Canada’s genre-bending Manny Blu released a country punk version of his original, fan-favourite track “Playback,” found on his debut EP. Paying homage to his first cross-country tour in 2019, this re-release strongly positions Blu as a trailblazer, bringing a new style of country music to stages across Canada this spring on Dallas Smith’s Some Things Never Change Tour.
“I first released ‘Playback’ in 2019 as part of the Leave It Like It Is EP, when I was on my first-ever Canadian tour,” explained Blu. “It’s wild to think how much has changed since then, both for me personally and in the music industry. I wanted to celebrate my growth as an artist by putting out a new version of this track that brings back so many great memories for me.”
Country Punk EP takes Blu’s created vibe to the next level. The EP is now available worldwide on all streaming services here.
Consisting of songs written by Stephen Allbritten, Ryan Pattengale, Jake Olbauhm, David Brown, Matt Lukasiewicz, and Nathan Dohse, Country Punk EP is five tracks of hard-hitting rhythms and Blu’s created way of capturing the lyrical storytelling of country music in sounds of punk rock. This project is extremely special to Blu because he was able to co-produce the project and showcase his originality.
“The Country Punk EP was one that we were able to have fun creating without too much thinking about ‘how it should go’ or ‘what works’ musically” says Blu. “We let the songs be what they should be, what I wanted them to be, and didn’t have to deal with any pressure or restraints from anyone outside the studio. I wanted to make something for me that represented who I am as an artist and the Country Punk lifestyle. We created a vibe for those that don’t fit the mould and invite everyone to enjoy it along with us as we head out on tour.”
This May, Blu will join multi-award winning artist Dallas Smith on the Some Things Never Change Tour. Kicking off in Brandon, MB on May 24, the tour will see Blu visit 24 markets across Canada throughout the months of May and June. Blu will light up the stage every night with performances of his hit recent tracks “Doin’ Fine” and "Train," as well as his single “Valet” feat. Brittany Kennell, which is currently on Canadian country radio.
Three tracks released ahead of the EP, “Doin’ Fine,” Too Bad So Sad,” and “95,” have already been drawing attention on streaming platforms and playlists. Some well-known playlists include: Spotify’s New Music Nashville and Country Rocks playlists, Apple Music New in Countryplaylist, Tidal’s Rising and Rising: Country playlists, CMT’s “The Roundup” playlist and more. Along with the buzz on his new EP, Blu also announced that he will start 2022 off on tour with Dallas Smith on his ‘Some Things Never Change’ tour in Canada. Others to join that tour will be James Barker Band, Shaun Austen, Meghan Patrick, and JoJo Mason.
To hear my interview with Manny Blu, click on the link below. You are going to love all the stories and news.
Multi-award-winning Canadian Music Hall of Famer singer, guitarist, writer, and producer Myles Goodwyn is raising awareness and support “For Ukraine” with the release of his poignant new single — available now.
The leader of the multi-Platinum-selling rock band April Wine was inspired to pen the track after seeing the country’s suffering amidst attacks from Russia.
“Like the rest of the world, I’m witness to the devastation and suffering caused by the needless war in Ukraine,” Goodwyn shares. “This painfully sad and tragic situation inspired me to write this song with the hope that it might encourage people to help the citizens of Ukraine who are so desperately in need of our help.”
As distinctive and immediately recognizable as his songwriting skills are prolific, Goodwyn’s vocals and guitar are joined by Bruce Dixon on bass guitar and Scott Ferguson on drum programming. “For Ukraine” arrives ahead of Goodwyn’s forthcoming collection of all-new original songs, Long Pants, set for release this summer.
''Myles Goodwyn has been busy writing for his 3rd and 4th studio album. Goodwyn's 3rd album ''Long Pants'' is set to release on June 23rd right on Myles Goodwyn's birthday,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''There are some pretty special songs on the 3rd album, songs that were written by Goodwyn in hopes to create change and open up the dialog by building awareness on many important world topics. One of those songs Goodwyn wrote is ''For Ukraine'' which is available right now and that is on his upcoming new album ''Long Pants''. Goodwyn will be performing this special song along with a few others at a very special event this coming weekend on May 14th...Pictou Country Benefit For Ukraine.'' For more information, clickHERE.
In addition to Goodwyn and the other members of April Wine being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 2010, he received the prestigious East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002.
The ‘Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues’ album earned him a JUNO nomination for Blues Recording of the Year, and won the ECMA award for Blues Recording of the Year. The following year Myles released ‘Friends of The Blues 2, ‘on the way to the album being well-received and winning another ECMA award for Blues Album Of The Year.
In 2016, he released his memoir named, Just Between You and Me, which became an instant seller on the Globe and Mail’s Non-Fiction List. His second book, Elvis and Tiger — this time a work of fiction — was published in 2018.
Myles Goodwyn’s new album, Long Pants, is available on June 23rd, 2022.
To hear my interview with Rock legend Myles Goodwyn, click on the link below.
With over 13 million streams, 20 combinedCCMA and BCCMA Award nominations, and a new album complete, WES MACK returns with this powerful new single.
Exploring a mixture of soulful lyrics and massively hooky melodies, MACK collaborated on the track with veteran producer Dan Swinimer (Madeline Merlo, Jojo Mason). MACK’s soaring and gritty vocals shine, highlighting his prowess as both a singer and a writer on a track that is his first single as a solo songwriter.
In the last year, MACK co-wrote multiple songs on Tyler Joe Miller’s massive debut album, including the radio and streaming hit ‘Fighting’. He also placed eight tracks in film and TV projects and acted in the new Paramount Plus Series, ‘Guilty Party’, playing opposite megastar Kate Beckinsale. MACK is also set to appear in a new Netflix series premiering this spring.
''WES MACK continues to prove just how multi-talented he is in every aspect of his career evolving as a writer with his killer new single ''Ain't Got You'' off his upcoming 3rd studio album,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host for the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''MACK has been really busy working on many different projects in film and TV. We have a blast talking about acting in some pretty cool projects, his 3rd studio album that he has just wrapped up, his two singles out right now, and more new music in the works. This was such a fun interview with a second one coming in June to talk more in-depth about his acting career.'' To hear my interview with WES MACK, click on the link below. You are going to love it!
To hear my interview with Wes, click on the link below!
The Trews are getting back to what they do best – hitting the road and playing live. The band have lined up several headlining dates across Canada this spring and summer, alongside support slots in Toronto for Black Crowes, and St. John’s, NL for the unrivaled Stone Temple Pilots. Excited about hitting the road, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald says, “We can’t wait to bring the songs from Wanderer to stages across Canada this spring & summer. The album is full of great live material that we haven’t had a chance to fully air out yet and it all fits in great with the rest of our catalogue. We said it before and we’ll say it again – we wanna play! “ For tickets visit HERE.
After hitting their previously announced dates in Estevan, SK, and in between festival appearances and supporting slots for the Black Crowes, the band will play new headlining slots in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The trek begins next month with a show in Winnipeg on the 24th and ends in Antigonish on August 19.
The Trews are keeping their live show going with plans for a bunch of new Canadian concerts this summer. To celebrate their expanded tour schedule, they've also shared a video for "Enemy."
The single changes things up for the band with lead-guitarist John-Angus writing and singing lead vocals for this one. An interesting story of how this one came to be, John-Angus explains, “My then 5 year old son Elliott had a hand in inspiring this track. Alone time to work on new material when you’re raising two small children is almost non-existent so I find myself playing music with them, or at least with them in the room, often. One day Elliott suggested that I write a song called “I know what it’s like to be the Enemy”. The melody he came up with was more akin to an Iron Maiden song, or some other heavy metal band, then a Trews song. When I asked him why that lyric he said he wanted to hear a song from the perspective of one of the bad guys in a Marvel movie. Anyway, the lyric brought that chord progression and melody out of me almost instantaneously – they seemed married to each other from the very start. A day or two later I penned the verse and kept with that theme of it being from the perspective of the enemy but more the universal enemy, the one within. “
Plenty of grand boasts can be made aboutWanderer, the blazing seventh studio album from rock ‘n’ roll heavyweights The Trews and easily their fiercest and most accomplished, garlanded as it is with enough marquee credits and potential smash-hits to spin even jaded heads.
But the Wanderer’s most striking claim may be this: it could not have achieved its acrobatic feats of sonic power had it not been for the lamentable, awful but also weirdly inspiring and motivational global pandemic which made touring impossible and writing and recording the only games in town.
Talk about a silver lining. At least in retrospect.
“This is a really strong rock record from start to finish. Every song was mulled over extensively,” guitarist John-Angus MacDonald says. “The pandemic bought us more time which you always need with songwriting. There are songs that would not be on this record had it happened another way.”
Adds singer/guitarist Colin MacDonald, “We accidentally honed our recording skills because there was no live show to get to.”
Really, who could have predicted that electrifying recording sessions begun in Nashville in December 2019 with Black Crowes guitarist and long-time Trews friend Rich Robinson would be curtailed by an unprecedented Canada/U.S. border closure, resulting in just three songs being completed?
Or predicted that that maddening roadblock and an ensuing lockdown would fortuitously lead, nine months later, to sessions at Jukasa Studios in Caledonia, Ontario opposite Derek Hoffman, yielding three more songs with the fast-rising producer who brilliantly helmed Civilianaires, The Trews’ widely acclaimed forerunner to The Wanderer. And the story didn’t end there.
With the Robinson/Hoffman sessions banked, six additional songs — including blistering COVID-themed corker and lead single “I Wanna Play” and the barn-burning title track — demanded additional studio time in Toronto in late 2020 with producer Eric Ratz. Yes, he of the Gargantuan Rock Sound as evidenced by his much-lauded work with Monster Truck, Arkells, Big Wreck… and now The Trews, whose playing throughout The Wanderer sounds positively atomic.
“This is very much a guitar record. I mean, all our records have had guitars, but we really put the focus on, forgive the cliché, getting back to our roots with stand-out riffs and solos,” John-Angus MacDonald confirms. “Rich is a walking riff, and Eric is a big guitar guy, so that’s just the way it happened.”
In the end, those three disparate, COVID-dictated sessions forced the chart-topping, globe-trotting crew, which includes bassist Jack Syperek, drummer Chris Gormley, and keyboardist Jeff Heisholt, to cohere as a band as never before. The results speak for themselves.
Indeed, even veteran fans of The Trews will be flattened by the gale force of the before-mentioned single and storming album opener “Where Do You Go,” both cut with Ratz and featuring unabashedly dweedly (but oh-so-cool and air guitar–worthy) guitar solos.
“I love ‘Where Do You Go,’ which is so out-there for us with its weird time changes. And ‘I Wanna Play’ is perfectly indicative of the times: funny, sad, passionate, and it rocks,” says Colin MacDonald, who test- drove the single with fans during Friday night Instagram Live sessions while in lockdown at home.
No new way of working was off the table during sessions for The Wanderer. For example, the three songs recorded with Robinson in Nashville (“Faith and Fumes,” “Permission,” “Hidden Gem”) were cut without a click track, standard studio procedure and the easiest way of tracking changes but also something of a production safety net.
“The songs with Rich were all about committing to the moment,” John-Angus MacDonald says, “and they sound freer as a result.”
“Our paths had been crossing with Rich’s for years,” Colin MacDonald explains of the genesis of the collaboration. “We opened for his side project, the Magpie Salute in the States in 2017, and he opened for us solo acoustic in Canada in 2016. Plus, the Black Crowes are one of our favourite bands.”
Further underscoring their cohesion, The Trews cut the songs on Wanderer together as a band rather than piecemeal which, like the click track, is de rigueur — and very much the way Civilianaires was constructed. But that method did not reflect the band’s headspace in 2020 even if trading audio files from home-studio safe havens would have been much easier.
“We toured for two years with Civilianaires and we wanted to capture that well-oiled band in studio,” John-Angus MacDonald says. “The older I get, the more I realize strengths like that are not a dime a dozen. We wanted to leverage that chemistry.”
Attentive listeners might also notice that the buoyant, pealing “Enemy” features not Colin MacDonald on lead vocals but John-Angus, a Trews first. “Plus, that song is technically a co-write with my then-five- year-old son Elliott because he’s a killer drummer,” he laughs. “He just bashes away with glee, and he came up with some of the lyrics.”
At the other end of the sonic spectrum is the downcast, mournful “Another Year Zero,” a song Colin MacDonald delivers with such furrowed resignation you can practically smell the bourbon on his breath.
“That song is about things taken for granted because something else seems just around the corner,” the singer says. “Other shows to do, other people to meet… but we didn’t factor in a global pandemic.
“It’s a reminder that you can’t take anything for granted, and it’s a reflection of what happens when you’re forced to sit at home alone with yourself.
“This is a transitional album,” Colin MacDonald continues, “and it encapsulates these twin realms of possibility and impossibility. It’s trying to find light during these massively dark times through music. This record was our safe place. We hope it helps others, too.”
“And we cannot wait to tour in May 2022,” John-Angus MacDonald says. “We just want to play again.”
''There is nothing sweeter than when you hear that Rock icons The Trews are heading out on tour,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''The Trews have been rocking stages around the world for over 20 years now they are finally heading out on the I Wanna Play Tour in May with rock band W3APONS. I had a fantastic time talking with lead singer Colin MacDonald. This interview has loads of behind the lyrics and the music chat and lots of music from their new album Wanderer that you don't want to miss.''
To hear my interview with Colin MacDonald, click on the link below.
05/24 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre 05/25 – Regina, SK – Casina Regina 05/27 – Saskatoon, SK – The Roxy 05/29 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s 05/30 – Edmonton AB – Midway Music 05/31 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre 06/02 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore 06/05 – Medicine Hat, AB – Esplanade 06/08 – Thunder Bay, ON – NV Music Hall 06/10 – Sarnia, ON – Black Party 06/16 – Sudbury, ON – Caruso Club 06/17 – Burlington, ON – Spencer Smith Park 06/20 – St. John’s, NL – Iceberg Alley 07/05 – Windsor, ON – The Colosseum at Caesars 07/06 – Toronto, ON – The Budweiser Stage *Black Crowes 07/14 – London, ON – Harris Park 07/16 – Bala, ON – Kee to Bala 07/23 – Mattawa, ON – Mattawa Voyageur Days 07/30 – Saint John, NB – Area 506 Concert Series 08/06 – Youngstown, NY – Youngstown Village Music Festival 08/14 – Grand Prairie, AB – Bear Creek Folk Festival 08/19 – Antigonish, NS – Nova Scotia Summerfest
Multi-million selling Canadian singer/songwriters Marc Jordan and Amy Sky release their first-ever album duet collaboration, He Sang She Sang via Linus Entertainment.
A collection of fresh takes on beloved classics alongside newly original compositions, the 13-song release marks the first time this prolific duo — married for 34 years — have recorded an entire album together.
In addition to enjoying hits and accolades all their own, the highly acclaimed singer/songwriters and producers have also penned songs for a teeming roster of A-list artists, including Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Heart, Reba McEntire, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, and more.
While opportunities to collaborate with each other would often arise, the industry power couple decided early on to keep their careers largely separate. “We’d dip our toes in, and loved it,” Amy shares, “but never pursued it further; it meant one parent could always be at home with our two children. Our musical styles were distinct, and our marriage was happy — we wanted to keep it that way.”
Now, empty nesters, the pair found the idea of exploring where their voices and genres overlapped intriguing.
Thankfully, the dynamic duo has overcome earlier reluctance to make an album together. Their first duo record, He Sang She Sang is a superbly curated collection of songs that combines fresh takes on some beloved classics with new original compositions.
The covers include songs by Tom Petty (“Free Fallin’”), The Beach Boys (“God Only Knows”), Smokey Robinson (“Ooh Baby Baby”), Willie Nelson (“You Were Always On My Mind”), and Bonnie Raitt (“You”), all given vibrant new life here by being performed in a duets format by two masterful vocalists.
He Sang She Sang has been a long work in progress, with sessions that took place in Nashville and Toronto since 2014. Marc describes the song selection process this way: “We’d be driving in the car together and would just get an idea for a song. When we got home, we’d sing it, and if we liked the way that went, we’d put a session together and demo it. If it passed that test, we put it on the list.”
The results are an enchanting mix of Jordan’s smoky resonance plus Sky’s alto trading lines effortlessly before bringing their masterful vocals into perfect harmony. Add in the impeccable musical contributions of top session players in both cities, and an album of wide and timeless appeal is revealed.
HE SANG SHE SANG TRACKLISTING:
Free Fallin’
Fallin’ For You
You
Ooh Baby Baby
You Were Always On My Mind
Long Shot
Water From A Stone
Dimming Of The Day
I’ll Give You Wings
God Only Knows
Can We Stay?
I Have No Doubt
To hear my interview with these two superstars about their first duet album together, click on the link below!
Continuing the momentum from the release of her sophomore EP, WE DID, earlier this year, breakout country star SACHA turned heads in New York City with a takeover of the Paramount Times Square billboards, debuting the official music video for “Pretty Please” with CMT. Just weeks after stepping onto the CMT Awards Red Carpet at her first International Awards Show, SACHA is checking off another bucket list moment with the premiere of “Pretty Please”. Fans caught the video exclusively on CMT and CMT Music.
“I’m so humbled by the support I’ve had over the past few years from CMT and especially Leslie Fram,” said SACHA as she reflected on today’s milestones. “From being included in CMT’s Next Women Of Country Class to premiering the most personal piece of work I’ve ever created, I’m truly blown away by everything they have done for me.”
“From the moment we started corresponding several years ago, I could tell SACHA had an acute sense of herself and personal journey,” said Leslie Fram, SVP Music & Talent at CMT. “She has captured everything in a beautiful and cinematic way with this song and video for ‘Pretty Please’ and we are honoured to support.”
The premiere brought SACHA’s fan-favourite track “Pretty Please” to life. Directed by Ben Knechtel, the cinematic video captures a more emotional side of country music’s newest it girl. Grounded by the journey many young girls take towards self-confidence, the video beautifully captures the importance of always believing in ourselves.
“I want this video to reach anyone who feels like they are not measuring up while trying to keep up with today's impossible standards. I want them all to know that their value goes way beyond the reflection of a mirror and that they have the power to no longer allow others to determine their worth,” explains SACHA.
A deeply personal release for SACHA, “Pretty Please” opens a small window into the more vulnerable pages of her story as she reflects back on the barriers she’s had to knock down herself throughout her journey.
“Watching the dancer bring a younger version of myself to life for this video was the first time I ever had to hold back tears on set,” said SACHA of her experience during the shoot. “I couldn’t help but feel like I was talking to my younger self throughout the filming, telling her how proud I am of how far we’ve come. I hope this video can be equally as healing for everyone who sees it.”
SACHA has kept busy since the release of her sophomore EP WE DID in February. Earlier this year the rising star walked her first CMT Awards Red Carpet in Nashville, stealing the show as the “diamond of the CMT Awards” (Entertainment Tonight) and landing on best-dressed lists for multiple publications like Hello! Magazine, US Weekly and Bustle. She was also recently named a SiriusXM Top of The Country semi-finalist and earned nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star at the upcoming CMAO Awards.
Fans across North America got to know SACHA when she joined the multi-JUNO nominated duo The Reklaws for their viral TikTok hit “What The Truck” last year. Becoming the most-streamed Canadian country song to go GOLD in the streaming era (under 16 weeks), SACHA took the stage to perform the track to sold-out crowds across the country last summer, including the Calgary Stampede and Toronto’s acclaimed Budweiser Stage as well as a close out performance on the 2021 CCMA Awards national broadcast. In 2021 SACHA also became iHeartRadio’s “Future Star” following the success of her empowering anthem and previous single “Standards” in 2020. Last year she was also named as a member of CMT’s Next Women Of Country Class in addition to having three of her previous music videos appear on CMT (“Cheers,” “Standards” and “What The Truck”). She’ll be heading out on the road across the U.S. in 2022 with Maddie and Tae on the CMT Next Women of Country Tour Presents: All Song No Static Tour.
With all this just a few years in from her debut on the scene, it’s hard to believe she’s just getting started.
''SACHA has such a special gift as an entertainer and singer-songwriter,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host for the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''I have such respect for an artist that works as hard as SACHA does. SACHA has everything it takes to go all the way in the music industry. Her ability to connect even deeper within herself allows the listener to really understand who SACHA is as an artist. It's pretty magical.''
''I love the stripped-down raw powerful vocal and message she delivers with Pretty Please. It gives me chills when I watched the new music video. Her new EP WE DID is the best she has ever done. I still believe that we are just seeing the tip of what SACHAcan do and it's pretty exciting to watch. To hear my interview with SACHA, click on the link below.''
Making a name for herself since the release of her EP The Best Thing in July 2020, SACHA is one of country music’s fastest rising stars. Becoming an iHeartRadio’s “Future Star” following the success of her single “Standards,” SACHA has since been named as a member of CMT’s Next Women Of Country 2021 class and earned her first GOLD single alongside The Reklaws with their viral hit track “What The Truck,” which was the fastest-ever Canadian country song to go GOLD in the streaming era (under 16 weeks).
Featured in major television, print and online press including CMT, Music Row Magazine, American Songwriter, Rolling Stone Country, Billboard and The Boot, SACHA has also appeared on A-list editorial playlists (U.S. and Canadian) on Spotify, Apple & Amazon Music. Recently named a SiriusXM Top of the Country semi-finalist and a Country Music Awards of Ontario Female Artist of the Year nominee (2022), SACHA has also been the winner of The Next Country Music Star (2016) and has had three of her music videos appear on CMT (“Cheers,” “Standards” and “What The Truck”). She’ll be heading out on the road across the US in 2022 with Maddie and Tae on the CMT Next Women of Country Tour Presents: All Song No Static Tour. SACHA’s sophomore EP WE DID is available everywhere now.
Her latest single "Broke To Brand New" charted in the Top 40 on the Canadian country radio charts, Nashville based artist Shantaiacelebrates the track's success with the release of the official music video, out now. On top of her single's success, Shantaia has been selected as a semi-finalist in the CCMA’s coveted SiriusXM Top of the Country competition as well as the RBCxMusic First Up artist program.
On the video, Shantaia shares: “All the anxiety and stress leading up to shooting this music video was left out on the floor (literally) in the making of this video. Directed by Ryan Nolan, I had the idea to set up my own smash room to physically break things and watch them become brand new again, and Ryan completely jumped on board to bring this vision to life. Funny enough, when we started shooting and came to our first “break”, Ryan asked if I could swing hard enough, and all those years of hitting home runs in softball seemed to really pay off, because it exploded! From there, the video was just so fun to shoot, and it’s also so much fun to watch back and see what Ryan pieced together and created!”
About Shantaia:
With over a million collective streams to date, Shantaia is quickly making a name for herself in the country sphere, having shared the stage with the likes of Kane Brown, Chris Lane, Ryan Hurd, Emerson Drive, and Charlie Major, and performing on some of the top stages such as Nashville's Whiskey Jam, The Listening Room Cafe, Americana Fest, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Dauphin's Countryfest. Earning multiple Saskatchewan Music Award nominations, along with a SCMA Award for Emerging Artist of the Year, Shantaia continued her climb to success with her last single "Had A Good Weekend," which landed a placement on CMT, and became her highest-charting single at the time, hitting #54 on BDS Billboard and #52 on Mediabase. She has recently topped that with her fierce anthem "Broke to Brand New" landing at #36 on Billboard.
''Shantaia has something really special and she is proving exactly why with her latest new single ''Broke To Brand New,''' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''Shantaiahas everything she needs to take her music all the way in this business. She is such an incredible songwriter and her powerful vocal delivery is amazing. She has her finger on the pulse of Canadian country music and she is already making waves in Nashville. She is one to watch.''
To hear my interview withShantaia, click on the link below.
''Kaiya Gamble is a force in the music industry with her soulful powerhouse voice and her incredible songwriting that is way beyond her years,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''It's always a pleasure to catch up with this rising star and chat about her new music. Kaiya is an extraordinary singer/songwriter and her new single is incredible.
Kaiya is an actively philanthropic artist who regularly performs in support of charitable causes. At only 13 years old, she has already performed for thousands of people at over 40 high-profile events. Kaiya’s performance highlights include opening for Brett Kissel at the 2018 and 2019 #OMGP (Oh My Garden Party) in support of mental health, an event hosted by W. Brett Wilson, a former panelist on CBC’s television’s Dragons Den. Kaiya performed at Paul Brandt’s 2018 Prairie Rowdy Concert in support of the #NotInMyCity initiative, and with Brett Kissel at the #BrettBrettXmas 2018 and 2019 Christmas charity concerts in support of Veterans at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. Most recently Kaiya was the headline event at Hayley Wickenheiser’s Wickfest 2019 in Calgary and Wickfest 2020 in BC. In 2019 Kaiya was honored with the Women of Inspiration Youth Excellence Award for her work in music and philanthropy.
To hear my interview with Kaiya Gamble, click on the link below.
The record is a masterpiece of songs meticulously put together to cultivate the merging of genres. The tracks are glued together by Ramsay’s definitive vocals as he unifies the stand-out elements of styles across the music.
Writing The Josh Ramsay Show was an opportunity for Ramsay to step outside of his comfort zone and dig deep, reflecting on his experiences of love and loss, and the confusion that can arise when the two coincide. Over the past two years, he’s experienced the pain of losing both his parents, along with the jubilation of getting married. All of those emotions come out in the songs “Miles And Miles” (featuring Ramsay’s sister Sara), “Spellbound” and “Like You Do”.
As with every project he takes on, Ramsay wanted to push his personal limitations and challenge himself as a songwriter, singer, player, and producer. In a true solo effort, Ramsay wrote, produced, and played all the instruments on the new album, with the exception of orchestral parts. Ramsay’s hands-on, experimental approach has always been a defining characteristic of his output as with Marianas Trench, and in his role as producer and songwriter for artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, whose worldwide hit, ‘Call Me Maybe’ garnered Ramsay a Grammy nomination and a SOCAN Award for “Most Performed Song" in SOCAN history.
Ramsay has toured with Marianas Trench extensively in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. When not on the move, the multi-instrumentalist runs his own recording studio, The Umbrella Factory, in Vancouver, BC.
Check out the interview below for the stories behind the lyrics of the songs on The Josh Ramsay Show.
“‘Awakening’ is as much about the evolution, as it is about the arrival. That feeling of ‘I’m here. This is me. Take it or leave it,’” Charles says about the single. “It’s about re-awakening that fiery spirit within, that we can diminish for the sake of others sometimes . . . So, strive for more. Dream big and don’t take no for an answer. Sharks will inevitably circle. And everyone has an opinion. But I realized that just like diamonds, nothing’s stronger than a woman.”
The three-time JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Nuela Charles is infusing her signature alternative/soul elements into the cathartic track, produced by LA’s Matt Parad (Selah Sue, William Joseph Cook).
Charles was recently announced by The SOCAN Foundation as a winner of the second annual Her Music Awards, which supports and celebrates female-identifying, mid-career Canadian music creators who are on the verge of taking their creative careers to the next level.
Nuela Charles has performed in festivals in Germany, and London, and shared the stage with Canadian icons like Jann Arden and Sam Roberts Band, Charles is ready to take 2022 by storm.
''Nuela Charles is an impressive vocalist and an incredibly talented songwriter,'' says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine, radio host, and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast. ''Charles is a force to be reckoned with on both Canadian and global charts with her distinctly soulful voice and emotive empowering lyrics.''
There’s a line in the song that goes “she tried to be a flower, but found her superpower” and it came out of this thought Charles had, about how we as women are constantly seen as these ‘delicate flowers’ and are usually preferred to be seen that way by society – pretty and quiet. Where in fact, women are woven into all aspects of life and should be proud to stand in that power.
I caught up with Nuela to learn more about her background as a performer, her latest single, and what the future holds.
To hear my full interview with Nuela Charles, click on the link below.
Photo: Jason Myers
Follow Manny Blu
Music's Journey Podcast 
WES MACK 
Music's Journey Podcast
Music's Journey Podcast 