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Blues Legends Terry Robb And David Vest Release Collaborative Studio Album CrissCross

Unlike the legendary story of blues icon Robert Johnson and his iconic “Cross Road Blues,” widely acclaimed blues guitarist Terry Robb and the highly lauded blues pianist David Vest have individually crossed clubs, cities, and countries performing their rich and illustrious discographies to blues fans from north to south, east to west. Now the two musicians have joined forces for CrissCross, the debut album from the duo featuring the almost criminally short but terribly sweet instrumental single “Long Gone Home.”

“Long Gone Home” is as rollicking and terrific as one could hope for as Robb lays down an incredibly intricate bit of acoustic guitar work. It’s “unmatched virtuosity you almost take for granted because it’s never ‘showy,'” the duo says. Meanwhile, Vest, not to be outdone, matches him note for note on the piano as “a one-of-a-kind original who makes you believe it when he sings ‘Somebody must be walking on my grave.'” Far from the classic plodding of some great blues instrumentals, “Long Gone Home” has plenty of pep for its roughly 90 seconds. It’s a track that sees both Robb and Vest take boogie-woogie-leaning solos for great effect while their fellow musician keeps things rolling.

The fact David Vest and Terry Robb sound like they’ve been joined at the hip for decades is a testament to how formidable both artists are. “Twelve originals, a mix of vocals and instrumentals,” the duo says. “In the tradition of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, Lonnie Johnson and Blind John Davis.” The result is a combination whose synergy makes “Long Gone Home” essentially precious and pure perfection.

The song is just one of a slew of great tracks from CrissCross. Other highlights include the fantastic boogie of “Electra Jane,” with Robb’s blazing fingerpicking complementing Vest’s toe-tapping, head-bobbing tickling of the ivories, each allowing the other to shine while forming a perfect chemistry together. Another keeper is the tranquil, contemplative “Natural Facts” that welds classical music with the blues for surprisingly stellar results. It’s not your standard genre combination all that often, but both Robb and Vest tackle the song with verve and dexterity.

The tandem of Vest and Robb combines a wealth of experience and musicianship. Vest has shared the stage with the likes of Big Joe Turner, Bo Diddley, and country legend Faron Young, among others. He has also won six Maple Blues Awards and five Muddy Awards. Meanwhile Robb has worked with Diddley, Joe Cocker, Maria Muldaur, Johnny Winter and Steve Miller among countless others. These collaborations are in addition to 19 Muddy Awards for Robb and being a member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame.

“Long Gone Home” is the latest single from CrissCross, out on Cordova Bay Records, the collaborative album between Vest and Robb. And the tandem have come from different roads. Vest was born in Alabama but has called Canada home for some time. On the other hand, Robb was born in Vancouver but has called Portland, Oregon home for many years. Hence the album title of crisscrossing the continent and also the border seems quite apt.

In short, you have two blues legends with more than eight decades of experience combined. Put the two together, and as much as each has to offer individually, the sum is greater than the parts. Both Vest and Robb have individually had albums top various blues and roots music charts throughout their rich musical histories. Now with “Long Gone Home,” look for Vest and Robb to only further cement their status as two of the best in the business of the blues. Thank goodness they crossed paths!

David Vest and Terry Robb Tour Dates
November 2, 2024 — Blue Frog Studios — White Rock, BC (Record Release Show)
November 9, 2024 — Hermann’s Jazz Club — Victoria, BC (Record Release Show)
November 10, 2024 — Duncan Showroom — Duncan, BC (Record Release Show)

EMLAND Releases Stylish, Suave “Better Off Without Me” From Forthcoming EVOLVE Album

Sometimes, creating a pop hit is a lot like being an air traffic controller. You align everything correctly so that the plane or single lands as deftly as it soared when it first took off. Fortunately, Emland, a pop singer born in Ahlen, Germany but now calling Mallorca, Spain home, has melded his skillset as an air traffic controller at Spain’s Palma de Mallorca airport with his pop sensibilities. The result is the stylish “Better Off Without Me,” the latest single from his album EVOLVE set for release next year.

Emland says “Better Off Without Me,” the first song Emland produced but the last song written for EVOLVE, originated after a challenging phase in his life: “a deeply painful breakup.” After questioning himself and everything around him, Emland found himself crossing paths with someone he “felt a deep connection with.” But with the pain of the breakup still fresh, the new relationship was prevented from possibly developing into something special.

“I just felt empty,” he says. “My battery was too low. I did not have the energy that I needed to make that new story grow, to make it happen. ‘Better Off Without Me’ speaks about exactly that. It’s a song that, basically, is an apology — it says sorry. I just tried to be 100% sincere and only thought about what I wanted that person to know and hear. When you’re brave enough to really open up, that’s where the magic happens. I think that’s what happened in and with this song.”

“Better Off Without Me” opens a dramatic synth intro before Emland begins singing over a sugary, atmospheric array of smart ’80s-styled synth pop. Although leading into what sounds like an EDM or dance-leaning chorus that could make the song explode, Emland gently brings it back down to its sweet spot. Fans of Owl City, Fun., and Robyn would enjoy “Better Off Without Me” as Emland creates a compact piece of synth pop that is also quite soulful and addictive.

“Better Off Without Me” is the second single released by Emland following “Fighters” earlier in 2024, both of which will be on EVOLVE. The artist says the album is anchored in the concept of what love means to Emland. “EVOLVE will feature eight songs — each one of them circling around the idea of love from a different perspective, from places where I have been during this process. Words can’t explain how much this album helped me to heal. It made me a new me.”

Born and raised in Ahlen, Germany to Spanish parents, Emland began playing piano early and always had a deep affinity to the instrument. At age 16, tragedy struck when his mother died and his father decided to relocate the family back to Spain. Depressed from the adjustment in relocating, the language barrier in a new country and grieving for his mom, Emland turned to music as a source of solace. “Every single time I sat down and played, it was just like a way to escape from where I was, he says. “It was so liberating. A peaceful place. Freedom. Somehow, it just brought back light.”

With songwriting and producing becoming second nature to him, Emland moved from piano to synthesizers and digital audio workstations (DAWs). He says the process for music is similar to his day job as an air traffic controller. “At the end, both things I do are very creative,” he says. “An air traffic sequence is a little bit like an orchestra playing. The controller and the conductor really work in a similar way. I find that quite fascinating, and I am deeply grateful for being allowed to work in both of these beautiful worlds.”

Now with “Better Off Without Me” and a forthcoming studio album in EVOLVE, the sky’s the limit for Emland.

Geneviève Marentette Revitalizes CCR, Blood, Sweat And Tears And More For ‘Songs of ’69, Volume I’

Toronto jazz chanteuse Geneviève Marentette was performing a three months-long residency at the hotel bar in the Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong in 2019 and seeking material for a theme to the shows. Marentette used the past as her future inspiration, returning to the music made and released a half-century earlier in 1969. The result is the fantastic and extremely novel idea of reworking these classics into her own signature jazz style for Songs of ’69, Volume I, a stellar, stunning 10-track effort released on Vesuvius Music Inc. honoring each song with thoughtfulness, tenderness and led by Marenette’s marvelous, majestic voice.

Marentette, also known as “Gigi” to some, noticed the parallels between the music created in 1969 amid the social activism (women’s liberation movements, Vietnam War protests, Stonewall Riots and LGBTQ+ equality) they were crafted in, “a powerful reflection of a time when music and activism were intertwined.” It was also a huge year for Marentette’s mother, musician Linda Girard (one of two people Songs of ’69, Volume I is specifically inspired by and dedicated to). Girard, then 18 in 1969, left her job in Windsor, Ontario, relocated to Toronto and assisted American draft dodgers trying to evade the Vietnam War. “Her commitment to social justice, human rights, and peace echoed the ideals that inspired the musicians of that era,” Marentette says of her mother.

Although with a horde of material to choose from considering the year, the artist narrowed it down to ten gems. “There are so many gems from this year in music history: the whole era is chock-full of gorgeous, well-crafted music with a message, but I ended up with ten covers close to my heart,” Marentette says of Songs of ’69, Volume I. “These songs are in my emotional DNA; I grew up with them, and they resonate particularly with my parents and loved ones who have surrounded me and kept me in my craft.”

Songs of ’69, Volume I, produced by Marentette and Jono Grant (who also mixed and mastered the album), includes songs made famous by the Guess Who (“Undun” and “These Eyes”) and Bob Dylan (“Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” and “Lay Lady Lay”) alongside deeper cuts by Nick Drake (“River Man”) and British prog-rock pioneers King Crimson (“I Talk to the Wind”).
Also included on Songs of ’69, Volume I is “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” a song written by Brenda Holloway and recorded by Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song, featuring cinematic string accents by Grammy-nominated musician Drew Jurecka, is especially personal as Marentette released it last month to celebrate the 83rd birthday of Blood, Sweat & Tears vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, the other person Marentette specifically dedicated the album to. He was also a source of inspiration following “resonant discussions” Marentette had with the legendary vocalist about the ’60s, “a time when musicians were warriors of social justice and peace.”

Marentette began recording in 2022 for Songs of ’69, Volume I. “The arrangements emerged from many spontaneous performances with my core trio, which includes Eric St-Laurent (guitar), George Koller (bass) and Ben Wittman (drums),” Marentette says. “As is my way as a song interpreter, we’ve fused folk, soul, and pop into a jazz-rooted approach. After years of singing jazz in hotel lounges, I love arranging and interpreting songs from every era.” It’s a sound and style that brings to mind highbrow work by Diana Krall, Sade, Cassandra Wilson, and the late Angela McCluskey.

Although the material effortlessly draws the listener in from start to finish, some songs simply shine, particularly “Undun,” with its sultry horn accents by Alison Young, some great guitar work by St-Laurent and a divine delivery from Marentette. Meanwhile, Marentette’s rendition of Nick Drake’s “River Man,” from his Five Leaves Left album, is a sparse, reflective, and deeply bittersweet tribute, made even more poignant by the loss of her sister.

“It was one of those songs I leaned on when I was 15 and had lost my sister to an overdose, and I had no idea it was from ’69, and I had no idea Nick Drake had passed away from an overdose as well until I made this album,” she says.

The album, featuring “Lay Lady Lay” tweaked to reflect a “woman-to-woman plea for intimacy and connection,” closes with an incredible reworking of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising.” It’s one of the freshest, most invigorating covers you’ll hear. The gospel, hymnal organ by Lou Pomanti and pedal steel wizard Burke Carroll accentuates Marentette’s ethereal, soulful approach to the John Fogerty-penned staple. Simply put, it’s a spine-tingling coda to what is an almost criminally consistent collection of covers.

Recorded by Grant, Rob Christian, Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte and recorded at Victory Drive, RC Studio and Canterbury Music Company, Songs of ’69, Volume I includes two big band-style horn arrangements on “Easy to be Hard” and “Undun” featuring tenor saxophonist Alison Young. Grant played bass, drums, keys and percussion, and singer Lori Cullen provided backing vocals (“Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”), with contributing musicians saxophonist Richard Underhill, trombonist Christian Overton, trumpeter Marie Goudy, pianists Michael Shand and Vezi Tayyeb, bassist Andrew Stewart and lap steel guitarist Christine Bougie.

Born in Leamington, Ontario and spending her teen years in Detroit, Marentette was inspired by her mother and her career as a musician. Performing throughout Asia and Europe, she returned to Canada in 2014. Having worked with a variety of artists such as Clayton-Thomas, Don Francks and Jane Siberry, Marentette produced The Heart of 21 in 2019, an EP by her mother celebrating her mom’s 70th birthday. In 2021 the artist released Live & Improvised, a live recording from a Toronto concert featuring Marentette and pianist Robert G. Scott.

The 20th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Returns to Toronto’s Massey Hall December 4

The Andy Kim Christmas returns to Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall Wednesday, December 4 for another unforgettable evening celebrating the magic of the season with performances from iconic Canadian artists. This year marks the 20th year that luminary musician and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Andy Kim will bring together some of the nation’s most applauded talent featuring Barenaked Ladies, Alex Lifeson, Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Dan Hill, William Prince, Molly Johnson celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Kumbaya and more with all event proceeds donated to CAMH’s Gifts of Light.

Tickets to The Andy Kim Christmas go on sale Friday, October 18th at 10am local time at TicketMaster.ca, with prices ranging from $35.50- $85.50 plus fees. The complete line up of musical guests taking the stage will be announced in the coming weeks.

“There is something fascinating about a 20th Anniversary Celebration. With all the excitement of putting this year’s 20th AK Christmas, I’m reminded of the first one,” said Andy Kim. “Filled with the honest belief that our musical community will help me ease into the Christmas Holiday Spirit. We are back again Wed. Dec 4th at Massey Hall in support of CAMH Gifts of Light. Humbled & Honoured.”

Guests can look forward to a classic variety showcase with special holiday performances from the country’s top acts. Andy Kim’s previous guests include Colin James, Cowboy Junkies, Dan Hill, Feist, Georgia Harmer, High Flyer, Jacksoul, Jake Clemons, Jully Black, Kim Mitchell, Lights, Maestro, Men Without Hats, Metric, Michel Pagliaro, Molly Johnson, Nelly Furtado, Ron Sexsmith, Russell Peters, Sam Roberts, Sarah McLachlan, Scott Helman, Serena Ryder, Sloan, The Sadies, The Sheepdogs, Alex Lifeson, Arkells, Barenaked Ladies, Billy Talent, Bobby Bazini, Broken Social Scene, BUCK65, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Choir! Choir! Choir!, City and Colour, The Strumbellas, The Trews, Tom Cochrane, Tom Wilson, Tyler Shaw, William Prince among many others.
For decades, Kim has entertained and united people through his music. Kim started his music career at age 16 and has received top industry honours including two JUNO Awards, as well as membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Key to the City of Toronto, and has been appointed to the Order of Canada in 2024. To this day, Kim’s musical artistry is acclaimed by many who take joy in his numerous hit songs, including nine Billboard Top 40 hits such as the number one hit “Rock Me Gently” and the iconic ”Sugar, Sugar.”

New Zealand-Canadian Jazz Trumpeter Lex French Unveils His New Album ‘In the World’s First Summer’ Out Now

Photo Credit: Leya Russell

Today, New Zealand-Canadian jazz trumpeter Lex French is proud to release his debut album, In the World’s First Summer, out now via Justin Time/Nettwerk. Traces of Miles Davis can be heard throughout the eight-song release, as French cites the seminal jazz trumpeter among his many inspirations. He also takes cues from poetry and paintings that add to the album’s artful nature.

Lex explains in his own words: “In the World’s First Summer is a setting of James K. Baxter’s poem On the Death of Her Body, while Colour Grid is inspired by Paul Klee’s painting New Harmony. Falling Up was a tune that floated around in my head for about 5 years before I figured out how to write it down and keep the spirit of the song intact. A number of the other pieces–Nana, Going Home, V’la L’bon Vent–are arrangements of folk songs from different traditions, while Huancavelica is a new composition inspired by such a tune. My arrangements of these songs are attempts to make sense of this music that reaches through time, and still manages to tell our stories. Bye Bye Blackbird brings us back to Miles and the end of his first quintet with John Coltrane… check out the version on Live from the Olympia and you’ll see the first glimmerings of his second quintet off in the distance, the same glimmering light that reached through time from 1967 to 1999, grabbed hold of me and never let go.”

‘In the World’s First Summer’ marks the debut recording of New Zealand-Canadian jazz trumpet player Lex French on the Justin Time label. Hailed by Radio Canada jazz critic Stanley Pean as “an extraordinary trumpeter”, he is fast becoming a bright star on the Canadian jazz scene, and is a highly in-demand composer and arranger.

This project takes inspiration from Miles Davis’s seminal second quintet in its approach, a group that has influenced so many musicians over the last 50 years. “When I was about 16 years old, in 1998 or ’99, I bought a copy of Miles Davis’1967 album, Miles Smiles,” says French, “and was immediately captivated. Ever since that first listen, I’ve wanted to lead a group that followed in the footsteps of Miles’s seminal second quintet. His quintet was a band that prioritised communication and improvisation, embraced lush and open harmonic soundscapes, and above all, placed the spirit of spontaneity at the center of everything. In order to play with such spontaneity and open lines of communication, it is important that each musician in the group is an exceptional musician in their own right. François Bourassa (piano), Morgan Moore (bass), and Jim Doxas (drums) are all improvising musicians of the highest order who can bring their individual and personal approaches to the music but also function as members of the group in order to create a whole that is great than the sum of its parts.”

Track List:
1. Colour Grid
2. Bye Bye Blackbird
3. Falling Up
4. Lullaby (Nana)
5. Huancavelica
6. In the World’s First Summer
7. Going Home
8. V’la l’bon Vent

Reggae/EDM Artist Kēvens Shows Love With Timely Double A-Side Singles “Sweet Lady Liberty” and “This Is LOVE”

The styles of reggae and EDM have usually have two intrinsic characteristics in common: they make people feel good and they make people dance. But fusing the two of them is a lofty goal to some and perhaps downright foolish to others. Nobody however has met the likes of Miami, Florida based vocalist Kēvens who has managed to thread both genres together for surprisingly spectacular results. Now, Kēvens is set to show that his love of the genres is possibly surpassed only by his love of the United States and the human race with the double A-side single releases “Sweet Lady Liberty” and “This Is LOVE.”

Both songs speak to the universality of equality, peace, harmony, justice, and love. First off, “Sweet Lady Liberty” evokes images of Ellis Island, where newcomers immigrating to the United States would see the Statue of Liberty and realize they were arriving to a place brimming with hope and opportunities, a chance their country of birth couldn’t afford. Kēvens says “Sweet Lady Liberty” is an ode to the American Dream and how it is available for all entering her realm.

“‘Sweet Lady Liberty’ focuses on the Love we all feel for the ‘idea’ of a country designed around the oft-repeated concepts of Liberty, of Equality, and of a Dream that each man, woman and child can embrace and strive for,” Kēvens says. “In a climate where many Americans find themselves suffering the effects of straying from those concepts, ‘Sweet Lady Liberty’ reminds us that we all play a part in keeping that Dream alive.”

Musically, the song has a mournful but uplifting vibe thanks to the musician’s passionate delivery set against subtle strings and piano. “Sweet Lady Liberty” is also highlighted by some fantastic backing vocalists whose harmonies give it an almost hymnal one. While speaking of equal rights and every creed and color accepted to United States, Kēvens cites the Constitution and how the current political situation is causing divisiveness, threatening the country’s very essence. It’s a song Wyclef Jean and Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) would be envious of in terms of its depth and arrangement.

Equally enticing is “This Is LOVE,” which is a lovely, reggae trip that soothes the ears and the soul. The warm, breezy arrangement are offset with lyrics that speak to heartache and how putting the pieces of a shattered heart back together makes the person and the heart stronger. “When you realize all the broken hearts you’ve suffered from have actually paved the way to the person you’re with at present,” Kēvens says of “This Is LOVE.” “Celebrate pain and persevere.”

Both “Sweet Lady Liberty” and “This Is LOVE” are from Kēvens latest studio album Call To Balance. It’s the latest effort in what has been an incredible career for the musician whose credo is “positivity is a necessity.” From his beginnings in various South Florida clubs spinning records to his time in progressive reggae band Le Coup with Richard and Anthony Booker. Kēvens heeded the advice of Cedella Marley Booker when she told the impressionable artist the following: “Like a letter, you must write a song with purpose.”

By fusing reggae and Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Kēvens has used music to promote themes of positivity, enlightenment, artistic expression, and multiculturalism. It’s also this feel good, “glass is half full” mindset that has brought working alongside a who’s who of dance music and pop music in general: from Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, rapper Ice Cube, and rock icons Duran Duran to legends such as Daft Punk, Carlos Santana and Paul Oakenfold. He has also worked with The Jacksons.

Now with the double A-side singles “Sweet Lady Liberty” and “This Is LOVE,” Kēvens is bringing more hopefulness, positive energy, harmony and love to the world at large. And it’s hard not to love both of these new efforts.

Indie Singer-Songwriter numberonesun Has Fans Wanting More With Melodic Emo Acoustic “Over Again”

When not in the group Moore Ave, singer-songwriter Josh Gaudette has plenty on the go in his own life. But Gaudette, using the name numberonesun, has opened himself up with the shimmering, highly contagious indie pop single “Over Again.” It’s a song addressing a personal issue that many have and can successfully deal with.

“‘Over Again’ is about discovering my issues with anxiety, learning what it feels like to me, how it presents itself to the ones I love, learning to live with it everyday, and working towards conquering it one day at a time,” the artist says. “‘Over Again’ really punctuates the topics that surround the record it is preceding.”

The single, written by numberonesun, is a fantastic indie pop song that hits all the right buttons to start, recalling Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World, City and Colour and even the tight, infectious highbrow pop of Neil Finn (Crowded House, Split Enz). “Over Again,” produced, recorded, and mixed by Adam Michael (of the rock group Say Yes) and mastered by Kristian Montano of Toronto’s Montano Mastering, also features cavity-inducing harmonies by Jackie McBrien while Michael fleshed out the single with additional instrumentation. Additionally, a music video for “Over Again” was made by Shawn MacDonald.

“Over Again” originated after numberonesun and Michael made a roughly six-hour trek to Cloyne, Ontario where one of the producer’s family friends has a cabin. “We ended up recording a full record worth of tunes in three days,” the singer says. “‘Over Again’ was just one of the ideas I had; it was just a chorus, essentially. In between tracks, I went outside and got really inspired to start diving into the idea more and in no time came out with a tune I am super proud of.”

Influenced by the late Gord Downie, Dallas Green, Weezer’s vocalist Rivers Cuomo and the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, numberonesun originated initially by accident. Gaudette approached Moore Ave with some songs for the group to record. The group believed the material would be much better served as a solo project for the artist. From there Gaudette contacted Michael and thus numberonesun came to fruition.

“I remember the night I was going through all of my voice notes and demos trying to figure out what I wanted to do with all these emotional down tempo songs I had been writing,” he says. “Thanks to some very strong direction from my Dad, I reached out to my buddy Adam and asked if he wanted to make a record.”

An active participant in his own community of Alymer, Ontario, Gaudette is a manager at McDonald’s, teaches karate at a local studio, and is a member of a local service club. Additionally, he has helped organize an annual benefit concert (one that has been held for 12 years) that has “donated thousands of dollars and thousands of pounds of non-perishables and dry goods to the local food bank.”

With the debut album from numberonesun on the horizon, “Over Again” is a fantastic introduction into what is sure to be an excellent batch of material that is both extremely alluring and quite well-crafted. While describing the project as an artist “that writes and performs sad tunes to be sad to,” numberonesun and the new single “Over Again” is sure to leave you with a wide-eyed grin. And wanting to listen to it over and over again.

Jay Douglas Documentary Play It Loud! — How Toronto Got Soul Gets Special Advanced Sneak Preview Oct. 23 At Toronto’s The Royal Theatre

For much of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Caribbean, Jamaican and reggae music scene in Toronto was almost unrivaled in North America in terms of quality and performers. Jay Douglas, lead singer of The Cougars and one of the biggest and brightest talents of that time, is the subject of a fantastic new TVO Original documentary entitled Play It Loud! — How Toronto Got Soul. The documentary, directed by Graeme Mathieson, produced by Andrew Munger (Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band), and Executive Produced by Clement Virgo (Brother, The Wire) will have a special advance preview screening Oct. 23 at 630 PM at Toronto’s The Royal Theatre (608 College Street) with limited tickets available to the public here.

Play It Loud! — How Toronto Got Soul traces Douglas’ life from a young boy in Jamaica to immigrating to Canada in his teenage years and residing in Toronto with a host of other Jamaica-born artists such as Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles and Wayne McGhie among others. With Toronto becoming a hotbed of Jamaican music, Douglas established himself as the lead singer of The Cougars, a fabulous group who performed a collage of genres (reggae/Caribbean/soul/ska/funk) wherever and whenever they could.

Whether it was the vibrant clubs on Toronto’s Yonge Street during that era or performing in smaller towns in Northern Ontario or Quebec, the group dazzled fans despite little to no airplay or label support aside from appearing on one album entitled Caribana ’67.

Douglas (born Clive Pinnock), described by legendary reggae producer Sly Dunbar as “the Lou Rawls of Jamaican music,” maintained a music career performing on cruise ships, banquets, and clubs long after The Cougars’ heyday. In 2006, after influential hip-hop artists discovered a drum break from McGhie’s song “Dirty Funk,” that time and place in Canadian musical history was resurrected thanks to Jamaica To Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974, a now legendary compilation issued by Seattle label Light In The Attic which shone the spotlight on the blazing Jamaican music scene, Douglas (a three-time Juno Award nominee), and this magical era. Play It Loud — How Toronto Got Soul takes the journey with Douglas through the highs and lows, in a way akin to the 2012 critically acclaimed documentary Searching For Sugar Man about the rather obscure musician Rodriguez and one man’s search for the artist.

Featuring interviews with Dunbar, vocalist Jackie Richardson, Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton), former MuchMusic host Michael Williams and many others, and the music of Bob Marley, Bo Diddley, James Brown, The Cougars, Wayne McGhie.

Play It Loud — How Toronto Got Soul will have a Toronto screening Feb. 6, 2025 at the Nia Centre for The Arts (524 Oakwood Avenue) and makes its broadcast and digital premiere later that month on TVO and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network. The film was funded by TVO, Canada Media Fund, Telefilm, Ontario Creates, Rogers Documentary Fund, Knowledge Network BC and the Hot Docs–Slaight Family Fund.

So for an intriguing, intimate look at an incredibly underrated and then underappreciated era in Canadian music, Play It Loud — How Toronto Got Soul will stir your soul to seek out these artists and this incredible sound while shedding light on one of Canada’s most revered musicians.

Billboard Chart-Toppers SULTANS OF STRING Announce “WALKING THROUGH THE FIRE” FILM PREMIERE

3x JUNO nominees and Billboard chart-toppers Sultans of String are excited to announce the Toronto Premiere of Walking Through The Fire-Visual Album, a musical film experience unlike any other. This special film brings the magic of collaboration to the screen, with award-winning First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists from across Turtle Island/Canada.

Presented by the Redbird Therapy Centre, Cecil Community Centre, and Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto, the Premiere will feature opening remarks with Dr. Duke Redbird, and an Artist meet & greet VIP Reception with live music. The Film will be followed by a powerful Q&A panel with artists from the film including Dr. Duke Redbird, Shannon Thunderbird, Marc Merilaïnen, Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, as well as filmmaker and Sultans of String producer Chris McKhool. 100% of the ticket price will be donated to the Native Women’s Resource Centre.

This production comes on the heels of their Cannes World Film Festival winning visual album/documentary, The Refuge Project.

WHEN:  Friday, November 1, 2024 – VIP Reception: 7:00-7:30pm  |  Film Screening and Artist Panel: 8:00-10:00pm

WHAT: ‘Walking Through the Fire’ Film Screening Premiere presented by: Redbird Therapy Centre, Cecil Community Centre, and Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto

Opening remarks with Dr. Duke Redbird, and Artist meet & greet VIP Reception with live music. Film will be followed by a powerful Q&A panel with artists from the film including Dr. Duke Redbird, Shannon Thunderbird, Marc Merilaïnen, Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, as well as filmmaker and Sultans of String producer Chris McKhool. 100% of the ticket price will be donated to the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto.

WHERE: Cecil Community Centre, 58 Cecil St, Toronto

Walking Through the Fire: Visual Album is a musical film experience unlike any other. From Métis fiddling to an East Coast Kitchen Party, rumba to rock, to the drumming of the Pacific Northwest, experience the beauty and diversity of music from Turtle Island with Elder and poet Dr. Duke Redbird, the Métis Fiddler Quartet, Ojibwe/Finnish Singer-Songwriter Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), Coast Tsm’syen Singer Shannon Thunderbird, The North Sound from the Prairies, Blues singer Crystal Shawanda, Heavy-Wood guitarist Don Ross, Northern Cree pow wow group, Dene singer-songwriter Leela Gilday, Inuit Throat Singers and more!  Experience in full DOLBY ATMOS. 80 Minutes.

A central theme running through Walking Through The Fire is the need for the truth of Indigenous experience to be told before reconciliation can begin in earnest. Embedded in the title is the energy of rebirth: fire destroys, but it also nourishes the soil to create new growth, beauty, and resiliency. Walking Through The Fire ensures that we emerge on the other side together, stronger and more unified.

Sultans of String created this project in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, and Final Report that asks for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to work together as an opportunity to show a path forward. Says bandleader Chris McKhool (whose grandfather was a stowaway from Lebanon at the turn of the last century), “We know that as a society we can’t move ahead without acknowledging and reflecting on the past. Before reconciliation can occur, the full truth of the Indigenous experience in this country needs to be told, so we’ve been calling on Indigenous artists to share with us their stories, their experience, and their lives, so we settler Canadians can continue our learning about the history of genocide, residential schools, and of inter-generational impacts of colonization.”

Bandleader Chris McKhool (Makhoul in Lebanon) has an Egyptian-born mother who happened to play piano, teach classical theory, and feed her young son as much Middle Eastern cuisine as she did music lessons. From there, the powerful violinist developed a taste for multi-genre string sounds and found a like-minded crew of all-world enthusiasts. When McKhool first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s rumba rhythm, their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo grew, featuring such amazing musical friends as in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston, and the jaw-dropping beats of percussionist Chendy Leon.

Their live resume is similarly stellar. Equally at home in a concert hall, folk and jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest, the legendary club Birdland in New York, Celtic Connections Festival (Glasgow) and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall), and performed with the Annapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. They have played live on CBC’s Canada Live, BBC Radio, BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the syndicated World Café, Woodsongs, and SiriusXM in Washington. Sultans of String’s musicianship and versatility are also showcased in collaborations with such diverse luminaries as Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Richard Bona (Paul Simon), Alex Cuba, Ruben Blades, Yasmin Levy, Benoit Bourque, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda & Ken Whiteley.

Prog-Metal Band Derev Announces ‘Out of This Mind Eastern Canada Tour’ in Support of Harrowing New Single ‘Room 9’

Capturing mental illness in song is a dicey business. When somebody does it right, you feel like you’re getting to listen to the most poetic case study ever written. When they do it wrong, it’s like being accosted on the street by an actual mental patient who wants to sing you his very favorite tune. Which he just made up.

Suffice it to say that prog- metalers Derev get it right on their new single, “Room 9.” Very right indeed. Harrowing in all the best ways, the song chronicles the inner torment of an inmate in a mental institution who feels as if he’s trapped within his own mind as well—that his thoughts keep racing around and around on an “endless trail” that leads nowhere but back into the thick of an impenetrable maze.

“The intention behind writing this song was to illustrate the struggles of schizophrenic individuals dealing with symptoms of psychosis, hallucinations and disorganized thoughts and actions,” the band says. Just don’t mistake it for simple exploitation, though, because the point here is empathy, not a freak show:

“In our everyday lives, we come across people that society calls ‘crazy’ or ‘mental.’ We often overlook how they ended up there, what circumstances led them to that point, and what they suffered to become who they are. This song serves as a tribute, encouraging the listener to step into their shoes and get a glimpse of what they feel and experience.”

Mission accomplished, especially when you wed the song’s unsparing lyrical sentiments to its vaguely unsettling, Middle Eastern-inspired melodic and harmonic modalities and its almost mathematical, rat-a-tat rhythms that are hammered out in 7/4 time. (Suffice it to say that fans of Tool will feel right at home in this sanitarium.) Beneath the surface, there are subtleties that reward repeated listening and careful rumination: The title “Room 9,” for example, doesn’t just refer to the cell our harried protagonist occupies; it’s also a nod to Japanese culture, in which the word for “nine” (“ku”) sounds like the word for “pain” or “suffering.” There’s even an accompanying animated video that uses highly stylized imagery to dramatize the main character’s fantasies of escape and subsequent frustration at realizing he’s perpetually stuck at Square One.

The entire project is proof of concept for the collaboration that childhood friends Armando Bablanian (guitar) and Michel Karakach (drums) struck up in Kuwait a while back. Since then, a move to Toronto and the addition of bassist Stan Kamarovski and keyboardist/synth player Ran Zehavi have made Derev a full-fledged band. “Room 9” finds that core unit augmented by guest singer Adel Saflou, whose suitably tortured lead vocals will also be featured on the group’s forthcoming album, the thematically of-a-piece Troubled Mind.

With that document already complete and about to be unleashed on the world, Derev continues to move forward at a determined pace. Singer Mike Symons has been brought aboard to work the mic full-time, and he’ll be front and center when the band undertakes a blitz of concert appearances keyed to the new release. Dates announced so far are as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 17—The Supermarket, Toronto, ON
Friday, Oct. 18—The Smokin’ 116 Bistro, Belleville, ON
Saturday, Oct. 19—Overtime Sports Bar, Kingston, ON
Tuesday, Oct. 22—The Tumbleweed Fry House & Bar, Bathurst, NB
Wednesday, Oct. 23—Avon Valley Lanes, Windsor, ON
Friday, Oct. 25—La Cale–Pub Zero Dechet, Montreal, QC
Saturday, Oct. 26—Live on Elgin, Ottawa, ON
Sunday, Oct. 27—La Maison Tavern, Cornwall, ON

The name of this intensive, frenzied little jaunt? The “Out of This Mind Eastern Canada Tour,” of course. When these guys hit on a concept, they stick with it to the very end. But that’s the kind of obsessiveness any psychotherapist worth his salt would heartily approve of.

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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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