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Unlock Your Music’s Potential: Eric Alper PR Revolutionizes Spotify Promotion For Sustainable Growth

Eric Alper PR is excited to offer Spotify promotion and playlisting approach that keeps long-term streaming growth and algorithmic cohesion as its primary focus. This means that he only uses real human manual pitching to worldwide playlisters curated by people who want to hear your genre of music, and to playlisters that would be programming your song in lists with similar independent artists and marketing those lists to audiences who would be looking for music like it.

He works to use the digital streaming service algorithms to help put your music in spaces where listeners would expect to hear it, resulting in a lower skip rate, using his almost-decade experience third party playlists as a way to teach discovery algorithms that your song should be suggested to more listeners who like similar artists, and a longer period of growth on your track and a higher chance of it reaching people who will become real fans.

It is his mission to make the data that independent artists have access to on their streaming platforms as usable as possible, reflecting real growth from reaching actual people as opposed to inflated fake numbers. While the digital marketing landscape is constantly shifting and changing, he is adapting to chase the same goal of bringing your music to the people who will love it.

Ready to take your music to new heights? Email me Eric@ThatEricAlper.com today for personalized details on how we can elevate your Spotify presence and connect you with your audience authentically.

Shoemaker Levee Whips Up a Rockin’ Exit Strategy on “Planning Our Escape”

There are moments when life tells us it’s time to get up and get out—even if the departure we’re being nudged into is simply a withdrawal from our own outmoded patterns of thought and behaviour.

That’s the personal exodus Toronto alt-rock band Shoemaker Levee is describing on their current single, “Planning Our Escape.” Like a collective Moses leading the way out of a wilderness of malaise, the group issues an impassioned call to leave the spiritual doldrums behind and head straight for something more edifying and enlightened. Something better.

Some days you’re chasing stones
Dazed, amazed, resigned to walk alone
I’m waking it up, I’m waking it up
I’m planning to escape
Out past the ransacked minds
Shaken awake

“You reach a point in your life where you’re forced to face yourself and the choices you’ve made,” the band says. “And you can either let them define you, or you can decide to put a concerted effort into shaping how you want to live the rest of your life.”

For further specifics, the group points to the lyric “I can’t sleep at night/ Because I read the words between the lines,” which they say is “a statement about realizing that a lot is going on under the surface of what we see and read daily.” In other words, you can’t get where you need to go without first lifting the veil that’s been covering your eyes.

None of which is to suggest that “Planning Our Escape” is a stuffy self-help exercise. Far from it, the song advances its motivational sentiments within a musical context that’s fully invigorating and captivating on its own terms. Vocalist/guitarist Kevin Rogers Cobus establishes a mood of introspection and reflection that’s soon blown into the stratosphere by the arrival of some simply massive guitar chords from him and lead axeman Dave Broadhead. As exhortations to free your mind to go, this one is irresistibly catchy and commercial—even with the incorporation of a bridge that relies on some unorthodox, almost jazz-like chord changes that initially threw some of the group’s own fans for a loop. But once they heard what those changes were resolving into, “Everything made sense,” the group relates happily. “And that was indeed what we were going for.”

Though it’s only now being released in a recorded version, “Planning Our Escape” was one of the first songs the band wrote when they returned seven years ago from an extended hiatus, and with a slightly retooled lineup. (In addition to Cobus and Broadhead, the unit is rounded out by bassist Matt Brown and drummer Dwayne Cardoso). First formed in 1998 in their native Newmarket, Shoemaker Levee had been forced to go on an extended leave in 2004 that ended up lasting nearly 12 years due to everything from work and family commitments to far more serious challenges like cancer and addiction.

One upside of that long absence was that they were able to stockpile an estimated five albums’ worth of material, which they’re only now in the process of sharing with the world. The musical data dump began with the well-received long-players Phase of the Days and Another Round, and it continues with their brand-new Between the Lines, a 10-song opus that furthers the group’s reputation for anthemic, introspective rock that has its roots in everything from classical to progressive to alternative to folk. The influences on display are legion and represent some of the band’s collective favourites, including The Tragically Hip, Led Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails and Iron Maiden. You can absolutely hear the latter in the interwoven guitar lines that close out “Planning Our Escape,” which the group says symbolize “how our journeys are in part walked alone, in part together.”

The new album was previewed by first single “Hinterlands,” which caused quite a stir when it dropped back in June. The track broke 1,000 streams within a 7-day period and became Shoemaker Levee’s first single to reach over 6,000 streams on Spotify. It also landed in the top 10 on radio stations as far afield as the UK, Australia and Mexico. “Planning Our Escape” is already shaping up to be an even bigger hit, having registered more than 1,500 Spotify listens within its first week of release.
Excitement for the record is at a fever pitch as the band continues its nonstop gigging around the Toronto area and beyond. Engagements at the Schomberg Mug Run and on the Gull Lake Rotary Park barge (to open the Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival) have added to a rich live legacy that has in the past seen the group leave its indelible mark on prestigious venues like the El Mocambo, Supermarket, The Reverb, The Opera House, The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee’s Palace and the Rivoli.

In the process, they’ve racked up some pretty impressive honours. Shoemaker Levee have won the Steam Whistle Indie Music Series, achieved second place at the Ticket to Tall Pines Festival contest (in both 2023 and 2024) and headlined the 2023 Gussapolooza Music Festival. Community-minded to the end, they continue to support initiatives like the York Pridefest in Newmarket and the Annual Terry Fox Run in Toronto.

Like their records, their current live shows are allowing them to draw on their thick repertoire of originals both old and new—and, thanks to the versatility and collaborative spirit of the current lineup, something that’s a little bit of both.

“Some of our songs are revitalized versions of songs that were written over 20 years ago, and the lyrics still fit what’s happening today,” they declare with a mixture of wonder and plain old artistic relief.

Then again, who doesn’t need a good escape plan now and then? With all apologies to the Terminator, come with Shoemaker Levee if you want to really live.

Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter Francine Honey Announces Retirement From The Road, Clears The Decks For ‘Rockets In My Boots, Vol II’

A feeling of transition emanates from every note of musical treasure in Francine Honey’s focus single, “Unfinished Business.” And that’s totally appropriate for an artist who’s in the midst of taking stock of her past while charting a bold change in her career trajectory, including announcing her retirement from the road and concentrating on the studio.

Inspired by a dream Honey once had of a timeless love in a canyon, the song explores the themes of destiny, choice and possibilities. But its implications are significantly more personal than that. Her musical vision conjures up memories of relationships that ended badly and finds her wondering if she would ever be find real love. Picturesque lyrical images of canyon dust filling the air and white smoke “rising up in prayer” contribute to an eerie Western gothic in which those ghost riders in the sky may be specters of a now-painful past—or guides into a promising unknown. The song sticks with you long after the final chord has been struck, leaving a sensation of wistful hopefulness that’s the perfect metaphor for where Honey now finds herself as an artist.

“Unfinished Business” is the final track on Rockets in My Boots, Vol II, a mix of new songs and re-recorded gems from Honey’s illustrious catalog. The album marks the second installment in a three-part career retrospective/musical biography she’s been working on since 2018 with Grammy-nominated producer Neilson Hubbard at Skinny Elephant Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The rewards have already been rich: With the project barely at the halfway mark, she’s won the 2023/2024 Songwriter of the Year Award by the Austin Songwriters Group International, seen the song “Stay” place as a top 10 finalist in the 2018 International Songwriting Competition and been nominated for Best International Female Artist of 2024 by Radio Wigwam in the UK.

Those are just a handful of the triumphs that have been racked up over the years by this internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, independent recording artist and record and video producer, who has earned the deep respect of listeners and peers alike for her ability to seamlessly blend genres like Americana, alt-country, folk and blues. A songwriter since childhood, she’s a graduate of the Berklee College of Music’s Professional Singer-Songwriter Certificate Program and has honed her craft under the guidance of some of her idols in Nashville. Since 2008, she’s released a string of acclaimed singles and albums, from her self-produced debut An Ordinary Woman to 2019’s Take Me to the North Pole, which Rolling Stone hailed as one of the top 50 Christmas albums of the year. Three years later, her collection I Carry On drew rave reviews and secured top chart positions in Canada and London UK, while also earning accolades in various songwriting contests. Her ability to straddle not only genres but languages has netted her regular airplay on stations like SiriusXM CBC Franco Country with singles like “Chez mon oncle Lucien” and “Floçons de neiges sur mes cils.”

Making music her full-time gig was clearly a wise move for Honey, who had initially pursued a career in Mathematics and Computer Science that had her working as a Project Manager for the Canadian Federal Government. Along the way, she also had to shoulder the responsibility of raising a family as a single mother.

But even when you think you’ve streamlined your personal path, life sometimes forces you to narrow it even further. As of this year, Honey has elected to retire from touring and concentrate exclusively on her studio efforts. That decision sprang from a variety of factors, from the harsh financial realities of the road to a need to prioritize her mental health. Those are concerns all too familiar to today’s musicians—especially ones of the indie stripe—who may want to look to Honey as an example of how to survive in a drastically reconfiguring landscape.

The good news for all of them is that Honey has plenty of other exciting avenues to explore. (Saying farewell to the stage didn’t exactly extinguish the Beatles’ career, now did it?) She’s already fielding invitations to write and record for the film. And she maintains a very active fan community online, thanks to her widely viewed livestreams. Mostly, though, she’s finding herself energized by the opportunity to focus fully on creating music from the studio, a shift she anticipates will bring a new, even more introspective dimension to her work.

There’s plenty of wind in those sails already. In 2024, Honey was invited to join the prestigious, Austin-Texas-based Next Level Music Group, which has given her the chance to write alongside some of Nashville’s top hitmakers. Meanwhile, during her mammoth Rockets in My Boots retrospective project, she also found time to record a new, 10-song album—live off the floor—in Austin with co-producer Gabriel Rhodes (who co-wrote seven of the tracks). The album, A Place in Time, will be previewed in November by the release of a holiday-themed single, “Christmas, What Took You.”

“I just want to keep going, writing and producing remarkable songs,” Honey says. “I am a songwriter and storyteller. I know I’ll do this the rest of my life. This is my legacy, helping people through life one song at a time.”

Katie Ditschun Tugs at Heartstrings with Tender Single “In Your Arms”

Whether it’s work-related or relationship-related, temporary or permanent, losing someone near to you affects you. And adult contemporary singer Katie Ditschun has exemplified that feeling of loneliness with the gorgeous, reflective “In Your Arms.” It’s a song she delivers with a tenderness and fragility that makes you take note of those you’re missing and need to touch or touch base with again.

“‘In Your Arms’ is a song for anyone who is having a hard time because they’re missing someone dear to them,” Ditschun, now based in Alexandria, Ontario, says. “They may be physically absent, or perhaps emotionally absent. They’re not where or who they were before. ‘In Your Arms’ captures that sense of deep longing to regain what has been lost.”

The song features a beautiful, sincere, and spine-tingling delivery by Ditschun accompanied by her piano styling. Meanwhile, guitarist Justin Duhaime provides subtle guitar work on “In Your Arms,” which is fleshed out by bassist Norman Glaude and drummer Valeriy Nehovora. It’s a single that brings to mind the work of legends like Carole King, Carly Simon, and Sarah McLachlan and delivers a powerful feeling in a lyrically economical fashion. It’s a perfect adult contemporary pop song about a timeless, universal topic.

Woke up this morning, sun on my face
Your voice echoing all over the place
My head on the pillow, you whisper in my ear
That’s kinda funny, cause you’re not here

And I’m wondering where you are
And I’m hoping you’re not far

“When I wrote ‘In Your Arms’ I was in a place of deep grief,” Ditschun says of the song she co-produced with Normand Glaude. “My world had changed. I felt alone and wanted relief from that grief. The metaphor of being held once more by the person who could make all these worries, and all that strife fade communicated this feeling perfectly. While this song is about missing someone, it carries a message of hope. The person in this song is both alone and lonely, but they have the comfort of their memories and hope that they won’t stay alone and lonely forever.”

Ditschun also says “In Your Arms” touches on the feeling of hoping to turn back time or wanting to “press a reset button and make it all go back to the way it used to be.” Judging by how clear and concise the message is in the song, it’s apparent that those feelings of longing will immediately come to the fore in the listener’s mind.

Ditschun, who has a video for “In Your Arms,” says she aspired to write the single “with the purpose of breaking your heart!” The single, recorded, mixed and mastered at Morning Anthem Studio in Cumberland, Ontario, is the lead single from her EP entitled There Will Be Flowers which will be released in parts.

A graduate of the Berklee College of Music who released her debut album Spare Skirt in 2018, Ditschun says “In Your Arms” contains a “nakedness” and “unmistakable vulnerability” she wanted in the song. “‘In Your Arms’ is not for the weak of heart,” she says. “And playing it live, I’ve seen it break people’s hearts, right in front of me.”

It’s a single that emotionally, vocally, and musically will leave you realizing that absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder.

Indigenous Blues Musician D.M. Lafortune Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ‘Beauty and Hard Times’ Album With Harrowing Single “Where Are All The Children?”

Toronto Indigenous Blues artist D.M. Lafortune continues to revisit her stellar Beauty and Hard Times album with the latest single “Where Are All The Children?” It’s a song which is wide-ranging, universal and addresses the injustices, wars and conflicts from the Middle East to Central America and beyond. But it also speaks to the tragedy involving Canadian residential schools and the horrific abuse indigenous children suffered in such institutions.

Many miles from home, we are taught in your fine schools
Where the history books are a weapon, not a tool
In many voices, we try to understand what has come upon this land
Many good-intentioned Christians tell us children you must listen or they kill us
With their kindness in God’s name, they terrorize us

“Where Are All The Children?,” written by Lafortune and found on the forthcoming 25th anniversary remastered version of Beauty and Hard Times, is a narrative in the vein of early Bob Dylan, a winding story which speaks to moments in history where people endured trials and tribulations at the hands of those in power, be it governments or a country’s military or organized religion. Bombings, shootings and terrorism is not a world for any children to live in. Above all, the song reminds us that all of us at one point or another were children. So, it’s imperative to “stop raising children to kill.”

Led by Lafortune’s powerful delivery, the song has a lovely slow-gallop feeling to it thanks to drummer Rob Greenaway and percussionist Rick Lazar. Bassist Bryant Didier and keyboardist/accordionist Denis Keldie accent the song’s core perfectly. Guitarist Neil Chapman, who has known and collaborated with Lafortune for over 50 years, provides some gorgeous electric guitar solos as Lafortune speaks about the “madmen who will never tire.”

Lafortune, who has performed the song at various events and venues including Toronto’s Free Times Cafe, saw the album lauded by Indigenous outlet Windspeaker. The publication described the album in 2013 as “an overall musical masterpiece that will demand you listen to it over and over before you truly comprehend how good it really is.” The original issuing of the record also resulted in the Maple Blues Society awarding her a Harry Hibbs Award for Perseverance in Music and Songwriting.

Reared by a white family after being taken away from her Indigenous mother, Lafortune endured a troubling childhood, which makes material such as “Where Are All The Children?” so authentic and persuasive from its vivid beginning to its sobering, haunting conclusion. A 2015 video for the song released by Lafortune captures the lyrical vivid through residential schools, the Oka crisis, the 1954 coup in Guatemala, Wounded Knee and Hiroshima among others, “illustrating the global reach of humanity’s inhumanity.”

Although 25 years old, a politically and socially relevant song such as “Where Are All The Children?” is bound to find a new audience given the current geo-political situation. It’s a passionate track concerning universal injustice.

Avalon Stone Stuns with New Single “Cliffhanger,” Highlighting Her Rise in the Post-Grunge Scene

Clutching onto a doomed relationship until your fingernails start to crack is a feeling a lot us can all too easily recognize. But nobody can convey the sensation of dangling from a high precipice of the heart quite like Avalon Stone, the consistently astounding post-grunge heavy rocker who’s rendered just such a predicament in typically dizzying style on her new single, “Cliffhanger.”

Drawing a picture of imminent romantic freefall that’s equal parts despair and acrophobia, Stone casts herself in a position in which there’s simply nowhere to go—whether up or down.

You step toward me
I take another one back
Cant see the water below
But I hear the waves crash
Broken by battle
Bruised to the bone
Will I end up on this bed of stone
Cliffhanger
Waiting for the fall
Do I let go or hang on
Cliffhanger
Clinging to the wall
Didn’t know I’d been here so long

In a paradoxical approach to musical arrangement that’s become nearly synonymous with her genius, Stone has elected to express that deep unease in a way that’s anything but ambivalent. If you slowed down “Cliffhanger” a bit, its dramatic chord changes and minor-key melody might make it a classic torch song. Instead, she’s chosen the path of no compromise, keeping the song a hard-charging rocker that’s driven by the pummeling rhythms of drummer Tyler Shea and bassist Donovan McKinley and the string-skipping rifferama of guitarist Caleb Bourgeois. The key ingredient, of course, is Stone’s own trademark, Fiona-Apple-if-she-could-kick-your-ass voice, which elevates the track to the same wuthering heights she’s singing about. By the time the oxygen-infused chorus kicks in, you feel like you’re listening to the main-title number of a James Bond movie nobody’s gotten around to writing yet.

It’s all in a day’s work for this preternaturally gifted native of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, who at age 10 attended a School of Rock camp and was performing professionally within the year. Having passed up a university education to pursue a full-time career in music, she’s spent the ensuing near-decade playing on more than 300 stages in Ontario and the U.S., in everything from bar gigs to festival appearances that have attracted crowds of 15,000 and up.

An even bigger audience latched onto the first singles from her debut album, Chained – a bracingly mature and unflinching exploration of inner darkness and hoped-for liberation that will be fully released this winter. Those qualities have been in abundance on previous singles like “Forget You,” a deceptively defiant-sounding portrait of a toxic relationship that’s logged more than 200,000 streams worldwide; “Harder,” a mournful acknowledgment of the crippling effects of depression; and “Shaking Me Up,” which portrayed two people amplifying each other’s worst traits: uncontrollable anger and profound sadness.

Confronting difficult emotions is a challenge Stone has consistently refused to shrink from. She responded to the widespread disorientation and alienation of the 2020 pandemic by hosting a series of socially distanced outdoor concerts that became a popular livestream. That in turn gave her the idea for Music for Mental Health Canada, a nonprofit that raises money through events like Rock the Halls, a platform for local musicians to perform originals and custom arrangements of holiday songs. Watch for this year’s dates.

Next on her concert calendar is Oct. 18 in Sarnia and an Oct. 25 Halloween show at the world-famous El Mocambo club in downtown Toronto—site of a history-making 1977 engagement that proved pivotal in the rejuvenation of the Rolling Stones. Avalon Stone, of course, needs no shot in the arm at this thrilling point in her creative genesis. She may sing of cliffhangers, but the trajectory of her career is plain to see: onward and upward, into ever-friendlier skies. Why bother looking down?

Pimpton Delivers Double the Heat with “Real Love” and “Swang” Featuring Snotty Nose Rez Kids from Kcmkv3 Album

Returning from his first European tour, Hip-Hop artist Pimpton is thrilled to announce the release of his double-A side single, featuring the songs “Real Love” and “Swang featuring Snotty Nose Rez Kids.” These singles are an exciting follow-up to his single “Moonroof,” which made a big splash in the Spring of this year.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RYUyhYNDA&si=5eXUciR5jINUd292

With his distinctive blend of Caribbean roots and hip-hop style, Pimpton is a musical force to be reckoned with. His latest 17-track album, Kcmkv3, out now, is a testament to his energetic style and introspective lyrics. As he puts it, this album marks a significant evolution in his artistic journey, promising a fresh and captivating musical experience for his fans.

Pimpton has noted that his music is often geared toward Cannabis-friendly fans, and “Swang” fits right into his signature style. Pimpton’s eclectic flow draws you in right away. The song is a collaborative effort between Pimpton, Young D and Yung Trybez from Snotty Nose Rez Kids. This hard-hitting track with a futuristic sound takes your mind on a trip. His loyal and new fans are in for a treat with this tune.

The second single, ‘Real Love,’ holds a profound, personal significance for Pimpton. The song, originally a poem he penned as a child, poignantly explores the authenticity of love amidst conflicting beliefs and actions. With its smooth, melodic beat and heartfelt lyrics, ‘Real Love’ is a relatable and emotionally stirring song that showcases Pimpton’s vulnerable side, sure to resonate with his listeners.

Rapper Pimpton was born in Trinidad & Tobago but grew up in Saskatchewan, making him one of the first-known rappers from that area. He has performed over 500 shows across North America, including well-known events like SXSW, JunoFEST, BreakOut West, and Canadian Music Week. In his illustrious career, he has shared the stage with greats such as Wu-Tang Clan, Young Jeezy, Warren G, Rich the Kid, Roy Woods and more. In 2020, he wrote, directed, and released a visual album titled “TUNNELZ,” which earned him a 2021 WCMA award for Video Director of the Year. He has music videos in rotation on MTV and MUCH and has sold over 20,000 copies of his albums independently.

The double-A side singles “Real Love” and “Swang” are now available on all major streaming platforms. Pimpton’s ability to connect diverse audiences through his innovative musical styling makes this project a must-listen for his devoted fans and those who love great music.

Blues Rock Sextet SPARROW BLUE Releases “That Rock N Roll” Single From No Lies, No Tricks Album

St. Albert, Alberta’s blues rock sextet Sparrow Blue has managed to do something that is rare: make classic rock sound as fresh, energetic, and punchy as it did when it first started. The result is a short but incredibly sweet, party-starting, rowdy rock nugget, “That Rock N Roll,” the latest single from the band’s 2024 album No Lies, No Tricks. And judging by the sizzle on this sonic steak, Sparrow Blue has so, so much to offer.

The single captures all the pent-up energy and angst the pandemic created for everyone, especially musicians who weren’t able to perform for fans, giving out that energy from the stage to fans and in turn receiving their energy. “‘That Rock N Roll’ was a direct response to being locked down in 2020,” the band says. “It came from the frustration of not being able to connect with people in a live setting and missing the freeing feeling of a full PA pumping through your body. The song evolved into an anthem of passion and love for live music, our fans, and appreciation that one day we will be on the road again.”

That verve comes through immediately on “That Rock N Roll.” Singer Des Parks’ classic rock rasp and slightly southern delivery in the vein of Cinderella’s Tom Keifer reaches through the speakers (or ear buds) to grab your attention immediately. Meanwhile, guitarists Chad Plamondon and Jon Dombroski lay down some rockabilly-ish riffs that keep the lean, lovable tune rolling down the tracks and gathering steam. The rhythm section of bassist Caden Doyle, percussionist Russell McCann, and drummer Liam Holm hold down the back beat and groove with sacrificing any oomph. Think of some fine boogie blend of the Georgia Satellites, Stray Cats, and Guns N Roses circa The Spaghetti Incident? and you might get the gist of this incredible rocker.

I’ll take what I can get cause it’s been a while ya know
The tremble and the shaking when the lights start getting low
I feel it in my heart running rhythms at full speed
Good God, in this moment I’ve never felt so free

I just can’t wait to hear that rock n roll
I just can’t wait to hear that rock n roll

“That Rock N Roll” is the latest single from Sparrow Blue’s No Lies, No Tricks album, a record the band describes as a “loose concept of a gunslinger’s journey through time and space while staying relevant to the modern world and the human condition.” The group, who cite influences like classic rock legends Mountain, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin, has shared the stages with a myriad of bands such as The Trews, Finger Eleven, The Sheepdogs, Rick Springfield and The Pursuit of Happiness among others.

Having recently wrapped up a tour supporting Australian rock group The Lazys, Sparrow Blue will now bring “That Rock N Roll” to the masses with an extensive touring schedule from British Columbia to Nova Scotia from mid-September through late October. And with a great single in “That Rock N Roll” at their disposal, look for Sparrow Blue to provide a show that is free of tricks or gimmicks. It’s a great rock band with a great rock single. And that’s no lie!

Sparrow Blue No Lies, No Tricks 2024 Tour Dates (with support)

September 13, 2024 — The Green Room — Saskatoon, SK (with Saint Vicious, Blind Commentary)
September 14, 2024 — Osborne Taphouse — Winnipeg, MB (with Kingsway, Moonfield)
September 17, 2024 — Knowhere Public House — Sudbury, ON (with Pop Machine)
September 18, 2024 — Meteor — Windsor, ON (with Indiana Drones, Case The Joint)
September 19, 2024 — Eastside Bar — London, ON (with Howzat, Brother Leeds)
September 20, 2024 — Broom Factory — Kingston, ON (with High Loves, Kasador)
September 21, 2024 — The Rainbow — Ottawa, ON (with Keanne Powell, Lucky Honey)
September 25, 2024 — Monteith Manor — Woodstock, NB (with Strychnine)
September 26, 2024 — Truro Brewing Company — Truro, NS (with Dali Van Gogh)
September 27, 2024 — Ducky’s — Sackville, NB (with Dali Van Gogh)
September 28, 2024 — Shoebox Cantina — New Glasgow, NS (with Hugh Wilson)
September 29, 2024 — Gus’ Pub — Halifax, NS (with The Fabulous Pontoona Bros, Dali Van Gogh)
October 2, 2024 — Five & Dime — Saint John, NB (with The Fabulous Pontoona Bros)
October 3, 2024 — District Saint Joseph — Quebec City, QC (with Atome Hits)
October 4, 2024 — Piranha Bar — Montreal, QC (with The Occult, Black Magic)
October 5, 2024 — Dakota Tavern — Toronto, ON (with Cold Weather Captains, Propter Hawk)
October 6, 2024 — St. Andrews Church — Peterborough, ON (with Nitetime Drive)
October 7, 2024 — Vertagogo — Hamilton, ON (with The Reed Effect, Gypsy Brydge)
October 10, 2024 — Harris Hotel — Harris, SK
October 11, 2024 — Cheers Live — Lloyd, AB (with Makenna Gallagher)
October 12, 2024 — The Vat — Red Deer, AB (with Grim, Hungry Hollow, Chuck Spadina)
October 25, 2024 — Pure Yellowhead Casino — Edmonton, AB (with You Me & Zach, King Theory)

Dawn LeFevre’s Novel ‘The Metal Sisters’ Celebrates Female Guitarists in the 1980s Heavy Metal Scene

Unless you were interested in playing the wicked step-groupies in the Cinderella videos, there wasn’t a lot of room for a pair of young women in the heavy-metal scene of the ’80s. Certainly not as musicians in their own right. That’s the daunting landscape that confronts Sapphire and Destiny, the heroines of author Dawn LeFevre’s keenly observed and lovingly rendered period novel, The Metal Sisters.

Inspired by LeFevre’s passion for headbanging music, the book is set in 1985, when burning riffs were everywhere and the allure of dominating the Sunset Strip was overwhelming. Into that maelstrom wade a college-bound honor student and a tequila-soaked bad girl who are united by their love of playing guitar. Can their band climb the mountain of metal to a height that justifies putting their life plans on indefinite hold? Or will poverty, unreliable bandmates, and a palpable lack of label interest make it all go up in smoke?

The book is an affectionate salute to a fondly remembered era, and it’s already being praised for its authenticity and insight. “The vivid portrayal of the 1980s rock scene had a wealth of atmospheric language and immersive touches, and this was beautifully complemented by the well-paced plot filled with universal themes of ambition, friendship, and chasing dreams,” summed up reviewer K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite. “Overall, The Metal Sisters is a heartfelt tribute to the power of music and the bonds it forges, and I would certainly recommend it to fans of empowering, entertaining fiction everywhere.”

Growing up in New Jersey (the state that also birthed the seminal record label Megaforce and influential metal DJ Eddie Trunk), LeFevre was the typical horse-crazy girl, except that her barn radio blasted metal, not country music. When she wasn’t horsing around, LeFevre was locked in her room playing guitar along to her ever-expanding album collection. During her undergrad at Cook College of Rutgers University, she realized that her skill set was better suited to scribbling than shredding. A lateral move into reviewing metal albums and writing features for print publications proved a natural fit, and she even managed to get some short stories about lady shredders into publications like The Pacific Coast Journal. Surely a full-length novel on the subject was the next logical step?

Instead, after graduating college with a BS in Animal Science, LeFevre spent the next 13 years training and racing thoroughbred horses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. She fully intended to finish The Metal Sisters one day, but the 24/7 needs of her equine charges superseded her writing dreams. Only after the South Jersey racetracks had shuttered their doors forever did she once again pick up her pen. She was still driven to write about the things she loved, and the fruit was her first novel, Backstretch Girls, which won the Best Horse Racing Fiction award at the 2021 Equus Film & Arts Festival. Her second novel, Racetrack Rogues, was a finalist for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. She also published an equestrian-oriented novella and contributed to a horse-racing website. In a further show of her thematic versatility, she even became a wine blogger.

Yet the liberating sound of classic metal had never fully left her internal soundtrack. (So enduring was her devotion that she had full-on married her guitar teacher.) And in the decades since she had mothballed The Metal Sisters, female guitarists had somehow become all the rage. From A-circuit axe goddesses like Nita Strauss to the legion of lipstick-and-leather virtuosos regularly displaying their chops on YouTube and Tik Tok, the clicking of blood-red fingernails on a fretboard was suddenly everywhere. Yet when it came to heavy metal fiction books, the shelves were practically bare. The time for LeFevre to revisit the tale of Sapphire and Destiny was clearly nigh.

“I began to feel that creative hunger to finish the story that had remained close to my heart even after all these years,” she says. “And so, I did. I wrote The Metal Sisters not only for this generation of social-media shredders, but also for those few, brave women guitarists who kicked down the walls back in the ’80s so they could step through.”

These days, LeFevre is kicking down plenty of walls of her own. Even before its release, her new novel had risen to #3 on the Amazon music-books chart and #1 in the metal ranking. Striking while the iron is red hot, she’ll be appearing at the Collingswood Book Festival, being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, in Collingswood, New Jersey. She’ll be signing copies of all her books, although the focus will obviously be on her latest, long-gestating labor of love. We aren’t promising she’ll sign your guitar too, but it’s a good bet the idea would make her smile.

Young Christina Aguilera Belts Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think’ While Britney Spears Dances in the Background

Before they became global pop superstars, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears shared the stage in a memorable moment during their early years. In a throwback performance, a young Christina Aguilera delivered a powerful rendition of Aretha Franklin’s classic “Think,” showcasing her impressive vocal talent even at a young age. As she sang, Britney Spears took on the role of backing dancer, adding her own energy to the performance.

My Next Read: “Faster Than A Cannonball: 1995 and All That” By Dylan Jones

Decades tend to crest halfway through, and 1995 was the year of the Nineties: peak Britpop (Oasis v Blur), peak YBA (Tracey Emin’s tent), peak New Lad (when Nick Hornby published High Fidelity, when James Brown’s Loaded detonated the publishing industry, and when pubs were finally allowed to stay open on a Sunday). It was the year of The Bends, the year Danny Boyle started filming Trainspotting, the year Richey Edwards went missing, the year Alex Garland wrote The Beach, the year Blair changed Clause IV after a controversial vote at the Labour Conference.

Not only was the mid-Nineties perhaps the last time that rock stars, music journalists and pop consumers held onto a belief in rock’s mystical power, it was a period of huge cultural upheaval – in art, literature, publishing and drugs. And it was a period of almost unparalleled hedonism, a time when many people thought they deserved to live the rock and roll lifestyle, when a generation of narcotic omnivores thought they could all be rock stars just by buying a magazine and a copy of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

Faster Than a Cannonball is a cultural swipe of the decade from loungecore to the rise of New Labour, teasing all the relevant artistic strands through interviews with all the major protagonists and exhaustive re-evaluations of the important records of the year – The Bends by Radiohead, Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub, Maxinquaye by Tricky, Different Class by Pulp, The Great Escape by Blur, It’s Great When You’re Straight… Yeah! by Black Grape, Exit Planet Dust by the Chemical Brothers, I Should Coco by Supergrass, Elastica by Elastica, Pure Phase by Spiritualized, …I Care Because You Do by Aphex Twin and of course (What’s the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis, the most iconic album of the decade.

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That Eric Alper
6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week, a 16-time JUNO Award winner overseeing PR campaigns, and have also been truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

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