Category: Canadian Music

New Canadian Music Releases – November 22, 2011

I have nothing.  Other than a raft of Christmas albums, which I refuse to review, there were no releases of Canadian albums at all in the past week.  In the place of new music, I bring some people I have been listening to lately.

 

First is Edmonton singer/guitarist/songwriter Michael Rault.  His album  Ma-Me-O has been receiving extensive play on my iPod of late.  I have attached a live video of him and his band playing “I Want To Love You ” at The Artery in Edmonton.  Kind of an early Beatles/rockabilly sound.  Very good when he cuts loose, which is in the second video titled “Don’t Need No Help Gettin Down”.  Enjoy

 

I Want To Love You

I Don’t Need No Help Gettin Down

 

Another artist I am enjoying right now is Matthew Barber.  He hails from Port Credit, Ontario, and is becoming a very popular singer/songwriter in the Amos Lee style of folk and indie.  I am beginning to really like him.  The attached song “Keep It Alive”  has been growing one me in recent weeks.  Matthew plays a live version of the song, recorded at CBC 3 studios.

 

Keep It Alive

 

 

Here’s hoping we have some new stuff to share next week.

 

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New Canadian Music Releases – November 15, 2011

Tegan and Sara playing a show in Hamburg, Germ...
Tegan and Sara

A slow week  for new releases as groups prepare for their Christmas releases or are releasing Christmas albums.  Having said that, our first new release is technically not new.  Tegan and Sara (from Calgary, Canada) have released a live album (Get Along) to go with their new DVD concert release.  They are twin sisters, Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin, and they have had some success on the indie/alternative scene around the world.  They have been recording since 1999.  This is their 7th disc.  They have been nominated for Juno awards in Canada on 4 occasions, having yet to win.  They have won 2 Western Canada Music Awards, the most recent in 2010.  This award was significant as it was an International Achievement Award.

The video below is “Call It Off”, not a live version, but is indicative of their body of work.

 

 

Don't Call Me Baby (Kreesha Turner song)
Kreesha Turner

Next up is Edmonton native, Kreesha Turner.  She is an R&B/Pop artist with a hip hop lean.  She began her road in music directly out of high school in 2003, winning an Edmonton radio station’s talent contest in 2005.  This is her second album release, a follow up to 2008’s “Passion”.  In her career she has twice been nominated for Juno Awards, losing both times.  She has already had some USA success having reached number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart  with “Don’t Call Me Baby”. The video is from the new album and is titled “Rock, Paper, Scissors”.

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Listening to Robin with The Connectors

Okanagan Lake with Peachland in the foreground...
Peachland, BC

My friend Robin (the drummer in the video) is a member of a band in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.  The band is called The Connectors and is made up of a group of polished, long time musicians.  They are currently cutting a demo disc.  I hope they do well.  The video is from their first live performance in Peachland, BC.  The venue in the background is fairly indicative of the entire valley.

 

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New Canadian Music Releases – November 8, 2011

Welcome back to my weekly rundown of new releases by Canadian artists. This post will cover the week of November 2 to November 8, 2011.

First up today is Said The Whale, who released a new EP today titled “New Brighton”. I feel I have to be very nice as I live in a part of Calgary called New Brighton. Having said that, the band is an indie-rock quintet from Vancouver, BC. they released their first album in 2007 and have now recorded 2 albums and 9 EP’s. They have a full album scheduled for release in March of 2012. They were the 2011 Juno award winner for new group of the year. The Juno award is Canada’s equivalent of a Grammy. They are well worth checking out. the track posted is off the record and is called “Lines”

My second release is Couer de Pirate and the new album “Blonde”. Beatrice Martin is Couer de Pirate. She exploded onto the Canadian music scene 2008 as an 18 year old, a classically trained pianist. Yes, it is in French, but Canada is a bilingual nation with many great bands and singers coming out of the province of Quebec. The cut here is called “Adieu”. Beatrice is rapidly becoming Canada’s next international superstar.

Jacob Hoggard, the lead singer of Hedley playi...
Jacob Hoggard of Hedley

My final release for the week is another Canadian staple, Hedley. They released “Storms” deluxe version today. The band is formed around former 2004 Canadian Idol contestant, Jacob Hoggard. Not surprisingly, Jacob is the bands lead singer and front man. They have released 4 albums since forming in 2004. The band is a multiple Juno nominee although only winning once (video of the year in 2011). I have chosen the track “Invincible” off the album. See you next week.

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Western Canadian Music Awards

The Western Canadian Music Awards were held in Whitehorse, Yukon on October 23.

Whitehorse on the Yukon river
Whitehorse, Yukon

These awards have been happening in one form or the other since 1995 and were created to recognize musicians from, you guessed it, Western Canada.  A link to all the winners is here.  I have included some video and links to showcase some of the winners in categories I follow,.

Outstanding Blues Recording ~ Little Miss Higgins ~ Across The Plains

Little Miss Higgins was born in Brooks, Alberta, grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and now has roots in Saskatchewan.  The award is for her 2010 album and the song I have attached is “Bargain Shop Panties”.  Lots of Saskatchewania in this tune.

Outstanding Rock Recording ~ The Sheepdogs ~ Learn & Burn

The SheepdogsOn the Cover of the Rolling Stone.  What a year for these Saskatoon players.  They won the contest to be on the cover of Rolling Stone, they will clean up at the Junos and are taking the music world by storm.  In the meantime, they have won Outstanding Rock Recording for their recent album.  The Sheepdogs are riding the wave.  The video is “I Don’t Know” off the album.  I do believe they are channelling Lynyrd Skynyrd or something, what a great song.

Outstanding Roots Duo/Group Recording ~ The Wailin’ Jennys ~ Bright Morning Star

The Wailin' Jennys #0807
Wailin' Jennys

Winnipeg’s Wailin’ Jennys have been around since 2004 and have been creating excellent roots/folk music since that time.  Attached is “Storm Comin'” off the album, performed live at CBC Radio 3.

New Canadian Releases – November 1, 2011

Welcome back to my weekly rundown of new releases by Canadian artists.  This post will cover the week of October 25 to November 1, 2011.

Down with Webster performing on TELUS Stage at...
Down With Webster

First up is Down With Webster and their release of “Time To Win, Vol. II”, which is an aptly titled follow-up to their award-winning 2009 release “Time To Win, Vol I”.  The band is from Toronto and is in the rock rap category of music.  The band is a textbook case on how to break through.   They have played everywhere and at any function in their quest for success.  My personal first exposure was during a half time show at a Grey Cup game (Canadian Football League Championship Game), when they played “Whoa Is Me”.  That song was an immediate iPod download.  I have chosen a video of a song called “She’s Dope”, which was released in May as the first song off the album.

 

Jann Arden
Jann Arden

Next up is a Canadian favourite, Jann Arden.  This singer-songwriter is from Calgary ( we ate at her restaurant when it was open) and has had success for many years, having released her first album in 1993.  On the way she has been nominated for Juno Awards on 19 occasions, winning 8 times and has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.  She is known for her quirky sense of humour and her easy way with people, not to mention a stellar singing voice.  This release is titled “Uncover Me 2”, and contains her covers of a range of tunes.  There are no videos off the new album, so I have inserted one of her classics, “Insensitive”

 

Our 3rd release is by a Kitchener, Ontario indie-pop band, Courage My Love.  Don’t know much about them other than they are a 3 piece band with high intensity in their sound.  They have toured extensively and may be appearing at a venue near you.  Their album is “For Now” and the cut I have here is titled “Barricade”.

 

Hey Ocean - Band Portrait Candid
Hey Ocean!

My final band for the post is Hey Ocean! and their new release “Big Blue Wave”.  This is a discovery.  They are definitely an up and coming alternative band.  I started looking for tunes online for a video link and found a live version of the title track on the album, followed by a second tune “Liar”..  Astounded.  This band will be heard from, a lot.  The band hails from Vancouver and is quickly gaining a fan base with their energetic, clean and different sound.  Very impressed.

 

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Listening to Canadians – The Deep Dark Woods

Cover of "Winter Hours"
Cover of Winter Hours

The Deep Dark Woods are from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and could be considered as an alt-country band.  Regardless, they have been carving out a fan base with their smooth sound and strong song writing.  To date, they have released four albums and have contributed a song to CBC Radio 2‘s Great Canadian Song Quest.  When we lived in Saskatoon we had occasion to see them a couple of times and enjoyed their music.  Their most recent release “The Place I Left Behind” has just been released worldwide, a big step for the band.  The video attached is from their previous album “Winter Hours” and is titled “All The Money I Had Is Gone”.

Enjoy.

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New Canadian Releases – October 2011

I missed a few weeks due to vacation.  This will be a lengthy, yet abbreviated edition of new Canadian music, encompassing October 2011.

First we will see and hear Rich Aucoin and his new release “We are all Dying to Live”.  Out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Rich has a unique alternative sound.  The featured track is “Push” and features Rich handling all the roles in the band.  Good video, interesting tune.

Next up is Current Swell and their album “Long Time Ago”.   The band is out of Victoria, BC and can be labelled as new roots style.  The attached video is a track called “Young and Able”.  An excellent tune, and added to my iPod s I type this.  I predict that we will hear more from this band.

My third entry is from Hamilton, Ontario based rock outfit, Arkells and their new disc “Michigan Left”.  Another highly regarded and talented Canadian group, this band will be around for a while.  The attached track is called “Whistleblower”.

My 4th and biggest release for the month is Calgary’s Feist.  Her new album is titled “Metals”.  the first single released is “How Come You Never Go There”.  The attached is Feist live, performing the single on David Letterman.

We next visit with the son of Canada’s legendary Leonard Cohen, Adam Cohen.  Adam released his album “Like a Man” and I have to say he has some of his father in his music, yet it is definitely his own.  The attached video is a live version of “What Other Guy”, played at CBC3’s Studio 211 sessions.  A great song by any measure, worth the listen.  The potential is here to be a major talent.

Red Rider = A Canadian Classic

Tom Cochrane May 10 2003 Ottawa Canada Tulip F...
Image via Wikipedia

So, the million dollar question for today is, who was Tom Cochrane before he was..well, Tom Cochrane.  The answer is that he was the force behind 70’s band Red Rider.  The band was formed in the late 70’s by Tom and Ken Greer and generated a series of major hits throughout the 80’s.  Their album “As Far As Siam” enjoyed major success on both sides of the US-Canada border.  The attached video “Lunatic Fringe” was a hit and was featured on “Miami Vice”, an early adapter to fusing music with television series.

The band itself changed over the years, eventually becoming Tom Cochrane and Red Rider as Tom became more vital to the band’s success.  Their string of it’s carried all the way in the late 80’s when Tom went out on his own, becoming a major player with the release of “Life is a Highway”. Their final album “Symphony Sessions”, a recording with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was released in 1989.  The band has reformed (as have many old time bands) and has done some touring in the past few years as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider.

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New Canadian Releases – September 27, 2011

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Slean opening...
Sarah Slean

Our first new release is by Dan Mangan.  The album name is Oh Fortune and was released today.  Born in Smithers, BC and now living in Vancouver, Dan is an indie-folk-rock singer songwriter.  This album is his third as he steadily grows in popularity.  The video is the song “Rows of Houses” from the new album.

The second new release is by Canadian alternative band “Cuff the Duke” and is titled “Morning Comes”.  Hailing from Oshawa, their sound is kind of country folk mix in the style of Blue Rodeo.  The video is a cut from the album “Count On Me”

The Barr Brothers, are a Montreal based rock band and just released their self titled album.  They are not an in your face band and their music is very lyrical and though out.  The video is a lve version of “Beggar in the Morning” off the album.  As you will see, it is very laid back, but nicely done.

Our 4th entry is from Juno nominated artists, The New Cities.  Their latest album is called “Kill the Lights” and the attached video is “Heatwave” off the album.  This Trois-Rivieres pop band is riding a wave of popularity with the release of this, their second album.  Their music has been featured on “Gossip Girl” and “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Our final entry is a new release by Pickering, Ontario’s favourite songstress, Sarah Slean.  This is Sarah’s 11th album (6th studio).  Her first album was released in 1997.  She has cultivated a large following in Canada.  The video attached is titled “Set It Free” and is a catchy number that will continue to win new fans for her work.

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