Cowboy Junkies release video for 'The Things We Do to Each Other'

By Will McGuirk

“Create a culture of fear and then begin to manipulate that fear to distract, divert, and divide. Unfortunately, the end result is that fear usually turns to hate and hate is a human emotion that is impossible to predict and control.” - Michael Timmins.

Its curious that a band who once were happy to have their audience fall asleep at shows now wants us all to wake the f**k up. Maybe its a new genre WokeFolk, but folk has always been woke I reckon.

The Cowboy have a new album coming out July 13 on their label, Latent. The record is titled "All That Reckoning".

Jerry Leger on his European tour; plays Town Brewery in Whitby Jun 7

By Will McGuirk

Its been a while since Jerry Leger has played in Durham Region but he makes a welcome return Jun 7 2018 at the Town Brewery in Whitby. The Toronto singer/songwriter, considered one of the best in the country by many (including me), has recently returned from a tour of Europe with his band, The Situation. They played The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland and England. There is a lot of European folk traditions in Leger's songbook so we asked him how it went on this, his first visit to the mythical source.

SC: Much of what would inform your music would come from the British Isles and Ireland - how has visiting the wellspring of folk affected your own songwriting?

JL: "Yeah, music from there has always been a part of my make up, so it's always had an affect on my writing. It was wild to finally be there and I could almost hear music bouncing off of the land, water, streets and pubs."

SC: Have you had a chance to see other musicians in the towns you have toured? Any of the locals impressed you?

JL: "Not really, we played 21 or 22 shows in 25 days, so there wasn't a lot of downtime. We did see some jazz played by some local students in Copenhagen. That was cool and Kyle (Sullivan), the drummer in The Situation sat in for a tune. Other than that we got to hear some cool musicians who opened for us. I dug Matt McGinn who opened for us in Belfast and a great guy too. The Situation and I roamed the streets of Cologne, drinking beers with the band that opened for us there, B. Phonics."

SC: There were places in Ireland and England I visited where I felt very grounded, has that happened to you, has the land spoken to you?

JL: "I wish I could have spent more time in some these places, we were on the move a lot but I felt very comfortable in Winchester, England. We played this old tavern dating back to the 1500's, filled with ghosts, a great bartender and a great crowd. I enjoyed hanging out there and walking around the block a bit. Outside of Manchester, James McKie's Dad lives there and drove us around to see a lot of the surrounding villages and beautiful scenery. I just wanted to stay there. Belfast we had a day off, so that was nice getting to hang out there. Overall I really enjoyed meeting people and always felt welcomed and comfortable. Looking forward to going back"

Celebrate Earth Day with Annie Sumi 'In Everything'

By Will McGuirk

If we have to use the internet today, the day we take stock of this planet we call home, a planet in distress, a planet in turmoil, all due in part to our unchecked consumption of power, even this power used to use this internet, then let us a least choose this power to connect and share a simple message, look after your home, look after yourself and make the changes where you can and lets use it to connect more people with Annie Sumi, a child of the Earth if ever there was one. Listen and then in a few minutes log off, unplug and go for a walk instead.

The Olympic Symphonium slow down the speed of life on 'Choral Voices'

By Will McGuirk

Choral Voices, vast as the night sky, just as full of dreaming as of mourning, the Olympic Symphonium from New Brunswick have released their latest single and video recorded at the Wilmot Church. Like Corb Lund (the Truth Comes Out) there's the openness of space and a wind which sweeps down from the Rockies across the prairies thundering its way to the sea beyond.

Graeme Walker says in a press release there’s “an effort to make sense of being made to feel like there is an air of failure or underachieving, when really there isn't. Exploring the idea of getting caught in the trap of how we measure success, the speed of the world today, how we miss opportunities to connect, and how the results can be damaging. The importance of effort and communication, and not taking people and relationships for granted. All of these are themes explored with an undercurrent of optimism and hope.” 

The band are touring:

April 19 - Fredericton, NB - Flourish Festival
April 20 - Halifax, NS - Bus Stop Theatre
April 26 - Saint-Casimir, QC - House Show
April 27 - Chelsea, QC - Mill Road Community Space
April 28 - Ottawa, ON - The Record Centre (Matinee Performance)
April 28 - Frelishburg, QC: Beat & Betterave
April 29 - Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo

Singer/songwriter Jadea Kelly continues her rise on new single 'Mariah'

By Will McGuirk

One of our fave singer/songwriters around here is Jadea Kelly. Her most recent album the 2016 Love & Lust is a stunner, a act of strength against a betrayal of love. The album continues to grow and charm. Take a listen and a look at this latest video from Kelly, it has a very simple message, in black and white, you can't keep a good girl down. 

Birds of Bellwoods return for the spring, play Moustache Club Apr 19

Toronto folk-poppers Birds of Bellwoods will be on the road in the Spring and make a stop into Oshawa Thursday Apr. 19 2018 at the Moustache Club. The folks have been through the city many times including playing RMG Fridays.

Young Novelists come round again with new album and tour

The bookish hookish Young Novelists have released "Come Round Again" a track which neatly marries the Skydiggers and Joel Plaskett in a raggedy pub folk romp about a Halton Hills heist. Their new album, 'in city and country', comes out May 4 2018.

Mayhemingways 'Skip Land' out Feb 23, dates include hometown show at The Mount in Peterborough Mar 10

Peterpatch folkin' blues two-piece The Mayhemingways are readying up "Skip Land" for a Feb 23 2018 release. First single from the Steve Loree produced album "Frances the Truck Driver" is available and the duo have a long road of winter tour trucking ahead of them - locals dates include Dora Keoghs in TO, and the Arlington Hotel in Maynooth.

UPCOMING CANADIAN TOUR DATES

Thursday, January 25 - Timmins, ON - The Moneta w/ Lee Hannigan
Friday, January 26 - Espanola, ON - Pat and Deb’s Garage
Saturday, January 27 - Lavigne, ON - Lavigne Tavern
Friday, February 9 - Toronto, ON - Dora Keogh’s w/ Catriona Sturton
Saturday, February 17 - Tweed, ON - Tweedsmuir Tavern w/ The Sadies
Wednesday, February 21 - Calgary, AB - Open Mic Guests, Mikey’s Juke Joint w/ Brooke Wylie
Thursday, February 22 - Edmonton, AB - House Concert  
Friday, February 23 - Calgary, AB - Ironwood w/ Skinny Dyck & The Chicken Catchers
Saturday, February 24 - Lethbridge, AB - The Slice w/ Skinny Dyck & The Chicken Catchers
Sunday, February 25 - Black Diamond, AB - The Westwood (Matinee 5pm start)
Wednesday, February 28 - Twin Butte, AB - Twin Butte General Store
Saturday, March 3 & Sunday, March 4 - Yellowknife, NWT - Snowking's Winter Festival
Saturday, March 10 - Peterborough, ON - The Mount
Saturday, March 17 - Belleville, ON - Capers
Friday, March 30 - Sarnia, ON - Paddy Flaherty’s
Saturday, March 31 - Maynooth, ON - The Arlington w/ Little Fire
Friday, April 13 - Winnipeg, MB - Times Changed High & Lonesome Club w/ Poor Choices
Saturday, April 14 - Gull Lake, SK - House Concert
Monday, April 16 - Jasper, AB - The Whistle Stop
Tuesday, April 17 - Field, BC - Truffle Pig
Thursday, April 19 - Chilliwack, BC - Tractor Grease
Friday, April 20 - Nanaimo, BC - The Queens
Monday, April 23 - Duncan, BC - The Duncan Showroom
Tuesday, April 24 - Tofino, BC - Rainforest Inn
Sunday, April 29 - Saskatoon, SK - House Concert

Kathleen Edwards returns, plays Live at Massey Hall May 4 with Matt Mays

Matt Mays and Kitty Edwards - its a comeback bill made in CanCon heaven. Sign me up for this one as each are among my favourite artists. Both have been on a hiatus for quite sometime, Edwards has "quit" the business and opened a coffee house in Ottawa. Mays is rolling on back with his new album 'Once Upon a Hell of a Time . . ." and Edwards will be performing as a special guest. Ah yes the call of Massy Hall and friendship is strong so with prices starting at $18.94 you can see these two on the iconic stage. The Live at Massey Hall series is filmed and then made available online. Its an opportunity for artists as diverse as Peaches, Sloan, the Constantines and Tanya Tagaq to perform on the iconic stage. Other acts featured are Timber Timbre, Destroyer, Owen Pallett, The Weather Station and Zeus. The Live at Massey Hall series is in its fourth season and the resulting archive is a unique document of Canada's finest musicians.