As she was about to start the fourth song of her final New Zealand date, Lydia Cole spoke of a young woman – a long-time fan from Gisborne who had planned to attend the show. A family accident, however, prevented her from coming, and Cole dedicated “Time Is A Healer” to her, singing it with the grace and power of a person […]

Carl Broemel takes his customary place – stage right – with his black Gibson Les Paul in hand. The crowd roars, but it is not Broemel or his fellow musicians that the audience has come to see. The applause and excitement are for the venerable Ray Lamontagne. After the screams and whistles die down, a woman’s voice can be overheard […]

We usually pride ourselves at being at the forefront of new music, but it does sometimes occur that some really great music slips through the cracks. Likely we miss things all together (not surprising given the amount of music output these days), while other times we do eventually “catch up” to releases from months ago. Discovering Rodney Cromwell is a […]

Brooklyn, NY’s Bulletproof Stockings are an all-woman rock band who churns out complex piano-rock in the vein of Fiona Apple’s later work. They’ve got a few sure-bet rock band bona fides: A former member of a hard-touring alternative rock outfit (Dalia Shusterman, who spent years touring with psych-rockers Hopewell), a charismatic, forceful rookie lead singer who discovered songwriting after escaping a failed relationship (Perl Wolfe, […]

Del Water Gap is an alt-folk band based in Brooklyn, NY, formed during Hurricane Sandy by S. Holden Jaffe (lead vocals, guitars, harmonica), Charles Schlinkert (drums, percussion), and William Evans (bass, piano, background vocals). They have a brand new A/B single of two tunes recorded at the unmarked Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Williamsburg, “Cut the Rope/Lamplight.” These songs mark […]

Today we have an album review with WOOF. whom we included as a hidden gem almost a year ago. We have followed him as he continues to post track after track on Soundcloud and there is finally an album, Bad Connection released on Tree Machine Records last month. We recently shared “Nothing to Say” which is included on the album. […]

Canadian-born, Nashville-based singer and songwriter Lindi Ortega is back with a fourth album called Faded Gloryville. Since its release in August 2015, the  artist known for her authentic country voice and red cowboy boots has been touring the country sharing stories of love, loss and faded dreams. Ortega was recently awarded Roots Artist of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Country Music Awards, her second win […]

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Helm. Perhaps better known as the daughter of musical icon Levon Helm, Amy Helm has become an accomplished singer, songwriter and musician in her own right, first as member of the country-alt collective Ollabelle and later working alongside her dad in The Band. But even with more than three decades of performances under her belt, it is only recently that Helm felt the […]

It’s hard to believe the ACL Festival will be here in less than a month. It seems like we were just recapping some of the artists’ experiences from SXSW. As we gear up and get ready to cover the second weekend of the festival, we reached out to a few of our favorites on the line up. Avers were kind […]

    “These Weights” is James Leclaire’s fourth album in four years. “I have a busy mind,” he says. A storyteller at heart, Leclaire is constantly making up stories and turning them into distinct songs. His latest album consists of a collection of stories about the weights each of us carry on our journey through life. “In life we have so much on our backs, […]

For Greg Edwards, one half of the creative duo behind Failure, contrast is key. Quite simply, he says, if he and partner Ken Andrews come up with something that sounds uplifting musically, it needs to be offset with some lyrical darkness. And if the lyrics have any sense of hope, then the edges of the music need to be sharpened. […]

One could say that sisters Elle and Shealeen Puckett were destined to be musicians and be involved in show business. The two grew up in a musical environment. Their parents were musicians who played in bands, and the home was filled with the classics. The entertainment genes were passed on to the sisters at a very young age. When they were […]

In 2011, Danielle Caruana – a.k.a. the woman behind Australian band Mama Kin – graced the Ottawa Bluesfest for the first time. It was an early afternoon time slot, and the sun was blazing down on her and and her band. It was one of those rare scorching days, but Mama Kin was unfazed. Caruana and her band seemed to be at home, […]

There are plenty of musicians who are trying to transcend music. Individuals who are taking creative liberties to develop something different. However, this attempts often involve the use of many of today’s new technologies – from synthesizers, computer programs, you name it. But few are doing it like Pokey LaFarge, the St. Louis-based singer-songwriter and entertainer who is taking the […]

Chantal Hackett is well-known in the Ottawa music community. As a singer-songwriter, Hackett has two albums and she is currently putting the final touches on a new CD, which she hopes to release this summer. But while she is well-known as a singer-songwriter and performer, she has been gaining attention and accolades as a voice and performance teacher. She founded Sing House Studios in […]

It was roughly year ago when Liza Anne Odachowski – a.k.a. Liza Anne – released her debut album, The Colder Months. It was a minimalist, folk-focused record that, despite its simplicity, was deeply personal and moving. But like many young singer-songwriters who constantly wish to challenge themselves and push the envelope, the album didn’t feel complete for Liza Anne. It took a journey […]

For Andrew Michelin, lead singer and songwriter for Ottawa folk-rock band The A.M Resolution, music has always been a passion. His high school days were spent writing songs and playing in different bands. Performing was new and fun, and it was exciting. But after getting married and having children, Michelin had a hard choice to make: that of setting music aside and pursuing a more stable career. Still […]

It’s been a few years since the release of Justin Lacroix‘s last cd, but it was well worth the wait. The bilingual folk-rock troubadour is used to the road, traveling across the country multiple times. While many Francophone artists from Western Canada have made their way to Montreal in hopes of advancing their career, Lacroix is part of a new […]

There are artists that you encounter and immediately know that they are on to something great. Maybe not immediately but eventually the world will discover the talents of these hidden gems. Lilith Ai is one of those artists. Despite only releasing a couple of tracks, the London-based singer-songwriter has the unique ability to write lyrics that are real and honest, and music […]

Just prior to Canadian Music Week, which took place in Toronto from May 1 to 10, the fine gentlemen from Palaye Royale agreed to do a quick Q&A. If you don’t know who Palaye Royale is, here’s a quick primer. Founded in 2011, the trio is currently based out of Las Vegas and composed of Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig, and […]