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Jenny Berkel Announces New Album Pale Moon Kid Out April 15

Jenny Berkel’s writing is at once gentle and hard-hitting. Her lush and low voice ornaments her poetry with melodies that soar high and clear before spilling back down again. Set for release on April 15 via Pheromone Recordings, her forthcoming sophomore album, Pale Moon Kid, was recorded with gifted producer Daniel Romano. Steeped in sparkling guitars, sparse piano, pulsing bass, and percussion, this glowing new collection reveals writing that has grown even sharper and more lyrical.

The album’s opening track, “Half Dream”, brings the listener straight into the heart of the album. “I wrote it on a frigid November day from an attic room in Toronto, where I lived for a short three months,” says Berkel. “I love being in between sleeping and waking, when dreams can be so real that they feel like lived memories.”

Born in the heart of Ontario’s lush forests and fields, Berkel’s music has drawn her across the country, experiencing dramatic changes in landscape. This constant shifting finds its rest in her songs; her lyrics are dreamy and piercing, shimmering with memories, and glittering with the quiet solitude of a night sky.

“The songs on this album come from different homes across Canada,” says Berkel. “The quiet of rural Ontario, the open prairies, the rush of Toronto, and a small apartment in Montreal’s Parc Extension. My life and the stories surrounding me were constantly and quickly changing. This shifting landscape of geography and people finds its home on Pale Moon Kid.”

Recorded with Romano at the peak of summer in Welland, ON, they were joined in studio by Berkel’s sister, Kay Berkel, who was an important part of making Pale Moon Kid. “The three of us spent eight days in the studio, building the songs layer by layer, coming up for breaths of fresh air and slices of Welland’s famed Rex’ pizza,” says Berkel. “I couldn’t be happier with the work we did together.”

Since releasing her debut album, Here on a Wire, Berkel has been intoxicating listeners with her evocative songs and voice. Both on her own and as part of Daniel Romano’s Trilliums band, her consistent touring has garnered fans across the country and ocean. Currently in Kansas City for Folk Alliance International, Berkel will be playing a few pre-release shows in Toronto and Montreal. More news on future tour dates to be announced shortly.

Pre-order Pale Moon Kid via iTunes or through MapleMusic

Ron Hawkins Announces Spit Sputter and Sparkle Out March 25, 2016

Ron Hawkins has long been revered as one of Canada’s greatest contemporary singer-songwriters. Ron will release his new album, Spit Sputter and Sparkle, showcasing his exemplary skills with a word, a hook, a riff and a melody. Slated for a March 25th, 2016 release via Pheromone Recordings, the album features 11 new originals, including the first single, Beautiful Girl. Spit Sputter and Sparkle will be available for pre-order at www.ronhawkins.com soon.

The new album was primarily recorded at Ron’s 55 Below home studio with Ron taking care of all vocals and instrumentation. “My little home studio is only nine feet by nine feet but it’s packed with toys and musical goodies. It’s a bit like going down the rabbit hole.” Ron continues: “I spent the better part of a year down that rabbit hole and when I came out the other side Spit Sputter and Sparkle was born.”

As lead singer/multi-instrumentalist of Canada’s legendary Lowest of the Low, Ron has enjoyed many accolades through the years. Chart Magazine honoured the group’s 1991 debut album, Shakespeare My Butt, with spots in the top 10 of the Top 100 Canadian Albums of All Time, Ron has received Toronto station 102.1 The Edge’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2000), and has been voted Songwriter of the Year by NOW Magazine’s reader’s poll in 2000 and once again in 2015. In 2008 Lowest of the Low was inducted into the Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame and awarded gold records for Shakespeare My Butt.

Spit Sputter and Sparkle is Ron’s 15th album of original material and due to lift him onto the musical pedestal he has clearly earned.

Spit Sputter and Sparkle Track List:
1. Beautiful Girl
2. Sliver
3. Chrome
4. Swamp
5. Till It Kills Ya
6. City of Lies
7. Strum and Drag
8. Sunflowers
9. Sweet Simple Life
10. Ten Speed Girl
11. Constellations

Joel Plaskett and Mo Kenney both earn Adult Alternative Album of the Year 2016 JUNO Nominations

Two friends and labelmates will be dueling for the same JUNO Award as Mo Kenney and her mentor Joel Plaskett have been nominated for the Adult Alternative Album of the Year. Mo Kenney’s sophomore album In My Dreams album came out September 25, 2014 to critical acclaim, saw her travelling around the globe and gaining new fans. Joel Plaskett’s ninth studio album The Park Avenue Sobriety Test came out March 17, 2015 and was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. This will be Joel’s seventh JUNO nomination and Mo’s first.

The nominees for the 2016 JUNO Awards were announced by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) at a press conference at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto this morning. JUNO Week runs from March 28 – April 3, 2016 in Calgary and the awards will take place Sunday night on April 3.

You can check out the full list for the 2016 JUNO Awards nominees here.

Tim Thompson Channels Ron Hawkins For Montage ‘The Maple Leafs Forever’

The Maple Leafs Forever… from Hockey Films by Tim Thompson on Vimeo.

Read the article on Yahoo! Sports by Neil Acharya

Tim Thompson has covered the gamut with his trademark montages.

During his time at Hockey Night in Canada he married pictures and video to song in creating stirring pieces designed to hype the matchup du jour – whether it was an original six showdown on Saturday night during the regular season, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final or a tribute to famed “The Hockey Song” composer and Canadian music icon Stompin’ Tom Connors, shortly after his passing.

Even after his departure from HNIC half-way through last season, he continued his labour of love on a freelance basis. Contracted by the Montreal Canadiens, Thompson was tasked with capturing the life of the late Jean Beliveau in December 2014 and came up with one of his most impressive works to date. Most recently the Boston Bruins commissioned a piece for the Winter Classic that took place on Jan. 1 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. It too, was well received.

However, the one thing he had not attempted was to create an ode to the team he grew up cheering for…that changed late last summer when he composed a “love letter” about the Toronto Maple Leafs titled “The Maple Leafs Forever,” in the form of a five-and-a-half minute montage intertwined Ron Hawkins’ song “Peace and Quiet”.

“In August, I was up at my cottage and it just hit me kind of like all the pieces that I do – it kind of fell out of the sky,” said Thompson, who still works at the CBC as a presentation and features producer. “I felt compelled to do it. The lyrics are so beautiful and poetic.”

Over the course of two weeks in late September, he went to work on the personal project and posted a link on Twitter to the completed version the day before the regular season started.

That evening he received a call from Maple Leafs PR stating that they were interested in using the video. Thompson uploaded it to a USB key which he dropped off the next day at the ACC. He was given two tickets to the season opener against the Canadiens and sitting next to his brother he watched it play out on the new mammoth video scoreboard in the darkened arena prior to puckdrop.

“We didn’t know when it was going to be played…the place was dark, it was very surreal,” said Thompson about viewing the piece for the first time on such a grand scale. “I had been at home making it in my room and there it is on this amazing big screen and the sound system, it is so powerful.”

Using metaphor and symbolism, Thompson tells the rich and often tumultuous history of the Maple Leafs by weaving the song through archival sound, still images and video. As the story plays out high above centre-ice before every home game, attendees witness the glory, heartbreak and of course – futility associated with the team.

However, the overarching theme is renewal, through a return to respectability which is best illustrated through the two clips that bookend the piece and the visuals matched with final lines of the song.

The montage begins with an interview clip of colourful Leafs’ legend of yesteryear – Francis “King” Clancy who boldly claims:

“The Maple Leaf Hockey Club have been champions and they will be champions again, the legend will be back.”

“(The closing lines) “This time we’ll change the weather, this time we’ll get it right” you see (head coach) Mike Babcock and (president) Brendan Shannahan which shows a changing of the environment,” Thompson said. “This summer and the last little while, something feels different, more commitment from the front office and coaching staff to bringing back to what King Clancy talks about at the beginning.”

Although it has since removed from the in-game presentation for timing and pacing purposes, original founder and owner Conn Smythe is featured on the tail of the video citing the words he had painted on the home dressing room wall at Maple Leaf Gardens:

“There used to be a sign up here – “Defeat Does Not Rest Lightly On Their Shoulders”, and that’s the way my teams always played.”

It a poignant finale especially when considering the apathetic performance the club put forward toward the end of last season.

Hawkins was born two years before the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967 and grew up in Toronto as a fan of the team. He sees the many layers of artistic merit in Thompson’s creation.

“It moved me, I heard other people talk about welling up when watching it, he is messing with very tender feelings of a dogged fan base that have gone through thick and thin – and a lot of thin,” he told Eh Game via telephone from Revolution Recording Studio in Leslieville. “The part where (the song) says “You seem just like a rumor now?” – and you hear the Stanley Cup call – it’s cheeky, taking a little bit of a shot – like, “Hey Guys! Let’s tune this up and get back at it!”

Hawkins is best known as the frontman for Lowest of the Low who released their critically acclaimed debut album – Shakespeare My Butt, 25 years ago. They were inducted into the Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame in 2008.

The group has gone on hiatus several times since 1991 which has allowed Hawkins to form new bands and focus on other endeavours such as painting.

He was recently voted as Toronto’s songwriter of the year in Now Magazine’s Readers Choice Poll and is working on a new album tentatively titled Spit, Sputter and Sparkle slated for release on April Fools Day.

Thompson has known Hawkins since he featured him along with several others in his documentary “Born To It” about the life of independent musicians which was released in 2009.

The two also shared the common bond of playing the game to varying levels of success before embarking on their present careers.

Thompson, 40, patrolled the blueline in the OHL, CIS (then known as the CIAU) as well as the now defunct Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) in the 1990’s while Hawkins tended goal until his mid-teens before turning down a tryout offer from the Toronto Marlboros after “discovering girls and punk rock.”

Interestingly, “Peace and Quiet” was written as a love letter of its own to Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood, where Hawkins lived for 10 years.

“It’s a testimony to how resilient art is in general, obviously I had my idea about the song when I wrote it and it was specific – not malleable,” he said. “I respect Tim’s ability to get meaning out of the film and audio, that’s why he has become so good at matching the two.”

Hawkins recorded the song twice, it was first released in 2007 on the album Chemical Sounds and then again a year ago in more stripped down version with his band the Do Good Assassins for Garden Songs.

Thompson uses the latter for “The Maple Leafs Forever.”

“There is a way to interpret the passion that is in that song in many ways,” Hawkins said. “As much as it could mean places you have seen and people you have lost – the way he is applying it to the Leafs – I would suggest it is the former dynasty and to recapture it and what a struggle that is to do.”

The Maple Leafs concur.

It wasn’t a hard sell to the brass for game presentation manager Steve Edgar and his team to include the piece in the pre-game show since it had already been viewed by so many within the organization on the internet.

“It struck a chord with not only us but our management, our president – it did a great job of showcasing the emotions and current state of Leaf Nation,” he said. “It begins with reminding everyone of the history, the past glories. The lyrics reflect we are going to do it again and the imagery helps add to that. It puts in perspective what our management and organization is trying to do – make sure we get back there and do it right.

Although he has yet to attend a game this season and is more likely to head to Ricoh Coliseum to watch the AHL Toronto Marlies, Hawkins is not surprised by the positive reaction and feels “The Maple Leafs Forever” captures a sense of purity.

“When I watch it, I smell the rink – that salty icy smell, I get a real tangible sense of melancholy,” Hawkins said. “Tim puts the clips together with a lot of weight – not just something to kill time till the game starts.”

Jenny Berkel Signs With Pheromone Recordings

Canadian singer-songwriter Jenny Berkel’s evocative songs and voice have been intoxicating listeners since the release of her first album, Here On A Wire. Both on her own and as part of Daniel Romano’s Trilliums band, her consistent touring has garnered fans across the country and the ocean. It has also earned her the attention of Pheromone Recordings.

“It’s a true pleasure to be welcoming Jenny to the Pheromone roster,” says Pheromone Recordings founder Kim Cooke. “She’s a sublime new talent as a songwriter, a vocalist and live performer and we can’t wait to bring her music to market.”

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Pheromone,” says Berkel. “They are wonderful people who are passionate about what they do and committed to supporting music that moves them. It’s a true honour to join their roster!”

To celebrate the signing and ahead of an upcoming release via Pheromone Recordings, Berkel has self-released the Cicada EP, a collection of songs recorded throughout the last two years which features guests Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station), Michael Feuerstack, Daniel Romano and Kay Berkel.

“Love Is A Dark Thing” is a duet with Michael Feuerstack, who Berkel claims is “one of the greatest songwriters in this country. As I was writing this song, I could already hear his warm, gentle voice singing it with me.” “How Red The Bloom” is a spookier song featuring Tamara Lindeman, another one of Canada’s finest. “She has such a rich and expansive voice. I thought it would be perfect on this song. We sent it to her in Toronto and she swiftly sent it back with these perfectly eerie harmonies.” The EP is available for purchase HERE and the track list can be found below.

Born in the heart of Ontario’s lush forests and fields, Berkel’s music has drawn her from rural Ontario to Winnipeg to Toronto and now to Montreal. This constant shifting finds its rest in her songs: her lyrics are dreamy and piercing, shimmering with memories and glittering with the quiet solitude of a night sky.

A full length LP is due out on Pheromone Recordings in the near future and full album details will be announced shortly. In the meantime fans in Toronto can see Jenny Berkel perform at The Burdock on December 18 with Marine Dreams.

CICADA EP TRACKLIST

1 How Red The Bloom
2 Love Is A Dark Thing
3 All That You Do (Live at Paradiso)
4 Pale Moon
5 Virginia Blues
6 Like A Rope

It’s A New Chapter For Lowest Of The Low As They Announce Tour Dates & Premiere New Songs

Today, Lowest of the Low released a double-sided single for free. The songs are available for streaming and download below.

Entitled ‘The Kids Are All Wrong’ and ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ the tunes come out raging, engrossing and completely catchy – all at the same time. The legendary band (who were inducted into The Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame, awarded with CFNY’s Lifetime Achievement Award and whose 1991 debut ‘Shakespeare, My Butt’ has been honoured in the Top 10 Canadian Albums of All Time) will be hitting the road this December and bringing down the house. Tour details are listed below.

After a period of relative quiet, and after the departure of Stephen Stanley – the band decided to play some small gigs in Toronto under the moniker Low UK. “We played a couple of shows, just to enjoy playing together again,” says front-man Ron Hawkins (who is currently recording the follow-up to the critically acclaimed ‘Garden Songs’ for release on Pheromone April 1 and who was just named, for the second time, NOW’s Songwriter of the Year) “to play some songs for the hardcore fans that were missing us.” It turns out that the band was missing itself as well.”We decided it was do or die. Either regroup as Lowest of the Low or put the band to rest once and for all.”

With the addition of new guitarist Brian MacMillan and the return of long time collaborator Lawrence Nichols – the Low have become more vital than ever.

Lowest Of The Low
Ron Hawkins – Lead vocals, guitars.
Dave Alexander – Drums
Lawrence Nichols – Vocals, Harmonica and keyboards.
Dylan Parker – Bass and Vocals
Brian MacMillan – Guitar and Vocals

The Tiny Record Shop set to host in-store performance with The Dears

Toronto — The Tiny Record Shop is excited to announce that The Dears will be performing acoustically at the store and signing vinyl on Saturday, November 28th at 1:00PM. Entry to the in-store is free with a non-perishable donation to Covenant House Toronto.

The Dears are performing their new album Times Infinity Volume One the night before on November 27 at Lee’s Palace. You can you grab tickets here.

The Tiny Record Shop is located at 804 Queen Street East in Toronto’s booming Riverside/Leslieville community. Over the past year, The Tiny Record Shop has catered to the city’s music lovers by becoming the city’s premier destination to track-down that hard-to-find record. In that time, The Tiny Record Shop has received praise from The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CBC.ca, NOW Magazine and Indie 88.com.

The Tiny Record Shop boasts a selection of essential vinyl releases from the 1950’s through to this week’s newest sounds. The shop’s selection will impress fans of country, soul, reggae, blues, classic and indie rock alike. The Tiny Record Shop is Downtown Toronto’s only ticket outlet in the East End.

Ron Hawkins Crowned 2015 NOW Magazine’s Best Songwriter

History has repeated itself 15 years on as NOW Magazine has once again dubbed Ron Hawkins the city’s Best Songwriter! Ron previously won  in 2000.  The award this year comes on the heels of his latest lauded release Garden Songs, recorded with The Do Good Assassins.  Readers were asked to start voting in June and and had 1,500 nominees across all of the 200+ categories.

BEST SONGWRITER
Ron Hawkins

You might know Ron Hawkins’s songs from his tenure with hometown heroes Lowest of the Low, or from his prolific career as a solo artist who sways between country soul and smart punk rock.  Garden Songs showcases his gentler side, his exceptional, cliché-free lyrics and his resonant, emotive voice, but if you prefer his edgier fare, Ron’s got a rocker coming down the pipe, currently scheduled for release around the beginning of April 2016.

Check out all of the city’s Best: http://bestof.nowtoronto.com/2015/

‘Force Of Nature’ Out Today

The new EP Force Of Nature by Poor Young Things is officially out today! Produced by Gus Van Go and Werner F, the dedication to both the spirit of rock ‘n roll, and to each other, is burned into the digital grooves of this 6-song banger that will make you want to road trip anywhere in order to see it live and sing along.

Listen to the new record on Spotify or Rdio and then head over to iTunes to grab your copy.

‘The Ropes’ Out Today

The long-awaited sophomore album by Vancouver troubadours Good For Grapes is now available! Recorded at The Warehouse in Vancouver and produced by Howard Redekopp,The Ropes is big, bold, and compelling. The album is the sound of a young band that, five years into its career, has truly found its voice.

Listen to the new record on Spotify or Rdio and then head over to iTunes to grab your copy.

Stream The New EP Force Of Nature By Poor Young Things On Exclaim!

Toronto-based indie rock outfit Poor Young Things are ready to follow up 2013’s full-length debut The Heart. The Head. The End. next week with a new EP titled Force of Nature. Before the record officially lands, though, Exclaim! is letting you hear the whole thing.

The six-song effort was produced by Gus Van Go (the Stills, Hollerado) and Werner F at the Boiler Room studio in Brooklyn and delivers another hard-hitting dose of the group’s infectious guitar pop.

“We poured our blood, sweat and tears into Force of Nature and we couldn’t be happier with the result,” said frontman Matt Fratpietro in a statement. “It’s a driving record, plain and simple.”

Force of Nature arrives on October 9 but let the new EP take you by storm now over at exclaim.ca

‘Times Infinity Volume One’ Out Today

Today is the day. The Dears’ new record Times Infinity Volume One is finally out for you all to hear!

Stream the record on Spotify or Rdio

and then pick it up on iTunes or order the CD or LP

Read the 8/10 review from Exclaim! Magazine:

On Times Infinity Volume One, the Dears’ songs vary in terms of depth and intricacy, but each is a fully realized narrative, layered with wild intricacy. Murray Lightburn’s guitar lines bloom in measured expanses and unspool in frenzied bursts; Natalia Yanchak’s fingers dance across the keys like stones skipping across a pond; lyrics burst with secret revelations and wry truths.

Not every track is trying to shatter salt-lick hearts. There’s a delectable, macabre humour about love at work throughout, particularly on the lead single, “Here’s To The Death of All The Romance,” and the jangly, album-closing crooner “Face of Horrors.” A funky lilt belies the tension of Lightburn and Yanchak’s blended vocals on the taut “We Lost Everything.”

“To Hold and Have” features Lightburn at his most vocally restrained, and everything about the instrumentation works. The swell of the strings, the dreamy guitar line — all of it adds a sorrowful warmth to the fraught, tragic romance of lines like, “This life that we fought so hard for / Well, I want more to hold and have.” Like your new favourite anthology of short stories — think Alice Munro meets Edgar Allen Poe — Times Infinity Volume One is a magnificent testament to the human heart in all of its complexity.