Just like every other year, picking the highlights of a jam-packed Newport Folk Festival is a difficult task because each performance usually has at least one. Given that the schedule is filled with conflicts, it is nearly impossible to see them all. The four of us – Ben, Darren, Dina, and our latest addition Adam – will attempt to do […]

A photo essay from Newport Folk Festival 2018 – Day 3. This is just one of four parts. The other articles highlighting this annual event are: Things We Loved at Newport Folk Festival 2018 Day 1 photo essay Day 2 photo essay Photos by: Darren Boucher, Dina MacLeod, and Adam Shanker.     MORE PHOTOS IN SLIDER

As March continues to roar with wintry temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, the music is heating up. The Weekend Showcase 4.10 edition is evidence of this with its 50 songs. There’s more of an edge – rock and post-punk in particular – on the mega-playlist as well as some ambient, pop, and electronica. Fourteen countries are represented, including: Australia, Canada, […]

For the most part, The Matinee ’18 March 15th edition is loud and robust. The music is meant for turning up and letting yourself go. The first song, though, will ease you into the mini-playlist so as to now blow out your ear drums. Enjoy the tunes, which are listed in reverse alphabetical order. Tiger Darrow – “Like Summer” (New […]

For over a decade, summer heralds the arrival of Montreal’s famed 3-day music and visual arts festival Osheaga. Now in its 11th installment, it brings music lovers from far and wide to Parc-Jean Drapeau on Ile Ste-Hélène. Last year, over 135,000 people took part in the event. The festival includes six stages (River, Mountain, Green, Valley, Trees and Zone Picnik Electronik) […]

For ease, here is the complete list of our Favorite 50 Albums of 2015. Click on the sub-heading below to be taken to the original post and hear tracks from the artists. Thanks for reading and here’s to another great year of music ahead of us.   The First 15 Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color Algiers – Algiers The […]

Today, we reach the final 20 of our 50 Favorite Albums of 2015. From riot grrrl to psychedelic pop, from contemporary indie rock to the sounds of the ’50s and ’60s, from alt-folk to alt-country, the list is eclectic, diverse, and filled with the best of 2015. Read the final 20 LPs below. If you’re just catching up, you can find […]

The first day of ACL was amazing even though it was super humid and cloudy, it was a full day of awesome music. All professional looking photos taken in this post are courtesy of Gabe Guevara, there will be a few I took myself as we couldn’t be at two places at the same time. Probably out of all three […]

It was just on Sunday that the Ottawa Bluesfest finished, but back on the road for another festival. This will mark the 4th consecutive year that my wife and I will attend the Newport Folk Festival. No offence to the many festivals we have attended, but NFF is by far our favorite. It’s an extremely intimate festival, where roughly 10,000 […]

Every three months, we like to look back on some of the great albums that crossed our desks, landed in our inboxes, or that we just decided to pick up because we were curious. In April, we counted down our 20 Favorite Albums of the First Quarter. We had so much to write that we had to split it up […]

There have been a lot of acts lately with a throwback and retro sound. Some of those artists put their own spin on that influence. Leon Bridges, however channels the legendary spirits of Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye to create music that is incredibly faithful to that era. We’ve covered Bridges in the past and have […]

We considered doing a tribute to B.B. King, identifying some of his great songs (“Everyday I Have the Blues”, “The Thrill is Gone”), his great live shows (playing until he was 89 years old), or great collaborations. However, one of his lasting legacies will be in the tens of thousands of aspiring guitarists and blues musicians he has inspired over […]

It’s the era of social media, no questions about it. Everyone uses it. President Barack Obama employed a massive social media campaign during his original run for the Oval Office in 2008, and that strategy helped him win the President election. For musicians, it’s a great way to not only promote themselves but a means to share their thoughts and […]

The South by Southwest Festival is right around the corner and if you have never attended, there really is nothing else currently like it. Unlike most other festivals where you have one location with multiple stages, thousands of bands, promoters, record labels, media outlets and sponsors who will descend upon Austin, TX and take over for about a week, playing […]

The Weekend Showcase returns once again with new music from some artists you should get to know. The playlist is at the bottom, but if there’s a track that you want to repeatedly hear, click on the song title. If you like what you hear from an artist, click on their name. “The Game” by Orlando synth-pop duo, Priest (formerly […]

“Lisa Sawyer” is the latest track from future star, Leon Bridges. The native of Fort Worth, Texas has blown people away with his soul, blues, and gospel mix, which is on display on this lovely track. The young man, despite only a handful of tracks to his credit, continues to amaze. “Lisa Sawyer” is on our Weekend Showcase for February […]

There have already been quite a few festival line up announcements for this year already, including Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Coachella, Governor’s Ball, Hangout Festival, New Orleans Jazzfest, and Shaky Knees, and Sasquatch will be coming out in February. The almost complete list for SXSW is out as well, too. If we could curate our own festival, there would no likely not be any massive hype […]

Fort Worth, Texas singer and guitarist Leon Bridges released two incredible tracks last week, “Coming Home” and “Better Man”.  It’s 100% authentic throwback soul, and rhythm and blues.  There has been a bit of a modern revival with artists like Gary Clark Jr, but Bridges’ music feels more like early Sam Cooke, production included. And that’s not a bad thing, […]