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LOST COUSINS RELEASE “MINDMAKER”

Photo by: Dave Gillespie

TORONTO, JUNE 8, 2018 – Last week a phone number began mysteriously appearing on social media and posters throughout several major cities including LA, New York City, Toronto and Vancouver. Those who followed their curiosity were rewarded with brand new song “Mindmaker” from indie-psych outfit Lost Cousins. Listen to the track by dialing in or listen online here!

About the track the band says “ ‘Mindmaker’ is the first song we wrote after coming to grips with the transition of moving to a new city. It’s about overcoming the stresses and struggles of adjusting to a different community.” Fully embracing every element of the creative process, the band self-produced the track and their entire upcoming record. They also incorporated captivating visual artwork, working with Indonesian graphic artist Jati Putra. “We discovered Jati Putra’s work online and loved how his aesthetic combined dynamic landscapes with surreal imagery. It was awesome collaborating with someone on the other side of the world, as Jati brought a unique perspective to the artwork and how it could embody our sound.”

For the indie-psych rock outfit, grappling with life transitions—and the domino effects of those choices—is at the core of their sprawling, celestial-sounding self-produced debut LP to be released in early 2019 via Pheromone Recordings.

The band has toured throughout Canada and the United States, including opening spots for The Strumbellas, Hollerado, and The Wooden Sky. Recent Canadian festival performances include sets at Wayhome (2015), CityFolk (2016), NXNE (2017), and Hillside Festival (2017). Lost Cousins is Dylan Cantlon Hay (bass guitar), Cam Duffin (drums), Lloyd McArton (guitar, saxophone), and Thomas Dashney (keyboards)

The band will be playing a handful of live shows this summer – check out full list of tour dates below.

TOUR DATES

JUNE 16 – HAMILTON, ON – Liquid Arts Festival w/ The Beaches
JUNE 28 – THOROLD, ON – The Moose & Goose (Matthew Good support)
JUNE 29 – BALA, ON – Kee to Bala (Matthew Good support)
JULY 7-8 – MONCTON, NB – Evolve Music Festival
AUGUST 18 – MARKHAM, ON – Craft Brew Festival w/ Reuben & The Dark
AUGUST 19 – KINGSTON, ON – Back To The Farm/Mackinnon Bros Beer & Music Festival) w/ The Rural Alberta Advantage

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FLASH LIGHTNIN’ RETURN WITH FINAL EP HOMAGE OUT APRIL 6

TORONTO, ON – March 6, 2018 – Always bound by friendship, Darren Glover and Darcy Yates of Flash Lightnin’ resolutely refused to officially call it quits when Glover returned to Victoria in 2015, while Yates toured the world as a session player with Bahamas.  While only gathering on occasion for special and memorable shows, such as their 10th anniversary in Toronto in 2016,  it was finally time to acknowledge the inevitable, but not without a final, incredibly powerful recorded statement.

Today they are excited to announce that their upcoming EP Homage is set for release on April 6 via Pheromone Recordings. Along with the announcement they have given fans a taste of the EP today with their version of Jeff Beck’s interpretation of The Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things.” Listen here.

In the fall of 2015 Glover and Yates gathered with powerhouse drummer Blake Manning at Toronto’s Revolution Recording with Ian Blurton at the controls.

Four stone classic rock ‘n’ roll songs were covered:

• Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac’s “Green Manalishi”
• Mountain’s “Never In My Life”
• Jeff Beck’s interpretation of The Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things”
• Cream’s “Swlabr”

Simply put the combination of Flash Lightnin’, Ian Blurton and Revolution’s cavernous Neve room delivered the goods and in spectacular fashion.

We’ll leave the last words to Darren Glover: “It took 30 years to finally make the rock and roll record I always wanted to make.  Live, real and raw! 60’s and 70’s rock has been the backbone of my dreams and love for the electric guitar, especially British players like Clapton, Beck and Peter Green. Let’s not forget the massive tone of Leslie West who himself was a byproduct of the British blues invasion. This EP represents our life-long passion and respect to the birth of high powered electrified blues.”

THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM

ACROSS THE DARK OUT SEPTEMBER 15 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS

LISTEN AND SHARE “CINDY RUNS” HERE

CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 19

The Wilderness Of Manitoba prefers to characterize itself as an evolving entity and founding member Will Whitwham is the last man standing. For the band’s new album, Across The Dark, the vocalist/multi-instrumentalist stepped up to write and produce all the songs himself. For the album’s first single, “Cindy Runs,” Whitwam took at look back at the 1960s pop songs he grew up loving and added a modern take, sonically and thematically.

The song itself is about “Cinderella as the clock strikes midnight and Cindy runs,” says Whitwam. “But, also touches on what many of these pop songs from the 60’s are about – teen angst, someone who is too elusive and trying to figure that out.”

From the band’s inception, it has redefined itself with every new release. The evolution of The Wilderness Of Manitoba’s sound has run the gamut from four part harmonies and its initial chamber folk sound to duo lead vocals and an expanded sonic palette ranging from cinematic indie pop to anthemic folk rock. The current live band includes vocalist/guitarist Raven Shields, bassist/vocalist Tavo Diez de Bonilla, and drummer Mike Brushey. “The touring and recording members bring fresh eyes and open ears,” says Whitwam. “Playing with new people always brings a greener, more inspired revitalization simply because it’s change. And change is great if you don’t fight it too much.”

Due out September 15 via Pheromone Recordings, Across The Dark is a little closer to what the present line-up of the band is delivering live. “We’ve experimented a lot in the studio over the past few albums while maintaining a core sound as a touring act”, says Whitwham. “And while that sound has always remained intact, it hasn’t always been easy in the studio just because there are so many options with multiple outcomes. I limited myself a little more on this record and ended up with something tighter.”

One of the things the album title reflects is feeling that you’ve committed to something sonically and you’re confident enough to ‘cross the dark’ with it. It’s not dissimilar to the touring life and its ‘down in the trenches’ mentality. Anyone who has toured extensively knows there are long stretches and dark roads (especially in Canada), but it can also be the most rewarding when you’re happy with the band and the shows you’re delivering. If night after night, you feel that the benefits far outweigh the kilometres, then you’re successful enough to justify the madness. The other half of ‘across the dark’ refers to risk and also to the search: constantly trying to find something and the yearning for someone as a main theme in the songs themselves.

In its eight year existence, The Wilderness Of Manitoba’s strengths come as a direct result of the wealth of traveling the band has done; playing a multitude of festivals and touring in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Canada. “The live show,” says Whitwham, “is an in-the-moment portrait of the band and its efforts.” Those efforts were recognized when The Wilderness of Manitoba was nominated for a JUNO Award. Summing things up, Whitwham says, “There is no lacking in the quantity of musical ideas and we’re looking forward to getting back to performing as a live entity.”

TOUR DATES

Sep 19 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse
Sep 20 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison
Sep 21 – Hamilton, ON – Mill’s Hardware
Sep 22 – Guelph, ON – University of Guelph
Sep 22 – Elora, ON – Elora Brewing Company
Sep 23 – Sarnia, ON – Paddy Flaherty
Sep 27 – Saskatoon, SK – Vangelis
Sep 28 – Edmonton, AB – The Mercury Room
Sep 29 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s Bar & Grill
Sep 30 – Calgary, AB – Night Owl
Oct 5 – Kelowna, BC – The Habitat
Oct 6 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Oct 7 – Chilliwack, BC – Tractorgrease
Oct 8 – Mission, BC – House Show
Oct 11 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
Oct 13 – Sault Ste Marie, ON – Loplops
Oct 20 – London, ON – London Music Hall
Oct 21 – Harrow, ON – The Legion
Oct 26 – Oshawa, ON – Moustache Club
Oct 27 – Kingston, ON – The Mansion

LOWEST OF THE LOW SHARE NEW SINGLE “POWERLINES” FROM UPCOMING ALBUM DO THE RIGHT NOW SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 8 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS; SET TO PLAY HILLSIDE FESTIVAL THIS FRIDAY

TORONTO, ON – July 10th, 2017 – One of Canada’s most lauded independent bands, Lowest of the Low, announced earlier this year a string of live dates this summer including an appearance at Hillside Festival this Friday and a headlining show at The Danforth Music Hall on September 9th. Today, the band are excited to announce that their fourth studio album Do The Right Now is set for release on September 8th via Pheromone Recordings. In anticipation of the release, the band have shared the first single and lyric video for “Powerlines,” watch here.

On the single, front man Ron Hawkins reflects, “Powerlines is a song about my experiences writing the first Low album, Shakespeare My Butt. I had recently broken up with a long time partner and moved into a punk rock squat with some crazy characters I called friends. Every day I walked through the city with a notebook and drank in bars and went to galleries and shows and hung out in my little bohemian circle of anarchists, punks and poets. I became the protagonist in the movie of my life and the city was a cinematic sidekick and factored into the lyrics like a companion.”

The visually stunning lyric video was made in collaboration with photographer, Tom Ryaboi, a pioneer of the art of roof topping. The video reflects Ron’s relationship with his hometown of Toronto and his changing perspective of it over the years. The video is a natural fit to depict a very modern version of Toronto from perspectives not often seen.

Do The Right Now was recorded at Revolution Recording in Toronto, with Ron Hawkins and studio co-owner Joe Dunphy sharing production duties.

Stay tuned for more Canadian tour dates.

Track Listing

1. Powerlines
2. Gerona Train
3. Do The Right Now
4. Saint Spurious
5. Minuteman
6. The Hard Way
7. Something To Believe In
8. Don’t Let it Lay You Low
9. Sister Jude
10. Infinite
11. Immortal
12. California Gothic

Tour Dates

July 14 – Guelph, ON – Hillside Festival
July 15 – Ottawa, ON – Hope Volleyball Summerfest
Sept. 09 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
Sept. 16 – Prince Edward County, ON – Sandbanks Music Festival
Oct. 01 – Sydney, NS – Mary Winspear Centre
Oct. 05-06 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore Ballroom (w/ 54-40)
Oct. 28 – Hamilton, ON – Collective Arts Brewery @ Guitars Strings And Kidney Things

Watch: “Powerlines”
Stream: “Powerlines”

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Mo Kenney Reveals The Details – New Album September 29th

Award-winning artist Mo Kenney reveals The Details
Pheromone Recordings – September 29, 2017

Lyric video “If You’re Not Dead” released today
TORONTO, June 7, 2017 – This is the year that Mo Kenney plugs in, quite literally. The award-winning artist from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada is releasing The Details due September 29, 2017 via Toronto imprint Pheromone Recordings.

Today marks the release of “If You’re Not Dead” the first song off The Details, which was premiered on tastemaking open-format radio show The Strombo Show this past Sunday night on CBC Radio Two in Canada. The new song shows Kenney’s vocals soaring above an assured bent guitar line and a driving kick drum, setting an accelerated tempo and tone for a new set of songs far removed from the confines of the singer-songwriting world where she first became known and adored. Find it here on all streaming sites (and below in the brand new lyric video.)

Mo Kenney’s numerous achievements for her songwriting and music are impressive for an artist who began releasing and touring less than five years ago: 2013’s Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada Prize for her song Sucker, the USA Songwriting Competition’s 1st Place Winner (Folk) for I Faked It, numerous Music Nova Scotia and East Coast Music Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award and a JUNO award-nomination.

With The Details, Mo Kenney traces her own strange, devastating, and ultimately hopeful trip through the trials and tribulations of booze-fuelled breakdowns, clouds of depression, and disintegrating relationships. It’s a journey, thankfully, that finds Kenney sailing to calmer seas, closing gently on the sparse, clear-minded “Feelin’ Good.” But the storms weathered to get there are the kind that leave lasting scars. The self-destructive drive of “On The Roof” explodes out of the gate with blistering intensity. “June 3rd” channels the late Elliott Smith with spectral atmospheres as Kenney comes to terms with her alienating behaviour. And the vicious, rollicking “If You’re Not Dead” shows her playing mind games over feral guitar solos and biting hooks. With every track, Kenney unflinchingly confronts her annihilation and eventual redemption, leaving nothing out. Combining elements of bruising rock ‘n’ roll, vivid psychedelia, and haunting, left-of-the-dial pop, The Details documents Kenney’s fight to survive her own worst enemy.

She explains, candidly, “The Details is a fourteen song concept album. The album starts off kind of hopeless and gets progressively more optimistic. This album is the details of coming out the other side.”

Mo Kenney just returned from touring the United Kingdom. Follow along here to see her live. More tour dates will be announced.

Find Mo Kenney on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA ANNOUNCE NEW EP, SPRING TOUR DATES

THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA ANNOUNCE NEW EP, SPRING TOUR DATES

THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA ARE SET TO RELEASE THE TIN SHOP EP, A COLLECTION OF TRACKS FROM SONGWRITER WILL WHITWHAM, ON MAY 5 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “BRIGDEN FAIR” HERE

SPRING TOUR DATES WITH JENNY BERKEL AND EAMON MCGRATH BEGIN MAY 4

Since its inception The Wilderness Of Manitoba has continued to grow and evolve with every new release. Throughout it all founding member Will Whitwham has left his imprint on each and every sound the band has produced – from the chamber folk debut, Hymns of Love and Spirits, to the cinematic indie pop of Between Colours.

Now the sole songwriter of the outfit, Whitwham has written and produced a collection of songs which represent yet another chapter in the ever evolving story of The Wilderness Of Manitoba. Due out May 5 via Pheromone Recordings, The Tin Shop EP strips back the layers of anthemic folk rock to reveal the heart of Whitwham’s songwriting. Whitwham together with vocalist/guitarist Raven Shields will support the release with a string of tour dates throughout Spring with Jenny Berkel and Eamon McGrath. Full tour dates can be found below.

Today, The Wilderness Of Manitoba are sharing “Brigden Fair” from the EP, a track which Whitwham wrote to feel “like Donovan wrote the lyrics but it was sung and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel. We stopped into the Brigden Fair on tour a few years ago and had a really nice ride on this giant maiden sea woman. Over time, I fictionalized and personified this fall afternoon and amusement ride into song.”

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “BRIGDEN FAIR” HERE

Four of the record’s tracks were recorded at a now closed down Toronto studio called The Tin Shop, an intimate space just down the street from Whitwham’s house. The EP’s title pays homage to a place and time which reflects the vibe of the tracks captured there. Whitwham was joined by Shields to record the half dozen songs that comprise The Tin Shop EP, one of which, “Nothing’s Ever Said,” was already featured in the US television series No Tomorrow.

Later this year, The Wilderness Of Manitoba will prepare to release their fifth studio album. The release features a full band and will be sure to further cement Whitwham as one of Canada’s most diverse and compelling songwriters.

TOUR DATES

May 4 – Toronto, ON – The Burdock Music Hall ^ Tickets / Facebook
May 5 – St. Catharines, ON – Niagara Artists Centre ^ Tickets
May 6 – Hamilton, ON  – Mills Hardware ^ Tickets
May 13 – Harrow, The Legion Hall ^
May 18 – Guelph, ON – Silence %
May 19 – London,ON – The London Music Club % Tickets
May 20 – Ottawa, ON – Zaphod Beeblebrox ^ & % Tickets / Facebook

^ with Jenny Berkel
% with Eamon McGrath

THE TIN SHOP EP
01 Nothing’s Ever Said
02 Brigden Fair
03 Across The Dark
04 The Silence Of Sound
05 Wild Wind
06 November (The Tin Shop Version)

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STEPH CAMERON SHARES NEW TRACK FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE LONGLISTED SONGWRITER’S NEW ALBUM, DAYBREAK OVER JACKSON STREET, OUT APRIL 14 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS

LIVE PERFORMANCE DATES BEGIN APRIL 15

Today, Saskatoon-based roots singer / songwriter Steph Cameron is sharing “Winterwood,” the latest track from her upcoming album Daybreak Over Jackson Street. “Winterwood” is about “being at the mercy of uncertain forces,” says Cameron. “Of a moment where time is frozen and clear and our own vulnerability is stark and beautiful.”

Due out April 14 via Pheromone Recordings, Cameron will support Daybreak Over Jackson Street with a hometown release show on April 15 in Saskatoon before making her way to Toronto for Canadian Music Week.

In 2014, Steph Cameron arrived on the scene like a bracing gust of fresh musical air with her debut record Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady, receiving unanimously enthusiastic reviews. “This is a monumental, brilliant album… heralds the crowning of a bright new talent,” declared PopMatters in calling it the #1 Canadian album of 2014. No Depression termed it “a stunning debut,” while Exclaim! noted that “Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady delights from start to finish. Steph Cameron is the real deal.” The record also made the coveted longlist for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize in 2015.

Look for music scribes to again reach for superlatives to describe Daybreak Over Jackson Street as Steph’s new album navigates subtle changes in stylistic terrain. If the debut felt as if it emerged fully-formed from the bohemian streets of Greenwich Village circa 1963, then the extra maturity of this album gives it more of an early ‘70s Laurel or Topanga Canyon atmosphere.

Like her debut, Daybreak Over Jackson Street was recorded at elite Toronto studio Revolution Recording with producer Joe Dunphy. It retains the sparse template of her first record – one voice, one guitar, both recorded in intimate fashion and to tape.

Many of these new songs feature a more mature Cameron looking back upon earlier turbulent times. “As I get a bit older I’m able to recall my youth from a different perspective. Many of these songs draw their content from the life and relationships I had in my youth; to people and places, particularly East Vancouver.” She describes “Daybreak Over Jackson Street” as a song “about living in an impoverished neighbourhood in an urban setting. That song acknowledges some of the elements of life in a slum.” A similar locale, East Vancouver, permeates “Richard,” a haunting ode to a troubled comrade left behind – ‘a hotel is a real sad place for living’.

Having spent some time living in The Kootenays, the great outdoors appears in Cameron’s “That’s What Love Is,” a lovely and gentle tune featuring a circular guitar pattern and such atmospheric imagery as ‘late at night when the coyotes call, the dogs whimper and the leaves fall’. Then there is the fast and breezy “Little Blue Bird,” one ‘sitting in the snow, staring at the stars dreaming of the railroad cars’.

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “CALIFORNIA” HERE
LISTEN TO AND SHARE “YOUNG AND LIVING FREE” HERE

LIVE DATES
Apr 15 – Saskatoon, SK – Village Amp & Guitar
Apr 22 – Toronto, ON – The Dakota Tavern (8 PM) – CMW

BILL AND JOEL PLASKETT SHARE NEW VIDEO

WATCH AND SHARE “THE NEXT BLUE SKY” HERE

NEW ALBUM, SOLIDARITY, OUT NOW VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS

THE SOLIDARITY TOUR CONTINUES THIS WEEK WITH SPECIAL GUEST MAYHEMINGWAYS

“as cohesive as it is diverse…consistently impressive” No Depression

“Bill and Joel Plaskett get it right” NOW Magazine

“passion and prowess are evident throughout …beautifully shared vision” Exclaim!

“the most explicit folk foray of the Halifax musician’s career – built in his co-headlining father’s image, soaked in traditional sounds from both shores of the Atlantic” The Globe And Mail

Joel Plaskett and his father Bill Plaskett are just getting started on their cross country tour supporting their new collaborative album, Solidarity. Accompanying them on tour is Peterborough’s own Mayhemingways who also joined Bill and Joel in studio at Revolution in Toronto to capture the new video for “The Next Blue Sky.” The video was directed, edited, and captured by multiple JUNO Award winning veteran musician and producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Spirit Of The West, Rheostatics, Barenaked Ladies), who also recorded and mixed the live audio. Wojewoda is a long time fan of Joel’s however, this video marks the first time the two have worked together.

“The Next Blue Sky” is a song about heading West and looking for greener pastures. “This song is close to my heart these days,” says Joel. “Farewell to Nova Scotia while we hit the road, chasing the next blue sky.”

WATCH AND SHARE “THE NEXT BLUE SKY” HERE

Out now via Pheromone Recordings, Solidarity is a powerful collection of original and traditional songs, reflecting the duo’s individual journeys and personal politics. From the introspective opening track “Dragonfly,” a song about a paranormal experience that Joel had, to “On Down The River,” Bill’s closing track about leaving his home in England, the album is grounded in folk music but informed by rock and roll history.

The 11 songs on Solidarity are varied and personal, yet expressive of interconnecting themes.

Folk-based political songs like “We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years” and “Jim Jones” sit side by side with contemplative love songs “No Sight Compares” and “New California,” a touch of rockabilly country blues “Help Me Somebody Depression Blues,” and more fully arranged folk rock songs of contemporary social commentary “Blank Cheque.”

Solidarity is a surprising and unique album, full of strong guitar playing and thoughtful, accessible songs. An excellent addition to the Plaskett catalogue and hopefully the first of many for the Plasketts.

THE SOLIDARITY TOUR

Mar 22 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre

Mar 23 – Regina, SK – WA WA Shire Centre

Mar 24 – Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre

Mar 29 – Kelowna, BC – Mary Irwin Theatre

Mar 30 – Nanaimo, BC – The Queens

Mar 31 – Victoria, BC – Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Apr 1 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre

Apr 5 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight

Apr 6 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight

Apr 7 – Hamilton, ON – The Studio at Hamilton Place

Apr 8 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall

Apr 12 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall

Apr 13 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall

Apr 14 – Stratford, ON – Avondale United Church

Apr 20 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium

Apr 22 – Port Hawkesbury, NS – Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre

May 4 – Paris, ON – Dominion Telegraph

May 5 – Bayfield, ON – Old Town Hall

BILL AND JOEL PLASKETT SHARE NEW TRACK FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “THE NEXT BLUE SKY” HERE

NEW ALBUM, SOLIDARITY, OUT FEBRUARY 17 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS

FATHER AND SON TO PERFORM AT MASSEY HALL APRIL 8
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

THE SOLIDARITY TOUR BEGINS MARCH 15 WITH SPECIAL GUEST MAYHEMINGWAYS

Many Canadian music fans know Joel Plaskett from his multiple JUNO Awards, nominations on the Polaris Music Prize Short List, and sold out clubs and concert halls from one side of the country to the other. But, in 2017 he’ll be sharing the spotlight with his earliest musical influence – his father Bill Plaskett.

In support of their upcoming collaborative record, Solidarity, the father and son pair are ready to take their new sound on the road for a string of tour dates beginning March 15 with special guests, Mayhemingways. This week, the duo have announced a stop at Toronto’s storied Massey Hall on April 8 as part of the fourth season of the concert and concert-film series Live At Massey Hall. Tickets are on sale today.

As a primer for the performance, Bill and Joel are sharing a new track from Solidarity, “The Next Blue Sky,” a song about greener pastures. “Go west, they say,” says Joel. “That’s been the story out east for years. Chasing some work, a safe haven, or the next blue sky. Or maybe just to get out from the shadows cast by the glassy trade centre they dropped on Argyle Street. The march of progress is no parade.”

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “THE NEXT BLUE SKY” HERE

Set for release on February 17 via Pheromone Recordings, Solidarity is a powerful collection of original and traditional songs, reflecting the duo’s individual journeys and personal politics. From the introspective opening track “Dragonfly,” a song about a paranormal experience that Joel had, to “On Down The River,” Bill’s closing track about leaving his home in England, the album is grounded in folk music but informed by rock and roll history.

The 11 songs on Solidarity are varied and personal, yet expressive of interconnecting themes. Folk-based political songs like “We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years” and “Jim Jones” sit side by side with contemplative love songs “No Sight Compares” and “New California,” a touch of rockabilly country blues “Help Me Somebody Depression Blues,” and more fully arranged folk rock songs of contemporary social commentary “Blank Cheque.”

Solidarity is a surprising and unique album, full of strong guitar playing and thoughtful, accessible songs. An excellent addition to the Plaskett catalogue and hopefully the first of many for the Plasketts.

SOLIDARITY TRACK LIST
01 Dragonfly
02 The Next Blue Sky
03 We Have Fed You All For 1000 Years
04 Blank Cheque
05 Help Me Somebody Depression Blues
06 Up In The Air
07 Jim Jones
08 The New California
09 No Sight Compares
10 Solidarity
11 On Down The River

THE SOLIDARITY TOUR
Mar 15 – Truro, NS – Marigold Cultural Centre
Mar 17 – Montreal, QC – L’Astral
Mar 18 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre
Mar 22 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre
Mar 23 – Regina, SK – WA WA Shire Centre
Mar 24 – Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre
Mar 29 – Kelowna, BC – Mary Irwin Theatre
Mar 30 – Nanaimo, BC – The Queens
Mar 31 – Victoria, BC – Alix Goolden Performance Hall
Apr 1 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Apr 5 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight
Apr 6 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight
Apr 7 – Hamilton, ON – The Studio at Hamilton Place
Apr 8 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
Apr 12 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
Apr 13 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
Apr 14 – Stratford, ON – Avondale United Church
Apr 20 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Apr 22 – Port Hawkesbury, NS – Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
May 4 – Paris, ON – Dominion Telegraph
May 5 – Bayfield, ON – Old Town Hall

ALEJANDRA RIBERA REVEALS NEW TRACK FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

ACCLAIMED SONGWRITER’S SOPHOMORE ALBUM, THIS ISLAND, DUE OUT JANUARY 27 VIA PHEROMONE RECORDINGS
LISTEN TO AND SHARE “THE UNDERTOW” HERE
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN FEBRUARY 23
“…it has the making of a timeless classic.” – CBC Music

With only a few weeks remaining until the release of her sophomore album, This Island, acclaimed songwriter Alejandra Ribera is sharing a new track from the record. “The Undertow” is inspired by the film The Danish Girl. “The morning after I saw the film I wrote that song and it was done by evening,” says Ribera. “I wanted to write about the kind of love that is so immense that it inspires you to give everything you have to help the one you love – realize who they are meant to be, knowing full well that when they do, they will leave you.”

Alejandra Ribera has been writing about the unexpected places we find light since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album La boca. In her sophomore release This Island, the award-winning songwriter continues her exploration of luminescence – this time leaving the depths of mythological waters and delving firmly into the experience of the human heart. She cites some unlikely influences as inspiring her approach to this recording – a speech by actress Tilda Swinton at the Rothko Chapel, a documentary about performance artist Marina Abramović and studying movement in Paris with one of Pina Bausch’s earliest devotees.

Due out on January 27 via Pheromone Recordings, This Island was recorded at a studio in rural Ontario where she and the band lived and recorded in the depths of winter. That vast Canadian landscape is audible from the opening track and woven throughout much of the album. Reminiscent of early Damien Rice in its delicate and spacious arrangements we also hear the influence of contemporaries like Rufus Wainwright and Fiona Apple in This Island’s sophisticated melodies.

Ribera’s reputation for raw and emotive vocals has brought repeated comparisons to Tom Waits from the critics over the years. In “Blood Moon Rising” she harnesses that palpable intensity right to the hem with an almost athletic ability that leaves hairs standing on end. With horn arrangements written by Bryden Baird (Feist), This Island also brings us Ribera’s most accessible and up-tempo songwriting to date, perhaps the feature that most distinguishes it from her previous work.

“Carry Me,” “Will Not Drown,” and “Led Me To You” (which runs seven verses deep and reads rather like a Leonard Cohen poem set to a bluegrass jam) are probably the best examples of this new-found unabashed levity. And then there are her trademark heart-breaking lyrics that cut to the quick with love songs like “The Undertow” and “Undeclared War” – ‘The words you left metastasized, I cannot breath my hands are tied…’ swelling and subsiding in lush waves of strings, acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies.

There’s a timeless approach to the production which Ribera entrusted mixer Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow) and engineer L. Stu Young (Prince) to help her achieve. “I wanted to make a record that sounded classic, simple and unencumbered by the production trends of the day. I knew it would take courage to strip everything down and so I needed a very particular team that would push me every step of the way.” Equal parts subtle and nourishing, all these elements were carefully crafted with her long time collaborators and Montreal-based band Jean-Sebastien Williams and Cédric Dind-Lavoie. With their talent in tow Ribera has created This Island, a place she invites us to visit, to dream and to celebrate that light that she is seeking wherever she goes.

THIS ISLAND TRACKLIST
01 Russian Plates On Michigan Avenue
02 The Undertow
03 Carry Me
04 Higher
05 Led Me To You
06 Will Not Drown
07 Blood Moon Rising
08 Undeclared War
09 Soft Place To Land
10 I Am Orlando

ALEJANDRA RIBERA TOUR DATES
Nov 25th – Berre, France – Forum Culturel
Nov 29th – London, UK – The Bedford
Dec 12th – New York, USA – Rockwood Music Hall
Feb 23rd – Quebec City, QC – Théâtre Petit-Champlain
Feb 24th – Jonquières, QC – Côté Cour
Feb 28th – Montreal, QC – Club Soda (MTL en Lumiere)
Mar 4th – Sutton, QC – Salle Alec & Gérald Pelletier
Mar 9th – Sorel-Tracey, QC – Marine Cabaret
Mar 15th – Toronto, ON – Trinity St. Paul’s
Mar 16th – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
Mar 17th – Ottawa, ON – NAC Studio
Mar 21st – Berlin, Germany – Grüner Salon
Mar 24th – Wawern, Germany – Synagoge
Mar 25th – Freiberg, Germany – Jazzhaus
Mar 26th – Landsberg, Germany – Stadttheater
Mar 28th – Vienna, Austria – Sargfabrik

STEPH CAMERON SHARES NEW SONG “CALIFORNIA”

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE LONG-LISTED SONGWRITER STEPH CAMERON SHARES A WINTERY NEW SONG TITLED “CALIFORNIA”

WATCH FOR MORE NEW MUSIC IN 2017

After the release of Steph Cameron’s debut album, Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady, the Globe And Mail named her one of their ‘Artists To Watch’ and Pop Matters ‘Best Canadian Albums of 2014’ listed the record at #1. The album was also long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize and at the Sirius XM Indie Awards she was nominated for Female Artist of The Year.

With a new album on the horizon for next year Cameron is sharing her first new music since Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady. Though titled “California,” the track finds its inspiration deep in the snow. “It was written about friends of mine that were traveling south for work in winter when the north country is buried in snow,” says Cameron. “When people in your life move on, it sometimes feels like they left the front door open, for all the weather to come inside.”

There is an undeniably retro feel to Cameron’s work, think beatniks in the 50’s, communes, hitchhiking, and hopping freight trains, but she is certainly not mired in the past. Her influences range from the country blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins to the bluegrass of Doc Watson, to the vintage ’60s folk of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and early Joni Mitchell.

PRAISE FOR SAD-EYED LONESOME LADY

“Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady is a monumental, brilliant album… heralds the crowning of a bright new talent” Pop Matters

“People don’t make records like this anymore. A voice, guitar and a little bit of harmonica – just a woman in a room laying her music onto 2-inch tape” NOW Mag NNNN

“Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady is a fantastic debut destined to be on many year-end top 10 lists.” Winnipeg Free Press

“An impressive debut album, Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady delights from start to finish. Steph Cameron is the real deal.” Exclaim!

“There is character in her delivery and depth in her themes” – The Vancouver Province CD Of The Week

“At the confluence of Dylan, Shakespeare and Elmore Leonard.”  FYI

BILL AND JOEL PLASKETT ANNOUNCE SOLIDARITY; FATHER AND SON COLLABORATE FOR NEW ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 17

When Bill Plaskett and his son Joel Plaskett get together to write songs the result, as Bill describes it, is “a touch of the traditional mixed in with the new, and a lot of the unexpected, arrived at through experimentation.” The result is Solidarity, an album that welds Bill’s traditional folk leanings with Joel’s long and acclaimed history in the Canadian rock landscape.

While Joel is a nationally adored, JUNO Award winning songwriter, the foundations of his talent began at home with his father Bill, who is an accomplished musician himself and co-founder of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. “My father has certainly been one of my biggest musical influences,” says Joel. “I grew up around him playing guitars and his love of folk music, particularly music from the British Isles and Ireland is something I’ve inherited from him – artists like Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson, and Paul Brady. Conversely, I have introduced him to some of my favourite records by artists like Those Bastard Souls, Led Zeppelin, and Gillian Welch.”

Bill and Joel’s converging approaches to songwriting left lots of room for both to help shape each other’s songs. Bill says the pair spent a lot of time “figuring out what to play, and what not to play, listening critically to each other, and talking about the results. And then figuring out themes, motifs, and connections.” The result of which is “a complementary but different melodic sense that creates a guitar weave that is unique to us,” says Joel. “Between the 6 string, tenor and tiple guitars, the bouzoukis and mandolas, there are a lot of ringing strings on this album. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Set for release on February 17 via Pheromone Recordings, the title track, “Solidarity” is a great summation of their collaboration, both lyrically and sonically. “I wanted a song Dad and I could sing together that connected our individual journeys and our personal politics,” says Joel. “The word ‘solidarity’ came to mind and didn’t leave.”

Both Bill and Joel’s tracks on Solidarity arrived here from many different eras, sources, and stages of life. Bill wrote “No Sight Compares” in the early 1970s about a troubled relationship and signs from nature that everything would work out fine, while Joel’s “The New California” was written this past summer at a hotel in Yellowknife where “the Alpine trees and perpetual sunlight on the Great Slave Lake made me think of some magical part of California I dreamt up,” claims Joel.

While “We Have Fed You All For A Thousand Years,” “Jim Jones,” and “On Down the River” are older songs, each heard many times on the Plaskett family tape player and now revisited by father and son together, other tracks on Solidarity pay homage in a less direct manner. Both “Dragonfly” and “Up In The Air” give a nod to some of Bill’s guitar heroes, Bert Jansch and Richard Thompson, and one of Joel’s favourite songwriters, Al Tuck.

Not all the cuts on Solidarity required as much forethought though. “Help Me Somebody Depression Blues” was recorded spur of the moment with Bill on acoustic guitar in one of the studios and Joel on drums in the other. Divided by a window but connected through headphones, the two hammered out the track, VU meters in the red throughout “in one take, or was it two?” wonders Bill.

Beginning March 15, Bill and Joel will embark on the Solidarity Tour across Canada, performing their collaborations and other songs from Joel’s vast catalog. Peterborough fuzz-folk duo Mayhemingways is also along for the ride as opening support and performing with Bill and Joel. Full tour dates can be found below, with more tour dates to be announced shortly.

SOLIDARITY TRACK LIST
01 Dragonfly
02 The Next Blue Sky
03 We Have Fed You All For 1000 Years
04 Blank Cheque
05 Help Me Somebody Depression Blues
06 Up In The Air
07 Jim Jones
08 The New California
09 No Sight Compares
10 Solidarity
11 On Down The River

THE SOLIDARITY TOUR

Mar 15 – Truro, NS – Marigold Cultural Centre
Mar 17 – Montreal, QC – L’Astral
Mar 18 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre
Mar 22 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre
Mar 23 – Regina, SK – WA WA Shire Centre
Mar 24 – Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre
Mar 29 – Kelowna, BC – Mary Irwin Theatre
Mar 30 – Nanaimo, BC – The Queens
Mar 31- Victoria, BC – Alix Goolden Performance Hall
Apr 1 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Apr 5 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight
Apr 6 – Waterloo, ON – Starlight
Apr 7- Hamilton, ON – The Studio at Hamilton Place
Apr 12 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
Apr 13 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
Apr 14 – Stratford, ON – Avondale United Church
Apr 20 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Apr 22 – Port Hawkesbury, NS – Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
May 4 – Paris, ON – Dominion Telegraph
May 5 – Bayfield, ON – Old Town Hall