and he broke them into 2 categories. His music is molded somewhat by Dierks Bentley and Kenny Chesney. These influences are apparent in the single. He also enjoys older country artists such Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. All in all, not a bad group of peers to follow.
He is mainly playing in the Saskatoon area at this time, and only recently started playing with a band again. During the lock-downs, he mainly played well spaced acoustic sets. My normal question on whether there was a gig coming up in the Kootenays was, unfortunately, a no.
Adam has some music in his pedigree. His grandmother sang and an uncle who sang and played guitar. His uncle also had an EP recorded. Adam is considering recording one of those tracks for himself.
As an independent artist, I asked him for some tips, based on his experiences, that he would pass on to others. He responded with, put in the work, polish your song writing, and practice on your instrument. Then save some money before you get in to deep. And he’s right. Recording, even a demo is not cheap.
He finished up with some comments on the CoVid impact on his career. He used the time to buy some recording software, which he used to record a demo. He worked hard at it and it paid off with some recording time with a local producer. This resulted in “Come On Let’s Go”. The period in time was weird as he says. No concerts, no gigs, but time to make contacts and to use alternative methods to build an audience. He used TikTok, Instagram etc. to generate interest and is generally happy with the results.
I see the difficulty in generating some interest without being actually live and in front of audiences. The alternatives work out to some degree, but nothing replaces live music. If you get a chance, check him out. In the meantime, grab his single on your favourite streaming service.
Not much wind, not much to do. Had a full cockpit so didn’t raise the jib, likely should have. Love the views. Our SV is a 25 foot O’day from 1979. Loving it. Sorry it is on an iPhone so a pretty narrow shot.
Took a walk up to the Pilot Bay Lighthouse. Easy trail, slightly uphill and well worn. The lighthouse is wood and was used to note the entrance to the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. It has not been used for many years and is the subject of a historical preservation society. The light was visible for 30 miles in each direction on the lake.
Pilot Bay Lighthouse
This is the view of the lake from the top of the lighthouse. Spectacular views everywhere in this part of the world.
June 2014, we are off on the next installment in our quest to become sailors.. But…first we have to get where we are going, meaning ROAD TRIP. What a beautiful way to get where you need to be, a drive from Calgary to Vancouver. Outstanding scenery, enthralling drive. I won’t bore you with a whack of mountain shots and head right to the point of entry to our sailing, Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver. After a lengthy drive, involving an overnight in Revelstoke, BC. We spent the night at the Day’s Inn. The hotel was okay, pretty much normal for this brand. We headed out for a quick bite and tried a place we had never been to on our past trips, Zalas Pizza and Steak House. Food was pub fare and good, we would definitely try it again n the future. Spent a quiet night, then up and at em for the next part of our journey
We arrived at the terminal, only to find that the ferry was full and we would have a two-hour wait until the next one departed. Tough place to spend a few hours with views like this.
That’s Where We Are Going
We have to take the ferry as we are heading to the Sunshine Coast. It is on the mainland, just like Vancouver, just inaccessible by road. The sailing school is located over there, Gibsons, BC. Still, we have a few hours to kill. Off to lunch. The terminal area is a trendy place, with multiple shops, a marina and many restaurants. We chose Bay Moorings, a good choice. The food was good, reasonably priced and served by efficient and friendly staff. A great lunch, much enjoyed.
Then we hit the ferry. They definitely cram them in on these boats.
Sardine Can
Next up, the expected shot from the ship out to the ocean.
Looking out into Howe Sound
And then we were there. a quick drive into Gibsons, parked the vehicle and there, right in front of us, a piece of Canadian TV history, Molly’s Reach.
Next post, we introduce you to Gibsons, BC, where to go, where to stay, what to see. At least, where we ate, where we stayed and what we saw, then some sailing.
Gibsons Harbour, British Columbia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Back after our beautiful drive from Calgary to Gibsons, BC through the Rocky Mountains. What a beautiful drive. We live in an astounding place, this country of ours. One of our breweries, Molson’s (owned by Coors now, I think) has put together a great set of marketing tools, usually involving beer coolers and a uniquely Canadian only way to open it. The first series involved using a Canadian passport to open randomly placed machines around the world. Very cool idea. The video here represents their latest interesting take. Enjoy eh!
